I have lived at AlPlace for about 15 years now. An extensive remodel was done shortly before I bought The Place. Unfortunately, the guy who did the remodel should have chosen some other line of work. It is obvious that no inspection was done for parts of the work.
I have some real homeowners terror tales to tell. The movie Money Pit comes to mind, but on a less grand scale.
AlPlace is on three floors and totals about 2580 Sq. Ft. Add on a couple of decks and 1/4 acre of crabgrass and dandelions, and that is my little corner of the world.
The main problem is that ever since I bought The Place, I have been fixing one problem after another. When something happens, it is always about ten times as hard to repair because what is wrong at the moment is only the tip of the iceberg.
Take the downstairs bathroom for example.
About six or seven years ago R. was taking a shower when this horrible screeching began in the bathroom. It was R., and part of the shower stall had fallen in on her. Now I suppose I could have gone and gotten a tube of Gorilla glue and just glued it back together, but I had always been uneasy about quality of materials and workmanship in the bathroom so I took it as an opportunity to check out the whole room.
After rewiring the entire bathroom, putting in a new sink and medicine chest, new flooring, a new shower surround and tile, and sectioning the wall up 3' all the way around the tub, four months and a couple of thousand dollars had disappeared.
That year R. gave me a Father's day card that said "How many fathers does it take to change a lightbulb?".
"Only one, but he has to replace the fixture, lower the ceiling and rewire the room, so it will take him several months"
Just about every project I have undertaken at AlPlace has been that way. Major problems hidden beneath a questionable surface.
Well, replacing the deck is the last major issue left at AlPlace. Oh there will always be a stream of minor things to take care of, but all of the major things will have been accomplished.
I just may have to sell it and start all over.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Monday, April 03, 2006
Back to the basics
I didn't post anything Friday because I was in a class half the day, and had a day's worth of work waiting for me when I got back.
Today I am tired, sore and grouchy.
Usually when I feel this way it is because I have done something like party too hard, but a WHOLE HOUR OF MY SLEEP WAS BRUTALLY TAKEN FROM ME.
Well, maybe not quite that dramatic, but it is gone and never will be recovered.
besides I am sore from my Sunday chore, pulling the toad. No, that is not what you may think. It's nothing like choking the chicken or spanking the monkey, or pounding the meat.
It means removing the toilet. I pride myself in being able to handle any chore that comes up around the house. I have rewired most of the house, replumbed the kitchen, completely rebuilt the upstairs bathroom, built a deck. The thing I hate doing the most is plumbing, and the lowest of the low is anything to do with sewer. I remember the time my ex said "Did you know that when you flush the toilet, water comes up in the back yard?" I still shudder.
The downstairs toilet is continually getting clogged. It is a modern low profile low volume device, so I suspected that it was the toilet design rather than a clogged line, but I have put off checking for better than ten years. That is a pretty accurate indicator about how much I dislike working on toilets.
But I finally got around to it, mainly because Mrs A. put it on the honeydo list. Since it had been in place since long before I owned the house, everything was rusted in place. Rather than being just able to disassemble things, I had to cut it apart with an abrasive wheel. And naturally there was no room to get at things, so I got to contort my body into all sorts of unreasonable positions. This did not go over well with my right arm, seeing as I had surgery on it in October, and while it is 90%, it is definitely not 100%. And that other 10% is always what I need when doing something while draped over the toilet trying to grind the head off of a bolt or something.
What should have taken about 30 minutes, instead took about four hours of cursing, swearing and sweating.
In the end, there was nothing wrong that I could fix. The problem was the design of the toilet itself. At least if I go to replace the toilet, it will be a piece of cake to get it out.
On more thing off of the to-do list.
Next big thing: design and build a new deck off of the living room. I might have to enlist help for this one.
Today I am tired, sore and grouchy.
Usually when I feel this way it is because I have done something like party too hard, but a WHOLE HOUR OF MY SLEEP WAS BRUTALLY TAKEN FROM ME.
Well, maybe not quite that dramatic, but it is gone and never will be recovered.
besides I am sore from my Sunday chore, pulling the toad. No, that is not what you may think. It's nothing like choking the chicken or spanking the monkey, or pounding the meat.
It means removing the toilet. I pride myself in being able to handle any chore that comes up around the house. I have rewired most of the house, replumbed the kitchen, completely rebuilt the upstairs bathroom, built a deck. The thing I hate doing the most is plumbing, and the lowest of the low is anything to do with sewer. I remember the time my ex said "Did you know that when you flush the toilet, water comes up in the back yard?" I still shudder.
The downstairs toilet is continually getting clogged. It is a modern low profile low volume device, so I suspected that it was the toilet design rather than a clogged line, but I have put off checking for better than ten years. That is a pretty accurate indicator about how much I dislike working on toilets.
But I finally got around to it, mainly because Mrs A. put it on the honeydo list. Since it had been in place since long before I owned the house, everything was rusted in place. Rather than being just able to disassemble things, I had to cut it apart with an abrasive wheel. And naturally there was no room to get at things, so I got to contort my body into all sorts of unreasonable positions. This did not go over well with my right arm, seeing as I had surgery on it in October, and while it is 90%, it is definitely not 100%. And that other 10% is always what I need when doing something while draped over the toilet trying to grind the head off of a bolt or something.
What should have taken about 30 minutes, instead took about four hours of cursing, swearing and sweating.
In the end, there was nothing wrong that I could fix. The problem was the design of the toilet itself. At least if I go to replace the toilet, it will be a piece of cake to get it out.
On more thing off of the to-do list.
Next big thing: design and build a new deck off of the living room. I might have to enlist help for this one.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
My Life as a Chicken Hypnotizer.
So in yesterday's post, I put in that I was a Chicken Hypnotizer. I felt like a fisherman that had approached a perfect piece of water and floated a gorgeous dry fly, just KNOWING it would get a bite.
BUT NOOOOOO!
Not even a nibble.
Was it just too obvious? Or too far fetched?
Doesn't matter anyway. Once I have set down a particular path, I follow it to the end.
When R. was small, I decided that she could use a little experience in the feeding and care of farm animals, but since we live in a more-or-less urban area, although it is unincorporated, there are some restrictions on what you can do, not to mention the restrictions on space (I only have 1/4 acre).
I was tearing an old dilapidated deck off of the house, so I used the pieces to build a chicken coop in the back yard. Then we went down to the feed and seed store, and bought a couple of Banty chicks that became Rusty and Dusty, our two laying hens.
R was fascinated that without benefit of a male chicken for inspiration, they would produce eggs on a regular basis. Not only that, they weren't white or brown like normal store bought eggs, they were a grey-green and smaller. She used to like to take hard boiled Banty eggs to school because most people had never seen anything but regular eggs.
One day she had a couple of friends over, and she was showing them the chickens, and I asked them "Do you know it is possible to hypnotize a chicken"
"NO WAY! Could show us?"
So I did.
Later R. asked me "Dad, where did you learn to hypnotize chickens?"
As I have mentioned ad nauseum, we had a farm, and raised all kinds of things. We always had two batches of chickens, One batch of laying hens, one batch of fryers. One of the kids jobs was to go out to the hen house in the morning and gather the eggs and feed the chickens. It was always a little like a treasure hunt, because you never knew what you were going to find, Taking the eggs away from the hens could be an adventure too, as some of them took objection to us removing their eggs. After all it wasn't easy producing them.
The fryers life was short and pretty good. They were fed and watered and didn't have to produce anything to earn their keep, just put on weight. The down side was that before things froze up in the fall, would come slaughter day.
Everyone hates slaughter day. It is nasty, smelly work, but it puts food in the freezer for all winter.
The little kids were chicken catchers. Grandfather was the headsman. Uncle Fred and Dad were the gutting crew, and everyone else were Chicken Pluckers. It was our own little assembly line.
My job was Chicken Hypnotizer.
After the little kids caught a chicken, they would bring it to me. I would stick it's head underneath it's wing and then pump it (the whole bird) up and down for about 30 seconds. Then you could set it down on the ground and it would stay where you set it. Eventually it would sort of shudder, pull it's head out and look around like "Where the hell am I?", but on slaughter day, they generally never came around. If they started to, I would just grab them before they got any ideas about running off, and rehypnotize them.
It always caused me to wonder "How did someone figure this out? It would seem logical that it would be someone who wanted to transport chickens quietly and easily. Like maybe a Chicken Thief? How did my grandfather, who was from the hills of Kentucky and taught me the fine art of chicken hypnotizing happen to be in possession of this particular bit of information?"
I never did get around to asking him this. I'll bet he learned if from his grandfather, too.
I have always wanted to put this on my resume'. Chicken Hypnotizer. That alone should be good for a first interview, and once you get your foot in the door anything is possible.
I have never found a use for this very rare skill in the modern world. I mean you can't exactly pick up a newspaper, and there on page 13 of the classified ads you find "Wanted: Chicken Hypnotizer. Full time. Full benefits. Must be experienced. Top Wages."
Any one need a perfectly good barely used Chicken Hypnotizer?
BUT NOOOOOO!
Not even a nibble.
Was it just too obvious? Or too far fetched?
Doesn't matter anyway. Once I have set down a particular path, I follow it to the end.
When R. was small, I decided that she could use a little experience in the feeding and care of farm animals, but since we live in a more-or-less urban area, although it is unincorporated, there are some restrictions on what you can do, not to mention the restrictions on space (I only have 1/4 acre).
I was tearing an old dilapidated deck off of the house, so I used the pieces to build a chicken coop in the back yard. Then we went down to the feed and seed store, and bought a couple of Banty chicks that became Rusty and Dusty, our two laying hens.
R was fascinated that without benefit of a male chicken for inspiration, they would produce eggs on a regular basis. Not only that, they weren't white or brown like normal store bought eggs, they were a grey-green and smaller. She used to like to take hard boiled Banty eggs to school because most people had never seen anything but regular eggs.
One day she had a couple of friends over, and she was showing them the chickens, and I asked them "Do you know it is possible to hypnotize a chicken"
"NO WAY! Could show us?"
So I did.
Later R. asked me "Dad, where did you learn to hypnotize chickens?"
As I have mentioned ad nauseum, we had a farm, and raised all kinds of things. We always had two batches of chickens, One batch of laying hens, one batch of fryers. One of the kids jobs was to go out to the hen house in the morning and gather the eggs and feed the chickens. It was always a little like a treasure hunt, because you never knew what you were going to find, Taking the eggs away from the hens could be an adventure too, as some of them took objection to us removing their eggs. After all it wasn't easy producing them.
The fryers life was short and pretty good. They were fed and watered and didn't have to produce anything to earn their keep, just put on weight. The down side was that before things froze up in the fall, would come slaughter day.
Everyone hates slaughter day. It is nasty, smelly work, but it puts food in the freezer for all winter.
The little kids were chicken catchers. Grandfather was the headsman. Uncle Fred and Dad were the gutting crew, and everyone else were Chicken Pluckers. It was our own little assembly line.
My job was Chicken Hypnotizer.
After the little kids caught a chicken, they would bring it to me. I would stick it's head underneath it's wing and then pump it (the whole bird) up and down for about 30 seconds. Then you could set it down on the ground and it would stay where you set it. Eventually it would sort of shudder, pull it's head out and look around like "Where the hell am I?", but on slaughter day, they generally never came around. If they started to, I would just grab them before they got any ideas about running off, and rehypnotize them.
It always caused me to wonder "How did someone figure this out? It would seem logical that it would be someone who wanted to transport chickens quietly and easily. Like maybe a Chicken Thief? How did my grandfather, who was from the hills of Kentucky and taught me the fine art of chicken hypnotizing happen to be in possession of this particular bit of information?"
I never did get around to asking him this. I'll bet he learned if from his grandfather, too.
I have always wanted to put this on my resume'. Chicken Hypnotizer. That alone should be good for a first interview, and once you get your foot in the door anything is possible.
I have never found a use for this very rare skill in the modern world. I mean you can't exactly pick up a newspaper, and there on page 13 of the classified ads you find "Wanted: Chicken Hypnotizer. Full time. Full benefits. Must be experienced. Top Wages."
Any one need a perfectly good barely used Chicken Hypnotizer?
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Claim Jumper
I confess, I am a claim jumper. Not one of my most notable accomplishments, such as Chicken Hypnotizer (I always wanted to put that on a resume'), but something that not everyone can say.
When I was in college I wanted to build a cabin in the woods. A place to get away from everything a la Thoreau. Since I live within driving distance of a lot of National Forest, a couple of friends and I did a little research on the mineral laws of the area.
If you have a working mineral claim on National Forest land, you can build a cabin on it so you can work your claim.
Once it has been established that there are minerals on the claim worth recovering, you can claim the land, build your cabin. To keep the claim active, all you have to do is either do $100.00 worth of improvements on the land, or extract $100.00 worth of minerals. Neither one is very difficult to do.
So how do you establish that there is mineral content on your chosen piece of property?
With a little research, we found an area alongside Blewett pass that has placer gold claims all over the place. Most of the mineral content has been mined out, but the claims are still there.
We went to the Hall of Records, and searched for a claim that had not been filed on for five years, and filed a new claim over the top of the old one (Claim Jumping). Then all we had to do was go out to the claim and put our marker in place, and Voila' we were mine owners.
Our claim was at the confluence of Pipe and Swuak Creeks, was fairly level, and would make a wonderful location for a cabin.
We started making plans for the cabin, water supply, heat.
Then one day as I was reading the paper, I saw a notice that the area on both sides of the road through Blewett Pass had been declared a National Scenic Area, and no new construction would be allowed within 1,000 feet of the hiway.
We had missed our window of opportunity. If we had gone and thrown up a tarpaper and plywood shack, we would have been allowed to improve it, but as things were, we just missed it.
And here I had become a Claim Jumper and gotten nothing out of it. We went over and panned a little gold, just for the fun of it, but let the claim revert to the State.
Thus ended my career as a Prospector/Claim Jumper.
When I was in college I wanted to build a cabin in the woods. A place to get away from everything a la Thoreau. Since I live within driving distance of a lot of National Forest, a couple of friends and I did a little research on the mineral laws of the area.
If you have a working mineral claim on National Forest land, you can build a cabin on it so you can work your claim.
Once it has been established that there are minerals on the claim worth recovering, you can claim the land, build your cabin. To keep the claim active, all you have to do is either do $100.00 worth of improvements on the land, or extract $100.00 worth of minerals. Neither one is very difficult to do.
So how do you establish that there is mineral content on your chosen piece of property?
With a little research, we found an area alongside Blewett pass that has placer gold claims all over the place. Most of the mineral content has been mined out, but the claims are still there.
We went to the Hall of Records, and searched for a claim that had not been filed on for five years, and filed a new claim over the top of the old one (Claim Jumping). Then all we had to do was go out to the claim and put our marker in place, and Voila' we were mine owners.
Our claim was at the confluence of Pipe and Swuak Creeks, was fairly level, and would make a wonderful location for a cabin.
We started making plans for the cabin, water supply, heat.
Then one day as I was reading the paper, I saw a notice that the area on both sides of the road through Blewett Pass had been declared a National Scenic Area, and no new construction would be allowed within 1,000 feet of the hiway.
We had missed our window of opportunity. If we had gone and thrown up a tarpaper and plywood shack, we would have been allowed to improve it, but as things were, we just missed it.
