I hope, one day, to meet this extraordinary man.When I do, I may need your help.
I probably won't have enough money for bail.
31 January 2009
My Dream-
I hope, one day, to meet this extraordinary man.When I do, I may need your help.
I probably won't have enough money for bail.
Where Is FEMA?
Millions now without power going into the second week.
Old people are freezing to death.
President Obama's response? He turns up his thermostat!
His excuse? He's from Hawaii!
(What happened to the Chicago A.C.O.R.N. guy?)
Let 'em eat cake?
Where's the media outrage? C'mon guys... fair is fair, and this ain't!
UPDATE:
The Anchoress says it better, and in more detail!
FURTHER UPDATE:
Sorry, I can't resist!!:
Old people are freezing to death.
President Obama's response? He turns up his thermostat!
His excuse? He's from Hawaii!
(What happened to the Chicago A.C.O.R.N. guy?)
Let 'em eat cake?
Where's the media outrage? C'mon guys... fair is fair, and this ain't!
UPDATE:
The Anchoress says it better, and in more detail!
FURTHER UPDATE:
Sorry, I can't resist!!:
30 January 2009
Yeah, It's Been Cold...
"Mighty chilly in this shop. And I still don't have all the snow cleared from the pathway to the house... got some more shoveling to do when I get this heater started.
Thank goodness for this little heater. It ain't much, but it's all I have to knock the edge off the chill. At least it warms things enough so I can take my gloves off and do detail work.
Doggone it..
That tank is empty! Boy, that sure didn't seem to last long. And the price of propane has been imitating gasoline prices, so it'll probably be more expensive to refill that sucker. Oh well, what else can a guy do?
Switch over to the extra tank... gotta remember that threads on these propane tanks are opposite from normal fittings- 'Lefty tighty, Righty loosey'. Wrench on the fitting, good and tight... Turn on the valve so I can relight the pilot and get the heat re-started.
What's that hissing?
Darn! Is that fitting cross-threaded? I'll have to shut things down and start all over again to try to make it right.
But first, I need to light a cigarette.
WHA...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And that's how we met "Bob".
Bob's a nice man.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed, and he has a few bad habits, but still, a nice man.
You'll be pleased to know, he'll spend a few months in the burn unit, but he'll survive.
No "Darwin Award" for Bob!
Thank goodness for this little heater. It ain't much, but it's all I have to knock the edge off the chill. At least it warms things enough so I can take my gloves off and do detail work.
Doggone it..
That tank is empty! Boy, that sure didn't seem to last long. And the price of propane has been imitating gasoline prices, so it'll probably be more expensive to refill that sucker. Oh well, what else can a guy do?
Switch over to the extra tank... gotta remember that threads on these propane tanks are opposite from normal fittings- 'Lefty tighty, Righty loosey'. Wrench on the fitting, good and tight... Turn on the valve so I can relight the pilot and get the heat re-started.
What's that hissing?
Darn! Is that fitting cross-threaded? I'll have to shut things down and start all over again to try to make it right.
But first, I need to light a cigarette.
WHA...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And that's how we met "Bob".
Bob's a nice man.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed, and he has a few bad habits, but still, a nice man.
You'll be pleased to know, he'll spend a few months in the burn unit, but he'll survive.
No "Darwin Award" for Bob!
28 January 2009
Follow Your Dream
All during his Grade and High School years I pleaded with, cajoled, and threatened my son to get better grades.
He was plenty smart... why were his grades so poor?
My example to him was that my job was to work for a living so I could provide for him to go to school...
His job was to do the best he could there. Why waste so much time in the fantasy world, watching Star Trek and Star Wars?
But nothing changed. He graduated High School without distinction.
College was different. Seeing money being spent for his education, he applied himself and stayed on the Dean's list all four years. Still, what I considered an unnatural and useless fascination with Science Fiction persisted.
Boy, was I out in left field! Last week my son sat, face to face, one on one, while interviewing this woman:
If you know Science Fiction you'll recognize "Counselor Deanna Troi"... Marina Sirtis from "Star Trek, The Next Generation".
The next day he interviewed this beauty:
That's actress Chase Masterson of "Star Trek, Deep Space Nine".
I wish now I hadn't wasted so much time with my stomach in knots, literally screaming at him.
Now I'm wondering...
Do you need an assistant, son? I could carry your camera bag!
You can see/hear my son's work here.
He was plenty smart... why were his grades so poor?
