Ain't Dead

>>>>JESUS GOD MAN!!! <<<<

I haven't been on here in a long, long time due to some things happening like WORK, WORK, and more WORK, my guy and I finally getting a house (and all the fun things needing done that come with having an old house), the shitty-as-hell winter we had that sucked all the fun out of absolutely everything, and just not being around a computer very much. So, excuses, excuses aside, I am back and will try to make this blog halfway as ambitious as it used to be.

I think it was like November the last time I was on here so... yeah. In a nutshell: Britney Spears once again has proved to the world she is clinically insane, everyone and everything is going organic or green, the Democrats are at each other's throats and oh I am SO SICK of Hillary and her saggy-eyed, pantsuit-wearing self that I want to throw a boot at the TV whenever one of her three commercials is on!!! (That's all I've seen, THREE different ones!!!) Anyways we lost Charlton Heston, the seasons changed, had a coupla more of those dumb-assed school shootings that are getting so popular, and yes, my little old sweetheart of a gnome Ralph Nader announced that yet again he's running for President. You're a little late to the punch, honey, but you still have my vote. ;)

I'm all about preserving the environment and all... but folks let's not try and make it trendy!!! All the stores and corporations are making it cool to buy environmentally-friendly, and I hope it lasts but it has all the earmarks of being just another fad. I mean, I do my part and throw bottles in the recycle bin and cash in on recycling aluminum cans... my house even has those little curly-q light bulbs in every room. And hybrid cars are great, but face it- think of all the energy and products that go into the making of every Prius and Yaris and every other little green car. Sure they get 40 miles to the gallon, but is it really worth the huge price tag?? Why can't people take a used Ford Escort, that gets well over 30 mpg, make sure it has a good emissions system, and drive that? $1000 compared to $30,000. Sure it's nice having a new car I guess, but goddamn. Think of the $29,000 worth of gas you could put in that $1000 Escort if you bought that instead of the Prius. That, and the people and families who are really needing to save money on gas could never be able to afford those new hybrids. Eh.

I'm not even going to go into politics right now, except to say that I rabidly oppose Hillary and her idiotic campaign. OK, ok, I have to go into this: if she suspends the gas tax, it will only be THREE CENTS per gallon, people!!! Is it really worth it??????? I sure as fuck don't think so. She's already lied numerous times in her ads and in debates. Oh wait... "misspoke" is the word she used. My bad. That bitch has more tricks up her sleeve than a dollar whore. Errrrrghhh and she's coming to my town!!! Thursday I think. I would like to go so I can ask her an embarassing question and get thrown out.

Obama, on the other hand... I can't make up my mind on that guy. He talks some big shit, but I certainly hope he can back it up and bring about some change. It seems to me he's the more electable candidate. I don't like the fact that he is bringing up "arms control" though. So we'll see how that plays out...

Well, I'm off to get busy on some more spring cleaning. Has anyone found any mushrooms yet? I have found maybe five or six, that's all. Still early yet! Take care folks.

Campaign '08 Rant

Hey everybody... election time is in a little over a year but I can already tell that our choices for candidates are going to be piss-poor. I'm betting we will end up with a democrat, which is not what I would necessary like but it beats having another republican. So pretty much that leaves Obama or Clinton, since they seem to be so much more popular than the others. If I had a choice, right now I would probably say Edwards would be who I would vote for. I'd rather follow an independent but since my Nader isn't running, I get to pick the next best thing. Edwards likes guns and he is a democrat, plus what he pushes align with what I would like to see changed. Therefore, I see him more fit than the other democrats to be in office. Does he have a chance against Clinton? Probably not. But I can always do a write-in, like I have done for the past two elections.

Folks, the war in Iraq has gotten to the point to where if it keeps going on like it has, it won't be resolved in our lifetimes, and if it does then the country will be pushing fuckin' bankrupt. Bush has repeatedly shown that he is a pig when it comes to allowing stem cell and other ground breaking research. It's already been shown that "synthetic" stem cells can be manufactured, so that rules out the whole killing embryos thing. Not that I disagree with using microscopic embryo cells anyways, there are literally millions of them around that are left over from various fertility procedures that won't ever be used, and will need to be destroyed as biohazard material anyway. Why not put them to good use? The US is already behind other countries in stem cell research, and it's all thanks to good 'ole Dubya. So that's another good thing about voting for a democrat. That and all the environmental stuff. Plus the pro-choice thing. In case y'all didn't know, the largest percentage of people who are getting abortions are blacks, Mexicans, and the low-income segment of society. Do we really want the extra babies around on welfare if abortion is made illegal? These people are enough of a problem already. I'm not ever going to get an abortion, but at least the option is there in case of an emergency or for whatever reason. There's already an imbalance in birth control and it's unfair that males can't take oral contraceptives just like we women do. Ya can't tell me that a drug is impossible, it's just easier to disrupt females' cycles. Anyhow that's off the subject...

Edwards thinks guns are part of America's heritage and would probably leave them alone for the most part (i.e. better checks at gun shows, improved criminal checks and limitations) whereas with Hillary, we're talking severe cutbacks and outright illegalization of SEMI-AUTO guns!!! Folks, she can't do that. But she's sure as fuck going to try. I've done some reading on what Edwards has said in past decisions regarding gun control, and pretty much it's all to the effect that "you can't mess with that." (The Second Amendment.) Which is the way it should always be. And is what I'm going to vote for. So unless anybody else non-republican comes up and says that they aren't going to fuck with gun control, I'm going to plan on voting for Edwards. My guy is in his late twenties and has never voted in his life, but wants to register to vote next year simply because he hates Hillary Clinton and wants there to be one more vote against her. Hey, more power to ya buddy. Maybe what I've been harping at him all these years has finally sunk in. Every election I've participated in and he hasn't it's always been the same thing, "My one vote doesn't matter." This year it's like something clicked over and he said something to the effect that at least this way if he doesn't like the new president, at least he can say he didn't vote for him/her and that one vote probably doesn't matter much, but there are millions of other people like him who feel the same way and if they would vote then the States would be a lot different. And oh yeah, "I don't want that bitch to be in office" was probably another remark he made. Which I totally agree with. Anyhow it's been so long since I had to register that I'm gonna have to sit down and find out how we can get him signed up. Indiana has a stupid way of changing shit year to year.

Well, I've said enough nonsense and rhetoric for one afternoon. It's time to go get the warshin' done. Take care, y'all.