And here I had become a Claim Jumper and gotten nothing out of it. We went over and panned a little gold, just for the fun of it, but let the claim revert to the State.
Thus ended my career as a Prospector/Claim Jumper.
OH Yeah
I'm a Ferrari 360 Modena!
You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.
Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
No Mexico
Looks like we won't be going to Mexico in August like we were hoping. Two things happened simultaneously.
First, Step-son R. called, and he has an opportunity to get into his own home. He is a little short on the down payment, so the money we were setting aside will be going to him for the downpayment. We have spent a lot more for the other kids on things that didn't have such a positive reason, like divorces and DWIs.
Right at the same time, my uncle Ben e-mailed to say that the house would not accommodate all of us at the same time. Looks like it was not in the cards for us to go this time.
First, Step-son R. called, and he has an opportunity to get into his own home. He is a little short on the down payment, so the money we were setting aside will be going to him for the downpayment. We have spent a lot more for the other kids on things that didn't have such a positive reason, like divorces and DWIs.
Right at the same time, my uncle Ben e-mailed to say that the house would not accommodate all of us at the same time. Looks like it was not in the cards for us to go this time.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Not bad for a Monday
The reason today is not a bad day for a Monday, is the weather is great, and I didn't go to work. Not that I was sick or anything. V. had a medical appointment and they told me to schedule a couple of hours, and it didn't make a lot of sense to me to get up at zero dark thirty, work a couple of hours, get off and go to the appointment, grab sone lunch and go back for a couple of hours.
Besides, I ironed out the electrical problems in the Z and it needed a shakedown run, and I needed to get new tabs for it, too.
A good enough batch of excuses huh?
No, really!
You know you would have done the same!
Besides, I ironed out the electrical problems in the Z and it needed a shakedown run, and I needed to get new tabs for it, too.
A good enough batch of excuses huh?
No, really!
You know you would have done the same!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
OOOHHHH The lights!
We have a light tower right behind my work area that is a status tool. Green light on the bottom, yellow flashing light in the middle, magenta light on top. It is an airplane status indicator.
The light system went coo-coo this afternoon. All the sudden, all the lights went on at once. We had no indicators that anything was wrong, just all the sudden all the lights went on. Shortly after that the phone started ringing from people who wanted to know what was going wrong.
After about the third call I was less than enthusiastic with my replies. After about the ninth it became: "We are currently experiencing a disturbance in the space/time continuum which is causing crossover between the coils. This is allowing crossover between alternate realities, allowing several different expressions of reality to exist simultaneously. Thus the airplane is well, we are investigating a problem, and the line is stopped all at the same time. Either that or by the principle of Occam's Razor, the light is F%^&*()ed up."
I know visitors to Alville will be shocked that I stooped to sarcasm, but we all have our off days.
At least I didn't break out the dead blow hammer and can of Whoop Ass.
The light system went coo-coo this afternoon. All the sudden, all the lights went on at once. We had no indicators that anything was wrong, just all the sudden all the lights went on. Shortly after that the phone started ringing from people who wanted to know what was going wrong.
After about the third call I was less than enthusiastic with my replies. After about the ninth it became: "We are currently experiencing a disturbance in the space/time continuum which is causing crossover between the coils. This is allowing crossover between alternate realities, allowing several different expressions of reality to exist simultaneously. Thus the airplane is well, we are investigating a problem, and the line is stopped all at the same time. Either that or by the principle of Occam's Razor, the light is F%^&*()ed up."
I know visitors to Alville will be shocked that I stooped to sarcasm, but we all have our off days.
At least I didn't break out the dead blow hammer and can of Whoop Ass.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Mexico?????
I received an e-mail from my cousin, Ginger yesterday saying that she and her husband and my Uncle are going to Mexico in August to visit my Unle Ben and Aunt Pat. He is a History Professor at the College of Michoacan in Morelia. She asked if Mrs A. and I would like to go along.
I have been wanting to go back ever since Mrs A. and I went down there on our honeymoon.
Trouble is, we are already going to Mexico with a Church group in July, so getting the money together for both trips will stretch the budget to the max, but it is doable.
My first impulse is to just go for it. An opportunity like this doesn't come along every day. The airfare is about $2200.00 for V and me and Mrs A., but once we got there, we would be staying with my Uncle, so no hotel fees. We would be expected to take them out to dinner and stuff, but a dollar goes a long way down there. I figure we would have about $800.00 spending money. I don't see how we can turn down the opportunity, even if it means we eat bread and beans for a while.
Got to practice up on the essentials
"Otra cervesa por favor!"
"Donde es el bano?"
I have been wanting to go back ever since Mrs A. and I went down there on our honeymoon.
Trouble is, we are already going to Mexico with a Church group in July, so getting the money together for both trips will stretch the budget to the max, but it is doable.
My first impulse is to just go for it. An opportunity like this doesn't come along every day. The airfare is about $2200.00 for V and me and Mrs A., but once we got there, we would be staying with my Uncle, so no hotel fees. We would be expected to take them out to dinner and stuff, but a dollar goes a long way down there. I figure we would have about $800.00 spending money. I don't see how we can turn down the opportunity, even if it means we eat bread and beans for a while.
Got to practice up on the essentials
"Otra cervesa por favor!"
"Donde es el bano?"
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Fortune
| Your Fortune Is |
 |
So I stole this from Daphnewood. The fortune generator, not the fortune!
I did not do anything to influence the fortune generated, so I won't be held responsible.
GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER. YEAH YOU! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! KEEP YOUR HANDS IN PLAIN SIGHT!!
Mayhem and Chaos
I was going over to pick up my daughter yesterday so she could do laundry and cut my hair. As I went along the way, I passed a house that had several cop cars and a couple of TV crews. The house was cordoned off with crime tape. They were still there when I came home.
We turned on the news when we got home, and found out that one of Vs classmates had murdered his grandmother. We are talking a 13 year old kid here. It raises all sorts of questions for which I have no answers.
What drives a 13 year old to kill? Medical evidence says that the frontal lobe is the last part of the brain to develop. Therefore teenagers are only marginally capable of rational thought. My personal observations agree pretty closely with this. Neighbors say he complained that his Grandma wouldn't let him go out and play until he did his homework. Yesterday was the first day on Spring and a beautiful day. Sounds like ample reasons for killing your Grandma to me!
Do you try him as an adult? Tough one to call. Some 13 year olds are just little kids, some are pretty mature. The law suggests that if you are capable of formulating a plan and executing it, you can be tried as an adult. If you try a 13 year old as an adult and he is convicted, you have put him in the great garbage can of society. The chance he can ever become a functioning member of society is so slim as to be non-existent. But if you try him as a juvenile, he basically gets away with murder. He goes to some summer camp of a detention facility for a couple of years,, gets counseling and gets out at 18. Has he been punished and rehabilitated? Or has he been taught how to be a more effective criminal?
V. has this great underlying rage. There are times you can see it peeking out from under his actions. He is a pretty passive kid, but if you are observant, it is pretty obvious. The fact that he is failing two classes is because he doesn't like the classes and teachers. Not doing or turning in his homework is a direct manifestation of his anger.
So Thursday night he gave me his latest progress report. Two Fs. I asked him to explain to me why he was failing, but he couldn't or wouldn't explain. So Friday night I made him sit down with a blank piece of paper, and told him he needed to explain to me why he was failing. He told me he didn't want to. I told him I really didn't care if he wanted to or not, he was going to. After that it only took a couple more hours to get him to actually DO anything. At the end he wrote a half a page. It scared the crap out of me. Such vitriol!
It would be just peachy keen fine with him if the majority of his classmates would die, and he wouldn't do a thing to prevent it. Might even help initiate it. Ditto for some of his teachers. I knew there was this underlying rage, but I had no idea it was this pervasive.
At any rate I called up our Health Care Provider yesterday and set up for him to see a Psychologist at an Adolescent Treatment Facility. I am not forcing this on him, this is something he has agreed to. He knows he is unhappy and angry, but has no idea what to do about it.
Maybe they can give him some answers.
We turned on the news when we got home, and found out that one of Vs classmates had murdered his grandmother. We are talking a 13 year old kid here. It raises all sorts of questions for which I have no answers.
What drives a 13 year old to kill? Medical evidence says that the frontal lobe is the last part of the brain to develop. Therefore teenagers are only marginally capable of rational thought. My personal observations agree pretty closely with this. Neighbors say he complained that his Grandma wouldn't let him go out and play until he did his homework. Yesterday was the first day on Spring and a beautiful day. Sounds like ample reasons for killing your Grandma to me!
Do you try him as an adult? Tough one to call. Some 13 year olds are just little kids, some are pretty mature. The law suggests that if you are capable of formulating a plan and executing it, you can be tried as an adult. If you try a 13 year old as an adult and he is convicted, you have put him in the great garbage can of society. The chance he can ever become a functioning member of society is so slim as to be non-existent. But if you try him as a juvenile, he basically gets away with murder. He goes to some summer camp of a detention facility for a couple of years,, gets counseling and gets out at 18. Has he been punished and rehabilitated? Or has he been taught how to be a more effective criminal?
V. has this great underlying rage. There are times you can see it peeking out from under his actions. He is a pretty passive kid, but if you are observant, it is pretty obvious. The fact that he is failing two classes is because he doesn't like the classes and teachers. Not doing or turning in his homework is a direct manifestation of his anger.
So Thursday night he gave me his latest progress report. Two Fs. I asked him to explain to me why he was failing, but he couldn't or wouldn't explain. So Friday night I made him sit down with a blank piece of paper, and told him he needed to explain to me why he was failing. He told me he didn't want to. I told him I really didn't care if he wanted to or not, he was going to. After that it only took a couple more hours to get him to actually DO anything. At the end he wrote a half a page. It scared the crap out of me. Such vitriol!
It would be just peachy keen fine with him if the majority of his classmates would die, and he wouldn't do a thing to prevent it. Might even help initiate it. Ditto for some of his teachers. I knew there was this underlying rage, but I had no idea it was this pervasive.
At any rate I called up our Health Care Provider yesterday and set up for him to see a Psychologist at an Adolescent Treatment Facility. I am not forcing this on him, this is something he has agreed to. He knows he is unhappy and angry, but has no idea what to do about it.
Maybe they can give him some answers.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Spring
Today is the first day of Spring, Wahooooo!
I love it when the flowers start coming out and things start budding and blooming. We have some crocuses blooming and I have a Tibetan Magnolia that is budding. Can't wait for all the Spring flowers to bloom. The ornamental cherry and early plum are in bloom, as well as the forcythia.
Had a real good weekend. We finally got around to making egg rolls. So we made like 120 egg rolls while we watched "Good Night and Good Luck" which is the story of Edward R. Murrow and his group standing up to McCarthy in the 50s. Man they had some cojones! McCarthy was one of the most powerful men in the U.S. at the time, and was the head of the House Committee on Unamerican Activities. They were a bunch of commie hunting fanatics who would have done well in the Salem Witch Trials. Good Movie, but not real entertaining.
Then on Sunday we had out daughter R. and her friends over for a late St. Patrick's Day dinner. Corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and garlic bread. I'm afraid I overindulged in the spuds.
So today would be the Equinox, right. Day and night of equal length.
I love it when the flowers start coming out and things start budding and blooming. We have some crocuses blooming and I have a Tibetan Magnolia that is budding. Can't wait for all the Spring flowers to bloom. The ornamental cherry and early plum are in bloom, as well as the forcythia.
Had a real good weekend. We finally got around to making egg rolls. So we made like 120 egg rolls while we watched "Good Night and Good Luck" which is the story of Edward R. Murrow and his group standing up to McCarthy in the 50s. Man they had some cojones! McCarthy was one of the most powerful men in the U.S. at the time, and was the head of the House Committee on Unamerican Activities. They were a bunch of commie hunting fanatics who would have done well in the Salem Witch Trials. Good Movie, but not real entertaining.
Then on Sunday we had out daughter R. and her friends over for a late St. Patrick's Day dinner. Corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and garlic bread. I'm afraid I overindulged in the spuds.
So today would be the Equinox, right. Day and night of equal length.
Friday, March 17, 2006
St. Patrick's Day
So Happy St. Patrick's day. Go hoist a pint. Today everyone is honorary Irish.
I grew up believing that we were Irish, mostly. Oral history held that the Warrens came over fro Ireland with Lord Baltimore's son and helped found the colony of Maryland in like 1695. It was with great dismay that I found out that the Warrens that migrated were most likely English Catholics, not Irish at all. From there I discovered that the Warrens were probably not English either, but Norman. The duc De Varren participated in the Norman invasion of England and the Warrens were minor nobility in England.
Holy crap!
I was more likely related to The Sheriff of Nottingham than Robin Hood! My whole idea of who I was came crashing down. Not able to leave it there, I trudged on through History.
The Normans were the people living in Normandy. The land in that part of France had been ceded to them by the King in a treaty, mainly because he couldn't control them. The were the "North Men" or Normans. The northern coastal region was occupied by the invading and raiding Vikings, who intermarried with the locals and controlled the area.
Now this I could identify with. Raiding berserker Viking. Oh yeah!
Luckily my mother's side of the family had some Irish in it, so now on St. Patrick's day I can be an Irish/Norman Berserker Viking.
Have one for me.
I grew up believing that we were Irish, mostly. Oral history held that the Warrens came over fro Ireland with Lord Baltimore's son and helped found the colony of Maryland in like 1695. It was with great dismay that I found out that the Warrens that migrated were most likely English Catholics, not Irish at all. From there I discovered that the Warrens were probably not English either, but Norman. The duc De Varren participated in the Norman invasion of England and the Warrens were minor nobility in England.
Holy crap!
I was more likely related to The Sheriff of Nottingham than Robin Hood! My whole idea of who I was came crashing down. Not able to leave it there, I trudged on through History.
The Normans were the people living in Normandy. The land in that part of France had been ceded to them by the King in a treaty, mainly because he couldn't control them. The were the "North Men" or Normans. The northern coastal region was occupied by the invading and raiding Vikings, who intermarried with the locals and controlled the area.
Now this I could identify with. Raiding berserker Viking. Oh yeah!
Luckily my mother's side of the family had some Irish in it, so now on St. Patrick's day I can be an Irish/Norman Berserker Viking.
Have one for me.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Underwear Story
So, when I stopped by The Peanut Queen's Blog this morning, she had posted this hilarious underwear story http://stacy68.blogspot.com/. This brought to mind an underwear story of my own:
Bats in my underwear
My first wife, the truly evil Mrs. A. and I had just gotten married, and were staying at her parent's cabin on Herron Island. That is not a misspelling, the island was not named after the bird, but Captain Herron who had owned the island at one time. We were sleeping on a hide-a-bed couch in the living room and had stayed up late watching horror movies. All the sudden she stiffens up and whispers "There's something in here." Being the sensitive, caring guy I am I said "Yeah, sure. You've just been watching too many scary Movies".
"No there it is again!!!."
"Holy shit, you're right!"
All I was wearing was a pair of old ratty jockeys, but I jumped up and flicked on the light. There was a bat flying around the inside of the cabin looking desperately for a way out.
There was a salmon net on the wall, so I grabbed it and started swinging it around trying to catch the bat. Jumping on furniture, knocking things over, Mrs A. screaming at the top of her lungs.
