The Last War, Last Battle, Last Bullet.

My title is not a great analogy.
My Blog.
Deal with it.

I'm gobsmacked by the idea that our lefty government "leaders" think paying off student loan debt might be a good idea.
I know my first question is NOT obvious to only me-
You signed a contract. You got the benefit of that contract. Now, fulfill the promise you made by signing your name. Pay what you now owe!

Second thought-
I once had a conversation with a young socialist female that called these contracts "predatory lending".
What other contracts fall into that category? Auto loans? Mortgages? Handouts from "Cousin Vinnie"?

My college education was accomplished piecemeal. I could afford the time and money to take only a couple courses at a time and paid for them as I learned, never accruing debt along the way. Granted, I went to a little-known State supported school and don't have "friends in High Places" that I networked with. But I also don't have a lifetime of debt to worry or complain about.

What if I'm the responsible oddball that JUST paid off my student loan following YEARS of denying myself some of the good things in life in order to fulfill my obligation...
Will I now get a refund? (This counts for me and most of my contemporaries too. Will AOC and the Biden administration send me a check because I was a responsible adult those forty years ago?)

This is a mess. The whole idea is insane.
And our entire contract structure and law in general is at risk because of these idiots.

"If you have nothing to hide"-

I think the thing that troubles me more than anything today is the willingness of people to sacrifice their freedom. I was troubled by General Motor's "Onstar" system. My thoughts were "if it CAN be abused it WILL be abused."

Then came the revelations our government was gathering "Metadata". (But of course it won't be used against us. And besides, "If you're doing nothing wrong, why should you worry?")

Alexa. Siri. Hello Google!
I'm continually amazed at friends who know better using these things that listen to everything we say 24/7. And then they are surprised to find some of the things they say might bite them.
(Around a campfire late one night a friend and I were talking about Galapagos Tortoises. We were surprised to hear Siri say, "Here's the information I could find about that.")
We had NOT asked Siri for information.

Be afraid.
I am.
I think for good reason.

"Uranus Smells Like Farts"

 

Science Fiction and Science Fact-
It's fun to find out how much the writers of TV shows lean on actual scientists to try to keep their shows believable.

This show was a hoot...
Apparently the Black Hole at the center of our Galaxy smells like Raspberry Rum? How the heck do we know that?
The gal in this podcast explains how we know. Her enthusiasm for her science is infectious.

If you're interested in Science Fiction OR Science Fact you'll find this interesting.
Click "Like" and Subscribe.

We Got Da Covid !

I NEVER get sick.
Two days ago (Sunday) I started coughing. I also had a drippy nose. But I was mowing the lawn and initially attributed the symptoms to dust and allergies.
That night both conditions worsened. The following morning I called my "meals" delivery boss and told her although I was capable of delivering meals I did not feel comfortable exposing our clients to my "gallopin' gump".
That day Sara Jean attended a previously scheduled appointment with her Doctor and he gave her several Covid home testing kits.
Both our test results were positive.

I have symptoms of an irritating, moderate summer cold. Sara Jean, so far, has no symptoms at all. But we are going to be safe... I just ordered pickup of an order at Wally World, where someone else gathers up your order and you just call to let them know to bring it out to your car... one of the few good things to come out of this Covid fiasco.

I could die.
But barring a meteor or lightning strike, I don't think that's gonna happen right away.
Nevertheless, pray for me.
I still have mischief to attend to.

The Depp/Heard Trial-

Until recently I never realized how far from "normal" I am.
Apparently ingesting Ambien, mushrooms, MDMA, marijuana, and alcohol together is what life is all about.

I'm such a HICK!

Box Cars

 

Circa 2001-
Dad and I were sitting on the balcony in Destin, Florida enjoying the view of the Gulf of Mexico.
We were separated from the beautiful turqouise-colored water by the "Scenic Gulf Highway"... the old U.S. Hwy 98 used mostly now by folks staying in condos along the beach.
Dad said, "Start watching. All the vehicles are either Minivans, Pickup trucks, or SUV's."
And he was right. Now and then in that neighborhood a Lamborghini or Ferrari would pass. But the VAST majority of traffic was one of the three types of vehicles Dad had mentioned.
And the only differences in the appearance of the S.U.V's manufactured by different factories was the color and the size. They all shared the shape of a cardboard box on wheels.
I would challenge ANYONE to be able to tell a Ford from a Chevy, a Nissan from a Toyota or Honda.

We've grown to be like soldiers in uniform, and marvel when we see a classic car like those pictured- beautiful, and distinctive from a mile away.

I miss my youth.

February, 1969

This "thing" in Ukraine troubles everyone, I'm sure.
But I suspect it tightens my gut more than others. War is a BAD thing. I wish we humans could realize that the money spent and human treasure lost just isn't worth it. How much better would our world be if the resources spent to prosecute violence on our neighbors was spent doing GOOD in the world?
Where would Germany and Japan be today if they had devoted all that money spent pursuing world dominance in 1940 to simply producing great machines the rest of the world wanted and needed?
But then I remember that Karen gets in my face when I don't wear a face mask.
How in the world can I expect all of us to get along when we cannot even agree on the simple stuff?

The people of Ukraine go to bed at night and hear the sounds I heard in Chu Lai, Viet Nam in 1969.
A 105mm howitzer makes a BIG noise twice... once when the shell is fired, and again when that shell reaches its destination. Hearing it often, you learn pretty much to ignore the sound. That is "Outgoing", and even though it is very loud, you get accustomed to the more muffled sound because of the distance between you and the artillery battery.
Now the sound of 122mm rockets falling all around you? That's a different sound altogether. It is ear-splitting! It is a sound that makes you realize you may not survive the next minute.
And I fear THAT is the sound many of those residents of Kiev remaining in their homes are dealing with.
My heart aches for those people

This situation is not good for the people of Ukraine. It is not good for the people of Russia. It is unsettling for the entire world.

"Someone" needs to step up and read up about the failure of "Valkyrie", and make the world a better place.
And... SOON, please.

I want my heart to stop hurting.

Auto Parts

The little town we now live in has a population of... 6,000, down from a peak of 7,000 before all of our industry closed down. While Real Estate BOOMS in much of the rest of the country, our community is in the doldrums.
And that's okay.

We have a WalMart, a Pizza Hut, a Mickey D's, decent Mexican and Chinese restaurants and three "Mom and Pop" eateries. Our cost of living is NOT through the roof.
It's a good place to live.

My question today is about parts for automobiles-
We also have an "Autozone", an "Oh-Oh-Oh O'Reilly's" and on our Main Street we have an inconspicuous "Bumper to Bumper" store.
South of town, not far from Autozone, they've just opened a "NAPA" store.

How many Parts stores can a town of 6K people support?
I guess we're about to find out.