Usually I sleep very well during stormy weather, I did last night as well until about three o'clock when the crickets started! I've been drifting in and out since then and truthfully I'm not that rested right now.
Thing 2 has made it back from her New Orleans orchestra trip! She had a lot of fun and took about five hundred pictures! That reminds me of the old days of film when you were limited on what you could take a picture of. You only had like twelve frames of film to use then you had to buy another roll. Then after all of that you had to take it someplace and have it developed so you couldn't actually see your trip pictures until well after your trip was over with.
Oh, technology! Now you have a better camera on your phone than some of the old cameras combined! It's crazy when you consider it that way! We are probably on the second generation of kids right now that will grow up with no film and have no idea what a one hour photomat is!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
5
5
How do I tell Sam about what I just witnessed in the hall? I turn back to face him and see that he's practically passed out, face first into his own beer can pyramid. Now suddenly unburdened from that weight of truth I sit down beside him and ponder our next steps.
Certainly surviving tops the list. Without a radio for news or electricity for, well electrical things, I'm in a quandary about how to go about surviving. Normally I'd look it up online and find a few message boards of experts of the subject I was going to learn about. Now? Well I don't know.
No electricity means no power, means no cell phones, means no contact with anyone or anything. Wow, thing, that's the feeling I got from the people in the hall. Not human but not bestial either. Perhaps mutant of some sort? A result of this horrendous rain we've been experiencing?
It doesn't matter really, it's all speculation as we have no expert guidance to go by right now so the population is left to their own imaginations about what is happening outside their doors. I go to the window and see the water at flood levels. It's lapping up to the entrance of the building, the streets perhaps a foot under water, the lower parts of town completely under water. But this is walkable if need be in case escape becomes necessary, runnable? No. Swimmable? No, too shallow and slow but walkable. Again I think air boat!
How do I tell Sam about what I just witnessed in the hall? I turn back to face him and see that he's practically passed out, face first into his own beer can pyramid. Now suddenly unburdened from that weight of truth I sit down beside him and ponder our next steps.
Certainly surviving tops the list. Without a radio for news or electricity for, well electrical things, I'm in a quandary about how to go about surviving. Normally I'd look it up online and find a few message boards of experts of the subject I was going to learn about. Now? Well I don't know.
No electricity means no power, means no cell phones, means no contact with anyone or anything. Wow, thing, that's the feeling I got from the people in the hall. Not human but not bestial either. Perhaps mutant of some sort? A result of this horrendous rain we've been experiencing?
It doesn't matter really, it's all speculation as we have no expert guidance to go by right now so the population is left to their own imaginations about what is happening outside their doors. I go to the window and see the water at flood levels. It's lapping up to the entrance of the building, the streets perhaps a foot under water, the lower parts of town completely under water. But this is walkable if need be in case escape becomes necessary, runnable? No. Swimmable? No, too shallow and slow but walkable. Again I think air boat!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Fail Wars: Viking Shores
Wow! Where to start?
I guess from what the premise of the show is. The liberal sea hippie terrorists known as the Sea Shepherds are going to try and halt a thousand year tradition in the Faroe Islands. The islands are a small chain in the North Atlantic.
They harvest pilot whales each year for food. One twenty foot whale can feed a hundred people according to the debut show. The show starts with a little background on the tradition and the ever alert looking Paul Watson. He ventured to the islands in 1986 and they attempted to arrest him for interfering with the harvest. He is just now returning and I suspect that it mostly has to do with the show and the need for TV dollars or he wouldn't be there, he'd be sticking to the Japanese hunt on the other end of the globe. The show introduces the two ships, the Steve Irwin and the formerly named Gojira, the Brigitte Bardot. No mention of the Bob Barker joining the other two ships. The people of the Faroe Islands are preparing for the arrival of Watson and his merry band of terrorists by welcoming them into port after clearing their passports.
Meanwhile Watson and the Steve Irwin are being detained in Scotland and have their ship impounded. They have to clear bond or risk forfeiting their ship, which I would find hilarious. However that would also end the show fairly quickly so we can't have that. So everyone knows they post bond and get out of port and continue to the Faroe Islands.
The Brigitte Bardot docks in port and are immediately set upon my customs agents and police who are expecting their arrival. They are friendly and ask the crew questions to which the hippie terrorists resort to lies almost immediately by saying they are there for research. Everyone knows their real purpose there, in fact part of their plan is to have sonar beacons secretly brought to the island by a "covert operative" also known as an illegal smuggler. The beacons are integral to the Shepherd's plan this year to herd the whales away from the coastline and the illegal van is stopped as soon as it hits the Islands and the beacons taken thus ending the well thought out plan. In typical liberal fashion they can never be straight up honest with anything they do. I wouldn't have a problem with Watson if he was as forceful as his rhetoric.
If he wants to save the whales, dump his crew, take his ship, ram and sink the whaling ship and go down with both ships. Be a man about it. End whaling and be a martyr for the cause. But no, he won't do that instead relying on sabotage and subterfuge to carry out his mission of cutting off the supply of food to actual human beings.
One particularly poignant scene from the show is when the foreman of the harvest comes to the docked Brigitte Bardot to explain their heritage and tradition in peace and understanding. He's very pleasant and trying to relay his message to the flippant Shepherds as best as he can but they refuse to listen with an open mind and reason, also a typical liberal trait. The foreman, Marnar Andreasan, hands the Shepherds a book entitled Two Minutes which refers how long the harvest lasts from start to finish. It's a coffee table book full of graphic pictures of a harvest. Mr. Andreasan tries to explain it's not as barbaric as it seems while the smirking captain Fraser Hall. He refuses to listen and continues to openly point out his mission which is in direct contradiction to what he told customs earlier in the show.
Mr. Andreasan leaves his encounter and welcoming mission with the Shepherds as a very frustrated man, his point of view falling on very deaf ears. Later the Shepherds leave the dock and port only to continue to goad the citizens of the Islands by docking in yet another port. The very same place where perpetual second banana Peter Hammarstedt visited a year prior on a scouting mission for Watson. He has to be pretty upset by now at his lack of promotion to a higher rank by Watson as he continues to be the second mate on nearly every ship he is on while others are given the captain-ships.
