Connecting the Dots

From the Department of Improving Citizen Relations...

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

The same intellectual giants who brought us the "military veterans are DANGEROUS!!!ZOMG11!!" memo are now warning us that we have a new group to watch out for:

"Anti-government EXTREMISTS opposed to taxes and regulations"

*snorfle*

You can't make this stuff up. Well, unless you're George Orwell.

Beware, citizen. If your neighbor grouses about paying his taxes and sorting his garbage into fourteen different recycling bins, REPORT HIM! The life you save may be a bureaucrat...

WTH, Dirty Harry?

2012-02-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

An ad for ~~Fiat~~Chrysler? Are you fraking kidding me?

Dirty Harry would have figuratively, and perhaps literally, shot Chrysler in the head to put it out of our misery and preserve whatever dignity it had left. He wouldn't try to convince us that buying a ~~Fiat~~ Chrysler is a good idea. I call bullsh*t, Dirty Harry. You didn't even bother to film the damned commercial in Detroit. Epic fail, old man.

Changes in latitude...

2012-02-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

I just realized this morning that one week from today I'll be on my way to the sunny climes of my youth for two solid weeks of family R&R. While it happened to be a sunny day around here already, it just seems a bit more shiny now...I hope your day is going as well.

:-)

Concert AAR, plus a few other random neuron firings...

2012-01-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

My buddy drove into town, and after a short visit with my family we headed up to Louisville to check into our hotel room for the night (aka Base of Operations). Lunch at Molly Malone's pub followed, where they have Magner's cider on tap (nectar of the gods, that is!). Then it was back to BoO to get ready for the evening. The hotel shuttle dropped us off in front of the venue, basically an oversized quonset hut smack dab in the middle of a large flea market. Hey, it's Kentucky, right?

My buddy is a thrash/speed metal fan from way back. Me? Not so much. I do own an old Anthrax album because I loved their cover of "Got the Time," but I only knew the other two bands on the bill by name. However, all three (Death Angel, Testament, Anthrax) each played well, and I found myself really enjoying the show. As an aside, the guitarist for Death Angel yelled out during a "quiet" moment, "This is a GREAT flea market!" The crowd roared, some with laughter. Later, while Anthrax was playing, the singer and guitarist of DA wandered through the crowd. When they got to us we introduced ourselves and spent a few minutes chatting with them. They seemed very cool, and my buddy was absolutely stoked to have had the chance to meet them.

The evening passed uneventfully, the crowd being surprisingly well-behaved*, and we took a cab back to the hotel so that we could take the shuttle and get some chow before bed. All in all a fun evening, and definitely a memory for the "odder things I've experienced" file.

*I should not have been surprised by this. I once went to an Insane Clown Posse concert at my supervisor's urging, and fully expected a minor riot. Instead, the crowd was polite and happy, and we noticed several instances of people helping strangers who either slipped or fell on the lower level floor in the theater (The floors were slippery due to large quantities of Faygo soda finding their way into the crowd. Long story.).

And now for something completely different...

I read this morning that they're approaching record low temps up in Alaska. Next time some hippie tells you glowball warming is going to kill us all, would you kindly remind them of this and smack them in the face with a large bag of ice cubes? Thanks.

And in political news, I was deeply shocked and saddened to find that Rep. Allen West appears to have supported the NDAA bill. I just can't understand how he could get that so wrong... No link, it's too disappointing.

Not sure why this bugs me...

2012-01-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

I read today that Bush the Elder and one of the Lesser Shrubs visited Barry today. Supposedly it was just a friendly chat among presidents.

Does anyone believe that? Nah. Didn't think so. Aside from perhaps discussing which country they would each like to make war upon next (Iran, what?), what the frack would these two talk about? Yachting? Maybe golf? Yeah, it must be golf...

The funniest thing is that this is the second time this group has met (Jeb did not attend last time) right before these Alfalfa Club dinners. If talking to him once wasn't bad enough, could you imagine being stuck in a room with Barry a second time making small talk?

I'd never be able to keep my lunch down. Or my head from exploding due to high blood pressure.

Anyhoo, thankfully I wasn't there. And now for something completely different...

Tomorrow one of my oldest and best friends is coming into town so that we can attend a concert. It's not so much the concert I'm looking forward to, since the band (Anthrax) was never one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to having time to catch up with a friend I saw everyday growing up but rarely get to see anymore. That's much more valuable. There will be an after-action report once my liver, and my hearing, recover.

My senator was DETAINED yesterday...

2012-01-24T10:59:00.002-05:00

The thugs of the Testicle Squeezing Authority decided that they'd throw some love in Senator Rand Paul's direction yesterday because he is clearly a ~~white middle-aged conservative lawmaker~~ terrorist. Here is an excerpt from the transcript of his description of events on FoxNews yesterday:

I was detained on one of those clear cubicles where they detain you. I was very aggressively told not to leave the cubicle. In my mind, I felt like I was being detained, I did step out of the cubicle one time to talk to the TSA. I was very forcefully told I needed to reenter or face more serious repercussions.
In fact when I wanted to use my cellphone to call my office because I was supposed to here for a march for life rally on the mall area and tell them I wasn't going to make it, they told me because now I used my cell phone I would get a full pat down. To me I took that as a threat. I didn't take that very well that they were going to punish me for using my phone. [Emphasis mine]

Unfortunately, the thugocracy will get away with this without even a slap on the wrist. While the Constitution does say that congressmen and senators cannot be prevented from travel to and from their duties, (Article 1, Section 6)

...They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

the thugs will simply say that the senator was "breaching the peace" while they snicker and high-five each other. However, I think they picked the wrong mark for a groping session.

I have been very happy with Senator Paul's performance thus far. Time and again he has shown, through his voting record and his actions, that he understands how government is supposed to function within the framework of the Constitution. If you read the full transcript of his interview with Van Susteren from yesterday you'll see what I mean. Personally, I hope that this spurs him to redouble his efforts to eliminate the abusive Testicle Squeezing Authority and restore some small measure of common sense and decency to our government.

Sunday in the Mix...something old, something new

2012-01-22T12:07:00.000-05:00

The world lost another one of those once-in-a-generation voices this week. Etta James was one of those singers whose voice was so powerful and emotionally intense that it could literally give me goosebumps. When Etta sang the blues, you knew in your soul that she felt every word she was singing. Here she is singing two of my favorites, Stormy Weather and The Blues is My Business.

Rest in peace, Etta.

To end this week on an upbeat note, I heard this next track while listening to a recent episode of Above & Beyond's weekly podcast, Trance Around the World.

For whatever reason, this song makes me think about warm places, sunny shores. Since we're heading to Florida in a few weeks for some much-needed R&R, perhaps I'm just preoccupied, but this song will make a nice accompaniment on the trip. In any case, I hope you've enjoyed this musical interlude.

Vote for Laura...

2012-01-20T11:58:00.000-05:00

She promises bacon.

She's got my vote! Laura for Prez!

Getting closer...

2012-01-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

According to the latest from FoxNews, Congresscritter Issa's committee investigating the gunwalking scandal appears to be getting closer to the truth. Close enough for those involved to start clamming up, at any rate.

I'd say that this is a positive sign. I can only hope that we may yet see some justice for the families of the federal agents (and possibly several other LE officers) who have been killed by this criminal activity.

As an aside, if I were this dude, Cunningham, I'd avoid driving or handling firearms for the next few years. Those who become significant legal liabilities to high-powered dems seem to have all kinds of difficulty just staying alive. Just ask Vince Foster.

I figured I should post today...

2012-01-18T23:19:00.000-05:00

Since nobody else is...

I changed Beaker's serpentine belt and spark plugs today. Little booger's running much smoother now. I'm now that much closer to a traffic ticket, I suppose.

That was my day. How was your day? Not posting, huh?

I don't know why anyone thinks that not posting to some blog on the intertubes is going to make the evil bastards in D.C. stop destroying our Republic. They don't want there to BE a Republic anymore. There is only one way I can see this ending at this point, and I think that deep down in many of your hearts, you know it too. So get back to posting, already...we have to reach as many as we can before it's too late.

I'm off to bed. It's back to work at the salt mine tomorrow.

Another welcome addition to the blogroll...

2012-01-16T21:06:00.000-05:00

I took a gander at Guy S.'s blog and realized that I've been missing out on some good writing. I've rectified that oversight by adding a link in the blogroll. Welcome!

If you know anyone who doesn't have a clue...

2012-01-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

If you happen to know someone who doesn't "get" what's intentionally being done to our Republic, or someone who thinks they know but have it terribly wrong (i.e. probably a Barry fan), then you owe it to yourself and them to have them read this essay:

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-destroy-country-part-1.html

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-destroy-country-part-2.html

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-destroy-country-part-3.html

It's that important.

I've added a link to the great blog where it can be found, Gates of Vienna, to the sidebar.

Do not adjust your set...

2012-01-15T17:47:00.000-05:00

I may be playing with the backgrounds and layout of the blog over the next few days/weeks. I get bored with staring at the same background all the time, and shaking things up is often a good thing.

That is all.

:-)

Sunday in the Mix...Pier Poropat

2012-01-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

This week I just thought I'd share a song that's coming up in my gym playlist alot. I discovered this song while listening to a weekly podcast produced by DJ Tiesto called "Club Life." As an aside, for those of you who workout on a regular basis there is nothing better for keeping a breathing/stride rhythm than trance music! I recommend Above & Beyond's "Trance Around the World" podcast, as well as Tiesto's "Club Life."

I know nothing about the artist who produced this song, other than I like it and it has been stuck in my head for days. Now you, too can have it stuck in your head. Enjoy!

LTC West is STILL kicking butt and taking names...

2012-01-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

Addressing the issue of the Youtube video in which it appears that Marines are seen to be urinating on KIA jihadis, LTC West sums it up exactly as I would.

As I've said many times before, until we decide as a people that men and women like him are the only ones worthy enough to represent us, our Republic will continue to crumble. He is the only person mentioned thus far as a possible presidential candidate who I would vote for without hesitation. Unfortunately he has chosen to remain in Congress, but can still do good works there. I wish him much success in that effort.

Onward.

Snow...

