Thursday, November 25, 2010
Turkey Day Music Blogging
Happy Turkey and what Gordon said. I'm sure some pshrink would have a good time figuring out how, and why, all these tunes were playing in my head when I opened my eyes this morning but who cares? Enjoy!
Giving Thanks
I'm thankful for everything I have in this world - health, family, home, circumstances, the works. I'm thankful to be associated with Fixer, and I'm thankful for all of you who read this and hope you get everything you need in life.
We all say that kinda stuff every year and we ought to be thankful every day, and on this day in particular I'm especially thankful for:
Tom DeLay GUILTY
Bwa-fuckin'-hahahaha! There may be justice after all.
Have a great day.
We all say that kinda stuff every year and we ought to be thankful every day, and on this day in particular I'm especially thankful for:
Tom DeLay GUILTY
Bwa-fuckin'-hahahaha! There may be justice after all.
Have a great day.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Resupply Run
Since me 'n Mrs. G thought we would be out on the coast for her family Thanksgiving, we let groceries run low. We're going out early to recop on eats before The Locusts get to the supermarkets for their four-day weekend. There's plenty of snow, the ski hills are all open, and the skiers/tourons are expected in droves. Great for business, and we need it, but not so great for locals unconnected to the tourist biz. Lay in supplies, spend the weekend under the bed is Plan A.
We're a little low on snowthrowers too, so we're gonna do some Heavy Metal shopping as well.
See yas later.
Heavy Metal Update:
Bit the bullet and bought the Honda HS928TAS. Had ta hold a gun to my own head to write the check, but I'm glad I did. I was looking for the price tag and another customer told me that Hondas were like a fancy French restaurant - the prices aren't on the menu. If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Ask the waiter.
The waiter showed up toot de sweet. His name is Mike, the owner of the joint, whom I've known for thirty years. I finally bought something more substantial than starter rope and shear bolts. He said he knew someday I would and was ready for me. Boy, was he! Heh.
I asked him about all the discounts I'm entitled to - veteran, senior citizen, retired clergy, old fool, whatever. He said those were in August. It was a coupla hunnert less than MSRP anyway, so that's OK.
He made a point of telling me that the tool kit that came with it had a special thin-walled 13/16" spark plug socket and that a regular one wouldn't fit. I was amazed to discover that apparently not everyone has a custom self-made thin-wall spark plug socket for getting at the center plug on a 3-cylinder Triumph Trident (or BSA Rocket III) like I've had for 40 years! Imagine that! I thought everyone had one of those. Live and learn.
A nice young gent had it in my driveway thirty minutes after the walletectomy. He showed me how to work it and was off to deliver another one. They're sellin' like hotcakes and I'm glad they had the one I wanted in stock.
I just brought the machine up the driveway and parked it, but now I see why folks spend the extra money. Damned easy to run and boy can the sonuvabitch eat snow! Flings it a long way too.
I'm a little poorer of purse, but a lot happier in spirit. A good day.
We're a little low on snowthrowers too, so we're gonna do some Heavy Metal shopping as well.
See yas later.
Heavy Metal Update:
Bit the bullet and bought the Honda HS928TAS. Had ta hold a gun to my own head to write the check, but I'm glad I did. I was looking for the price tag and another customer told me that Hondas were like a fancy French restaurant - the prices aren't on the menu. If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Ask the waiter.
The waiter showed up toot de sweet. His name is Mike, the owner of the joint, whom I've known for thirty years. I finally bought something more substantial than starter rope and shear bolts. He said he knew someday I would and was ready for me. Boy, was he! Heh.
I asked him about all the discounts I'm entitled to - veteran, senior citizen, retired clergy, old fool, whatever. He said those were in August. It was a coupla hunnert less than MSRP anyway, so that's OK.
He made a point of telling me that the tool kit that came with it had a special thin-walled 13/16" spark plug socket and that a regular one wouldn't fit. I was amazed to discover that apparently not everyone has a custom self-made thin-wall spark plug socket for getting at the center plug on a 3-cylinder Triumph Trident (or BSA Rocket III) like I've had for 40 years! Imagine that! I thought everyone had one of those. Live and learn.