Of course we woke up her parents. So here they come tearing out of the bedroom to the sight of their brand new son-in-law running frantically around the living room in nothing but his jockeys waving a salmon net in the air. They didn't see the bat right away, so they must have thought I had lost my mind.
About this time the bad found a way out and everything settled down to the point I realized I was standing there half nekkid in front on my mother-in-law with a salmon net in my hand. I started laughing my ass off, thereby convincing them that I had lost my mind, an opinion they never fully recovered from.
Bats in my underwear
My first wife, the truly evil Mrs. A. and I had just gotten married, and were staying at her parent's cabin on Herron Island. That is not a misspelling, the island was not named after the bird, but Captain Herron who had owned the island at one time. We were sleeping on a hide-a-bed couch in the living room and had stayed up late watching horror movies. All the sudden she stiffens up and whispers "There's something in here." Being the sensitive, caring guy I am I said "Yeah, sure. You've just been watching too many scary Movies".
"No there it is again!!!."
"Holy shit, you're right!"
All I was wearing was a pair of old ratty jockeys, but I jumped up and flicked on the light. There was a bat flying around the inside of the cabin looking desperately for a way out.
There was a salmon net on the wall, so I grabbed it and started swinging it around trying to catch the bat. Jumping on furniture, knocking things over, Mrs A. screaming at the top of her lungs.
Of course we woke up her parents. So here they come tearing out of the bedroom to the sight of their brand new son-in-law running frantically around the living room in nothing but his jockeys waving a salmon net in the air. They didn't see the bat right away, so they must have thought I had lost my mind.
About this time the bad found a way out and everything settled down to the point I realized I was standing there half nekkid in front on my mother-in-law with a salmon net in my hand. I started laughing my ass off, thereby convincing them that I had lost my mind, an opinion they never fully recovered from.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Family
No one can get under your skin quite like family. Mrs A. and daughter-in-law have been at war since Thanksgiving. I adopted my grandson V. several years ago. At the time my son was not in a position to be able to take care of him. Since then he has remarried, and when he did, I let V. go live with him and his new wife. Soon after they got married we started receiving complaints about how difficult it was to raise a kid. Those complaints accelerated until we were asked to take him back, which we did. I was extremely disappointed in the situation, but I love my grandson and if it is my fate to raise him, I will embrace that challenge.
DIL didn't talk to V. for six months after he came back to live with us,because "her feelings were hurt". Then she got in touch and said she was better, so she wanted to start seeing V. again. She wanted to be his "mom". She didn't want to raise him or discipline him or be responsible for him, she just wanted to be free to come and get him whenever it was convenient, reap all the rewards of being "mom" and then dump him back on us. We let her know that she could have a role in Vs life, but that it wasn't "mom". Mom is the one that gets him up in the morning and off to school, makes him do his chores, is there for him 24/7. That is Mrs. A. and she is the only one in his short life that has really filled that role. So Mrs A. tried to make amends, and it cost her a lot of effort to let by-gones be by-gones. I was proud of her that she had the grace and fortitude to make that step. Unfortunately DIL has very nastily refused any overtures of reconciliation.
So, this morning I sent an e-mail to DIL to say that she had effectively resigned as Vs "mom" when she sent him to live with us, and so she has no say in any decisions regarding him, that I will back Mrs. A. one hundred percent. It may be that this will cost me my relationship with my son, but if he chooses to support her childish behavior, so be it.
Damn this all sucks!
DIL didn't talk to V. for six months after he came back to live with us,because "her feelings were hurt". Then she got in touch and said she was better, so she wanted to start seeing V. again. She wanted to be his "mom". She didn't want to raise him or discipline him or be responsible for him, she just wanted to be free to come and get him whenever it was convenient, reap all the rewards of being "mom" and then dump him back on us. We let her know that she could have a role in Vs life, but that it wasn't "mom". Mom is the one that gets him up in the morning and off to school, makes him do his chores, is there for him 24/7. That is Mrs. A. and she is the only one in his short life that has really filled that role. So Mrs A. tried to make amends, and it cost her a lot of effort to let by-gones be by-gones. I was proud of her that she had the grace and fortitude to make that step. Unfortunately DIL has very nastily refused any overtures of reconciliation.
So, this morning I sent an e-mail to DIL to say that she had effectively resigned as Vs "mom" when she sent him to live with us, and so she has no say in any decisions regarding him, that I will back Mrs. A. one hundred percent. It may be that this will cost me my relationship with my son, but if he chooses to support her childish behavior, so be it.
Damn this all sucks!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Full Moon
I came in this morning, and right out of the box, went into full tirade. We use 16 channel radios to communicate with each other. It saves a lot of time and walking to just be able to turn to the appropriate channel and talk to whoever you need to. My flow day has about 18 radios. They need to go back on the charger at the end of shift for a couple of hours to recharge. When I got in this morning there were 8 radios in the charger. The top charger had four radios in it. Only thing was, the whole machine was unplugged. Now the machine has lights that come on when you plug in the radios, so if you plug in the radio and no light comes on THIS IS A CLUE THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG.
The other four radios were jammed in the chargers in such a way that they were not making contact with the charging electrodes, hence, no lights were on and the radios were dead. This is not rocket science. This is not even science 101 (Bonehead science). So I went off. I feel much better now.
I noticed that everyone I had run into this morning was in a pissy mood, so I checked my official Lord of The Rings Calendar, and, sure enough tonight is a full moon. So I have read and seen that there is statistical support for Lunacy. Increased admissions to Mental Institutions, Increased Suicide rates, increased domestic violence on the full moon. Anyone have any observations?
The other four radios were jammed in the chargers in such a way that they were not making contact with the charging electrodes, hence, no lights were on and the radios were dead. This is not rocket science. This is not even science 101 (Bonehead science). So I went off. I feel much better now.
I noticed that everyone I had run into this morning was in a pissy mood, so I checked my official Lord of The Rings Calendar, and, sure enough tonight is a full moon. So I have read and seen that there is statistical support for Lunacy. Increased admissions to Mental Institutions, Increased Suicide rates, increased domestic violence on the full moon. Anyone have any observations?
Monday, March 13, 2006
I've been tagged.
So I got tagged by An extraordinary Woman (AKA Already A legend).
The rules:
List 7 songs you're into right now. No matter the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening too.
I listen to a lot of music, so the list will include CD's not just individual cute. I suppose I will list my current favorite on each CD.
Gary Moore, Power of the Blues, There's a Hole (Where we used to be).
KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
Marcia Ball, Presumed Innocent, You make it Hard (To Love you)
Duke Robillard, Rockin' Blues, Duke's Mood
Joe Satriani, Strange Beautiful Music, Sleepwalk
Keiko Matsui, Deep Blue, Across the Sun
Acoustic Alchemy, American/English, The Moon and the Sun.
As you can see, my list of people to send it to is woefully short, so I don't think I'll be sending it along. I need to work on that. Maybe tonight.
All is well in AlVille today. I had my stiches out on Friday, and although at the time it felt like they were pulling my entire nervous system out through the roof of my mouth, it only took about 24 hours for things to settle down.
Went to the Church on Saturday for a meeting about the trip to Mexico. Things are beginning to firm up a little, but a long ways to go before we are ready to leave. At least we have until July.
N. Came over on Sunday, and we worked on the truck . We had it THIS CLOSE (two fingers 1/8" apart" to running, so I have no doubt we will get there. I also worked on the lights and wiring for the "Z" and got everything in good enough shape that I drove it in to work today. Man, I love driving that car. Corners like it was on rails, and a top speed of around 150 (MPH). Mind you I haven't ever had it up quite that high. The fastest I ever went was around 110, at which point Mrs. A reached over and sunk her white fingers in my leg while yelling "Honey!!!!!!!!!!!) I think the marks might be permanent. I also had it up around that speed on the track, but was too busy driving to look at the speedometer.
The rules:
List 7 songs you're into right now. No matter the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening too.
I listen to a lot of music, so the list will include CD's not just individual cute. I suppose I will list my current favorite on each CD.
Gary Moore, Power of the Blues, There's a Hole (Where we used to be).
KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
Marcia Ball, Presumed Innocent, You make it Hard (To Love you)
Duke Robillard, Rockin' Blues, Duke's Mood
Joe Satriani, Strange Beautiful Music, Sleepwalk
Keiko Matsui, Deep Blue, Across the Sun
Acoustic Alchemy, American/English, The Moon and the Sun.
As you can see, my list of people to send it to is woefully short, so I don't think I'll be sending it along. I need to work on that. Maybe tonight.
All is well in AlVille today. I had my stiches out on Friday, and although at the time it felt like they were pulling my entire nervous system out through the roof of my mouth, it only took about 24 hours for things to settle down.
Went to the Church on Saturday for a meeting about the trip to Mexico. Things are beginning to firm up a little, but a long ways to go before we are ready to leave. At least we have until July.
N. Came over on Sunday, and we worked on the truck . We had it THIS CLOSE (two fingers 1/8" apart" to running, so I have no doubt we will get there. I also worked on the lights and wiring for the "Z" and got everything in good enough shape that I drove it in to work today. Man, I love driving that car. Corners like it was on rails, and a top speed of around 150 (MPH). Mind you I haven't ever had it up quite that high. The fastest I ever went was around 110, at which point Mrs. A reached over and sunk her white fingers in my leg while yelling "Honey!!!!!!!!!!!) I think the marks might be permanent. I also had it up around that speed on the track, but was too busy driving to look at the speedometer.
Friday, March 10, 2006
TGIF
This was a tough week. I am running around with about 30 stiches in my mouth from Periodontal surgery, Mrs A. has a nasty cold, so does V. CPS called about L. and the kids. Tonight after work I get to go in and have the stitches taken out of my mouth. You can bet your booties that I will be making an entry in the brain cell demolition derby after I get home. Nah, just a medicinal application of an external and internal anesthetic. I have to much to do this weekend.
Tomorrow we have a meeting at the church. We are sending a mission to Mexico for a week this summer. We are going to go, and take V. It will give him an appreciation of what he has when he sees how people live when they don't have the things we take for granted, and also sees what a group of people united in their faith can accomplish. Not your usual Mexican vacation
Sunday N. is coming over and we are going to attempt to get the truck running. It can't be anything major wrong, but I haven't tracked it down yet.
Y'all have a great weekend.
Tomorrow we have a meeting at the church. We are sending a mission to Mexico for a week this summer. We are going to go, and take V. It will give him an appreciation of what he has when he sees how people live when they don't have the things we take for granted, and also sees what a group of people united in their faith can accomplish. Not your usual Mexican vacation
Sunday N. is coming over and we are going to attempt to get the truck running. It can't be anything major wrong, but I haven't tracked it down yet.
Y'all have a great weekend.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Just another day in Paradise
Mrs A. has a nasty cold. I think I have mentioned previously that she is not a good patient. Her job is very stressful, so when she is not feeling well, it is best to stay out of her way. When I got home last night there was a message on the phone for her to call CPS (Child Protective Services) concerning her daughter and grandkids. We don't have any idea what specifically is going on, but that is one of those phone calls that has no possible good result. I have had the misfortune to deal with CPS before, and I have a pretty negative opinion of most of them. Power with no accountability is seldom a good situation. I know there have to be good, reasonable, caring people in the system, but I have not dealt with them. A good part of the reason I have adopted V. is to get him the HELL OUT of the system. Mrs A. and I had to talk about whether or not we could take in the grandkids, and the preliminary decision was no. Subject to change at any moment, depending on the circumstances. It's not the kids fault his parents are flakes, but we are stretched to the max already.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Jigsaw
OK I admit it, I do jigsaw puzzles sometimes. I don't particularly like television, and I usually read books instead, but sometimes when I'm not feeling well, I don't have the concentration to read. Jigsaw puzzles are a good compromise. Growing up, we always had a jigsaw puzzle going on the card table. Anyone walking by would stop and put a piece or two in. It was a no stress no competition family activity. So when I'm not feeling particularly well, it is a calming, soothing activity that doesn't require a lot of thinking. Basic color pattern and shape recognition.
So Here's my Jigsaw Puzzle Joke.
One of my co-workers received a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas. Being an Engineer, he is sort of obsessive/compulsive, so it was an activity that appealed to him, making sense out of a pile of seemingly random pieces.
Well, he became obsessed with this one puzzle, so he took a leave of absence so he could finish it out without interruption.
When he completed the puzzle, he threw a party and invited everyone over.
Midway through the party, one of the guests asked him "Why the big deal?" he replied "It only took me six months to compete the puzzle, and it says right on the side of the box 'FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS'"
So Here's my Jigsaw Puzzle Joke.
One of my co-workers received a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas. Being an Engineer, he is sort of obsessive/compulsive, so it was an activity that appealed to him, making sense out of a pile of seemingly random pieces.
Well, he became obsessed with this one puzzle, so he took a leave of absence so he could finish it out without interruption.
When he completed the puzzle, he threw a party and invited everyone over.
Midway through the party, one of the guests asked him "Why the big deal?" he replied "It only took me six months to compete the puzzle, and it says right on the side of the box 'FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS'"
Monday, March 06, 2006
Monday Morning Coming Down
I believe that is the title to a song by Chris Christopherson. I managed to make it in this morning despite having oral surgery on Friday. I just had to forego the pain killers. Percocet does a real good job getting the pain down, but it effects my equilibrium, so I really don't like to drive when I take it. Since it has been a couple of days since the surgery, the pain is beginning to subside anyway, or it was 'just say that it is probably not the best idea to eat an orange when you have partially healed incisions in your mouth. It will definitely get your attention.
V. went to a bible camp this weekend, and had a great time. V. is my grandson, whom I have adopted. His early life was pretty messed up and confusing, but I have had him for seven years now. Some of his attitudes are a result of bad experiences earlier in his life. One of them I have been battling is his attitude towards church.
Carol and I are Christians, and Church is an important part of our life, so getting V. engaged with church is important to us, but I know very well that too much pressure will only result in him getting his back up. He hated going to church on Sunday, but I sat him down one day and told him "Look, you are making yourself miserable with this. As long as you are living in my house, you will go to church on Sunday, so you might as well resign yourself to it. I would not be doing my job as a parent if I didn't see that you got educated about religion, just as much as if I didn't send you to school to learn academics. Since our society does not allow the school to teach you about God, you have to get it somewhere else." While I am quite sure he didn't agree, at least he shut up and went. Well a funny thing happened. As he got to know some of the other kids from church and started to get engaged, he started to WANT to get involved. He actually brought up the idea of going to the youth meetings during the week, and asked it he could go to Bible Camp this last weekend. I guess some times you get it right. He had a great tie and is asking if he can't go back for camp this summer.
V. went to a bible camp this weekend, and had a great time. V. is my grandson, whom I have adopted. His early life was pretty messed up and confusing, but I have had him for seven years now. Some of his attitudes are a result of bad experiences earlier in his life. One of them I have been battling is his attitude towards church.
