Looking Back

Last year (actually on Dec 31, 2007) I posted about my to do list for 2008. Let's see how well I've done.

1. Clean out the house. I no longer have about 60% of the things I had. I threw away some, gave away some, and the last 40% I have stored at Mom's house since I moved over here.

2. Build a camping trailer. I now have most of the parts, but due to life (moving, moving Ravon and JB back to Oklahoma, taking care of Mom, and taking care of the Poot) I haven't had time to start on it yet. Hopefully I'll get around to it this spring. It's still at the top of my to do list.

3. Lose weight. I started out about 240 lbs, and am now down to about 205 lbs. Now I'm thinking about trying to get down to about 190.

All in all, I don't feel too bad about my progress. I just need to get off my lazy ass and get started on the trailer. Other than that, I've done a fair job keeping my to do list whittled down.

From Me to You

"And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Just like almost every other blogger on the web, I want to wish everyone out there a
"Merry Christmas" and my personal wish to each and everyone of you is a wish of peace and prosperity.

Scorecard

Well, not much out of ordinary has been going on. Ravon and JB have both been putting in 40 hour weeks, so I have been taking care of the Poot. Got all the candy and cakes made for the big family shindig tomorrow, and the last of the presents bought tonight. I guess I will finish wrapping and will get all my "have to do's" done by noon tomorrow so I can start getting in my festive mood, and then enjoy a four day weekend.

100 things to do before you die

While surfing the web this afternoon, I ran across this list from Mostly Cajun. My answers are in bold.

1. Started your own blog Well, your reading it.
2. Slept under the stars Many, many times. Some planned, a couple of times unplanned.
3. Played in a band. 2nd drummer jr high marching band.
4. Visited Hawaii 1998 with my mother, father, brother and his wife, and my daughter.
5. Watched a meteor shower. Once in the Arizona desert outside of Tucson.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland Twice in the 1960's when I was a kid.
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis Yep
10. Sang a solo At church.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Welding
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning. A couple of times, truckstop and convenience store food.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables. Yep, we had a garden when I was a kid.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight. Duh, I had brothers and a sister.
22. Hitch hiked When the truck I was driving broke down.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. Hasn't everybody?
24. Built a snow fort. Not much snow in western OK, but we tried.
25. Held a lamb. I held pieces of lamb on my fork. Does that count?
26. Gone skinny dipping. 10-12 years old
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Many a sunset, and too many sunrises.
31. Hit a home run One time. Little league.
32. Been on a cruise. Gambling cruise out of Savannah, Ga.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Recent ancestors, yes. Ancestors from Europe, not yet.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language. I speak and understand a little border Tex-Mex, a smaller amount of French, some Yankee, some jive, and a truly small amount of Korean. I'm fluent in redneck, and am trying to learn to speak English properly.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. For me it doesn't take much. If my bills are paid, I have enough to buy food and other consumables as needed, and I have a little extra for pocket money, I'm content.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing. In a Jeep.
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke. I was slightly inebriated (all right I was drunker than a waltzing pissant) but I did it and didn't embarrass myself excessively.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. Yep in 1974.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant. A couple of times when I was driving truck.
44. Visited Africa. Does Watts count?
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. One of my most precious memories was walking on Waikiki beach about 22:00 with my daughter in October 1998.
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted. I had a caricature done at 6 Flags once. Does that count?
48. Gone deep sea fishing. Once out of Monterrey, Ca with my father and brother and once out of Port Aransas, Tx with my daughter.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. Snorkeling in Hanoma Bay, Hi.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud. For fun AND also for profit.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. Got my face slapped there, too.
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business. Uh Huh. I started a trucking company and kept at it until I went broke.
58. Taken a martial arts class. 3 years.
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason. Once. I wonder where she is now?
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. Many times.
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check. Unintentionally
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. I still have my first 410 shotgun.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar. There was a time in my life when I just had to try caviar and champagne. Now I'm happy with beer and peanuts.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Tour the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job. Outright fired for being a smartass once and "laid off" once.
76. See the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone. 3 or 4 and still haven't been to the doctor to have one set. The healed cracks do show up on x-rays though.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. 110 mph on a Harley, about 145 on a Katana.
79. See the Grand Canyon in person
80. Publish a book
81. Visit the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car. One. A 1979 turbo Mustang. I wish I still had that car.
83. Walk in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. 2 or 3 times when I was younger.
85. Read the entire Bible. A couple of times. I need to do it again.
86. Visit the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Deer, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, quail, duck, frogs and fish.
88. Had chickenpox. When I was a kid.
89. Saved someone’s life. Did cpr on an older gentleman that I thought was having a heart attack once.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous. Reba McIntire, Willy Nelson and Dan Haggerty.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one. Too many.
94. Had a baby. My ex had one I fathered. Does that count?
95. Seen the Alamo in person. 1968
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. About 1967. I was sunburned and still remember the pain.
97. Been involved in a law suit. On both sides at different times.
98. Owned a cell phone. Since 1995.
99. Been stung by a bee. Damn that hurt, but yellow jackets hurt worse.
100. Read an entire book in one day. Many times. I love to read.

Civics test

OK, this test has been all over the news, and commented on by a couple of bloggers I read. I am sorta ashamed to say I only scored 84.85% on the test. My only excuse is I'm getting old and am apparently forgetting what I learned o so many years ago in my Civics class. Truth be known that score is probably higher than what I scored in class.

As Marko said, "In order to defend your rights, you first have to know what those rights are. If the current trend continues, nobody will have a freaking clue about the Constitution and our system of government in fifty years. (Anyone who gets less than a C on that test–that’s 70%–should think long and hard before publically ranting about “activist judges”, the Bill of Rights, or civil liberties in general.)"

Better than my Jeep

26.5 miles per gallon

Created by The Car Connection

I really think this thing is screwed up. How could an old crippled guy be equal to a mid sized sedan? And, yes, I answered everything truthfully!

Nerd Test 2.0

I took this test 'cause all the cool kids were taking it.

Does this mean I can continue harassing the geeks and spazs?

Why Men Can't Get Out of Bed

BRAIN SYSTEM: Attention. Alert registered.

CENTRAL: Alert? Number One, report!

NUMBER ONE: Sir! We're picking up loud music.

CENTRAL: Music? We were just asleep!

NUMBER ONE: Yes sir. Ears report it's "The Last Train to Clarksville."

CENTRAL: Goodness, are we being tortured?

NUMBER ONE: Sir, Eyes are functional and request instruction.

CENTRAL: Tell them to open up and try to find out what is going on.

NUMBER ONE: Scope! Okay, I see darkness... darkness... Wait, there's a woman sleeping there.

CENTRAL: A woman?

NUMBER ONE: Sir, Libido Station wants to know if it is Anna Kournikova.

CENTRAL: Forget about Libido. What can you tell me?

NUMBER ONE: Sir, Memory reports a near perfect match to "wife," sir.

CENTRAL: Well of course. Keep looking.

NUMBER ONE: Sir, urgent report from Stomach on the horn, do you want to take it?

CENTRAL: Stomach, what's going on?

STOMACH: Sir, we've taken a hit, it...it looks bad, sir.

CENTRAL: Get hold of yourself, man!

STOMACH: Yes sir. It looks like a burrito, sir. It exploded at about 1900 hours and we've been out of action ever since. I don't...I don't know if she can take much more, Captain.

CENTRAL: Stomach! Now you listen to me, son. We're all counting on you up here. Don't give up now. Remember the chili of '94? We made it through that, we can make it through anything.

STOMACH: Yes sir. You can count on me, sir.

