Happy New Year

In my short bloging life I have met many interesting people. You all have given me many things to think and laugh about. For that I am very grateful.

God bless you all. Happy New Year. I look forward to reading many more of your posts next year.

Merry Christmas

Merry Chrstmas to everyone!!! Peace be with you all and God bless

Did You See Me

I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.

But, you didn't see me put an extra $10.00 in the collection bucket at the store.

I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.

But, you didn't see me playing Santa at the VA hospital.

I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant when I was already there.

But, you didn't see me attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you roll up your window and shake your head while talking on your phone when I drove by

But, you didn't see me driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you frown at me when I smiled at your children.

But, you didn't see me when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you stare at my long hair.

But, you didn't see me and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.

But, you didn't see me and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you look in fright at my tattoos.

But, you didn't see me cry as my children were born and me having their name tattooed on my skin and in my heart forever.

I saw you change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.

But, you didn't see me going home to be with my family.

I saw you complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.

But, you didn't see or hear me when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you yelling at your kids in the car.

But, you didn't see me pat my child's hands knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.

But, you didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you, race down the road in the rain.

But, you didn't see me get soaked to the skin so I could honor the memory of a fallen solder.

I saw you run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.

But, you didn't see me trying to turn right.

I saw you cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.

But, you didn't see me leave the road.

I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.

But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.

I saw you go home to your family.

But, you didn't see me, because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker and a person with friends and a family.

But, you didn't see me.


In memory of Tim Neeley (PGR Member, Father, Grandfather, Husband) of Indianapolis, IN. Killed October 11th, 2006 when hit from behind while ridding his motorcycle near Knoxville, TN. This is his childrens first Christmas without their father.

Excerpt from Knoxville paper

An Anderson County grand jury indicted pick-up driver last week. 51-year-old Barry Lynn Brummett was indicted on two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of aggravated vehicular homicide in connection with an October 11th accident in which he struck a motorcyclist from behind on Seivers Boulevard and killed the rider. The accident occurred near the I-75 interchange and killed 49-year-old Timothy Neeley of Indianapolis when Neeley was dragged some 80 feet under Brummett’s truck. Brummett told police after the wreck that he had been sipping a beer shortly before hitting Neeley and several witnesses told police that his truck had been speeding and driving recklessly in the moments leading up to the crash. Brummett, who has two previous drunk-driving convictions, is accused of being drunk. He was served with the papers on Wednesday at the Jail, where he remains in custody without bond.

Spread Some Christmas Cheer

So, I’m wondering around the blogosphere this evening and came across Nancy’s Garden Spot. She seems to have hit a low in life journey and according to some other posts I read to get there, she could use a few dollars. So, if you haven’t put all of your spare change in the Salvation Army buckets, give her a dollar or two. I did. Merry Christmas, and God bless you all.

Born to Ride

I must be nuts.

As you may (or may not) know. I bought a new scooter December 3rd. I work a full time job and remember it’s December. I just checked the odometer; I’ve put a little over 1,100 miles on it. Yes, eleven-hundred miles.

What do you think, am I nuts?

150 Things - #150

I kinda thought this would be one of the items I would be explaining. Janet asked about my life saving experience so, here it is.

I was 11, my brother was 7. The whole family was headed to our Grandmothers for summer vacation and had stopped at a motel for the night. Back then, my parents took 2 days to drive from Pittsburgh to Savannah. They said it was just easier, but now that I've been a parent, I have come to learn that it is WAY less stressful on the parents to stop after 5 – 6 hours of driving, spend a night in a hotel, then finish the next day.

We were all at the pool. Mom and dad were sitting by a table talking and my brother and I were swimming and splashing around as kids do. Hehe (that’s what I called him for years because I couldn’t pronounce Iain) was jumping in the pool near the 5’ level using one of those round floatie things. Every time he’d kick back over to the edge, jump out, throw the floatie back in and jump again. The last time he jumped in he went straight through the ring. When he came up, he was in full panic mode, coughing, spitting with arms flailing all over the place. I lunged for him and grabbed him around the waist and thrust him up out of the water. Now remember we were kids, little kids. This action abruptly sent me to the bottom of the pool with him hugging the hair off of my head. I started bobbing up and down towards the shallower end trying to breath myself with each bob. Once I got to where I could breathe without bobbing he calmed down and grabbed for the pool edge.

Keep in mind all of this happened in about 5 seconds. As soon as my mom and dad saw this unfolding my dad dove in and swam over to us. So, as I was helping Hehe get onto the edge my dad was basically throwing both of us out of the pool (it was an adrenalin thing).

Looking back I’m sure my dad would have made it in time to have saved him. But everyone said I did it.

150 Things

Found another meme out surfing the sphere the other evening. EDog says everyone has seen this one. Guess I’m too new to have seen it. Funny thing is, I don’t see it on any of my daily reads.

I’ll tag Freddie and Janet

Rules – copy the list and bold face the items you’ve done. Wait for some comments then answer the questions.


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Driven anything over 100 MPH
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse of the moon.
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours - Good Drugs
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

21 Thursday, 22 Saturday

I rode Thursday with the Patriot Guard Riders to my 21st funeral since March 19th, 2006. I was prompted in March by services for SSGNT Ricky Jones (also here) in Kokomo Indiana. I remember watching the news and seeing people there protesting… “protesting what”, I thought. “the war? OK guess they have that right.” Then I heard something about the protesters believing the family was at fault and that the solder and my country deserved it. “Hey, wait just a fu@#ing minute, how can the family be at fault?” I like to think I am open minded and give a great latitude when accepting someone else’s beliefs or opinions. I also believe that our right to freedom of speech is one of our most cherished. BUT, I also believe in the honor and respect deserved by the family of a fallen solder. The longer this goes, the more I believe this.