2012-01-13T14:31:00.001-05:00

Finally snowed yesterday. We had just enough to coat the grass in places and make the roads slicker than snot for a few hours. Leaving for work late last night, I finally had the opportunity to see how well Beaker handles with those road conditions. Honestly, I think those run-flat tires are going to be a pain in the posterior. I am VERY experienced at driving on snow and ice, and rarely have trouble in a front-wheel drive car, but last night I skidded nearly halfway through an (thankfully, empty!) intersection because the tires lost grip at low speed. However, the dynamic stability control (DSC) system impressed me when it came time to climb a slippery grade. Where I would normally slalom gently back and forth in the lane, constantly hunting for traction, Beaker just kept going straight ahead producing a weird staccato vibration through the drivetrain as the DSC adjusted power to the wheels.

In other news, the dryer is now fixed. It took a $20 thermal fuse (talk about inflation!) and a couple of hours of disassembling/reassembling the dryer. I had to reassemble it three times because I kept forgetting to put things back where they go. Absent-minded professor, I guess.

Back to the salt mine tonight. I hope that you are all inside somewhere, warm and toasty. It's no fun outside at the moment.

What a week...

2012-01-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

It's only Tuesday for the rest of you, but my work week ended today. Now, on my 1.5 days off (I'm switching to the overnight shift at the salt mine) I've got to fix a dryer that will turn on but won't tumble OR dry. I also have to try to lay hands on the tool which (hopefully...knock on wood) will allow me to change Beaker's serpentine belt and thus stop him from squealing like that guy in "Deliverance" when it's cold out.

[Side note: I briefly thought of putting a link to the "Squeal like a pig!" scene from the movie "Deliverance" up there, but I think that we're all better off not watching that, mmmkay? Oh, and yes, I know my garage is a disaster area. I have a wife and kids. They think garage means "random object impact area/storage zone".]

So, in order to get those thing tackled I'd best be off to bed. Looks like rain tomorrow; at least it's been a quiet winter thus far. Give thanks for small favors, I say, because they're about the only ones coming our way these days.

Freud would have had a field day with me...

2012-01-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

I am one of those people who often (several times a week, at least) have incredibly vivid (yeah, even THAT kind of vivid!) dreams. Some dreams are so lifelike that I wake up disoriented, expecting to find the various characters and situations still around me. A few have even been so memorable that I can remember them clearly years later.

Last night I had a doozy. The Subunits, the Missus and I had to drive to a warehouse in a mid '80's station wagon, complete with fake wood grain panelling, to pick up a load of bulk goods. I'm guessing wheat flour, sugar, and so on. Our neighbor rode along, because she and The Missus are always together, and due to some unknown decision process I had to sit in the middle of the front bench seat while The Missus drove the car. When we pulled up to the warehouse, a whole crowd of tough-looking gang types were hanging around outside and they immediately pulled weapons out of every orifice to point at us. You see, these guys ran the warehouse (the legitimate business) and they also sold drugs in HUGE quantities (volume discounting, you see?) and they weren't sure if we were customers or rival "distributors." After a few moments of tense explanations at the point of a gun, we were loaded up with our order. While we were waiting they even peeled the wood grain panelling off the car and repainted it with a paint job worthy of the coolest low-low.

As I awoke to the annoying sound of the alarm clock at 0500, I was still wondering where I was going to put the pallet of flour sitting on top of the station wagon. I was also smiling about the ridiculous paint job.

Yep, sometimes it's very...different...being me.

Sunday in the Mix...Oliver Smith

2012-01-01T11:56:00.000-05:00

As we ring in a new year, I thought I'd start things off with an upbeat musical post. This track is by an artist named Oliver Smith who I recently heard for the first time when I bought Above & Beyond's new album, Anjunabeats Vol. 9. Appropriately enough, this song is titled "New Dawn."

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:49:00.000-05:00

Hold on to your hats folks, 'cause here we go with 2012...

Happy New Year, everyone!

And without further ado...

2011-12-30T21:50:00.000-05:00

May I introduce...Beaker. Beaker is my 2003 Mini Cooper S. 163HP, 155lb/ft of torque, 6-speed transmission, I had originally considered the name "Marvin", as in Marvin the Mini, but Beaker just seems to fit.

This afternoon Beaker got his first bath, and my subunits had a ball helping me wash "the Little Car." It was such a pleasant day, especially for late December in Kentucky, that I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to shine the little fella up. Looks good, huh!

Earlier in the day the Missus and I met up with a couple who are members of the local Mini owner's club and spent a couple of hours over coffee discussing cars, flowers, and whatever else came to mind. They were very nice folks and we look forward to joining in club activities.

Beaker was not treated with love and kindness by his previous owners, so he's going to need some TLC to get him back to racing form, but for now he's happy zipping around town and taking me to work.

I may spin off Beaker's adventures into a separate blog if there's any interest. If you're a Mini owner, or want to be, it might be worth your time. Just leave a comment on it or email me (link in sidebar).

Beep! Beep! Zzzzzzzzzzzooooooooooooommmmmmmm!

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T00:23:00.000-05:00

I would like to wish a very safe, healthy and merry Christmas to you all, wherever you are.

Thank you for putting up with me and my rants...

:-)

Words fail me this morning...

2011-12-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

First we had the sikh doctor who would be allowed to wear a turban while in uniform. Now we have this. Makes me glad I'm no longer on active duty. There's no way I could put up with the level of PC lunacy infecting the ranks today.

*sigh*

On a separate, but relevant note, the Elder Shrub has endorsed Romney. Lining up those ducks, they are...

Norks in limbo...

2011-12-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

Their Great Reader and Dear Reader have now kicked the bucket, and I fart in their general direction. Do we really have to wait for Junior to grow old and die before we wrap up the Korean War and bring our folks home? Don't we have a fricken laser in space that could vape that sorry sack of protoplasm from orbit, leaving a smoking pile of roasted flab that could feed thousands for a week?

Damn it all, I KNOW we've got the fricken Space Laser. Let's get this over with already. Those poor Norks need a break. On the upside, with their acting skills (did you get a load of all that fake wailing and gnashing of teeth? Wow!) I think many of them could probably land jobs on soap operas here in the states with ease...

Gnome sane?

I hate to say I told ya so...

2011-12-16T18:59:00.000-05:00

...but I did. First Ann Coulter, and now Nikki Haley is endorsing Mitt Romney. Still think he won't be the GOP nominee, come hell or high water? I wouldn't bet too strongly against that.

I'm so sure that he's going to be the nominee that I'll go a step further; I predict that none other than Rush Limbaugh will also endorse Romney before the Iowa Caucus. They've already got his pod growing, and I figure by then his alien replacement will be ready for the swap. Then it will go on to explain to us stupid prols that this is the Most Importantest Election EVVVAAARRRZOMG!!!111!! so we have to hold our noses and vote for Romney against Barry.

Frak 'em all. I'm pretty much convinced that we're beyond rescuing the Republic through that route, anyway. I guess I'll just go make some popcorn, and clean a rifle.

Two stories of "interest"...

2011-12-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

1) "Scientists" from the Department of Redundant Studies have discovered (after 12 studies!) that being drunk causes you to do stupid stuff.

*sigh*

2) In other news, some meteorologists finally beginning to understand that we don't know nearly enough about forecasting the weather yet. To Dr. Gray et al I can only say this: Why don't you geniuses go back to working on the problem of improving short-term models? We still can't accurately forecast any parameter with absolute specificity beyond 72 hours. Walk before you run, right? Sheesh...

By the way, this is exhibit #95,839,048,463,919,456,738,900,982,753,849 against the drooling noobs who claim to KNOW that humans are affecting the global climate.

Oh, and "Drooling Noobs" would be a great name for a rock band.

Okay...I'm back...miss me?

2011-12-09T21:39:00.000-05:00

I'd almost walked away. But now I'm back. Guess I still had something to say after all.

Whew...now what?

As that old song by Tesla goes, time's been making changes in my life.

I joined a gym. I'm looking at going back to school. Haven't decided on that. I've looked at machining, auto mechanic school, and bartending school, among others. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm game.

I finally got one of the cars on my "dream car" list. I got a Mini. I think I'm going to name him Marvin. More on this later.

Thrilled, aren't ye? Stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T11:20:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Okay, this is probably the most boring post you'll read all day, but let it never be said that I wasn't thinking of ya'll. Gnome sane?

*snorfle*

Have fun!

Got popcorn?

2011-10-27T11:12:00.000-04:00

At the end of the day, the politicians in Europe decided that temporarily saving their own income streams was more important than doing the right thing. This means that anyone who believed that gubmint bonds were a safe investment have been brutally dispossessed of that notion. By declaring that private bond investors have to take a 50% (!) hit on the value of Greek bonds, they're guaranteeing the tanking of the bond markets throughout the rest of the EU. Eventually, this will also affect our market in a similar manner. How long will it take to reach the scene of the inevitable crash? I dunno. But I think this step is just going to make it worse when it happens.

And to think that the week isn't even over yet...

Read elsewhere in the Unisphere...

2011-10-17T23:23:00.000-04:00

Excerpt from a comment on another blog:

...gnome sane?

(Know what I'm saying? - translation by yours truly)

Ya'll...I read that an hour ago and I'm still chuckling about it.

Gnome sane?

*snorfle*

Sunday in the Mix...Zombies!

2011-10-16T03:00:00.003-04:00

This song just happened to come up in my iPod's rotation today, and since Halloween is coming up I thought I'd use it for this Sunday's track. Enjoy!

By the way, if you're a fan of the AMC show "The Walking Dead," don't forget that the new season starts tonight!

Better load the shotgun, you never know who's waiting outside the door... :-)

Still think the upcoming election means anything?

2011-10-11T14:05:00.001-04:00

Read this. Then this. The dead elephant party is going to put Romney up as the candidate, I assure you. So the next presidential election will be a choice between the guy who invented Obamacare and the guy who gave it its name and put it on steroids (unless he's impeached beforehand, in which case The Lizard Queen will be up to bat).

Frak that. I'm NOT choosing between those two. All those people who try to tell me it's not important who the GOP candidate is, as long as they win, can go pound sand.

Sunday in the Mix...Twin Spin!

2011-10-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

This week's Sunday in the Mix is a double dose of diverse audio goodness. First up is OMD, or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

I was listening to my iTunes today while surfing through my blogroll and OMD's song "If You Leave" played in the rotation. I guess my computer was in a slightly emo mood today :-).

