Of Course It'll Never Happen Here

You want Government controlled "Free" Health Care? Let's take a gander across the pond and see what the British are doing to keep costs down.

Don't treat the old and unhealthy, say doctors

By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:09am GMT 28/01/2008

Doctors are calling for NHS treatment to be withheld from patients who are too old or who lead unhealthy lives.

Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone.

Doing something the government doesn't approve of like be overweight, or G-d forbid, get old, don't bother going to the hospital, cause your on their no fly list.

About one in 10 hospitals already deny some surgery to obese patients and smokers, with restrictions most common in hospitals battling debt.

How can they be in debt? Isn't this health care FREE? Silly me, I always thought that free meant there was no cost involved...BUT...you have to remember that the British citizen pays incredibly steep taxes, so now the gov't has taken your money and turned around and decided that they just aren't going to spend your money on you.

They are are free to pay to have the operation...BUT...they've already paid for the operation once through their taxes and now they get to pay for it again.

Among the survey of 870 family and hospital doctors, almost 60 per cent said the NHS could not provide full healthcare to everyone and that some individuals should pay for services. [emphasis- mine]

Maybe this is part of their problem. Doctors, who should be fairly highly educated, believe that the care is given for free. Where the hell do they think the money for their salaries, supplies and equipment come from? Bloody idiots!

Gordon Brown promised this month that a new NHS constitution would set out people's "responsibilities" as well as their rights, a move interpreted as meaning restric­tions on patients who bring health problems on themselves. The only sanction threatened so far, however, is to send patients to the bottom of the waiting list if they miss appointments.

The survey found that medical professionals wanted to go much further in denying care to patients who do not look after their bodies.

I know, right now they are talking about smoking, drinking, obesity...and getting old, but what happens when they start deciding your diet may have led in part to your problem. Maybe you were 5 miles/hour (8.046 719 999 995 kilometer/hour)when you had the accident with that lorry. If you hadn't been speeding, perhaps you wouldn't have crashed, you're responsible, we're short of funds this month..."No health care for you!!" /Soup Nazi

Responding to the survey's findings on the treatment of the elderly, Dr Calland, of the BMA, said: "If a patient of 90 needs a hip operation they should get one. Yes, they might peg out any time, but it's not our job to play God."

There is some sanity remaining there, but remember, in the end, the government controls the purse strings.

As a bonus feture today, I will include a couple of stories from our cousins in the Great White North:



And because I'm in a generous mood, another article on British Health care:
British Flee Socialized Health Care To Get Good Care Elsewhere

Military = Porn

Yes, I am going to question their patriotism!

Berkeley wants to treat military recruitment offices like porn shops

What is it about this place? The only country in the world that will put up with their shit...only because our MILITARY stands tall to protect their right to pull off this kind of anti-American BS, and let the city still stand.

I'll tell you what, L.A. can give up some of it's import/export shipping to San Fransisco and Oakland, we'll expand our Navy facilities. Then you won't have to be offended by their presence.

Just don't be surprised when all gov't assistance for natural or "other" occurrences has to be routed through Hawaii...if that socialist hellhole hasn't closed Pearl.

The S. Carolina Primary

Gotta love it.

Obama 55%

Clinton 27%

Oh yeah, that other guy 18%

Bet there were some ashtrays flying around Shillary's HQ last night and Bill's hied is butt down to Floriduh pronto to do some campaigning fund raising and get out of range.

Bill's contribution to the The Great Cankled Ones ® race has backfired on them time and again. Not only has his hits on Obama been seen as what they are, racist, but he comes out diminished. He is an ex-president and suppose to be an elder statesman and only tangentially involved in the election. For him to come out and heap glowing praise on his wife would be understandable, but for him to be the attack dog, dropping little innuendos, not to mention outright lies about their opponent makes him look like the political hack I've known him to be since he took office.

That the PC crap has jumped up and bit the Dems in the butt is giving me unfathomable pleasure. If Shillery attacks Obama, it's racist, if Obama attacks Shillery, he's picking on a girl. Mwahahah!!!

The Clintoon camp is scared. They're scrambling for any delegate they can get, hence: Clintons try to change delegate rules; lefties outraged.
Via Michelle Malkin

Having “won” a considerable number of delegates solely because no one else contested the races, all of a sudden she is struck by the manifest unfairness of not seating the delegates — and just in time for a) a bounce in the Florida poll for sticking up for them, and b) Obama to have no chance to contest the Florida race!

Not to mention, but I will: Is the right right on the Clintons?
From the L.A. Slimes

But the conservatives might have had a point about the Clintons' character. Bill's affair with Monica Lewinsky jeopardized the whole progressive project for momentary pleasure. The Clintons gleefully triangulated the Democrats in Congress to boost his approval rating. They do seem to have a feeling of entitlement to power.

[emphasis mine]


This could be fun going into Super Tuesday.
Are the two camps gooing to play nice, or pull out the knives?

Sign Of Things To Come?

Now that there's just funny!
Found at Michelle Malkin's site.

Is Fred Dead?

Most likely.

It all seems to have gone so wrong at every step. I understood his waiting to announce, but then he did...and nothing. It was around a month later that anything about his campaign started to leak out, even I was starting to wonder if he was really running.

I knew his positions and was ready to jump on, but word never got out. Combination of him not pushing hard enough at the git go, the MSM ignoring him...both...we'll never know.

He would make a great Veep, the guy that can go out as the surrogate for the President and state clearly what our positions are and I believe whoever he was giving the message to would believe what he was being told.

However, word is he's not interested in being VP.

He may run for Governor of Tennessee in 2010. Their gain, our loss.

Depending on how the outlook here in Kalifornia shapes up over the next 10 days for the GOP, if someone I can live with has a huge lead, I may still vote for Fred (he's on the ballot) just to point out my disappointment with the ones left in the race.

If it's close between Romney and McCain, I'll vote Romney. If either of them have a certifiably safe margin, I'll stick in my protest vote.

If McCain could convince Thompson to be VP, I think I could vote for that, it would be a sign that McCain has a clue, and I have my doubts that McCain could physically run for a second term and if things started to get back in order, we could have another 8 years with Fred.

But I dream.

It Never Rains Here

Great Googilly Moogilly, it is raining like a mutha out here. I can't remember the last time it rained this hard for this long. Normally I don't mind driving in the rain, but coming home this morning was the second most scariest drive I've had in the last twenty years.

The scariest was driving from Flagstaff Az. to Phoenix in a monsoon where it was like someone had aimed a fire hose at my windshield and you have to guess whether to keep your speed and pray the car (somewhere)in front of you keeps their speed, or slow down and pray the car (somewhere)behind you slows down too.

This morning was the second, only because I got off at 5 A.M. and traffic was really light. Hitting that lake on the freeway in the dark didn't help. I drive a F-150 Supercab long bed P/U, a vehicle that is not known for it's ability to handle hydroplaning with ease. As those of you who have driven P/U's know, with the lack of weight over the rear end, anything that happens usually will cause your ass end to try to get in front. I had the same problem with my '65 Mustang (the lift kit didn't help). Luckily I was only going 55 and no one was close so I just let the truck coast through it without major corrections and she stayed pretty straight, so it just had a pucker factor of 6 out of 10.

The rest of the drive home was low speed and only minor harrowing, although the wife started calling my cell to have me pick up something on the way home. On a good day with no traffic and on cruise control I may answer the phone, today I took the phone as tossed it in the passenger seat so the vibrate wouldn't distract me.