I heard about the Indiana part of a national group, the Patriot Guard Riders, was going to be there to protect the family. “Great, a motorcycle gang to protect a solders family. Sounds like a fight in Kokomo.” At this point I was about to walk away, but I thought for a moment, “What if that was me?? What if that was my son? (my son is a Marine, currently in the reserves and my brother, a Corpsman, spent a year in Iraq - Ramadi) Would I welcome them?”

I did some research. I found their web page, and within a few minutes I joined.

It was easy. It was a no brainer. The mission statement is:

Patriot Guard Riders Mission Statement

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.

2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.

(I'd like to draw your attention to the first statement of the second paragraph, "We don't care what you ride or if you ride", that means you don't have to own a motorcycle to join and attend. Just come dressed for the weather, bring a flag and have respect for the family.)

Within a week I was attending my first funeral. Not an Iraqi vet, a Vietnam Vet, in his 50’s, died of cancer. His brother came out to where we were standing and thanked us. In tears, he thanked us for coming. I cried like I haven’t cried before.

Since then, I have cried a lot. And I have seen honor, and I have seen gratitude where none was expected. I watched the mother of a 19 year old Marine walk up and down our line, shaking ever hand and thanking each and everyone of us for coming. It is our honor. I have looked into the bloodshot red, tear filled eyes of a young solders father, shook his hand, neither of us saying a word then hugged him. It is our honor. And I cried.

Saturday is my 22nd funeral. I've been to more this year than in my entire life up to this point. Too many. But I would go to them all wishing there were none, I would stand, I will stand, I will honor. I thank them for buying my freedom. I will cry for them, I will hug them. I will be there for them.

The Master Speaks and The Grasshopper Sits in Awe

Look Look – This is NOT bold

And THIS is bold.
(jumps up in cubical farm and does happy dance)
(quickly sits back down before any body notices)

Many thanks to The Master a.k.a. my blog dad…

To Bold or Not to Bold

This is really a test post to see if I can make my template stop BOLDING everything...

To Meet Such a Man

A very dear friend e-mailed this to me today. One of those e-mail spam things, you know the kind. Promises of good luck or great fortune, but you must forward before some time limit. I hate those things, I NEVER forward them… This one however, has a great story and it touched my heart. I hope it will touch yours too.

Merry Christmas everyone, and God bless.

DNR

I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.

As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food." My heart sank.

I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.

Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square."

Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.

I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.

"Looking for the pastor?" I asked.

"Not really," he replied, "just resting."

"Have you eaten today?"

"Oh, I ate something early this morning."

"Would you like to have lunch with me?"

"Do you have some work I could do for you?"

"No work," I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch."

"Sure," he replied with a smile.

As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?"
Saint Louis. "Where are you from?"


"Oh, all over; mostly Florida."

"How long you been walking?"

"Fourteen years," came the reply.

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Jesus is The Never Ending Story."

Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.

He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God

"Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now."

"Ever think of stopping?" I asked.

"Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: "What's it like?"

"What?"

"To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?"

"Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me."

My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, "Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in."

I felt as if we were on holy ground. "Could you use another Bible?" I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said.

"I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see" I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

"Where are you headed from here?" I asked.

"Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon."

"Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?"

"No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next."

He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.

"Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet."

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope."

"Thanks, man," he said. "I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you."

"I know," I said, "I love you, too." "The Lord is goo d!"

"Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked.

"A long time," he replied

And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem."

"I'll be there!" was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"

"You bet," I shouted back, "God bless."

"God bless." And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.

Then I remembered his words: "If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. "See you in the New Jerusalem," he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...

Seasons Greetings

For My Democratic Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great.

Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of their wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms.

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.


For My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Found this...

Found this "What Clasic Movie are You" over on Chromed Curses.

Kinda crazy, don't take any sh!t, live wild when I'm about 75% sure I'll win and alwasy keep a loaded automatic wepon at my side... That works.

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

My first Meme

Freddie tagged me with the 6 Weird Things About Me meme.

Being the curious George guy that I am, I went to the all knowing Wikipedia and asked for ‘meme’. This is what it says about that.

The term "meme" (IPA: /miːm/, not /mɛm/ or /mimi/, to rhyme with "theme"), coined in 1976 by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, refers to a unit of cultural information transferable from one mind to another. Dawkins said, Examples of memes are tunes, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. A meme propagates itself as a unit of cultural evolution and diffusion — analogous in many ways to the behavior of the gene (the unit of genetic information). Often memes propagate as more-or-less integrated cooperative sets or groups, referred to as memeplexes or meme-complexes.

The idea of memes has proved a successful meme in its own right, achieving a degree of penetration into popular culture rare for a scientific theory.

Proponents of memes suggest that memes evolve via natural selection — in a way very similar to Charles Darwin's ideas concerning biological evolution — on the premise that variation, mutation, competition, and "inheritance" influence their replicative success. For example, while one idea may become extinct, other ideas will survive, spread and mutate — for better or for worse — through modification.

Meme-theorists contend that memes most beneficial to their hosts will not necessarily survive; rather, those memes which replicate the most effectively spread best; which allows for the possibility that successful memes might prove detrimental to their hosts.

WOW, perty cool huh? So, If you are still here, great here are the ‘rules’

"Each player of this game starts with the "6 Weird Things about You." People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged' in their comments and tell them to read your blog!"

I don’t know how weird these things are, but here are 6 things.

1 - I laugh like Mutly.

2 - I can’t stand stupid drivers. Slow in the fast lane, talking on cell and not driving, leave your turn signal on. There should be a law!

