A Funny for Friday

A man walked into a very high-tec bar. As he sat down on a stool he noticed that the bartender was a robot. The robot clicked to attention and asked, "Sir, what will you have?"

The man thought a moment then replied. "A martini please". The robot clicked a couple of times and mixed the best martini the man had ever had.

The robot then asked, "Sir, what is your IQ?"

The man answered, "Oh, about 164."

The robot then proceeded to discuss the 'theory of relativity' 'inter-stellar space travel', and 'the latest medical break throughs.

The man was most impressed. He left the bar but thought he would try a different tact. He returned and took a seat. Again the robot clicked and asked what he would have. He responded, "A Martini please."

Again it was superb. The robot again asked "what is your IQ sir?"

This time the man answered, "Oh about 100".

So the robot started discussing NASCAR racing, the latest basketball scores, and what to expect the Dodgers to do this week end.

The guy had to try it one more time. So he left, returned and took a stool. Again a martini, and the question, "What is your IQ?"

This time the man drawled out "Uh ..... bout 50".

The robot clicked then leaned close and very slowly asked, "A-r-e? Y-o-u-r? P-e-o-p-l-e? G-o-i-n-g? T-o? N-o-m-i-n-a-t-e? H-i-l-l-a-r-y-?

ZEN Summary

A while ago I talked about my 2007 Desk calendar being a Daily Zen. I’ve saved up a few and thought I’d share them with you now.

April 14 – The path of the enlightened one leaves no track – it is like the path of birds in the sky. - The Buddha
May 2 – Life is what one wants in one’s soul. - D. H. Lawrence
May 3 – A root is a flower that disdains fame. - Kahlil Gibran
May 19 – Shadow owes its birth to light. - John Gay
May 21 – To be satisfied with a little, is the greatest wisdom; and that that increaseth his riches, increaseth his cares; but a contented mind is a hidden treasure, and trouble findeth it not. - Akhenaton
June 7 – A school of trout passed by: the color of water. - Buson
June 12 – Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control – these three alone lead to sovereign power. - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
June 13 – “Childlikeness” has to be restored with long years of training in the art of self-forgetfulness. - D. T. Suzuki

Tart Invitation

I have this really long list of blogs I read, well, not as many as Dazd, but it is almost 50. (and, no, I don’t have them all in my blog roll. So sue me) Some I read daily, some weekly, some are more when the mood strikes me or when I just have time.

Twice now in the 8 or 9 months I’ve been bloging, an owner has changed their blog to be "by invite only"… WTF?!?

OK, ok – The first one was understandable (maybe the second one is too). Eddie (Dirk_Star) was being rather rudely attacked by some very hatful individuals. I happened to have had ‘off line’ discussions with Dirk so I knew his e-mail address. I asked what was going on and he gave me access. Now he disappears for over a month all because of some little person… I swear, people need to get their priorities straight. BTW – He has posted pics of this all consuming mixer of priorities.

The second one I found Thursday or Friday last week. “The World of L Tart”; couldn’t see a damn thing, not even an e-mail address. Apparently he can see who hits his profile, though, because he came to visit me. Cool!!

So, L Tart, if you come back, throw me a bone. I’d love to be on the approved readers list. If you know his Tartness… maybe you could put in a good word for me…

A Joke...?

A Somali arrives in Minneapolis as a new immigrant to the United States. He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says, "Thank you Mr. American for letting me in this country, giving me housing, food stamps, free medical care, and free education!"

The passerby says, "You are mistaken, I am Mexican." The man goes on and encounters another passerby. "Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in America!" The person says, "I not American, I Vietnamese."

The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes his hand and says, "Thank you for the wonderful America !"
That person puts up his hand and says, "I am from Middle East, I am not American!"

He finally sees a nice lady and asks, "Are you an American?" She says, "No, I am from Africa!" Puzzled, he asks her, "Where are all the Americans?" The African lady checks her watch and says..."Probably at work

FRIEND

Note:I wrote this June 14th. Today it has come to pass.

Wikipedia says;
an interpersonal relationship between humans
Merriam and Webster says;
1 a : one attached to another by affection or esteem b : ACQUAINTANCE
Wiktionary says;
A person other than a family member, spouse or lover whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.