Surprisingly, work wasn't bad. Even though it rained hard most of the night, the site was able to keep up with the extra water, so I was wet and cold most of the shift, at least I wasn't having to come up with "innovative" ways to dispose of the rain water.

Our satellite dish was another matter. Every time the rain would start pouring, I lost the damn signal. I missed the end of two programs due to losing contact with the satellite. I wouldn't mind if it happened during the middle of the program, as I miss a lot of those normally on a shift. With TV now-a-days, if you get the beginning a bit of the middle and the end, you can fill in the pieces, but to see most of an hour program and miss the last ten minutes...you've missed the whole program.

Luckily I've got cable at home, so as I write, I can watch the program again and get the answer to why all that crap happened.

I ain't leaving the house till this quits or I have to go back to work tonight.

Just Got Back From OZ

I haven't been around a while, not that too many are going to notice. I'm on day shift and that is backwards from what I'm comfortable with, so I've been cranky and tired. I did write a looong post a few days ago and I was in a really foul mood about work and life. I was about 7/8ths of the way through a total pityfest, when I got on the phone with my Mom and brother, who I hadn't talked to in three weeks.

Seems my Mom decided to sign up with Vonage for the phone, but being she's not the most techno savvy person, didn't realize you have to have a broadband line (or any computer line) to get the service. Vonage transfered her phone number to their service, so they had no phone at all.

When I got off the phone with them, my anger at life had dissipated, so that post is sitting in drafts, probably never to be published.

The reference to OZ in today's title goes back to about four days ago, the Santa Ana (actually Santana or devil)winds came blowing through my valley. Gust of 60 to 70+ mph, enough that even though I've have pretty good weather striping on my front door, it whistles like crazy. I was lucky this year, it usually peels the rolled roofing off the flat part of my garage during one of these wind storms, to bad my neighbors down the street weren't so lucky.



Typically, these people had just gutted, renovated and added to their house less than 2 years ago. It was an almost two year project.

HT to my boy for letting me borrow his digital camera for the pic.

Outside The Box

I know it's an overused expression, but this is taking one unrelated thing and applying the principle to something else. To go from the Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster to thinking how to harness that energy and produce inexpensive power is mind boggling.

Third World Power: First Look

Aeroelastic Flutter, the power source of the near future? No blades to take out migrating birds like the current wind generators. Looks like you could stack a few, so a small footprint. Simple design, so basic maintenance could be done easily.

If I had any money, I'd find out what company is working to develope this and invest.

Open Primaries

This is why I am vehemently opposed to Open Primaries:

Kos advocates election mischief in Michigan
By Michelle Malkin • January 11, 2008 12:08 PM

Markos Moulitsas, mainstream Newsweek columnist, tells his minions at the Daily Kos to muck up the Michigan primary: “Let’s have some fun in Michigan.”

...we want Romney in, because the more Republican candidates we have fighting it out, trashing each other with negative ads and spending tons of money, the better it is for us. We want Mitt to stay in the race, and to do that, we need him to win in Michigan.

They tried to foist Open Primaries on the people her in Kalifornia back in '96. Thankfully the U.S. Supreme Court shot it down because it violated a political party's First Amendment right of association.

We're still stuck with a "Modified Closed Primary System" where if you are registered as unaffiliated ("decline to state") you can request a party ballot, otherwise you get a nonpartisan ballot, containing only the names of all candidates for nonpartisan offices and measures to be voted upon at the primary election.

Living on the LEFT coast, I saw nothing but disaster with an Open Primary. The Dems have to much of a lock here, so for them to cross over and vote for the worst Republican candidate wouldn't be to much of a gamble. All they do is dilute my vote.

If you want to vote for a Republican candidate, re-register, it isn't hard. If you like someone so much to vote against your party, maybe you're in the wrong party.

Thursday?

Damn, where'd the days go?

Since before Christmas most of my work days have been 12 hours +, and I'm just tired. Get off work, go home, eat something, go to bed, get up and go back to work. The damn dogs have starting to bark at me when I come home and I have to convince them I really do live here.

Two guys used vacation time back-to-back and then, when I thought life would return to normal, our Foreman decided to show us he can still do the work and slips and wrenches his knee. Now, he'll be off for over a week.

When I managed my old company I use to do 16 hour days, seven days a week and didn't think much about it (for the first two years). Same problem now, the boss(es) shuffled any of our positive income into some other part of the company and then when things go wrong with us, there's no money to fix our problem. Back then it was a challenge because I believed if I worked harder and longer, I could pull us through. I was younger then.

Now...I'm just an Operator, I want the company to make money, but I keep getting more responsibility dumped on me to fix problems, jury rig this, scavenge that...just don't spend any money...especially on what needs to be dealt with.

Some who know me, know my home life is not ideal right now, so with work, I'm living 24 hours of hell, but enough of this pity post!

I think my next post will be the promised follow up on one of my pets. I know you'll love to hear how I got my cat Tessa.

Good Times

Aah, the Sixties. I know that it's one of those times that people really love or hate. Myself, I have to love it. Being the Sixties really didn't start till about half way through the decade and kinda bleed into the first few years of the '70's, these were my Jr. and Sr. High School years.

I was never a hippie, hell my hairs longer now than at any time during that period. I grew up just on the tail end of what was happening, always a year or two behind the curve. This put me in a position to see what was going on, but I never got caught up in any of it. I got to hear the ideals of my generation, which sounded great, but I also got to see what happened when these ideals were put into practice. Human nature and reality have this nasty habit of getting in the way of Utopia.

I watched a lot of people screw up their lives pretty bad back then. Some recovered, some didn't, and some are still going along.

Why this nostalgia? I'm off work (long change)and it's raining like hell, so I'm not going outside. That's left a lot of time to sleep, which I did, and I found myself wide awake at 3:30 this morning. There wasn't much on TV until a Paul McCartney concert came on. Every song brought back a memory, most of them pretty good. It made me think back to my first concert, 1968, Hollywood Bowl. It wasn't the Beatles, they'd quit touring by then, but I had worked my Aunt and Uncle's little truck farm up outside of Eureka over the summer and had earned a little cash, so I bought a really cool fringed leather vest, a shocking pink striped shirt, yellow bell bottoms and had enough left over for the $5.50 ticket to see Iron Butterfly.

This is the line up I got to see (in order of there appearance):
John Mayall, I knew of him, but wasn't really into his music at the time.



Lee Michaels, I knew nothing of him before the concert, but I think this was actually my favorite part. This was real Power Rock, just a Hammond B3 organ and a drummer...really loud. Because it was so new, unexpected and overpowering it really hit me.



Then the headliner: Iron Butterfly. Of course I love them. The video here is a Top 40's version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (if it's over 2 1/2 minutes, no radio play)and the Iron Butterfly Theme.



Would I want to go back? No. There were plenty of rough and scary things happening then, and I remember them as well as the good times. They were what they were and the 60's came and went as all periods do.

2008

No...That's not me. I had a very sedate New Years. I was up and actually saw the second hand sweep across midnight, but I was at work. I spent the moment inside the office (with a metal roof) so as to avoid any idiot firing his gun in celebration and starting my year off badly.

For the fifth year I've had to cover Christmas Day (12 hour shift this year)and graveyard shift for New Years. Christmas sucks, but New Years I don't mind. Prior to this job, I don't think I stayed up for midnight for over 5 years.

New Years, an arbitrary point in time that designates another cycle around the sun and means that in another few months I'm designated another year older. It seems there are too many of these points going by and at too fast of a rate now-a-days.

To all my friends here I wish you a Happy New Year. May this year be one you will look back on fondly.