3 - If I have an appointment, I have to be early. I can’t stand to be late. Have been an hour early for meetings.

4 - I have to use a cotton swab in my ears after a shower. I will roll up TP to make one if I do not have any.

5 - The smell of worm guts makes me gag. You know, how they all decide they have to cross the road during a thunder storm and get crushed.

6 - My finger nails on a chalk board sound is chewing ice. (shudder) My teeth are very sensitive to hot and cold (shudder).. I have to stop talking about this… (shudder) Just don't do it around me, k?

My taged blogers are;

Dazd
LL
Janet
Kathi on MailCall
L Tart

OK, so it's only 5, I don't know that many blogers yet and I'm sure somone is going to gripe about picking people that have already played, so sue me. The links will take you to their answers if they have already palyed.

Wreaths Across America

I stole this from Devil Dog Marines. The video is about 7 min. If you are a crier you may need a tissue.

Arlington Project

This is a link to the Wreaths Across America website. On that site click on Video On Demand and watch the video that was made of about the Arlington Wreaths Project. Beautiful video and song that I'd never seen or heard before.

http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.com/

At the bottom of the page is a link to a PGR escort. http://www.wreaths-across-america.org/escort.html
Man, I wish I could go on this... Wonder if my boss would miss me.

Special Letter Request

This was just posted on the PGR site by one of our members, Dale.

I just received a phone call from Sgt Cindy Barnard whose son is in Iraq. Sp Grant Johnson is in her sons Company and has been there for some time. Her son told her he has not received so much as a letter and wanted to know if we could send him a package. Sheri is sending him one today and I thought maybe we could post his address some how and have letters sent from us. He loves Zombie movies and is a IT person

Several PGR members are ‘bombarding” him with letters and cards.
So, if you guys have any old zombie movies or books can you send them? I’ll pay postage if it is an issue. Or if you can just drop him a letter, I’m sure he would appreciate it. E-mail me and I'll give you his address. (trying to reduce the undesirables)

Can you imagine getting nothing from home… it breaks my heart. It should NEVER happen!!! Thanks for your help!!! And please pass this around the blog-o-sphere.

Bikers Delima - Solved

My new baby. Picked her up Sunday.

(click on image for a larger view)

Even took it our for about a 25 mile ride in 22° weather.

PS: There is another pic up there too...

6 Degrees of Blogeration - Clarified?

OK, let me try this again… sometimes I just can’t explain things clearly. The idea was to expand my reading circle. Get outside my rather limited blogosphere.

On the left are some of my daily reads. From their blogrolls I picked another blog. I wanted the selection to be random, so I used the seconds on a digital clock once the page said ‘DONE’. Counted down that many in the blogrolls and picked. I repeated this 3 times.

For example: Ordinary Janet’s page loaded and the clock said 08 seconds, count down 8 and pick Dragon’s Den. Once that page loaded the seconds were 02, so count down 2 and pick blah blah blog etc., etc.

Dazd ---- > It's a Raggedy Life ---- > beyond the crossroads ---- > Clear Candy Daily

Warts ‘n All ---- > BaneRants ---- > Chromed Curses ---- > Random Bits of Pomposity

Mrs. JoseGoldbloom ---- > Lori's Place ---- > Kirsten Namskau's blog (no blog roll…)

Ordinary Janet’s ---- > Dragon’s Den ---- > blah blah blog ---- > The Jundland Wastes

Dragon’s Den ---- > The Lisa Life ---- > Slices of Stacy ---- > Laid Off Dad

Tony ---- > The Hatemongers Quarterly---- > Cake or Death ---- > THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

6 Degrees of Blogeration

Well, ok, only 3 this time. Maybe I'll try 6 another day.

This didn’t work like I had expected. I tried picking some favorites Dazd, Warts ‘n All, Mrs. JoseGoldbloom, Janet’s Ordinary Life, Dradon Lady and Tony. Then using the seconds on a clock (random number generator) after each page loaded. I picked the corresponding blog on each blogroll. I tried to do this 3 times. (go 3 levels deep) Some ended up back at one of the original 6, one ended up on mine (how freaky was that?). One did not have a blogroll and one site’s blog roll had bad links. (I did find the referenced site through Google though). So, with a few hic-ups along the way, this is where I ended up.

Dazd ---- > Clear Candy Daily
Warts ‘n All ---- > Random Bits of Pomposity
Mrs. JoseGoldbloom ---- > Kirsten Namskau's blog (no blog roll…)
Janet’s Ordinary Life ---- > The Jundland Wastes
Dragon’s Den ---- > Laid Off Dad
Tony ---- > THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Why Do We Fight?

I believe; ‘We fight this war there so it does not come here, to our soil, to our families, in our homes’.

My brother was in Iraq for a year. He believes this also. Believed it enough that at the age of 40, he re-enlisted with the Marines. Specifically for the reason to go there. I have had the honor to discuss this subject with many American service members, they also believe it. I have not been there, I have never met a Muslim extremist. So my opinion is based on relative experiences.

In my short time on this planet, I have had the honor to know several Muslims. 2 from Pakistan, 4 or 5 from India and another 4 or 5 from Africa (specifically Senegal). They, without exception, are wonderful people. A very strong belief in family god and their religion. They all have an honest desire to better themselves. Some were in school while working 2 jobs, a couple others are managing small businesses with a desire to open one of their own. On occasion, we have discussed this war and what it means to them. The 2 guys form Pakistan left because of the extremists and what they had done to their families for not fighting for them. All of them agreed that they (the extremists) will kill Americans because we are Americans. That included Muslim Americans, because they do not fight for them.