I don’t know about the affection part, maybe ‘a connection’…

We make friends at home, in our neighborhoods. We make friends at functions or organizations we belong to, like church, the gym and of course (for me) the PGR. And we make friends at work. All of these friendships take time to develop, to form.

I have a friend, here at work, that I’ve known for about 2 years. Our friendship is new. We’re not “close friends’ (what ever that means) We’ve met each others better halves, but not been to each others house. I don’t think we’ve even had lunch. But this friend is strong, makes a decision and sticks to it. Knows who they are and they’re proud. Pride is a miss leading term in today’s society. Their pride is evident but not ‘puffy’.

I have recently found out that this friend may be leaving, heading home. Although I am happy that this long desired move may make things better, I will miss our conversations. Our sharing of some new restaurant, laughing at the characters in a new movie and talking about the South.

My Friend – Know that you will be missed and thought of often. Be well, be happy, be yourself.

A mission – Staff Sgt. Michael A. Bechert - Continued

A slide show.

A mission – Staff Sgt. Michael A. Bechert

Today we went to stand for SSgt. Michael A. Bechert.

Staff Sgt. Michael A. Bechert, 24, of New Castle, Ind., died on 14 June in San Antonio, Texas of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on May 30 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

His family only asked us to stand at the entrance to the grave yard. It was our honor. Ssgnt Bechert was survived by his wife and his 20 month old son.

God bless and be with the family.

Guest book

A Mission - Lcpl. Nathanial D. Windsor

Today I heard a father talk of teaching a son to fish and I thought back to the days I spent fishing with my sons. I heard about a son that even in his early years drew every picture with a flag in the background and thought about the pictures my sons drew and I still have at my desk at work. Stories about an infectious laugh and a sense of humor that was contagious and could light up a room. I heard a father speak, and cry, with so much pride in his son. A son, successful and proud, is a hero, especially to his dad.

This son, Lcpl. Nathanial D. Windsor, 20, of Scappoose, Oregon & Huntington, Indiana is a hero. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary, died from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq in March of 2007.

Today, we stood to honor this man, this hero, this son, as his family remembered him. They spoke of earlier days when a boy was excited to learn and tell everyone that there were man eating turtles in a local canoeing spot. A wiry boy with the heart of a Marine, even years before that decision was made.

God bless the Windsor family. No words can express the flood of feelings from this days events…

Thank you for your service and thank you for your sacrifice. You, Lcpl. Nathanial D. Windsor, will not be forgotten.

A Guest book.

A story.

Amazing!!!!

Go here. This is ... I have no words... this is an angel on earth.

PS: You're gonna need a tissue

This Blog is Rated

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:
gun (3x) slap (2x) hell (1x)

Found this at LL's place. Guess they caught me on a good week.

Friday's Feast #149

Friday's Feast #149

Appetizer
Name a funny habit you have.
I refuse to wear a watch on the weekends - My weekdays are full of meeting and time dead lines. I refuse to let my weekends be controlled by deadlines and ‘clock watching.

Soup
If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?
Piano – There is so much varity that can be played on a piano. Don’t get me wrong, I love a screaming guitar but to be able to sit down and play some jazz or blues.. that would be awsome

Salad
How long is your hair?
2-3 inches… short but not really short… how does one answer this question?

Main Course
When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?
My son, this am – left the van on (keys in it) all night. Had to jump start it so he could make it to summer school.

Dessert
What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
Microwave – more like the one I/we use most. It broke about 3 months ago, we bought a new one within a week and I installed it. Can’t live without it.

Meme Time - Again

Found this on Dazd’s page. I wasn’t tagged and ain’t tagging any one. Feel free to do this meme, if you answer it, let me know, I’d like to read it. If you want (don’t have a blog) feel free to answer in the comments.



WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Nope

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Memorial weekend.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
No

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roast beef

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yep

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Huh? Probably not, two people just like me… Isn’t that like a paradoxical impossibility?

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
No never…

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yep

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
In a heart beat, and para-sail, and cliff-jump and parachute out of a plane

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
I’m allergic to milk, I don’t eat cereal.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Most of the time

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
No

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Cookie dough

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Sincerity in their smile and demeanor

RED OR PINK?
Red

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
weight, lack of physical fitness

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My parents

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black and brown

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Cinnamon pop-tart

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Some stupid commercial for Michigan

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Silver

FAVORITE SMELLS?
Steaks on the grill

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Director of engineering

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Steelers football

HAIR COLOR[S]?
Blonde/red

EYE COLOR?
Blue

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Yep, since I was 16

FAVORITE FOOD?
southern style veggies

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy Endings

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Ghost Rider

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Blue and white striped

SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter

HUGS OR KISSES?
Kisses

FAVORITE DESSERT?
Chocolate pie like grandmother made, my mom’s is close. I’ve never seen it anywhere.

MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Didn’t ask any one

LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Any one that doesn’t read my blog…

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I’ve started one, it’s on my night stand. I haven’t’ read it in so long I don’t remember the title.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
“Square D Lighting Control – UNcomplicated.
The parent company’s propaganda.

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Mythbusters – Hollywood grenade myths (DVRed from earlier in the week)

FAVORITE SOUND[S]?
a pack/gang/gaggle/?? of Harley’s ‘getting it’ down the street
a talkative mocking bird – mother nature’s smart ass

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Neither

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Ayr and Edinburgh, Scotland

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Nah, just one in a million
In the US there are 302 million people, so there are 302 people just like me…

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
St. Mary’s Hospital for Women, Pittsburgh, PA

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Ummm, not e-mailed so… N/A.



These are answers to another meme started recently… If you know the meme great. My answers are straight forward. If you don’t know the meme… well… what you don’t know won’t hurt.


No – usually hanging on to hard… it’s a rough ride sometimes…

A towel

Other parts

A towel

Wait for it…

No comment

Don’t care, just don’t kiss me…

No

Memorial Day Ride - Part 3

ANC and WRAMH

When the service was over we said our good-bys. The Georgia group was heading for home. I think it was about 1000 hours.

We went touring the grounds of ANC, saw the tomb of the unknown solder and watched a little of the Changing of the Guard. The shear number of head stones is amazing. "The Old Guard" (Army) at the tomb of the Unknown are impeccable. One particular part that amazed me, is during their turn, when they change directions they have to move their gun to their other shoulder. In one motion, this full size rifle snaps up off their shoulder and stands straight up in the palm of one hand for about a second. Their other had is straight down at their sides, then slowly moves up, then click, snap, slap and the gun is on the other shoulder. It is absolutely amazing to witness.

The Indiana Crew (L to R); Hoss, Larry, Mary, Lloyd, DC, Officer Baby, DNR

After ANC we went to WRAMH (Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital) intending to see an Indiana solder but found out he was not scheduled to be back until after we left. The process to find this out took us to 4 different buildings. The job of finding our intended solder was mine and I had gotten quite frustrated with the whole fiasco. Talking with the group afterwards and looking back, it couldn’t have gone better. We got to greet, thank and shake hands with about 50 solders. Their appreciation of us had several of us in tears more than once.

One young man, obviously in pain and deformed from an IED told us ‘a few more surgeries and I’ll be going home, thanks for coming to see us’,… and the tears flowed.

Another young man was walking around pushing a pole with about 4 IVs attached to him. Behind him was his wife pushing his wheel chair and walking beside him was his daughter, (she was 5 or 6) holding his hand. His wife was asking him ‘don’t you want to sit down?’ I didn’t hear his response, but I could see he was smiling and his daughter was skipping along at his side… and the tears flowed.

At the residence building we pestered a Sergeant and his assistant for what felt like hours. They were gracious, courteous and helpful the whole time. Continuality offering suggestions and even let us use there internet connection to confirm some information off the PGR web site. Before we left we gave them Indiana Patriot Guard Patches. Jokingly they remarked they would have them placed on their uniforms.

When we left WRAMH we went riding through downtown and parked and walked around a bit. It was HOT!!! We visited the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial and walked along the Potomac. We headed for the hotel at about 1800.

Saturday we went back into DC to hit the Rolling Thunder booths to get patches and be in the experience.

It was incredible! Bikes rule DC for this weekend. I’m sure if you were stupid or drunk you might have issues, but generally, bikes could do no wrong in DC. When we hit downtown we went into the area of the Lincoln memorial, stopped at a light then John (our guide) turned us across traffic, up a handy-cap ramp onto the sidewalk and we parked in the grass, about 200 yards from the Lincoln Memorial!! It was surreal. We shopped, I bought t-shirts, some patches and some helmet stickers. My favorite sticker so far is “I’m lost and I’ve gone to look for myself. If I should return before I get back, tell me to wait.”