My example to him was that my job was to work for a living so I could provide for him to go to school...
His job was to do the best he could there. Why waste so much time in the fantasy world, watching Star Trek and Star Wars?
But nothing changed. He graduated High School without distinction.
College was different. Seeing money being spent for his education, he applied himself and stayed on the Dean's list all four years. Still, what I considered an unnatural and useless fascination with Science Fiction persisted.
Boy, was I out in left field! Last week my son sat, face to face, one on one, while interviewing this woman:
If you know Science Fiction you'll recognize "Counselor Deanna Troi"... Marina Sirtis from "Star Trek, The Next Generation".
The next day he interviewed this beauty:
That's actress Chase Masterson of "Star Trek, Deep Space Nine".
I wish now I hadn't wasted so much time with my stomach in knots, literally screaming at him.
Now I'm wondering...
Do you need an assistant, son? I could carry your camera bag!
You can see/hear my son's work here.
I'm Dreaming Of A White... Ground Hog Day!
I knew there was a possibility today would be "interesting". It was still snowing last night when we put Sara Jean's car in the garage. That snow was falling on the existing three inches of ice and sleet mixed. My old work car has front-wheel drive, so I was pretty confident about making my way to work this morning. But just in case, I drove up and down our drive several times to make a pathway to our road. Then I backed into our drive so all I had to do this morning was start the car, clean off the windows and lights, take a sip of coffee, drop the car into gear and drive carefully to work.
But Mother Nature said HA!
I woke this morning to 4 inches of snow on top of the three inches of sleet/ice. Front wheel drive works great so long as the wheels touch the ground. With ground cover this deep, the floorpan making contact with the snow actually lifts the weight of the car off the wheels. With no weight on them the front tires spin uselessly.
And that's what happened. I drove halfway up the drive and the car came to a stop, wheels spinning. You know the drill from there... select "Reverse" and back up, then "drive" and try again... two feet closer to the road. Back and forth, back and forth.
But "Mr. Snowplow Driver" sabotaged my efforts...
When I got to the end of the drive the snow was piled more than a foot high, and I couldn't get enough inertia built up to ram my way through it. Time to shovel.
This week I became eligible for Social Security payments. With the patients I transport I'm continually reminded how stupid 62 year old men can be. Put a snow shovel in the hands of a sixty-two year old man and you have the perfect formula for a heart attack at the lifting end of that shovel.
So I went slowly, digging snow from underneath the car and in front... back in the car to inch forward another two or three feet, then rinse and repeat...
Over and over...
Neighbor Mike came by in his four-wheel drive truck on his way to work...
No time to really lend much of a hand. He asked how he could help and I suggested he try to make a pathway for me to escape. But Mike's truck had nothing in the bed, and although he was motivating, he was slipping and sliding all the way. He made three "back and forths" for me, then waved as he made his way to work.
I drove another three feet, then grabbed the shovel again.
Half an hour later I'm on the road. Forty-five minutes after that I'm at work, and the helicopter is still in the hangar... Mr. Snowplow driver is clearing the helipad.
I check weather and most of this storm is now East of us. I preflight the aircraft in the hangar and when I'm done, the pad is clear. We push the machine out onto the pad and I call dispatch to let them know we're ready to fly.
"Can you take the ****** transport team to Rivertown?"
"Yes, I can do that."
"Your flight is a go."
We've had two days of icy/snowy weather. I suspect there are quite a few patients in little hospitals waiting for the weather to clear so they can be moved to get the care they need.
Ambulances, ground and air, will be mighty busy today.
But Mother Nature said HA!
I woke this morning to 4 inches of snow on top of the three inches of sleet/ice. Front wheel drive works great so long as the wheels touch the ground. With ground cover this deep, the floorpan making contact with the snow actually lifts the weight of the car off the wheels. With no weight on them the front tires spin uselessly.
And that's what happened. I drove halfway up the drive and the car came to a stop, wheels spinning. You know the drill from there... select "Reverse" and back up, then "drive" and try again... two feet closer to the road. Back and forth, back and forth.
But "Mr. Snowplow Driver" sabotaged my efforts...
When I got to the end of the drive the snow was piled more than a foot high, and I couldn't get enough inertia built up to ram my way through it. Time to shovel.
This week I became eligible for Social Security payments. With the patients I transport I'm continually reminded how stupid 62 year old men can be. Put a snow shovel in the hands of a sixty-two year old man and you have the perfect formula for a heart attack at the lifting end of that shovel.