Why I Won't Put Political Sticker On My Car

I live in SoCal, have all my life, but I wouldn't put a bumper sticker or anything on my vehicle stating my political views because I know it would bring "retribution." I'm one of those few that live here that believe in the conservative agenda, and that cannot be allowed.

I drive through Los Angeles daily. I see Clinton, Kerry and Gore stickers constantly. I may think they are fools, but to do any damage to their cars, doesn't cross my mind.

Then you read about something like this: Anti-Military Lawyer Damages Marine's Car on Eve of Deployment


What is it about the liberal ideology that makes it alright to destroy property because someone has "perceived" (OMG, he had a Marine plate, he deserves at least a keying of his car) different leanings?

I saw this mind set with the Watts riots, the complaint against the police gave them the right to loot and burn down the local supermarkets. That led to over 30 years of no supermarkets in Watts. Worked out good for those families that had to ride a bus for 10 miles to get to a grocery store before the majors would risk the investment again.

I Think My Spleen Is Gonna Burst!

I mentioned below that I was pissed at my job. Well, it's the end of the year, so I'm going to rant a little about my work environment.

The company I work for hasn't generated positive income for over a year. This was due to lack of basic maintenance that started long before I arrived four years ago. I've seen records of things that are "required" bi-annually that haven't been done in 19 years. The "foreman" will not give true answers to the owner about why things won't work right, and the Operators (I'm one of them) get blamed for the shortfall.

As to the Operators, literally half of them do not understand the principles of the system (There are only four Operators). The concept of the gas has to go through these lines and fluid though through the others, even though they will meet up again farther down the line, is beyond them.

We have no set of tools at work, some, but never what you need. When I first started here, I would bring my personal tools in to do a project, but when I'd get them back broken, or see someone using a screwdriver for a chisel and then shatter the handle with a hammer and try to tell me "It must have been a cheapo", that ended that.

The reason I'm so PO'd right at the moment...I'm working graveyard, it's a babysitting shift, keep things balanced and handle the unexpected. I'm not there, but I would be willing to bet that some people sleep through most of this rotation (seems like it when you relieve them). I don't!, I'm at work, and I'm getting paid a shift differential to be there. We do have basic satellite TV, but unless you're really into "Paid Programing" there isn't much on that is stimulating.

The "foreman" pulled the modem for the internet over this "weekend" (6 days with the holiday). I use reading the Rott and other sites as a way to keep track of time. Two or three articles, it's been about 30 minutes, time to make rounds again.

The pulling of the modem only happens when I'm on graveyard. This is the third time he's done this. There is no discussion of anything I've failed to live up to or anything, it just seems to be a power play against me. The latest, I would guess, is because I was going to hook up a piece of equipment over the Christmas Holidays and we didn't have a 1/2" to 1/4" bushing to finish the job. I wasn't going to have a $1.59 fitting delivered on the Christmas weekend, and we've scavenged everything in the yard (I looked for two days). It was so important that it still isn't done.

While I'm not anything close to a hacker, I do know more than most about how computers work. I can track most peoples use of the internet on a machine through histories and archived "temporary" internet files...I know where you've been and how long you were there.

If anyone in Texas, Oklahoma or there abouts has a job open, I'm looking.

Blah

I'm been in a melancholy funk for the last few days. I can't work up enthusiasm to do much of anything and if it wasn't for work (which I'm completely pissed at right now) I don't think I'd get up and move at all.

It may just from last week getting up and going to work in the dark and then getting off work in the dark. Well that, on top of all the other glorious things going on in my life.

Sometime when I was sleeping, the TV must have run one of those infomercials for songs from the sixties, because I've had these two running through my head constantly.


It does seem that if I get afflicted with these "ghost songs" and I find them on YouTube, post them and listen to them a couple of times, they go away. I hope it works this time, because I would rather not go into the New Year in this state of mind.

It's Christmas!

To all who drop by here, I wish you a very "Merry Christmas!"

My holiday spirit has been subdued this year due to looong work hours and family "things".

The joy that I have found in this time comes from my belief in the real reason for this celebration. It's not the gifts or the gathering of clans that occur, though important, they are not the true meaning to me, merely a ritual used to make an observance of the day.

I truly believe that on this "designated" day a boy was born that would lead us on the path to what is right, and he would give up his mortal life to show us the way.

To all my friends in the Rottie Empire, throughout the blog-o-sphere, and particularly BisW, Sig, GuyK, Rightwingprof, Pychochick, BC, JB and all of you that are to numerous to name, I can only wish you the joy of the season.

I love you all.

Christmas Meme

I knew if I hung around these sites long enough, it was going to happen. It was my good friend BlackisWhite finally nailed me.

There are rule, and I will try my hardest to comply with them (you'll see I've already complied with rule #1)

1) Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Done

(These are the rules).

2) Share Christmas facts about yourself. While not coming from a overly religious family, as I've gotten older, I've become more religious about the meaning of the season.

3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. I don't know 7 people

4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. If they're really my friends they'll come by and read this exciting post and know they've been tagged.

Here goes:

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Wrapping...and tear the hell out of it opening it up. I was frugally raised to...I'm not sure what. The carefully opened and saved paper wasn't used next year, but my Grandparents and my Dad went through bad times in the Depression and even though they could afford it when I was a kid, I guess trashing anything that could be useful went against their nature. I respect their take on it. I think it taught me about deprivation, whichmy parents had done everything in their power to make sure I didn't face

2. Real or artificial tree? REAL!!! My Mom dictated an aluminum tree with blue and green ornaments (matching blue and green Christmas lights outside) for about 4 years. We finally got an artificial green tree after that, since I moved out...It's real or why bother.

3. When do you put up the tree? Two weeks before Christmas

4. When do you take the tree down? First day off of work after "New Year".


5. Do you like eggnog? Love it, only problem is that I'm (mildly) lactose intolerant, I'll be dying for the next 36 hours.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A toy Civil War cannon

7. Do you have a nativity scene? A couple

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I had to come back to this one...if they made the effort, I'll take it in the spirit given.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? CARDS

10. Favorite Christmas movie? Three way tie, "A Christmas Story", "A Christmas Carol" (with Alistair Sims) and "It's a Wonderful Life".

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Last second. The selves are half empty, so there are fewer choices and less to worry over getting this or that.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ham!! Preferably store bought Honey Baked with that spiral cut.

13. Clear lights or colored? Colored

14. Favorite Christmas song? Tie.."We Three Kings" and "Oh Holy Night""

15. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Home, although I miss going cross town to my Parent's on Christmas Eve.

16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No.

17. Angel or star on the top of your tree? Varies from year to year.

18. Open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? I prefer morning, but for the last five years I work Christmas Day (5AM to 1PM), ain't time in the morning, and the family doesn't want to wait till I get home. We use to do my Parents on the Eve and home Day.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The lack of true spirit and recognition of what the day really means.

20. What do you leave for Santa? Beer

21. Least favorite holiday song? "12 Days of Christmas"

22. Do you decorate your tree with any specific theme or color? Nope, it's just a hodge-podge of ornaments we've collected over the years. Maybe the theme could be "Our Life."

23. Favorite ornament? A stupid plastic bugle. It's been "my ornament" since I was 4 years old.

I'm gonna nail my good friends GuyK, Sig94 and RightWingProf. There's still a couple of days until Christmas

Why I Still Like Fred

If Fred had come out hard punching on these issues I think he'd be in a much better position today.