CENTRAL: Good man.

NUMBER ONE: Sir, I've got a visual on the clock!

CENTRAL: Tell me, Number One.

NUMBER ONE: Oh my God, sir. It's horrible.

CENTRAL: Dammit sailor, get a grip on yourself!

NUMBER ONE: It's... It's six thirty, sir. In the morning.

CENTRAL: In the morning? Not again. I thought...I thought that we'd had the worst of it yesterday.

SYSTEM: Sixty seconds to consciousness.

CENTRAL: This is madness. Do you know what's going to happen if we go conscious now, this early?

NUMBER ONE: Work, sir?

CENTRAL: That's right, Number One. It'll be work, all right. I don't...don't know if I can live through that hell again.

SYSTEM: Fifty seconds to consciousness.

NUMBER ONE: Sir? Do you have orders?

CENTRAL: Hmmm?

NUMBER ONE: Orders, sir. Do you have orders for us?

CENTRAL: Orders? Orders, Number One? Damn right there are orders! Let's get ourselves moving.

NUMBER ONE: Aye aye, sir!

SYSTEM: Forty seconds to consciousness.

CENTRAL: Shut that damn thing off, I'm trying to think. Get our remote stations on line. I want a Search and Acquire on anything that feels like a snooze button. Tell them to MOVE. Bladder!

BLADDER: Yes sir?

CENTRAL: How are you holding?

BLADDER: All systems are flush and ready, sir. We can go another three hours, easy.

CENTRAL: Very well, Bladder. Number One, get me Nose on the horn.

NOSE: Sir, Nose reporting, sir!

CENTRAL: Good to hear from you, Nose. How are you doing up there?

NOSE: We registered cat breath about twenty minutes ago, but it was pretty faint and I didn't think...

CENTRAL: Steady on, nose. You were right not to trigger an alert.

NOSE: Thank you, sir.

CENTRAL: Nose, I'm afraid I have bad news for you, son. We took a burrito last night.

NOSE: Oh no, sir, not again!

CENTRAL: I said steady! You're going to have to hold on, you hear me? Hold on, and it will pass. I don't want ANYTHING getting through to Consciousness.

NOSE: Yes sir. I'll try, sir.

CENTRAL: That's the spirit. Stomach!

STOMACH: Sir?

CENTRAL: How are you doing down there?

STOMACH: We've been breached, Captain. The whole alimentary is in flames. I'm trying to keep it contained, but I can't promise anything.

CENTRAL: Damn!

NUMBER ONE: Sir, Libido Station reports it is ready for battle!

CENTRAL: Tell Libido to calm down, I'll call him when I need him. Any report from our search party?

NUMBER ONE: Sir, Fingers report they located and toppled a glass of water, a pair of glasses, and a box of Kleenex. No luck on the snooze, sir.

CENTRAL: Number One, I don't mind telling you, if we don't get this under control we're going to lose her.

NUMBER ONE: Yes sir. Sir, Libido requests positive verification that the woman sleeping next to us is not Anna Kournikova.

CENTRAL: For crying out loud.

NUMBER ONE: Sir, Ears reports the song is over. It's going to commercial, sir.

CENTRAL: How much time on the system clock?

NUMBER ONE: Ten seconds to consciousness, sir. We've lost smile control in the lower facial and we're developing a frown.

CENTRAL: Brace yourself, Number One. I'm afraid we've had it.

NUMBER ONE: Sir! Fingers has located target. Repeat, Fingers is on target!

CENTRAL: Fire!

NUMBER ONE: Hit! Sir, direct hit!

CENTRAL: Ears!

NUMBER ONE: It's gone, Captain! Ears reports the music is gone!

CENTRAL: We've done it!

SYSTEM: Consciousness cancelled.

NUMBER ONE: Sir, all systems are ready for sleep mode. Repeat, sleep mode now ready.

CENTRAL: Trigger sleep mode NOW.

NUMBER ONE: Sleep mode triggered, aye aye, sir.

CENTRAL: Shut Eyes.

NUMBER ONE: Eyes off, sir. Frown relaxed, smile restored.

CENTRAL: By golly, that was a close one.

NUMBER ONE: Yes sir. Sir, Dream Team requests selection. Libido asking for something naked, sir.

CENTRAL: Request denied. Let's roll the one where we show up for church wearing only our underwear, I like that one.

NUMBER ONE: Roger that, sir. Dream selection completed and tape is rolling, sir.

CENTRAL: Good work, Number One. You take the helm.

NUMBER ONE: Aye aye, sir.

Disclaimer... I did not write this nor do I know who did, but if you know,drop me a line and I will add the credit for this..

An Uneasy Quiet

Well, Ravon and JB have been married a week today. What's that you say? I didn't mention that they tied the knot? One week ago, October 31, 2009, at 1:30 pm, they both said "I do". It was a small wedding, just a few people from church, JB's mom, grandmother, and 2 aunts, Mom, me, the Poot, and a few kids they know. We had the ceremony, a small reception, cleaned up the hall and were out of there by 3:30. They have yet to take a trip for a honeymoon, but that runs in our family. When Ravon's mother and I got married, we didn't go anywhere until about 3-4 months later, when she accompanied me on a business trip. Yeah, I'm a tightwad. I let the company pay for my (working) honeymoon.

Anyway, things are quiet. Too quiet. This isn't normal.

Time to get to work

OK, to my way of thinking, we have screwed up royally. No, not by electing a 6.25% black, 43.75% arabic, and 50% white presidential candidate, but by letting either party control by a large margin, the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. Now, more than ever, we need to monitor everything that is being done in Washington by our duly elected representatives, and be in constant contact with them letting them know just exactly what we want them to do on each piece of legislation. They need to be reminded that they are in Washington to represent us, not their political party. If they screw up and don't vote exactly the way you tell them, then that day you need to start campaigning in a high profile way for someone else. If you do this, please be sure and let them know exactly why you are doing this.
In this post I pointed to the 545 people in the US that set policy and make the laws. Now it is time for the 300 million people these 545 people represent to tell them what their job is and to replace them if they don't do that job exactly as they are told to do.

545 People

Stolen from a post by KevinA on the T&TTT forum.

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ.
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!


Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

How much MORE change can we stand?

Stolen from Oldandevil2 who stole it from someone else.

George Bush has been in office for a little over 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.

A little over one year ago:
Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high.
Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon.
The unemployment rate was 4.5%.
The DOW JONES hit a record high–14,000.
American’s were buying new cars, taking cruises and vacations overseas, living large!

But American’s wanted ‘CHANGE’!

So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes–we got ‘CHANGE’ all right.

In the PAST YEAR:
Consumer confidence has plummeted.
Gasoline is now over $4 a gallon & climbing.
Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 10% increase).
Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS and prices still dropping.
1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
As this was written, THE DOW is probing another low - $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS EVAPORATED FROM THEIR STOCKS, BONDS & MUTUAL FUNDS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS.
YES, IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE…AND WE SURE GOT IT!
REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT HAS NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THESE ISSUES, ONLY CONGRESS.
AND WHAT HAS CONGRESS DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Stop and think about that for a moment.

NOW THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT CLAIMS HE IS GOING TO REALLY GIVE US CHANGE ALONG WITH A DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS!!!! JUST HOW MUCH MORE ‘CHANGE’ DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND?

Virus Alert!!!

If you receive an email with "Nude Photos of Sarah Palin" in the subject line, don't open it. It might contain a virus.

If you receive an email with "Nude Photos of Hillary Clinton", don't open it. It might contain nude photos of Hillary Clinton!


Cheerfully hijacked from Denny at Grouchy Old Cripple.