Carol and I are Christians, and Church is an important part of our life, so getting V. engaged with church is important to us, but I know very well that too much pressure will only result in him getting his back up. He hated going to church on Sunday, but I sat him down one day and told him "Look, you are making yourself miserable with this. As long as you are living in my house, you will go to church on Sunday, so you might as well resign yourself to it. I would not be doing my job as a parent if I didn't see that you got educated about religion, just as much as if I didn't send you to school to learn academics. Since our society does not allow the school to teach you about God, you have to get it somewhere else." While I am quite sure he didn't agree, at least he shut up and went. Well a funny thing happened. As he got to know some of the other kids from church and started to get engaged, he started to WANT to get involved. He actually brought up the idea of going to the youth meetings during the week, and asked it he could go to Bible Camp this last weekend. I guess some times you get it right. He had a great tie and is asking if he can't go back for camp this summer.
Friday, March 03, 2006
I got the Chair
Just back from the Periodontist, and things are a little fuzzy around the edges, so pleaase fogive me if I am not too focused. I should probably just go lay down, but it is such a beautiful day I feel frustrted with just laying around. Maybe if I get my ballance back, I can get out and work on the Z. right now I feel the urge to go and lay down,
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Hump Down Day
Today is, of course, Hump Day, but for my flow day, it is also a down day, which means there is no airplane in this position. It is a day to catch up on things, do maintenance, and complete training and certification requirements. I have a bunch of required Lean Manufacturing training to take care of, but it is pretty boring and I can only get one done at a time before I get really drowsy. So far I have completed eight of the ten requirements.
So one of the things I do, is occasionally when they bring tours through the factory they stop in my area, and I explain to them how lean manufacturing is supported by the shipside support process. Yesterday, a tour came through from Bloomberg News Service. As they approached, one of the mechanics put in an item to the SAT system, which turned the status light yellow, I processed it and sent it on its way and the light turned green again. They came over and wanted to know what had just happened, so I had to explain the whole thing to them.
At the end of our discussion they asked if they could quote me. With the approval of the Boeing rep, I told them OK. SO, coming soon the something or the other my words may be quoted in some manner or the other.
So one of the things I do, is occasionally when they bring tours through the factory they stop in my area, and I explain to them how lean manufacturing is supported by the shipside support process. Yesterday, a tour came through from Bloomberg News Service. As they approached, one of the mechanics put in an item to the SAT system, which turned the status light yellow, I processed it and sent it on its way and the light turned green again. They came over and wanted to know what had just happened, so I had to explain the whole thing to them.
At the end of our discussion they asked if they could quote me. With the approval of the Boeing rep, I told them OK. SO, coming soon the something or the other my words may be quoted in some manner or the other.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
You'll get the Chair!
An Apropriate title for a couple of reasons. I had a dental appointment yesterday, which was a warm-up for Friday when I have oral surgery scheduled. This is number three of four. Man, I am not looking forward to this. But both the dentist and the periodontist tell me that if I don't have it done, I may as well just have all my teeth pulled and get it over with. Thanks, but I'll keep what I have.
the other reason is that I was on my way to the Periodontist and saw a familiar looking vehicle in the other lane. Sure enough, it was my ex. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, and it would be fine with me if I never saw her again. At any rate, given what she did to R. the other day, I really wanted to run her off the road and into the river. Well, I managed to resist the urge. I even managed to resist the urge to honk the horn and flip her off as I went by.
I better get points in Heaven.
the other reason is that I was on my way to the Periodontist and saw a familiar looking vehicle in the other lane. Sure enough, it was my ex. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, and it would be fine with me if I never saw her again. At any rate, given what she did to R. the other day, I really wanted to run her off the road and into the river. Well, I managed to resist the urge. I even managed to resist the urge to honk the horn and flip her off as I went by.
I better get points in Heaven.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Blue Monday
So there was this really annoying noise this morning at 4:53. After I realized it was not going to go away if I just ignored it, I became conscious enough to hit the snooze button on the alarm. That worked so well that I did it a second time, but after that it was no longer possible to ignore the obvious, so I turned on the light and groaned my way vertical.
On Friday befoer we went out of town, we sold Mrs. A's treadmill. When she decided she needed it, I told her no about a half a dozen times. I told her "We will have for about six months and quit using it and then it will just be in the way." I finally got worn down and told her to go ahead and but it if she could pay for it, so she did. Very nice Nordic Trac 1900 with all the bells and whistles for over $1,000.00. One year old and barely used,we got $500.00 I bit the inside of my cheek and avoided saying "I told you so", as the consequences would far outweigh the momentary pleasure.
Mrs A. has been after me to get new furniture for the living room, but I have been putting it off, because I fully understand the consequences. I mean, if you could just but the furniture and put it in, that would be different. It just doesn't happen that way. Introducing a new element into a closed system always results in chaos. In the living room I have a nice leather couch which is very comfortable, but it will be bumped by the new set out to the music room where it bumps the love seat someplace. This move also meant the opportunity to bring my Teak entertainment center up from the basement to replace the cabinet where we have been stirring the taped and dvd's, which goes back in the basement to be used as a book case.
The new furniture will also bump the Big chair out of the living room and probably upstairs to the spare bedroom.
The new furniture is being delivered, so that's no problem, but guess who gets to do all the other furniture moving.
So Saturday, I took all the books out of the Entertainment center, dismantled it, put it back together. It took me all day. Shady I took the video cabinet downstairs and started putting stuff in it.
Half way through all this Mrs A. turns to me and says "Do you think the entertainment center is going to fit in with the new furniture. I made choking motions with my hands and moved towards her. I said "You know I think they would call it justifiable homicide, and if I get an all male jury I can probably get off scott free
On Friday befoer we went out of town, we sold Mrs. A's treadmill. When she decided she needed it, I told her no about a half a dozen times. I told her "We will have for about six months and quit using it and then it will just be in the way." I finally got worn down and told her to go ahead and but it if she could pay for it, so she did. Very nice Nordic Trac 1900 with all the bells and whistles for over $1,000.00. One year old and barely used,we got $500.00 I bit the inside of my cheek and avoided saying "I told you so", as the consequences would far outweigh the momentary pleasure.
Mrs A. has been after me to get new furniture for the living room, but I have been putting it off, because I fully understand the consequences. I mean, if you could just but the furniture and put it in, that would be different. It just doesn't happen that way. Introducing a new element into a closed system always results in chaos. In the living room I have a nice leather couch which is very comfortable, but it will be bumped by the new set out to the music room where it bumps the love seat someplace. This move also meant the opportunity to bring my Teak entertainment center up from the basement to replace the cabinet where we have been stirring the taped and dvd's, which goes back in the basement to be used as a book case.
The new furniture will also bump the Big chair out of the living room and probably upstairs to the spare bedroom.
The new furniture is being delivered, so that's no problem, but guess who gets to do all the other furniture moving.
So Saturday, I took all the books out of the Entertainment center, dismantled it, put it back together. It took me all day. Shady I took the video cabinet downstairs and started putting stuff in it.
Half way through all this Mrs A. turns to me and says "Do you think the entertainment center is going to fit in with the new furniture. I made choking motions with my hands and moved towards her. I said "You know I think they would call it justifiable homicide, and if I get an all male jury I can probably get off scott free
Sunday, February 26, 2006
I'm BAAAAAACK
So vacation was a hoot, as usual. Mrs A. and I always have a great time when people GO THE HELL AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE. More on that later.
The weather wasn't great, I mean it is February in the Northwest, which translated as rain. But you know what? WE DIDN'T REALLY CARE! As the old joke goes, I ordered a dozen oysters, but only ten of them worked (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). We did manage to wedge in a nice walk on the beach and a day at the shops and galleries in Canon Beach. Came away with a really cool glass globe. Of course there were the mandatory stops at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and the Tillamook County Smokehouse (Makers of the worlds best beef jerky.) And of course our stay was not nearly long enough.
So when we get back, L and kids are getting evicted from their apartment (again). We bailed them out the last two times, so this time they are going to have to figure it out for themselves. If we don't force them to make a change in their lifestyles, like using the money to pay the rent instead of buying drugs, they aren't ever going to change. I know, I sound tough, but guess who always caves in and saves their ass from the Indians.
So I was married to a crazy woman for 28 years. I know all men think all women are a little off center, and women think the same about men, but I mean real crazy. Paranoid schyzophrenia crazy. Psychotic at times. She wasn't full fledged crazy at first, but she was very creative, which I love. Turns out that the creative impulses came fron the same place the voices did. When it got to the point where she was actively trying to do me and the kids harm, I told her if she didn't get help, I was going to divorce her. She went to a shrink one time and came back and said "They're all crazy there." And refused to ever go back. Right after that I went to get a hug and she went totally nuts, started hitting and screaming and grabbed my arm and bit a chunk out of it. She did things like jump up and start stomping on the floor. When I asked her what she was doing, she said "The people in the basement are poking knives up through the floor."
So after we got divorced she went to live with her dad. He eventually had to have her declared incompetent and had the court appoint a guardian. She gets some kind of Social Security money and has a small apartment in the same complex as out daughter R.
When we got back from vacation I got a call from R. to see how the trip went. Among other little tidbits she had gotten from her mother, her mom told her that I am not her father.
I have always known that there was a possibility that this was true. When I was in my 20's I got a vasectomy. The ex and I got divorced and remarried, and shortly after we remarried she showed up pregnant. To say the least I was stunned. I mean, it does happen. Things do grow back together, So I figured there was at least some chance that it was mine. I thought about it long and hard. Thought about going to be tested to see if there were any little wrigglers, but I decided that I would wait and see what the baby looked like. If it was asian or black or something, I would deal with it. R. was the result, and it was love at first sight. She looked enough like me that no questions ever arose. I made the reasoned, consious decision that it really made no difference whose genes she carried, she was mine. She and I have had a special bond her whole life. She was the reason I stayed with crazy woman so long. I was afraid if I got divorced, R. would get stuck being raised by a crazy woman, and I would not make that choice. When we did finally get divorced, R. was 16 and chose to stay with me.
So now I have my daughter asking questions because her mom has told her something. I mean I have always known her mom was crazy and a slut, but this came as a real belly blow.
I guess I'll probably be having a couple of future conversations with R. about her possible parentage.
My son hates his mom. He has told me he honestly believes she is a truely evil person. I have always told him she is just sick and can't help it. After this I am beginning to lean a little more towards his point of view.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Dilema
I've been toying around with this book for the last couple of years. Whenever I am not doing anything else, I dig it out and add to it. I am about 10,000 words into it so far, but I am not too sure where to go now. My first impulse is to create it's own BLOG and just put it out there as it gets done, but it needs some rewriting to get it into some kind of publishable format. I mean, right now it is one long chapter. I will probably take some time this next week to write on it, but do I go back and revise what is already there to format it into chapters, or pick up the trail and just see where it takes me. Right now it doesn't really have a destination, I'm just taking the journey as it comes.
We just got V.s progress report for the new semester, so it looks like I won't have to be fighting him over the use of the computer, as he is getting two F's. The little shits IQ is probably about 140, but he can't seem to get it applied to anything but Gaming.
I am sure looking forward to a week on the Coast without any kids, just Mrs. A. and I.
We just got V.s progress report for the new semester, so it looks like I won't have to be fighting him over the use of the computer, as he is getting two F's. The little shits IQ is probably about 140, but he can't seem to get it applied to anything but Gaming.
I am sure looking forward to a week on the Coast without any kids, just Mrs. A. and I.
Friday, February 17, 2006
1955
Comments made in the year 1955:
"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20."
"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2000 will only buy a used one."
"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous."
"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging four cents just to mail a letter?"
"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."
"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage."
"Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."
"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The Wind,' it seems every new movie has either "hell" or "damn" in it.
"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."
"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the president."
"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."
"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."
"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."
"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more; those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."
"I'm just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."
"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."
"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."
"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."
"No one can afford to be sick any more; $35 a day in the hospital is too rich for my blood."
"If they think I'll pay $1.50 for a hair cut, forget it."
"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20."
"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2000 will only buy a used one."
"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous."
"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging four cents just to mail a letter?"
"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."
"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage."
"Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."
"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The Wind,' it seems every new movie has either "hell" or "damn" in it.
"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."
"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the president."
"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."
"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."
"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."
"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more; those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."
"I'm just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."
"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."
"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."
"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."
"No one can afford to be sick any more; $35 a day in the hospital is too rich for my blood."
"If they think I'll pay $1.50 for a hair cut, forget it."
VACATION!
We are taking a week to go to our time share condo on the Oregon Coast. We really need the time away. V. is going to stay with his dad, and Molly is going to stay with L. Mrs A. would really like to take Molly along, but the condo doesn't allow pets, children excepted. I would rather that they allowed pets and banned kids, but that's a different story.
No internet connections and the phones go through a central switchboard, so unless I go looking for a connection in town, no blogging for a week! Hopefully the weather won't be freezing ass cold so we can go for nice long romantic walks on the beach. The hike on the Tillamook Spit is 4.2 miles from the parking lot to the tip of the spit, so say 8.5 mile by the time you wander around a little. A good mid-winter excursion, as long as it isn't TOO cold.
No internet connections and the phones go through a central switchboard, so unless I go looking for a connection in town, no blogging for a week! Hopefully the weather won't be freezing ass cold so we can go for nice long romantic walks on the beach. The hike on the Tillamook Spit is 4.2 miles from the parking lot to the tip of the spit, so say 8.5 mile by the time you wander around a little. A good mid-winter excursion, as long as it isn't TOO cold.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Fun and frolic in the Dentists chair.
I was out yesterday with another Dental situation. As I whined last week, I had two root canals done on the same day. Well, root canal #2 went south on me. It seems that 60% of all people have only two nerves in #2 molar, 40% have a third nerve, and 20% have a fourth. You can probably guess which in I am. So they went in last Thursday and took out two nerves, but the side of my face swole up Tuesday and kept me up most of the night. I went in yesterday, and they spent a couple of hours looking around and located the other two, pulled out the nerves, but they couldn't fill the tooth because the canals are draining. Consequently I am sittin here with this enormous hole in my tooth which is open so that it can drain. They have me on a couple of antibiotics and Percocet.
On a different note, I gave away all my brewing equipment . I had made my own micro-brew for about ten years, It was every bit as good as the commercially available stuff. Even better, since I could tailor it specifically to my tastes. I was having trouble keeping my blood sugar under control, so the doc revised my medication, and added Metformin. The bad thing about Metformin is that I can't drink beer with it. A couple of beers, and two hours later it is killer heartburn. Nothing seems to help much, so the only alternative is (a gasp from the crowd), give up drinking beer altogether. I had a lot of fun making my own beer, but if I wasn't going to be using the equipment, someone else should. So I gave it all away.
On a different note, I gave away all my brewing equipment . I had made my own micro-brew for about ten years, It was every bit as good as the commercially available stuff. Even better, since I could tailor it specifically to my tastes. I was having trouble keeping my blood sugar under control, so the doc revised my medication, and added Metformin. The bad thing about Metformin is that I can't drink beer with it. A couple of beers, and two hours later it is killer heartburn. Nothing seems to help much, so the only alternative is (a gasp from the crowd), give up drinking beer altogether. I had a lot of fun making my own beer, but if I wasn't going to be using the equipment, someone else should. So I gave it all away.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Valentines Day
So today is Valentines day. Happy VD to all of you. This is a special day around the A. house, because it is the anniversary of our engagement as well as Valentines day, sort of.
Mrs A and I were getting really serious about each other. In fact we were moving some of her furniture up to my place. When we had carried her vanity into the house, I glanced around, and something didn't look right.