Blatantly stolen from GUYK

Nanny State Asshattery

Because we regular people are to stupid to know how to take care of ourselves, the Mayor of San Franfreako is going to implement a tax to punish those who drink sodas.


San Francisco mayor wants to tax stores that sell sodas
AP
Posted: 2007-12-17 20:15:34

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Mayor Gavin Newsom wants large grocery stores to help fight obesity by paying fees on sodas and other beverages they sell in San Francisco.

Newsom has asked his staff to prepare a law that would charge retail chains for stocking Coke, Pepsi and other drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. [emphasis-mine]

First thing that they are lying about is that "large grocery stores to help fight obesity by paying fees on sodas and other beverages they sell". I know to the average socialist, this sounds good, the big corporation is going to be penalized for selling unhealthy things to the unawares public,..but, it won't make a dimes worth of difference to the supermarket. The increase from the tax is going to be passed on to the buying public.

Another lie:

If the bill is approved by the Board of Supervisors, money generated from the fee would go toward a city program that emphasizes exercise, diet and other preventative health measures.

Like every other tax that gets passed for some "specific" program, as soon as it starts to generate income, it will be (just till this other "emergency" crisis has passed) absorbed into the General Fund. If they are so worried about obesity, why is it that San Franfreako has the worst record on funding Phys Ed and after school sports?

I am in my mid fifties, I'm 6'2" and weigh 148 lbs. My boy (19) is 6'3"-160 Lbs., and my wife is "some age close to, but less than me", 5'9" and...let's just say she's well within the "normal" weight range. On a given day we may, each, drink anywhere from 0 to 8 cokes, depending on our sugar craving at the time, probably average about 3 per day over the long run. Do we get a rebate if we buy a soda in that city? Of course not, we should be overjoyed to pay some 5' 7", 300 lb. fatass's medical bills because they don't have the sense to cut back on their calories.

He ain't heavy, he's my brother. Well in this case, he is heavy, matter of fact, he's fuckin' fat and he ain't my brother, cousin or in-law, so I have no responsibility to pay his medical bills because they're to fucking lazy to take a stroll around the block 2 or 3 times a week.

It's Going To Be a LOOONNGG Week

I was off work yesterday and was suppose to be off today, but I got a phone call at 8:00 AM "requesting" my presents to cover the afternoon shift. I counter offered to split the shift (1-5) with the night guy which was accepted...except, could I come in at 11 AM because the foreman had to meet with someone off site.

Normally I don't mind a little OT, but one of the Operators is on vacation so to cover his shift I will be working 12 hour shifts (starting tomorrow) for the next 7 days. That means no Christmas Eve, no Christmas for me.

Work is getting better, we got a new injection well going this week, and it can actually take all the water we can throw at it. The problem now is getting producing wells that have been idle for around a year to work, so in a couple of days, we went from to much water to not enough. The more wells we have going, the easier it is to run the site, so here's hoping they got the three wells down due to electrical problems running yesterday.

I don't ask about these things when I'm off because I don't want to know until I drive through the gates. There's nothing I can do about it till I get there, and why start worrying before I have to deal with it. Some guys call before shift, hoping for an easy day, only to be disappointed. Why set yourself up to be in a bad mood before you need to? I prefer to let the bad mood creep on as the day progresses. At least I have a few hours of optimism to start the week.

If my posts start to get a little strange(er), it will most likely be fatigue setting in.

Why Johnny Can't Read

The wonderful LAUSD (Los Angeles School District)decided they needed a new computer system to issue payroll. The initial cost for this was 95 million dollars. Now see if this surprises anyone...the damn thing doesn't work!

The projected cost to fix it, 210 million dollars and they're not sure it will work then. So what does the district have to say?

From the L.A. Times Opinion:

LAUSD's unending payroll problem


The district's chief operating officer hopes, but can't promise, that it's fixed.
November 14, 2007

Confronted recently about L.A. Unified's exasperating payroll scandal, the district's chief operating officer acknowledged that, after nearly a year, he still can't promise that the problem is solved. "We have," he said, as if this would reassure, "a higher degree of confidence than ever before that we are accurate." That's an answer unworthy of a student, much less a leader. So, Supt. Brewer, yes, we expect more. But you have our sympathies as well.

Of course being they are going slightly over budget in a district that is scrounging for money to teach our children, they hire a PR firm for a couple of hundred thou to try to put a palatable spin on this debacle.

This comes right on the heels of the fraud they uncovered by administrators in procurement card purchases:

Follow-Up: LAUSD Credit Card Paper Trail
by David Goldstein

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― This report is a follow-up to David Goldstein's riveting report from last week in which he exposed a myriad of abuses of procurement cards being used by LAUSD officials...including a $500 coffee maker.

"Did you have any idea they were spending upwards of $5 million a month on procurement cards?"

No, no!

Teachers Union President A.J. Duffy had no idea.

The necessary items to instruct the kids:

$995 for a mattress. Another $995 for a company that produces video games. $995 for flowers. We found charges for fishing tackle...stuffed animals...purchases at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Smart & Final and Trader Joes...Linens and Things. Millions and millions of dollars in charges.

I don't live "in" L.A., so it's not my property taxes paying for this FUBAR entity, but as long as I live on SoCal, I'm going to have to deal with whatever they manage to spit out after high school.

My animosity towards LAUSD goes back to when I did live and work in downtown L.A.

When I first started working in the "Old Los Angeles Oil Field", I was single and not making much. I rented a house from one of our customers in the middle of the barrio. About two blocks away (I could sit in my kitchen and the football games) was Belmont High School. This was a school built in 1923 for 500 students, today the student population is 5200. Think things might have been a little tight there?

To alleviate the overcrowding, the LAUSD bought out a shitload of houses, torn 'em down and started construction on the Belmont Learning Center. When about 60% complete, someone noticed the oil wells in the area (this would include the four the LAUSD owned plus another well they had to buy and re-drill to relocate). The project ground to a stop.

It wasn't safe for the chiilldreen!!

This was BS for many reasons. One being that they had put a vapor barrier and venting system under the school...and half the kids that would attend lived right there in the middle of the fracking oil field in houses that were built in the '30's and '40's. Doubt they considered any oil field gases back then. The kids would have been safer in school than in their own home.

As far as that newly discovered earthquake fault that runs under it, if you're right over it or 1/2 mile away...

Oh yeah, they've started work on the Learning Center again, it's just been 10 wasted years.

One major disappointment during the Belmont Learning Center fiasco was that I kept being called in by the state for my "expert" opinion on the status of the oil filed and the activist that was bitching about the whole thing was, you guessed already I bet, a Hollywierd celebratty. She could take what I said and twist it just a bit so that it sounded like I had said the complete opposite. When I'd insist that wasn't what I said, she'd insist that, yes, that's what I meant.

Ahh, well. She did play a Dr. on T.V.

Now That's Funny, I Don't Care Who You Are

I had "Red Eye" running in the background and happened to catch a story that just cracked me up.

A girl in Britain, in a show of life long devotion to her boyfriend, had his name tattooed on her belly in Chinese character. As luck would have it the romance didn't last, they broke up, and she decided to have the tattoo altered to say something else. When she went to have it altered, she found out the characters said "SUPERMARKET".

Outside of the fact that I believe there are very few people who will hold a belief, outside of "MOM" for their entire life, the idea of having some "Tattoo Artist" indelibly etch something into my skin in a foreign language without making sure it says what I thought it did...well stupid comes close.

In The Sprit Of The Season

I'm not very Merry Christmasy this year, but I do enjoy the season and the genuine good will that people adopt towards each other for these few weeks at the end of a year.