Leadership

There is a blog I usually like to read, mainly for his foaming at the mouth rants. However, today he has posted a thoughtful piece worth reading. OldandEvil2

Why I Try Not To Drink To Excess

Look Here

We're Baaccckkkk!!!!!

It was a good quick trip. 56 hours. I left here Monday, about 0800, arrived Indy about 2300, slept 8 hours, rented a trailer, tried loading it two different ways, returned the original trailer and got a bigger trailer. We then loaded it up for the third time. Thank God, the kids had everything ready to load. Left Indy about noon eastern time and drove to Springfield, MO. We got there about 2000, and rented the last downstairs double Motel 6 had. We left Springfield about 0900 Tuesday and drove home, arriving about 1600.

Fuelwise, I averaged about 21.5 MPG, with a high of over 23 MPG on one tank, on the way east. Westbound with a heavily loaded 5x8 5 ft tall u-haul trailer behind the jeep, I averaged a little over 15 mpg, with a low of about 14.97 mpg between Effingham IL and Voss Truck Port, exit 208 in MO(no I can't remember the name of the town, and yes I feel stupid. I've stopped there many times before). (It's Cuba. Damn it's rough getting old). My theory of driving 65 was born out. However, I pulled the trailer back at 65 mph. I wanted to get home, and yes I know 60 mph would have only taken about an hour longer, but I was bringing the kids home. Ravon and her squeeze JB drove Ravon's car back and chased me all the way.

I hope the first half of your week went as well as mine did. Thank you for your prayers.

Road Trip!!!

Tomorrow morning, as early as I wake up and get some coffee in me, I will be headed to Indy to pick up the kids and bring them back home. The good part of this is, I will be pulling a u-haul trailer back with all their belongings. They are moving back home!

I could use your prayers that this trip goes smoothly.

new post

From Lee Martin’s http://single-actions.phpbb3now.com/index.php August 14th, 2008

I carry a gun. I don’t carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed. I don’t carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place. I don’t carry a gun because I’m paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world. I don’t carry a gun because I’m evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world. I don’t carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government. I don’t carry a gun because I’m angry. I carry a gun so that I don’t have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared. I don’t carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon. I don’t carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love. I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing armed thugs, I AM inadequate. I don’t carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me. “Police Protection” is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves. Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess. I carry a gun because I’m too young to die and too old to take a beating. Anon.

Random Thoughts

1. Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.
2. The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. .
3. What if there were no hypothetical questions?
4. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
5. Is there another word for synonym?
6. Where do forest rangers go to “get away from it all?”
7. What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
8. If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
9. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
10. Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
11. If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
12. Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
13. Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?
14. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
15. How is it possible to have a civil war?
16. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?
17. If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?
18. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
19. Whose cruel idea was it for the word “lisp” to have “s” in it?
20. Why are hemorrhoids called “hemorrhoids” instead of “assteroids”?
21. Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot at them?
22. Why is there an expiration date on sour cream or yogurt?
23. If you spin orientals in a circle three times do they become disorientated?
24. Can an atheist get insurance against acts of God?

Redneck Special Forces

The Pentagon announced TODAY the formation of a new 500-man elite fighting unit called the United States Redneck Special Forces (USRSF)


These boys will be dropped off in Iraq and have been given only the following facts about terrorists:

1. The season opened today.
2. There is no limit.
3. A license is not required
4. All weapons are permitted
5. Hunting hours: sunrise to sunrise
6. Field dressing optional
7. Hunters are encouraged to use Live ones for bait!
8. They taste just like chicken.
9. They don't like beer, pickups, country music or Jesus.
10. They are directly responsible for the death of Dale Earnhardt.

The Pentagon expects the problem in Iraq to be over by Friday

The Miracle of Toilet Paper

A woman, fresh from a shower, stands in front of a mirror, complaining to her husband that her breasts were too small.

Instead of telling her it’s not so, he comes up with a suggestion: “If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece of toilet paper and rub it between your breasts for a few seconds.”

Willing to try anything, she fetched a piece of toilet paper and stood in front of the mirror, rubbing it between her breasts.

“How long will this take?” she asked.

“Oh it’ll take several years,” he replies.

“Do you really think rubbing a piece of toilet paper between my breasts every day will make them larger?”

Without missing a beat he says, “Well, it worked for your butt, didn’t it?”

With a great deal of therapy, he may one day walk again.

Stolen from Mostly Cajun.

King Arthur

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death

The question?....What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer.

But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.

He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.

He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus:

What a woman really wants, she answered....is to be in charge of her own life.

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.

And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed.. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?

What would YOU do?

What Lancelot chose is below. BUT....make YOUR choice before you scroll down below. OKAY?







Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.

Now ...what is the moral to this story?









If you don't let a woman have her own way....

.....Things are going to get ugly.


Cheerfully high graded from Ysabel Kid over at the Leverguns.com forum.

Thank GOD!!!!

I am 14% Metrosexual.

I need some advice. I need to STOP BUYING MY CLOTHS AT WAL-MART!!!! I will never land a decent woman unless I shave this nasty facial hair, and spend more then $5 on a haircut.

Take the
Metrosexual Test
@ FualiDotCom

I guess all that time I spent harassing all the effeminate "girlie men" in those office jobs wasn't because of latent metrosexual tendancies after all. AND I usually cut my own hair. Why waste $5.00 on something I only see once a day when I step out of the shower and look in the mirror to shave?

Folks from the teardrop board

Right after church I had the pleasure to meet Archer_1, Tom and his significant other, Barb. I was taking my mother out to Sunday dinner when we saw a teardrop on one of our local wreckers. When I pulled into the tire shop lot the wrecker was dropping their trailer in, we introduced ourselves and discussed their trailer problem. I offered to go get my tools and try to help patch or repair it and they accepted. I took Mom home (yes, she just now finished her lunch), grabbed the toolbox and a neighbor, and headed back to their location. By the time we got back they already had the problem fixed (the wrecker driver is a good ole boy who helped them find the problem). A clip that holds the magnet on the trailer brake had worked it's way out and got stuck in the hub locking the wheel some how. We helped pull the other wheel and did a preemptive repair on the other side. After talking a few minutes, they were on their way west. They are traveling Rt 66 from Chicago to the west coast.

It was nice getting to see their Camp Inn (#12) 550 Ultra. It's the first commercial built teardrop I've been able to look at, and gave me some ideas I hadn't thought of. It was very nice to get to meet Tom and Barb, and I hope the minor breakdown didn't annoy them too much.

Dr visit

Had a doctor appointment today. Nothing special, just check in, take my vitals, get my prescriptions renewed, then pay the man and go home.

However, I did get some good news. Since January 1, 2008 I have lost 21 pounds AND have brought my blood pressure down from 135/85 to 119/76. I'm going to try losing about another 9 or 10 pounds, then evaluate what needs to be done.

Now I have a question for some of you that have previously lost weight. Even though I have lost 21 pounds, I have only lost about 1/2 - 1 inch around my midsection. How much do I need to lose before the spare tire starts to disappear?

55 mph speed limit

Mostly Cajun has posted about Senator John Warner (R) VA suggesting we re-institute the national 55mph speed limit. It didn't work during the 70's and 80's and it won't work now.