Saturday night, after cooking out brains out in the DC heat again, it was back to the hotel area and then over to John’s for a cook out. I don’t know if it was just being HUNGRY or he had some special sauce, but everything was good, burnt chicken and stuck together pasta salad. Like I said we were hungry.

That's john in this pic.

Sunday – The Ride to the Wall, A Sea of Bikes

WOW – no matter what I tell you here, no matter what emotions you feel, put about 10 times more into it. And maybe, just maybe you’ll understand.

This day was… incredible, awesome, surreal… I hope I can express the idea. Maybe these pics will help. There is no way I can describe to you the sights and sounds associated with 450,000 bikes and 600,000 people.

The parking or staging area was at the Pentagon and opened at 0800.





The group was leaving our hotel at about 0630. I had to be at the meeting area at 0600 so I left the hotel at about 0445 (I was up at 0400). John had given me directions (little better than getting to the Iwo Jima Memorial). “I-66E to I-495N to I-395N” WRONG!!! Following these instructions, I ended up doing a loop around the DC belt-way. That only added about 90 miles and an hour to my trip. (I’ll let you do the math there) I made it to the staging area at about 0630, just in time to head over to the Pentagon.

I had to be there so early because I was part of what was called ‘Gold Star Escorts’. That is a group of attendees that volunteer to carry moms of KIAs (Iraq and Vietnam) from the Pentagon parking area (where we started) to the Vietnam Memorial Wall / Reflecting Pool area. This year there were more volunteers than there were moms, so I did not have a passenger. The ride through DC was about 6 miles. The streets were lined with people, and everyone was cheering, clapping and holding their hands out for a high five as we rode by. Especially the kids, so excited to see the bikes, a little apprehensive of the noise but oh man, their faces lit up like Christmas morning when any of us slowed down and reached down to clap/slap their hands.

We got through town and riding along the Potomac, hovering about 100 feet over our heads, was the Presidential helicopter!!! No way to know who, if anybody, was on board, but I waved any ways. Wonder if he got my picture?!?

The group I was with (about 30 bikes and 20 moms) must have all been new to the ride because we missed the parking sign and anything that said it was the end of the parade. We ended up getting back on I-66W and heading out of town. (Can you say OH SHIT!!!) In a great game of follow the leader we got off the interstate, wound through the burbs a little and ended up… BACK AT THE PENTAGON!!! What did we do there you might ask? We did what any self respecting biker would do, we cut back into line and went through the parade route again!!! As we were going by the Pentagon parking area I noticed that the Indiana group had not left the parking lot yet.

My bike is out there on the left, you can see it, right?
On our second time through, when we got near the Reflecting Pool I turned right into a park and went down a walking trail. I stopped in the shade of a tree. It was so cool, I was about 100 feet from the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Monument was to my right and the Lincoln Memorial was to my left. I toured the Lincoln, The Wall and the Korea Memorials. I also watched some of the concert and listened to a retired General talk about the work that was being done to bring home the remaining MIAs and POWs. It was about 1515, maybe a little after when I made it back to my bike. I was sitting in the grass drinking some water when my phone rang. It was the Indiana group wanting to know where I was… they had just gotten there and were going to go tour things. “Want to meet up and come with us?!?” Phft, NO WAY!! I was exhausted. I sat by my bike just living the experience. I guess I left about 1630, the parade was still going, there were still bikes coming into the area. I left the Pentagon parking lot at 1200, I heard that the last bike left at 1830. On my way out, again going down some dirt jogging trail, I passed right under the noses of 3 mounted DC police officers and their horses. They just waved.


The next morning we left DC and headed home. What a ride, what a weekend!!!

My pictures aren’t the best, which is part of the reason I was delaying this post. Mary has a CD of over 400 pics coming and I was hoping to use them here. But, alas, she is busy too. I promise, when I get them, I’ll post a few.

Edit: Corrected Honor Guard Reference (see LL's comment)

Need a Laugh???

Go here. and don't forget to read the comments!

Come back and thank me... LOL!!!



More Memorial Pics and post in the works, promise!

A Request...

A friend and PGR member Kat has had to hospitalize her husband. If you can spare a few minutes, stop by here and give her some well wishes.

Thanks!!!