The VCR was missing. Then things began to pop out at me: the X box and all the games, my laptop. A cigarette ground in to the linoleum. So they hit me for over $10,000. I ran upstairs to check and my heart hit my heels.
I had spent many hours shopping for the perfect engagement ring (and I hate shopping). I think I had looked at every nice ring in the south end of Seattle. I finally found a virtually perfect 3/4 carat diamond with Ruby side stones. The cost was over #5,000, and it was gone.
Mrs A. had no idea I had purchased the ring. The first she knew about it was when she was sitting on the couch next to me as I gave the police my report on what was taken. You could have floored her when I reported the theft. It took a second to set in, but all the sudden her eyes got real big as she turned to me and asked "For me?".
Since I had not had time to call my insurance company, the ring was not specifically covered on my home owners. When the police left I set in motion a series of events that ranged from semi-legal to downright criminal, the result of which was that I recovered the ring. When I got it back
I asked Mrs A. if she wanted to see it, so she said yes. I showed her the ring, and went and put it away.
A couple of hours later I noticed that it was mighty quiet and I hadn't seen Mrs A. in a while, so I went looking for her. The house is 2850 Sq Ft, on three floors, so you can actually be there at the same time and not see each other for a quite a while.
I found her upstairs in the bed room, with the ring on her finger, tears running down her face. She said "I'm sorry dear, I can't help worrying about the ring." So I told her "Yeah, I figure that the safest place in the world for that ring right now is on your finger, so you just keep it there for now." I did not propose, but she knew it was coming.
For Valentine's Day we went to the Lake Quinault Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula for the weekend, where I asked her to remove the ring. I didn't immediately propose, but just put the ring in my pocket, and we went to dinner (this was on Friday night). I kept her guessing all weekend, finally did the formal one knee down "Will you marry me?" on Sunday morning after breakfast.
Mrs A and I were getting really serious about each other. In fact we were moving some of her furniture up to my place. When we had carried her vanity into the house, I glanced around, and something didn't look right.
The VCR was missing. Then things began to pop out at me: the X box and all the games, my laptop. A cigarette ground in to the linoleum. So they hit me for over $10,000. I ran upstairs to check and my heart hit my heels.
I had spent many hours shopping for the perfect engagement ring (and I hate shopping). I think I had looked at every nice ring in the south end of Seattle. I finally found a virtually perfect 3/4 carat diamond with Ruby side stones. The cost was over #5,000, and it was gone.
Mrs A. had no idea I had purchased the ring. The first she knew about it was when she was sitting on the couch next to me as I gave the police my report on what was taken. You could have floored her when I reported the theft. It took a second to set in, but all the sudden her eyes got real big as she turned to me and asked "For me?".
Since I had not had time to call my insurance company, the ring was not specifically covered on my home owners. When the police left I set in motion a series of events that ranged from semi-legal to downright criminal, the result of which was that I recovered the ring. When I got it back
I asked Mrs A. if she wanted to see it, so she said yes. I showed her the ring, and went and put it away.
A couple of hours later I noticed that it was mighty quiet and I hadn't seen Mrs A. in a while, so I went looking for her. The house is 2850 Sq Ft, on three floors, so you can actually be there at the same time and not see each other for a quite a while.
I found her upstairs in the bed room, with the ring on her finger, tears running down her face. She said "I'm sorry dear, I can't help worrying about the ring." So I told her "Yeah, I figure that the safest place in the world for that ring right now is on your finger, so you just keep it there for now." I did not propose, but she knew it was coming.
For Valentine's Day we went to the Lake Quinault Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula for the weekend, where I asked her to remove the ring. I didn't immediately propose, but just put the ring in my pocket, and we went to dinner (this was on Friday night). I kept her guessing all weekend, finally did the formal one knee down "Will you marry me?" on Sunday morning after breakfast.
| Your Candy Heart Says "Cutie Pie" |
 You always seem to have a hot date, even though you never try to meet anyone. A total charmer, you have a natural appeal that keeps you in high demand. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: multiple dates with multiple people Your flirting style: 100% natural What turns you off: serious relationship talks Why you're hot: you're totally addicting |
Monday, February 13, 2006
Anticipatin'
We are going down the Oregon Coast next week, to our Time Share Condo at Rockaway Beach for some much needed R & R. Just Mrs A. and I. We are dumping off V. since he is out of school for the week for late-winter-early-spring,-if-I-have-to-be-cooped-up-with-these kids-for-one- more-day-I-will-go-postal Teacher's Break. I don't much care what the weather does, we just need a little time to ourselves.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Double Dippin'
So, I thought I was going in for a quick dental repair yesterday. Part of a dental bridge had come loose, and I was to come in so they could pop it loose, clean it up, and glue it back on. Wrong.
When they took it off, they found a rotten tooth underneath. The dentist handed me a mirror and let me watch as he used a dental tool to scrape what was left of the tooth away. It was about the consistency of half dried clay. So he had to do a root canal, insert a post, do a build-up, and put everything back together.
I woke up yesterday with the side of my face swollen yesterday. It kept real good time with my heartbeat, so I figured something was going on over there. Well, Root Canal number Two. Yeah, two in one day. Does Al know how to have fun or what? Ends up I was in the dental chair for six hours yesterday.
Al least I ended up with two prescriptions for Percocet. If I take one, I can still function, although it does take some concentration to get anything done. If I take two like the prescription says, you might just as well prop me in the corner and leave me alone, 'cuz there ain't nothin' gettin' done.
When they took it off, they found a rotten tooth underneath. The dentist handed me a mirror and let me watch as he used a dental tool to scrape what was left of the tooth away. It was about the consistency of half dried clay. So he had to do a root canal, insert a post, do a build-up, and put everything back together.
I woke up yesterday with the side of my face swollen yesterday. It kept real good time with my heartbeat, so I figured something was going on over there. Well, Root Canal number Two. Yeah, two in one day. Does Al know how to have fun or what? Ends up I was in the dental chair for six hours yesterday.
Al least I ended up with two prescriptions for Percocet. If I take one, I can still function, although it does take some concentration to get anything done. If I take two like the prescription says, you might just as well prop me in the corner and leave me alone, 'cuz there ain't nothin' gettin' done.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Playing hookey
The sun is shining for the THIRD day in a row. Probably some kind of a record for Seattle in February. I have a dental appointment at 10:30, so I decided to just bag the whole work thing today. You know, I have an eye problem....can't see going to work today. I have a ballance problem....I can't stand going to work today. It's payday today, the sun is shining and I'm not going to work. Life is good. No telling what kind of trouble I will get in!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Useless information
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for amonth 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 theircalendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month ... which we know today as the honeymoon.
And NO!!! I was not there at the time!
And NO!!! I was not there at the time!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Sunshine at last!
The sun came out yesterday. What a beautiful day! I actually got to go out and play with the "Z". 280 Zs are noted for their electrical challenges. I have been chasing one electrical problem after another ever since I got the car. Currently, I just replaced the alternator (third in two years), and I think the battery has gone bad fro being drained flat and recharged so many times. Also their is a problem with the lights that I haven;t quite figured out yet. For no explicable reason, they will turn off while I am driving down the road. All I have to do is turn them off and back on, but no telling how long they will stay on. I think that tonight after work I will go out and tear the whole switch mechanism apart and tweak it all. It has to be something simple and mechanical. I suspect the ground is not maintaining contact with the ground bar on the steering column, but won't know for sure until I tear it apart. If it wasn't so beautiful and so much fun to drive I would dump it and get something a little more reliable.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Different Tack
So I am off in a different direction now, since I didn't like where the recent posts had taken me. Don't know where I go from here, but definitely enough death for a while. Funny how something you see or hear will take you off on a journey you never intended. It's like what Bilbo says about roads being dangerous things, because once you set out on them, no telling where you might wind up.
So the Seahawks lost to The Steelers and the officials yesterday. If you take into account the touchdown that the officials took away from the Seahawks for offensive pass interference (NO WAY!!!) and discount the gift of a touchdown that never happened to Pittsburgh, the game was a dead heat, but it's hard to beat the other team and the officials both. Hey. At least we got invited to the big dance!
So the Seahawks lost to The Steelers and the officials yesterday. If you take into account the touchdown that the officials took away from the Seahawks for offensive pass interference (NO WAY!!!) and discount the gift of a touchdown that never happened to Pittsburgh, the game was a dead heat, but it's hard to beat the other team and the officials both. Hey. At least we got invited to the big dance!
Friday, February 03, 2006
Looking Death in the EYE III
When I was writing up yesterdays post, my heart rate went WAY up, I started sweating, and my hands started shaking. I mean, I was THERE and the memories were getting way too real. I had a nightmare last night, so I think after one more post I will change the subject.
When I was 12 or 13 a friend and I discovered some berry bushes and a cherry tree tucked back in a little patch of woods in South Seattle. The only building on the property was an old tumbled down shed, which was covered in Boyseneberry bushes. We would stop by for a snack every once in a while when things were ripe.
The cherry tree was a big bing cherry and it must have been 40 feet tall. It had not been taken care of in years, but it produced a good crop.
My buddy and I were sitting up in the cherry tree snack ing away, when we heard a voice from below "what do you boys think you are doing?"
Now, I have to admit I am not the most timid of creatures, and more often than not, my mouth gets me into trouble. There was a 50ish smallish man at to foot of the tree looking up at us.
"What's it look like, we're building a boat or something?"
"You boys should get down from there and go away"
"Is this your cherry tree? Do you own this property?"
"No, I just keep an eye on it for the owners."
"Well we aren't hurting anything, just eating a few cherries."
"YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW!!!!"
The little man reaches under his arm and pulls out what appears to be a .45 Army Colt, cocks it and points it at my head.
This was the first time I had met a genuine maniac. I really believe he was capable of pulling the trigger. The hole in the end of that pistol looked like a huge eye, and when the pupil dilated it would cough up death. I didn't need to be encouraged any further, I got the hell out of there.
We found out where the nasty little man lived. He had a cherry tree in his yard that had a "Y" in it about 6' up and it was partly rotten down the center.
I read later in the paper that some juvenile delinquents had poured gasoline in that hollow and set it on fire.
When I was 12 or 13 a friend and I discovered some berry bushes and a cherry tree tucked back in a little patch of woods in South Seattle. The only building on the property was an old tumbled down shed, which was covered in Boyseneberry bushes. We would stop by for a snack every once in a while when things were ripe.
The cherry tree was a big bing cherry and it must have been 40 feet tall. It had not been taken care of in years, but it produced a good crop.
My buddy and I were sitting up in the cherry tree snack ing away, when we heard a voice from below "what do you boys think you are doing?"
Now, I have to admit I am not the most timid of creatures, and more often than not, my mouth gets me into trouble. There was a 50ish smallish man at to foot of the tree looking up at us.
"What's it look like, we're building a boat or something?"
"You boys should get down from there and go away"
"Is this your cherry tree? Do you own this property?"
"No, I just keep an eye on it for the owners."
"Well we aren't hurting anything, just eating a few cherries."
"YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW!!!!"
The little man reaches under his arm and pulls out what appears to be a .45 Army Colt, cocks it and points it at my head.
This was the first time I had met a genuine maniac. I really believe he was capable of pulling the trigger. The hole in the end of that pistol looked like a huge eye, and when the pupil dilated it would cough up death. I didn't need to be encouraged any further, I got the hell out of there.
We found out where the nasty little man lived. He had a cherry tree in his yard that had a "Y" in it about 6' up and it was partly rotten down the center.
I read later in the paper that some juvenile delinquents had poured gasoline in that hollow and set it on fire.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Looking Death in the eye II
I was a staff member on the locked Psychiatric Ward in the Hospital at Camp Kue, so going to work started with unlocking the big steel door. After being run over by patients attempting to escape a couple of times, I learned to check close before opening the door. The guy that had held my job before me had been killed by a patient. My first duty when I took the job was to interview the patient. I asked him why he had done it, and he told me "I was convinced that he was going to kill me, so I acted out of self defense." It made perfect internal sense to him. He wasn't a bad guy once we had him properly medicated.
Paranoid/schizophrenic are the ones that are hard to deal with. Most psychotics are in such pain that they are non-functional. Add a little thorazine on top of that, and they are incapable of forming a complex thought, much less a plan.
T. was and Air Force enlisted man, who had a history of behavior problems. His Commanding Officer had had it with his disruptive behavior, so he gave him the most boring, isolated assignment he could think of. They gave him a loaded M16 and set him out guarding the perimeter of Kadena Air Force Base. After one too many joints, he decided that there were people out in the bushed, so he shot up the surrounding jungle. Luckily no one was hurt, but it earned him a trip to a padded room.
T was hard to control. Medications didn't seem to have a great effect on him, and he wanted what the wanted, and to hell with anyone who got in his way.
when I came in one morning he was in full rant. He wanted to go downstairs to the day room and play pool. "No T., you are not ready to go out there yet." So he picks up a trash can and throws it across the ward, and says "Now can I go play pool?" "No T., as long as you display this kind of behavior, you will not be allowed out".
So T. Picks up a chair and throws it into a window. Of course the windows were all security glass, with the chicken wire built in, so he busts up the window, but no big harm done "NOW CAN I GO PLAY POOL?". "No T. In fact you need to go spend some time in the padded room".
So when we went to put him in restraints, he ran to the back of the ward where his bed was and pulls out a 12" diving knife and says "You ain't putting me in there, I'll kill you all first".
We had a special number to call if things got out of hand, and a bunch of combat Vetran NCO's were supposed to come up and handle the situation. So they come upstairs and I let them into the ward and explain the situation. They look around the corner and here is this wild eyed guy standing in the middle of the floor waving a knife around. The staff is frantically getting everyone else out of the room and into a safe place. The "goon Squad" as we called them refused to go into the room.
One of the other Psych techs and I discussed what we were going to do. Since no one else seemed willing to do anything, we decided we had to. We came up with our plan and just did it.
We made an agreement, B. Would go for control of the patient, and I would make sure the knife was controlled.
We grabbed a mattress off of one of the beds. He held one end and I held the other. We rushed T. And just kept on pushing him backwards until we backed him into the wall, and pinned him there. While I grabbed the hand holding the knife, B. Grabbed T. Around the neck and choked the shit out of him. He choked him until he passed out, and I relieved him of the knife. When he would start to come to, B. Would tighten up his choke hold until he quit struggling. This only lasted a couple of minutes for the whole thing, but time has a way of stretching itself out when every second needs to be accounted for. It took a couple minutes for the Doctor to load up a hypo and get it into T. You are probably wondering where a psychotic patient got ahold of a knife. One of his "Friends" had smuggled it in for him when visiting. The "Friend" soon joined "T" in our care.
There were times when I held that job where I was afraid for my life, for very good reasons. It is one reason I can keep things in perspective now. Things may get incredible frantic, but I never feel that I am in danger of losing my life.
Paranoid/schizophrenic are the ones that are hard to deal with. Most psychotics are in such pain that they are non-functional. Add a little thorazine on top of that, and they are incapable of forming a complex thought, much less a plan.