However, note my personal experience. We returned last night from our trip to Indiana. On the trip up I pretty closely followed the speed limit (70-75 mph) in Mom's Lincoln, returning about 24 - 24.5 mpg. We fueled up in a suburb west of St. Louis, and without engaging the cruise control, I followed the speed limit through St. Louis and all through IL (50-65 mph). The Lincoln has an instant mpg reading on its trip computer, and as we were crossing into IN from IL we were reading 27.5 mpg. On the return trip I set the cruise at 65 mph and averaged over 25.5 mpg from IN to western OK. Just dropping my average speed about 5 mph netted about a 5% fuel savings. From now on longer distance trips in the Lincoln will be at 65 mph and in my Jeep (Just Empty Every Pocket) will be at 65 mph, unless I'm towing, then it will be 60 mph.

I believe driving slower will save fuel, but I don't want any government legislating a lower speed limit. If you can afford the gas cost drive the speed limit. If you're like me, leave a little earlier, slow down and enjoy the savings.

A Quick Restaurant Critique

I've traveled I-44 Through Missouri probably 125 times in my life, mostly while I was driving truck. Usually I was running through there bitching and complaining about the lack of good food. Well, today I quit complaining.

If you get off I-44 at exit 127 (Lebanon) and go back east 2-3 blocks, you'll find Gary Doud's Catfish and BBQ. Seemed to be plenty of parking and most of the vehicles in the parking lot had local (Missouri) plates so we stopped. That's a clue to rating a restaurant while traveling.

We went inside and were seated immediately, drink orders were taken (unsweetened iced tea), menu's were passed out, drinks were delivered and we were left alone to peruse the menu's in just a minute or two longer than it took to read this paragraph.

To get down to the gist of this, I ordered a half rack of (pork) ribs and Mom ordered 2 whole fried catfish. The side list was extensive. I ordered fries and sliced tomatoes. Mom had fried mushrooms and cottage cheese.

When the food came out, I had literally, a half rack of ribs, still connected together. They were lightly smoked and then, I'm guessing baked. Mom's fish looked great, about 1 1/2 - 2 pounds live weight each, breaded and deep fried.

I would give the ribs a 6 rating on a scale of 1 - 10. They were better than a lot of ribs I have eaten, good but not great. I don't think they were cooked in a smoker, but rather smoked for a short time, then finished off in an oven too quickly at too high a heat. Usually, when ribs are slow smoked right, and completely cooked by this process, they will be so tender as to allow the rib to pull completely out of the meat. These ribs were a little tough, so were probably cooked a little too quickly at too high a heat.

Anywho, I'm going to try to rate this place thusly:

Ribs 6 a little tough, not smoked long enough
Servers 9 very friendly, good servers
sides 7 good selection, servings a little small
decor 6 roadside hillbilly kitsch
price 6 decent price for the size of the entree

rating 6.8 I'll probably stop in and eat there again.

Happenings

I haven't posted much lately but I have an excuse.

A few weeks ago, Ravon was hit by a thrown bottle as she was driving down the street in Beech Grove IN. She was taken to the ER where they stitched her up and sent her home. When the swelling started going down she was in pain and had blurred vision. She then was sent to an optometrist who is also a plastic (reconstructive) surgeon. This surgeon found some of the bones that hold the eyeball in (the orbit) were shattered so he scheduled her for reconstructive surgery.

July 1 she went into surgery at 8:34 AM and was in recovery about 12:20. It took 3 members of the surgical team about 3.5 hours to remove the shattered bone, lay it out on the table, piece it together like a jigsaw puzzle, reinforce it with a titanium plate, re-attach the whole mess with 7 screws and sew her back up. Thanks to the surgical team, my daughter may not lose her sight. Thank you's all around to that team.

I was getting everything ready to leave home June 27 when my mother asked if I thought she could make the trip also. I told her to pack a bag and we would find out. We left June 28 and arrived Indy June 29. Yes, we took the Lincoln. I found that with careful driving and at 65 mph, that car will get 27.5 mpg. A 2003 Lincoln Towncar with minimal prep (I didn't even check the air in the tires) will get 27.5 mpg.

Anywho, back to our story. The reason we came to Indy was to take care of the Poot while her mom convalesced. So for the past week, my mother and I have spent about 10-12 hrs per day chasing a 14 month old toddler around. Also for the last week, we have been eating mostly fast food. I am dreaming of the time I get home to get back in the kitchen. I am beginning to seriously dislike fast food, again.

Today, Ravon went back to the surgeon to get checked on. They removed her stitches, then told her she could start helping with the baby and if everything was OK after a couple of days she could take over the care of the Poot, so it looks like we will be headed west about Wednesday.

I have a list of things to get done when we get home, and up near the top of the list is get the trailer built. I hope to never have to stay in a motel and eat fast food for an extended period (anything over 2 or 3 days) again in my life. I hope to make the trip back up here in late October and hope to be pulling the trailer when I do.

SCOTUS decision

The Supreme Court issued a narrow opinion (5-4) striking down the Washington DC handgun ban, but still allowing firearm registration. To me, this sounds like they are saying that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right, in a sort of backhanded way. In other words, short of an outright ban, registration and regulation are allowed.

We still live in the netherworld between citizen and subject.

SCOTUS decision due today

We'll all see whether we are citizens or subjects sometime today as the Supreme Court Of The United States (SCOTUS) is to release their decision on DC vs Heller.

This case is the first time a 2nd amendment case has been before the SCOTUS since, if I remember right, 1939 in the Miller case.

If SCOTUS rules in favor of the decision by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in Heller, it will affirm our right to keep functional (not disassembled or locked up) firearms in our homes, ready for use if needed by citizens.

If SCOTUS upholds the DC gun law, it will tell me we are subjects whose "rights" are held at the pleasure of the state.

Obama's Not Exactly's

This post is a direct copy from MAD OGRE. Used by permission. Thanks Ogre

1.) Selma Got Me Born - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965. (Google'Obama Selma' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various untruths.)

2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.

3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.

4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone. Check out the following link for verification of that....and for more.

Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.

5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.

6.) My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.

Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). From....and for more....go to.....

http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_-_Arab-American,_only_6.25%25_African

7.) I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.

4-3-08 Article 'Obama was 'quite religious in islam'' http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559

8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).

February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as 'one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.' This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says 'Obama's narrative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts.'

9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language.

10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't even speak the language. What did you learn, how to study the Koran ?

11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.

12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine.

13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 - NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.

16.) Voting 'Present' is Common In Illinois Senate - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.

17.) Oops, I Misvoted - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your misvote.

18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it, or create it.

21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish.

22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.

23.) I Have Released My State Records - NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.

24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens. You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.

25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.

26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.

27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.

28.) No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA - NOT EXACTLY, the Canadian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them.

29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel.

30.) I Want All Votes To Count - NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide.

31.) I Want Americans To Decide - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.

32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.

33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.

34.) I Don't Take PAC Money - NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it.

35.) I don't Have Lobbyists - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.

36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon.

37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time.

38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who don't have to buy it

Obama will turn our Nation into an Abomination.

I'm Tired of This Crap!!!

Today, on the evening news, I saw something I'm really getting tired of. The President was pushing Congress to allow offshore drilling in the 80% of the Continental Shelf which is under a drilling moratorium. He blamed it on the Democrats. The next bite was of a Democratic spokesman blaming the Republican administration because they have no energy policy.

I'm tired of the finger pointing. I'm tired of the bipartisan attitudes of all those, and there is no better way to put this, in power. How did they get to be "in power"? I thought those in government service were supposed to be servants of the people. Nothing is being done to solve our national problems, and really, nothing has been done in at least 20 years. One side gets control and takes from us one way, then a couple of years later the other side gets control and takes from us another way.

I was taught to believe the best way to solve a philosophical difference is through the art of compromise, but apparently I was taught wrong. According to what I see from our national leaders, grade school kids have it down pat. If accused of causing problems, deny, deny, deny, then make counter accusations.

