Thankful - III

Week 3
Week 2 - Re-cap
Week 1 - The reason for this Thankful thing

One has to be this weather. At least in central Indiana. It was 78 and 85 this weekend. The missus and I rode through Brown County (south central Indiana) Saturday. It was beautiful. All of the fall colors, warm sun and not a cloud in the sky. If you didn’t get outside this weekend, you missed a great October day. And yes, I’ll be thankful for the snow and cold when it comes. May slow down the riding some (yeah, right) but I do love snow and colder weather. (And DC says “that’s because you don’t have to work out in it! Bioych”. Hahaha)

The next thing has to be today, and everything it encompasses. We are in the midst of a technological revolution and thanks to $4+ a gallon gas we are in for a energy revolution. Seriously, stop for a second and think about what is happening around you, hell even this very second... you are reading the blathering words of a guy in central Indiana and these meandering words can be read by just about anybody in the world within in seconds of ‘publishing’. That IS incredible.

Lastly this week has to be the blogosphere. I know, I know... very similar to the above but no, not really. Bear with me for a sec. I’d guess I read 20 maybe 30 blogs, then some of those have guest posters or multiple people posting. No matter my mood I always find someone that agrees with me and someone that totally disagrees with me. There is always someone that had a weekend experience that makes me laugh and laugh hard. There is someone that has had a hard weekend and I cry a little with them. Maybe not friends in the ‘come over and help paint your kitchen’ but friends, none the less. I get to laugh and share a like experience, offer encouragement, rejoice and be humbled.

Jim and Flo, God bless.

[Edit - Grrrr, typos]

What The Hell is This?

Plans for a future post... Keep your fingers crossed that I'll have time this week.

New Stock Market Terms

CEO --Chief Embezzlement Officer.

CFO-- Corporate Fraud Officer.

BULL MARKET -- A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.

BEAR MARKET -- A 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex.

VALUE INVESTING -- The art of buying low and selling lower.

P/E RATIO -- The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.

BROKER -- What my broker has made me.

STANDARD & POOR -- Your life in a nutshell.

STOCK ANALYST -- Idiot who just downgraded your stock.

STOCK SPLIT -- When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.

FINANCIAL PLANNER -- A guy whose phone has been disconnected.

MARKET CORRECTION -- The day after you buy stocks.

CASH FLOW-- The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

YAHOO -- What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.

WINDOWS -- What you jump out of when you're the sucker who bought Yahoo @ $240 per share.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR -- Past year investor who's now locked up in a nuthouse.

PROFIT -- An archaic word no longer in use.

h/t to my buddy Gadget

Johnny Smith

Wabash College here in Indiana has had a tragic death from drinking.

Hoosierboy has a post up regarding the issues and consequences.

Go. Read. He said it so much better than I ever could.

ALL Men are Dogs

Picture Story No words needed!!!

We've all been here, - The Doghouse

h/t to DC

Burning Down The House

I like to think I'm fair and reasonable. If anyone has the Obama equivalent to this, blaming McCain and the Republicans, I'd like to see it.

This is a must see.
Hover your cursor over the pause button, you'll want to stop this and read more at times.

Shamelessly stolen from PA Pundits.

A Real Cowboy

A cowboy walked into a drug store and asked to talk to a male pharmacist. The elderly woman he was talking to said that she was the pharmacist -- and since she and her also widowed elderly sister owned the store -- there were no males employed there.

She then asked if she could help the gentleman. The cowpoke said that it was something that he would be much more comfortable discussing with a male pharmacist.

The female pharmacist assured him that she was completely professional -- and whatever it was that he needed to discuss -- he could be confident that she would treat him with20the highest level of professionalism.

The old bronco-buster agreed and began by saying, 'This is tough for me to discuss, but I have a permanent erection. It causes me a lot of problems and severe embarrassment, and I was wondering what you could give me for it.'

The pharmacist said, 'Just a minute, I'll go talk to my sister.'

When she returned, she said, 'we discussed it, -- and the absolute best we can do is, 1/3 ownership in the store, a company car, and $3,000 a month, plus living expenses.'

Passed In A School Zone

Fucktard passed me in the center turn lane AND in a school zone!

I might drive fast, and ride fast but school zones... no fucking way! There are several hundred random occorances running around almost all of the time. I'd never forgive my self if something happened.

And yes, that is Hamilton County plate number 489HI.

Thankful - II

A brief re-cap;

Basically the idea is to list 3 things you are thankful for each week from now until Thanksgiving and with each post give a little to a charity. My donations are going to Independent Veterans Society of Indiana. The money gathered will be given to Flo and Jim. Flo and Jim are from North Indiana. They are IPGR (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) members, Veteran supporters, Jim is a Vet and their son is serving in the Army. During the floods surrounding the passing of hurricane Ike a while ago, these fine folks lost everything....

This week I am thankful for;
1 - My family, a wonderful wife and 2 healthy boys. The wife and I got to take both boys to dinner Saturday night.... (that will have to be another post)
2 - This country. I could not imagine living anywhere else.
3 - Our troops. Without them, none of this would be possible.

Go. Donate. I just did.

Click here to donate.
Click here for the week 1 post.

Liberalism

"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism, but under the name of Liberalism, they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program until one day America will be a Socialist nation without knowing how it happened."

Norman Thomas - Socialist Party Presidential Candidate

ht - CJ

Habitat

Working HARD today!

Close Call

Not me, a friend.

My buddy, Dirt Bike had to lay his scoot down a couple months ago. He is currently in his second cast but still has the wires and stuff.

I don’t get to see him too much any more since he has moved up to the Lansing, MI area.
If you have a minute, send him a good thought and a prayer.

This is his recount of the moments leading up to and through the accident.

*************

Often ya see in these posts some very good advice designed to keep your mc'ing experience a safe enjoyable one.

After much time to review my asphalt incident" of the 7th I’ve decided to describe ,in detail, what happened, Sort of a "heads-up”, "take what you can use” kind of thing.

Here goes.. first I was overtired, making me less than alert and more importantly not a good decision maker. 2nd I was riding on an unfamiliar road, at night not only was I unfamiliar with the road conditions, I didn’t even know the speed limit. :oops:

I’ve been riding scooters for most of the last 45 years, yes Specialk since I was about 30.. :lol: I’m pretty experienced in terms of saddle miles, road conditions weather conditions, equipment conditions but being human and subject to all the frailties of THAT condition.