I can be a cheap, sarcastic, ill-tempered (the adjectives could go on) SOB most of the year, however, there is just something about Christmas and the New Year that softens my attitude...a little.

I ran into this video over at Hot Air and I it was the first thing to break me out of my normal foul mood and get me into remembering that most people have the capacity to be nice. These guys are good and I don't know how they could keep it all straight.

Enjoy. Merry Christmas, and a belated Happy Hanukkah to all my friends out there.

I Just Couldn't Connect

Ack!! The damn intertubey thing wouldn't work all yesterday. To bad for all my readers because, man, did I have some cutting, insightful opinions just screaming to be unleashed. I had the answers to immigration, the presidential race, and why, "when you decide"...after trying every variation of a product, this is the one I love and will use for the rest of my life, no matter the cost...they discontinue it.

My good mood passed, so now ya'll will have to wait for these answers until my disposition swings back that way. Let's see, I was in a good mood yesterday...so the next one should hit about November 2010.

Well November 2010, or when my RAIDERS win another Super Bowl, so I'd keep my hopes on 2010.

I didn't see it covered in the news, but I'm sure my being cut off from blogging was due to the severe cold snap currently hitting the area. Would you believe it was down to 45 degrees last night? Yeah, it's true forty-five degrees. I put on a jacket to step outside the front door and read the thermometer, so I know it's true. I'd heard it could get that cold, my parents told me it had been that cold before, but I was very young so I really don't remember. I think this childhood memory may be the reason for my deep-seated aversion to walking through the frozen food section of a supermarket (brrrr).

It's funny, but while I write this I find that I'm still in a good mood. I just don't think I'm gonna ruin the feeling by delving into deep subjects right now. Keep checking back, maybe if I hit one of those only half pissed off moods I'll give you the answers you seek.

“America Falling”

Book Review

“America Falling”
Don Brockette
Publisher: iUniverse
304 pages




If you’ve wondered what would happen in this country if it were hit by a series of terrorist attacks, this would be a good primer. Other revues have described this book as a roller coaster ride; I saw it more like riding a log flume. Starting out with a steep drop and not letting up until the end.

The hero, Elliot Cahill, is not just “an everyday guy who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time”, however, he is someone you can identify with and care about how he can save his family from the jihadi’s he’s managed to piss off.

The flume ride reaches near vertical in the final chapters with lots of heroic actions and tons of action.

Scale of 10: 8

-------------
My major complaint about this book would be directed at the publisher. I know they’re a small company that allows books like this to be published, but spell check and a proof reader would help. It hate reading something and going “What?”, then having to go back and interpret what they meant due to misspellings and such. It can really kill an exciting scene.

P.S. Thank you Mopes for a few hours of good, intense reading.

My Best Bud

See! I do have a friend.

This was taken a while long ago at one of my son's Little League games. We found Ralph there, he had been living there for about a week off the garbage cans full of half eaten hotdogs and such. Animal Control had tried for two days to catch him, but no luck. We had a black Lab at the time that we always brought to the games, and this dog just seemed to like her, or us and kept hanging close by. One night after a game, I decided I wasn't going to come back and hear how that poor Shepard got hit by a car yesterday, so we stayed till everyone else left and the lights went out in the park. It took about an hour and a half of sitting very still to get a rope around his neck, but second it was on, his attitude was "where we going and don't leave me behind."

He was dubbed Ralph because he had a look on his face that made you think that was what he was going to do. It started out as a joke, but it stuck.

From his reactions to certain people and things we "deduced" that his previous owner was a mean woman who kept him chained and would yank his ears for punishment. It took about 4 or 5 months before he was comfortable around my wife, my boy...no problem, he could roughhouse with him and it was play, if my wife tried to play, he'd just shy away. Leashes were just tolerated at first just because that meant going someplace. If you just gave a toying tug on his ears, for almost a year, he would yelp like you'd kicked him and he'd run away. He didn't like hugs for a long time either, always leaning away from you. These have all passed now and I hope his doggie brain has forgotten them completely. You can bear hug him, yank his ears all you want and the sound of a chain means road trip/walk.

For the next six years I never went anywhere without him. I was the Manager at work so I made the rules, and my dog became the unofficial mascot. Vacations, pet friendly motels were the rule. Weekend long family gatherings, if my dog isn't welcome, I won't be there.

Ralph is about 12 years old now and when I had to change jobs four years ago, he became a house dog. He's a lot wider now, but I still see him as that stray we found in a park so many years ago.

P.S. We have another hound, two cats and a bird, and I'm sure you are eager to hear how we "acquired" these misfits.

We Are So Anti-muslim

This was taken from the Rott. It was written by jaybear in response to muslims beating up gays in the netherlands.
-------------

Denial is strong in them, mein Emperor…..

I watched Flight 93 for the first time last night, I’ve avoided it for a long time as I just knew it would get me reeeealy pissed again. I was right…I’m reeeeealy pissed again. Then while listening to cnn this morning as I cooked breakfast, I heard the comment that the Annapolis peace talks are doomed to failure because the Arabs don’t trust The President…that all of his “Anti-Muslim” actions of the past 7 years have destroyed his credibility in that part of the world…..what anti-muslim actions do they mean? do they mean removing the taliban from power Afghanistan? or handing out toys and food to Iraqi children? or liberating their country and fighting the peace loving muslims that have killed them by the bushels full? or allowing muslims to practice their vile filthy religion in this country unimpeded and unrestricted?…..are THOSE the anti-muslim actions that they’re talking about?

Europe is done for, they’ve dismissed the lessons of 1917 and 1939, and they’re heading for a Dark Age that will make the atrocities of hitler look like so many parking tickets. From giant mosques next to the London Olympic complex to Theo Van Gogh getting stabbed by a muslim for his anti islam art to an English school teacher getting jailed for naming a teddy bear mohammed…..the march towards dhimmitude…nay…oblivion continues on. The cancerous parasites called muslims use our fear of them, and our fear of offending ANYONE against us. They know we will not speak out for fear of insulting them, so they keep beheading….and stabbing…and shooting…and raping…and mutilating…and exploding….and expanding…..expanding their black plague of submission and repression to every corner of the world…..and we in the west as a free, largely secular, tolerant society welcome them with open arms and subsidies and free passes to infect our culture with their pornographic delusions of paradise.

Since they are really into martyring themselves, we should encourage that…..with this stipulation, go ahead and buy your ticket into your heaven by blowing yourself up, only don’t you think it would be generous of you to do it in a swarm of your fellow practitioners of the sickness of islam? allah (arabic for child rapist) would surely smile on your selfless act of carrying swarms of your fellow muslims into paradise on your shoulders (or in little sandwich bags…depending on the size of the body parts).

Or we could make THIS announcement: any muslim who “martyrs” themselves, will…after the explosion….have his or her body parts collected and they will be processed into pig feed….that also goes for ANY muslim who is caught in the blast. Is that cold? is that insensitive? maybe so, but if muslims knew that they would be turned into pig poop, they might find it in their best interest to “discourage” these homicidal bastards……

It’s as plain as my shiny balding head that political correctness has retracted the nads of the ruling elite in the Netherlands. I would pose this solution to them: since Amsterdam is such a “gay friendly” city, why not open a few gay bars in the Muslim districts?…you know, just for inclusiveness’ sake….

To quote Rodney King: “Can’t we all just “hic” get along???….now give all of your money beeyotch “hic”"

Will They, or Won't They?

(will be updated if I wake up enough)
There are only four games being played this afternoon (1 PM PST). Now I would think that the Denver-Raiders game would be shown here on the left coast, but TV guide just says TBA.