A nice young gent had it in my driveway thirty minutes after the walletectomy. He showed me how to work it and was off to deliver another one. They're sellin' like hotcakes and I'm glad they had the one I wanted in stock.
I just brought the machine up the driveway and parked it, but now I see why folks spend the extra money. Damned easy to run and boy can the sonuvabitch eat snow! Flings it a long way too.
I'm a little poorer of purse, but a lot happier in spirit. A good day.
"Gee, what's that little black badge for?"
Science Friday
Because then the world would know beyond the shadow of a doubt how dangerous those scanners are. We'll find out in a few years anyway when the cancers show up.
Why do dentists, doctors, med techs, etc.. who work in other x-ray environments gladly wear these exposure detectors on their clothing but TSA employees do not or cannot?
Because then the world would know beyond the shadow of a doubt how dangerous those scanners are. We'll find out in a few years anyway when the cancers show up.
How close we came...
Ray McGovern writes about Bush's dismay at failure to get us in a war with Iran. A 'must read':
Think our military's dicks are in the dirt in Afghanistan and Iraq? How fucking close we came to an even larger disaster. Please read the rest.
Nowhere in his memoir, Decision Points, is Bush’s bizarre relationship to truth so manifest as when he describes his dismay at learning that the intelligence community had redeemed itself for its lies about Iraq by preparing an honest Estimate that stuck a rod in the wheels of the juggernaut rolling toward war with Iran.
But can you blame Bush for his chagrin? Alas, the NIE had knocked out the props from under the anti-Iran propaganda machine, imported duty-free from Israel and tuned up by neoconservatives here at home.
How embarrassing. Here before the world were the key judgments of an NIE, the most authoritative genre of intelligence report, unanimously approved “with high confidence” by16 agencies and signed by the Director of National Intelligence, saying, in effect, that Bush and Cheney were lying about the “Iranian nuclear threat.”
"But after the NIE, how could I possible explain using the military to destroy the nuclear facilities of a country the intelligence community said had no active nuclear weapons program?”
Thankfully, not even Dick Cheney could persuade Bush to repair the propaganda juggernaut and let it loose for war on Iran.
Think our military's dicks are in the dirt in Afghanistan and Iraq? How fucking close we came to an even larger disaster. Please read the rest.
Rachel Maddow’s high school graduation speech
The woman constantly amazes me. She has done some of the best work I've ever seen on TV, and of course she's a stone commie, being from Castro Valley (not to be confused. though I do it all the time, with Castroville which is famous for artichokes and once had Marilyn Monroe as Artichoke Queen). No artichoke, this gal. No Marilyn Monroe either, though every bit as beautiful in her own way and we're the better for it.
The Political Carnival
The Political Carnival
This was at Castro Valley High School, in California, back in 1990. Rachel Maddow, complete with Birkenstocks, makes a speech as a teen that rivals any adult speech I’ve heard.
Amazing then, amazing now:
Thanks also to jfortuo.
The Boner Party
Since I live right where the Donner Party spent their awful winter and everything for miles around is named after them, and historical accuracy be damned, I thought this was cool!
Note to the Boner Party: Tradition is important. Eat hearty, me lads!
Note to the Boner Party: Tradition is important. Eat hearty, me lads!
Photo from BuzzFlash.
Pretty ugly, becoming worse ...
Looks like the whole Korea mess is getting kicked up a notch:
Hmmmm ... Wonder what's gonna happen if the North Korean Navy takes a hostile stance with a U.S. Navy carrier battle group? Can't be good.
After weeks of feints and indecision, the USS George Washington will make an appearance on the Korean Peninsula this week, according to the Pentagon.
...
U.S. and South Korean officials said in June that they would organize additional joint war-fighting exercises in the region as a show of force. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters Monday that the George Washington would participate in joint exercises with South Korean forces as soon as it departs Pusan on Sunday.
...
Hmmmm ... Wonder what's gonna happen if the North Korean Navy takes a hostile stance with a U.S. Navy carrier battle group? Can't be good.
Now it's official ...