I made some very serious mistakes that cost me a very nice, much loved motorcycle, a few patches of derma i had become very attached to, and a big inconvenience in my life/lifestyle for the next 3 months

so here goes:
I left a meeting in town, with friends and since it was a real nice ride’n night I opted to take the long way home. I turned onto a dark road that I had never even been on, in the daylight and began ,sloping ,2-3 mile grade uphill, about a mile into that, a truck on the side of this road made a u-turn in front of me, without even looking,

Not REAL close, but enough to irritate me, so I gassed it up so he could hear my angry pipes; mistake right there, I know better than to ride with my emotions on my sleeve roll but no harm, no foul, settled back in, and kept ride’n up the hill.

Just about a 100 yds b4 the hill crest, an oncoming car failed to dim as they topped the hill, I blink warned, ...they complied ...and I continued on up almost to the top now big mistake here...

QUESTION:

Should I have, on an unfamiliar dark road, with no concept of the conditions on the other Blind side, have immediately slowed down to scan and assess??/

ANSWER! ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!

Did I? ..No :oops:

I gassed it up even more, to make the top in style partly cuz of making overtired decisions, partly cuz I was still a little irritated, partly cuz it was a gorgeous night, the bike was running awesome and the pipes sounded great.

SOOoo.. When I crested the hill, my headlight reached for the stars then as the grade changed and the bike pointed down I became instantly aware, in that ,slow-motion kind of clarity, that while I was doing the "bright light warning" thing I had missed something...

a simple, black and yellow picture, that was a clue to what was going to be happening to me and my beloved motorcycle for the next 5-10 seconds.

A "T"

So I immediately threw out both anchors, but to no avail a rainstorm the night before had left an ugly 6 ft streak of sandy gravel, in my path of travel. The bike went sideways, immediacy, throwing me off the right side. I hit on the right side of my helmet, temple high. Then it was the bikers ballet for about 30 feet, bouncing, rolling and sliding to a quiet stop.

My beloved skooter, having about a ten foot lead on me was across the intersection, in the ditch, still faithfully playing ZZ Top full blast

"bout the shack outside LaGrange"

Then...

agony...

SOOOO...the next 45 minutes was all about age?
blood type?
any allergies to meds?
can ya feel this?
can ya move this?

WHOA,
don’t move that!!!

And...

"Wow man, has your foot always pointed in that direction?"

CAUTION LECTURE ZONE AHEAD

That HELMET and that LEATHER spared me and my family a lot of further inconvenience. I look at them thru different eyes now

RIDE SAFE!!!

dirt....

Damn Steelers! Dont they know

Damn Steelers! Dont they know i have to get up n go to work in the morning. At least it was a win.

I AM Thankful

I read about a little fund raiser over at LL’s, she is replicating the idea from Major Pain. Basically the idea is to list 3 things you are thankful for each week from now until Thanksgiving and with each post give a little to a charity. They are donating to anysolder.com. A very worth cause. Their posts will be on Sundays, mine will be on Mondays.

I’ve decided to hi-jack this idea and bring it a little closer to home.

Flo and Jim are from North Indiana. They are IPGR (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) members, Veteran supporters, Jim is a Vet and their son is serving in the Army.

During the floods surrounding the passing of hurricane Ike a couple weeks ago, these fine folks lost everything....

“Everything”, An interesting word. Seems to be thrown around a lot these days. Let me quantify their loss for you.

Home - still standing. Uninhabitable. Lived some time in a camper/trailer without electricity. Still in the camper/trailer but now with a generator. Some time soon they will move into an apartment. Mortgage AND rent, that’s effectively two house payments. On a fixed income.
Food - if it wasn’t canned, it’s gone. And even some of that floated away.
Clothing - if they weren’t wearing it, it’s gone. Mold, mildew, rot.
Cars - still own them. Their full of water, mud and crud. It’s amazing how fast things rust away when they get water where they’re not suppose to.
Health - Jim is a disable Veteran. What he physically can do, he’s not allowed to do. He has been ordered to not enter their home again until it is cleaned up. Flo has lost her voice from breathing all of the mold and mildew filled air in the house.
Stuff - furniture, pretty must all water logged, guess they didn’t loose it but it is useless. What was left someone tried to loot. Yes, I said loot. They were stopped but still...
Family - Their son was home on leave from Iraq. The military has seen fit to not send him back to Iraq immediately but they have recalled him to his base in Texas. That didn’t help much.

So.

I’m thankful for;
1 - My home. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, without it, I would be lost.
2 - Friemily (Friends and Family). Not just blood relatives but these (you) people that I call friends. You are a support structure I know is there.
3 - My job *urp*. Seriously, I am paid well. I live well. And because of it, I can help.

With this post starts my pledge of $10 a week. If you’d like to join me, go to Independent Veterans Society of Indiana and click on the donate button (lower right of page). $10 bucks isn’t a lot but if 10 of us do it, that’s $100 a week and by Thanksgiving...

Please join me, won’t you?

Respect,

DNR

Hey Indiana

Clicker for bigger...

My Office

For being Monday, today has been full of laughs.

********************

Observed in customer service;
One CS rep taking a tall stack of documents, orders, shipping paperwork, etc and dividing them into relevant groups and stapling them together. 5-10 sheets of paper per stack.
In the next cube is the CS clerk taking said stacks and pulling the staples out so she can stack them in one big stack and scan them.

***********************

Over heard in the men’s room;
I was at a bar once and this guy cam out of the bathroom with one of these urinal biscuit. He dropped it on the pool table and we all started playing hockey with it. Everything is going well until one guy pulls back to deliver a slap stick and shatters the thing into a million pieces.
The stench was incredible and went everywhere, including into our drinks.

**************************

Yeah, it’s a job, but you gotta love the people.

Love The Barn

There's a party @ the barn. anyone coming?

A Political Test

Just for fun, take this test...

ABC has a test at the below link to see who's campaign statements you agree with most, McCain or Obama. They don't tell you who made the statements, of course, but a statement made by each candidate on the same topic (economy, immigration, judiciary, etc.) will be side by side. You just pick which statement you agree with. After selecting all 13, you'll find out which candidate's philosophy you support.