A Little Early

To all you fathers out there.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Spend some time with your kids today.

Internet access

I finally got internet access back yesterday. Mom has satellite tv, so no cable internet. I tried DSL with our local phone company, but after waiting over a week and being given 3 different activation dates, none of which saw service being activated, I finally went cellular. I ordered it about 11:00 Thursday, received the pcmcia modem card Friday after being told it would probably arrive next Monday or Tuesday, installed the software, inserted the card, and it worked. It just worked.

Since out here in western Oklahoma we are a few years behind the big cities, technology-wise, I'm running on a 2 or 2.5 G network (GPRS and/or EDGE)but it's still faster than dialup and I have service anywhere I have cell phone service. Yes, it's a little more expensive than DSL, but it's the price I choose to pay for the freedom to access my email, blog and the internet whenever I want to. Around the big cities I should be able to reach speeds approaching that of DSL, and if my ISP ever gets their 3.5 G network setup, my modem is capable of 7.2 Mbps download speed. This is SWEET.

More Changes

Well I got moved. BTW, thanks for all the help.

I had 2 friends come over and help. If not for the youngest of the 2, I would still be moving boxes. I don't know if you've noticed but I rarely use given names on this poor excuse for crappy writing. This young gentleman is almost like a son or much younger brother to me, and a very good friend to my daughter. I call him Young Legs. Young came to help me one day when he had nothing to do, and brought his pickup. This boy worked his butt off for 5 days, asking for nothing more than than a thank you. Again Young, thank you!!

Another friend came over Saturday, the day we moved the heavy stuff. Now as big as he is, he could have moved most of it by his self, but to keep the damage and scarring down, he graciously allowed us to help. Thanks Big'Un.

A lady I know is moving into the house and made a deal with the owner to do some painting. She also owns a carpet cleaner, so rather than pay a carpet cleaning service I traded her a couch and love seat to clean the carpet. I also gave her a futon for her son. Good deals for both of us. Thanks Krys.

Mom and I are now going through everything she owns to thin it out, AND I'm going through my stuff AGAIN. Eventually we plan to have the mother of all garage sales and use the proceeds to fund a trip to see Ravon and the Poot. Consolidating 2 3 bedroom houses into one is a pain in the ass, but we shall eventually get there.

News about the Poot

A couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call telling me the Poot is trying to dress herself. Today, I got a phone call telling me the Poot has learned to take her diaper off by herself. Ahh, payback!!!

When Ravon was about the same age, 12-15 months, if we were planning to go somewhere we would get her dressed first then go dress ourselves. After dressing ourselves, we would follow the trail of cute little baby clothes and diaper and usually find a naked baby at the end. We would then have to rewash and redress the baby. It caused us to be late a couple of times.

Ravon, a word of advice. Start getting ready early. Give yourself about 15-20 minutes extra time. If you have to redress the baby you will have time to. If not, you'll arrive early. Don't go back to leaving just in time to get there. The Poot might learn how to undress herself in her car seat.

Storms

We had storms blow through here last night, the worst between midnight and 12:30. I saw hail the size of golf balls, experienced winds of about 30-40 miles per hour and then the storm spawned a tornado east of town. The storm and the tornado traveled due east at about 30 mph. 12-15 miles west of here 4-5 inch hail and 70 mph winds were reported. I hope everyone else is ok.

I stayed up until almost 3:00 watching the storms and my butt is dragging today.

update -noon- The trucking company my brother works for had a truck blown off the road this morning about 1:30 or 2:00 about 40 miles east of here. The wind picked a 65 - 70,000 pound tractor trailer up and threw it into the ditch. There were no tracks leading to where the rig ended up. It was PICKED UP OFF THE GROUND AND THROWN ONTO IT'S SIDE BY THE WIND. The driver is ok. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated. No accident report. No tickets were issued. It was deemed an act of nature.

Memorial Day

Some people treat Memorial Day as just another day off, or as a holiday that marks the start of summer. I was raised to view Memorial Day as a day set aside to remember the loss of those who "stood in the gap" as it were, ultimately sacrificing their lives so we may live the lives we live today. A poem by Kelly Strong illustrates my thoughts today.

Freedom Is Not Free
- Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Sweeeet!!!

Farmgirl over at Tractortracks just posted about my favorite food group, chocolate! Chocolate is one of the four food groups, right? Chocolate, coffee and iced tea, beer, and pork. I got them all, right???

Anyway, she is posting about some chocolate goodies she is going to make. If you have any stroke over there, I really, really would like to try the white chocolate tiramisu.

Life Changes...AGAIN

A few days ago, my mother told me she wanted to hire a live in companion/nurse/housekeeper and said she needed me to find someone. Right now in western Oklahoma fast food joints are paying $8.00 + per hour for someone to ask "Do you want fries with that?" and the quality and/or work ethic of people available at the rate my mother could afford to pay would be questionable.

SO, I offered to move in. Now, I'm in the process of packing up when I can. You know I just went through all my stuff a few months ago but now I'm doing it again making three piles (trash, garage sale, keep) again.

I need to get this done in the next week and then grab some help to move the garage sale and keep over to my mothers house. I need to be out before June 1 so I don't have to pay another months rent.

So, about that help moving. Anyone?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

BBQ tips

I stole this from TedH over at leverguns.com.

We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ, the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine...

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.

Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine...

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.

Important again

(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine....

(8 The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

Most important of all:

(10) Everyone praises and thanks him for his cooking efforts. He then announces that we should do it again soon!

(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....

Read It and Understand

I want all two of my liberal, anti-gun "friends" to read this post from Bayou Renaissance Man and try to wrap you poor little pea brains around it and understand. If you have a problem with it, please call me and I will explain it to you, or you could get you pre-teenage kids to explain it to you, whichever works.

Hypocrisy

You know, I have an even dozen blogs I check regularly, some through a rss reader, and some by actually going to their site. Just now, I checked my reader and there were no new posts. My first thoughts were, "You lazy bastards". However, after checking the frequency of my posts, that is hypocrisy of the first order. I apologize to both of my readers.

P.S. 40 minutes later, 2 new posts. See what I mean?

BTW: Thunderstorms yesterday. 90*F for a high temperature today. 75-80* forcasted for tomorrow. Spring is here!!! Finally!!

Feeling Crappy

Pappy's feeling crappy. Hey, that rhymes.

I'm a poet and didn't know it, but my feet show it.
They're long fellows.

Mom has a cold and I guess I've caught it from her. However, I caught it early and started treating it so hopefully it won't hurt me too bad.

Due to sickness, bills, weather, the need to use the utility trailer to haul junk with and generally life getting in the way I haven't been able to start on the camping trailer, but I hope to be able to start in the next month or so.

No I can't sleep

What the hell is going on? (see article)

The feds think they can catalogue DNA samples from everyone they arrest, adjudged guilty or not? Why not just issue national ID? Oh, I'm sorry, they have already done that with Real ID.

Whatever happended to a right to privacy and freedom from illegal search and seizure?

How can Congress overide the Bill of Rights? Do we have any rights left anymore?

Sad Day

I had to take Ravon and the Poot to the big city to catch their flight back to Indiana. When we got there, we went inside so they could check in for their flight. Soon, I was told the flight was delayed an hour and forty-five minutes for maintenance. This threw her late for her connecting flight out of Cleveland into Indianapolis, so they set her up with a different flight out Cleveland.

Before I left her at the airport in the big city, I asked if she needed some money and she said she was ok on cash, but when I was an hour down the road she called and said she didn't have but three dollars on her. I was ready to turn around and go back to give her the cash I should have made her take but she said she would be ok.