Without knowing your ethnicity or religion I ask, have you ever been hated for what you are? If you are black, Jewish of gay then you can say yes, I’m sure. Many Americans can not say they are or have been hated because of what they are. Not something they did, just what they are.

I’m interested in your opinion. What do you think??

DAMN!!!!

Now what have I done???? Ctrl-V'd when I should have Ctrl-C'd

EDIT: 8:25 AM - Fixed the FU, now to put the BlogRoll back....

EDIT 9:10 AM - BlogRoll fixed??? something still slooks funky... Better get some 'real' work done.

EDIT 11:49 PM - Thanks for your help Freddie and Dazd.

Back to the Rock Quarry

I hate going back to work after a vacation. I've been off since last Tuesday, 7 days (3 work days). Nobody really does what I do, no one works for me and my boss is 200 miles away, so I'll have a weeks work to catch up this week. By the time I go through all of the e-mail, sooth all of the ruffled feathers, answer all of the questions, I'll be lucky if it's lunch time. I'll be lucky if I get to read any blogs today. Gawd, I hate work!!!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone

We took a trip to see the outlaws for turkey day. The Mrs wouldn't let us take laptops When we do we end up working, which makes for a non-vacation. So, I'm back. Missed you all greatly. I truly hope everyones Thanksgiving was wonderful and new memories were made. This is a new memory I got from this visit...

Saturday night after we'd had all of the turkey left overs we could handle. We decided to go to a little hole in the wall 'Mom n Pop' kinda place for dinner. Amongst other things on the menu they had a list of hamburgers named after the little towns around the area. One of them was named the "Beaver Burger".... OMG!!! Guess it was the mood we were in, but I about blew my pop out my nose when some one added, "Yeah, it comes with ketchup and alpha sprouts, you know the stuff that looks like hair". Then someone said "no, mayonnaise"... I had to leave the table.

Flying - Part Duex

On one of the legs of my trip I got to be on the plane nearly first. (No I don’t fly first class, my employer is too cheap or I’m not worth the cost, I like to believe it is the first.) Being first and nearly in the back of the plane I got to see everyone else as they came on board, looked for their seats, stowed their luggage, etc.

I find it absolutely amazing in a weird kinda profound discovery way, that no one makes eye contact… Why? I’m not that scary looking… (at least I think so, my wife thinks so… I think. Dazd??) Even someone that needed help finding the row numbers did not look at any other passengers. He just looked blankly at the AC knobs and asked out loud as if he expected the whistling air to tell him where his row was. Another guy whose seat was obviously behind mine stared at the back bulk head and walked, very fast for being on a plane, right past everyone, never breaking his gaze from the rear wall.

Are we that scared as a society that we cannot make eye contact with other humans? Does it seem reasonable to ask the knobs for help? Has the modern media scared us so much with ‘Next Door Neighbor has Bodies Buried in Backyard’ headlines that we trust no one?

Next time I fly, I’m gonna push the envelope a little. Everyone that is looking in my general direction is going to get a “Hi, how are you” from me… Stay posted, as of now my next trips is in January. Phoenix, AZ. If you don’t hear from me, somebody send out the search dogs.

Flying for Business

I “got” to go to Nashville, TN yesterday. Had to fly, should have driven. It’s what, 6 hours to Nashville from Indianapolis. Counting the drive from my house to the airport it was almost 8 hours to ‘fly’. And, isn’t flying fun these days. The security check, scans and puffs of air are ok. I can handle that, even an occasional pat-down. But come on, a bag of pretzels is a dollar. And I can hold the entire contents in the palm of my hand. I can also put the entire contents in my mouth. A drink (beer or shot) is $5, that’s worse than the RCA Dome. At least soft drinks are still free. God forbid should you want to eat; a cold sandwich, with an apple, chips and cookies is $10.

I fly about 6 times a year for business and have been to San Diego, New York City, San Antonio and Ottawa Canada and many place in between. But this quick little jump to Nashville (2 planes, had to layover in Memphis) had both the smoothest landing and the roughest landing I have ever had. The smooth one was cool, I’ve hit pot holes harder that they guy landed that plane. I could have slept through it. The rough one, OMG!! Have you ever been jolted so hard that your neck made a crunching noise??? Me neither, but this landing, WHAM!!! And we were on the ground, no feathering or floating and at least trying to come in smooth, just SLAM!!! Like the pilot was saying “there f’ers, you’re on the ground and alive, I’ve done my job”. You know how you can tell the pilot thinks the lading was rough, they don’t open the door to the cockpit until everyone is off the plane. Usually they are out there saying thanks with the other stewards. Not these guys that door was still locked.

I waited on the walk for about 5 minutes after everyone else was off and they still weren’t coming out, must have seen me standing out there.

Canis Domesticus

We have two. If there were every two canines that were opposites of the personality spectrum, these two have to be it. They are both working dogs, that is, they have a job in service to the public. But, like any other family where members are in public service, these two are also beloved family members.

Thinking about my morning with these ‘family members’ is unique. I believe the best way to explain what I mean is to run you through the first 15 minutes of every day.

The Characters:
Me – Me; a.k.a. Old Man
OD – Old Dog; Mutt, Humane Society adoption. He is certified with three separate agencies/organizations in his area of expertise. And working on two or three more in a separate area. He is a few days from seven years. He is white with large brown spots. OD is 55 pounds.
ND – New Dog; Pure bread Border Collie, cost us almost a grand, plus driving 16 hours one way to get her… She is still in training, but is VERY good at what she does and should be certified with the same three agencies before February. She is a few days over one year. She is brown with some white areas (her white shapes don’t qualify as spots). ND is 35 pounds.