T. was and Air Force enlisted man, who had a history of behavior problems. His Commanding Officer had had it with his disruptive behavior, so he gave him the most boring, isolated assignment he could think of. They gave him a loaded M16 and set him out guarding the perimeter of Kadena Air Force Base. After one too many joints, he decided that there were people out in the bushed, so he shot up the surrounding jungle. Luckily no one was hurt, but it earned him a trip to a padded room.
T was hard to control. Medications didn't seem to have a great effect on him, and he wanted what the wanted, and to hell with anyone who got in his way.
when I came in one morning he was in full rant. He wanted to go downstairs to the day room and play pool. "No T., you are not ready to go out there yet." So he picks up a trash can and throws it across the ward, and says "Now can I go play pool?" "No T., as long as you display this kind of behavior, you will not be allowed out".
So T. Picks up a chair and throws it into a window. Of course the windows were all security glass, with the chicken wire built in, so he busts up the window, but no big harm done "NOW CAN I GO PLAY POOL?". "No T. In fact you need to go spend some time in the padded room".
So when we went to put him in restraints, he ran to the back of the ward where his bed was and pulls out a 12" diving knife and says "You ain't putting me in there, I'll kill you all first".
We had a special number to call if things got out of hand, and a bunch of combat Vetran NCO's were supposed to come up and handle the situation. So they come upstairs and I let them into the ward and explain the situation. They look around the corner and here is this wild eyed guy standing in the middle of the floor waving a knife around. The staff is frantically getting everyone else out of the room and into a safe place. The "goon Squad" as we called them refused to go into the room.
One of the other Psych techs and I discussed what we were going to do. Since no one else seemed willing to do anything, we decided we had to. We came up with our plan and just did it.
We made an agreement, B. Would go for control of the patient, and I would make sure the knife was controlled.
We grabbed a mattress off of one of the beds. He held one end and I held the other. We rushed T. And just kept on pushing him backwards until we backed him into the wall, and pinned him there. While I grabbed the hand holding the knife, B. Grabbed T. Around the neck and choked the shit out of him. He choked him until he passed out, and I relieved him of the knife. When he would start to come to, B. Would tighten up his choke hold until he quit struggling. This only lasted a couple of minutes for the whole thing, but time has a way of stretching itself out when every second needs to be accounted for. It took a couple minutes for the Doctor to load up a hypo and get it into T. You are probably wondering where a psychotic patient got ahold of a knife. One of his "Friends" had smuggled it in for him when visiting. The "Friend" soon joined "T" in our care.
There were times when I held that job where I was afraid for my life, for very good reasons. It is one reason I can keep things in perspective now. Things may get incredible frantic, but I never feel that I am in danger of losing my life.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Looking Death in the Eye I
I was in the Military. I was a Social Work/Psychology Specialist for the Army on Okinawa. It was a job I enjoyed and was very good at and decided I didn't't want to do as a career.
I worked for the Psychiatric Service in the Camp Kue hospital, and was among other things the Liaison Officer for the locked Psychiatric Ward at the hospital.
One of the things we did was do interviews to determine sanity for people going into courtmartial proceedings. This is where I had the misfortune of meeting Earl.
Earl was a Marine who had murdered his commanding Officer. He had served three rotations in Vietnam, and volunteered for a fourth. It seems he had discovered a talent for killing people, and wanted to get back where it was somewhat condoned. His C.O. had refused his new rotation, so Earl had gone into his office with a loaded M16 and tried to persuade the C.O. to allow him to return to ‘Nam. When the C.O. declined, he unloaded a clip into him.
We rotated duty on the front desk as Receptionist, and it was my day to man the desk
The brought him to the Psychiatric Clinic in chains and with four armed guards. Earl was a 6’ 2” black body builder, in active duty Marine shape. Probably weighed about 180. His arms were bigger around than my legs were. He also had a look in his eye that did not make for comfortable eye contact.
The head Psychologist, R. had the duty to give him the interview to establish his sanity. He was a real humanitarian, and insisted that they take the shackles and chains off of Earl for the interview, over the protests of the guards.
They went into the conference room off of the reception area. I was a little nervous about having a murderer alone with R. so I kept a half an ear open for anything. After a while I heard some thumping noises coming from the conference room and what might be a muffled cry for help.
I ran over and threw doordoot open, and Earl had R. bent over backwards over his desk and was choking the crap oft od him. R. was mostly unconscious, and pretty red in the face. I ran up behind Earl and grabbed him in a full nelson, and for the next couple of minutes it was a pretty wild ride around the office, with Earl trying to dislodge me. All I did was tighten my hold until I was afraid I would break his neck. Eventually he slowed down and told me "It's OK, I"m all right now", but damned if I was going to give up the only advantage I was ever likely to get.
After Earl quit flailing around, one of the guards peeked his head around the corner and asked "Is everything OK in here?" If I had a club I would have hit him.
Anyway, I had to testify at Earls Attempted Murder court martial. The entire rime I was on the witness stand, Earl sat there with this big shit eating grin on his face staring at me with these dead eyes that said "If I ever get out of jail, you are one dead mother".
I guess the point of all this is that, when faced with a situation that could have gone very badly, I acted even though I was scared to death, and handled the situation. Just knowing how you would act in that kind of a situation instills a confidence in you that you can't get any other way.
The Court commended me for saving an Officers life, but also chewed me out for not using the word "Sir" often enough during my testimony. Talk about having a twisted set of priorities.
I worked for the Psychiatric Service in the Camp Kue hospital, and was among other things the Liaison Officer for the locked Psychiatric Ward at the hospital.
One of the things we did was do interviews to determine sanity for people going into courtmartial proceedings. This is where I had the misfortune of meeting Earl.
Earl was a Marine who had murdered his commanding Officer. He had served three rotations in Vietnam, and volunteered for a fourth. It seems he had discovered a talent for killing people, and wanted to get back where it was somewhat condoned. His C.O. had refused his new rotation, so Earl had gone into his office with a loaded M16 and tried to persuade the C.O. to allow him to return to ‘Nam. When the C.O. declined, he unloaded a clip into him.
We rotated duty on the front desk as Receptionist, and it was my day to man the desk
The brought him to the Psychiatric Clinic in chains and with four armed guards. Earl was a 6’ 2” black body builder, in active duty Marine shape. Probably weighed about 180. His arms were bigger around than my legs were. He also had a look in his eye that did not make for comfortable eye contact.
The head Psychologist, R. had the duty to give him the interview to establish his sanity. He was a real humanitarian, and insisted that they take the shackles and chains off of Earl for the interview, over the protests of the guards.
They went into the conference room off of the reception area. I was a little nervous about having a murderer alone with R. so I kept a half an ear open for anything. After a while I heard some thumping noises coming from the conference room and what might be a muffled cry for help.
I ran over and threw doordoot open, and Earl had R. bent over backwards over his desk and was choking the crap oft od him. R. was mostly unconscious, and pretty red in the face. I ran up behind Earl and grabbed him in a full nelson, and for the next couple of minutes it was a pretty wild ride around the office, with Earl trying to dislodge me. All I did was tighten my hold until I was afraid I would break his neck. Eventually he slowed down and told me "It's OK, I"m all right now", but damned if I was going to give up the only advantage I was ever likely to get.
After Earl quit flailing around, one of the guards peeked his head around the corner and asked "Is everything OK in here?" If I had a club I would have hit him.
Anyway, I had to testify at Earls Attempted Murder court martial. The entire rime I was on the witness stand, Earl sat there with this big shit eating grin on his face staring at me with these dead eyes that said "If I ever get out of jail, you are one dead mother".
I guess the point of all this is that, when faced with a situation that could have gone very badly, I acted even though I was scared to death, and handled the situation. Just knowing how you would act in that kind of a situation instills a confidence in you that you can't get any other way.
The Court commended me for saving an Officers life, but also chewed me out for not using the word "Sir" often enough during my testimony. Talk about having a twisted set of priorities.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Looking death in the eye
Mrs A. And I have been through more than our share of crisis in the short time we have been together. I don't really want to go into all the details, but it has been a whole lot more crap than most newlyweds go through. Whenever something goes wrong I am usually the solid one. The other day she asked me "Honey, how can you remain so calm when all this stuff is going on around you?" My reply was that is have been in situations where I was in real or perceived danger of losing my life violently. There are a couple of ways that can effect you. One is that you spend the rest of your life waiting for the other shoe to drop, the other is that it puts all of the other stuff in perspective. When you have looked down the barrel of a gun pointed at you, it puts things in perspective. So I thought I'd put some of them out there, mostly because I like telling stories, but I'm not sure whether to put them here, or on my other blog, which I have been using to publish short stories.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Egg Roll Recipe
So here is my recipe for Egg Rolls. It wasn't written down completely, that is, I had the original recipe, but it has evolved a lot since then.
Clear Noodles (Rice Vermicelli or bean thread) 500 gr.
Oyster Sauce 6 oz.
Eggs 6
Onion (sweet yellow if possible) 1 large
Carrots (large) 3
Meat 3 lbs
Black pepper Dusting
Salt Palm
Sugar 2 tsp
Garlic 2 tblsp
Cabbage Small head
wrappers 100.
The type of meat is up to you. We usually use ground pork & chicken, but you can use whatever spins your beanie. Occasionally I add tiny shrimp to the mixture.
Dice all the veggies up pretty fine, since you are going to put them in a wrapper. Speaking of wrappers, use the frozen very fine spring roll wrappers The brand we usually use is O'Tasty (Funky Chinese name, huh?)
The Oyster sauce is critical. I use Lee Kum Kee, but I have experimented with other brands.I occasionally like to use spicy oyster sauce.
Use the smallest diameter Bean thread or Rice vermicelli you can find, soak it in hot water and cut it into 3 inch pieces. Mix everything in a VERY large bowl, except retain the white from one egg to seal the wrappers. Don't open the packages of wrappers until you are ready to use then, as they dry out pretty quickly.
Lay out the wrapper with a point facing you. Using a large dinner fork place a 3" long wad of filling about 2" into the wrapper. Fold wrapper over filling, and pull it slightly back towards you, making it firm. Roll about half way up the wrapper, and fold the ends towards the middle. Continue rolling to the end. Dip finger in the egg white you have retained, and use it to seal the flap.
Put the uncooked egg rolls in one gallon freezer storage bags, one layer deep. Depending on how consistent you have been rolling the egg rolls, you should get 14 to 18 per bag. Freeze them uncooked.
When you want to cook them up, just take them out of the freezer and deep fry them in oil until they are crisp.
Serve them with dipping sauces. The one that seems to go over the best is Thai sweet Chili sauce, which is a lot like sweet and sour, but with just a little kick.
Clear Noodles (Rice Vermicelli or bean thread) 500 gr.
Oyster Sauce 6 oz.
Eggs 6
Onion (sweet yellow if possible) 1 large
Carrots (large) 3
Meat 3 lbs
Black pepper Dusting
Salt Palm
Sugar 2 tsp
Garlic 2 tblsp
Cabbage Small head
wrappers 100.
The type of meat is up to you. We usually use ground pork & chicken, but you can use whatever spins your beanie. Occasionally I add tiny shrimp to the mixture.
Dice all the veggies up pretty fine, since you are going to put them in a wrapper. Speaking of wrappers, use the frozen very fine spring roll wrappers The brand we usually use is O'Tasty (Funky Chinese name, huh?)
The Oyster sauce is critical. I use Lee Kum Kee, but I have experimented with other brands.I occasionally like to use spicy oyster sauce.
Use the smallest diameter Bean thread or Rice vermicelli you can find, soak it in hot water and cut it into 3 inch pieces. Mix everything in a VERY large bowl, except retain the white from one egg to seal the wrappers. Don't open the packages of wrappers until you are ready to use then, as they dry out pretty quickly.
Lay out the wrapper with a point facing you. Using a large dinner fork place a 3" long wad of filling about 2" into the wrapper. Fold wrapper over filling, and pull it slightly back towards you, making it firm. Roll about half way up the wrapper, and fold the ends towards the middle. Continue rolling to the end. Dip finger in the egg white you have retained, and use it to seal the flap.
Put the uncooked egg rolls in one gallon freezer storage bags, one layer deep. Depending on how consistent you have been rolling the egg rolls, you should get 14 to 18 per bag. Freeze them uncooked.
When you want to cook them up, just take them out of the freezer and deep fry them in oil until they are crisp.
Serve them with dipping sauces. The one that seems to go over the best is Thai sweet Chili sauce, which is a lot like sweet and sour, but with just a little kick.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Egg Roll Saturday
Before I met Mrs A., I was having a fling with a very pretty Laotian woman. It was quite an experience. I once told her "There are two women living in your head. One of them is this traditional Min Lao Buddhist. The other is an independent American home owning working single mom. The two of them are at war, and some day you are going to have to make a choice". She couldn't give up her status in the Lao community and we ended up splitting up. Before she gave up on us, I asked her to teach me how to make egg rolls, because she made the best egg rolls I have ever tasted.
I still keep egg rolls on hand all the time. The recipe is for 100 egg rolls, so it takes some time to make them. What could be a chore we have turned into a fun activity.
We go to the Chinese Market and get the ingredients, one of which is a large bottle of Japanese Plum wine. (The wine doesn't go in the egg rolls, but the egg rollers). Next stop Blockbuster Video where we rent whatever latest DVD for whatever catches our eye. I make up the "Stuff" for the eggrolls, then we put up the card table in front of the big screen, slap in a movie and make egg rolls and sip wine. What could otherwise be a chore becomes something fun to do.
I do have to say that as we get to the last off the egg rolls and the bottle of wine that the quality control on the rolling process suffers some, but what the heck, they still taste the same.
I still keep egg rolls on hand all the time. The recipe is for 100 egg rolls, so it takes some time to make them. What could be a chore we have turned into a fun activity.
We go to the Chinese Market and get the ingredients, one of which is a large bottle of Japanese Plum wine. (The wine doesn't go in the egg rolls, but the egg rollers). Next stop Blockbuster Video where we rent whatever latest DVD for whatever catches our eye. I make up the "Stuff" for the eggrolls, then we put up the card table in front of the big screen, slap in a movie and make egg rolls and sip wine. What could otherwise be a chore becomes something fun to do.
I do have to say that as we get to the last off the egg rolls and the bottle of wine that the quality control on the rolling process suffers some, but what the heck, they still taste the same.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Let the noise begin!
Somewhere in my travels, I picked up this old, beat up electric guitar. It was in pretty sad shape, and the first time I plugged it in, there were sparks and smoke involved. The nut (yes guitars have nuts!) was broken, and the bass string would not stay in place. It was being kept in place by a bent up safety pin. The bridge height was all wrong, the wiring was bad. So I did the best thing: I gave it to my son.
Unfortunately, when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday last summer, he asked me to restore the guitar. Dang, just when I thought I'd escaped.
So I scrounged around and located a piece of mammoth Ivory I had been saving for just such a project. I had to but a diamond wheel for my Dremel tool and carved a new nut and installed it, cleaned up the electrical stuff and resoldered the connections, put it all back together, and last night I plugged it in. It works just fine now, and since I cleaned everything up it looks pretty good too. It has what they call a "sunburst" finish, which is yellow in the middle and darkens as you go out.
I have no idea what brand the guitar is. Any identifying marks have been removed. It is an arch-top, f-hole acoustic/electric with dual pickups and a tailpiece, a three way switch and four knobs. I have a tremolo bar on backorder for it, but it is essentially done.