Regardless they dock once again in less friendly territory to incite the population, there really isn't a better explanation than that, they want an incident to happen. They have no other reason to be there. The show ends when the people gathering on the dock start to challenge the crew of the Brigitte Bardot thus ending Fail Wars until next week.
I really don't have any words for these idiots, they probably enjoy a strong support base from Obama true believers and that's shrinking by the day. They have the typical liberal philosophy that they are open to any lifestyle or way of life as long as they approve it, otherwise they will do what they can to end your way of life. They are militant in their views and don't mind hurting people in the process. If Watson was as dedicated to his cause as he claims he would do things differently as I said and man up about it. I'm not sure I'd slow down if Paul Watson was in a crosswalk but that is never likely to happen.
They harvest pilot whales each year for food. One twenty foot whale can feed a hundred people according to the debut show. The show starts with a little background on the tradition and the ever alert looking Paul Watson. He ventured to the islands in 1986 and they attempted to arrest him for interfering with the harvest. He is just now returning and I suspect that it mostly has to do with the show and the need for TV dollars or he wouldn't be there, he'd be sticking to the Japanese hunt on the other end of the globe. The show introduces the two ships, the Steve Irwin and the formerly named Gojira, the Brigitte Bardot. No mention of the Bob Barker joining the other two ships. The people of the Faroe Islands are preparing for the arrival of Watson and his merry band of terrorists by welcoming them into port after clearing their passports.
Meanwhile Watson and the Steve Irwin are being detained in Scotland and have their ship impounded. They have to clear bond or risk forfeiting their ship, which I would find hilarious. However that would also end the show fairly quickly so we can't have that. So everyone knows they post bond and get out of port and continue to the Faroe Islands.
The Brigitte Bardot docks in port and are immediately set upon my customs agents and police who are expecting their arrival. They are friendly and ask the crew questions to which the hippie terrorists resort to lies almost immediately by saying they are there for research. Everyone knows their real purpose there, in fact part of their plan is to have sonar beacons secretly brought to the island by a "covert operative" also known as an illegal smuggler. The beacons are integral to the Shepherd's plan this year to herd the whales away from the coastline and the illegal van is stopped as soon as it hits the Islands and the beacons taken thus ending the well thought out plan. In typical liberal fashion they can never be straight up honest with anything they do. I wouldn't have a problem with Watson if he was as forceful as his rhetoric.
If he wants to save the whales, dump his crew, take his ship, ram and sink the whaling ship and go down with both ships. Be a man about it. End whaling and be a martyr for the cause. But no, he won't do that instead relying on sabotage and subterfuge to carry out his mission of cutting off the supply of food to actual human beings.
One particularly poignant scene from the show is when the foreman of the harvest comes to the docked Brigitte Bardot to explain their heritage and tradition in peace and understanding. He's very pleasant and trying to relay his message to the flippant Shepherds as best as he can but they refuse to listen with an open mind and reason, also a typical liberal trait. The foreman, Marnar Andreasan, hands the Shepherds a book entitled Two Minutes which refers how long the harvest lasts from start to finish. It's a coffee table book full of graphic pictures of a harvest. Mr. Andreasan tries to explain it's not as barbaric as it seems while the smirking captain Fraser Hall. He refuses to listen and continues to openly point out his mission which is in direct contradiction to what he told customs earlier in the show.
Mr. Andreasan leaves his encounter and welcoming mission with the Shepherds as a very frustrated man, his point of view falling on very deaf ears. Later the Shepherds leave the dock and port only to continue to goad the citizens of the Islands by docking in yet another port. The very same place where perpetual second banana Peter Hammarstedt visited a year prior on a scouting mission for Watson. He has to be pretty upset by now at his lack of promotion to a higher rank by Watson as he continues to be the second mate on nearly every ship he is on while others are given the captain-ships.
Regardless they dock once again in less friendly territory to incite the population, there really isn't a better explanation than that, they want an incident to happen. They have no other reason to be there. The show ends when the people gathering on the dock start to challenge the crew of the Brigitte Bardot thus ending Fail Wars until next week.
I really don't have any words for these idiots, they probably enjoy a strong support base from Obama true believers and that's shrinking by the day. They have the typical liberal philosophy that they are open to any lifestyle or way of life as long as they approve it, otherwise they will do what they can to end your way of life. They are militant in their views and don't mind hurting people in the process. If Watson was as dedicated to his cause as he claims he would do things differently as I said and man up about it. I'm not sure I'd slow down if Paul Watson was in a crosswalk but that is never likely to happen.
Day Of Twisters
Sadly Syfy has gone completely batty, today they have no less than THREE tornado movies. Ice Twisters followed up by Alien Tornado, and then the stellar sounding Space Twister! Yeah...what happened to Japanese giant robot movies? At least I enjoy those...a lot actually.
Yes I do have the Ultraman boxed set. Yes I do have a Godzilla boxed set and have followed that up with a couple of newer Godzilla movies (NOT the US versions thankfully) but the man in a rubber suit movies destroying tenth scale cities. Heck you can even watch Johnny Sokko and his Robot on Hulu for free! I watched that as a kid in Missouri and we only had three channels!
If I had the money and studio space I'd make one of those movies! At least they'd be entertaining! Well to me anyway.
So what do I do for a case of bad movies on Syfy? Easy, I let them know I don't watch this type of junk and change the channel until Ghost Hunters comes on Wednesday night.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Taking The Step Out
I've never been a fan of using the term "step" when referring to a parent that has taken on the task of raising children. Yeah there are bad step parents (If not Disney wouldn't have made such a fortune) but there can also be bioparents that are just as bad if not more so.
Now that I'm a father for real and the step has been taken out I really don't feel that much different but I just know that it's real, make sense? I would do my best to protect the girls no matter what, ask Thing 1 about a couple of talks I've had with her former boyfriends. I'm a protective person by nature, add daughters to the mix and look out!