No tricks are involved, just carefully read the statements before making your choice.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139

What the F’hell

You have got to be kidding me.

Ok, come into work Monday and the scuttle around the building is someone stole two lap tops. The little IBM think pad type things. Right off of peoples desks.

Fast-forward to late Monday afternoon and were sitting in one of the conference rooms where there is video conference equipment, two computers and one of those big screen projectors.

So, we’re trying to get the vid-conf thing working but there is no remote. The camera doesn’t have buttons so we can’t operate the thing without it. A quick call to IT and the help desk and Jess comes in. She follows suit and looks under the table, in the corner.. (we already had). Then she remarks, “Well, you could just use the projector.... Where’s the projector?”

Theory being that the thief or thieves took it too and the vid conf remote because the projector remote is still sitting on the table. Dumb assess!

Now, fast-forward to late in the afternoon and one of the lab monkeys (that’s what we call out lab techs) send out an all company e-mail;

-----------------------------------
Hope everyone enjoyed their lunch this afternoon.

To the person who dug into the pizza that I brought with me today for lunch [his lunch is late in the day] that was in the refrigerator in the office break room........ Next time you chew off my crusts, peel off the pepperoni, and then throw the nasty remains back into the box (without closing it back up) just go ahead and take the whole slice with you and enjoy lunch on me!!!

Thank you and have a peach of a day!!

-----------------------------------

Can’t believe someone would do that after all of the other thieving. People just need to get some manners and leave other people’s shit alone.

Blog Slacker

See that, two posts started.

I’m trying, really I am. I hope to have them both up today.

There’s gonna be some drinking here in Noblesville this weekend... maybe even some pictures this time.

Frow da ball, pwease!

Frow da ball, pwease!

So Far...

I received this from our (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) State Captain Monday (the 12th); As of 9/12/2008 we had sent or paid to be sent approximately 1000 care packages overseas to our troops. On 9/13/2008 we sent another 2000 pounds of care packages to our troops overseas.

We have another 2000 pounds of care packages that we will send hopefully sometime this week.

So in total, after the next sending, we will have sent approximately 9000 pounds of care packages to our troops. Each and everyone involved in this, whether it was at a fund raiser - giving or working - or helping packing or repacking your efforts have made the lives and service of our troops overseas somewhat easier and in doing so they know that we care.

Our Indiana Cares Project that was undertaken this summer for our troops was a huge effort and success. To many people and businesses to mention one by one but each of you know who you are and who the businesses were that stepped up. God Bless each of you for what you do.

BIG BANG EXPERIMENT

I found this web cam at the under ground particle smasher. If everyone take a few seconds to watch the cams we should be able to alert everyone in the even of a catastrophe.

Click HERE to do your 10-20 second duty.

If you see anything... bad. Call 911, k?

2008 Ride to Remember 9/11

2008 Ride to remember.

Just Stuff

The video card on my work PC went out a few weeks ...errr months ago and I've been forced to work at 1280x1024. Now granted it's only about 15% reduction from my normal 1600x1200 but jeesee cow! So much stuff didn't fit right on my monitor. I almost feel like I have a new toy.

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(click'em for big'un)


My son sent me this. Yeah, I'm a fan. Grew up with Speed. I remember walking through the store following my mom, pretending my hand was the Mock 5 and making the "chuuu chuuu chuu" sound as I jumped it from clothes rack to towels to... Could you imagine driving a real one, or even one that looks real... *sigh*
Yes, I own the DVD of the series, the movie (which I saw in I-MAX) is on my Christmas list. heh. The DVD box I have even has a button on the case that makes the Mock 5's lights flash and it plays the theme song.

----------------------

A local business donated 40+/- cases of microwavable "Bankruptcy Popcorn" to the IPGR. Got it delivered to the warehouse we are using. It will be packed into care packages soon. So... if you’re over there (in the sandbox) and get "Bankruptcy Popcorn", it's not a joke, it is good popcorn. Consequently we are having a packing party Saturday. If you're not busy and in the area... let me know.

What else...

Oh Yeah.

----------------------

Last Saturday we had the Troop Family Day at Grissom AFB. DC and I ran the Tattoo booth. Granted it was temporary tattoos but great fun none the less. Last year the base family support group donated that tats. Lots of little kids things, butterflies, lions, dinosaurs, races cars and some basic American flags.

This year... I wanted to get some of the older kids and maybe even some parents involved. I bought some more edgy tats for them. They were a hit. I know I did at least 2 guys that were 18 or older. One had lots of ink already on his arm and he got one of my wizard/skulls on the inside of his fore arm.





These were the big hits;




The wizard is about 7" tall, the rebel flag is about 4.5" tall, the USAF tat is about 2" wide.
If you are looking for some great tats I got them from here and here.


Tell them DNR sent ya.

Has It Really Been a Year

I received this e-mail yesterday.

-------------------------------
From: info@patriotguard.org
Subject: PGR Forums - New Post RE: Mission Complete - Senior PGR Ride Captain, Greg Bowman, Princeton, IL., 14, 15 Sep 07
To: Indiana PGR members
Date: Monday, September 8, 2008, 3:58 PM
At 08 Sep 2008 2:58 PM a message was posted to a thread you were tracking.

RE: Mission Complete - Senior PGR Ride Captain, Greg Bowman, Princeton, IL., 14, 15 Sep 07
by Lawman747

It will be one Year tomorrow. Greg We could use you around here.


You will always be missed.
Dobbs

To view the complete thread and reply, please visit: http://www.patriotguard.org/ALLForums/tabid/61/view/topic/postid/634751/ptarget/967768/Default.aspx
-------------------------------

My first response was “a year, has it really been a year??” I cannot believe how much any one persons life or how much one family can be changed in 365 days.

It boggles, and humbles, the mind. I’m not going to rehash all of the events of the last year. Most of them are linked under the “Jeff Bowman” tag on the left. Even I haven’t had the heart to relay them all here. Go to Da BearzFan and check out the last 2 or 3 months.

Not a day goes by that I don’t say a prayer or a God bless for this family. Please join me.