I should probably include a picture and maybe someone could tell me what they think it is.
Unfortunately, when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday last summer, he asked me to restore the guitar. Dang, just when I thought I'd escaped.
So I scrounged around and located a piece of mammoth Ivory I had been saving for just such a project. I had to but a diamond wheel for my Dremel tool and carved a new nut and installed it, cleaned up the electrical stuff and resoldered the connections, put it all back together, and last night I plugged it in. It works just fine now, and since I cleaned everything up it looks pretty good too. It has what they call a "sunburst" finish, which is yellow in the middle and darkens as you go out.
I have no idea what brand the guitar is. Any identifying marks have been removed. It is an arch-top, f-hole acoustic/electric with dual pickups and a tailpiece, a three way switch and four knobs. I have a tremolo bar on backorder for it, but it is essentially done.
I should probably include a picture and maybe someone could tell me what they think it is.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Rule of thumb
I got up this morning in this Kick-Ass-and-don't-bother-to-take-names mood. I had a couple of problems at work where paperwork was not up to my standards, and I was going to see that it got changed or else. I have a can of Whoop Ass and a four pound dead blow hammer on my desk and I use them as a learning tool.
When I get here all set for a good knuckle and skull session, everyone has been all nice all day. Maybe they could sense the mood I am in. Anyway, when I was laying out my expectations, I used the phrase "as a rule of thumb" which means to act to a loose set of standards, and I wondered where it had come from.
Prepare yourself for MORE USELESS INFORMATION!
IN Medieval times, society was not so civilized as it is now, but there were some standards. IN this case, a man was allowed to beat his wife. I mean it was not a crime or anything. However there were limitations. He could only use a branch "no bigger than his thumb". Hence "Rule of thumb.
I don't think it would be wise to try this on Mrs A. I mean, I do have to sleep sometime.
When I get here all set for a good knuckle and skull session, everyone has been all nice all day. Maybe they could sense the mood I am in. Anyway, when I was laying out my expectations, I used the phrase "as a rule of thumb" which means to act to a loose set of standards, and I wondered where it had come from.
Prepare yourself for MORE USELESS INFORMATION!
IN Medieval times, society was not so civilized as it is now, but there were some standards. IN this case, a man was allowed to beat his wife. I mean it was not a crime or anything. However there were limitations. He could only use a branch "no bigger than his thumb". Hence "Rule of thumb.
I don't think it would be wise to try this on Mrs A. I mean, I do have to sleep sometime.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
All Roads lead to Rome.
Some time ago I worked with an Engineer who was looking for a way to transport rocket boosters from Utah to the Space Center in Florida. The contract for the boosters for the Space Shuttle was open for bids, and we had the facility and technology to build them, but could we deliver them?
We spent months figuring out how to get them across country, including figuring out how to get them around overpasses, including letting most of the air out of the tires to get them under, and going off and then back on. We could not use the railroad tunnels because they were not big enough. The question came up, why are our vehicles, railroads and roads set to the standards they are? I had to admit it was something I had never thought about. Prepare your self for more USELESS INFORMATION!
When the Industrial revolution created the ability to mass produce goods, first Trains and later cars needed to be of common dimensions, after all the rails don't change in distance between the rails, so all locomotives and cars had to have the same wheel track. The early locomotive and car manufacturers used the same dimensions that had been used to standardize wagons, In fact early automobiles, if you let some of the air out of the tires could be driven on the tracks. Well, where did that dimension come from?
The wagons were standardized so that they would run in the ruts that existed all over Europe, and were created by the Romans in their efforts to control the entire world. The reason these ruts are the same distance apart all over Europe is that the Romans had standardize their chariots and wagons so they would run in the same tracks.
Well, what decided that standard?
If you took two horses and put them side by side and left a little room that became the distance between the two wheels for the chariot. In other words, the wheel aligned with the horses asses.
Like a lot of things in life, we are today living to a set of rules established thousands of years ago by a couple of horses asses.
We spent months figuring out how to get them across country, including figuring out how to get them around overpasses, including letting most of the air out of the tires to get them under, and going off and then back on. We could not use the railroad tunnels because they were not big enough. The question came up, why are our vehicles, railroads and roads set to the standards they are? I had to admit it was something I had never thought about. Prepare your self for more USELESS INFORMATION!
When the Industrial revolution created the ability to mass produce goods, first Trains and later cars needed to be of common dimensions, after all the rails don't change in distance between the rails, so all locomotives and cars had to have the same wheel track. The early locomotive and car manufacturers used the same dimensions that had been used to standardize wagons, In fact early automobiles, if you let some of the air out of the tires could be driven on the tracks. Well, where did that dimension come from?
The wagons were standardized so that they would run in the ruts that existed all over Europe, and were created by the Romans in their efforts to control the entire world. The reason these ruts are the same distance apart all over Europe is that the Romans had standardize their chariots and wagons so they would run in the same tracks.
Well, what decided that standard?
If you took two horses and put them side by side and left a little room that became the distance between the two wheels for the chariot. In other words, the wheel aligned with the horses asses.
Like a lot of things in life, we are today living to a set of rules established thousands of years ago by a couple of horses asses.
Monday, January 23, 2006
GO SEAHAWKS!
I am not the worlds biggest sports fan. I mean, my mother watches more sports than I do, but I do follow the local teams some. My older brother, L. will watch anything. I mean, he would watch "Underwater Bowling for Furniture" if that was the only thing he could find. I would rather go work on my 1977 Datsun 280Z, or read a good book, but this year I have been following the Seahawks. Yesterday, they won the NFC championship. We have been waiting for 30 years for them to go to the Superbowl, and this is the year. Yesterday, Mrs A. had to retreat to the upstairs bedroom to escape the testosterone. stepdaughter called Saturday, and their car crapped out again. They wanted me to come down and fix it. I missed last weeks playoff game working on the car for them, so I declined the opportunity to go down and subsequently miss the NFC championship game.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
New Years resolutions
Every year, I make the same New Years Resolution. I resolve to not make a New years Resolution, thereby making my new Years Resolution, and breaking if simultaneously. Talk about efficient. It's not that I have no issues, it is just that I believe it is bad,bad mojo to make resolutions unless you are of the proper frame of mind to actually stick with them. Last year, after smoking all my life (really, I got caught smoking the first time when I was 6), I quit. Picked a day, made a plan and just did it. I still smoke an occasional cigarette, but not regularly. I think the reason I was successful was that I went on second shift, so all my habit markers were gone. Since I got up at a different time, ate at different times, went to bed at a different time, I was able to break the behavior.
I am still a little too fond of alcohol, but not disastrously so. I suppose it would be best if I picked a date and made a plan, but I really have no incentive to do so. I have told Mrs. A. That if it ever bothers her in any way, I would give it up. One of my favorite quotes is from Benjamin Franklin: "Beer is proof that God Loves us".
On that note, I depart. Just remember, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese".
I am still a little too fond of alcohol, but not disastrously so. I suppose it would be best if I picked a date and made a plan, but I really have no incentive to do so. I have told Mrs. A. That if it ever bothers her in any way, I would give it up. One of my favorite quotes is from Benjamin Franklin: "Beer is proof that God Loves us".
On that note, I depart. Just remember, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese".
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Useless information
The other day I was talking to V. and told him he'd better "mind his Ps and Qs". he asked where that expression came from, and here was a bit of useless information I did not posess. In my quest for an answer I came across a whole bunc of uselee information, which I am sharing here. A person can never have too much useless information.
In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are "limbs," therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, "Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg."
As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May and October)! Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term "big wig." Today we often use the term "here comes the Big Wig" because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.
In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The "head of the household" always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the "chair man." Today in business, we use the expression or title "Chairman" or "Chairman of the Board."
Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result, many women and men developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman's face she was told, "mind your own bee's wax." Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile." In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt. . Therefore, the expression "losing face."
Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and dignified woman, as in "straight laced". . . wore a tightly tied lace.
Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the "Ace of Spades." To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren't "playing with a full deck."
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to "go sip some ale" and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times. "You go sip here" and "You go sip there." The two words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term "gossip."
At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in "pints" and who was drinking in "quarts," hence the term "minding your "P's and Q's."
One more: bet you didn't know this!In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations. However, if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys." Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." (All this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you.)
TTFN!
In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are "limbs," therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, "Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg."
As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May and October)! Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term "big wig." Today we often use the term "here comes the Big Wig" because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.
In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The "head of the household" always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the "chair man." Today in business, we use the expression or title "Chairman" or "Chairman of the Board."
Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result, many women and men developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman's face she was told, "mind your own bee's wax." Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile." In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt. . Therefore, the expression "losing face."
Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and dignified woman, as in "straight laced". . . wore a tightly tied lace.
Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the "Ace of Spades." To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren't "playing with a full deck."
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to "go sip some ale" and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times. "You go sip here" and "You go sip there." The two words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term "gossip."
At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in "pints" and who was drinking in "quarts," hence the term "minding your "P's and Q's."
One more: bet you didn't know this!In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations. However, if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys." Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." (All this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you.)
TTFN!
Monday, January 16, 2006
The light! It burns!
So our quest for the record for rainfall fell short of the record. The all time record for consecutive days of rain was 34 and we stopped at 27. In otherwords, yesterday, this enormously bright object appeared in the sky and it stayed there FOR HOURS AT A TIME!!! I felt rather like a mole emerging from it's burrow into daylight.
I have a theory why the sun broke out yesterday. The Seahawks won their playoff game (the first time in like 22 years). I believe that the alcohol fumes from all of the celebrating burned off the atmospheric water. This has a semi-scientific reasoning behind it. When you have a car that has been sitting around during the winter, water condenses in the gas tank, and causes it to run really badly. The cure is to add alcohol to your gas tank. The alcohol combines with the water and voila! the car runs better. Must be a similar process.
I have a theory why the sun broke out yesterday. The Seahawks won their playoff game (the first time in like 22 years). I believe that the alcohol fumes from all of the celebrating burned off the atmospheric water. This has a semi-scientific reasoning behind it. When you have a car that has been sitting around during the winter, water condenses in the gas tank, and causes it to run really badly. The cure is to add alcohol to your gas tank. The alcohol combines with the water and voila! the car runs better. Must be a similar process.
Friday, January 13, 2006
The Lazy B
Boeing around here has been known as The Lazy B for a long time. People have always assumed that that was an indicator of how hard people worked here. Well, I figure someone has to set people straight, and that someone might as well be me. The figure at the left was taken out of a brand alphabet list. Seeing as we are way out west here, things like cattle brands were at one time common knowledge. The "B" at the left is leaning to the right, thereby making it a "Lazy B". In the Boeing logo, the first letter leans to the right, thereby making it a lazy b. 'Nuff said
Toilet Cleaning Instructions
I was sent this in an e-mail. I've seen it before, but couldn't resist posting it. There were pictures, but I couldn't get them to upload.
Toilet Cleaning Instructions:
1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.
2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.
4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "powe! r-wash" and rinse".
6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.
9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.
Sincerely,
The Dog
Toilet Cleaning Instructions:
1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.
2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.
4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "powe! r-wash" and rinse".
6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.
9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.
Sincerely,
The Dog
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
^&*!@% Rain
Well, fellow bloggers, it has rained in Seattle for 24 consecutive days, and the nine day forecast shows rain for each and every day in the future. I do vaguely remember seeing this big yellow thing in the sky a couple of days after Christmas, but only briefly. This is the time of the year when you way in the back of your head start hearing a little voice talking about the rope or the pills or the gun. With me it never goes any farther than that, but traditionally between now and the end of February are pretty bleak times here in Latteland. Dark when you go to work, dark when you get home and rain in between.
Molly, the Shi-Tzu is back at the Vets today. She stopped drinking and peeing, and she looked so miserable. Sure hope she is OK. Mrs A was in tears when I went to work. She dropped Molly off at the vet on her way to work. She was worried about paying the Vet, but I told her that we have a bunch of money we had been saving for a trip, so I told her to go ahead and tap in to that. I hate to give up out trip to China, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Molly, the Shi-Tzu is back at the Vets today. She stopped drinking and peeing, and she looked so miserable. Sure hope she is OK. Mrs A was in tears when I went to work. She dropped Molly off at the vet on her way to work. She was worried about paying the Vet, but I told her that we have a bunch of money we had been saving for a trip, so I told her to go ahead and tap in to that. I hate to give up out trip to China, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Down Day
By down day, I don't mean that I am depressed or anything, it means that there is no airplane in my flow day on the 737 line. It is planned that way. It is a chance to get caught up on projects, for the mechanics to renew their certifications, do maintenance on the tools, etc. It is usually a slow day, which we can use. Shipside support is like working on your car when it is doing 60 MPH down the freeway.
So I came in expecting a laid-back kind of day. WRONG!!! Plenty of problems left over from yesterdays bird, and some new items. For instance, the customer saw walking through the factory, and glanced up at the winglets, and there was a logo on the outer surface of the winglet. The winglet is supposed to be painted blue on the outer surface, logo on the inside.
Since the problem was discovered in my flow day, I have to work it. We don't have anything to do with winglets. So I have to run the traplines to figure out where to send the Customer Pick-up. Oh well, it will keep me out of trouble, I guess.
Our shi-tzu, Molly is still not well. She has been vomiting up bile for the last week. We took her to the Vet, and they ran tests and couldn't find anything conclusive. Mrs Alstuff is reaching the end of her tether and about to go into full mama grizzly bear, I don't give a damn what excuses you have, just fix it mode.
So I came in expecting a laid-back kind of day. WRONG!!! Plenty of problems left over from yesterdays bird, and some new items. For instance, the customer saw walking through the factory, and glanced up at the winglets, and there was a logo on the outer surface of the winglet. The winglet is supposed to be painted blue on the outer surface, logo on the inside.
Since the problem was discovered in my flow day, I have to work it. We don't have anything to do with winglets. So I have to run the traplines to figure out where to send the Customer Pick-up. Oh well, it will keep me out of trouble, I guess.
Our shi-tzu, Molly is still not well. She has been vomiting up bile for the last week. We took her to the Vet, and they ran tests and couldn't find anything conclusive. Mrs Alstuff is reaching the end of her tether and about to go into full mama grizzly bear, I don't give a damn what excuses you have, just fix it mode.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Pearl Django
So this weekend I took Mrs. Alstuff's sister out to dinner and a show at Jazz Alley. Pearl Django was playing (http://www.pearldjango.com/). If you like Gypsy Jazz, it was great. Since it is pretty much all guitars, and I play guitar, I was in FingerPicking Heaven. The Mrs and her sister, while they recognized the level of skill required, were not as enthused as I was. Oh well, different strokes, and all that.
We got a progress report for V., as he is failing language Arts, which is inexcusable since he is in the 8th grade and reads at a college level. So once again I am forced to curtail his computer usage, all because the little #$%^ doesn't turn in his homework. He is going to be on restriction until he raises his grade. No more going off with his dad for the weekend or anything. I hate being a hardass, but if that's what it takes........
We got a progress report for V., as he is failing language Arts, which is inexcusable since he is in the 8th grade and reads at a college level. So once again I am forced to curtail his computer usage, all because the little #$%^ doesn't turn in his homework. He is going to be on restriction until he raises his grade. No more going off with his dad for the weekend or anything. I hate being a hardass, but if that's what it takes........