I see idiots all the time with kids they don't deserve, it's really pretty special to be a parent now and to take care of what their mother entrusted me with.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The Adoption
Today is the big day. At nine thirty this morning I'll become a father for the first time, a real father. My wife has shared the best thing she has with me, her daughters. Her beautiful, intelligent, talented daughters.
I'm grateful for my wife and I'm grateful for the girls, my daughters.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
4
4
It was well into the next day when we first heard the noises. A shuffling, scratching thudding noise in the hallway. The radio batteries died a few hours before and the silence of the apartment was loud other than the slight drumming rain that persisted into its fifth day.
We were missing the reports of the floods now and all of the havoc many feet of water was causing. Other reports of people out in the rain during rescue efforts were starting to get sick. Those were interesting but then due to the dead batteries they stopped along with our only line of information to the outside world.
The sounds in the hall kept up to the point of needing someone to check it out. Sam and I did rock, paper, scissors to see who investigated the hall. I lost, I'm not sure Sam would have been able to open the door anyway, but I was. Barely. Getting up I knocked over the beer can pyramid and found my way to the door in the hazy dark.
I opened the door to see a couple of National Guard uniforms with bright reflecting vests. I felt better but they really didn't look well. "What's up?" I got a reply of "Aaarrrrggggmmmmm!" in a moaning cadence. "Aaaarrrrggggmmmmm!" not being a word I was familiar with I closed the door. And locked it.
It was well into the next day when we first heard the noises. A shuffling, scratching thudding noise in the hallway. The radio batteries died a few hours before and the silence of the apartment was loud other than the slight drumming rain that persisted into its fifth day.
We were missing the reports of the floods now and all of the havoc many feet of water was causing. Other reports of people out in the rain during rescue efforts were starting to get sick. Those were interesting but then due to the dead batteries they stopped along with our only line of information to the outside world.
The sounds in the hall kept up to the point of needing someone to check it out. Sam and I did rock, paper, scissors to see who investigated the hall. I lost, I'm not sure Sam would have been able to open the door anyway, but I was. Barely. Getting up I knocked over the beer can pyramid and found my way to the door in the hazy dark.
I opened the door to see a couple of National Guard uniforms with bright reflecting vests. I felt better but they really didn't look well. "What's up?" I got a reply of "Aaarrrrggggmmmmm!" in a moaning cadence. "Aaaarrrrggggmmmmm!" not being a word I was familiar with I closed the door. And locked it.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
1, 2, 3
1
It wasn't the the rain that woke me up, I guess it was the loud thunder clap. The scientist talking heads said this would happen once the satellite failed to reach the International Space Station. Shouldn't it have been burned to a crisp on reentry? Or fried by the ionosphere, troposphere, or magnetosphere, some sphere that protects us from our own hubris? Weather satellite? Really?
We'll never know what was on that thing for sure but I can see the effects of it pouring down the gutters. "A chance of a light rainstorm, just like a spring storm!" Right, "It isn't wise to mess with Mother Nature!" isn't that the old Chiffon commercial motto? Guess the only thing to do right now is roll over and go back to sleep.
2
Three days of this downpour has even the lying scientists worried now. The worry has etched itself all over their sleepless expressions. The news channel stopped taking commercial breaks yesterday evening to run wall to wall weather coverage. New Orleans is underwater, mudslides have destroyed half of California, New York's sewer systems are backing up onto the streets. Florida's coasts are blurring with the ocean while Texas is flooding with great gusto.
3
What I wouldn't give for an airboat. My cell phone plays the ominous Imperial March tune that signals me that my friend Sam is calling. Good guy, a bit jumpy but good.
"Hola" I answer. "It's the end of the world!" greets me from the other end. "On Channel 19 they are talking about our electric plant having three feet of water inside if this keeps up another day. The diesel powered pumps will run out of fuel and the roads are gone!" his anxiety getting the best of him this time, I gently reminded Sam that it's never happened before and the National Guard was called out. I said they had the right equipment to handle floods and stuff like this.
This seemed to calm him down so I said to come on over if he's scared and we'd ride it out together. He came from the second level apartment up to mine and we hung out on the couch together He opened the door at the same time the lights flickered and then went black. Sam immediately freaked. Whining like a little girl would be a kind description, a complete and total cheerleader that gets hit by a passing bird during prom pictures would be more accurate.
I pick him up and haul him to the couch and offer him one of, as far as I now know, a beer from the last remaining intact thirty packs that inhabit my refrigerator. I weighed my options carefully before offering but decided if the world was indeed ending as Sam has earlier surmised then I might as well have a beer with him. Since the electricity was now out, for who knows how long, I scrounged up a radio and sent Sam back down to his apartment to find batteries.
He did and returned, and brought back, as far as I now know, the last remaining six packs of beer in existence. It took us a while trying to find a station to find out what was going on. Nothing like listening to the impending doom around you on a static filled station. We tried the aluminum foil antenna trick, I had Sam hold the antenna while extending his other arm out. There was just a lot of interference in the air so we settled on the only station we could barely hear that allowed us to sit on the couch and drink the slowly warming beer.
It wasn't the the rain that woke me up, I guess it was the loud thunder clap. The scientist talking heads said this would happen once the satellite failed to reach the International Space Station. Shouldn't it have been burned to a crisp on reentry? Or fried by the ionosphere, troposphere, or magnetosphere, some sphere that protects us from our own hubris? Weather satellite? Really?
We'll never know what was on that thing for sure but I can see the effects of it pouring down the gutters. "A chance of a light rainstorm, just like a spring storm!" Right, "It isn't wise to mess with Mother Nature!" isn't that the old Chiffon commercial motto? Guess the only thing to do right now is roll over and go back to sleep.
2
Three days of this downpour has even the lying scientists worried now. The worry has etched itself all over their sleepless expressions. The news channel stopped taking commercial breaks yesterday evening to run wall to wall weather coverage. New Orleans is underwater, mudslides have destroyed half of California, New York's sewer systems are backing up onto the streets. Florida's coasts are blurring with the ocean while Texas is flooding with great gusto.