I realize the Mrs. and I partied our asses off a couple months ago, celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, but today is the actual day she said "I do". We're just going for a quiet lunch to mark the day. I still can't believe she said "yes" ... twice. Heh ...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
'Winning' ...
Oh yeah, the war is going so well:
When it comes to winning a war, the last guy who got it right was FDR. This one's going the way of Korea and Vietnam. The current bunch looks as if they'll be as successful as the previous bunch. Idiots ...
KABUL, Afghanistan — For months, the secret talks unfolding between Taliban and Afghan leaders to end the war appeared to be showing promise, if only because of the appearance of a certain insurgent leader at one end of the table: Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, one of the most senior commanders in the Taliban movement.
But now, it turns out, Mr. Mansour was apparently not Mr. Mansour at all. In an episode that could have been lifted from a spy novel, United States and Afghan officials now say the Afghan man was an impostor, and high-level discussions conducted with the assistance of NATO appear to have achieved little.
“It’s not him,” said a Western diplomat in Kabul intimately involved in the discussions. “And we gave him a lot of money.”
...
When it comes to winning a war, the last guy who got it right was FDR. This one's going the way of Korea and Vietnam. The current bunch looks as if they'll be as successful as the previous bunch. Idiots ...
It's gonna be a long day...
We're headin' out to the coast today. It's snowing about an inch an hour and I have to go clear the driveway and knock the snow off the truck and hope I don't have to do it again once we get the whole travellin' salvation show loaded up. Not that I can't get out of the driveway, but I'd like a chance, however slight, that I can get back in on Saturday. Believe me, clearing the driveway after a 400 mile drive just to get the truck off the street is worse than doing it before the drive. I've done it before and may have to do it again.
Then there's the drive itself. Right now, I-80 is closed in at least the eastbound direction, but this changes from minute to minute depending on how many idiots come to a 'circular misunderstanding' and park it in the snowbank or end up on their roof. It's looking like at least fifty miles in four wheel drive at 30 mph. If the road is open when I get there. Been there, done that, doing it again.
It's the price I pay to live in Paradise. Without the 72 virgins. Hell, there ain't 72 of those within a hundred miles. But I digress...
Signin' off now. Things to do. See ya when I see ya.
Update:
Discretion being the better part of of valor, we cancelled our trip.
I cut one swath down the criveway to the street and the 'thrower broke its drive wheel in three pieces and threw a track. Snow thwow no go no mo'. There was a plow clearing our neighbor's driveway and the operator agreed to plow me out for a Jackson, which is dirt cheap. Me 'n my broken snowthrower rode up the driveway in the loader bucket. Whee! He was runnin' on the edge of late like all private plows and took off before I could pay him. I'm sure he'll be back.
Somewhere, and I can't remember exactly where, I slipped on a fresh-plowed place and landed on the back of my head. Rang my bell pretty good. It hurts from that little knob down my neck and out to my shoulders. The 800mg Ibu is kickin' in but I don't want to be out on the road and realize I'm hurt to the point where I need a doctor.
That and the fact that I can't plow myself back in if I need to convinced me to suggest we go for Christmas instead. Mrs. G agreed and that was it.
I'm damn glad I don't have to deal with the non-inclement-weather-drivin'-pukes public as well.
It just wasn't in the cards. The omens were not good. The way de bones landed was not encouraging.
This snowthrower, like Fixer's range, served me well for many (16) years and doesn't owe me a damn thing. Mrs, G has been after me to get a new one anyway and we're arguing about whether to get the $900 Craftsman 357cc 33-inch cut job with wheels or the 928 Honda tracked rig for $2900. She wants me to get the Honda, which is the ne plus ultra of snowthrowers, and says we're not getting any younger and it'll probably be the last one we need. Since I'm the el cheapo around here, I counter with we're not getting any richer either. We will see, and husbands know how that goes. I guess when I slam it sideways for the last time and brakeslide up to the Pearly Gates I might as well be broke too. Heh.
I'll fix the 'thrower of course, but a new one would be nice.
All you folks take it real easy out there. Read the comments.