Enough Already

This is just crazy!!

Yeah, diesel. $4.399 a gallon!

The Price of Freedom

New Widget

National Terror Alert Responce Center.

Gonna leave this up for a while.

Give it a read. We ARE being invaded from the south.

Obamamania

Got this in an e-mail today. It is an opinion written by Dr. Jack Wheeler and was published on his website “To The Point” June 5 2006. A great read, here.

The O-man, Barack Hussein Obama, is an eloquently tailored empty suit. No résumé, no accomplishments, no experience, no original ideas, no understanding of how the economy works, no understanding of how the world works, no balls, nothing but abstract empty rhetoric devoid of real substance.

He has no real identity. He is half-white, which he rejects. The rest of him is mostly Arab, which he hides but is disclosed by his non-African Arabic surname and his Arabic first and middle names as a way to triply proclaim his Arabic parentage to people in Kenya. Only a small part of him is African Black from his Luo grandmother, which he pretends he is exclusively.

What he isn't, not a genetic drop of, is "African-American," the descendant of enslaved Africans brought to America chained in slave ships. He hasn't a single ancestor who was a slave. Instead, his Arab ancestors were slave owners. Slave-trading was the main Arab business in East Africa for centuries until the British ended it.

Let that sink in: Obambi is not the descendant of slaves, he is the descendant of slave owners. Thus he makes the perfect Liberal Messiah.

It's something Hillary doesn't understand - how some complete neophyte came out of the blue and stole the Dem nomination from her. Obamamania is beyond politics and reason. It is a true religious cult, whose adherents reject Christianity yet still believe in Original Sin, transferring it from the evil of being human to the evil of being white.

Thus Obambi has become the white liberals' Christ, offering absolution from the Sin of Being White. There is no reason or logic behind it, no faults or flaws of his can diminish it, no arguments Hillary could make of any kind can be effective against it. The absurdity of Hypocrisy Clothed In Human Flesh being their Savior is all the more cause for liberals to worship him: Credo quia absurdum, I believe it because it is absurd.

Thank heavens that the voting majority of Americans remain Christian and are in no desperate need of a phony savior.

Troop suport ralley in Noblesville

Jokes

Reader M needed a laugh. I posted these in her commnets, thought ya'll would llike them too.

Enjoy!!

****************

What’s the square root of 69?

Eight something.

****************

Frozen Skunk

A man and his wife were driving home one very
cold night when the wife asks her husband to stop the car. There was a baby skunk lying at the side of the road, and she got out to see if it was still alive.
It was, and she said to her husband,
"It's nearly frozen to death.
Can we take it with us, get it warm,
and let it go in the morning?"
He says, "OK, get in the car with it."
The wife says, "Where shall I put it to get it warm?"
He says, "Put it between your legs.
It's nice and warm there."
"But what about the smell?" said the wife.
He says, "Just hold the skunk 's nose."

The man is expected to recover, but the skunk she used to beat him with....died at the scene.

****************

A real Bitch......

Bob works hard at the plant and spends two nights each week bowling and plays golf every Saturday.

His wife thinks he's pushing himself too hard, so for his birthday she takes him to a local strip club.

The doorman at the club greets them and says, 'Hey, Bob! How ya doin?'

His wife is puzzled and asks if he's been to this club before.

'Oh no,' says Bob. 'He's in my bowling team.

When they are seated, a waitress asks Bob if he'd like his usual and brings over a Budweiser.

His wife is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and says, 'How did she know that you d rink Budweiser?'

'I recognize her, she's the waitress from the golf club.

I always have a Bud at the end of the 1st nine, honey.'

A stripper then comes over to their table, throws her arms around Bob, starts to rub herself all over him and says, 'Hi Bobby. Want your usual table dance, big boy?'

Bob's wife, now furious, grabs her purse and storms out of the club.
Bob follows and spots her getting into a cab. Before she can slam the door, he jumps in beside her. Bob tries desperately to explain how the stripper must have mistaken him for someone else, but his wife is having none of it. She is screaming at him at the top of her lungs, calling him every 4 letter word in the book.

The cabby turns around and says, 'Geez Bob, you picked up a real bitch this time.'

The funeral for BOB is on Friday.

****************

A first-grade teacher, Ms. Brooks, was having trouble with one of her students. The teacher asked, "Harry, what's your problem?" Harry answered, "I'm too smart for the 1st grade. My sister is in the 3rd grade and I'm smarter than she is! I think I should be in the 3rd grade too!" Ms. Brooks had had enough. She took Harry to the principal's office.

While Harry waited in the outer office, the teacher explained to the principal what the situation was. The principal told Ms. Brooks he would give the boy a test. If he failed to answer any of his questions he was to go back to the 1st grade and behave. She agreed. Harry was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.

Principal: "What is 3 x 3?"
Harry: "9."
Principal: "What is 6 x 6?"
Harry: "36."

And so it went with every question the principal thought a 3rd grader should know. The principal looks at Ms. Brooks and tells her, "I think Harry can go to the 3rd grade." Ms. Brooks says to the principal, "Let me ask him some questions." The principal and Harry both agreed.

Ms. Brooks asks, "What does a cow have four of that I have only two of?"

Harry, after a moment: "Legs."

Ms. Brooks: "What is in your pants that you have but I do not have?"
The principal wondered why she would ask such a question!

Harry replied: "Pockets."

Ms. Brooks: "What does a dog do that a man steps in to?"

Harry: "Pants."

Ms. Brooks: What starts with a C, ends with a T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains thin, whitish liquid?"

Harry: "Coconut."

The principal sat forward with his mouth hanging open.
Ms. Brooks: "What goes in hard and pink then comes out soft and sticky?"

The principal's eyes opened really wide and before he could stop the answer, Harry replied, "Bubble gum."

Ms. Brooks: "What does a man do standing up, a woman does sitting down and a dog does on three legs?"

Harry: "Shake hands."

The principal was trembling.

Ms. Brooks: "What word starts with an 'F' and ends in 'K' that means a lot of heat and excitement?"

Harry: "Fire truck."

The principal breathed a sigh of relief and told the teacher, "Put Harry in the fifth-grade, I got the last seven questions wrong......

I am Midnight

Found this over at Kat's.