3
What I wouldn't give for an airboat. My cell phone plays the ominous Imperial March tune that signals me that my friend Sam is calling. Good guy, a bit jumpy but good.
"Hola" I answer. "It's the end of the world!" greets me from the other end. "On Channel 19 they are talking about our electric plant having three feet of water inside if this keeps up another day. The diesel powered pumps will run out of fuel and the roads are gone!" his anxiety getting the best of him this time, I gently reminded Sam that it's never happened before and the National Guard was called out. I said they had the right equipment to handle floods and stuff like this.
This seemed to calm him down so I said to come on over if he's scared and we'd ride it out together. He came from the second level apartment up to mine and we hung out on the couch together He opened the door at the same time the lights flickered and then went black. Sam immediately freaked. Whining like a little girl would be a kind description, a complete and total cheerleader that gets hit by a passing bird during prom pictures would be more accurate.
I pick him up and haul him to the couch and offer him one of, as far as I now know, a beer from the last remaining intact thirty packs that inhabit my refrigerator. I weighed my options carefully before offering but decided if the world was indeed ending as Sam has earlier surmised then I might as well have a beer with him. Since the electricity was now out, for who knows how long, I scrounged up a radio and sent Sam back down to his apartment to find batteries.
He did and returned, and brought back, as far as I now know, the last remaining six packs of beer in existence. It took us a while trying to find a station to find out what was going on. Nothing like listening to the impending doom around you on a static filled station. We tried the aluminum foil antenna trick, I had Sam hold the antenna while extending his other arm out. There was just a lot of interference in the air so we settled on the only station we could barely hear that allowed us to sit on the couch and drink the slowly warming beer.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Begin Again
Here we are again, the beginning of the week. Welcome Monday! The sooner we get you started then the sooner the week will be over and we can start the weekend again! It was a good weekend.
I think we all had a pretty good weekend actually. The Date was happy, Thing 2 was happy with her new violin, and Thing 1 was happy because of prom.
So all in all things are pretty good:) Far cry from a few months ago!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Good Saturday
The day started off with waking up after my darling wife knocked it out of the park again singing on the Jazz Stroll! While she and her guitar player accompanist had a different set of songs they were comfortable with they still meshed on a few songs and did a great job! My honey's sultry voice resonated through the Turpin reminding the audience of true cabaret entertainment with smoke filled rooms and jazz speakeasys! A true event!
After that I trimmed up a brisket and got it injected and rubbed down. Then I wrapped it all up and put it in the fridge to marinate for about fifteen hours. I put it on at midnight last night and pulled it at six this morning and wrapped it up in foil and it's now resting for lunch.
I took Thing 2 to work at eight and we picked her up at one. Then she took her money she was saving (and gifted) for a new violin and purchased a very old fiddle. There was an indoor garage sale with nothing but musical instruments. The owner fixes old violins, guitars, and other string instruments and sells them. He's a very nice man that loves to see young kids have any interest at all in playing! Thing 2 picked up the fiddle from the wall she really liked and he gave her a bow.
The rich tones from the two hundred plus year old fiddle resonated throughout the house! It sounded amazingly beautiful! So after she decided on that fiddle the negotiation began on price! This is where her mom and I stood back and let her handle it. Thing 2 laid out her cards right up front and said she had a certain amount, the gentleman countered with twenty five less than she had (which was way less than asking price) and said he would throw in a bow and case for her! Her pick of what he had! He only wanted to be told when she played it so he could come and watch her.
So Thing 2 went around and picked up the bow she liked and case and then put it all on the floor and put it together. Then the wonderful gentleman gave her twenty five back and said to buy herself lunch with it! After we got it and her home she played it all afternoon! The sound is incredible, it is rich, full, and vibrant. It's two hundred five years old and was repaired once by a master in nineteen twenty nine I believe. She's thrilled with it and so are we!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Friday!
Well yesterday I took Thing 2 to take her written driver's exam. She passed! I now have another permitted driver that's a teen! I'll start letting her drive short distances with me in the passenger seat. After that we'll probably hit the country roads, every kid should learn on country roads. That's one of the best benefits of living in a rural place, you do have country roads.
I don't imagine there being much in New York City as far as unpaved anything so I'm just partial I guess.
Last night I worked Third Thursday, something I'll likely do more often because of the imminent departure of Tech Guy and his family from town for greener pastures. It was pretty packed last night. Lots of people wanting to play now. It's grown quite a bit since it first started and has become a mainstay of the local music scene.
I'm looking forward to after work, I'm planning on visiting my favorite barber shop and having a trim and possibly a shave. We'll see.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Nice Evening
I took off work early to take Thing 2 to take her permit test. She barely missed passing by two questions! So close!
We'll let her study up a few days and try it again. She'll ace it this time! I know she will!
Crime Reporter came over last night for supper and all three of us, The Date, Crime Reporter, and I, had a nice conversation for a few hours. We enjoyed cigars in the front yard and just chatted the evening away. I had grilled bratwurst and hot dogs and made shells and cheese for a side.
Over half way finished with Bloodstains, it's darn hard to put down but I've wanted to several times. The ramifications of this book are really pretty big if they are true. He would be one of the most prolific killers that is not named Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Castro, or Pol Pot. Holmes was nothing but a predator and everyone was game around him. He walked in a different reality where stalking someone lasted minutes or hours but not much longer than that. Whether they are true or not this evil existed and he is dead, either from execution in the nineteenth century or old age in nineteen sixty.
My fantasy baseball team is sitting atop the cigar asylum standings and I took a 10-6 lead last night over my opponent after being tied most of the day at eight each. My hitting isn't very good at all but my pitching is the best in the league. I used my top draft picks on the top pitchers available while everyone else went hitters or sluggers.
Today is Thursday, tomorrow is payday. Life is good.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Sausage Breakfast
This morning I got up right after the alarm went off at a quarter til six. I had a craving for link sausage and knew we had some in the fridge so got up, showered and put on my work clothes, and headed into the kitchen. Thing 2 always gets up about fifteen minutes before me so she was getting ready for school.