A loud screeching noise breaks the silence and rather violently interrupts my slumber. “Damn alarm clock” as I knock the lamp off the night stand trying to find the snooze button. All the while the screeching is getting louder (they call it “gentle wake” – yea right!!! Some Chinese engineers idea of a sick joke.). Aahh , silence. Peace. Quite. Dreams… Screeching screaming noise eight minutes and fifty seconds later. Not only does it jip me out of a full ten minute snooze, but I’d swear it’s steeling precious seconds from my very required beauty sleep. “fine, I’ll get up” I mumble to my self as I grab my glasses.

OD sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed so he gives me the constant challenge to groggily get to the bathroom without stepping on him. You should try stepping over a fifty-five pound dog sprawled out between the bed and the wall. Never, keep in mind, in the same place. I’m sure it is just to keep me guessing. And God forbid should you step on some fur, he’ll be sure you’re awake with a yelp that would wake the dead. But for some reason not my wife.

Throw on some sweats and head down stairs. OD waits for me to get about 3 steps down then runs past me howl-growling “come on old man, the new kid has to pee!!” There is always a scratching noise coming from ND’s crate. ND yawning says “is it morning already”, full well knowing that I know she has been awake for hours... She is stretching and flexing her claws, scratching at the crate floor. Quite the eerie sound if you aren’t expecting it. OD grumbles “I don’t have to go, but just incase this is my only chance, I’ll go. But don’t put me out until SHE is going out” As I approach ND’s crate she starts a yawning, moaning, howling, stretching kind of audible talking. Which translates loosely to “oh jeese, it has been a long time since I saw you. I HAVE TO GO!!! Hurry…”,

I grab her leash and undo the crate door latches and swing the door open. This is where the ‘greet you’ joust starts. ND comes out of the crate at full speed and with her second step she will start bouncing. Not really a big deal but she is usually between my legs at the second step. Yep you guessed it… A great way to start the morning. My goal in the joust is to catch ND by the collar at the moment of exit from the crate. Thus curtailing her bouncing joy until I have the leash snapped on. I’m proud to say, I’m usually successful. I stand up and the bouncing resumes. Keep in mind this is a dog that is less the 20” tall, but can just about lick my face by just bouncing straight up, all in about 0.5 seconds. We head for the door and she is in scan mode (head going back and forth in a very frantic OCD kind of way) looking for a ball or Frisbee. Once sighted we must go get it and bring it to the front door. Thank God for retractable leashes or I’d most likely have rug burn or a dislocated shoulder every morning.

OD patiently watches this ballet every morning with head slightly lowered saying “come near me with that much enthusiasm pup, and we’ll go ‘round”. ND usually bounces over and hip slams OD once just for good measure. I open door and we head out. ND is either under or on top of OD by this point, never patient enough to wait a micro second and OD won’t let her be first. Before I can step out the door, ND is off the porch, down the stairs heading around the house, then BOING, she hits the end of her 24 foot leash, falls to the ground, walks back a bout two feet and does what she needs to…

OD (with his Invisible Fence collar) is around back enjoying the last few minutes of the morning peace and quiet for this day. He heads back to the front and as he approaches, ND takes on the stalking/herding pose her breed is famous for, (laying down on the ground, head down between her front paws). Once she can’t take it any more, she springs once again with the un-bounding energy of youth. IF she didn’t come back far enough she gets her neck wrung and falls to the ground, OD prances by and I’d swear he’s smiling. If ND has the leash limit in her calculations, OD get slammed again and this starts the morning “words”. A full flury of ‘jaw sparing’, wrestling and ND body slamming OD 10-15 times.

Up the stairs, on the porch and stand by the front door. Before I can get there ND will go from OD’s left side to his right side and back about 3 times. I open the door and ND is again on top of or under OD. Trying her darnedest to be in front of OD, but he always manages to stay just even or slightly in front. Once she is un-hooked she grabs the afore mentioned ball and heads upstairs to make sure my wife is up. OD heads for the stairs, turns to look at me and says “Just remember, I’m certified, I was free and I have NEVER racked you first thing in the morning”. Before I can say anything, he turns and heads upstairs to sleep on the bed until the Mrs is done in the shower and able to give him his morning belly rubs.

A Bikers Dilemma

Do you ride? If so, what?

As you know, I ride a Harley Davidson (HD) with the PGR (Patriot Guard Riders). The bike I own is a 1983 FXR. Not that, that means much to you, but suffice it to say it is old school. No windshield, the engine is a ‘shovel head’ which is a design HD did away with in ’84. It is chain drive which HD did away with in ’84-’86. Over the course of this summers riding, it has spent about half of the time in the shop. (let the HD bashing commence). Currently is it broke and sitting in our garage. My wife, who originally wanted nothing to do with me riding and that fool bike, has actually taken a liking to it. When the bike broke last Thursday, she said, “I don’t want to be with out a bike, you should get a new one”

You could have knocked me over with a feather. But this begs the questions, what kind should I get? Stay with HD? Change to Yamaha? BMW?

What would you buy??

Nanotechnology

If I could go back to school, college that is. And focus my attention on something other than computers, I would dive head first into nanotechnology. The subject fascinates me. In nanotechnology, large devices can fit inside a hole deilled into a human hair. If I ever win the lottery and don't need an income, I'm going to volunteer to do research at MIT or CalTech in this field.
One of the news letters I subscribe to has announced a 4 day seminar on the subject and they are going to blog some of the articles. So, go here and read along with me about some of the most fascinating technology in the world.

Sunday Laughs

Rest assured, I am not this creative. These were e-mialed to me and I would give the author credit if I knew who it was. Non the less they made me laugh out loud this week.