Hoopla

Hey folks... sorry I rarely frickin' post on here anymore. When I'm not working, I almost always have other stuff to do, and when I'm not doing other stuff I'm sleeping. The jail is pretty much a zoo... I've been in the women's section most of the time which is something like babysitting a bunch of skanky, whiny, begging, patronizing lesbians. At least I can yell at them. Showing disrespect toward an officer is against the rules, and when someone calls me over to talk to them when I am handing out food or supplies or whatever in the dayroom, I get so mad. Just a couple days ago a whiny-assed girl I particularly loath says casually, "Hey, C.O., come here." She was getting her hair braided by another inmate and gestured with her finger like I was someone who was gonna do her bidding!! I snapped, and yelled, "NO, goddamnit! If you want to talk to me, you come to me! What do I look like, your motherfucking servant!!??" Then went back to my office without giving her whatever I was handing out at the time. I think I was doing mail call. It just so happened that I was busier than hell that day, and for some reason that just rubbed me the wrong way. Tell me if I'm outa line. That girl is in there for dealing cocaine or some shit, and she was married to some big black crack-slingin' dude who had the same types of charges. Not that I give a damn, but she acts like she is Queen Shit of Fuckin' Turd Mountain. She always gets pictures of her kids in the mail (and oh yeah, she has a deglect of a dependant charge too) and they are all different colors. She just irritates the hell out of me.

The job is really going ok though. It's nice having some health insurance and a little money to save up. Strangely enough, I think it makes my guy pretty damned proud of me too. Not that he wasn't before. It's like, I spent so long sending out my resume' and apps to places for worse jobs than what I have now, and even though I work long hours when I work, life still ain't so shitty. I think my parents are proud in their own way, but it's impossible to tell. They are getting old and weird and ever-so-hard to read when it comes to anything important. Take my guy, for example. One day my dad will be saying, "He's a good guy, I'm glad you guys hooked up and it worked out." Then another day, he will be bitching to my brother about how my guy is responsible for all my bad qualities, how he "would starve to death" if he had to move to a town where he couldn't work on the cars he works on now, just a buncha bullshit. I try to just let it roll off my back most of the time, but that remark about him not being able to make a living outside of an imports dealership is pure SHIT. He's been seriously thinking about going into a different line of work. The job he has now is probably secure (he's been there 10 years) and he is the most educated person who works there, and makes decent money. The thing is, he hates the bosses and people who take their cars there to have them worked on, i.e. the typical Audi owner. He would have absolutely no problem learning how to work on a different type of car. He's really good at what he does. Now, when someone trys to fuck with my head and says one thing to me and another to someone else who I KNOW is not lying, that really pisses me off.

Anyhow, where was I. I don't even remember. I need to get a lot of things done today, so I will close and hopefully write some more happy stuff tomorrow. Take care, y'all.

She's In The Jailhouse Now...

Howdy everyone... been a busy last coupla weeks. I've been doing some new duties at work, including working in booking/receiving and doing searches and inventory sheets. I even had to do two strip searches ::shudder:: on two women who were caught with a bunch of meth and pot in their car. One of them had a bag of pot up her... you know. It was not a pleasant time. At least she got caught I guess. Both women were associated with a local guy who was dealing... I think the girls were from Florida or somewhere. Oh well.

We also have a local girl who was letting her 5-YEAR-OLD drive her home when she was presumably intoxicated. When pulled over, she remarked to the officer, "He's a good driver." Lady, he's FIVE! How can he even reach the pedals? And I think they were even in some sort of large truck! Amazing. Needless to say, CPS got the kid and she's gonna be in pokey a while.

Sunday I learned how to do visits for the inmates. The first Sunday of every month is the only day when juveniles are allowed to visit inmates. The lobby was full of damned screaming kids and little Mexicans running around and bleached-blond pregnant ladies wrangling two-year-olds. The only good part is, if you catch one of the adults that's with the kids talking on a visit phone, you can shut off the visit and ask them to leave. That happened a couple times. What was really unbelievable was the people who brought babies in, like under a year old, and used like three fifteen-minute visits with them. I couldn't believe a baby would sit there and listen to a phone that long, but I guess if the woman or whatever was talking in the background the inmate could still hear her. Which, technically they weren't doing anything against the rules because a) the adult wasn't talking in the phone, and b) the adult was not the one on the video monitor. Oh well.

Enough about the jail. Yesterday my guy and I went down to the creek for the first time in a while and dammed it up with rocks. That's always fun. It always traps a bunch of little baby bass in the deep part, and they are neat to watch. We caught some crawdads for the little snapping turtle he is keeping a while, and I found a little tiny softshell turtle. There were so damn many frogs I know I probably stepped on a couple on accident. I tried not to, but it's hard to miss them when they're only about a half inch long and they jump in front of you.

Haven't gone fishing in forever... it's too damned hot. That and the fishing just hasn't been worth a shit this year for whatever reason. So I'd much rather put on some old clothes and wade around and build rockpiles and make an ass of myself catching crawdads. The same things I've done since I was a kid... imagine that.

Well, I'm off to run the vacuum and see if my uniforms are done washing. Take care y'all.

Day Off

Howdy everyone... I worked a total of 36 hours over the weekend, so I get today and tomorrow off, then work Wednesday and Thursday, and get Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Whee! I like the schedule, but when I have to work a block of three days in a row, by that third day I'm getting a little more bitchy than usual with the inmates and counting down the hours untill my days off. It's not bad though. Could be worse.

Mainly I work in the women's wing of the jail, which can be interesting. There are some psychos in there. Some of them take about ten different medications twice a day. Hmm. And then some you look at, and it's like, why the hell is she in jail? I'd say the majority of women are there for drug or alcohol-related cases, then some for fraud/check deception/etc., then some for theft or assault. Most are there because they either a.) can't pay their bond, or c.) couldn't survive in the outside world and are happy to have a bed, three meals a day, and get their clothes washed every couple days. Some of them seem to be decent people, but I can't trust a one of 'em.

Yesterday being Sunday, the clergy (presumably Catholic) came and did their one-hour church service. Two devoutly bitchy fat old ladies and two younger, defiantly Chriss-chun girls about my age, clutching bibles to their chests, showed up and expected to be let into the cell block. So I finished what I was working on and let them shuffle around uncomfortably for a couple minutes, then unlocked the two sides and let them in. There was one preacher-ette for every cell block, and the rule is that everyone who doesn't want to go to church has to stay locked down. The things that bothered me most was that these women (who have no right to be there inside the cell block in the first place, in my opinion...) have no regard for their own personal safety and walk around like their god will save them and protect them; and second, I had to MAKE them leave after their hour was up. I politely called over the intercom when the hour was over, then ten minutes later got shitty when it was past time for serving dinner, and asked them to leave. I let them out and they left without saying a word to me. You guys know my stance on Catholics anyway, but these people have been known to give things to the inmates, take pictures, and even look inside their dinner strays and bitch to other officers that the portions are too small. All of those are extremely against the rules to do, and trafficking with inmates is one of the worst violations. I have very little tolerance for people who come and feel sorry for the inmates and try to convert them to their religion. I guess that's the main reason for inmates wanting to go to church anyway though, someone who will entertain them for a little while and talk nicely to them and listen to them bitch.