I'm on graveyard, so I have to set my alarm to wake me up IN THE MIDDLE OF MY NIGHT to see if the game is on.

December Already

I can't believe we're in that last month of 2007. Just to try to get this holiday season off to a happy start, I'll just post a silly holiday song.


Merry Christmas everyone.

Oldies, But Goodies

I'm working graveyard and my wife needs to be chauffeured this morning, so I have to stay awake until the rest of the world gets going.

I was able to read my regular blogs and catch up during my shift, so this morning I've just been cruising around hitting some of the not-so-regular sites.

I ran across these over at the Rott's Imperial Tech Wizard's (and Token Liberal)site. I'd heard 'em before, but they still crack me up.

A sample:
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ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh…
--------------
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
--------------
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
--------------
There's more at Fueled by Coffee, go see.

Lazy Today

Work kept me constantly moving and thinking today, so I'm just gonna post a song.

I loved this song from the first time I heard it, I even did something I don't do when listening to an album for the first time, I went over, picked up the needle (anybody remember LP's?), turned what was probably an already too loud stereo up more and listened again.

The horn section in this song is amazing, I just wish the sound quality was better (I needed a little more bass to smooth it out). The live video wasn't as good as this, so once again just listen.

I give you "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder

Crank the Volume for best effect.

Do You Know?

Do you know what his is? I'll be honest, I wouldn't have known until I read this story today: The Pennsylvanian Flag Could Get a Name Change. while cruising through the FOXNews site.

Pennsylvanians are having an identity crisis when it comes to their state flag: Hardly anyone in the state can identify it. Now state lawmakers are considering a proposal to remedy that by literally adding the word "Pennsylvania" to the flag.

The reason this caught my attention was at my old company we had a 65 foot flag pole flying the Stars and Stripes, but below that we flew this:



I can't tell you the number of people who would drive into our yard and start going absolutely nuts about "How dare we fly a commie flag!" After explaining that that the flag belonged to the commie state of Arizona, we'd get a five second blank look, followed by "Oh, well.... never mind."

To us there were two sides to flying that flag, One was both the owner's son and I attended Arizona State, so we had an affection for the place, the other was Arizona doesn't have an oil industry, so therefore, no regulations. We said we just decided to secede from Kalifornia.

To be honest about the whole thing, I went to a site with all the state flags and unless the name was on the flag, I only would have know Alaska, Texas, New Mexico and the territory of Puerto Rico.

Thanksgiving

In spite of where my life has led me at this point, I am very thankful for so many things.

I am thankful, of course, for my wonderful son. He could (in Dad's opinion)be achieving so much more, but he is conscientious, polite, and caring. He's still trying to find his niche.

I am thankful for all the people that I have met over the net that I now consider friends: Blackiswhite, GuyK, Rightwingprof,Sig94 to name just a few.

I have to make a special point of Emperor Misha I, whose site allowed me to meet the people above.

To LC Mopes a special thanks to you for your random act of kindness, it meant more than you know.

My family is scattered all over the country now and for the first time in decades we are not getting together with at least some of them. May you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and know that I wish I could be with you.

To our troops overseas may you have a day of peace and return home to your love ones soonest. Bless you for your sacrifice so that we may celebrate this holiday.

To all....Happy Thanksgiving.

Almost Like A Vacation Extention

It is a fluke in scheduling that I hadn't counted on.

When I got back from the trip to Portland, I resumed work on a Saturday, so I had the weekend to myself. Monday I had to deal with the Foreman and other people, but then I was off Tuesday and today (Wednesday).

Tomorrow, I go back on my most dreaded of shifts...Days (5:00 AM-1:00 PM), but I get the site to myself for four days straight. Thursday is Thanksgiving and Friday is a floating holiday, then the normal Saturday-Sunday.

I'll have to face a crowd disrupting my routine on Monday and Tuesday, though Monday will probably be slow with everyone still groggy from their four days off. I'll then get all of Wednesday and 3/4 of Thursday off when I go on graveyards for 6 days, followed by five days off.

In over a months time I'll only have to deal with disruptions for three days, not bad.

Karma will get me though. During the Christmas holidays we have a guy on vacation, so I'll have to help cover his shift. It should be about three full days overtime, and I can use the money, but those 12 hour shifts get old real quick.

Like Quiting Smoking In Reverse.

Once again I'm going to promise to start posting on a more regular basis. I've promised to quit cigarettes about a hundred time and have actually made a few valiant attempts, once for almost three months.

My good friend Blackiswhite has been posting regularly, so now I feel there is a contest between us. I'm going to go by his example and just post whatever is on sticking in my head at that particular time. There is always politics floating around there, but most of the time I'm just too pissed to make a coherent argument on the topic, so there may be a bit of music to fill in the gaps.

That was a lead-in to Peaches in Regalia. This song has been stuck in my head for the last week and I don't know why. As much as I love the song, maybe this will excise the demon. (The video is dumb, but the music is great....Filmore East, 1971, damn I wan't even outta HS then)

Racist?

After a week without net access I've just been bouncing all over the place today. I came across this and just had to post it.

Well said.

Road Trip Report

I know you’ve all been dying to hear the details of my trip. Overall it was good, there were some bumpy moments, but overall I’d give it a 7 out of 10.

The Flight Up

Chris’ girlfriend got us to the airport in plenty of time. The only thing that pissed me off was that security made me throw out new bottles of shampoo, conditioner and my aerosol deodorant (nothing over 3.6 oz.). The flight was only half full, left only 15 minutes late, but arrived on time.

Our arrival was another of those little bumps. There were no signs in the terminal saying drop offs this level pick up that level, so we went out the front doors on the top and waited for my brother, who was circling the lower level. My brother doesn’t have a cell phone, so it was just luck that after about 40 minutes he decided to check the top.

Wonderful Beaverton

Good news here, my Mom was home, so even though she’s pretty much bedridden now, still sharp as a tack, just no energy, so we got to visit without the hassles of visiting hours and travel to and from the hospital. It kept the stay up there relaxed.

Grandma and Unca Doug got to see Chris for the first time in over 8 years (10 to 19 is a huge chunk to miss). They were impressed with how well he’s turning out and amazed that I had managed to teach him so well in the ways of the Dark Side knowing what a lib his Mother is.

Being a major reason for the trip was to get Grandma’s car for Chris, he was constantly chomping at the bit to go somewhere, anywhere so he could drive his new toy. It’s a ’99 Buick Century Limited, blue-gray, with only 27K on the dial. Leather seats and electric everything. Damn, my kids got a better car than I do.

Drive Home (Pt. I)
Beaverton Or. To Oakland Ca.

Out of bed at 5:30 AM and on the road by 7:45 AM, real close to the schedule I had in my head. I drove the first hour, then I gave up control to the boy. I’ve been the primary driver for so long now that I was amazed at how nice it can be to just sit and watch the scenery flow by and it is beautiful country up there.

It was smooth sailing till we got past Medford and the highway turned inland and started into the mountains and we hit rain. Not a hard rain just a constant drizzle that no matter what speed you set the wipers at, it was to fast or to slow.

Coming down out the mountains past Mt. Shasta, I was doing a crossword and started hearing Bott’s dots on the passenger side and the emergency corrugation strip on the driver’s side. Without looking up I just told Chris “Let’s try to stay between the lines for a bit.” He said he was getting tired (5 ½ hours behind the wheel) and there was rest stop a mile ahead and he wanted to change anyway. When we stopped and I got out of the car, I got blasted by about 50 MPH winds,. He had kept it steady enough that I hadn’t noticed, so I felt like an ass. I drove the next 5 hours to the Bay Area, mostly straight highway with no view due the clouds.