Anyhoo, that reminded me of an iTunes email I'd received earlier in the day. You know the ones; they recommend other tracks and albums from artists you've already bought tracks from. That one had mentioned OMD, so I went to the iTunes store (aka my "dealer"; I AM a music junkie...) and lo and behold I found a bunch of others that I wound up downloading. It's all very 1980's stuff, the kind of stuff I grew up hearing on Top 40 radio down home. But this particular song has stuck with me all day, and I thought you might like it as well. To be honest, I'd never heard it before, but it is basically a mashup of Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Love Theme" (remember that golden oldie? Think Barry White...) and OMD's "If You Leave," with different lyrics.

Not bad, huh?

Next up is my favorite song of the moment. This is usually a song the Missus is sick of hearing because I play it over, and over, and over again. And again... This is Dash Berlin's "Better Half of Me."

If that doesn't make you want to tap a toe or two, I don't know what will. Til next time, this is your DJ Don at your favorite station, W-H-I-P, Whiplash Radio!, signing off...

:-)

Steve Jobs - R.I.P.

2011-10-06T00:33:00.000-04:00

I'm sure bloggers all over the world will note the passing of Mr. Jobs in some way or another. I didn't know much of the man, aside from his public persona, so I can't speak to his character. However, I'm composing this post on a Mac Mini, while my iPod recharges on the desk in front of me. There's a MacBook at my feet in its bag, and my 9-year-old iMac is pulling backup duty in the kitchen, ready and waiting for someone to use it to look up a recipe or check email.

Millions of people all over the world are probably doing the same right now.

I think that really says it all.

Thanks, Mr. Jobs. May you rest in peace.

Click, read, laugh...

2011-10-04T11:35:00.000-04:00

This post over at The Adaptive Curmudgeon's place really tickled my funny bone this morning, so I thought in lieu of content I'd share it with you.

The phrase "drooling yard wookie" really had me laughing, because I happen to have one...

Chewbacca's cousin, Chew-Buddy.

:-)

Sunday in the Mix...Nu Shooz

2011-10-02T17:22:00.000-04:00

The title of this song just speaks to me, lately.

Don't know why.

Hope everyone has a great week ahead. The weather, at least, looks fine up here.

Warning: Trip down Memory Lane ahead...

2011-09-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

Today is the 20th anniversary of the day I began Air Force basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

What a long, strange trip it's been since then...

I actually signed up with the Air Force as early as I could, which at the time meant the middle of my senior year of high school. Back in those days I knew I didn't want to go to college immediately after high school. My parents couldn't afford to help me pay for it anyway, and my grades weren't quite good enough for any kind of scholarship. However, my "Plan" back then was to become an astronaut (yes, some teenagers still have that dream!), and the first step to that was to become a military test pilot. Since I didn't want to attend college to become an officer after graduation, I enlisted with the idea of going to the Air Force Academy prep school later. That was the "Plan", version 1.0.

I had taken Air Force JROTC through high school, so I qualified for the "Proficiency Advancement" (PA) program. This meant that I would be permitted to move through the entire 6-week Basic Training Course in 2-weeks, and would leave Lackland with a E-3 pay grade (Airman First Class, or A1C). I would spend the entire two weeks doing paperwork, receiving my basic issue gear, and walking from one in-processing appointment to another with the other two PA candidates in my flight. Once I received a career field assignment (AFSC 25130, Weather Observer) I headed to Chanute AFB in Rantoul, Illinois.

I loved Chanute. Most people in my line of work didn't appreciate it, but for me it was one of the best times of my career. The base itself was fairly compact, making it easy for a newly-promoted A1C on foot to get around. We weren't allowed to have cars until the final phase of training, and even then we weren't allowed to use them to get back and forth to our training facility. We had to march in formation to the school each morning, which provided almost daily opportunities to practice our first aid skills (quite a few broken and sprained ankles due to slipping on ice), arctic survival strategies (how many layers can a person wear, and still be able to march?), and comedic talents (who can perform the best pratfall on ice?). I joined the Drill Team, and had the opportunity to travel around central Illinois performing in parades and ceremonies. During the three months I was in Illinois, I volunteered for overseas duty in Germany since I had spent my junior year of high school there and spoke the language. I also bought a modest diamond ring for the Missus during a visit to nearby Champaign and asked her to marry me. This created a need for Plan 2.0, since married guys couldn't attend the Air Force Academy.

After graduation from Weather Observer School, the Missus and I were stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful place to live. My unit was a different story. However, I made some good friends there, and we helped each other get through the following three and a half years. My enlistment was nearly up by the end of my assignment. Since I had no civilian job prospects, still didn't have money for college (aside from my G.I. Bill) and had a wife to provide for, I re-enlisted. Now we were on Plan 2.1, because I'd be too old to attend fighter pilot training by the time my second enlistment was up, and I was getting fat in my "old" age. Shift work was already wreaking havoc on my body.

Me, with Tactical Snowball, Heidelberg, Germany (circa 1994)

Next up was a 9-month stint at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi for training. In those days, observers would spend a few years in the field learning about atmospheric dynamics through their work as observers, combined with on-the-job training with forecasters. Now it was my turn to become a forecaster (or as they call them today, Meteorological Technicians).

Biloxi is a town of extremes. Along Highway 90, which parallels the beach, the homes are beautiful and there are glitzy casinos everywhere you look. Drive a block off the beach, however, and you're in some of the poorest neighborhoods you can imagine. The waiting list was much too long for us to get on-base housing, so we rented a little townhouse apartment just outside the base fence. We entertained ourselves by listening to a police scanner and keeping up with events in the crack neighborhood across the tracks from us. I must say that the police response times in Biloxi were pretty good back then...

Trains racing along the track (which was right behind the apartment) would cause minor earthquakes about every 15 minutes all day, and about every half-hour at night. We got so used to getting rumbled to sleep that we actually noticed it when the trains didn't run. Not that I was getting much sleep; I struggled mightily to retain the incredible volume of information that was being thrown at us. When I hear the phrase "like trying to drink from a fire hose" I know exactly what it means. Imagine earning a four-year degree in meteorology in 9 months...

After successfully graduating from Forecaster School, I received my choice of available assignments and we headed off to Vandenberg AFB, California. The reason I chose Vandenberg is because it was a Space Command base; see what I did there? If you can't be an astronaut, get as close as you can and live vicariously through them :-).

Me & the Missus, Vandenberg AFB, CA (circa. 1997-ish)

I spent the next three years working in the most challenging assignment of my career. The missions we supported were interesting, such as when we supported the launches that lofted the Iridium satellite constellation into orbit. There were also a few scares, like the time a Titan IV dropped a load of Nitrogen Tetroxide on the pad at SLC-4 during a fueling test. The airborne oxidizer melted the paint off many of the objects (e.g. cars) within a half-mile or so, and nearly caused the evacuation of the town of Lompoc. We were responsible for accurately forecasting the dispersion patterns for the spilled oxidizer throughout the event. That was the longest 8 hours of my life, up to that point. I also deployed to Saudi Arabia for four months during those years, briefing Secret Squirrels for their missions beyond the horizon.

Off-Road at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, 1997

Me, front, second from left, posing with my unit at PSAB 1997 (note the guy holding the "Weather Rock", a valuable forecasting tool)

As my time at Vandenberg came to an end, I re-enlisted (still couldn't afford to get out, still had no job prospects, still married... :-) ) and was given the choice of going to Korea (a non-starter for me, since the Missus couldn't go with me) or Tucson, Arizona to assist with the stand-up of a new weather squadron. Off to the desert we went.

Sedona, Arizona, 2001-ish

Tucson, of all the places we've lived, is still my favorite. I love the desert. Particularly the Sonoran desert, with its cacti and mesquite trees and beautiful mountains where you can escape the heat when you need to. My assignment there would be my last, for so many reasons. It was a very difficult time for me, professionally, and it made me realize that I needed to take that Left Turn at Albuquerque. It was time for Plan 3.0; I would become an airline pilot!

Look out! He's gonna SOLO! RUN! (2002)

In the spring of 2002 I began my flight training at the airport in Tucson, and I left the Air Force in the fall of 2002 to attend flight training full-time. It was a lifelong dream that, after the attack of 9/11, I realized that I needed to act on. Life is too short, and all that. Ultimately, that dream would be left behind, but I followed it up with Plan 4.0, which was to be a good provider for my family, doing what I know how to do, and be the best father I can be for my children.

I don't know that there is any point to this story. Probably not. It feels as though it was a lifetime ago when I rode the bus through that gate at Lackland and began the journey that finds me here today. I guess I just wanted to remember it all, roll it around in my head and see how it looks after all these years. There have been some really good times, a few great adventures, and some damned hard times, but in the end I think it's been a pretty good run so far. That's all a man can ask for.

Camping with the sub-units, last month. Older, hopefully wiser.

Who's the world's biggest NOOB?

2011-09-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

Why Barry, of course...

:-)

Where was the pilot?

2011-09-21T11:19:00.000-04:00

When I read about the tragic events at the Reno Air Races last week, I was scratching my head about the initial reports suggesting that the loss of the trim tab (or in this case possibly a servo tab?) was the cause of the crash. I'll admit that it's been a few years since I've flown. I earned my private pilot certificate back in 2003 and haven't flown as PIC since, but IIRC the loss of this device will make aircraft control more difficult, not impossible. Given the age of Mr. Leeward, the pilot (74), I assumed that he must have suffered some medical trouble due to the extreme stresses of flying a fighter aircraft at the edge of its performance envelope.

Then I saw the pictures, and a new mystery revealed itself. Where was the pilot? Immediately upon seeing the first grainy picture of the aircraft diving toward the ground, I noticed that the canopy looked surprisingly empty. No pilot? Now it seems that I am not the only one who noticed this.

In the first picture of this article, you can clearly see that Mr. Leeward is not visible in the canopy. In the third picture, which is the one I originally saw, he is also not visible. In the 4th picture, however, what might be the top of a light-colored flight helmet can be seen far forward in the cockpit.

In any case, whether it was a failure of the hardware holding the pilot's seat to the seat rail or a medical malady suffered by Mr. Leeward, I think that the problem which caused this tragic accident must have occurred in the cockpit.