Well, so much for that. Overall the jail I work in is kept very clean and in order, there are so many policies and ways of doing things that it's very uniform. At the same time I was surprised at how many things are left to my discretion. It's a lot more like babysitting than you might think. They are all like little kids who have to be reminded what to do and not do on a daily basis. Which brings me back to the whole 'not being able to survive outside of jail' thing. Eh.

I'm off to get some stuff done around the house. I'll try to start posting more on here, now that my schedule is straightened out and I'm adjusting to the hours. Take care everyone.

Worker Bee

Hey everyone... I didn't die in case you were wondering. The new job is ok, I get a sexy brown uniform and a radio to carry and most of the time am not overly stressed out and busy. The inmates aren't too bad, most are afraid of being locked down or having privileges taken away. And yeah, YDG- if you ever get thrown in the hole in this neck 'o the woods, I wouldn't be mean. Can't say the same for some of the other fellas though. And thanks for the Spanish lesson. ;)

They are going to move me to days, which is funny because I haven't even started on nights yet. I'm still in training. But when I got hired I said I would prefer days, so maybe someone else took nights, whatever. I do know that they just had a couple people quit, so that probably had something to do with it. The day shifts are always way busier.

Eh... other than that, not a whole lot is new. I've been looking at houses with my guy a lot, and that was fun for a while but now it's getting to be unnerving because we can't find anything that we're happy with... he could give a shit less about what the house looks like but he wants something I will be ok with for a while, because he won't want to move for a long time. And neither of us ever wants to live directly in town so that's affecting the situtation as well... there aren't that many reasonably-priced houses with acreage around here. Oh well. I'm sure something will turn up.

Well, I'm off to wash the lovely scent of the jail off me and get something to eat. Take care, y'all... stay out of jail...

Hired

They liked my application...

They liked my interview...

I passed the polygraph...






...And now I'm a corrections officer. Hoo-ray. I will be making a little less than regular officers, but oh well. Having health insurance is worth something. So hopefully it goes well and I'm not pulling my hair out by the end of next week or shooting the Mexican inmates.

Happy 4th

Well... once again I went a long time without posting. It's easy to do in the summertime. Hope everyone had a good Independance Day and didn't lose any hands or eyes. My guy and his buddies and I bought a bunch of fireworks which are no longer illegal here in Indiana, so you don't have to sign the stupid waiver that you will take them out of state after you buy them. My favorite fireworks are still the red Ladybugs... the ones that spin like crazy then go straight into the air in a shower of sparks. That is, they're supposed to. There's always the occasional one that chases after you.

Tuesday night we celebrated a little bit early... in town. It's so much better out in the county, because no one cares what you're doing, 'long as you're not setting cornfields on fire. In one of the new subdivisions in town we were setting off some huge ones... a friend of a friend of a friend has his pyrotechnics license, and he brought over some leftovers from some shows he did. I have never seen Roman Candles that huge. So that was pretty neat. The ordinance in town makes you stop setting them off at 11:00 PM, and the dude's neighbors were getting irritated, so we stopped at 11:00 sharp, threw all the papers in the fire pit, and just sat around and talked for a while. Some things blew up in the fire which prompted the neighbors to think that we were still setting them off, so someone came and taped a copy of the ordinances to our friend's door. The guy next door was being a total jackass, especially when people were still setting off huge loud ones all around us in the damned subdivision. Eh. Can't win 'em all. So we went inside and shot some pool for a while, and finally went home around 1:30 AM.

I got the seats done in the Mustang, I tried to take some pictures but my old digital camera crapped out on me. I have no idea what's wrong with it, but when I have a disk in it, it acts like it doesn't have one. Yes, it's old enough it only takes small floppy disks. So if I can't figure out what's wrong with it, I may just scan some good 'ol fashioned photographs. Maybe. I'm proud enough of how the interior is turning out I just may do that.

Haven't gone fishing for a long time... the last time I went was a couple weeks ago, and didn't catch anything. They haven't been biting worth a shit, and I don't know what the deal is. Maybe too hot, maybe because we haven't had much rain? I don't know. Fish are strange creatures.

We watched "Hannibal Rising" a week or two ago... it was pretty good. I thought they did a nice job with casting the young Lector and his family, as well as his tormentors and victims. And the samurai mask/suit thing was a neat touch. It had a pretty good explanation for why he eats people, other than being just flat-assed crazy. There was one deleted scene I wish they had included though, it explained a part in the movie that happened without anything leading up to it. I don't want to spoil it for anybody, but if you watch it you'll see what I mean.

Well, well, well... that's about all that's new with me. And, oh yeah, I had an interview at the jail Monday for a corrections officer opening. They apparently liked me, because a woman just called and said they are going to go ahead and start a background check on me. That's a good thing... surprisingly, I have a clean record without even any traffic violations. After the background check, they will call me in to take a polygraph test. I hate those. I always feel like I'm lying even when I'm telling the truth... I have a terribly guilty conscience for one thing. I'm afraid I'll think about something else having nothing to do with the situation, like my guy or the car or something I'm worried about, and the needles will go all out of whack. So then I try and relax and then am afraid the needles will reflect that I'm trying too hard to relax, and everything will be messed up. Then there's always the feeling that I'm always forgetting to tell them something, and that will mess the results up...

And THEN finally you have this blood pressure cuff around your arm for a half hour, and it's exceedingly tight and uncomfortable and you know that they want it that way so you will be uncomfortable, and you also have these fingertip covers and a belt thing around your chest and under your armpits. That damned blood pressure cuff is the worst. They keep it on you long enough that your arm starts to sting, and it's all you can think about. You just want to give them their damned answers so you can get it off of there and go home. The stuff they ask is about what you'd expect, about drug usage... stealing... domestic violence... etc. *Sigh.*

Well, ok. I've typed quite a bit so I'd better be off to get some cleaning done. I will try to get the camera working again... I'm hoping it just needs swabbed out with some alcohol. Then if it cooperates I will definitely get some pics on here of the interior of my car. Take care, y'all.

Do You Have ESP?

I don't. I only got 8/50 hits. Try this test... it only takes a few seconds.

http://www.mdani.demon.co.uk/para/esp1.htm

She's Alive

I drove the Mustang yesterday!!! And it actually runs pretty well. All the fuel lines are done, but when we were pissing around with it I noticed a power steering hose spraying fluid directly onto my left exhaust manifold. I guess power steering fluid is highly flammable. Hm. But luckily it didn't catch on fire, and now I have to come up with another hose, since the one on my '73 parts car is different. Other than that, and the missing fuel tank (I used a one-gallon aluminum fuel cell to get it going), it's functionally ready to go. It's just ugly and needs some welding done on the rear end.

The parts I ordered came in the mail. The seat covers look great, probably better quality than the one I put in the Ranchero. All the other parts look ok too, a seat of trunk floor sides and the brackets that support the tail light panel. But those are boring. There's nothing like a new set of seat upholstery! Except maybe new wheels or paint.