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Damn Fair Skin

I swear, I gotta be carcinoma walking.

Went out riding with the wife yesterday, thought it would be for an hour or so... but Noooo. We were out for most of the day.

I look like a lobster! With white sunglasses.

Thank God for aloe gel.

Nobody touch me for a few days, k?

I Gots Nada

But I did find these cool little time waisters over at LL's.

You Are Chai Tea

There are many subtle sides to your personality. You are difficult to decode. You are a complex and deep individual. You have many nuanced beliefs, and your mood frequently changes. You are a creative and expressive person. You draw your inspiration from the whole world. You enjoy exotic food, music, and travel. Your tastes are very international.

What Kind of Tea Are You?

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

I've made smarter things than you by eating fiber

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

A Bored Engineer Is A Dangerous Thing

Never let an engineer get bored. We will entertain ourselves and you may be missing all your flatware, cue sticks and wine bottles.

I love the part where one cell calls another and the vibrations starts the process in the second house.



Click here.

Marine Family Day in Indianapolis

I can only e-mail 15 seconds worth of video, so these are short.

My son is in there someplace...

The Silence Is Broken

The Silence Is Broken

It has been quiet around Indiana for quite some time now.

We’ve been busy with poker runs and rides to remember the heroes that have passed. We’ve been having fund raisers and packing care packages. 3,000 Indiana National Guard troops deployed in January and we promised them all a care package.

About 50 of us were there that day, 02JAN08, sending them off. A silent thought ran through our group, a thought that no one dared speak. ‘what we do’ As we hugged random men and women (more like kids, as I find myself aging) we wished them well and promised them a home coming that would be second to none. But that thought... we all knew some would be home sooner.

I know we hoped against hope and prayed that we would... could be obsolete. That we would not have to ‘do what we do’.

Today, this week, we have been called. Personally, I have been called twice. The ultimate price has been paid yet again for my freedom and yours. Over the next week or 10 days the Indiana Patriot Guard will honor three of Indiana’s sons.

Sgt. Gary M. Henry, 34, of Indianapolis, Ind.

Spc. Jonathan D. Menke, 22, of Madison, Ind.

These men were killed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Aug. 4 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when debris from an improvised explosive device detonation on an overpass fell onto their vehicle. They were assigned to the 38th Military Police Company, 38th Infantry Division, Indiana Army National Guard, Danville, Ind. -- DOD

Sgt. Brian K. Miller, 37, of Pendleton, Ind

Sgt. Miller, died Aug. 2 in Abd Allah, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a vehicle accident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana Army National Guard, Fort Wayne, Ind. -- DOD


Thank you, gentlemen, for your service. And your sacrifice. It, nor you, will be forgotten.

To your families - It is our honor to stand with you and for your son. The sacrifice you have made for me and my country will be cherished. God bless and be with you all. I pray that his peace be with you and guide you through these days. Know that Gary, John and Brian will not be forgotten.

Rembering the USS Indianapolis

Rembering the USS Indianapolis.

10th Mountain Division

During the trip out west, we spent about a day with two fantastic people. Joe and Lois. We met them at the USS Indianapolis Survivors reunion parade here in Indy last year. Lois is the niece of one of the survivors. Great people, fed us, let us stay in their mountain cabin. The 3br, 3ba, 2 car ga ‘cabin’ complete with a deck with the views noted below is their summer retreat, they call it a cabin, I call it a resort...

Anyway...

In one of our many military based conversations, Joe tells us about the previous owner of his cabin. If I remember correctly, the guy (his name escapes me) was a member of the 10th Mountain Division in WWII. He built the cabin up there at 7-8k feet 50+ years ago when there was nothing. I cannot imagine. I got winded up there just going up 4-5 steps on their deck, little lone ‘build’ something up there. Hell, pilots have to put on oxygen at 10,000 feet.

Joe and Lois added on to the cabin a few years ago, so it a bit larger now but still the most awesome views.

Many other 10th Mountain guys returned from the French and Italian Alps, loving the mountains, to start and revitalize the ski slopes that now dominate the Rocky Mountain landscape.

In that discussion Joe starts telling us about a book. One of the guys from the 10th Mountain comes home and puts together a multi picture ‘scrap book’ (I believe there was 1,000 pictures) complete with descriptions and comments about each picture. The comments include locations, men’s names and their ranks. In hauntingly many cases there are “... was killed weeks after this picture was taken.” Or “... died of injuries sustained 6 months after this.”

He made 1,000 copies.

OK... let that sink in. 1,000 copies... in post WWII America there is not a Kinko’s down around the corner. No color copiers or printers. You didn’t place all the pictures in a graphics editor and print it. This guy had 1,000 copies of each photograph printed and mounted each in a book along with the description. Now that’s dedication to recording history. We need that today.... but that's another post.

Sometime in there while we are talking, Joe disappears and comes back with a copy of 'the book'. One of the original, photographs printed in sepia because that’s how they printed them, copies. As I’m flipping through the pages, in complete awe of the history in my hands, I came across this photo and caption.

To me. This says it all about cards, letters and care packages for our troops.



Everyone knows someone that knows someone currently in the sand box.

Go.

Now.

Get their address, send them something. Tell them thanks, tell them you’re proud of their service.

Even if you never hear from them, they'll appriciate it. Really.

What a View

If you lived here, why would you ever leave?

Click the pic for a little larger version.

This is basically looking south (3 pictures stitched together) from the cabin I stayed in while in Silverthorne, CO. At the far right you can see I-70 going off to the west.

SSG Norman H. Currin

This weekend a friend of mine had the honor of standing next to a Vietnam hero as he passed in Hospice care. I personally had never met Norm, I truly wish I had. We, the people of this world, are less as a whole from the loss of such a strong and caring man.

God bless and be with the Currin family and friends. SSG Currin, Norman H., will not be forgotten.

These are her words.

Before you go and while I still have your attnetion, I'd like to pre-echo Kat's words.
To those who served in Vietnam and were unappreciated, I offer my genuine and heartfelt gratitude. Know that you made a difference - know that we are proud of you, know that you are dearly and truly loved. And for those who never once have heard it said in all this time: Welcome home. You did us proud.

