Saturday, December 30, 2006

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.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas

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

Sunday, December 24, 2006

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.

Friday, December 22, 2006

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?

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

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

Friday, December 15, 2006

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…

Thursday, December 14, 2006

To Bold or Not to Bold

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

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

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

Monday, December 11, 2006

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.


Thursday, December 07, 2006

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 diffusionanalogous 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.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

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.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

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...

Friday, December 01, 2006

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