Father's Day this weekend... sigh. My dad always picks that day to be in a bad mood, so my brothers and I are trying to think of something to do that might curb that a little. I'm thinking maybe putting up some new insulation on his garage. The stuff we would use is around $9.40 a sheet, and I figure we'll need at least 13-14 sheets, so split three ways it wouldn't be all that expensive of a present. And he would appreciate it I'm sure.

Well, my guy and I have plans this evening so I'm going to go get ready to go. I PROMISE to have some car pics up tomorrow, or at least the interior. Y'all just have to promise not to laugh at my lack of tail lights, or, paint for that matter. It runs so well! I can't wait to have it all done. Take care, everybody.

Long Time, No Post

Howdy all... I've been busy replacing all the fuel lines on my car. I had it running again the other day, but it turns out that the old steel lines were getting rusty enough that it was bent in one place and leaking pretty badly. So I made some new ones with my guy's help and have been trying to get them fitting like the old ones. I had to use three separate pieces of coated steel line, with couplers, so I won't know until I go to start it if they will leak. Hope not!

Went fishing yesterday and caught two channel catfish... and folks, I'm not shitting you, I caught the biggest bass Friday! In the damn creek, no less! It had to be at least five pounds or so, and it was big enough that it put my ultralight pole through hell. I thought I was snagged on a log at first! It was a smallmouth and looked to either be pregnant or just eating really well. I caught it on a tiny yellow Rebel Wee Frog. I didn't keep it... I hardly ever keep anything, and a fish like that needs to stay in the creek. I didn't even get a damned picture, because neither of us had our cameras... usually nothing that comes out of the creek is exactly picture-worthy. Maybe we can go back to that stretch of creek sometime and catch it again, and this time get a picture.

Ok... and now for some great news. I finally found a place that sells my beloved Half & Half! And all the other types of Twisted Tea for that matter. I bought both six packs they had in the refrigerator case. It's damned amazing, Pay Less quit selling it, and it was always sold out when we went there looking for it. They had to be making money on it. Oh well.

Well, I'm off to get some fuel lines finished up. Take care, y'all.

Tagged! Gasp!

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

1) Just Crazy Enough To Try
2) bipolar notes from underground (off meds)
3) This Side Of Reason
4) Full Moon Rising
5) Normy's Corner of the Universe

Next select five people to tag. Be sure to try and make them feel really guilty if they don't want to play!

1) Yellowdog Granny
2) Lazy Iguana
3) Galt-In-Da-Box
4) Old Enough to Moan
5) ????? (Sorry, I don't have too many regular visitors, and Cheesmeister already did this.)

What were you doing ten years ago?

Actually I think at this time ten years ago I was probably in Costa Rica... let's see, 1997... yup. I was livin' it up with the sloths and howler monkeys and soaking in some volcanic hot springs.

What were you doing one year ago?

...The same thing I'm doing now...

Five snacks you enjoy:

1) Hot wings
2) Peanuts
3) Chips 'n salsa
4) Klondike Bars
5) Oreos

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

1) "Sad and Lonely Times" - Country Joe & the Fish
2) "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin
3) "Yer So Bad" - Tom Petty
4) "Whiskey in the Jar" - Metallica
5) "Soul Kitchen" - The Doors

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1) Buy a new truck... a Ford Ranger
2) Buy a house
3) Invest a couple grand in stocks
4) Restore the Ranchero and Mustang
5) Buy a few things for a few certain people

Five bad habits:

1) Bitching
2) Being lazy
3) Road rage
4) Forgetting birthdays
5) Washing different colors of clothes together

Five things you like doing:

1) Art
2) Fishing
3) Watching movies
4) Running
5) Yard sale-ing

Eh, Nosenuggets

Hope everyone had a good safe Memorial Day weekend, and at least thought about our veterans and fallen soldiers. I went fishing a couple times and didn't catch doodly except a deer fly bite. Haven't watched any good movies for a while. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it.

My buddy Robert is home from the Navy! Hopefully we will be able to get together with the old gang this weekend and have some drunken debauchery. It's sort of weird but all my very best friends are guys, and it's always been that way. I've known Robert since we were very little. My guy sometimes displays a hint of jealousy and I won't stand for that shit. When there's a party, my guy is more than welcome to come with me. He doesn't even have to bring his own beer. I've always just been one of the guys and he needs to deal with it.

I just wish we would have made a car club back in high school... I had the Ranchero of course, then among my friends there were two supercharged T-Birds ('93 and '94), a '70 Chevelle, '65 Mustang, and one of those Bonneville SSEI things. And a Geo Metro and older Ford F250. Back then, everyone except us was into those goddamned little Honda Civics and Mitsubishi Eclipses with the coffee-can exhaust and grocery cart wings. Now those cars are mostly reserved for the Hispanics. Not to be racist, it's just that those are the only ones I see driving them. Anyhow our cars weren't perfect, but they ran very well and we were PROUD of them.

Well, I'm off to bed. The time setting on Blogger may say something like 9:00 PM, but it's really 11:35 PM. Nitey nite y'all.

I Love Country Joe

"Give me an F, give me a U, give me a C, give me a K! What's that spell??"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5btZWbViPA

Check out that link for a video of Country Joe McDonald at Woodstock. He is still and always will be one of my biggest heroes, check out his website if you haven't already. I have a link to it in the column to the right.

He is still singing and writing music and fighting for good causes. This world needs about a million more Country Joe's. Maybe then we could lose the fucking nukes and morons running the place, and start living like people should.

Liquid Happy

Turns out they have Twisted Tea in cans. Cans. In both 12 and 24 oz. sizes. Holy poop on a stick, what will those folks think of next? I'm so glad I finally found a couple places that sell Original, Peach, and Raspberry here. And I was afraid the company was going out of business. Psh. Seems they're doing well enough to expand the product line and go on tours of the country. I only wish I could find my beloved Half & Half. I've yet to see their keg-in-a-box thing here, but we have enough liquor stores I'm sure I'll stumble across it someday.

And you fellas out there, this stuff isn't a damned sugar-coated girlie drink!! The original tastes just like real tea, and you drink four of them before you realize what happened.

Checkit out!!!

http://twistedtea.com

Saturday Shit Heap

I am home by myself. On a Saturday night. This doesn't happen often, but my guy is at a party I didn't really want to go to and he is being a shitpants and apparently didn't want me to go anyway so whatever. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind his friends. It's just when they all get to drinking like ten+ beers apiece and they start doing things like setting shrubs on fire and hotrodding golf carts, that's when they bother me. I am not a party pooper, I just hide behind the truck or somewhere I won't get hit by a firework (sometimes they light big illegal ones and just toss them on the ground), or hang out with the other girlfriends and talk about how dumb guys can be. Then at the end of the night we all corral our guys up and haul their dumb burnt asses home. It can be fun and entertaining at times. I can get along with about anyone as long as they aren't dumb as a post or a Jesus freak. Anyways, I am here and he is there and I don't care tonight. I'm mad at him for some other stuff anyhow, so piss on him.