I heated up the small skillet and put in five links to cook crispy brown. That'd be plenty to get a guy going in the morning and get him energy once he got to work! All in all a satisfying morning and now it's time to get the dog outside and get The Date's coffee and start her on the waking up process:)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Deadliest Catch Tonight
One of the best shows going continues tonight as the fleet falls on hard times in the Bearing Sea. With an epic storm, numerous injuries, and general mayhem in line for the fleet this season it'll be a wonder if any of them go back next season.
Thing 2 and I did some lawn work last night after her orthodontist appointment. She has a spot all raked out under a tree so we bagged up everything she raked and I put it on the curb. We picked out some flower seeds that will look pretty good where she wants to plant.
Nothing unusual to report this morning, all's well this morning! I'm about to make The Date her morning cup of coffee and get her to start waking up. Thing 2 is ready for school, Thing 1 is soundly sleeping away. The cats are running around and will soon start their eight hour naps. The bunny has been fed, and I'm about to put the dog out. The zoo is in good shape!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Nice Sunday
Yesterday was fairly busy for a lazy day. I mowed in the morning, got laundry going, and Thing 2 did the dishes and weeded part of the yard and cleaned up the patio. After that I headed to Beersnob's house for cigars until about seven. Got to hang out with Teehee which is always nice!
Had a nice time!
Today it's back to work and I believe auditions for Shakespeare in the Park are tonight for Anthony and Cleopatra. It'll be a big cast and comes on the heels of the summer musical which also has a big cast. They really need to separate these two shows for several reasons but mainly it's two big shows and our actor pool isn't that large. Not to mention Shakespeare is a brutal show in the heat of the summer and it's a TON of work. You unpack everything and then pack it back up after the show. I'm done with that show for a while, I've put in my Shakespeare time.
Things are going well right now:) Here's to continued success:)
As an aside, Bloodstains is pretty disturbing and not for the feint of heart.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday Morning
We survived the night, stormy as it was. It makes for darn good sleeping weather I can tell you! Yeah you might wake up a little bit when the initial thunder and lightning hit but after that you doze back off with something on alert in the back of your mind listening for tornado sirens. Every Oklahoman has that special siren sense.
I bought my first pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars Friday, well my first pair since the late seventies and early eighties when Nike came into prominence and kind of took over the shoe world. Yes I had a few pairs when I was a youngster and I just thought, "What the heck, give them another shot at your shoe buying dollar!" So I'm now sporting a pair of black monochrome, high top Chucks. I even went so far as to go to their website and play around with the shoe custom creator for a while. It's pretty fun to build a shoe from scratch and have them send it to you! If it were manufactured in the USA I'd say it'd be the perfect shoe! But then again few things are anymore...
Yeah you can make your own custom pair of rubber soled shoes that will announce your presence with canvasy style. I remember wearing them as a kid until the rubber toe separated from the rest of the shoe and the eyelets strung down onto the laces as they gradually wore out. Sure the high tops take a bit longer to lace up and tie but what the heck, it'll make a darn good cigar smoking shoe! I usually only buy one pair of shoes at a time because I wear them out at work and ruin them in under a week. But now I have a work pair and a home pair of shoes. Pretty rare for me actually.
The day looks like it'll be warmer and sunny. I didn't see much on the radar coming in yet but I don't doubt that something could at any given moment. We'll see!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
H. H. Holmes
On a lark I purchased a book called Bloodstains on Amazon for the Kindle. It is about the great great grandson of Herman Webster Mudgett also known as H. H. Holmes. Holmes was America's first serial killer in the late nineteenth century. His main atrocities were committed during the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.
He built was he called The Castle or Murder Castle. Holmes lured victims from the fair there and subdued them in a special room with a chloroform flowing pipe under the bed. After the victim was unconscious and pliable he and his assistants would take the victim to the basement that was equipped with acid vats for body disposal.
Jeff Mudgett was willed two tackle boxes from his unloved and solitary grandfather, Bert. In the bottom of one of the boxes was a hidden compartment that held two old diaries allegedly written by Holmes himself. The writer of the diaries had some pretty wild claims and was seemingly a Forrest Gump of serial killers gliding in and out of some major historical events. While Holmes was supposedly executed in 1896 the author of the diaries lived until 1960. Holmes claimed to have been in London in 1888 and could very well be a main suspect for the infamous Jack the Ripper.
While not finished with the book yet the author is now trying to certify that the diaries were in fact written by H. H. Holmes or were an elaborate hoax. The author was a practicing lawyer and knows what he is doing when it comes to this type of research. It's an engrossing story and one that I'd wager few today are familiar with. For the Kindle price of $2.99 you really can't go wrong.
I'd say this is a companion book to Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City which told the parallel stories of Holmes and Daniel H. Burnham, the architect of the 1893 World's Fair. This is one engrossing story and you'll have a hard time believing it really happened.
If you have a Kindle or are interested in this style of history I'd highly recommend that you pick up Bloodstains. It might give you nightmares as H. H. Holmes was one horrific individual and walking evil.
He built was he called The Castle or Murder Castle. Holmes lured victims from the fair there and subdued them in a special room with a chloroform flowing pipe under the bed. After the victim was unconscious and pliable he and his assistants would take the victim to the basement that was equipped with acid vats for body disposal.
Jeff Mudgett was willed two tackle boxes from his unloved and solitary grandfather, Bert. In the bottom of one of the boxes was a hidden compartment that held two old diaries allegedly written by Holmes himself. The writer of the diaries had some pretty wild claims and was seemingly a Forrest Gump of serial killers gliding in and out of some major historical events. While Holmes was supposedly executed in 1896 the author of the diaries lived until 1960. Holmes claimed to have been in London in 1888 and could very well be a main suspect for the infamous Jack the Ripper.
While not finished with the book yet the author is now trying to certify that the diaries were in fact written by H. H. Holmes or were an elaborate hoax. The author was a practicing lawyer and knows what he is doing when it comes to this type of research. It's an engrossing story and one that I'd wager few today are familiar with. For the Kindle price of $2.99 you really can't go wrong.