When she finally got to Cleveland, it turns out the newly rescheduled connecting flight had already left. I got a phone call where she was very upset, hungry and the baby was fussy. I finally got her to go to the service counter and firmly but politely ask for meal vouchers for her and Poot. Ravon said the lady was very nice, gave her vouchers, and even offered baby supplies (formula, diapers, bottle, etc) if they were needed. Last I heard, they have a flight out of Cleveland at 2100 arriving Indy 2207 and were looking for a place to eat.

What really bothers me is out of the four legs of this round trip (Indy-Houston, Houston-OKC, OKC-Cleveland, Cleveland-Indy) there were delays or rescheduling on three of them (she was held up in Houston for almost two hours because the crew was late). Granted, the airline provided about twenty dollars worth of meal vouchers, but shouldn't they have to reimburse the passenger for the time and inconvenience? I know they don't have to do this by law, but explain to me why they don't. I believe any time a flight is delayed by thirty minutes or more, said delay not being caused by something beyond the carrier's control (and the only thing I consider beyond carrier control is weather), then the carrier should be required to reimburse on the spot one half the total cost the customer spent for their ticket including taxes and airport fees. If they had to do this I believe we would see more flights running on time. I spent over four hundred dollars on their round trip tickets, and it wouldn't have hurt my feelings a bit to see Ravon put two hundred of that in her pocket.

If anything else happens, I'll update this post after I receive a phone call from her.

P.S. They arrived Indy 2215. Total travel time from my home was 14.5 hours.

Hell, I have driven from home to Indy in 13.5 hours and never ran more than 3 mph over the speed limit. I guess I need to get me a Daihatsu Charade (42 mpg at 75 mph. I know, I had an 84 model.) Then I could afford to just do the drive as needed.

Obama's "bitter" remarks

There has been a large furor about Obama's remarks about the middle class being bitter due to government and politician failings and clinging to religion and guns. For the most common take on this, see Old and Evil.
For more and a completely different take on a part of the speech that pisses me off after it was pointed out to me, see PawPaws House.
Until this, I had believed that Obama was the lesser of two evils in the democratic party but now I see by his own words he is just an elitist jerk, and have learned that the lesser of two evils is still evil, and I don't want that evil trying to run this country.

Duck and Cover

My daughter decided since she is ready to turn 18 and has had her learners permit almost 2 years that it was time to get her drivers license. I am proud to announce that she took my old beater Jeep and passed her drivers license test on her first try. She did make the license examiner a little nervous but she passed.

While she is a decent driver considering who attempted to teach her, she is still green as grass, so, watch yourselves out there. However, since passing her test, her confidence level has gone up a whole bunch, so she is driving better than ever.

Happy

My daughter and granddaughter flew in from Indiana yesterday and are going to spend a week or so with me. Ravon is trying to split time between seeing her friends, seeing family and family friends, and spending time with my mother and me. Also, wonder of wonders, she is helping me keep the house picked up. She has matured some.

I'm going to keep the granddaughter for a couple or three days if possible so Ravon can spend the night at some friends houses, if she'll let me. Anyway, at least I'm getting to see all three of my favorite girls this week. WOO HOO!!!!

Pissed to the max

I just received a phone call from my daughter and found out her boyfriend threw something at her, and then told her he missed on purpose, and if it happened again he wouldn't miss.

This pissed me off more than anything since my ex threatened to kill me when I forcibly took custody of my daughter 6 years ago. I should head east to kick his punk ass and the consequences be damned. However, my daughter said she had it handled, meaning, Daddy I don't want Jack hurt, and you going to jail.

I know a cripple beating this boy down would ruin his street creds, but how would you handle it?

Laughing so hard I almost wet myself

This has to be one of the funniest songs I've ever heard AND it's safe for work. Turn your speakers up!

thoughts

Approximately 50 days ago I started writing this blog, and now I have come to the realization that it's not exactly what I want to do. So, although I may still occasionally post don't be looking for anything regularly.

How did your day go?

I've been having a fairly good day today, and I was just wondering if you were too. Post a comment and let me know.

The Female Demerit System

With Valentine's Day coming up, I think most of you attached guys need to be made aware of what you are really dealing with. I first saw this posted by Ysabel Kid over on the Leverguns.com forum.

The Female Demerit System

In the world of romance, one single rule applies:

Make the woman happy!

Do something she likes and you get points.
Do something she dislikes and points are subtracted.
You don't get any points for doing something she expects.
Sorry, that's the way the game is played.

Here is a guide to the point system

Simple Duties:
You make the bed +1
You make the bed, but forget the decorative pillow 0
You throw the bedspread over rumpled sheets -1
You go out to buy her what she wants +5
in the rain +8
But return with Beer -5
You check out a suspicious noise at night +1
You check out a suspicious noise, and it is nothing 0
You check out a suspicious noise and it is something +5
You pummel it with iron rod +10
It's her pet -20

Social Engagements:
You stay by her side the entire party 0
You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with an old school
friend -2
Named Tina -10
Tina is a dancer -20
Tina has silicone implants -80

Her Birthday:
You take her out to dinner +2
You take her out to dinner and it's not a sports bar +3
Okay, it's a sports bar -2
And it's all-you-can-eat night -3
It's a sports bar, its all-you-can-eat night, and your face is painted
the colors of your favorite team -10

A Night Out:
You take her to a movie +1
You take her to a movie she likes +3
You take her to a movie you hate +6
You take her to a movie you like -2
It's called 'Death Cop' -3
You lied and said it was a foreign film about orphans -15

Your Physique:
You develop a noticeable potbelly -15
You develop a noticeable potbelly and exercise to get rid of it +10
You develop a noticeable potbelly and resort to baggy jeans and baggy
Hawaiian shirts -30
You say, "It doesn't matter, you have one too." -8,000

The Big Question:
She asks, "Do I look fat?" -5
(Yes, you lose points no matter what)
You hesitate in responding -10
You reply, "Where?" -35
Any other response -20

Communication:
When she wants to talk about a problem, you listen, displaying what looks
like a concerned expression 0
You listen, for over 30 minutes +50
You listen for more than 30 minutes without looking at the TV +500
She realizes this is because you have fallen asleep -4,000

A Cowboy Buys A Bra

I just read a poem that had me laughing for the first time in about 3 days. I hope you enjoy it.

I ain’t much for shopping,
Or for goin’ into town.
Except at cattle-shipping time,
I ain’t too easily found.

But the day came when I had to go -
I left the kids with Ma.
But ‘fore I left, she asked me,
“Would you pick me up a bra?”

So without thinkin’ I said, “Sure,”
How tough could that job be?
An’ I bent down and kissed her
An’ said, “I’ll be back by three.”

Well, I done the things I needed,
But I started to regret
Ever offering to buy that thing -
I worked me up a sweat

I walked into the ladies shop
My hat pulled over my eyes,
I didn’t want to take a chance
On bein’ recognized.

I walked up to the sales clerk -
I didn’t hem or haw -
I told that lady right straight out,
“I’m here to buy a bra.”

From behind I heard some snickers,
So I turned around to see
Every woman in that store
Was a’gawkin’ right at me!

“What kind would you be looking for?”
Well, I just scratched my head.
I’d only seen one kind before,
“Thought bras was bras,” I said.

She gave me a disgusted look,
“Well sir, that’s where you’re wrong.
Follow me,” I heard her say,
Like a dog, I tagged along.

She took me down this aisle
Where bras was on display.
I thought my jaw would hit the floor
When I saw that lingerie.