Then there's the drive itself. Right now, I-80 is closed in at least the eastbound direction, but this changes from minute to minute depending on how many idiots come to a 'circular misunderstanding' and park it in the snowbank or end up on their roof. It's looking like at least fifty miles in four wheel drive at 30 mph. If the road is open when I get there. Been there, done that, doing it again.
It's the price I pay to live in Paradise. Without the 72 virgins. Hell, there ain't 72 of those within a hundred miles. But I digress...
Signin' off now. Things to do. See ya when I see ya.
Update:
Discretion being the better part of of valor, we cancelled our trip.
I cut one swath down the criveway to the street and the 'thrower broke its drive wheel in three pieces and threw a track. Snow thwow no go no mo'. There was a plow clearing our neighbor's driveway and the operator agreed to plow me out for a Jackson, which is dirt cheap. Me 'n my broken snowthrower rode up the driveway in the loader bucket. Whee! He was runnin' on the edge of late like all private plows and took off before I could pay him. I'm sure he'll be back.
Somewhere, and I can't remember exactly where, I slipped on a fresh-plowed place and landed on the back of my head. Rang my bell pretty good. It hurts from that little knob down my neck and out to my shoulders. The 800mg Ibu is kickin' in but I don't want to be out on the road and realize I'm hurt to the point where I need a doctor.
That and the fact that I can't plow myself back in if I need to convinced me to suggest we go for Christmas instead. Mrs. G agreed and that was it.
I'm damn glad I don't have to deal with the non-inclement-weather-drivin'-pukes public as well.
It just wasn't in the cards. The omens were not good. The way de bones landed was not encouraging.
This snowthrower, like Fixer's range, served me well for many (16) years and doesn't owe me a damn thing. Mrs, G has been after me to get a new one anyway and we're arguing about whether to get the $900 Craftsman 357cc 33-inch cut job with wheels or the 928 Honda tracked rig for $2900. She wants me to get the Honda, which is the ne plus ultra of snowthrowers, and says we're not getting any younger and it'll probably be the last one we need. Since I'm the el cheapo around here, I counter with we're not getting any richer either. We will see, and husbands know how that goes. I guess when I slam it sideways for the last time and brakeslide up to the Pearly Gates I might as well be broke too. Heh.
I'll fix the 'thrower of course, but a new one would be nice.
All you folks take it real easy out there. Read the comments.
Headline of the Day
Tea Party threatens '2nd Amendment remedies' if Palin doesn't win 'Dancing with the Stars'
Where are we going? And why are we in this handbasket?
Told ya ...
I had a bad feeling about the situation in North Korea. So, what do I see as soon as I put on the news this morning? This can't be good:
If this is some sort of negotiating ploy by the insane midget, he's stepped over the line. There are hawks in South Korea who look forward to refighting the Korean War and the more the North provokes, the more leverage they'll have. This could get really messy, really quick.
Following shelling in disputed waters off Yeonpyeong Island in South Korea in August, North Korea has made an attack on the Island itself, causing damage to homes and injuring residents and military personnel according to reports this morning.
...
If this is some sort of negotiating ploy by the insane midget, he's stepped over the line. There are hawks in South Korea who look forward to refighting the Korean War and the more the North provokes, the more leverage they'll have. This could get really messy, really quick.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Gobble 'til ya wobble
Do not miss Will Durst on Thanksgiving!
There are enough kids in Mrs. G's family these days that we got moved to the big table a coupla years ago. It's a blessing - less of a reach to nephew Sean's famous "three pounds each of butter and cheese, a quart of sour cream and a potato" mashed potatoes! To die for! Literally. And dressing. And yams. And...
Heh.
Much more.
"Mystery dishes" at Thanksgiving are a tradition. So are screw-ups. Mrs. G's niece Tracy is most famous for making a pumpkin pie without removing the paper from the pie crust. She has a photo of that on a T-shirt and wears it every year whilst looking busy by rearranging things in the kitchen and waiting for her husband to bring dinner from the supermarket he owns.
The fourth Thursday of November is definitely the bestest holiday. Food, Family, Friends and Football. Four of the five F's. I most fondly remember the Thanksgivings of yesteryear. The big, old family reunions, which I looked forward to, until about five seconds after I hit the driveway, then it all comes back… why I left home. And they always made me sit at that stupid fold-up cardboard kids' table. Never got to graduate to the wooden table because none of them would die. Darn medical advances.