I'd say this is a companion book to Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City which told the parallel stories of Holmes and Daniel H. Burnham, the architect of the 1893 World's Fair. This is one engrossing story and you'll have a hard time believing it really happened.
If you have a Kindle or are interested in this style of history I'd highly recommend that you pick up Bloodstains. It might give you nightmares as H. H. Holmes was one horrific individual and walking evil.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Friday!
We all made it! Congratulate yourselves for another good week of work so we can have a weekend of play!
Looks like a stormy forecast this weekend though, possibly clearing out by Sunday. Hopefully that is, The Date will be coming back by then and I'd rather her have dry highways and safe weather to drive in!
Not a lot to report really, the new guy at work is getting better. We really don't have a lot of justification to send him back. He's just not what I want which is young and able to work circles around me like I used to do to my current coworkers. I'm the youngest and I'm forty two, two others out of seven are in our forties, everyone else is mid fifties up.
The Date is doing very well with her job! Still loving it! I'm loving it when she comes home and I'm cooking and she tells me what happened during her day! I sat outside last night in a folding chair and she sat on the porch and we talked about our days. It was nice! I'll miss her this weekend when she's gone.
Looks like a stormy forecast this weekend though, possibly clearing out by Sunday. Hopefully that is, The Date will be coming back by then and I'd rather her have dry highways and safe weather to drive in!
Not a lot to report really, the new guy at work is getting better. We really don't have a lot of justification to send him back. He's just not what I want which is young and able to work circles around me like I used to do to my current coworkers. I'm the youngest and I'm forty two, two others out of seven are in our forties, everyone else is mid fifties up.
The Date is doing very well with her job! Still loving it! I'm loving it when she comes home and I'm cooking and she tells me what happened during her day! I sat outside last night in a folding chair and she sat on the porch and we talked about our days. It was nice! I'll miss her this weekend when she's gone.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Almost Over!
The weekend is almost upon us! The Date is heading to her dad's house Friday to take care of her dad this weekend and get him stocked up, I really don't have a lot in the way of plans. Thing 2 and I will probably come up with something on our own to do. It'll be rainy so we'll be limited on what we can do.
Maybe a trip to her favorite Asian store in the city and get her stocked up on some stuff. She loves that place! We'll have to look at her work schedule and see what it allows.
Sunday is the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Beersnob and I will likely enjoy a cigar and libation.
Maybe a trip to her favorite Asian store in the city and get her stocked up on some stuff. She loves that place! We'll have to look at her work schedule and see what it allows.
Sunday is the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Beersnob and I will likely enjoy a cigar and libation.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Deadliest Catch
It's sad that the Cornelia Marie won't make it this season. The boys weren't able to put the funds together to get it going after a rocky last season. Now Jake and Josh Harris are now working for the Time Bandit and the Northwestern.
The king crab quota has been cut in half this year to preserve the crab grounds for future generations leaving a tough choice for most boats, fish for the king crab anyway and earn half the money or gamble on the no quota and harder to find blue crab that is further up north in harsher seas and weather.
The fleet is split about fifty fifty with the more seasoned captains choosing the fish for king crab except for veteran captain Keith Colburn of the Wizard to go up north and gamble.
So far the first strings on every ship have pulled up poor numbers except for the first two pots for the Northwestern. Good numbers and then they fell off to single digits fast! This is going to be one rough season. The previews showed big waves, hurt men, bad weather, and the horrific words, "Man overboard!"
Looking forward to this season and enjoying every bit of it!
The king crab quota has been cut in half this year to preserve the crab grounds for future generations leaving a tough choice for most boats, fish for the king crab anyway and earn half the money or gamble on the no quota and harder to find blue crab that is further up north in harsher seas and weather.
The fleet is split about fifty fifty with the more seasoned captains choosing the fish for king crab except for veteran captain Keith Colburn of the Wizard to go up north and gamble.
So far the first strings on every ship have pulled up poor numbers except for the first two pots for the Northwestern. Good numbers and then they fell off to single digits fast! This is going to be one rough season. The previews showed big waves, hurt men, bad weather, and the horrific words, "Man overboard!"
Looking forward to this season and enjoying every bit of it!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Not A Lot
All is quiet on the western front. I'm awake and alert. The house is quiet, the kitties fed.
Deadliest Catch begins tonight and I'm looking forward to it! I'm mulling over birthday presents for The Date after the trip to see the Thunder Sunday. I'll come up with something really good between now and October for sure! She'll be impressed!
I've just got to hit the right idea and I think I'm on that trail and have had a couple of good ideas already that she would enjoy!
Deadliest Catch begins tonight and I'm looking forward to it! I'm mulling over birthday presents for The Date after the trip to see the Thunder Sunday. I'll come up with something really good between now and October for sure! She'll be impressed!
I've just got to hit the right idea and I think I'm on that trail and have had a couple of good ideas already that she would enjoy!
Monday, April 09, 2012
Great Evening!
We went to the Thunder game last night to watch them wallop the Toronto Raptors! They ended a three game losing skid to them at home and now are on their way to Wisconsin to play the Bucks tonight. Then back home Wednesday for the Clippers, one of the better teams in the league.
It was a great time! The Date was a bit freaked out by the height of the seats but got used to it after the game started and was fine after! She enjoyed it and got into the game as well.
Thank you honey so much for such a fun experience:) It was truly a very memorable birthday present! Love you!
It was a great time! The Date was a bit freaked out by the height of the seats but got used to it after the game started and was fine after! She enjoyed it and got into the game as well.
Thank you honey so much for such a fun experience:) It was truly a very memorable birthday present! Love you!
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Going To Be A Great Day
My honey got us tickets to see The Thunder tonight for my birthday! They are playing the Raptors so it should be a terrific win for them! I'm very much looking forward to see the game tonight, it's going to be so much fun!
Teehee bought me a bottle of Johnnie Walker gold scotch as well, what a great guy! He's just amazing and I can't say too many good things about him! He's a friend, brother, and I consider him family.
The kittens are all fed this morning, The Date is playing a pretty addictive zombie driving game and doing pretty well at it! Thing 2 is upstairs sleeping away and it's Easter Sunday! I believe I'm going to enjoy this glorious morning with a cup of coffee and a morning cigar!