They had all these different styles
That I’d never seen before
I thought I’d go plumb crazy
‘fore I left that women’s store.

They had bras you wear for eighteen hours
And bras that cross your heart.
There was bras that lift and separate,
And that was just the start.

They had bras that made you feel
Like you ain’t wearing one at all,
And bras that you can train in
When you start off when you’re small.

Well, I finally made my mind up -
Picked a black and lacy one -
I told the lady, “Bag it up,”
And figured I was done.

But when she asked me for the size
I didn’t hesitate.
I knew that measurement by heart,
“A six-and-seven-eighths.”

“Six and seven eighths you say?
That really isn’t right.”
“Oh, yes ma’am! I’m real positive -
I measured them last night!”

I thought that she’d go into shock,
Musta took her by surprise
When I told her that my wife’s bust
Was the same as my hat size.

“That’s what I used to measure with,
I figured it was fair,
But if I’m wrong, I’m sorry ma’am.”
This drew another stare.

By now a crowd had gathered
And they all was crackin’ up
When the lady asked to see my hat,
To measure for the cup.

When she finally had it figured,
I gave the gal her pay.
Then I turned to leave the store,
Tipped my hat and said, “Good day.”

My wife had heard the story
‘fore I ever made it home.
She’d talked to fifteen women
Who called her on the phone.

She was still a-laughin’
But by then I didn’t care.
Now she don’t ask and I don’t shop
For women’s underwear.

Author Unknown

I stole this one from Mostly Cajun.

I'mmmm Baaack

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's been a while since I posted, but I've decided that if I didn't have something to say I wasn't going to post. There have been a couple of times since I posted last that I thought of things to post, but, by the time I returned home, I had forgotten what I was going to post so it must not have been very good. And like I say in my comments below the title this is supposed to be therapy for ME. Also, I'm gonna start posting en voice, basically writing like I think and speak, yunno, like a real Oklahoma redneck. You will see me using proper English if I am speaking technically, if I'm posting a very important idea, if I'm trying to post an idea I have trouble describing or if I believe one of my two audience members will have trouble grasping it. Otherwise I will write like the sorta literate redneck I am.

I think I'm pretty well over that viral infection, but according to my beautiful, intelligent, wonderful daughter, my granddaughter may be coming down with an intestinal viral infection of her own. If so, if she needs me to, I will make the trip to Indiana and help take care of the baby. If not, I will sit here and worry long distance.

Some good news in the personal rights world. PawPaw reports the Brady Campaign (to Prevent Personal Defense) (look it up yourself, I refuse to link to those socialist bastards) has released their latest scorecard of state laws that restrict the rights of the people to keep and bear arms. They rate the states on a scorecard with a possible 100 points and the state that is the most restrictive gets the highest score. The great state of Oklahoma is in a tie for 49th place. What this means is Oklahoma is one of the least restrictive states in terms of firearm ownership. Looks like we need to get to work and make it the very least.

Also, in local news, Oklahoma has its presidential primaries Tuesday. What really sucks is most of the better possible candidates have dropped out. Yes, I am a registered Republican, but only because, in Oklahoma, an independent or Libertarian basically can't vote in the primaries. I guess I will vote this time for Huckabee but only because Thompson dropped out, and Paul isn't truly electable in today's political climate and with the bunch in office in the Senate and House, he wouldn't be effective. I personally believe if you don't vote for whom you believe to be the best and potentially most effective candidate (not always the same, so you might have to vote for someone other than your favorite, see reference to Paul above) then you have failed in your duty as a citizen, and therefore have no right to bitch and I definitely am gonna do my duty and will bitch loud and hard as I believe is needed.

OK, enough for now. I need to load some ammo, do some honey-do's, then e-mail select members of our state government.

update on the creeping crud

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but it is all due to how I've been feeling. I think I'm feeling a little better. at least I'm not as tired as I was a couple of days ago. I'm going to church services this morning and see how it goes. Maybe more later.

doctor report

Mom had her monthly appointment to see her doctor yesterday and, like the good son I try to be, I chauffeured her to the doctor's office. However, before we left, I called the doctor's receptionist and arranged to be seen while we were there.

As I suspected, this is a viral based disease, probably a variant of the rinovirus family, (you know, the virus family that causes the common cold) and other than treating the symptoms to increase my comfort, nothing else can be done. However the doctor did give me a prescription for a broad spectrum antibiotic to use in case I come down with a respiratory bacterial infection superimposed on top of the viral infection.

Now, the bad news. Mom is showing symptoms of coming down with this same crud. I hope it treats her more gently than it has me. Before we back to her house, we went to the store and bought a whole slew of OTC cough and cold treatments for each of us, and filled all of our prescriptions that were running low. The good news is, Mom is probably tougher than I am, so she may not bothered by this stuff as bad as I am.

Now for some good news. I lost 4 pounds, and my blood pressure was down to normal range (117/77)!

Also, it looks like we have a little weather coming in this afternoon. Not a big storm, just a little winter mix starting about noon and then as it get colder, turning to snow. They are only forecasting about 1 inch of snow, but if the roads are wet when it gets colder, we will have a layer of ice under it.

Creeping Crud

This crud is insidious. It is shape shifting. Yesterday I was feeling a little better, but tired quickly. Last night after I went to bed I started hurting, as in sore muscles. Back to my old sleep pattern, waking every little bit. This morning back comes the cough, the lethargy, and still the muscular pain. I thought I was getting better but now I'm not sure.
I'll tell you how bad it is. Coffee doesn't even taste good, and I love coffee. Now ain't that some crap?

I might live

I think I might be feeling better. Yesterday,I did some laundry, made supper and then just crashed. It wore me out! I have very little energy but today I did start cleaning out the back bedroom/office/computer room/storage room/junk room and found something interesting. I found the world famous missing dentures. How they ended up out there mystifies me. However, I will not look a found set of dentures in the mou..... well, you know what I mean. Off to the dental lab for adjustments next week.
Back to the creeping crud I've been suffering through. This is the third time I've had this stuff in the past 5 months. I have a doctor's appointment in about ten or eleven days, and you can bet he is going to hear all of the symptoms and try to help me get it out of my system.
My butt is dragging after just a little time in the back room. Thank God I had a friend come over to help. If she hadn't, very little would have gotten done. I'm going to bed. Type to you later.

Try this!

Here, hand me your beer and try this

Life Improvement

Some time back, two or three years ago, I copy and pasted an essay from the web. I don't remember whom I copied it from, but if it was you, let me know and I will give credit where credit is due. This essay is about becoming a shooter. However, if you don't shoot, use the same thoughts for golfing, fishing, sewing or cooking 'shine.

my Grand Unified Theory of Shooting Competency and General Crankiness

Most of us are not shooters.

Most of us are not really shooters or gun men. We are collectors, traders, estheticians, and gun lovers. But….we are not shooters.

This is OK. Yes we are busy making a living etc. etc. Look at the world you have created around yourself. It reflects your true self. If you don’t like some aspect of it change it. If not, embrace it. But stop with the whining. There is never enough time in the day or money in the wallet for everything we want to do. If you really want to master that big bore revolver something else will have to be let go of. That is OK too. Nothing is permanent. SIU (suck it up) and move on. There will be pain. So what?

If you want to be a shooter you will have to stop collecting, or trading, or masturbating to gun mags filled with black clad Ninjas. You may have to stop eating out so much. You will have to train as an athlete does, with focus and determination.

If this isn’t you that is OK. Find out and BE who you are. Be happy with it. Excel at it. Then give what you are back to the folks and world around you.