For what it's worth, I would also like to add my sincere condolences to all of those who lost loved ones on that terrible day.

Alright, you asked for it...

2011-09-19T11:55:00.000-04:00

Og, over at Neanderpundit, has challenged us all to whip it out...

So here's mine...

I carry the tanto blade with the pocket clip. The curved blade is really nice, also, but doesn't have a clip so I can't carry it conveniently. I also usually have a second blade with a seatbelt cutter/window breaker in the car, and a Leatherman tool in my Maxpedition versipack. Blades? I got 'em.

Okay, your turn. Whip 'em out!

:-)

Rand Paul: Fighting the good fight...

2011-09-19T10:36:00.000-04:00

This is our Senator, Dr. Rand Paul, giving a verbal lashing to someone who desperately needs it:

I totally agree with him on this. I've been stocking up on light bulbs ever since the ijits in the current regime came up with their ban, and I think I have enough bulbs to last me the rest of my natural life. We're also looking to replace the stupid EPA-approved toilets in our house because I'm sick of having to plunge at least one of them every single day. You can just flush them, with nothing but water in them, and they will stop mid-flush as if they were clogged. They are the definition of plumbing FAIL.

So far, Dr. Paul has proven to be one of the good guys. At this point I have no regrets about having voted for him. However, in addition to lecturing them perhaps the good Senator could redouble his efforts to work with colleagues in the house to simply defund the agencies which are putting forth all of these stupid regulations. Imagine the press conference that Barry would have to endure if Congress defunded the EPA (and overrode his inevitable veto), sending all of his cronies back to whatever yurt they crawled out of! His teleprompter might just short-circuit. I'd pay good money to see that.

Oh, and that reminds me; I need to go pick up a few more packs of incandescent light bulbs...

:-)

Another great name for a rock band...

2011-09-15T21:44:00.000-04:00

As provided by our neighbor's son while their family and ours enjoyed a camping trip last weekend:

Random Water

Sounds like something a Sioux brave might have called a buddy with bladder control problems :-).

Anyhoo, check out the full list in the sidebar. Have a great weekend!

September 11th, 2001, 10 years later...

2011-09-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

I wasn't going to post today, but it doesn't seem right not to.

Ten years gone, the events of that day are still seared in my memory. I will truly never be able to forget.

In the years since, however, I've made a few observations from here on the home front which very much cause me worry. The stated goal of our enemies was to destroy the United States through a three-pronged attack consisting of 1) destroying our social structure, causing us to fight amongst ourselves, 2) economic destruction, and finally 3) physical destruction.

I humbly submit that it would appear the enemy is succeeding.

Our government has a hard time identifying its enemies (e.g. "radical" muslims, ChiComms, border invaders). My fellow vets over on the battlefields of the various Jihadistans have no trouble with enemy identification, but their leaders often do. Here at home we're expected to give up our liberty and embrace our enemies in the name of peace. Peace? We're not ready for that yet.

Our Defense Department, which should still be called the War Department to remind us of its proper purpose, has forgotten that when one nation/state declares war on another, you cannot simultaneously fight the enemy and try to win their favor. First, you must properly identify the enemy. Then you must destroy their homes, kill as many of their combatants as possible, and generally make the cost so painful that they will do anything to bring the fighting to an end. Then you permit the defeated enemy to sue for peace. That might sound callous, but until recent history that was how peace was achieved. When both sides no longer have the stomach for fighting, peace can endure. Endless low-level war is a recipe for defeat. However, that is the exactly the kind of war we have been fighting now for ten long years. By way of contrast, ten years after Pearl Harbor we had defeated the Axis powers, rebuilt much of the damage caused, and called both Germany and Japan allies. Ten years after 9/11 Ground Zero is still a construction site, instead of the physical address of two larger new World Trade Center towers with anti-aircraft lasers on the roof and a big steel middle finger mounted on top! Oh, and jihadis want to build a ~~nest of vipers~~ mosque next door.

This endless "war against a noun" has wreaked havoc on our nation. Our government has essentially been bankrupted. The leadership, if it can truly be called that, is almost completely dismissive of the limits placed on it by the Constitution and is governing mostly by decree or "regulatory authority". I believe it will soon collapse under its own weight, leaving the citizenry to fight amongst itself to either restore Constitutional governance or fall into tyranny. Many people on both sides of that ideological divide are spoiling for the fight.

Our economic engine has been shattered. One need only look at the daily stock market reports to realize that. Alternatively, take a look around in any major city...but don't forget to arm yourself first.

Each day, we read in the news that the enemy is making further progress along the path to develop ever more devastating weapons of war to use against us. Does anyone doubt that jihadis would hesitate to detonate a nuclear weapon inside the United States?

So as I sit here, ten years after the enemy attack of September 11th, 2001, I can't help but draw the conclusion that we are a nation at a crossroads. I believe the question of whether we will still exist as a nation ten years from now may be decided in the next few months. Then we will know who has won; us, or the jihadis. Right now I would say it's very much up in the air...

Action, meet Consequence...

2011-08-29T23:49:00.000-04:00

Anyone with an IQ higher than Barry (i.e. most of us) knew that sh*tcanning the manned space program before a commercial venture could even launch their first manned orbital flight was a colossal mistake.

COLOSSAL. MISTAKE.

We all knew that relying on the Russkies (you know, those guys who used to play nuclear "chicken" with us) was a sketchy proposition. Lo and behold, even before the shuttles have been shipped off to their future earthbound homes our comrade-skis have already grounded us. While no one is sure how long it will take them to sort out what went wrong in this case, I am certain that the fix will involve safety wire and duct tape.

When the first American astronauts are killed by the failure of a Russian spacecraft, what do we tell their families? That we could have done better, but unemployment checks seemed like a better "investment"? Here, have some vodka? Maybe they'll sell us the next two Soyuz seats at a discount...

This situation is so pathetic that I find myself at a loss for words. We just put tens of thousands of outstanding and experienced space program employees out on the streets, with no industry ready to absorb them, and now soon we may find ourselves watching helplessly as our (at least!) $10 BILLION space station flies by overhead, unmanned.

GRRRR!!!!!!

Save the bloodsuckers? You've gotta be kidding me...

2011-08-27T10:08:00.001-04:00

I was cruising through the headlines this morning when I came across this gem. The primary malaria vector, the lowly mosquito, has largely disappeared from some areas in Africa. This has certainly saved thousands of lives. However, instead of celebrating the fact that prevention and eradication efforts seem to be working, the author indicates that there is hand-wringing in scientific circles about WHY the little spawn of Hades are disappearing. One professor even says that scientists are bummed out because they can't test new malaria drugs due to a lack of patients. Is this REALLY a problem?

Sigh...

Who fracking cares why? What's next, "Save the Skeeters" bumper stickers?

AAR - G.O.G. 2011...

2011-08-16T18:33:00.000-04:00

Just a quick AAR regarding our weekend festivities...

A great time was had by all. There was a lot of time devoted to great conversation, a lot of fine adult beverages were sampled, and a few cheap cigars gave their full measure to provide for a ~~sort of frat house~~ collegial atmosphere. Over the course of the weekend we came up with quite a few new names to add to the "Great Names for Rock Bands" list. Check those out at the link. [Fair Warning: Some of them are "R" rated for language. It was, after all, the beer talking :-) ]

RDub named this groundhog "Charlie." I don't know why. He lived under the porch of the cabin next to ours. I nearly ran him over three days later. He's fine, but may be in therapy for some time to come.

Despite a few weather concerns and a slight delay for a passing thunderstorm, the Doobie Brothers concert went off without further problems. I would have been thrilled to hear Michael McDonald (he doesn't tour with the group), but nonetheless the band played flawlessly. They even tried out a few singles from their new album which I think will prove popular. Kansas opened for the Doobs due to the fact that Skynyrd's lead singer is in the hospital fighting a post-surgical infection. I wish him the best and hope he's back to rocking soon.

To those who attended, I say thanks for a great time. I can't wait for the next one!

G.O.G....

2011-08-09T15:54:00.000-04:00

The Gathering of Gluttons, or GOG, a semi-regular gathering of friends from across the country, will begin Thursday. Needless to say I will not be posting through the weekend. Instead, I very much look forward to the company of old friends, the retelling of old stories, and the making of new ones. If the weather holds we'll be seeing the Doobie Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd playing in concert at the airfield where I work. If I can remember, I'll take pictures. You've been warned :-).

I can't wait!

Take care this weekend, and stay safe.

In which I show an imitation of today's stock market performance...

2011-08-04T17:31:00.001-04:00

Replace the word "Buster" with the phrase "the stock market" in the following video:

Your move, Barry...what EVER will you think of next?

...and will we survive it?

Holy bandwidth hogs, Batman...

2011-07-30T22:59:00.000-04:00

Our family ditched satellite TV a few months ago in favor of a combination of over-the-air and online resources. We picked up a Roku player (which I recommend; they are very handy if you don't have another internet-ready media player) and a nice attic-mounted TV antenna. Our TV reception is pretty good, given how far from a major city we are. The signals are clear, and all in high-def.

Our internet media experience has been, to say the least, disappointing. It's not what you're thinking; there's plenty of stuff to watch online. In fact, all of the shows I want to follow are readily available somewhere online. The problem is that EVERYONE ON THE FRAKING PLANET has also figured this out and appears to be trying to access the same content at the same time I am. Despite upgrading to the fastest possible internet connection available to us, every evening the Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon servers slow to a dead crawl. Oh, well. I guess since most of us are going to be unemployed and fighting off zombies soon, we should just all get used to doing without...

Grrrrr...

This raised an eyebrow...

2011-07-30T18:19:00.001-04:00

...and really made me wonder just where we're headed in the next few months.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I have not been this tense, this on edge, in my entire life. Anecdotal evidence from all corners indicates that the rapidly deepening divide in this country is splitting families, colleagues, whole towns. We have clearly not learned from our history because it would now appear that we may be about to repeat it. I pray that I'm wrong.

However, I can't get the hairs on the back of my neck to stop standing up...