My dad helped me work on my car today... turns out that whenever it got wrecked before I ever had it, it was caved in enough that it wouldn't allow the gas tank to fall past the rear frame support. So we did some cutting and prying and I think he is going to make me another piece to go over the frame support (which also has rust in it) so if I ever get hit in the ass in that car, it hopefully won't cave in my nice new gas tank. The frame piece won't show at all, it will be underneath the rear valence panel and bumper. At this point I'm not going to post any pictures, because the tail lights are out, the valence is off, and it just looks like a demo derby car or something from the back. At least the inside looks nice now.

Well, I'm going to give my dog a bath because she apparently rolled in coon shit. Then I'm going to go to bed and read some Vonnegut. Good night y'all.

About Damned Time

I've resumed work on the Mustang after a long hiatus... pics soon to come. The interior is nearly finished! About all I need now is an upholstery set for the two bucket seats.

It's been like a week and a half without rain here. Probably closer to two weeks... it hasn't rained since mushrooms were growing. I think that's why the season was cut so short. Too damned dry. The ideal conditions for them to grow only lasted about three days.

Last night I caught a sunfish in the creek... the first one I've caught for a long, long time. Those are on the Indiana endangered species list, and I've never found out why. Either people eat them too much, keep them in aquariums, or there's something else in the environment that's killing them. Maybe all three. Sunfish look like something that should be swimming in a coral reef, not in a foot-deep stretch of the Wildcat. I guess there's another kind of fish that does live in the ocean, also called a sunfish, but it looks something like a fat dinner plate with two fins sticking out of it.

This is the closest picture I could find of freshwater ones:

And now the saltwater kind:

Yep, quite a difference. But the colors on the freshwater ones range from orange and blue to almost entirely green. The one I caught had lots of orange on it.

Well, I'm off to get some work done. Take care everyone.

Firsts

This came from Yellowdog Granny's blog, and she got it from someone named Sebastien.

1.FIRST MEMORY: Riding in the bucket of a backhoe with my dad going through a junkyard. I guess it was really muddy and one of the owners was driving down the hill we were at, and was headed the way we were going, so he gave us a ride. I had to be about two years old.

2.FIRST INJURY: The first time I can remember actually being hurt bad (other than just falling down as a toddler) was in kindergarten. There was one of those round metal merry-go-rounds on the playground, the kind you sit on like a bench while other kids push you? Well, I somehow wasn't sitting right, and fell off... hitting my head on the metal and being kicked by about ten sets of legs in the process. It hurt. No wonder you don't see those things anywhere these days.

3.FIRST LIE: Probably had something to do with blaming my brother for poking the icing on a cake my mom made.

4.FIRST PERSON YOU ADMIRED: ?... My mom?

5.FIRST TIME DRUNK: Yeesh, New Year's a few years back... my guy and I split a bottle of white wine, then I fell asleep for three hours.

6.FIRST FAILURE: 10th grade Algebra

7.FIRST SUCCESS: Graduated high school

8.FIRST TRIP ABROAD: Went to Costa Rica when I was 14...

9.FIRST CONCERT: Not really a concert... went to go see Haywood Banks with my mom when I was 18.

10.FIRST THING I DO WHEN I GET UP IN THE MORNING: Let the dog outside

New Element

None of Us is as Dumb as All of Us: The densest element yet known to science has been discovered. The new element has been named "Bushcronium." Bushcronium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons giving an atomic mass of 911.

These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. The symbol for Bushcronium is "W."

Bushcronium's mass actually increases over time, as these morons interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons in a Bushcronium molecule, forming a large cluster of idiotopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Bushcronium is formed whenever morons reach a critical mass also known as "Critical Morass."

When catalyzed with money, Bushcronium activates Foxnewsium, an element radiating several orders of magnitude more energy, mostly as incoherent noise, since it has half as many peons, but twice as many morons.

Simply Fuckin' Marvelous

Howdy... this last weekend was weird. Saturday my guy and I went to a couple antique shops in town, one of which had some of the strangest shit I've ever seen. There was this damned boot that was like twenty feet tall right there when you walked in, and all this other stuff that looked like some sorts of theatre props laying around everywhere. I would NOT want to be in that place in the dark. For one thing it would be creepy stumbling around and running into a giant doll head, and for another thing I'd probably fall and impale myself on one of the many giant sharp plexiglass and aluminum sculpture spike things. I don't know what they were, but they were all over the store and ranged from three or four feet tall to around twenty. They were clear with aluminum trim and red and blue stripes. Ya. No idea. One of those places that sort of makes you go, "hm." The other store was more normal and had a bunch of old '50's kitchen crap like I love buying, but alas I hava-no-money. My guy bought a couple of old fishing lures.

After going to the antique places we fished a little bit, then I made him go look at this boat I found. It's a '58 Glastron. It has to be the most beautiful boat I've ever seen. Big tail fins, bubble roof, sleek turquoise fiberglass hull. It's needing some work, but man it could be cool!!

Then we had a couple beers and grilled some things on the grille (charcoal!) and I ended up building a big turtle in his niece's sandbox.

On the down side, my power brakes are making an air noise, so I'm guessing it needs a power brake booster. Which can be expected, since El Rancho is what, 38 years old, and it doesn't look like it's ever been replaced. It isn't leaking brake fluid or anything though. I'm going to go ahead and put a new set of spark plugs in it probably tomorrow, since that set has been in there for around four years or so. On a carbureted vehicle that's plenty long.

Well, I'm off to get some things done, have a safe and productive week everyone.

Shroom Time Again

Hey folks... last weekend was devoted almost entirely to mushroom hunting. All we've found this year is sponge, yellow, gray, and brown, (or as some city folks call them, morels) and Saturday night I had a few Twisted Teas and my guy and I cooked them up! I was sicker than hell that night. Anyways, they are very good and one of my favorite foods ever.

Fried Wild Mushrooms

Halve mushrooms, let them soak in salt water overnight or at least for a few hours (to kill creepy crawlies), then dry them off.

Crack up a couple eggs and mix them up, then coat the shrooms really well.

Put saltine crackers in a bag and grind them up 'till they're a fine mixture, put this breading on a plate or in a bowl.

Apply the crackers to the egged mushrooms, then fry them in oil or butter until they're golden brown. Mrrrrrmmmm. Breakfast of champions right there.

That's how we make them. My mom always uses Shake 'N Bake, but whatever floats your boat. I like using saltines because it doesn't hide the flavor of the mushrooms so much, just adds a little salt. You can also bake these in the oven! But they aren't as good that way.