There are enough kids in Mrs. G's family these days that we got moved to the big table a coupla years ago. It's a blessing - less of a reach to nephew Sean's famous "three pounds each of butter and cheese, a quart of sour cream and a potato" mashed potatoes! To die for! Literally. And dressing. And yams. And...
Thirteen-bean salad. No, I wish I were making this up. I had no idea there were 13 different types of edible beans. I had no desire to eat them all at one sitting. I certainly would not have chosen to be in a houseful of 23 other people who had eaten 13 types of edible beans. "Crack a window, Billy. Well, break it then." Candle flames turning blue all over the house. "Methane is our friend."
Heh.
The evening ends with two matriarchs locked in a mortal death clinch, bumping bellies on the back porch with 100 mm. menthols dangling from their mouths while their spouses trade wild, drunken blows on the driveway and the kids pelt them with greasy poultry bones from behind raked piles of leaves. Aah, memories. And that was way back in 2009. Some traditions never die. This year, I'm bringing the Dupamouche.
Much more.
"Mystery dishes" at Thanksgiving are a tradition. So are screw-ups. Mrs. G's niece Tracy is most famous for making a pumpkin pie without removing the paper from the pie crust. She has a photo of that on a T-shirt and wears it every year whilst looking busy by rearranging things in the kitchen and waiting for her husband to bring dinner from the supermarket he owns.
Well, it had to happen, didn't it?
X-ray-proof underwear.
Necessity, thou art the mutha of invention, but I think if TSA wants to get to your junk they'll find a way.
I carry my metal VFW membership card outermost in my wallet for similar reasons.
Buske of Las Vegas, Nev.-Rocky Flats Gear says the underwear's inserts are thin and conform to the body's contours, making it difficult to hide anything beneath them. The mix of tungsten and other metals do not set off metal detectors.
The men's design has the fig leaf, while the one for women comes in the shape of clasped hands.
It's unclear whether it would lead to an automatic, more intrusive pat down by federal Transportation Security Administration officials.
Necessity, thou art the mutha of invention, but I think if TSA wants to get to your junk they'll find a way.
I carry my metal VFW membership card outermost in my wallet for similar reasons.
Stove update ...
Can't get a new one (that the Mrs. wants) until Saturday. Contingency plans for Thanksgiving are already in the works. Fuck if I know what they are but I'll get a memo when my assistance is needed. Heh ...
The Party of National Security?
The first sentence in this NYTimes editorial is also a Quote of the Day:
The world’s nuclear wannabes, starting with Iran, should send a thank you note to Senator Jon Kyl. After months of negotiations with the White House, he has decided to try to block the lame-duck Senate from ratifying the New Start arms control treaty.
The treaty is so central to this country’s national security, and the objections from Mr. Kyl — and apparently the whole Republican leadership — are so absurd that the only explanation is their limitless desire to deny President Obama any legislative success.
The Republicans like to claim that they are the party of national security. We can only hope that other senators in the party will decide that the nation’s security interests must trump political maneuvering.
I'm sure they will claim that reducing our nuclear arms from 2,200 to 1,550 and allowing the Russkies to verify is a Kenyan Muslim Communist plot.
And since when do the nation's security interests trump political maneuvering? It's a quaint idea but not Repug policy.
'Toon from YubaNet.
Oh, the irony...
Ironic Times
Stonehenge Gets Multimillion-Dollar Grant
It will pay for removal of large, unsightly rocks at historic site.
Ending Estate Tax Would Save Walton Family $30 Billion
Enough to buy rest of Congress, elect John-Boy President.
??? - News Quiz - ???
What is wrong with the Fox News headline, “Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed U.S. General?”
A ) Obama did not praise Indian Chief who killed U.S. General.
B ) It was Crazy Horse who defeated Custer at Little Bighorn, not Sitting Bull.
C ) Custer died at Little Bighorn, but nobody knows who killed him.
Hint: you can choose “all of the above.”
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