So I went slowly, digging snow from underneath the car and in front... back in the car to inch forward another two or three feet, then rinse and repeat...
Over and over...
Neighbor Mike came by in his four-wheel drive truck on his way to work...
No time to really lend much of a hand. He asked how he could help and I suggested he try to make a pathway for me to escape. But Mike's truck had nothing in the bed, and although he was motivating, he was slipping and sliding all the way. He made three "back and forths" for me, then waved as he made his way to work.
I drove another three feet, then grabbed the shovel again.
Half an hour later I'm on the road. Forty-five minutes after that I'm at work, and the helicopter is still in the hangar... Mr. Snowplow driver is clearing the helipad.
I check weather and most of this storm is now East of us. I preflight the aircraft in the hangar and when I'm done, the pad is clear. We push the machine out onto the pad and I call dispatch to let them know we're ready to fly.
"Can you take the ****** transport team to Rivertown?"
"Yes, I can do that."
"Your flight is a go."
We've had two days of icy/snowy weather. I suspect there are quite a few patients in little hospitals waiting for the weather to clear so they can be moved to get the care they need.
Ambulances, ground and air, will be mighty busy today.
27 January 2009
Inappropriate Bathroom Humor?
I apologize for the glare and that I cut off the right side of the placard, but you've seen this warning many times and know its content. This one was in a Deli/Restaurant. What surprised me and forced me to get out my camera was that it was posted on the inside door of the men's room!Poor, bumbling hubby, (Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, Homer Simpson, etc.), learning for the first time that his pregnant wife shouldn't be consuming alcohol, tells her she can't finish her drink...
That's when I need to have my camera ready!
26 January 2009
25 January 2009
Back To The Future w/George
One, two, three, four…
Hrmm!
One, two, (one, two, three, four!)
Let me tell you how it will be;
There’s one for you, nineteen for me.
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
(if you drive a car, car;) - I’ll tax the street;
(if you try to sit, sit;) - I’ll tax your seat;
(if you get too cold, cold;) - I’ll tax the heat;
(if you take a walk, walk;) - I’ll tax your feet.
Taxman!
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for, (ah-ah, mister Wilson)
If you don’t want to pay some more. (ah-ah, mister heath)
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
Now my advice for those who die, (taxman)
Declare the pennies on your eyes. (taxman)
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
And you’re working for no one but me.
Taxman!
24 January 2009
Terry Kath
Thirty-one years ago this weekend...
Is that possible?
I love this song.
And Terry, I miss your talent.
Is that possible?
I love this song.
And Terry, I miss your talent.
Aptera Update
Capable of a 90 miles per hour cruise... Range of 100 miles between charges...
The equivalent of 200 miles per gallon.
The first run of vehicles, scheduled for October delivery, will be sold only in California. I'm assuming that is because of the climate there and a desire to keep a close eye on any problems that might develop. But the company looks to be a leader in the race for the "Progressive Automotive X-Prize"...
That 10 million dollar prize will be awarded to the first car to meet three requirements:
1. It must get the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon.
2. It must emit less than 200 grams of greenhouse gases per mile.
3. It must be mass produced... 10,000 per year at a reasonable cost.
What is reasonable? Aptera hopes to market the 2e for $25 to $45,000. They have taken deposits from 4,000 hopeful buyers.
Twenty teams are racing to win the X-Prize.
The writing is on the wall... all the major manufacturers have plug-in hybrids or pure electric cars on the drawing board. Some even are showing concept cars in major car shows. It's not a question of whether, but WHEN we'll all be able to buy a car that doesn't need to stop to refuel with a fossil fuel.
If you're interested, you can find an article with more links to tell you all about the Aptera here.
23 January 2009
22 January 2009
William George, Part II
All I can tell you is that I've read "Part Two" and liked it...
Liked it enough to dig and read "Part One"!
Liked it enough to dig and read "Part One"!
The Obama Irony
I relieve stress in my life by trying to see humor when things are going wrong. Almost always they could get worse, so I joke and hope they don't.
We have now elected a Marxist/Socialist President.
His number one advisor, Michelle, is also a Marxist/Socialist, only she is bitter and more vocal about it than he. So I'm forced to turn to humor...
It could always be worse, right? And I fear it soon WILL BE.