Some stores around here are selling them for $25 a pound!! Yeesh. People are just too lazy or whatever to go look for them on their own. I guess I would pay that too if I lived in New York City or somewhere they don't grow.

While shroom hunting we also found: A tree frog, two toads, a garter snake, a baby squirrel, and a very old can of Colt .45 malt liquor. I wasn't aware they still made Colt .45, but apparently they do, so I was told. I wish I had kept that can, but it did have bullet holes in it.

Until next time, happy hunting!

New Job?

Hey everyone, I got sunburn this weekend! Sunburn. The weather is so nice. We went fishing a couple times and didn't catch much of anything at all. At least we got to take the boat out.

I have applied for five different jobs in security at the hospitals here, I'm hoping it will work out because I actually have a couple decent references for a chance. Connections, man. You have to have connections. My mom works at one hospital, and my guy's mom worked at one, and knows the guy in charge of security. So hopefully I'll be hearing from them soon, and didn't screw anything up when I went through the online application process. I know I'm qualified... it's just a matter of doing and saying the right things now. It didn't have a pay scale indicated, but surely to hell it's at least $12-$14 an hour? I would work for that. I've been looking for an excuse to slow down on eBay anyways. And working for a hospital, that would give me health insurance for a change!

I started running in the mornings again. I want to get back up to 2+ miles a day. In the afternoons my guy and I walk around a couple local ponds with the dog, and that has to be at least a mile or so anyway, so as long as I run and carry my 1 lb. weights and keep doing sit-ups I should be ok for daily exercise.

Well, I'm off to do some work on the car, take care everyone.

Virginia Tech Shootings

Ok folks, I wasn't going to post about this, but after reading some on the Cheesemeister's blog, I decided to. I give my deepest sympathy to all the students and families this has affected. I'm having a hard time not being pissed off about it.

That bastard Cho... he's getting what he wanted. The media is sensationalizing this and calling him "the gunman" and the incident "a massacre." I wish from the bottom of my heart that he had been killed by police fire. I watch his video footage and can barely stand to hear his voice without wanting to throw a boot at the TV, for once thing, and can't believe someone would be so selfish and stupid as to do something like that and consider themself a martyr. I know this guy had some mental health issues, and the college could have probably done more to address that. How could they know? I'm sure all colleges have incidents of harassment and bad behavior to deal with, and if a mental health institution checked out this Cho and determined everything seemed honkey-dorey, and released him, then legally V. Tech did what they could.

What a dumbass. A selfish, self-pitying asshole. Mental issues aside, this kid looks like he was indeed a reclusive jackass that would distance himself from everyone. Yeah dude, you look so tough with your Glock 9mm and your .22 Walther. Psh. Not bragging, but I guaran-fuckin-tee you, if I had been in that classroom or the one next door, and he had come in shooting, he would have been dead before he knew what happened, definitely before he killed 30 people. I've carried ever since I was of legal age to have a pistol permit. If I forgot my Smith, an impossibility, but IF I did, I'd try to rush the bastard, barrel at his legs maybe! So many armed police officers have been killed, stabbed to death, by someone running at them with a knife. Anybody who does any amount of shooting knows that it's harder than it looks to shoot someone running at you. I mean, you know he's going to shoot you anyway! Why stand there screaming, or hide under your desk!? My brother said he would have waited next to the door holding a chair, then whacked the fuck over the head when he made his grand entrance. Ha. Anyway, that part of the equation bothers me. Maybe I think different or something, but my goal would have been self-preservation! And not just by jumping out the window when my friends were still in the classroom!!

Look at that picture. Geeze. Now that's intimidating. What's he going to do, roof my house? And he looks oh so constipated and full of angst.

The whole situation make me so mad. He felt like he was in pain, and was being like Jesus or some shit, a martyr for the little guys. He alluded to Mercedes and gold jewelry and a whole bunch of other charlatans and bullcrap, but how could he be that bad off if he was going to college, and made it to his senior year, no less? Pain, my ass. Suck it up and go on. Cho, your pain was nothing compared to what you've caused innocent people. I hope you are in your own personal hell with nothing but your retarded Boy Scout uniform while others are driving around in Mercedes and wearing gold jewelry and pointing and laughing at you.

Fish and a Weasel

Hey folks... I still can't get over the fact that Kurt Vonnegut is gone now. I read my favorite book of all-time, "Bluebeard" by K.V. in about two nights and I will probably read it again and again, many many more times in the years to come. Something like that is timeless, as are most of his books... even though they are set in a different time or place, we still have the same problems going on today, with war, drugs, society, the government, etc.

It was an odd weekend. Saturday didn't amount to much, but Sunday my guy and I walked down the railroad tracks maybe a mile to a railroad bridge over the creek. It was creepy, and neither one of us are exactly comfortable with heights, especially if there's no railing and only a walkway about four feet wide, with a really deep body of water running underneath it. The bridge had to be at least thirty feet above the water! He said when he was a kid, they would walk down there and some of his friends would jump off the old concrete pylons right next to the bridge, which are easily twenty feet over the water. It's a small miracle that none of the little bastards ever died or fell in the water and hit their head on a log and got a concussion and drowned. It's an area that you're not really supposed to be in... but we are going to go back there and fish sometime, from the bank.

There was an old farm dump back there next to the bridge, with nothing in it but paint cans and lightbulbs and tires and a Snapper lawn mower deck. I thought about grabbing an old screen door frame, but passed it up. What the hell would I ever do with it. Anyways there wasn't shit in the dump. We did see a weasel running across the cornfield, so that was pretty neat.

I bought two new fish, a blue gourami and an orange gourami. I finally got rid of all my koi fish, they were just getting too big and messy. My brother took three of them, and my guy's mom took the other one. The gouramis are kind of neat. They have these little antennae that feel everything in front of and to the side of them... they're constantly moving them around. I'm hoping to get maybe an angelfish or some little neons or something different. Something easy to care for.

Well, I'm off to get some shit done. Take care everyone!

Kurt Vonnegut, 11/11/22 - 4/11/07

We lost a great man yesterday. That's actually a huge understatement, but I don't feel like saying much else about it right now. Kurt Vonnegut was definitely one of my biggest heroes. I'll attach a news article that I don't feel does him much justice, either, but at least you can read a little bit about him if you want to.

Influential Author Vonnegut Dies at 84
By CRISTIAN SALAZAR, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Kurt Vonnegut mixed the bitter and funny with a touch of the profound in books such as "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Cat's Cradle," and "Hocus Pocus."

Vonnegut, regarded by many critics as a key influence in shaping 20th-century American literature, died Wednesday at 84. He suffered brain injuries after a recent fall at his Manhattan home, said his wife, photographer Jill Krementz.

Vonnegut's more than a dozen books, short stories, essays and plays contained elements of social commentary, science fiction and autobiography.

"He was sort of like nobody else," said fellow author Gore Vidal. "Kurt was never dull."