Bay Area

This will be my last trip there!!! Traffic sucks! We got into the area just after dark, it was foggy and really raining. We could see the freeway well enough, but nothing beyond it so I lost all sense of direction.

After a “brief” meandering tour of the hills of Berkley (I have no idea how we got there), we finally found Oakland. I should mention that I was so disoriented, that I actually stopped and asked for directions at one point, which at least got us headed in the right direction.

Due to a bunch of circumstances, I hadn’t reserved a motel. I paid dearly for this. There really isn’t a hell of a lot of motels in the area, and they’re spread all over the place. We hit six that were booked up, one that had one room at $109.00/night (HA!). We were getting farther and farther away from the stadium and I was just hanging onto my sanity due to fatigue and the stress.

I was really starting to wonder how comfortable the seats in the car were for sleeping when we spotted a Motel 6. Three rooms left and $114 for two nights. SOLD!!!

The place was crazy with Raider fans, but maybe because it was raining, it was quiet and we got a good nights rest.

Game Day

Woke up to the sun shining, something good to offset the karma from yesterday.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare, turns out the motel was only about 15 miles down the freeway , but good thing I have a mania about leaving time to deal with the unexpected, cause it came in handy. There is little signage directing you anywhere around the stadium and half of what they have is cryptic to the point of making no sense. There were plenty of cops around, but rather than direct traffic, they just sit on the pretty Harley Davidson motorcycles in groups of four and look cool while chaos flows around them.

We ended up in an “Overflow” parking lot (mud flat) about ½ mile from the stadium. It wasn’t a bad walk and once inside the parking for the stadium, we had time to cruise around a check out the tailgaters. Man, there were some parties going on. We entered on the wrong side (of course) and proceeded to the top of the arena to be told “You’re on the other side, go down two levels and around.”

The seats weren’t bad, tween the 20 and 30 , sun behind us and nice people in our section, even if some were Bears fans. I was a little disappointed, all these years, I’ve heard the stories of the “mean, nasty Oakland fans.” There was only one fight during the game. I’ve seen more violence at a Dodger game. It may be that a lot of the fight has gone out of both Raider and Bears fans (My sucky team doesn’t suck as much as your sucky team).

It was an action packed thriller with the score 3-3 into the 4th . As one Bears fan put it “two of the most inept offenses to ever bump heads on a football field.” With 4:04 remaining we kicked a 52 yard field goal to jump ahead. Followed by the Bears throwing 59 yards for a TD, followed by McCown getting sacked and fumbling on our own three, which the Bears ran in for another TD. Final 17-6.

Back to Oakland Base

We could have if we had really wanted, driven home right after the game, but I’m getting older and the idea of a long drive on top of a busy day just isn’t that easy anymore. We went back to the motel and watched the Sunday nite game where the Chargers, up 23-0 into the second quarter, did everything possible to lose to the Colts. The Chargers only won because the Colts missed a 29 yard FG in the closing minute. Final 23-21.

Drive Home (Pt. II)
Oakland to L.A.

Slept in a bit, didn’t want to rush out into “rush hour” traffic, so we left about 10:00 Am for the 6 hour sprint home. Traffic was moderately light, so traveling down I-5 was just a long boring cruise. Chris drove the whole way. (Gotta show the new toy to his girlfriend). Home around 4:30.

It’s nice to be home, and it was good to see my Mom again. I’m still a little travel weary, but I don’t go back to work until Saturday afternoon, so I think I’ll just take it easy.

I'm Baaack

Home this evening. Trip good. Long time in car. Tired. Will expound tomorrow.

A Hiatus From My Hiatus

Well no, I'm going to be posting, not even sporadically for the the next week. I'm going to be out of town. My son and I are flying up to Portland. This was a planned trip, but the timing is extra lucky.

The original plan was to get Grandma's car for my son and drive it home. Just a road trip for us guys. Now my Mom isn't doing well and is incarcerated in the hospital again, so it's probably a last chance for my son to see his Grandma.

Even though I'm beyond broke right now, the plane was cheap (using credit card miles) and the Raider's game we're going to on the way back home was paid for months ago. This will be his first Pro football game, as the Raiders left L.A. the year he was born. It's our Raiders (2-6) v. Da Bears (3-5), so it has a chance of being a good game. Of course with the tickets I could afford we're in another time zone from the field, but we are on the home team side and usually those are some of the most entertaining fans to be with. We're planing on wearing a lot of Silver and Black.

To fund this little adventure we loaded up the F-150 with aluminum cans that I'd kept stashed in a back section of my garage. It was like a vault that I'd draw on to have extra cash for Vegas and such. The lady at the recycling center seemed to take a liking to me and due to the amount of cans we brought in bumped the price from the base of $1.15/lb., up to $1.75/lb., then decided that I was so damn nice and incredibly handsome (HA!), she raised it up to $1.80/lb. With two trips there, I got just under $500, and there's still some left in the vault.

We'll probably drive Portland to Oakland on Saturday, 11 hours, but two drivers and being my kid just got his license about a month ago, will be hard to get him out from behind the wheel. It'll mean we can't do the Eureka/Fortuna stopover that I wanted so he could see my Dad's family's home base, but it will allow more time in Portland with my Mom and brother.

I'll be back Monday and still won't have work until Saturday. I'm using all my vacation time being vacations are forbidden between Thanksgiving and New Years, except for the guy we just rehired who already had a British Isles Christmas vacation set up, so I could be looking at some good overtime before the end of the year.

I'll have no internet access until I'm back in L.A., so if you drop by BisW, post a couple of snarky comments on the Rott for me til then.

Why College Football Is Fun

I needed this. From my last few posts, I'm sure you know I'm in a major funk and in need of something to brighten my mood. I ran into this over at Hot Air via Allahpundit.

Excuse me while I go back and count how many laterals there were.

Touching Base

Life isn't better, but it really isn't worse (as if things could get worse). I've had crises occur in my life, just not so many all at once that have to be dealt with right now.

Some things have slowly piled up for years, and some just reared up out of nowhere. I feel like I've been hit from the "Bad News" side so many times without any "Good News" that I must walk with a list to one side.

I'm not necessarily complaining, "rain into each life must fall", but why did it have to be a damn Phoenix monsoon? Short duration (I hope), but you are going to get soaked.

A song got into my head today that I couldn't shake. It isn't really a commentary on events going on, maybe just the tone of the song.

I keep telling myself that I'm stronger than I think I am, it's just making decisions in the right order for the correct reasons. Trying to keep what is happening here from shading a choice that has to be made over there is a tad frustrating. Keeping decisions on family, work and friends from bleeding into areas that shouldn't is just wearing.

I'm not giving up, just tired at the moment.

Hiatus

My life has entered a place where it occupies all my time and then some. I am juggling work and layers of family on so many levels that there isn't time to think about much else.

To those who asked about me, Thank you for your concern. It's all serious, but not something I can, or am able to write about at this time.

I hope to be able to drop by all my friends sites and put in a snide comment somewhat regularly, but it may be a while before I get back to posting.

Fred

If you've been a regular to my site (Haahaahaaha, OK, I'm over it now), you'll notice a new thing on the right sidebar, "Endorsements". I'm going with Fred Thompson for the next election.

He is a true Federalist..if the constitution doesn't specifically mention it, it's not the Fed's job, it's up to the individual States. If enough States decide it should be Federal law, pass an amendment.