News Bites - 27 July 11

2011-07-27T20:22:00.000-04:00

Just a few tidbits from around the 'sphere:

1) I read today that the creator of Hot Wheels has passed away at the age of 95. Elliott Handler, co-founder of Mattel Toys (yeah, that Mattel!) created them way back in the day. The linked article also informs us that his wife created the Barbie doll. Between the two of them, they brought more joy to children than almost anyone I can think of. I personally spent countless hours playing with my Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars as a boy, and now I get to enjoy them with my son. They are just bits of plastic and metal, but the memories they help to make are priceless. Thank you, Mr. Handler, and may God bless you and your family. Rest in peace.

2) NASA, the agency which USED to fly Americans into space and now begs rides from the Russkies, may have realized their grave mistake and seem to have embraced a new...

[the text above is the first third of the post I had intended to publish this evening. Unfortunately, the goobers at Blogger decided to reprogram the "Publish Post" key to dump my post, never to be seen again, and return me to the login screen instead. THANK YOU, BLOGGER. That's two hours I won't get back... I don't have another two hours to spend retyping this, and for that I apologize. I'll try again tomorrow.]

Updated the blogroll...

2011-07-24T00:27:00.000-04:00

Just updated the blogroll to add The Adaptive Curmudgeon's Blog. Be sure to check it out!

I also took out a couple of blogs which aren't being updated anymore (Rick & Screeb, I'm looking at you...).

Have a great weekend!

STS, R.I.P...

2011-07-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

Atlantis landed this morning. We are now a nation without manned access to space. I hope the Russians like the station we built for them...

I also note that the top-of-the-page headline reporting this event on Drudge comes from a British newspaper. Our media (i.e. the Propaganda Ministry) obviously found it less noteworthy.

The short-sightedness of the decisions which led to this morning's landing continue to defy explanation. However, there is nothing to do but urge the private sector to finally pick up the slack and get moving. On the upside, they'll be able to hire some of the tens of thousands of shuttle program employees who were fired in the last few weeks.

Movie night...

2011-07-21T00:19:00.000-04:00

Within the last year or so, we've started having semi-regular "movie nights," where we get together with the neighbors and their brood and watch movies. Tonight's movie was a BIG DEAL for the kids.

They finally get to watch the Star Wars movies. Oh, yeah. Let the Geek Padawan apprenticeship begin...

Tonight's film was The Phantom Menace. The kids were completely mesmerized by all the lights and sounds and effects. The lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jin, Obi-Wan, and Darth Maul was definitely their favorite part. It was an amazingly choreographed bit of film.

(side note: accompanying one version of this video was the comment, "Who the hell needs a hole that deep?" As Larry the Cable Guy would say, that's funny right there. Of course, I've always wondered why there were never any handrails... )

The adults mostly discussed the interesting parallels between the gradual destruction of the Republic by Darth Sidious and our own recent history. But while most of the characters seemed to have a logical counterpart in real life, who would Jar Jar Binks be?? Joe Biden, perhaps...

I love the line about putting an end to corruption... Didn't Barry utter something vewy, vewy similar back during his campaign?

Anyhoo, it was another small step into a bigger world for my kids, and another great memory for the mental scrapbook.

Lest anyone think I'm a huge R.E.M. fan...

2011-07-20T23:38:00.000-04:00

(I'm not.)

I just wanted to post this to get that video off the top of my blog page.

That is all...

:-)

Sunday in the Mix...R.E.M.

2011-07-17T16:06:00.000-04:00

I haven't done one of these in a while, but a comment on a post I read elsewhere gave me the idea. Forgive me, for I can't remember where I read it, but the author was lamenting the fact that each time this administration is about to give us all the BOHICA treatment, it is always phrased as a potential "catastrophe" or "armageddon" to be avoided at all costs by throwing more money down a rat hole. It reminded the author of Harold Camping's latest false prophecy, and Y2K, and so on. Hence, it seemed only appropriate to post this song as we approach the latest catastrophe which will bring The End of The World As We Know It.

As for me, I am wary but still hopeful, and I feel fine. Have a great weekend!

Glad I didn't hold my breath on that one...

2011-07-13T10:49:00.000-04:00

H.R. 91, the bill to repeal the incandescent light bulb ban, received a majority of votes in the House. However, for some reason not clear to me (I'm not much of a parliamentarian, I suppose) it required a supermajority to pass. This means that it fell short by about 50 votes.

Okay, then. I'll just keep stocking up on bulbs. And ammo...

Onward.

Let there be light...bulbs, that is...

2011-07-10T18:04:00.000-04:00

Is freedom becoming fashionable in D.C. again? I wouldn't hold my breath, but this is somewhat encouraging.

Either way, I've got enough light bulbs stocked up to last me about 10 years already, and I'm just going to keep buying more until they become unavailable. Call it my personal campaign against the watermelons*...

*watermelons: green (tree-hugging luddites) on the outside, red (communists) on the inside

On the occasion of STS-135, the last STS mission...

2011-07-09T09:48:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I watched that beautiful bird slip the bonds of gravity to travel one final time into the heavens. I was so proud of the launch team. They have shown, yet again, that no matter how difficult the problem or situation they are up to the challenge. I was glad that the weather permitted a launch on the first attempt. I know well the stress that comes with having to reset and rerun a launch countdown. Perhaps more importantly, being able to launch on the first attempt meant that more people got to see the launch than might otherwise have been present. That's important.

My highest hope is that every child who witnessed yesterday's launch will be inspired to follow that blazing trail to the stars. I have to hold onto that hope, because I couldn't shake the feeling that I was watching a funeral for a dream, instead of a celebration of one.

Godspeed, Atlantis.

Bragging rights...

2011-07-04T11:50:00.000-04:00

According to the following map, I am proud to say that I live in the "Best Armed" state in the nation.

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...

h/t to Andi over at Lists Galore!

Happy (?) Independence Day...

2011-07-04T00:43:00.000-04:00

I find little to celebrate on this Independence Day, but I guess we've had a good run. Here's hoping we've got a few more years in us before the next Major Disagreement.

Stay safe, everyone.

Finally! (UPDATED 4 JUL 11)

2011-07-02T10:58:00.001-04:00

Hall-a-freakin'-looyah! There's finally a presidential candidate who might be worth supporting.

Congressman McCotter, please give 'em hell for us, and if I may humbly suggest it please consider LTC. Allen West as your running mate. I can't think of a better ticket at this point.

*does small happy dance*

UPDATE:

Never mind. After checking out the guy's voting record, I've discovered that he's a mixed bag at best. No better than any other Elephant Party candidate. For example, he voted to extend the "Patriot" Act. That's a big red flag for me.

So I'm back to looking. Maybe LTC. West will change his mind and run after all. We can hope, can't we?

Fire Foam...

2011-06-23T09:02:00.000-04:00

I forgot to post my ~~brilliant amazing~~ idea the other night...

As I recently watched coverage of all the wildfires in the western states, I was reminded of an idea I had a few years ago when I saw how much damage had been done by fire to homes in SoCal. What if, instead of spending millions, and putting firefighters in danger, you could focus on protecting homes instead? An inexpensive intumescent foam could be applied to all the homes and structures in the path of a fire, insulating them and protecting them long enough for the fire to pass by. This could be done well in advance of a fire, minimizing the danger to residents and firefighters. After the danger is past, the foam could be removed and residents could return.

The two big problems here are 1) the cost of the foam and 2) the removal process. Most foams of this type are intended for permanent applications.

Anyhoo, there ya go. Any thoughts?

Back like a MoFo...

2011-06-20T14:50:00.002-04:00

...'cause I just can't stop annoying people with my opinions and thoughts. Besides, someone keeps stopping by, so I feel obligated to keep my guests happy. So, howdy again!

Anyhoo, I may not have anything new and amazing for you, but I will continue to speak on the topics of the day. I'm also going to begin sharing my crazy ideas and "inventions" with you all because 1) most people I tell them to around here don't get them, 2) No one has any money to invest in them and 3) neither do I. So if any of you see one of my ideas and either want to fund them or know someone who might, please let me know. Don't steal them, either, or I'll send my 20-lb Norwegian Forest Cat over to your house to hork a hairball on your floor. Ya'll, that cat can HORK.

I'll post something along that line tonight (inventions, not hairballs...) but now I've got miles to go before I can blog.

It's good to be back.

Blogging Sabbatical...

2011-05-14T10:53:00.002-04:00

I happened to catch a few minutes of one of my favorite movies, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, last night. Specifically, the scene in the underground tunnel where Carol Marcus asks Kirk what he's feeling. His response?

I feel old...worn out.

I nearly shed tears, because that's exactly how I've been feeling lately. The details aren't important. What's important is that I've got to make some changes. That means that I'm going to put this blog on stasis for a while, since my heart's not in it at the moment. I'll probably comment here and there on other blogs, and someday I will surely return to bore you with my mental flotsam.

Until then, take care of yourselves. If any of you would like to contact me, feel free to email me at the address in my profile.

I'll see you all down the road a spell.

Hot damn...

2011-05-02T00:07:00.004-04:00

Osama "the Jihadi Goat Fraker" Bin Laden is dead. Early reports indicate that he was killed in a firefight near Islamabad, Pakistan.

Score one for the good guys. Meanwhile, another flea-infested jihadi goes to hell. Not a bad end to the day.

To the guys responsible for the takedown, my sincere thanks for a job well done. If you're ever in my neck of the woods, drinks are on me.

Never Forget.

Let's Roll!

Onward.

Yahoo FAIL?

2011-04-28T18:36:00.005-04:00

I received an email from Yahoo a couple of weeks ago. That's so nice of them to think of me, dontcha think?

Anyhoo, they were notifying me that they were no longer going to allow me to keep using "Yahoo Classic" as my email interface. I liked that particular version of Yahoo Mail because it kept things simple. I don't use Facebook, or any of the other "Look At Me!" services, so all I needed was a simple online email interface.

But no. No luddites like me allowed to play in Yahoo's playground. Okay. It's free. It's not like I can complain too much. So I clicked the ever-so-helpful "let's move your email out of the last century" link and got started. You have to agree to the Terms of Service (AKA the "we can screw with you in any way we see fit" agreement), so I decided to read the Fine Print for a change. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment...

Ya'll, I don't know who writes this stuff, but this is a direct quote from the Terms of Service:

6. RESTRICTIONS ON USE

 

YOU MAY NOT and will not allow any third party to (except to the extent required by local law):

...