A self-described religious skeptic and freethinking humanist, Vonnegut used protagonists such as Billy Pilgrim and Eliot Rosewater as transparent vehicles for his points of view.

He lectured regularly, exhorting audiences to think for themselves and delighting in barbed commentary against the institutions he felt were dehumanizing people.

"He was a man who combined a wicked sense of humor and sort of steady moral compass, who was always sort of looking at the big picture of the things that were most important," said Joel Bleifuss, editor of In These Times, a liberal magazine based in Chicago that featured Vonnegut articles.

Some of Vonnegut's books were banned and burned for suspected obscenity. He took on censorship as an active member of the PEN writers' aid group and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The American Humanist Association, which promotes individual freedom, rational thought and scientific skepticism, made him its honorary president.

Vonnegut said the villains in his books were never individuals, but culture, society and history, which he said were making a mess of the planet.

"I like to say that the 51st state is the state of denial," he told The Associated Press in 2005. "It's as though a huge comet were heading for us and nobody wants to talk about it. We're just about to run out of petroleum and there's nothing to replace it."

Despite his commercial success, Vonnegut battled depression throughout his life, and in 1984, he attempted suicide with pills and alcohol, joking later about how he botched the job.

"I will say anything to be funny, often in the most horrible situations," Vonnegut, whose watery, heavy-lidded eyes and unruly hair made him seem to be in existential pain, once told a gathering of psychiatrists.

Vonnegut was born on Nov. 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, and studied chemistry at Cornell University before joining the Army. His mother killed herself just before he left for Germany during World War II, where he was quickly taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge. He was being held in Dresden when Allied bombs firebombed the city.

"The firebombing of Dresden explains absolutely nothing about why I write what I write and am what I am," Vonnegut wrote in "Fates Worse Than Death," his 1991 autobiography of sorts.
But he spent 23 years struggling to write about the ordeal, which he survived by huddling with other POW's inside an underground meat locker labeled slaughterhouse-five.

The novel that emerged, in which Pvt. Pilgrim is transported from Dresden by time-traveling aliens, was published at the height of the Vietnam War, and solidified his reputation as an iconoclast.

After World War II, he reported for Chicago's City News Bureau, then did public relations for General Electric, a job he loathed. He wrote his first novel, "Player Piano," in 1951, followed by "The Sirens of Titan," "Canary in a Cat House" and "Mother Night," making ends meet by selling Saabs on Cape Cod.

Critics ignored him at first, then denigrated his deliberately bizarre stories and disjointed plots as haphazardly written science fiction. But his novels became cult classics, especially "Cat's Cradle" in 1963, in which scientists create "ice-nine," a crystal that turns water solid and destroys the earth.

He retired from novel writing in his later years, but continued to publish short articles. He had a best-seller in 2005 with "A Man Without a Country," a collection of his nonfiction, including jabs at the Bush administration ("upper-crust C-students who know no history or geography") and the uncertain future of the planet.

He called the book's success "a nice glass of champagne at the end of a life."

Vonnegut, who had homes in Manhattan and the Hamptons in New York, adopted his sister's three young children after she died. He also had three children of his own with his first wife, Jane Marie Cox, and later adopted a daughter, Lily, with his second wife, Krementz.

Vonnegut once said that of all the ways to die, he'd prefer to go out in an airplane crash on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. He often joked about the difficulties of old age.

"When Hemingway killed himself he put a period at the end of his life; old age is more like a semicolon," Vonnegut told the AP.

"My father, like Hemingway, was a gun nut and was very unhappy late in life. But he was proud of not committing suicide. And I'll do the same, so as not to set a bad example for my children."

Easter Grindhouse

The weather finally warmed up to fifty degrees... and it's raining. At least I got the yard mowed yesterday for the first time this year. It was getting sorta tall. Since the yard is kind of big with lots of trees and junk to mow around, we have one of those little Gravely zero-turn radius deals. I remember the days when I had to push mow (almost three acres) with a 24-inch wide pusher with a gimpy wheel. Those were the days. This little Gravely is almost more like an ATV than a mower... I think the deck is maybe 30" wide at the most. And it does make mowing more fun than it should be.

Saturday was my little brother's birthday. I bought him an old Heddon River Runt that still had the box and everything with it, and since I couldn't find a good birthday card, I bought him a little kid one with clowns and a train on it. I think he liked the fishing lure but wasn't so thrilled with the card. It was good for a laugh anyway.

Speaking of lures... I'm looking for a nice Creek Chub Blue Flash Pikie for my guy's birthday. It's in July, so hopefully that's plenty of time. I don't want just any old Blue Flash Pikie, it's gotta be one that's wooden, has glass eyes, and has the right box with it. (Sort of like the one at the top of this post, but that one is a Mullet Pikie.) He loves any kind of old lures, but when I buy them for him I try to make sure they're nicer than what he would normally buy for himself. A couple years ago I got him a Creek Chub Wiggle Fish, but it was a new edition that's made just like the old ones with glass eyes and stainless tail and whatnot. Later I found out that those are worth almost as much as the old ones, so that was good. But I don't really care how much they're worth. If there's one he saw online or in a book or something and he really liked, I'll try to get it. Sometimes I find ones I like, and more often than not they aren't worth doodly because they are plastic and made in the 1950's, like the pink lucite Sonic Minnow with the black lightning bolt on it. I guess lure collecting is like anything else... you can buy what ya like, or buy for investment. Or a little of both.

Well I hope y'all had a Happy Easter, if you celebrate it... I do but, in the commercial semi-Pagan kind of way.

Sunday we both went to see Tarantino's latest film, "Grindhouse." Actually it's a double feature directed by both Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. The fake previews were hilarious, I loved "Werewolf Women of the SS." The two movies were alright, a little weird as can be expected. The first one was obviously a parody of '70s sci-fi horror films, the acting was bad on purpose and some of the things that happened were funny as hell... they were so cliche' and overly dramatized. The second movie was one about a stuntman who kills women. It had some neat old cars in it, and I loved how they had the '72 Mustang. The front license plate said "Brand X" because Tarantino typically puts all his main characters in Chevys. Tee hee. But I'm glad they used a car like mine, even though it had some kind of weird interior in it. Overall I'd give it a good rating if I was a critic, and I do reccomend it to y'all. Especially Cheesy, she would love it.

Well, I'm off to get some crap done around the house. Take care everyone, and have a safe rest-of-the-week.

Friday

Hello... hope everyone watched The Office on NBC last night. It was great... a classic. I should have recorded it! Oh well. It'll probably be on again next week or sometime. I'm planning on buying the season when it comes out on DVD anyway. The Office and My Name is Earl are about the only TV shows I watch on a regular basis, other than Dateline and other ones like that once in a while.

I've had "The Battle of New Orleans" stuck in my head all damn day, so here it is. I like Johnny Horton.