NO SPEAKAH DE ENGLISH

A bus stops and 2 men get on. They sit down and engage in an animated conversation. The lady sitting next to them ignores them at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of them say the following:

"Emma come first. Den I come. Den two asses come together. I come once-a-more! Two asses, they come together again. I come again and pee twice. Then I come one lasta time."

The lady can't take this any more, "You foul-mouthed sex obsessed pig," she retorted indignantly. "In this country, we don't speak aloud in public places about our sex lives."

"Hey, coola down lady," said the man. "Who talkin'abouta sex? I'm a justa tellin' my frienda how to spell "Mississippi'."

$5.00 says you're gonna read this again!



WHY MEN AREN'T SECRETARIES ...

Husband's note on refrigerator for wife:

Someone from the Gyna Colleges called.
They said the Pabst beer is normal.
I didn't know you liked beer.

An Open Letter to all US Veterans

Thank you – for your service… for assuring my freedoms.

To The Retired Vets – Your service, sacrifice and grace to a country that did not honor you… I thank you and welcome home my friends. You did what your country asked, you did what you were told, it has been too long. Thank you and welcome home!!

To Those Currently In Service – It has been my honor to have met some of you. Brave hearts, honest minds, you have thanked me for seeing you home or seeing you off. I am in your debt, you are buying my freedom. And without thought to self you keep the fight from coming to our homes, on our land.

To All Veterans, home or in service, in a VA hospital or in a tank, holding your son/daughter/wife/husband or wishing you could – God Bless You, may he keep you safe and free from harm. Know that many of us here think of you often and keep you in our prayers.

Respect - DNR

Another Hero

I went to the funeral of another hero yesterday. I have been to too many, there have been to many…



DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. James E. Brown, 20, of Owensville, Ind., died Nov. 2 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Thursday, November 9, 2:00PM CST. Services were held at Gibson Southern High School, Hwy. 168 Gibson County, between Owensville and Ft. Branch, IN.

Patriot Guard Riders Final Itinerary - Lance Cpl. James Brown, 20, of Owensville, IN - 08, 09 Nov 06


God bless the Brown family and friends. Your service and sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Respect - DNR

Pictures From Part Duex

Yahoo pix

Web Shots

Not 'Just' a Flag

Last night I went with 10 friends family members to see a movie, 'Flag of Our Fathers'. The movie is based on a book written by James Bradley. He is the son of John Bradley. John Bradley was one of the men that raised the flag in the famous WWII photo on Iwo Jima, he is also one of the men in the statue. I heard this story about a week ago. It cemented for me a need to see this movie.

Subject: A Story Of 6 Boys...

Each year I am hired to go to Washington , DC , with the eighth grade class from Clinton , WI . where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous! photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?"

I told him that we were from Wisconsin . "Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story."

(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington , DC , to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible Monuments filled with history in Washington , D.C. , but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)

"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin . My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers". It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. "Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game.

Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old.

(He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima . Boys. Not old men.

"The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'

"The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 .. ten years after this picture was taken.

"The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky . A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

"The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin , where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell 's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.

"You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed in pain.

"When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'
"So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima , and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom. Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world. STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice. REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day. You are free because some vet died to keep you free.

Flags R Us - My Weekend Part Deux

I built flags this weekend. As you may (or may not) know, I am an active member of the Patriot Guard Riders. One of our members bought and donated 324 American flags for use around the state.

Other members of the group had their work places or suppliers donate some of the materials needed. Think about this, to offer a uniform line, we have standardized on 3 foot by 4 foot flags on 8 foot polls. So…

324 flags means we needed:
1 – 2,592 feet of 3/4” PVC pipe; cost $0.36 per foot – $933.12 – Donated for FREE
2 – 648 zip ties; Cost about $20.00 – Donated for FREE
3 – PVC cement; cost $6.00 per can donated 12 cans $72.00 – Donated for FREE
4 – Couplers and top caps; $0.25 ea total about $125.00 – Donated for FREE
5 – A place to cut pipe, glue couplers, attach flags etc – Donated for FREE
6 – Tools (saws, drills, wire cutters, etc) – Donated for FREE
7 – Labor 20+/- Patriots to give up their Sunday morning – Donated for FREE
8 – Coffee and donuts for the work force – Donated for FREE

If you get a minute, thank them for supporting our troops.
If you have a need, send them some business, tell them 'DNR with the PGR' sent you, might get you a discount...

Some of the companies involved were:
True Temp Heating and Air Conditioning – Caps, glue, couplers, coordination
Indiana Supply Corp. – PVC pipe
Capitol city Container – Warehouse to work in

Grrrr

I hate when work get in the way of bloging!!

PS: Don't forget to vote!!!

‘Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law’ – Judas Priest

Paid my $5 to enter a State Park with my wife Sunday. We like to walk trails less traveled, so we road around for a few minutes looking for a place where no one or very few people were.

On the edge of one of the large parking lots we found a driveway with a sigh on a saw horse that said “Area Closed”. Being that the lot was empty and we could see a trail right down the road, we parked and headed down.

If you like hiking and nature, this was a good little hike. We saw two hawks, possibly a nested pair, a wood pecker several Red birds and many other little finch type birds. There were many squirrels out too, who, on a somewhat warm late fall day, were scurrying around in the leaves and up and down the trees like toddlers on their 3rd cup of cappuccino. They’re so funny, I could stop and watch them for hours. We also scared up a couple deer, maybe more. I’m sure they get a kick out of scaring the bejeebers out of hikers. They could slowly walk away before we get close, but NOOooo. They wait till we are about 30 feet from them then bolt!! All I could see was white tails and back hooves. (read ass-holes and elbows) Leaves flying up all over the place, branches cracking. We both ‘bout jumped out of our skins.