Use the Services to operate nuclear facilities, life support, or other mission

critical application where human life or property may be at stake (you specifically

understand that the Services are not designed for such purposes and that their

failure in such cases could lead to death, personal injury, or severe property or

environmental damage for which Yahoo! is not responsible). Note that the prior

sentence does not apply to you if Yahoo! Deutschland provides you with your

Yahoo! Mail account; or...

(emphasis mine)

I'm speechless. Typically, these sorts of clauses don't make their way into the Fine Print unless it has actually occurred. So who was trying to run a "nuclear facility" with Yahoo Mail? Messenger? The mind boggles...

Yikes.

(BTW, did you notice that the admonition against using Yahoo to run a nuclear facility doesn't apply in Germany? This story just gets weirder by the line... :-)

Hey! They released the...uhhh...birth certificate?

2011-04-27T16:44:00.003-04:00

Looky here, people who looky.

As for me, there are several things about that document which suggest to me that it was yet another forgery. Karl Denninger over at Market-Ticker has a good analysis.

For me, the bottom line with respect to this issue has always been that Barry's biological father was a Kenyan citizen. This means that, technically, Barry is eligible for Kenyan (or even British?) citizenship. This potential for divided loyalty is what the Founders sought to avoid in a chief executive. Hell, even Moo-chelle can't keep Barry's nationality straight.

While I consider it to be important, given that (the last time I checked) fraud is still a crime (for us lesser mortals, anyway), this birth certificate issue is secondary to everything which has followed. There are genuinely evil people wandering the halls of the people's house, and they are actively seeking the destruction of the Republic. Our focus must remain on stopping them from achieving their aims.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T22:35:00.002-04:00

Just popped on here to wish you all a Happy Easter. I promise more posting in the near future; my project list is slowly getting whittled down.

Oh, and my post from a few weeks ago about spring fever? My itch may soon get scratched. Updates as I have time.

Take care.

BOHICA...

2011-04-15T18:23:00.003-04:00

Did you think that the goobermint gave up on that whole "all your interwebz are belong to us" thing?

WRONG.

In the article, it claims that this scheme will be "voluntary." Of course, you and I know that it will only be "voluntary" until they decide that it's mandatory. That's because most of us have read this story before...

Creepy, innit?

Here, Nancy...

2011-04-12T22:05:00.004-04:00

...or should I say, Emperor Palpatine? (Am I the only one who notices the resemblance? Am I? :-) )

Here's some more rope to hang yourself with. You're welcome. Anytime. No, really. Take all you want.

Translation of the article: The Emperor would like the republican party to once again fully embrace their squishy, country-club dark side (like when they put up McCrazy for prez!) and stop trying to find the good within themselves. Oh, and if I get my way you won't be voting anymore. For anything. I will run the Empire...bwahahahahahahaha!!!

Have I got that right?

BTW, does this mean that Barry is Darth Vader? Sometimes even I get my Star Wars fanboy metaphors mixed up...

Oh, and just to serve as eye bleach for having to look at Pelosi's mug, here's Leia in The Outfit.

You're welcome. Very welcome.

Timing is everything...

2011-04-11T22:50:00.003-04:00

...and this past weekend, mine was atrocious.

I was stuck working the overnight shift at the salt mine, and my "Friday" ended on Saturday morning. The Plan was to grab a few hours of sleep and then hit Knob Creek Range for an afternoon of browsing, drooling, and just general enjoyment. I left work at 0700 and headed home. The Plan made it all the way to 1030. The phone rang, as it often does when I'm sound asleep. I spent the next four hours trying to get just. a. little. more. sleep... and then gave up. By then I was grumpy, and in no mood to go to the shoot. I put it off til Sunday, figuring that I'd be able to slip away for a few hours after church. Well...come Sunday we headed to church, ran a couple of errands, and then had lunch in town. By the time I got to KCR it was 1445 (the shoot ends at 1700) and the vendors had apparently all decided to break camp early. Twenty minutes of wandering around convinced me that there were no sales, and no fun, to be had so I made my way home. I took the long way, driving along the scenic two-lane highway down through the countryside back to HQ. It was a nice drive, especially given that all the wildflowers are in bloom, and it made up for the disappointment of basically missing the whole event at KCR.

So...no cool pics from the shoot, but here are a few pictures of springtime around HQ, sometimes affectionately known as Wonky Tree Acres :-).

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, whatever you were up to.

Spring Fever...continues

2011-04-07T21:13:00.002-04:00

Every spring I wind up busier than a one-armed paper hanger, with projects around the house to keep me busy for what seems like years. I also hit my annual writer's block about the same time.

What I'm trying to say is that posting will be light for the next few weeks. However, I will post a report on the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot after I attend this weekend. I hope they can keep the bridge that leads into the property above water, otherwise there are going to be a lot of disappointed people up in Bullitt County!

We're also going to be taking the munchkins on their first camping trip this month. It should prove to be an interesting experience.

Til next time, take care.

500th post...

2011-03-30T23:26:00.003-04:00

(on this blog. I posted for about a year on LJ before starting this one.)

Yeah, me!

Oh, and from the Absolutely No Surprise Whatsoever files, the ChiComms would very much like us to invite them back for more ~~officially sanctioned espionage~~ confidence-building visits.

They'll even bring cookies, I'll bet.

Gotta love spring...

2011-03-26T16:04:00.004-04:00

The trees are budding, the grass is growing like mad, there are flowers popping up everywhere you look.

On the other hand, we're looking at probably an inch of snow tonight. As I type this, one of the neighbors is mowing his grass. It's about 40F outside, with a wind chill somewhere just south of freezing.

I'm going back to bed. Wake me when it's July. :-)

WTH, man...

2011-03-22T22:37:00.003-04:00

W. T. H.

It has been some kind of crappy day.

This morning the key and phone fairies came and liberated my car keys and phone so that I could enjoy the pulse-pounding thrill of leaving late for work. After a frantic search that included waking up the Missus at 0615, I located the spare set and dashed off to the salt mine, hoping against hope that I could make better time in the incredible Beltway-like gridlock that now occurs along my travel route every weekday morning. Note to the geniuses at Fort Knox: Maybe you shoulda thought about putting that ginormous, shiny, new paper-shuffling factory somewhere where the local community might have been able to adjust to the EPIC traffic! Good luck turning 31W into an interstate...

Anyhoo...as I walked into the salt mine, I discovered that the key fairies had returned my keys to my pants pocket, where I'd put them before beginning my frantic search for same. I claim temporary insanity due to lack of sleep and caffeine. I found my phone laying on the floor in front of my dresser when I got home.

Work was...work. 'Nuff said. I'll save that for my tell-all book, Confessions of a Weather Guy.* I was happy to leave at the end of the day, and spent the long, slow drive home catching my breath and decompressing.

When I got home, I decided that I could really use an adult beverage, so after a quick check in the fridge turned up nothing (and not wanting the potent stuff, which was available) I headed to the nearest package store for a six-pack. On the drive back from the store, a trio of Harley riders came around a curve ahead of me. The middle rider lost control of his bike in the curve (it looked like he lost traction) and crossed into my lane. He kept the bike upright and got the front tire to stop wobbling, but I had to perform an complete emergency stop to keep him from eating the grill of my SUV. Without acknowledging my efforts, they shot past me and drove away. He has no idea how fortunate he was that I was on that road today; many people would have plowed right into him because they don't pay enough attention to where they're going.

One tall, cold one later I'm ready for bed. It's been a long day. But before I go I want to get a few things off my chest. No linkies, just observations:

1) What the hell are we doing in Libya? Why only Libya? If slaughtering its own citizens is reason enough for Barry to send the U.S. military to bomb the snot out of a country (without even consulting Congress!), then why are we not de-snotting Iran, Yemen, North Korea, China, Cuba, Venezuela, and the hundred other crapholes around the world which are run by members of the Evil Bastards Society? Don't get me wrong, I'm not the least bit interested in putting American G.I.'s in harms way. Quite the opposite, in fact; in the modern day I believe that there's no reason for our folks to be permanently occupying real estate anywhere outside the CONUS. That's what those big, beautiful C-17's, drones, cruise missiles, and aircraft carriers are for.

2) Is it me or is everyone really on edge of late? Even people who don't normally let things get to them are unusually snippy. It can't be a good sign.

3) By the time the Red Dawn remake gets released, it'll be five minutes of credits with a music video in the middle. If the pansies who made it are willing to kowtow to the ChiComms (The irony!! It BURNS!!), then frak it. I'll go watch the original film instead. Wolverines!!

4) NASA has unveiled ~~their latest waste of funding~~ the Orion capsule. Yawn. If anyone ever decides to build something more advanced than these manned roman candles, would you please let me know?

That's it. I'm spent. Good night, all.

*no, I'm not writing a tell-all book about the salt mine. No one is that desperate for reading material...

A Good Start...

2011-03-17T23:36:00.003-04:00

The House has voted to defund National Progressive Radio.

Brings a little smile to my face, it does...

Spring Fever...

2011-03-17T12:28:00.006-04:00

Every year, about this time, my eyes brighten and my pulse quickens as the days get longer and the temperature climbs back into the range where I'm most comfortable. I also begin to get that itch, that desire to trade in whatever I'm driving and FINALLY get that open-air conveyance that I've always wanted. Jeep Wranglers used to appeal to my inner caveman, but after driving one a couple of times I realized that they're completely impractical for commuting (which is where I spend most of my time on the road) and I can't afford their appetite for gas. My dad rode motorcycles for many years, and I've considered one as well, but my inner safety officer has pretty much ruled that out until the kids are grown and on their own. Convertible cars have always seemed too, well, girlie. A sunroof in a car is nice, but it's not the same thing.

But this year something new has made my itch worse than ever. The Can-Am Spyder.

It looks like a cross between a snowmobile and a lightcycle from Tron. Daddy REALLY like. It has the open-air ride of a motorcycle but offers enough stability and size that handling traffic and rain might be doable. It gets 35mpg, which isn't great but it's better than the 20-25 I'm getting with my full-size sedan, and about as good as my beloved Hyundai Elantra that is now pulling duty for someone else up in Alaska.

I'm considering taking a big plunge here. Carpe your diems, and all that. Should I sell Big Blue to make room in the garage? Can I, or would I be willing to, ride one of those in the winter? I'll have to give this more thought; the itch may pass and in three months I'll be looking back on this post and laughing. There's a dealer up in Clarksville; maybe I'll stop in there tomorrow and check one out...