In fact the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "I intend to smoke a good cigar to the glory of God before I go to bed to-night. I wish to say that I'm not ashamed of anything whatever that I do, and I don't feel that smoking makes me ashamed, and therefore I mean to smoke to the glory of God."
He is Risen! Rejoice!
Teehee bought me a bottle of Johnnie Walker gold scotch as well, what a great guy! He's just amazing and I can't say too many good things about him! He's a friend, brother, and I consider him family.
The kittens are all fed this morning, The Date is playing a pretty addictive zombie driving game and doing pretty well at it! Thing 2 is upstairs sleeping away and it's Easter Sunday! I believe I'm going to enjoy this glorious morning with a cup of coffee and a morning cigar!
In fact the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "I intend to smoke a good cigar to the glory of God before I go to bed to-night. I wish to say that I'm not ashamed of anything whatever that I do, and I don't feel that smoking makes me ashamed, and therefore I mean to smoke to the glory of God."
He is Risen! Rejoice!
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Finished
Yesterday Tech Guy and I started a project to make the theatre look much better. We painted the proscenium of the stage. Wall to wall, ceiling to floor. It was a ton of work and a large undertaking. We weren't able to find a boom lift that was light enough to fit on the stage safely so we had to build scaffolding.
We started on the stage and masked up the curtains above the stage, in fact we masked up the entire opening of the stage. Then other volunteers including The Date and Thing 2, and Art Professor draped plastic from the lights to the floor in front of the stage to prevent over spray on the seats.
We started after work yesterday and finished up around midnight, then started once again this morning at ten and finished up around four. It's been a big project but the theatre looks much better now! The audience will enjoy it much better, and the casts and crew will feel better putting on shows with a better looking stage!
It was tough and frankly we encountered problems with the top layer of scaffolding, it wouldn't fit because of the ceiling. So Tech Guy stood on the top layer with no safety rails while I held a rope and he leaned out and painted the wall beneath the ceiling. It was very dangerous work but he was man enough to step up and handle it! I was positive I wasn't able to do it. I was pretty unnerved this morning in fact when it came time to get the paint on the wall.
All in all though it went well and we got it finished! Job well done!
We started on the stage and masked up the curtains above the stage, in fact we masked up the entire opening of the stage. Then other volunteers including The Date and Thing 2, and Art Professor draped plastic from the lights to the floor in front of the stage to prevent over spray on the seats.
We started after work yesterday and finished up around midnight, then started once again this morning at ten and finished up around four. It's been a big project but the theatre looks much better now! The audience will enjoy it much better, and the casts and crew will feel better putting on shows with a better looking stage!
It was tough and frankly we encountered problems with the top layer of scaffolding, it wouldn't fit because of the ceiling. So Tech Guy stood on the top layer with no safety rails while I held a rope and he leaned out and painted the wall beneath the ceiling. It was very dangerous work but he was man enough to step up and handle it! I was positive I wasn't able to do it. I was pretty unnerved this morning in fact when it came time to get the paint on the wall.
All in all though it went well and we got it finished! Job well done!
Friday, April 06, 2012
42
In theory I should be twice as smart as I was at twenty one. However I don't really feel that way, in fact I probably just feel fairly average. In my youth I probably had expected to have been a world weary traveler by now ala George Bailey however like George Bailey I wound up with a wealth of family and friends....and broken plans.
Naturally the trade off isn't even comparable, I'd give up nothing I have now! Not now, not tomorrow, not any day! I've got the best wife you could ask for, the best daughters I could have ever hoped for, the best friends you could ask for, and even the best pets you could hope for.
This is going to be a good year though, I can tell. 42 is the ultimate answer to everything in the universe according to Douglas Adams, so that obviously means my family and I are going to have a great year!!! I also hereby resolve to read the entire Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a trilogy told in five parts, this year. I read the first one years ago and enjoyed it very much! This year I'll put them on my reading list and get all five parts read!
Not to mention when I'm sixty two I'll definitely wish I was forty two once again! So I'd better enjoy it whilst I can! Now my honey has planned a great secret birthday celebration for me and she gets to let the cat out of the bag today! She's been keeping this secret for a few weeks and it's killing her to tell me! Hahaha! I love her so much!
Naturally the trade off isn't even comparable, I'd give up nothing I have now! Not now, not tomorrow, not any day! I've got the best wife you could ask for, the best daughters I could have ever hoped for, the best friends you could ask for, and even the best pets you could hope for.
This is going to be a good year though, I can tell. 42 is the ultimate answer to everything in the universe according to Douglas Adams, so that obviously means my family and I are going to have a great year!!! I also hereby resolve to read the entire Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a trilogy told in five parts, this year. I read the first one years ago and enjoyed it very much! This year I'll put them on my reading list and get all five parts read!
Not to mention when I'm sixty two I'll definitely wish I was forty two once again! So I'd better enjoy it whilst I can! Now my honey has planned a great secret birthday celebration for me and she gets to let the cat out of the bag today! She's been keeping this secret for a few weeks and it's killing her to tell me! Hahaha! I love her so much!
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Thursday
Came home last night, mowed most of the lawn, painted the last bathroom cabinet, washed half of the dishes while Thing 2 finished them up, and made a Boboli pizza for supper.
When I was able to chill for a bit I watched a few innings of the Cardinals and the Marlins as they opened up the new Marlins Park stadium. What a gorgeous ballpark!
Tonight it looks like I'll be running tech for a band for Turpin Tunes but it's not the regular night for that so I'm not sure what's happening. Usually it's acoustic guitar players and they'll sing two or three songs each. But that's on the third Thursday of the month so we'll see what I have to do.
Things are going well!
When I was able to chill for a bit I watched a few innings of the Cardinals and the Marlins as they opened up the new Marlins Park stadium. What a gorgeous ballpark!
Tonight it looks like I'll be running tech for a band for Turpin Tunes but it's not the regular night for that so I'm not sure what's happening. Usually it's acoustic guitar players and they'll sing two or three songs each. But that's on the third Thursday of the month so we'll see what I have to do.