***********************


This weekend, I lost a friend and hero. He was the living embodiment of all a hero should be, and was strong till the end. In an attempt to process everything that has happened, and so that I always remember, I've written this below:

SSG Norman H. Currin went to be with the Lord shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, 2008.

Exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War messed him up. For thirteen years, he fought serious physical problems all the time. Six of those years, he got dialysis 3 times a week and for many years was also confined to a wheelchair.

The last six months were a whirlwind of hospital stays back-to-back-to-back - strokes, pnumonia, complications from being a dialysis patient, infection of his dialysis port & bedsores, and lastly, a massive heart attack on Tuesday. Nothing the docs could have done would have saved him, the treatments would have killed him. Norman bravely made the decision to accept hospice care.

Despite massive amounts of morphine and being in a medically-induced coma, he still communicated. He'd squeeze our hands when we said certain things (any of his friends' names or anything about motorcycles, the military, or especially his dear family, for example). The day before he died, while on "enough morphine to choke a horse" (said the nurse), he fully and completely woke up and looked at each one of us - plain as day told each of us one by one, "I love you." He was holding my hand so tightly, my hand fell asleep. He held my hand and the hands of his family and friends strongly off and on for hours all weekend- always his squeezes were in response to something that was said to him, not simply random.

About 3 hours before he left us, he woke up again. He couldn't open his eyes or talk, tho he was obviously trying. He would turn in the direction of our voices and smile -. SMILE!! - at us. Then he slipped back into his deep sleep once more...Shortly thereafter, his lungs were completely filled with fluid as a result of no dialysis for the past week --- a few more brave (but ineffective) breaths, and he was gone.

A phone call was made as planned upon his passing, and others from the Patriot Guard Riders, together with some riders from the Wingmen and Sons of Thunder who were his dearest, dearest friends, came to the hospital and escorted him and his family to the funeral home in the middle of the night. Talk about an amazing and humbling honor.

He was treated cruelly upon his return from Vietnam, as so many of our veterans were. But I have not the slightest doubt that in Heaven, God made it up to him hugely with the biggest, best welcome home parade and celebration EVER.

Freedom is not free. Those who fight for it - now and in past conflicts - deserve our utmost honor and respect. We will never fully know or understand all they sacrificed on our behalf. To those who served in Vietnam and were unappreciated, I offer my genuine and heartfelt gratitude. Know that you made a difference - know that we are proud of you, know that you are dearly and truly loved. And for those who never once have heard it said in all this time: Welcome home. You did us proud.

The Trip West

Leg 1 - Indy to Kansas City
Leg 2 - KC to Hays Kansas
Leg 3 - Hays to Denver (Silverthorn, CO)
Leg 4 - Silverthorn to Hot Springs, SD
Leg 5 - Hot Springs/Rapid City to Kadoka, SD - this was after a full day looking at the Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore monuments and Badlands in SD
Leg 6 - Kadoda to Sergeant Bluff, Iowa (just south of Souix City, SD
Leg 7 - Sergeant bluff to home.

The Green line is the trip out to Denver, the thicker yellow line is the trip back.

Pictures are coming, promise. For now, here are some of DC's pics.



This one section (see below) of South Dakota is where most of the excitement was. On the far left is my breakdown. Hit a bump and all of a sudden “badabp, badabp, badabp” the engine got LOUD. Turns out both exhaust mounting bolts fell off of my exhaust pipe.

Exhaust pipe 200+ degrees, SD in July, nearly 90 degrees makes for very hot repairs and a long time waiting for things too cool down. Ended up limping on to Hot Springs, spent the night and hit up a local ACE for parts in the morning.

Once we left there we went to the sights at Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Expensive. For just being rocks. Crazy Horse is just cool. And Massive. Dc’s pics have a shot at a drawing with some dimensions on it. Massive I tell you, huge.

We left that area dn headed for the Badlands. We went through at about sun set. The colors were awosme and we got some great pictures. Again, you’ll just have to be patient to see mine.

Spent the night in Kadoka and then on home,

No close calls, nothing major needed repaired on either bike. It was a great trip. I’d do it again today if it wasn’t for having to pay the bills.

Open Letter to the Passport Office

Got this in an e-mail today. Kinda says it all.
Still working on the summary post about the trip. . .

***************************

Dear Sir,
I'm in the process of renewing my passport, and still cannot believe this. How is it that Radio Shack has my address and telephone number and knows that I bought a TV cable from them back in 1997, and yet, the Federal Government is still asking me where I was born and on what date.

For Christ sakes, do you guys do this by hand? My birth date you have on my social security card, and it is on all the income tax forms I've filed for the past 30 years. It is on my health insurance card, my driver's license, on the last eight goddamn passports I've had, on all those stupid customs declaration forms I've had to fill out before being allowed off the planes over the last 30 years, and all those insufferable census forms that are done at election times.

Would somebody please take note, once and for all, that my mother's name is Maryanne, my father's name is Robert and I'd be absolutely astounded if that ever changed between now and when I die!!!!!!

SHIT!

I apologize, I'm really pissed off this morning. Between you and me, I've had enough of this bullshit! You send the application to my house, then you ask me for my fucking address. What is going on? You have a gang of Neanderthal assholes working there??? Look at my damn picture. Do I look like Bin Laden? I don't want to dig up Yasser Arafat, for shit sakes. I just want to go and park my ass on a sandy beach.

And would someone please tell me, why would you give a shit whether I plan on visiting a farm in the next 15 days? If I ever got the urge to do something weird to a chicken or a goat, believe you me, I'd sure as hell not want to tell anyone!

Well, I have to go now, 'cause I have to go to the other end of the city and get another fucking copy of my birth certificate, to the tune of $60. Would it be so complicated to have all the services in the same spot to assist in the issuance of a new passport the same day?? Nooooo, that'd be too damn easy and maybe makes sense. You'd rather have us running all over the fuckin' place like chickens with our heads cut off, then find some asshole to confirm that it's really me on the goddamn picture - you know, the one where we're not allowed to smile?! (fuckin' morons)

Hey, you know why we can't smile? We're totally pissed off!
Signed -
An Irate fucking American Citizen.