Battle: Los Angeles

2011-03-15T00:01:00.004-04:00

Just a quick movie review for you. I found myself with a few free hours this afternoon, so I went to see Battle: Los Angeles at the ~~crack house~~ movie theater in town.

I haven't been this happily surprised by a movie in a while. I fully expected this film to be a complete waste of time and money, and instead enjoyed the heck out of it. If I had to boil the plot down to a couple of sentences, I would say that this film is the love child of Blackhawk Down and Independence Day. If you liked either of those films, you'll probably like this one as well. The ending seemed to have been written in such a way that a sequel is likely (and I've read rumors to that effect online), so that's something to look forward to. All in all it was a good, solid sci-fi action film, and I would recommend it.

Range Day Fail...

2011-03-12T21:42:00.003-05:00

Range Day was a wash, literally. This area has received much higher than average rainfall lately, and all the local rivers are far above flood stage. They're closer to "ark-building" stage, really.

I, however, being a meteorologist who data-dumps everything when he walks out of the station at the end of a shift, forgot this. All that I remembered was that today would be a nice, sunny day, tailor-made to be filled with shooty goodness. My good buddy Screeb (of the not-so-famous, and seldom updated Hold'er Newt!...hint, hint, Screeb) drove in from the other end of the Bluegrass Parkway for the day, also with great expectations of making lots of dead paper targets. We loaded up all the weapons we felt like cleaning later and eagerly made our way up Dixie Highway.

The only way to access Knob Creek gun range is to pass over a branch of the Salt River. As you can see, it would have been a challenge. Unfortunately, we forgot swim trunks and a suitable conveyance.

We'll try again next week, when the bridge no longer looks like a set piece from the movie Waterworld.

Prayers for Japan...

2011-03-12T09:51:00.003-05:00

I hate it when my instincts are right. This is only the third time, that I can recall, where I've had such a strong premonition about something bad happening that I acted on it. The last time was when I had an irresistible urge to call my uncle in Florida (something I would not normally do out of the blue), and when I reached him a few minutes later, I learned that he had just been in a car accident. I stayed on the phone with him until I was sure he was going to be fine and then I had to go get a stiff drink because my hands were shaking.

The other night, I felt sure that something bad was on the horizon, but I couldn't put a finger on it and I didn't feel like I needed to call anyone, so I just posted it on here. Weird, huh?

In any case, if you're the praying sort please take a moment to say one for the folks in Japan who are suffering this day. Their ordeal is far from over. It might not hurt to donate a few bones to the Red Cross to help them provide assistance as well.

Have a good weekend. I'm off to the range today to function-check the new XD-M. I'll take pics, of course.

No linky, just an observation...

2011-03-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

Anybody else feel like tomorrow is going to be one of those "interesting times" the Chinese spoke of?

Checklist for tomorrow:

1) Fill up cars/atv/lawnmower/spare gas cans/empty jars/bathtub(?) with gas. :-)

2) Make popcorn.

3) Watch news.

4) ??

Farewell, Discovery...

2011-03-09T13:52:00.003-05:00

I have watched, either in person or on television, every launch and landing of Shuttle Discovery. For that matter, I've seen every launch and landing, period.

Today, I didn't watch the landing. My disgust at the short-sighted stupidity of the decision to end the shuttle program without any viable replacement leaves me too bitter to watch. I've said a hundred times that these vehicles should have either been transferred to the DoD or sold to the launch contractors (i.e. United Space Alliance), (or even UPS for crying out loud!!) to be operated as commercial vehicles until something better comes along. Cutting ourselves off from access to space while so many other countries are making rapid progress in that area leaves our nation dangerously vulnerable. Of course, our current regime seems comfortable with that concept in general, so perhaps this is all part of their plan.

Farewell, Discovery. You deserved better.

Ruh, roh, Barry...

2011-03-07T00:02:00.003-05:00

Anybody else wonderin' what Barry's gonna say to old King Fud and his boys about this?

Is he going to start spouting off about "the people expressing their desire for change" and all that nonsense? Tell the good king that he must "step down immediately" when the Saudi military starts slaughtering demonstrators?

Or is he going to handle this one like he handled the protests in Tehran...

*cue crickets*

Perhaps a third option is more likely. He'll go play golf, and leave Hilarious, The Lizard Queen swinging in the wind on this one. Ya'll might want to make some popcorn for this. Best fill up your gas tanks, too...

Sunday in the Mix...Phil Collins

2011-03-06T20:27:00.002-05:00

I have read recently, with some sadness, that health problems have driven Phil Collins to put away his drumsticks and exit the musical stage.

As I'm sure you've read in my other music postings, music is very important to me. Memories of various periods and events in my life are inseparably tied to the music I was listening to at the time. It could accurately be said that my life has a soundtrack, and Phil Collins has scored some of the most important scenes.

I spent the 1989-1990 school year (my junior year of high school) in Germany on an student exchange program. While it was a very rewarding experience in so many ways, in other ways it was an extremely difficult year for me. I owned a waterproof Walkman, a gift received from my folks before I left for Germany, and I nearly wore out my copies of No Jacket Required, But Seriously, and Invisible Touch (a Genesis album) during that year abroad. There were the lovestruck teenage daydreams, often triggered by listening to One More Night, about the beautiful, graceful blonde girl who wrote me letters nearly every day. (FYI, I still remember the song I was listening to the first time I met her; it was Journey's Don't Stop Believin'...now back to our previously scheduled thought) Desperately homesick, lonely nights spent listening to songs like I Wish it Would Rain Down and (sometimes, literally) crying in my beer. I can remember the tears of joy shed on the plane home while listening to Take Me Home over and over.

In recent years I picked up a copy of Dance Into the Light. It is such an upbeat album that I often just play the whole thing through; it always gives my mood a lift.

Anyhoo, I thank Mr. Collins for his contributions to my soundtrack, and wish him better health and a happy retirement. Now, for your viewing enjoyment, are a few live tracks from his 2004-2005 "Farewell" tour and an older live performance of Find A Way To My Heart, one of my favorites. Grab a cold one, have a seat, and enjoy. I hope these bring back a few memories for you, too.

Just popping in for a minute...

2011-03-05T16:29:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to apologize for lack of content lately. Work has been keeping me hopping since getting back from vacation, and while that is no excuse it will have to suffice as an explanation. In case I haven't said so lately, I thank you all sincerely for stopping in and commenting; it is always great to hear from you.

I may post a Sunday In the Mix this week; Brigid got me thinking about the topic yesterday when she wrote about Mark Knopfler. BTW, if you haven't heard his album, Sailing to Philadelphia, check it out ASAP; you'll thank me for it. Til then, I hope you're all having a great weekend!

They say that you can't go home again...

2011-02-28T11:11:00.006-05:00

...the world having moved on and all that. However, if you spent most of your childhood growing up where the Missus and I did, you'd want to visit every chance you could.

I still remember the warm December day in 1982 when my parents drove my brother and I out to see our new home. My dad was an Air Force NCO who had just been assigned to Patrick AFB, a fact that he was very happy about. The old Ford station wagon's radio was tuned to an oldies station, and as I listened to the great music of the 1950's I watched as my new hometown, also of the same vintage, rolled by. It was as close as you could get to traveling by time machine. Cinder block homes, many painted in shades of pink, mint green and other pastels, with low-pitch roofs covered in tar and gravel. Each home was surrounded by tidy flower beds, majestic Norfolk Island pines and various types of palm trees.

It's definitely no longer the quiet little beachside town we grew up in. Today it seems as though developers have set themselves the goal of covering the entire state of Florida in asphalt, condos, and manicured landscaping. When I was a boy you could always hear the ocean from my front porch, as it was only 200 yards away. Today that rhythmic, soothing sound is often lost in the traffic noise from the countless cars and trucks rumbling up and down highway A1A. (Then again, my hearing has gotten so bad that it could just be me...) Ah, the salt air is still there to be enjoyed, and if we had visited a little later in the spring we would have been able to savor the scent of orange blossoms on the sea breezes. There are few things as pleasant as a nighttime bike ride along South Patrick Drive, taking in that combination of salt air and floral sweetness.

The highlight of our visit was seeing the joy on the faces of my children as they discovered all the great things that I knew growing up. Collecting sea shells, digging up sand fleas and coquinas, building sand castles (and in the case of my son, tearing them down again!). We soaked up as much sun as we could, as we tend to be a solar-powered bunch. In fact, if you look in the dictionary under "seasonal affective disorder" you'll find a picture of us there. Okay, maybe not, but you get the idea... A little sunburn was inevitable, but it was a mild discomfort washed away in the happiness of spending time together. We passed on the typical tourist routines since the munchkins forgot all about Mickey when they got their first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean. They wanted to spend every minute on that fascinating shore with its buried treasures, memories waiting to be collected. We'll do the tourist thing when they're older. No need to rush.

We spent lots of time with my folks, letting the munchkins visit with Grandpa and Grandma. I'll never forget the way my parents watched their grandchildren playing in the same living room where my brother and I grew up all those years ago. I'd say more about that, but it seems to be kinda dusty in here...

Driving past the old places, we noticed all the changes made in the last two decades since we left home. Our high school, a work of architectural art when it was built in the 1950's, has largely been replaced by something that looks more like a prison, a warehouse for children. Gone are the open breezeways connecting buildings filled with natural light streaming through large windows that were often open, allowing the fresh air to help keep young minds focused (it had the opposite effect, of course). When the heat got unbearable, industrial strength A/C would drop the indoor temperature to near 65F and cause the inside of every window to drip with condensation. It would also cause a fair amount of shivering, since shorts and t-shirts were daily wear for all but the few cold winter days. The open grass areas, patios, and absolutely wonderful flower beds (even as a teenager I had been impressed by how beautifully maintained the grounds were; all the work was done by detention students supervised by a kind old woman who volunteered her time as well as many of the tropical plants) are gone, replaced by concrete and generic landscaping. Most of our teenage haunts, like the old bowling alley and the ice cream shop, were lost to hurricanes or went out of business over the years, but a few of the buildings have been restored and given new purpose.

...