Heading back we stopped along the trail to read signs about the local trees. It is rather challenging when there are no leaves (on the trees) to figure out which tree they are talking about. As we top the hill heading back “Ranger Rick” pulls up and yells “You’re not suppose to be back here. The sign says “AREA CLOSED”!!!”.
‘What, even to hikers?!?’ I screamed to my self. ‘How in the hell would you police that??’ I mumbled under my breath. There was a trail down the hill that went do another parking area, without their precious sign. So if we had parked there we would have walked in the same area and never seen their blessed signs. We walked back up to the road and he… waited. Then followed us out the road - WTF!!. What were we going to do, shoot all of the deer, build a meth lab, take dirty picture of the squirrels… WHAT!!??

My wife says it was because we were in black chaps, jeans, black leather jackets and ridding the Harley...

...but that would be profiling… Wouldn’t it??

A Cold, Cold Chill

I’ve been letting more and more people know about this blog thing. I e-mailed a couple people I work with, etc. Then I started to e-mail my family group…

I have learned from others mistakes, I always go back and review the TO and CC sections of e-mails I am sending. Too many time I have seen e-mails come from others that should have been reply to sender and not reply to all.

… so when I went vback to look at this one (to the family group) I realized my parents were on the list!! (Aaahhhh, anoter very cold shutter). But, am I being a wimp? Is the blogosphere so open that we are expected to share all with our parents, siblings and (another creepy shutter) our kids? Better yet, do I want to read my kids blog… Now that thought scares me.

What do you think??

Do your parents read your blog?
	Yes
	No
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Little Things Are Changing

I came across a web site some years ago that had this clock thing on/in it. So, I reviewed the web page HTML, found the source and ‘hacked’ it. I’ve never had a web space to use these types of things, so, you will get to see some of my collection in the days to come.

To date I’ve added:
1. Indiana Amber Alert Link – Flashes when there is an active alert. Click the banner for more info.

2. A hit counter. ( I know, no big deal)

3. The Clock thingy… Hacked it off of another site several years ago. This will change periodically, I have several cool cursor thingies. I have no idea why it won’t follow the cursor down the page… any HTML gurus out there care to help??

Trick, or Treat?

So, I’m sitting quietly in my house last night, minding my own business with my porch light off (in my day that meant "go away"), when, ding-dong. There’s someone at the door. "Rats, n frasin’ little twerp kids, don’t their parents tell them stay away from houses with the porch light off", I thought as I put down my laptop, paused the DVR and made my way to the door. "looks like a candle flickering… what the f-hell". As I open the door I realize it’s dog crap in a bag, on fire, on my front porch. "Ya little shits!! Well, at least they didn’t get me."

I stepped over the bag and head to the garage, got a shovel. Easy enough, pick up the flaming crap, drop it in the yard (glad it rained some in the last few days). The bag slowly goes out (wet poop doesn’t burn). Put the shovel away, then head back into the house. As I’m heading for my favorite easy chair, I hear a bump come from the other room. I guess it was more of a pat or pad, you know, like something soft lightly bumping into something hard. I reach around the corner and flip on the light and… nothing. "I swear I heard something". No sooner did I finish the thought when something brushes past me and the lights went out. I about jumped out of my skin, and for some silly reason I pushed the door shut, slam-thump… Now I’m freaking, doors don’t make two sounds when slammed, especially if they don’t shut. I fumbled my way to the light switch and OMG!!! One of those little shits is in my house!! Currently knocked out laying on my living room floor.

Oh, ha ha ha. (my best evil laugh) Here’s my chance, I can teach these kids and their liberal "my kids never do anything wrong" parents a lesson. Quick and quiet before he wakes up I loosely duct tape his mouth shut and his hands behind his back. Grab a ketchup bottle out of the kitchen and pour some on the floor and table sitting near by, grabbed a big knife and a meat cleaver from the kitchen, ran both through the ketchup, just as this little punk started to stir. "Good, your awake, I hate cutting kids into little pieces when they’re sleeping, I don’t get to hear any good screams. Come on, you’re next…" as I stood up with both knives in my hands. Heh

I have never seen such a small person have such big eyes. He jumped up, cleared the front door heading down the drive, screaming all the way. Still amazingly loud considering he still had the duct tape partially covering his mouth. Apparently mom had come looking for him, because as I shut the door (for real this time) I could hear a chorus of screaming coming from outside.

As I re-situated my self in my easy chair, I couldn’t help but laugh. I think I might have to pass out candy next year.

My Opinion

John Kerry is an ASS!!!






Edit: 28MAY08 - Thought I'd better add why...


Just in case the video disappears some day, the quote is;

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

Just incase you forgot my opinion....




John Kerry is an ASS!!!

Procrastination 101

I still haven’t finished the water heater… It’s not leaking, why should I ‘fix” it more?

There are so many things around my house that I need to do. Some just finish, others need starting. Drywall the garage, clean up the basement, but away the deck furniture, cut the grass one last time, winterize the RV, fix a leak in the RV, sell the RV…

“We Are What We Are Because Of Where We Were When” – This was the title of a psychology class I took in college. It is almost scary how true it is. I believe a lot of ones habits and traits are built from childhood and young teen experiences. Then re-enforced as one ages by the paths we choose. And we choose these paths because they are comfortable. Thus cementing the traits we have learned.

I took a Static Motion class in college where the Prof required all of the home work to be turned in at the final, you didn’t have to come to class, there were no quizzes, only a final and home work, all due on the same (last) day.

What in ones past leans them toward procrastination as a personality trait?

PS: Any one want to by and RV??