And it is there that I find black humor and great irony. Let me explain:
Most of us would agree Obama would not have been elected without the overwhelming support of folks under age 25. When Obama starts nationalizing and socializing much of private enterprise, who will be hurt worst by those actions?
The young... because they have the least seniority and they will have to suffer longer for those mistakes.
A few quick thoughts to illustrate:
He intends to spend a super-quadrillion dollars to stimulate the economy. Where will that money come from? I'm hearing he has two choices- Raise taxes or increase the money supply.
-Raising taxes is counter-productive for a man that wants to increase the number of jobs and lower the unemployment rate... Increasing taxes runs marginal companies out of business and motivates solvent businesses to move where the tax load is not so burdensome. So raising taxes is not a happy option.
-Increasing the money supply makes every dollar worth less. Print a little more money, all dollars are worth a little less. Print a lot more money, and the U.S. begins to look a lot like Zimbabwe, where it takes a swimming pool full of money to buy a gallon of milk...
Again, not a happy path to take.
Some of us are old enough to remember a commercial for "Fram" oil filters that had the kicker, "Pay me now, or pay me later". The idea of the commercial was that you could spend a little more money for a Fram oil filter, or you could suffer damage to your engine that would cost you an order of magnitude more.
In my opinion, that's the crossroad we face today. We can suffer some today... let Darwin do his work and allow weak businesses, to include financial institutions and automobile manufacturers to fail, or-
We can choose to spend a ton of money on those failing entities to prop them up and pay geometrically more later because of our mistake.
So young folks, you got what you wanted. And because of your choice we will all suffer, but you young-uns will suffer more and longer. With a Marxist/Socialist President (and Congress) it is obvious which choice we are about to make.
Keep an eye on my "Misery Index" posts...
Can Obama beat Jimmy Carter's record high?
Sure he can... Obama is "The One"!
We have now elected a Marxist/Socialist President.
His number one advisor, Michelle, is also a Marxist/Socialist, only she is bitter and more vocal about it than he. So I'm forced to turn to humor...
It could always be worse, right? And I fear it soon WILL BE.
And it is there that I find black humor and great irony. Let me explain:
Most of us would agree Obama would not have been elected without the overwhelming support of folks under age 25. When Obama starts nationalizing and socializing much of private enterprise, who will be hurt worst by those actions?
The young... because they have the least seniority and they will have to suffer longer for those mistakes.
A few quick thoughts to illustrate:
He intends to spend a super-quadrillion dollars to stimulate the economy. Where will that money come from? I'm hearing he has two choices- Raise taxes or increase the money supply.
-Raising taxes is counter-productive for a man that wants to increase the number of jobs and lower the unemployment rate... Increasing taxes runs marginal companies out of business and motivates solvent businesses to move where the tax load is not so burdensome. So raising taxes is not a happy option.
-Increasing the money supply makes every dollar worth less. Print a little more money, all dollars are worth a little less. Print a lot more money, and the U.S. begins to look a lot like Zimbabwe, where it takes a swimming pool full of money to buy a gallon of milk...
Again, not a happy path to take.
Some of us are old enough to remember a commercial for "Fram" oil filters that had the kicker, "Pay me now, or pay me later". The idea of the commercial was that you could spend a little more money for a Fram oil filter, or you could suffer damage to your engine that would cost you an order of magnitude more.
In my opinion, that's the crossroad we face today. We can suffer some today... let Darwin do his work and allow weak businesses, to include financial institutions and automobile manufacturers to fail, or-
We can choose to spend a ton of money on those failing entities to prop them up and pay geometrically more later because of our mistake.
So young folks, you got what you wanted. And because of your choice we will all suffer, but you young-uns will suffer more and longer. With a Marxist/Socialist President (and Congress) it is obvious which choice we are about to make.
Keep an eye on my "Misery Index" posts...
Can Obama beat Jimmy Carter's record high?
Sure he can... Obama is "The One"!
21 January 2009
The Day After
For President Obama the partying is now over and it's time to get to work.
I didn't watch much of the festivities yesterday because-
1. I was at work, and
2. I figured watching the "highlights" when the dust had settled would be a more efficient use of time.
We all tend to hear what we want to hear when listening to speeches. What I heard that impressed me was President Obama's stressing the need for "service". I'm revulsed by the "me, me, me" that I have heard from commenters here... similar to the selfishnessness of the Peggy Josephs of the world. I was worried our new President would continue with his "A.C.O.R.N. community organizer" thought processes and drag us further into government dependency. His speech, for me, set a different, more realistic tone. I hope he continues with this theme and I hope, with his guidance, the Peggy Josephs of the world find the path to personal responsibility. If so, President Obama will gain my respect and might even expect my vote next election.