Buckets of Bullets

Surplus is your friend. You want to be a shooter? You must shoot a lot. Thousands and thousands of rounds per year. Aimed rounds, not just hosing. You aren’t independently wealthy, have a wife who will wear rags, or you don’t work for Uncle? That is OK. Buy a gun in a caliber you can buy surplus ammo for. That gun and ammo will out shoot almost all of us. Snap in and hold hard. If you shoot it enough to get better than the gun and ammo combo. Then handload the special rounds you need for the hunt or match.

Let’s look at the numbers…. I will use .223 for this thought experiment. (Yes shooters can indulge in gedanken experimenten, not just Einstein.) Let’s say you are a typical middle aged, middle class gun nut. You buy say 3-4 revolvers or rifles you just can’t live without per year. Let’s say you drop a couple of grand on them, by hook or by crook and got by your wife with it. So you got these lust objects sitting all pretty in their boxes and maybe 20 rounds for each. You get on the net at night and extol their virtues to all and sundry and bitch about not being able to shoot as well as you’d like. SIU. Like I said, let’s look at the numbers….

Year one. Put the money in the bank or sell the lust objects and take your lumps (guns are commodities these days guys) and get your cash in hand. Go buy a good AR-15. An A2 or if your eyes are going a flat top. Why this rifle? You can get one for a grand. The barrel will last longer than most you have the patience to shoot it. They are more accurate than you can believe. The sights are good. Most importantly… They shoot good, accurate surplus ammo. OK, you got the rifle. Put a real shooting sling on it. Don’t buy all the tactical crap. How much money do you have left? $900 say? Good .223 ball runs $150 a thousand or so. That is 4,000 rounds guys. Go find your local 100 yd range. Even the big cities usually have one reasonably near by. SIU. Shoot that 4,000 rounds a year with focus and in position (don’t shoot from the bench) and you will be shooting under 2 inches at 100 yds from the prone, if not the sitting.

Year two. You got two grand again. Buy your wife a nice dinner, some pretty baubles, and another 4,000 rounds. You still got a grand in your pocket. Keep going to the range. Spend that other grand on a good shooting school. Keep going to the range.

You are now a shooter. Keep it up. If you don’t have a couple of grand a year for this, buy a mauser for $160. Ammo is under $100 per thousand. Hold hard. Remember what the Boers did to the Brits with these guns. Head shots any one? You are now a shooter.

When there is a will there is a way. Shoot if you want to be a shooter. Collect if you want to be a collector. Remember, buckets of bullets.

Dillons, not guns.

So you are not a rifle shooter. You want to be a handgun shooter. Don’t buy that next handgun. Buy a Dillon and some dies. The rest of the numbers work out the same. You graduated from grade school didn’t you? Do your own math. Go shoot a lot. Buckets of bullets.

Will

Shooters have to have will. When there is will there is a way. SIU. We are weak compared to our grandfathers. But… we don’t need to be. If you have the strength and will to stay married to your wife you have the strength and will to do anything you want in life. SIU and focus on what you really want. You can be a shooter if you have the will.

Fitness

You want to chase elephants across the savanna, climb high mountains or just be ornery at a professional level? Get fit. Just walking 30 minutes a day is more than most of us ever do and you will be amazed.

Tools not guns

We all have too many guns. Buy the tools you need to support your guns. That means proper cleaning gear, reloading tools, good screwdrivers, the right holster for your pistol. Skip a gun and buy tools. You will be happy.

Be a better shot, not a better gun buyer.

We all agonize over the next gun we want to buy. We read all the sales pitches in the gun mags. Yes sales pitches. That is all the articles are. Do we want the extra extra extra short magnum or the ultra ultra ultra magnum? After all no elk will fall to any of those old cartridges…. But why is it that the guys I know who *regularly* shoot an elk just happen to be good shooters who can place their bullet? Guys who seem quite content with their measly .270s or .308s or 7 mm Mausers? Fit guys who go to where the elk are…

Scopes

You don’t need a glass on every rifle, but if you need a glass get a really good one and move it from gun to gun. Pay for the good mounts. You will be better off with an Aimpoint than a 20 something x unless you really DO shoot at a thousand yards.

Scopes do not belong on hand guns (to quote some one dear to me…)

Synopsis of our story is, whatever you want to do in life, do it. Do whatever it takes, but do it. Suck it up and do it!

update

Yep, it's almost certainly a cold. Using Alka Seltzer cold med and Robitussin I can function but I feel like crap. Yesterday I did nothing but lay around, surf the web, read, listen to tv and doze. I didn't even go to church. I didn't want to share my diseases.
Checked more on the Asus EEEpc. I believe I'll hold off on them until a 2nd gen version comes out. It seems to have a few problems I would like to see corrected before I buy one. However, if someone out there in the real world would like to just give me one, I would be willing to force myself to use it and attempt to correct the problems myself;).
Well I need to run to the grocery store before the meds start wearing off.

slow

Not much happening today. I feel a cold coming on. I'm starting to feel like crap. I tried working on the kitchen, got some of it done. I'm going to bed.

New laptop

I've been on the lookout for a small, inexpensive minimalist laptop for basically email, web surfing, office docs, mp3's, and maybe storing photos. I think I might have found it. It's called the Asus EEE pc. It's flash drive (no hdd), Linux OS (no windows, although you can install XP), and comes preloaded with a bunch of software, including everything I would need to accomplish the tasks I would want it for. It only comes with 2 - 8gb of flash storage (depending on the model), but it has a slot for SD cards and 3 USB ports so expanding storage shouldn't be a problem. An 8 gb SD card and my 20 gb external hdd should be more than enough.

Has anyone out there has experience with one of these? If so let me know what you thought of it.

Life is good

I've been in a bad mood lately. Well not so much a bad mood as just sort of down. I haven't been sleeping much, and when I do sleep I don't sleep well. I've been hurting. Not enough to be debilitating, but enough to slow me down quite a bit. Also, I've been spending most of my time cleaning out the house which is NOT my favorite thing to do. I mean look at it this way. I've spent years collecting this junk and hauled it all over the US. It must be good for something.

However, I got tired of being in a funk. I began to think of some of the good things.

I woke up this morning. It's not much but it beats the alternative.
I was able to get out of bed by myself. I know a number of people who can't do that.
I have a roof over my head, food for my belly, clothes for my body and my momma loves me.
My momma is still alive. She is 83 years of age, and still lives alone.
I have a few good friends, from ages 15 - 90. Not many, but more than I deserve.
My daughter and grand daughter call me regularly. My daughter thinks I'm intelligent (an out of touch jerk but intelligent) and my grand daughter laughs at me (she's 8 months old). I even get to see them 2 or 3 times a year.
The church I worship with haven't kicked me out yet.
My jeep hasn't broken down lately.
My dog hasn't run away in a while.

Life is pretty good. I still hurt, probably won't get much sleep tonight and still need to throw away a bunch of junk, but life is good.

Today

Not much going on today, just going through more stuff. I paid my bills earlier, and need to go cook supper for Mom in just a few, so just a quick post.

Also, a rant. I lost a new set of dentures. They were uncomfortable to wear so I went back to my old ones until I could get the new ones adjusted. I was going to take them to the dental lab this morning to get them adjusted, and now I can't find them. "I think someone broke in and stole them." Now isn't that thought stupid. Why steal dentures and leave TV, stereo, computer, tools and only God knows what else that could be sold for a much higher price. It IS stupid, but it was the first thought in my mind.

How many five year olds could you take in a fight?

They say I could take out 24. Not bad for an old crippled guy.
24

Go to Ultrasound technician school

How did you do?