Plumbing - The Joys of Home Ownership

I hate messing with plumbing issues in my house. The only thing I hate worse than fixing plumbing issues is paying someone else $75 an hour to do it. (guess that makes me a tight wad)

In the past, among other things, I tried fixing a leaky bath tub faucet. Everything went ok at first. (I think I "worked” on this faucet 6 times in the 10 years we lived in that house) I took the faucet apart. Found the faulty seal. Put it back together.

Now it's unavoidable when I "fix" something that I have to get a new tool or another part. Never mind that I have a tool box in the garage that is about 6 feet tall and full of everything you can imagine… for some reason, I’m always missing something. (I think that fact is more frustrating for my wife than it is for me)

So, like I said, I finally put everything back together and tada. It worked. Almost. Kinda. It was ok when I checked it. But the next morning when my wife took a shower it was leaking worse than before (awe $h!t). So, I try again. Did I mention that this was a tiled bath/shower… so this time the tile starts coming off. A lot of it. It seems to all be loose. Every time I take one off the next one rattles and basically falls off too. By the time I’m done, I’ve removed 80% of the tile, removed the entire faucet assembly, cut the pipe that runs up the wall to the shower head, replaced two 4 foot sections of wall stud that had rotted from years of leakage AND cut a hole in the wall in the laundry room so I can get to the back of the whole mess. This only took about 2 weeks, at which time the whole family was restricted to baths only (yuck).

I tell you all of that to tell you this; my hot water heater started leaking last week. (great, now what else is going to fall apart when I touch the water heater). It looks rather straight forward (that’s the way all of my BIG projects start). The high pressure valve is leaking, it just screws into place. No big deal. But there is a pipe soldered to it that prevents it from unscrewing. Great, now what. Un solder the pipe, ok heat it up (which seems to take forever), it breaks loose. But not before two labels on the hot water heater melt and a rubber gasket melts and catches fire. (gawd I hope the smoke detectors don’t go off). The paint on the water heater is scorched brown now too. (it adds character…) It’s all back together and working (gas is back on, water is hot, nothing is leaking) except for the long pipe. I have to (you guessed it) go get another part… Tomorrow is Sunday, I hope the hardware stores are open.

Linkage

Mrs. Goldbloom - Thanks for the link.

Now to come up with something folks want to read...

8 Days and Counting

I’ve been blogging for 8 days now.
I’ve posted 6 times (not counting this one)
43 hits (seeded by 1,234, I can’t stand starting at 0)
77 page views

Doesn’t seem bad to me.

Guess I'm here to stay.

DNR

From My Weekend

Found this on the Internet today. This is what I did this weekend. It was about 37° F, 60 mph head winds and 20-30mph cross winds. But, I’d do it all again to welcome home a single Hero. Little lone a whole Company!!

PS: I’m in the pictures…

Honoring the 738th

The city of Monticello welcomed home members of the 738th Area Support Medical Company, which recently completed a yearlong deployment in Iraq , with a parade and ceremony Sunday.

Photo Galleries
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/tngallery?Avis=BY&Dato=20061023&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=610220801&Ref=PH

You Want it When??!!??

What is it with sales scum asking for things a couple hours before they need it?? I forget deadlines more than most people, but when it’s crunch time, I always tell the person I’m dumping on that I dropped the ball and need their help. Does anybody really believe that a customer needs something in 2 hours, when all of our other projects take 6 – 18 months…? Do sales dweebs really think engineers believe that the customer is demanding an answer in 2 hours???

If you’re in sales, we don’t. Not for a minute. We believe you forgot, dropped that ball, didn’t write yourself a note, drank too much on the golf course, whatever. I’ll bet this is 90% of the reason for the hostilities between most sales departments and engineering departments.

So, at about 4:00, I get an e-mail from this “dweeb”, needing an answer by 5:00. OK, look like about 6 hours of work (which, in a technical position means 2 days. I am always interrupted by questions on “can we do this…”, “What happens if we…?”, which can almost fill an 8 hour day researching and discussing). I whipped something out just now, 6 hours of work in less than 2 hours. What a dumb a$$. I’ve gone back and looked at it… Jeesh, type-o’s, things not aligned right, what a freak’n mess. Shouldn’t have done it…

We technical folks also seem to me a bit anal about our work.

I hate being that rushed.

Any body else?

God Bless Our Solders

Prayers are needed for LCPL Joshua Ryan Bleill. See his sisters blog about him here --> http://joshbleill.blogspot.com/

In her 1500 hrs 20OCT06 post she relays another neat “The world through a childs eyes" story.

Kid Genius

So last week some time me and ACR (the youngest son) were at the “toxic smell” place for a quick dinner and I overheard a tri-cycle motor next to us discussing a sign on the windows. It went something like this.

Kid: Mom, that sign is wrong.
Mom: What sign honey?
Kid: On the window, I know what the meal between dinner and breakfast is…
Mom: What is it?
Genius Kid: It’s 2 not 4, it’s lunch.

OMG!!! The kid is right!!! This absolutely incredible clear thought was 1000% correct. We, like the lemurs we are, follow the lead of commercials and never give it a second thought. Sometime seeing the world through the eyes of a child is amazing.

I was too wrapped up in my own amazement to hear how the mom handled this. Hopefully it was with encouragement. ‘Out of the Box’ thought like this is very hard to find in today’s world.

The Dazd Update Network

I spoke to Dazd last night. Well, we texted (that’s weird, what is the past tense of texting someone…?). Last night was our class with the rambling scramble brain and I had to tell him how much fun he was missing.

Anyway, he says he is fine, just fighting a little writers block right now. Maybe the last stint went into the wrong place…

Respect - DNR

Is this thing on…..

Is anybody out there???