P.S. Remember what I said above about the picture and getting someone to confirm that it's me? Well, my family has been in this country since 1776 . I have served in the military for something over 30 years and have had security clearances up the yingyang. However, I have to get someone 'important' to verify who I am - you know, someone like my doctor WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN COMMUNIST FUCKING CHINA !

2,897 Miles

2,897 miles. 1 week. Made it home last night bout 10 pm. Spent today catching up with the family and getting ready for work tomorrow. Catchup post should b up tomorrow. Blog at ya latter.

Big Bugs

You know you are hittingmany big bugs when the flies follow you to the gas station and feast on the remains. They didn't leave till about 30 mph either.

Getting Closer

IL line again.

Heading Home

2400 miles down and about 500 to go. should be home some time tonight. What trip!

Hi from the Badlands

DC says HI!

Bad Lands

Just wow. . .

Badlands

The Badlands.

Awsome!!!

Mount Rushmore

Mt R-moore.

South Dakota

Crazy Horse and rain

Breakdown

Exhaust bolt fell off. in of course the middle of nowhere. and it is HOT!! engine and planet.

Somewhere in Wyoming

Somewhere in WY. . .

Wyoming Planes

Just wow!

This video does not do it justice... bummer!

Made it to Wyoming

Made it to Wyoming. there was distruction @ the state line. so this is all i can do 4 now.

No Wymoing state line picture here, got one on the exit side.

11,400

11400 feet

ok, according to the info page this is only 11,112 feet. Still, notice the toatly zipped leaterh jacked. It was cold, like 38° up there, in July and yes, that is snow on the peak in the back ground.

Good By, Joe and Lois

G by Joe n Lois. Tx again 4 everything!

We had just turned out of the road up to their cabin/house. could you imagine living witht his kind of view? Me neither. . .

Thar be Mountains...

Montains!

Sigh - mountains must be in my blood.

Colorado State Line

Made it to Colorado!

DC Joins the Ride

DC is headin out. Should be here in about 11 hours.

sigh - enough with the

sigh - enough with the meetings, i wanna ride!

(sent sitting in the 2nd day of a 3 day meeting just before heading out west, I was twitchy.)

Sorry bout all of the

Sorry about all of the Verizon propaganda. I’ll erase it as soon as I can get to a computer. Made is to KC BTW, about 3:30 local time.

** Edit ** All the garbage has since been removed.

Like my Beanie?

Helmet laws SUCK!

The sticker on the front (back, I wear it backwards, just because) says “I’m lost - I’ve gone to find myself. If I should return before I get back, PLEASE ASK ME TO WAIT.”

There is another that says, “You’re just jealous because the voices only talk to me.”

Missouri

Missouri - just under 5 hours - taken at a rest stop. The 'line' was on a bridge, over the Mississippi. couldn't stop there.

Illinois Line - Heading West

One state down. . . i dont know how many more.
FYI - When a big flashing sign bout 25 miles from the line says 'slow, rough road'. They mean it.

Packed and Ready to Roll

The journey of 3000 miles begins today. KC and Denver, here I come!

Alpha Co. 1-293rd Infantry

Some of the images here were from the 02JAN08 send off I attended in the RCA Dome.

God bless them and keep them safe.
God bless and be with the wives and children.

PS: you may need a tissue.




ht to Russ for the video link.

Anti-Bucket List

”Yeah, if ya get that far, then suddenly decide that you need to make a list of shit to do just before you eat your final shitburger; your life wasn't much worth living in the first place.” - dick (snagged from hoosierboy’s “FAT IN INDIANA” comments)

dick is right on. If you wait till then... it IS too too late. hb has the right idea, an “Anti-Bucket List”. Although not as extensive as his and some nearly the same as his, here is mine.

I’ve...
1. been to Scotland and seen the home of Robert Burns (great, great uncle) and seen the festivities in Edinburgh.
2. raised (assisted my wife) two wonderful young men
3. ridden to Washington DC with Rolling Thunder and 400,000 other bikers Patriots
4. attended the internment of a Vietnam Veteran at Arlington National Cemetery
5. held and said good bye to a beloved pet family member as he went to sleep for the last time
6. mentored several in my profession and am proudly watching them succeed
7. been to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Badlands
8. ridden to Lake Superior
9. attended my sons graduation from Marine Boot Camp
10. loved and been loved by a strong woman
11. built and lived in my dream house
12. looked in the eye of the mother and father of a fallen soldier, thanked them, hugged them and cried with them

The Time To Choose Approaches

I received this e-mail (below the *********) from CJ over at A Soldier’s Perspective.

I can’t help but wonder what the mom in the Move On video will do with her son, if, after another 9-11 event, where his countrymen are killed, he volunteers. Does a parent stop loving their child for their choices, or threaten to with hold love...?

I could have more respect for the lady if she phrased it ‘he chooses not to volunteer’.

I am VERY proud of my two sons. One would just as soon bloody your nose, break your arm and throw you in a trash can as let you disrespect God and country. The other would rather you bloody his nose and break his arm as let you harm any living creature.

That doesn’t mean they both have respect for the rights this country gives them and you. Ultimately, I believe both of them would stand up against injustice and fight, be it physically or verbally, for your right to choose.

They are our children. We raise them, they choose. We are proud.

That’s is what it all really seems to be about, choice, the freedom to choose. Is Move On a choice? Does their candidate offer a choice?

Let the DNR bashing begin...
*********************
You may have seen the latest ad from the far-left group MoveOn.org, which they spent over $500k broadcasting on television.

The ad uses a young mother, holding her infant son, to launch a baseless and, frankly, creepy political attack on Senator McCain.

You can watch the :30 second tv ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq30lapbC9c

Here is what she says: "Hi, John McCain; this is Alex. He's my first. So far, his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog — that, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because, if you were, you can't have him.">

Former Air Force Major Eric Egland is running for Congress in the 4th Congressional District in California. He is married to Ania Egland. Here is Ania's :30 second video response: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mtAs2zpC2s

"Hello Senator McCain, these are my precious boys Noah and Daniel. Their daddy served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I grew up under communism. So, when you say we have to protect freedom in Iraq, I understand. And, someday, I would be proud if they volunteered to serve this great country. Senator, thank you for your leadership."

Enjoy and please pass it on.