We all knew how historic was this election. I was reminded of the enormity and the importance of it while watching the beautiful Beyonce Knowles sing Etta James' "At Last" at that first "Neighborhood Ball". I will forever remember her tears of Joy as she gestured to Barack and Michelle Obama at the end of the song.
Priceless.
It's a new beginning. Let us all give him a chance to make things better, even if that means pounding him when we think he's made a mistake.
I didn't watch much of the festivities yesterday because-
1. I was at work, and
2. I figured watching the "highlights" when the dust had settled would be a more efficient use of time.
We all tend to hear what we want to hear when listening to speeches. What I heard that impressed me was President Obama's stressing the need for "service". I'm revulsed by the "me, me, me" that I have heard from commenters here... similar to the selfishnessness of the Peggy Josephs of the world. I was worried our new President would continue with his "A.C.O.R.N. community organizer" thought processes and drag us further into government dependency. His speech, for me, set a different, more realistic tone. I hope he continues with this theme and I hope, with his guidance, the Peggy Josephs of the world find the path to personal responsibility. If so, President Obama will gain my respect and might even expect my vote next election.
We all knew how historic was this election. I was reminded of the enormity and the importance of it while watching the beautiful Beyonce Knowles sing Etta James' "At Last" at that first "Neighborhood Ball". I will forever remember her tears of Joy as she gestured to Barack and Michelle Obama at the end of the song.
Priceless.
It's a new beginning. Let us all give him a chance to make things better, even if that means pounding him when we think he's made a mistake.
20 January 2009
The Misery Index- INITIAL
You may remember the misery index. I blogged about it here.
Established by President Carter to belittle President Ford (Ha!), it's the rate of inflation added to the unemployment rate.
Today, the first day of this historic new administration, the "Misery Index" stands at 7.77%.
I'll help keep you updated on our "misery", or lack of it.
Watch this space!
Established by President Carter to belittle President Ford (Ha!), it's the rate of inflation added to the unemployment rate.
Today, the first day of this historic new administration, the "Misery Index" stands at 7.77%.
I'll help keep you updated on our "misery", or lack of it.
Watch this space!
Mallard Fillmore
By NO means perfect, but I never for a moment thought he was a crook. Thank you indeed, President Bush.
More "Non-Deranged" thinking here.
Red, White, and Blue Questions Of The Day-
1. If a candidate is so inexperienced he has to admit, "Things are much worse than I imagined and my solutions to problems will take longer than I expected"
or
2. If we can no longer judge a man by the company he keeps...
or
3. If campaign promises mean nothing, why do we have to suffer through a drawn-out, VERY expensive campaign? Why take so long and spend so much money? Why not just do it "American Idol" style and have voters call a toll-free number? ("I'm voting for Barack Obama because he is SO cute!")
I voted for Sarah because the promises Candidate Obama made seemed naive and impossible to achieve. Now apparently, Barack Obama agrees with me.
Had I known he would change his tune so drastically after the votes were counted, I might have voted for him.
(And the odd thing is, so many folks had no idea where he stood on important issues, would it have made any difference in the outcome?)
If only we could know which of our candidate's promises they are truly serious about...
It would sure make voting a less stressful process!
To President Obama:
I've heard your Presidency called "A Grand Experiment."
I hope your experiment is successful, sir.
God be with you.
God be with all of us.
or
2. If we can no longer judge a man by the company he keeps...
or
3. If campaign promises mean nothing, why do we have to suffer through a drawn-out, VERY expensive campaign? Why take so long and spend so much money? Why not just do it "American Idol" style and have voters call a toll-free number? ("I'm voting for Barack Obama because he is SO cute!")
I voted for Sarah because the promises Candidate Obama made seemed naive and impossible to achieve. Now apparently, Barack Obama agrees with me.
Had I known he would change his tune so drastically after the votes were counted, I might have voted for him.
(And the odd thing is, so many folks had no idea where he stood on important issues, would it have made any difference in the outcome?)
If only we could know which of our candidate's promises they are truly serious about...
It would sure make voting a less stressful process!
To President Obama:
I've heard your Presidency called "A Grand Experiment."
I hope your experiment is successful, sir.
God be with you.
God be with all of us.
19 January 2009
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