I've heard all the lame crap about he's lazy, he's just an actor, etc.

From The Globe and Mail:

THE PRESIDENT of the United States from 2008 to 2012 will be one of the following three people: Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney.

It’s rather early in the election season for such pointed speculation. But a look at the situation reveals that the prediction is not all that chancy.

It is now almost certain that Mrs. Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee. Fred Thompson is the most likely choice for the Republican nomination, but he could not beat Hillary Clinton in the fall.

Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Romney are the only two Republicans with a shot at the nomination who could defeat Hillary Clinton.

Republican candidate Sam Brownback, a dark horse, said the other day that if the Republicans nominate Mr. Thompson it’s political suicide. He’s right. Most polls show that, going head-to-head against Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Thompson would lose by 2-1. The former Tennessee Senator would be the Barry Goldwater of 2008. He is too right-wing to appeal to enough moderates to win and he is too prone to incredible gaffes.

I've heard it before and I hope history repeats itself.

HT: Emperor Misha I @ The Rott

Sometimes I Just Can't Avoid The Cute Factor

I have no idea what got this song running through my head constantly, but whatever it was the ad guys for i-Pod must have recognized it.

I keep a lot of songs that I like to myself because sometimes they was just something that appealed to me. Back in High School, when I roadie for local bands, they didn't approve of things like Alice Cooper (too contrived) or later, anything that smacked of Disco. With this song I'll come out and say I just like it. It's simple, it's catchy. I'm not going to buy the album, but unless it gets really overuse, I'll just enjoy it whenever I hear it.

I spent about 40 minutes chasing it down and was pleasantly surprised at the video that went with it. Not glitzy or over produced, just a nice dance routine with good camera work.

If you were wondering it's called 1,2,3,4 by Fiest



Watching it again, I think it was when she started swinging her hips. I love to watch women walk, the way their hips swing compared to guys walking...we look like we're always just on the verge of falling over, where women flow.

Barak Obama is an Oreo

Hey, don't believe me, read what the expert says.

Report: Jesse Jackson Says Barack Obama 'Acting White' in Case of Six Blacks Accused in Assault Case

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Jesse Jackson reportedly ripped presidential candidate Barack Obama for "acting like he's white," according to The State newspaper in South Carolina,

[emp. mine]

Followed by the typical denial:

but the civil rights leader says he doesn't recall making any such comment.

Obama's response did cause a couple of points jump in my opinion of him.....but he's still a cypher with no record to make me believe he'll stand by what he says.

"Outrage over an injustice like the Jena 6 isn't a matter of black and white. It's a matter of right and wrong. We should stand as one nation in opposition to this and any injustice," he said. "My statements on Jena 6 were carefully thought out with input and support from one of my National Campaign Chairmen, U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr."

Obama also hasn't been silent on the issue, last week calling on the Louisiana local district attorney to drop the excessive charges.

The Jena incident snuck in under my radar, but what I've read about it, it's working it's way through the system. It doesn't put the town of Jena in a good light...but, I do not live there and I know if I had asked in college to be able to hold a meeting in the Black Students Union, I would have been told to get my cracker ass out of there.

The case began after interracial fighting broke out last school year when three white students responded to a request by a black student to open up access to a schoolyard tree — used as a meeting place for white students — by hanging three nooses around the tree. The white students were suspended.

The tree has since been cut down, but not before the six black students were charged with a racially-motivated assault on white student Justin Barker. Five of the students were charged as adults, the sixth as a juvenile.

The (one) white student who was beaten (by six), was beaten into unconsciousness then more. I'll be curious to see if this makes it to a "Hate Crime".

To me, the whole thing was stupid. The blacks couldn't find any other place on campus to meet? The whites couldn't refrain from something so asinine damn stupid as putting up nooses? Stupid is as stupid does.

The Mother of War

I know where she's coming from, but I cannot buy the premise. Watch this and we'll discuss.

I have heard this argument throughout my life, yet I always come back to what has happened in my life.

Indira Gandhi - war with Pakistan

Golda Meir - war with the arabs

Margaret Thatcher - war in the Falklands.

The idea that when women are in charge all conflict ceases is a fantasy.

This is twice she's lost it while accepting an award. I don't expect better from actors/actresses, it's just that people who live by their emotions just do not seem to be able to separate reality from the world they want.

Tammy Bruce said something today that really struck home. [paraphrase] Mothers are more likely to fight to protect their children."

I'm so disappointed because I have been in love with Sally since "Gidget" and the "Flying Nun". Even now when she's doing ads for osteoporosis, I still look at her and see her in her twenties.

Another of my icons just bit the dust.

I Did Survive

If you saw my last post, you'll understand that I was a bit stressed about my son starting to drive.

When I told the wife I was going to take him out for a test run, her only concern was "You aren't going to yell at him are you?"

I promised I wouldn't...unless he did something so damn stupid that he damn well deserved to be yelled at.

So, I took him out and for the first time "legally" driving (he admitted a while ago that friends had let him try) and he didn't do to bad.

Now the only vehicle we have is a F-150 Supercab with the 8 foot bed, and to be honest, even though I've driven school buses and small tank trucks, sometimes the damn size of it makes me uncomfortable.

His main problem is the lack of faith in oncoming traffic. He shies away, towards the parked cars on the right not trusting the car coming the other way will stay on their side of the line.

Only once did I actually panic and go "left,left,left,left,LEFT, and at the next stop light, I was able to rapidly (and calmly) explain my concern and how to avoid giving his old man a coronary in the future.

While I remained completely composed throughout most of our 45 minute jaunt, just pointing out things to watch for. Like braking distance as related to speed. looking for back-up (and/or brake) lights while passing diagonally parked cars, any kid/teenager/idiot walking down the street. And above all, "Always count on that person is going to do the dumbest thing you can think of, so be ready for it."

When we got home, all I could think was "Damn, I need a beer", I popped one and then started to notice that my right leg was cramping up. I'm guessing I had had been pushing down with that leg for the entire drive. I finished 3/4 of the beer I opened and fell asleep due to fatigue.

I've had a day to recoup, so I guess we can give it another try.

Get Off The Road!! (this will be your only warning)

My boy sent me a text message today that sent a shiver down my spine. It's one of those things in life that you know is coming, you just try to stay in denial until it happens.

He got his learners permit today.

The thing that scares the crap outta me is that the only restriction is that he have another licensed driver "able to reach the steering wheel" with him, that is at least 18 years old. That would most likely be his girlfriend.

Right at this moment I'm flashing back on all the dumbass things I did when I first started driving and it's getting harder to breath....and there this tightening in my chest....and my left arm is feeling a little sore.

O.K. That's passed.

My son is, in reality, a fairly levle headed kid. He'll work jobs with lousy pay and few rewards with commitment. Still, he's 18, and the male brain hasn't fully formed until at least.....35...42....

I Got Some Bad News Yesterday

I have taken a loooong break from computer games, and I saw something that got great reviews. I thought I'd give it a try.

I downloaded the demo (1.8 gig/1 hour + download) of a hot new computer game. Installed it, and was informed I need to update my video driver. Problem, NVida doesn't even offer an upgrade for my card. It's 1 off.

Now should I mention the minimum amount of memory they recommend?

I'm not sure I can complain to much. I remember when brand new chips would come out every 6 to 8 months and machines cost a hell of a lot more than today. I've had 7 years with this set-up and no major problems.

It's time to start reading Fry's flyers and paying attention to who has a good sale. The problem is after this long, it's going to be like learning the whole thing again.