--
CJ
A Soldier's Perspective
http://www.soldiersperspective.us/

www.theyhavenames.com

I never apologize.
I'm sorry, but that's just the way I am.

"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Philippians 4:8

******************

The Wongs

Su Wong marries Lee Wong.

The next year, the Wongs have a new baby. The nurse brings over a lovely, healthy, bouncy, but definitely a Caucasian, WHITE baby boy. 'Congratulations,' says the nurse to the new parents. 'Well Mr. Wong, what will you and Mrs. Wong name the baby?'

The puzzled father looks at his new baby boy and says, 'Well, two Wong's don't make a white, so I think we will name him..."



Wait for it....



Ready,



Ready,






Sum Ting Wong

******************

BAWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I swear to gawd I 'bout fell out of my chair!!

Killer Red Bird

Oooo!! No wait, I do have something.

Another fucked up dream. Ok, ready... (this is so weird)

I’m looking out an open window, it is very high. There is one of those fake balcony things, you know the railing and what not but you can’t get out on it.

Any way, the balcony thing is large, like 12 feet long and 3 feet from the outside wall. Hovering there at the fake balcony edge, like ridding an updraft, is a red bird. A Cardinal. Just filtering back and fourth about 3 feet in front of me.

About this time I notice he is holding another bird in his claws/feet. It is not dead, he is holding it by the head. It’s not fighting but I can see it blinking. The red bird lands on the railing and kills it and eats it.

All the while I’m screaming for him to stop, leave, don’t kill the little bird but I am completely ignored. As if I’m not there, invisible or he knows I’m not a threat.

I woke myself up yelling.

Interesting STUFF

And since I got nothing... I got this in an e-mail today.



In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'
-------------------------------------------
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
-------------------------------------------
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
-------------------------------------------
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
-------------------------------------------
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
-------------------------------------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
-------------------------------------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-------------------------------------------
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
-------------------------------------------
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
-------------------------------------------
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:
$ 16,400
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:61,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first novel ever written on a typewriter:
Tom Sawyer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
------------------------------------------------------------------------
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
------------------------------------------------------------
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts.. So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Go on, tell your friends to come over here and read this. You know you want to!

PSA - Watch For Me And Other Riders

Motorcycles are everywhere. How observant are you. Can you pass this test?

Click here for the test.

How did you do?

ht to B for the link. Thanks B!!!

Weekend Catch Up

Damn Flooding

And rain... enough is enough, this is just ridiculous.

Saturday we were to ride for a local police department to raise money for their auxiliary. Left the house in the rain. Rode for about 2 hours in the rain.

They canceled the ride while we were on our way... too much rain.

Sunday we were going to escort a bus or two of special needs kids (burn victims) to a special needs camp in south central Indiana, Brown County... too much rain. They didn’t want he kids to be in the damp and muddy environment so it has been postponed.

SO, we rode, around. Saturday we ended up at Russ’. The infamous Barn I’ve blogged about here a couple times.

Had a shot... well maybe two... and a beer.
DC got some ink work (see below)



Sunday we ended up riding around. (Is it just me or is there a pattern here...?) Ended up in some ‘300 population’ small town in west Indiana. Had a real neat covered bridge and some home make ice cream.

Rode just over 400 miles. Trying to get my ass in shape for the long haul and 1,000 mile day coming up in July. We may have modified our goal to be 1,500 miles in 36 hours instead of the 1,000 in 24 hours.

Who Needs Loud Pipes

Sooooo Coooolll!!!

Bill For President

OK. This is just funny.

YaHell

Hello, my name is DNR and I’m a spammer.

Or so the Yahoo idiots seem to think.

Since late Friday or early Saturday, Yahoo in their infinite wisdom has suspended my yahoo e-mail because 'I' am spamming the whole of the internet with 'thousands of e-mails per hour'. Phffft, whatever!

Because some genius out there wants you all to have bigger dicks, an erection that lasts for ever or to come watch free porn (do women get spam, or do they expect you to forward that crap to your BF/husband?) and he has my address, I don't get to send or receive e-mails until they figure out it really isn't me... No comments from the peanut gallery.


Anyway, I'm here. May move here permanently.
_____________ at gmail dot com - same address as before, just a new host.

Thaisall.

Just Your Typical American Bad Ass

Borrowed this form LL's.

What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as John Wayne You a classic all American cowboy who does the right thing. When you're sober. Which means occasionally. You like horses, the outdoors, whiskey, hot tempered women, whiskey, and bourbon. John Wayne 100% Clint Eastwood 88% Lee Van Cleef 88% Lee Marvin 75% Charles Bronson 38%

What's The Catch?

  What???

 

 

 

 

Profound Truth

HER DIARY :


Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird.


We had made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it.


Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong; he said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior. I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent.


Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. To my surprise, he responded to my caress, and we made love. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.


HIS DIARY:
Harley wouldn't start today, but at least I got laid.

Vote For Me, Vote For ME!!!

I made it into the finals of the Haiku contest over at Sparrows... so, if you, my lone reader would vote for me, I’ll have two votes!!

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You have until 10:00 pm Thursday the 5th.

BTW - The winner gets a delux care package sent to a solder of their choice that is serving in the sand box.

Traumatic Events

Yesterday while riding my RoadKing with my wife, we were witness to a lady falling off the back of a motor cycle. I heard the bike scream by, through the intersection. I was watching the light and other trafific when my wife started yelling, “she fell off, over there, that lady just fell off of that bike!!!”. Needleless to say, we stopped, so did a car or two. Someone had gauze she could use and I called 911. We all stayed until the EMTs, Fire and Police arrived. She'll be ok. Lots of road rash and a big gash in her forehead.

On the way home afterward, I drove a little slower. Even today, riding into work, I had that little heart race feeling as I accelerated to pass a car on an urban 4-lane.

All of this has me thinking about PTSD - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. We have experienced Traumatic stress. Different from PTSD in that it does not last for an extended period of time. When I leave work tonight, I suspect the heart race will be less than this morning and even less, if not gone, by this weekend. So, my thinking... imagine our troops...

My heart goes out to all Veterans. What little ‘trauma’ we experience is SO minimal compared to what they live with day in and day out.

IEDs...

Being shot at...

Rocket propelled grenades...

God bless our troops! You all are in my thoughts and prayers!