In 1814 we took a little trip

Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.

We took a little bacon and we took a little beans

And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept on comin'

There wasn't as many as there was a while ago.

We fired once more and they began to runnin'

Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We looked down the river and we'd seen the British come

And there must have been a hunnerd of 'em beatin on the drum.

They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring

But we stood behind our cotton bales 'n' didn't say a thing.

Ol' Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise

If we didn't fire our muskets 'till we looked 'em in the eyes.

We held our fire 'till we seed their faces well

Then we opened up the squirrel guns and really gave em....

Well they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles

And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.

They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em

Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our cannon 'till the barrel melted down

So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.

We filled his head with cannonballs, powdered his behind,

And when we touched the powder off the gator lost his mind.

Yeah they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles

And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.

They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em

Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

A catchy tune, I must admit... but that poor alligator. Eh. Well, have a good weekend everyone.

Cold... So Cold...

Hey everyone... I really hate to complain, but uh... IT'S FORTY DEGREES OUT AGAIN! It was snowing this morning! And windier than all hell. Just two days ago it was seventy-six out, I was wearing shorts, fishing in the creek and catching smallmouth bass. I had plans to mow today and do some things outside. Not gonna happen. I actually started up the kerosene heaters again this morning.

On the other hand, I watched a decent movie last night, "Children of Men." It's all about how mankind can't have babies anymore, then all of a sudden this girl gets pregnant and these three or four people are trying to protect her, and there's this genocide war going on between gypsy-type people and the Brits and what look like Americans, and different people keep trying to capture the girl and baby. It's a mess. Anyways, It has one of those endings that makes you go "whuh?" and left a bunch of questions unanswered, but overall it was pretty good. There are some really violent parts, which is probably the only reason my guy would watch it with me.

That would be weird... no more babies. It would put a big dent in the pharmaceutical industry and make contraceptives useless. That would be kinda nice in a way. But mankind would be doomed eventually. Not right away though, think of all the frozen embryo's and eggs and sperm. We'd still have babies, they'd just be test-tube ones.

If it's going to be this damned cold all week there'll probably be more movie nights and less fishing. We'll probably dig out "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and watch it for the 80th time, and maybe "The Big Lebowski" too. Hard to say.

Well, I'm off to get some things done. Take care y'all...

Another Gun Show

Today I went to the local Armory for a gun show in the gymnasium. All the different types of gun people were there... I think I classified the types on an old post. I went with my dad and one of my brothers, and ended up carrying a Czech rifle around most of the morning. (Dad wanted to bring it so he could look for a certain piece the sight is missing... that and to presumably show it off.) At least it had a sling, but it still weighs about thirty pounds. My dad and brother found some things... all I found was a few boxes of .38 reloads and a holster I thought would work for my Taurus .40. The holster didn't work... I think it's for a Glock. Anyways, I guess it was a pretty good time.

They're a funny thing, gun shows...

For one thing, you get all these different types of people gathering in a confined area, that normally wouldn't associate with each other in everyday life. (You've got the Veterans/Politicals, the Scary Fellas in trenchcoats, the Hillbilly Hunters, and the minority Average Joes) They all get along reasonably well, because they're there for one reason and have one big common interest that unites them: guns. Everyone has to stop and talk at certain tables where there's something unusual or interesting on display, so the aisles get all congested. People still don't get frustrated or pushy, even though the gymnasium is hot and humid and some folks are smelling ripe. Nawp. You just have to patiently slide by each other, giving the occasional "...'Scuse me" when you bump some chap in the ass with your arm or rifle butt. (Once again, I only counted maybe eight women there, and I had to be the youngest.)

At the ticket table, I never check my carry gun in. I'm going to have to assume there are a good number of other people at those shows, especially dealers, that don't either. I'm sorry, I know it's breaking the rules, but I don't want to empty my .38, put the bullets in a safe place, then have the barrel zip-tied so the chamber can't close. It's just easier to keep it put away where no one knows about it.

I always take a few different free brochures, though they can informationally skewed and abrasive. They're almost always knocking Democrats and gun control, or even the United Nations. But mostly there's just a huge concern about protecting our Constitutional rights. It's interesting to read stuff like that sometimes.

All in all, I think gun shows are a positive type of gathering. My guy always goes to the big machine gun shoot in Kentucky, and anyone that goes down there will tell you that it's a group of the most law-abiding citizens ever. It's military preservationists, pilots, veterans, and all types of restorers and enthusiats. (Aaaaand the occasional skinhead.) They target shoot, hold competitions, and blow up junk cars. R. Lee Ermey even shows up there about every year. These people don't deserve to have gun control laws. The damn murderers and rapists and convenience-store robbers and crack dealers are the only ones that ought to be penalized. T'ain't fair.

Well, so much for that. Good night everyone. Take care, and be glad you're in a place where guns are still allowed.

The Weather Is Fine!!

DAMN it's nice not having three feet of snow on the ground!! The tulips are comin' up, the daffodils are blooming, and the weather is a balmy seventy degrees. I don't even mind if it rains a day or two every week. It's almost that time for good 'ole mushrooms to be popping up... and they need rain to do that. I can almost taste them. Somehow it's almost more fun going out and looking for them than it is eating 'em.

Been fishing a few times, haven't caught diddly. Almost had a shad two days ago, whoopee. My guy has caught a couple nice bass and crappie on spinnerbaits, but I don't like to use them. I think they are weed snag magnets and can't see why on earth a fish would want to eat something that looks like a pom-pom with a spoon coming out of it. Whatever works, I guess.

I've spent the last few weeks parting out a '71 Buick Skylark, so if anyone out there needs anything for their Chevelle or Cutlass, hit me up. I'm listing on eBay like crazy. Possibly coming soon is a '78 Trans Am... don't know if that will be worthwhile or not. By the late seventies, most former muscle cars had developed into emissions-equipped, low-horsepower cheesy items. There are probably still people out there driving them and fixing them up, though.

Hm... what else is going on... Buck Owens died a year ago last week... Jerry Lee Lewis's latest album is awesome, check it out.

Nothing real astonishing in the news, other than our presidential candidates are going to probably be wild cards this year. We get a Republican, the same things happen that Bush keeps making happen now... we get a Democrat, we get out of the war sooner and get some more environmental laws thrown in there somewhere, but they take our guns away. Why can't there ever be a happy balance, someone middle-of-the-road, a Ralph Nader. Why won't the system allow for that. I know why, I've had it explained to me many times in Government and Political Science classes... but really, folks. It's not going to throw the country into anarchy simply by having a third or even fourth political party. Come on. It's like, you guys have had your fun with your governmental monopoly, but now it's time to be a REAL democracy.

And as for all this political fund-raising going on... I like Barack Obama's approach. He's not asking for money, he's asking for people. Not saying I agree with all the guy's principles, but I do like that.

Well folks, I'm off to get some things done. Take care y'all.