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Happy New Year
As usual, I am a bit late getting to this, but I've been busy. For New Years Eve, we went with the band (Morning Light) to Bremerton for a show. There were five bands of differing talent, but none stank, and the last band was really good. Of course Morning Light rocked the house, but The Listening was this Pink Floyd style band . Sounded like them, played like early Pink Floyd (Dark side of the Moon), and had a computer controlled light show complete with strobes. I felt like I should have smoked something, although that would be a little out of bounds at a Christian Rock festival. It was a lot of fun.
We got to babysit Kaiden for the first time on Monday. It was the first time he had been away from mom, so the first half an hour was pretty rough. He just stood there in the middle of the floor and cries, so we let him. After a little while he realized no one was paying attention, so he stopped, and things went pretty good after that. He finally crashed for a while, and he was pretty good until Mrs Alstuff had to go down to get the clothes out of the dryer. When he realized he was alone with Grampa, he let out a shriek and wouldn't stop until Mrs Alstuff came back. Kinda humiliating.
We got to babysit Kaiden for the first time on Monday. It was the first time he had been away from mom, so the first half an hour was pretty rough. He just stood there in the middle of the floor and cries, so we let him. After a little while he realized no one was paying attention, so he stopped, and things went pretty good after that. He finally crashed for a while, and he was pretty good until Mrs Alstuff had to go down to get the clothes out of the dryer. When he realized he was alone with Grampa, he let out a shriek and wouldn't stop until Mrs Alstuff came back. Kinda humiliating.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas
We had a very nice Cristmas Eve. The family converged on my sister Katie's house this year for celebration and the gift exchange. We met over there at 2:00 in the afternoon, and of course all the males insisted that the Seahawks game be on, although it wasn't a very exciting game. The Colts were resting Payton Manning, and some of their other players in anticipation of the playoffs, So the Hawks won pretty easily. Then we came back home and Lyk and Lisa and the kids came up and spent the night, and Rose and her boyfriend came over. Everybody had a great time.
I have the rest of the year off, so my project is to get the truck that I got for free running, but since Mrs. Alstuff has tomorrow off, we will probably go see "The Cronicles of Narnia". I read the books to my kids when they were growing up, and the movie looks like it will be good.
So Merry Christmas to the World, Peace on Earth and all that stuff.
I have the rest of the year off, so my project is to get the truck that I got for free running, but since Mrs. Alstuff has tomorrow off, we will probably go see "The Cronicles of Narnia". I read the books to my kids when they were growing up, and the movie looks like it will be good.
So Merry Christmas to the World, Peace on Earth and all that stuff.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Updates
So it is the middle of December, and we are plugging along, but just barely. Stuff keeps happening. The other day I took some Campbells Chunky Soup in the microwaveable container to work. On the label it warns that uneven cooking can cause popping noises and a small amount of spillage. About a minute and a half into the two minute cooking time, it didn't just pop, it jumped four inches in the air, blew the top off of the container, and spewed soup all over the inside of the microwave. Not only did I end up without a lunch, I had to spend my lunch time cleaning the #$%^& microwave. I wrote Campbells and they sent me six bucks worth of coupons. Hardly an apology and compensation.
Then stepdaughter calls, and the starter has gone out of the Nissan Maxima I gave her. So down to Tacoma I go. The new starter was $169.95 plus tax. I also got a new headlight, so the tab was almost $200.00. Hell, I only paid $250.00 for the whole car. They were offered $1,500.00 cash for the car, so it is worth the cost of a new starter. As we put of in I heard her boyfriend yelp and heard a zap. When we got the starter in, it would not turn over. After a frustrating 20 minutes trying to figure out what had happened, I pulled out the fuse panel, and the fuse to the starter button was toasted. I thought Nyk had shorted out between the battery cable and the frame, but he had shorted out between power and the starter button. Put in a fuse, and everything worked fine.
I got a call later that night that after running some errands, they had gone to the Laundromat and when they started, the starter wouldn't disengage. Even turning the key off wouldn't turn it off, so that means that the armature was stuck. They eventually pulled off the battery cable, but the starter was fried. I told them to take the starter back and tell them it was defective. They put in the new starter, but they have burned up some of the wiring, so they have to short between the battery cable and the solenoid with a screwdriver to start it.
Mrs. Alstuff just came in and told me that Stepdaughter is in the hospital. She just had a miscarriage. We only found out she was PG last weekend. This is two miscarriages and one stillborn from unknown causes. Gotta be hard. It is something I have never had to go through, although I was in the room when they delivered the stillborn baby, and held him in my arms, and held a crying wife as she cursed fate. Tough stuff.
I am listening to Keiko Matsui's "Deep Blue". Wonderful jazz piano.
Better go, I have been interrupted three times in the last five minutes. Think they are trying to send me a message?
Then stepdaughter calls, and the starter has gone out of the Nissan Maxima I gave her. So down to Tacoma I go. The new starter was $169.95 plus tax. I also got a new headlight, so the tab was almost $200.00. Hell, I only paid $250.00 for the whole car. They were offered $1,500.00 cash for the car, so it is worth the cost of a new starter. As we put of in I heard her boyfriend yelp and heard a zap. When we got the starter in, it would not turn over. After a frustrating 20 minutes trying to figure out what had happened, I pulled out the fuse panel, and the fuse to the starter button was toasted. I thought Nyk had shorted out between the battery cable and the frame, but he had shorted out between power and the starter button. Put in a fuse, and everything worked fine.
I got a call later that night that after running some errands, they had gone to the Laundromat and when they started, the starter wouldn't disengage. Even turning the key off wouldn't turn it off, so that means that the armature was stuck. They eventually pulled off the battery cable, but the starter was fried. I told them to take the starter back and tell them it was defective. They put in the new starter, but they have burned up some of the wiring, so they have to short between the battery cable and the solenoid with a screwdriver to start it.
Mrs. Alstuff just came in and told me that Stepdaughter is in the hospital. She just had a miscarriage. We only found out she was PG last weekend. This is two miscarriages and one stillborn from unknown causes. Gotta be hard. It is something I have never had to go through, although I was in the room when they delivered the stillborn baby, and held him in my arms, and held a crying wife as she cursed fate. Tough stuff.
I am listening to Keiko Matsui's "Deep Blue". Wonderful jazz piano.
Better go, I have been interrupted three times in the last five minutes. Think they are trying to send me a message?
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
MEMEME
Stolen from The Peanut Queen
1. Name 3 people that you miss that you haven't seen in a long time.
My two sisters who live in Minnesota. They haven't been here for Christmas for a quite a few years. It would be nice to have the whole family together.
2. Name 3 things you miss about home during the holidays.
Winter. Idaho had winter, Seattle doesn't. Here we have the warm rainy season and the cold rainy season.
.3. Name 1 holiday memory that you have from childhood that you will never forget.
The year when my brother and I got bikes for Christmas. Sure, they were used, but no one could have happier.
4. Name at least one favorite book or movie that always reminds you of the holidays.
When we were growing up, I always read DR. Seus to my little sisters. I loved the word play and illiteration. I was the only one in the family that could wrap my tongue around all that fun without stumbling, so The Grinch always reminds me of those times.
5. Name your top 3 favorite holiday songs that get you in the mood to celebrate.
Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song", Bing's "White Christmas", and "Jingle Bell Rock"
6. If you could go anywhere other than home for the holidays, where would you choose to go and who would you want to bring along?
Actually Carol and I were just looking into a trip to China at Christmas time. It would be awesome if the two of us could get away for a couple of weeks. I want to see the Forbidden City, walk the Great Wall.
7. The Grinch or Rudolph? Definitely The Grinch, for reasons mentioned above
8. Formal holiday dinner or casual get-together food? Since there are around 25 immediate members in my family and another 15 in Carols, the only way to go is casual, otherwise we would both be frazzled out of our minds, and there would be no time to visit.
9. Name the best holiday gift you ever received and why?
You've seen "A Christmas Story" where Ralphie gets the Red Ryder BB gun? That could have been me, except for the having my mouth washed out with soap.
10. Describe the funniest holiday moment you've ever had. My little brother, Bill wasa always the one to tell an amusing story when we were together. SOme of them were even probably even true. I remember hin telling This story: Bill owned a 1959 Triumph TR3, which we both spent a lot of time working on. When it was together it was a lot of fun. One of his friends' wife loved that car, and every time he went to visit he had to take her for a spin. One fall day he got over to their house after dark, and took her for a spin to Golden Gardens Park. WHen they came around the corner into the parking lot, they noticed a small light that was travelling back and forth in the middle of the parking lot. They pulled up close and got out of the car. It was a mouse, running around in a circle, and the light was the headlights reflected from his eyes. They stood there mesmerized, watching this mouse run around and around in a circle. He says that he has no idea how long they stood there watching the mouse. He put out his foot and stopped the mouse, and it stopped, but when he removed his foot, it kept right on going. Eventually when he stopped it, it shook it's head and seemed to come to it's senses, and ran off into the night. He and the lady got back into the car and he drove her home. His friend was furious. "Do you know how long you have been gone?" Bill figures his friend never believed him. I found the story highly amusing, especially the way he told it. And of course I'd had a couple of Hot buttered Rums. I was never sure if it was true.
A couple of years ago I was going to work at zero dark thirty, taking a path through the ornamental shrubbery here at the "Lazy B", when I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye.
It was a mouse.
He was running around and around in a circle. Every once in a while he would stop and roll over, then go back to running in a circle.
11. Name a holiday memory that truly warmed your heart.
When I was stationed overseas, one of the places I worked part of the time was Camp Mercy, which was a home for retarded kids. Most of them were abandoned. We got together and donated a bunch of cheap gifts to the kids, delivered them and sang some Christmas Carols. Those kids were thrilled. It was like we had given them the most wonerful things. None of them was disappointed or jealouse. I thought we all could learn a lesson from these kids about being happy with what you get.
12. Name your top 3 favorite TV specials that frequent the airwaves during the holiday season.
The Grinch, It's a wonderful life, and A Christmas Story.
13. Sledding, snowball fight, snow angels or building a snowman?
None of the above. Snowmobiling rules!
14. Eggnog, hot chocolate or hot cider
I suppose hot chocolate, but I'd really prefer a hot buttered Rum!
16. Favorite holiday cookie: They are all equally bad for me, since I am diabetic. So which ones will I cheat with? Buckeyes! My sister-in-law is from Ohio, where they are like the state official cookie or something. Peanut butter and chocolate, kinda like a round Resse's peanut butter cup.
Stolen from The Peanut Queen
1. Name 3 people that you miss that you haven't seen in a long time.
My two sisters who live in Minnesota. They haven't been here for Christmas for a quite a few years. It would be nice to have the whole family together.
2. Name 3 things you miss about home during the holidays.
Winter. Idaho had winter, Seattle doesn't. Here we have the warm rainy season and the cold rainy season.
.3. Name 1 holiday memory that you have from childhood that you will never forget.
The year when my brother and I got bikes for Christmas. Sure, they were used, but no one could have happier.
4. Name at least one favorite book or movie that always reminds you of the holidays.
When we were growing up, I always read DR. Seus to my little sisters. I loved the word play and illiteration. I was the only one in the family that could wrap my tongue around all that fun without stumbling, so The Grinch always reminds me of those times.
5. Name your top 3 favorite holiday songs that get you in the mood to celebrate.
Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song", Bing's "White Christmas", and "Jingle Bell Rock"
6. If you could go anywhere other than home for the holidays, where would you choose to go and who would you want to bring along?
Actually Carol and I were just looking into a trip to China at Christmas time. It would be awesome if the two of us could get away for a couple of weeks. I want to see the Forbidden City, walk the Great Wall.
7. The Grinch or Rudolph? Definitely The Grinch, for reasons mentioned above
8. Formal holiday dinner or casual get-together food? Since there are around 25 immediate members in my family and another 15 in Carols, the only way to go is casual, otherwise we would both be frazzled out of our minds, and there would be no time to visit.
9. Name the best holiday gift you ever received and why?
You've seen "A Christmas Story" where Ralphie gets the Red Ryder BB gun? That could have been me, except for the having my mouth washed out with soap.
10. Describe the funniest holiday moment you've ever had. My little brother, Bill wasa always the one to tell an amusing story when we were together. SOme of them were even probably even true. I remember hin telling This story: Bill owned a 1959 Triumph TR3, which we both spent a lot of time working on. When it was together it was a lot of fun. One of his friends' wife loved that car, and every time he went to visit he had to take her for a spin. One fall day he got over to their house after dark, and took her for a spin to Golden Gardens Park. WHen they came around the corner into the parking lot, they noticed a small light that was travelling back and forth in the middle of the parking lot. They pulled up close and got out of the car. It was a mouse, running around in a circle, and the light was the headlights reflected from his eyes. They stood there mesmerized, watching this mouse run around and around in a circle. He says that he has no idea how long they stood there watching the mouse. He put out his foot and stopped the mouse, and it stopped, but when he removed his foot, it kept right on going. Eventually when he stopped it, it shook it's head and seemed to come to it's senses, and ran off into the night. He and the lady got back into the car and he drove her home. His friend was furious. "Do you know how long you have been gone?" Bill figures his friend never believed him. I found the story highly amusing, especially the way he told it. And of course I'd had a couple of Hot buttered Rums. I was never sure if it was true.
A couple of years ago I was going to work at zero dark thirty, taking a path through the ornamental shrubbery here at the "Lazy B", when I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye.
It was a mouse.
He was running around and around in a circle. Every once in a while he would stop and roll over, then go back to running in a circle.
11. Name a holiday memory that truly warmed your heart.
When I was stationed overseas, one of the places I worked part of the time was Camp Mercy, which was a home for retarded kids. Most of them were abandoned. We got together and donated a bunch of cheap gifts to the kids, delivered them and sang some Christmas Carols. Those kids were thrilled. It was like we had given them the most wonerful things. None of them was disappointed or jealouse. I thought we all could learn a lesson from these kids about being happy with what you get.
12. Name your top 3 favorite TV specials that frequent the airwaves during the holiday season.
The Grinch, It's a wonderful life, and A Christmas Story.
13. Sledding, snowball fight, snow angels or building a snowman?
None of the above. Snowmobiling rules!
14. Eggnog, hot chocolate or hot cider
I suppose hot chocolate, but I'd really prefer a hot buttered Rum!
16. Favorite holiday cookie: They are all equally bad for me, since I am diabetic. So which ones will I cheat with? Buckeyes! My sister-in-law is from Ohio, where they are like the state official cookie or something. Peanut butter and chocolate, kinda like a round Resse's peanut butter cup.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Newstuff
So I've been away a while. So sue me.
Don't get me started. I dare you.
Daughter DUI
Other daughter PLEEZE give ne $200 or we will freeze to death.
Sonand wife "We reallycan't take care of my son butWHY are you insisting he go to church?"
As Blake suggests, everything falls apart, but I suggest that only those that hang together provide for the structure that makes things possible.
Don't get me started. I dare you.
Daughter DUI
Other daughter PLEEZE give ne $200 or we will freeze to death.
Sonand wife "We reallycan't take care of my son butWHY are you insisting he go to church?"
As Blake suggests, everything falls apart, but I suggest that only those that hang together provide for the structure that makes things possible.
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