Things are going well!
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Training A New Guy
Well he isn't new by any means but he's new to our shop. He's got about sixteen years of seniority so he's worked where I've worked for quite a while too. Just in a much different section.
He's not really used to working much though. So I've kept him busy every minute of the day with some pretty physical stuff. And then we do our paper/computer work and everything we've worked on. He's never done that either.
We've got fifteen working days to evaluate him and see if we're going to keep him or not. Right now I lean towards not but I know the next person won't be much better but the next person has already worked in our shop so they wouldn't need the evaluation time.
What I'd like to have hired is a twenty year old that can learn quick, works hard, and is smart. Instead we've got the option of a nearly sixty year old, worn out, and close to retiring or another mid fifty year old that's further away from retiring and can do that job as long as the job is simple.
What's a guy to do?
He's not really used to working much though. So I've kept him busy every minute of the day with some pretty physical stuff. And then we do our paper/computer work and everything we've worked on. He's never done that either.
We've got fifteen working days to evaluate him and see if we're going to keep him or not. Right now I lean towards not but I know the next person won't be much better but the next person has already worked in our shop so they wouldn't need the evaluation time.
What I'd like to have hired is a twenty year old that can learn quick, works hard, and is smart. Instead we've got the option of a nearly sixty year old, worn out, and close to retiring or another mid fifty year old that's further away from retiring and can do that job as long as the job is simple.
What's a guy to do?
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Finished Ready Player One Again
It was such a good read I read it twice! I've moved on to A Feast for Crows again. I'd gotten about a hundred pages in before I decided to read a different book and that's after I'd read the two giant previous novels A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. Both tipping it at well over a thousand pages.
So it was just time to switch to a different genre for a bit. Now I'm going to read the fourth novel and maybe move on to the fifth which would catch me up in the series and put me alongside the waiting public for the sixth novel. That could be another few years yet as George R. R. Martin is now taking his time with writing.
The next book entitled The Winds of Winter is hopefully well on its way to being finished but we'll see.
So it was just time to switch to a different genre for a bit. Now I'm going to read the fourth novel and maybe move on to the fifth which would catch me up in the series and put me alongside the waiting public for the sixth novel. That could be another few years yet as George R. R. Martin is now taking his time with writing.
The next book entitled The Winds of Winter is hopefully well on its way to being finished but we'll see.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Opening Week
Baseball starts this week. While I'm coming back around to liking the sport again I'm not at the point of loving it like I once did before the 1993 strike that wiped out the World Series.
I joined a fantasy baseball league on Cigar Asylum, mainly because it took cigars to enter and my humidor is still overflowing with them. I needed the room. So I sent off nearly twenty cigars for that and as a donation to the troops. The Asylum always supports the troops and depends on the generosity of its members for cigar donations so I am happy to oblige.
Game of Thrones was pretty good last night, picking up with the start of the second novel, Clash of Kings. Eventually five kings claim dominion over their own lands and fight it out while a common threat grows beyond the great wall in the north.
River Monsters was also pretty good last night. The new season started with a tour through America, including Missouri and Oklahoma my former and current home states respectively. Not too shabby!
I joined a fantasy baseball league on Cigar Asylum, mainly because it took cigars to enter and my humidor is still overflowing with them. I needed the room. So I sent off nearly twenty cigars for that and as a donation to the troops. The Asylum always supports the troops and depends on the generosity of its members for cigar donations so I am happy to oblige.
Game of Thrones was pretty good last night, picking up with the start of the second novel, Clash of Kings. Eventually five kings claim dominion over their own lands and fight it out while a common threat grows beyond the great wall in the north.
River Monsters was also pretty good last night. The new season started with a tour through America, including Missouri and Oklahoma my former and current home states respectively. Not too shabby!
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Busy
Thing 2 and I have painted 95% of the bathroom three different colors. Sadly two of them are too similar, we thought we got different colors but they are too similar sadly. We might have to revisit one of the colors and make it a lot different.
It seems that Keith Olbermann was fired from Current TV. The erudite liberal (of course what liberal doesn't believe they aren't more erudite than your run of the mill conservative?) was fired from his contract by Current management. The notoriously temperamental host had a list of continually mounting grievances against management and Algore and his partner Joel Hyatt.
Olbermann, perpetually at odds with anything resembling management as Quixote was against windmills, has alienated himself from yet another cable network. He's quickly running out of places to work for. You'd think he'd be more careful as he's a true blue liberal and would calm his prima donna self down to get out the liberal message. If anyone is ever going to buy into the liberal message they need the pioneer willing to put up with horrible conditions to stay the course and disregard their own personal discomforts.
However ratings at MSNBC are testament to how well the liberal message travels as well as the colossal failure of Air America. Olbermann has his, he's extremely wealthy and has no need to work again. Not to mention who'd pay for this traveling trainwreck of a host? He couldn't even get along with liberal icon Algore for crying out loud! It'll be interesting to watch.
Game of Thrones begins again this evening! Looking forward to the second book played out on the small screen!
It seems that Keith Olbermann was fired from Current TV. The erudite liberal (of course what liberal doesn't believe they aren't more erudite than your run of the mill conservative?) was fired from his contract by Current management. The notoriously temperamental host had a list of continually mounting grievances against management and Algore and his partner Joel Hyatt.
Olbermann, perpetually at odds with anything resembling management as Quixote was against windmills, has alienated himself from yet another cable network. He's quickly running out of places to work for. You'd think he'd be more careful as he's a true blue liberal and would calm his prima donna self down to get out the liberal message. If anyone is ever going to buy into the liberal message they need the pioneer willing to put up with horrible conditions to stay the course and disregard their own personal discomforts.
However ratings at MSNBC are testament to how well the liberal message travels as well as the colossal failure of Air America. Olbermann has his, he's extremely wealthy and has no need to work again. Not to mention who'd pay for this traveling trainwreck of a host? He couldn't even get along with liberal icon Algore for crying out loud! It'll be interesting to watch.
Game of Thrones begins again this evening! Looking forward to the second book played out on the small screen!
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