I've been working on this post on and off for two days now, and I can't think of a proper way to wrap it up. Writing fail, I suppose, but there it is. Suffice it to say that it was nice to get back to my hometown for a visit, and I thank you for indulging me in my little walk down memory lane. If any of you ever get down to Florida for a visit, I recommend the area between Cocoa Beach and Sebastian Inlet very highly.

For me, now, it's back to the usual routine at the dilithium mine. I also need to start planning my next vacation; I could already use it...

It's going to be a bright, bright, sunshiny day...

2011-02-20T15:01:00.005-05:00

There's nothing else that smells quite like a sea breeze. The salt gives the warm, damp air a fresh, bracing quality somewhat like what you experience at the top of a ski slope just before throwing yourself headlong down the mountain. For me it's a refreshing scent, invigorating. It's almost as good as coffee in the morning, but without the caffeine headaches later.

I have spent a little while during each of the past few mornings sitting by the back door of our rented house, looking at the dunes and listening to the ocean roaring on the other side. Thankfully we have nowhere especially important to be; we've rejected the frantic planned-to-the-minute sort of vacation in favor of just seeing where the day takes us. It is amazingly calming to listen to the surf, just letting the rhythm of the ocean work its magic on frayed nerves and a weary soul. The combination of sunshine, salt air, and surf is just what the doctor ordered. The weather for the whole rest of our vacation: awesome. (yes. That's a technical term.)

The Missus forgot to bring her camera cable so no pics today, but rest assured I'll work hard to get a few good ones to bring home for you because I do love to spread happiness. As for me, this week, being here on the beach with my family is as happy as it gets.

I'll see you all when I get back.

R&R...

2011-02-16T23:39:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update tonight before bed.

I'm off to Florida in the morning for a week with the family. I hope you all have a great weekend; I'll try to update from the beach, maybe even with a picture or two. Take care!

Happy Valentine's Day...

2011-02-14T05:36:00.002-05:00

Wherever you are, I hope you all have a Valentine's Day filled with romance. For me, it's off to the salt mine; we went out for a nice dinner with friends last night. You know, beat the rush and all... :-)

Have a great day!

Okay, Egypt...now what?

2011-02-11T18:24:00.006-05:00

Well??

While I'm glad you've shaken off the yoke of tyranny and all, you Egyptians should all be watching your backs even more now. There are wolves among you, and they have a plan...

Here's a hint:

If almost every U.S. ambassador is called to a meeting...

2011-02-08T01:28:00.004-05:00

...with the SecState (aka Hillarious the Lizard Queen) and, despite the fact that this has never been done before only two media outlets (that I could find, after an exhaustive 15 second web search) cover it, was it important?

Methinks it must have been. However, given the news and trends of late, I can only conclude that this super-sized staff meeting was held because Something Big is afoot, and they wanted information related to it to be kept off Wiki-spies. You'll note in the Politico article that the ambassadors were all briefed by the CJCS, Admiral Mike Mullen. That fact tells me that whatever was discussed was Extremely Important. Then there's this quote from the CNN piece:

"we are all in uncharted territory."

Huh? Holy hyperbole, Batman! What could possibly be going on at this moment in the world of international diplomacy that has never before happened in all of human history?? Might that not be something that the rest of us should know about? Are Barry and MOO space aliens? No, wait. That wouldn't be a surprise. But anyway...

Maybe my mistrust of the administration is reaching a level that borders on irrationality, but each time I think we've seen their most illogical, unlawful, unconstitutional, or downright un-American behavior, I am proven wrong. At this point I have no idea what to expect, although I'm sure we're probably not going to like it...

Quote of the week, 6 Jan 2011

2011-02-06T21:54:00.004-05:00

In response to this article proclaiming a new and shinier "miracle vaccine" for the flu,

(insert gratuitous eye-roll here)

someone using the nickname "meepmeep" asked the following question:

The important question here is: when it all goes wrong, will they be fast zombies or slow zombies?

Well put, meepmeep. Well put.

How cool is this...?

2011-02-05T09:55:00.003-05:00

A company called AlphaMicron has designed and built ballistic safety glasses with LCD's built-in. This allows them to function like an ultra-fast version of transition lenses, responding to changes in ambient lighting in less than a second.

How much work would it be to add a data display capability to those? Compass heading, temperature, IFF transponder location of friendlies in the area? The mind boggles at the possibilities.

What's more, now that they're able to make a semi-flexible LCD, perhaps it could be incorporated into automotive windshields to cut glare and function as an advanced type of heads-up display?

I'm such a geek. This kind of stuff just gets me all excited.

Oh. No. They. Didn't...

2011-02-02T14:01:00.002-05:00

Some of the far-left moonbats have taken their war against Christianity to a new, and ridiculous, low. To them I say:

DON'T YOU DARE SCREW with Chick-Fil-A. You pathetic meatsacks have no idea what you're trying to destroy.

There are few companies I support as strongly as Chick-Fil-A. Our local restaurant has become a fixture in town; they support so many great charities with their fundraisers that I couldn't begin to count them all. They send a mobile kitchen up to Fort Knox on a regular basis to sell good quality food to troops on their lunch breaks. Their employees still remember, and apply, the very best practices of customer service. Here's a personal example: During one visit I didn't know that their debit card system wasn't working, and I only had a couple of dollars on me, so when it came my turn at the drive-up window I explained my situation and told the young lady that she'd have to hold my order until I could run to a nearby ATM and get some cash. Instead, she handed me my order and said, "don't worry about it." I went to the ATM and returned promptly, walked in and paid her the difference. She just smiled and said thanks. Try that at your local choke-n-puke.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not paid to write this. I don't personally know anyone who works at Chick-Fil-A, although I have met the owner and the manager of our local franchise and they seem like great guys. I DO wish that I owned a franchise, so I could bask in the smell of peanut-oil fried chicken everyday... nomnomnom. What was I saying??

I just happen to believe that good businesses, particularly good American businesses, deserve support. I also happen to love their "chikin." Love, love, love it. Like the way Laura loves circus peanuts...

But seriously, the moonbats need to take their faux rage and direct it elsewhere. Fraking with my Chick-Fil-A is NOT COOL.

And now for something COMPLETELY different...

2011-01-30T20:50:00.003-05:00

Since I am unable to think of anything useful to contribute re: analysis of current world events, I would like to throw out something that's been rattling around in the back of my mind (the "junk drawer," if you will) for a couple of years now. It kind of popped to the fore tonight as I was reviewing the latest headlines and came across this story.

I find black holes to be a fascinating concept. However, like every other kid who's ever seen the Disney film of the same name, I'm left wondering where you would really end up if you pointed your rocket ship into one and mashed the Big Red Button.

Would you be torn to shreds? Fall through and come out on the other side of the universe? Would you be frozen in time at the edge of the event horizon, and never reach the center?

I've mulled it over for a while, and have slowly developed a possible theory about what might be happening. As you read the logical train wreck that follows, please remember that I'm not a physicist, astronomer, or any other "-er." I'm just a guy who thinks about stuff way too much. Oh, and I probably read too much sci-fi as well...so just consider the following with that in mind.

Part I: I have read in several publications, as well as the article linked above, that observations indicate a potentially high number of black holes in the universe. If all the matter falling into them was actually being sent somewhere, like bath water down a sewer line, might that possibly account for all the "missing matter" (these days people who study this stuff call it "dark matter") in the universe? And even if this matter is not visible or detectable, might it still have a gravitational influence on the rest of the universe? Perhaps it might be more useful to imagine the universe like a sponge, or swiss cheese, with millions of holes allowing material to fall through and come out in another location. In this "sponge-verse," we'd all be sitting on top; we'd see all the holes on our side, but wouldn't be able to know what happened to anything that fell into them.

Part 2: If we assume that material falling into a black hole is sent through to another location in space (space-time?), what would be the properties of the emerging matter? I would think that it would be extremely dense, due to the extreme gravity, and likely molten. Perhaps the passing of this material through a black hole would impart a strong electromagnetic charge as well.

Part 3: Once the material reemerges in "real" space, what would it do? Flow out like water from a fire hose? Spray in all directions like a continuous explosion? Come out at multiple points all over the "sponge-verse?" Who knows. However, if it is extremely dense and highly charged, perhaps gravitational attraction would tend to make it coalesce near the point of reemergence, creating an appearance similar to a water balloon filling with water. See where I'm going with this yet? Okay, maybe not. Let's move on to the next step...

Part 4: If you look at a map of the Earth, you notice that the vast majority of volcanic activity takes place on one side of the planet. If you then look at a diagram of the Earth's magnetic field you will see that it is deepest over the north Pacific, and is shallowest over the south Atlantic. Could this be an indication of directional flow at the Earth's core? Remember the water balloon analogy!

Part 5: I have a part 5 to share, someday, but it's not even as well developed as the parts you've already suffered through.

I may have just ruined my reputation as a rational thinker, or given you reason to think that I must spend my days ingesting lead paint while wearing a tinfoil hat. No matter. At this point I needed to write about something other than the developing misery around us. I have always found that thinking about these big questions and dreaming the big dreams is good for the mind and the soul.

If you're interested in any of this admittedly unscientific theory, email me. Let's discuss. I've got lots of tinfoil left over...

:-)

Nothing to see here...

2011-01-28T19:33:00.002-05:00

There's nothing to see down there on the southern U.S. border. Nothing at all...

Look! Something burning! Oooohhh...

How do I spell lurv?

2011-01-26T20:44:00.001-05:00

X. D. M.

Picked it up Monday. Now what to name it...

:-)

Heartbroken, indeed...

2011-01-22T00:07:00.002-05:00

Please take a few moments to read Jenny's latest post over at A Call to Wings. It deserves to be read and shared.

I agree with her most eloquently stated opinion on the current state of affairs; heartbroken is a word I have also found myself using more and more when I think of our Republic and the state into which it has fallen.

*sigh*

That being said...

We are all TJIC. However, we should now all be very cognizant of how they think this is going to work. As for me, if my 2nd & 4th Amendment rights should be threatened in response to the exercise of my 1st Amendment rights, then let it be known that I aim to misbehave.

Still looking for that birth certificate...

2011-01-19T11:46:00.003-05:00

Barry's minions in Hawaii still can't locate that elusive birth certificate.

Can you say constitutional crisis? I knew you could...

Perhaps now we can end this unfortunate episode, send Barry back to Chicago, and elect someone who has at least heard the word integrity before.