Make Your Plans Now!

September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day!!!!! Arrrgggghhh! In celebration of this, I plan to watch a Pirates of the Carribean movie :) Get more details here: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Yeah, I Know, I'm a Slug

I have needed to post for a while now, but just haven't really had the time all at once. The summer has been quiet and hectic all at once; no one played soccer, which was nice for us big people, but a certain 14yo hated it, especially as his middle school season ended sooner than he was ready for. Work has been a complete mad house, but I did survive another round of layoffs; the outlook is kind of grim, but the burden of it lies mainly on upper management, and I think everyone knows that now. There have been some unsound business decisions made in the last year or so, and I hope they get them fixed. I'm so far down the totem pole that I just keep my input to myself; large parts of the problems stare me in the face every day, but for some reason, we just don't talk about them. More of the unsound business decisions, is my guess.

A new school year has started, and a new soccer season has started. This Labor Day weekend is our third tournament weekend in a row; fortunately, the weather should be much nicer for this one, which is DH & Little Kid's. The last two have been absolutely miserable in the heat (100+ with heat index) and the smog, and no rain the entire month of August until the 1.4" we've gotten this week; now we're only under by 10-11". And all around us, people are under water; Texas, Ohio, England - it's just crazy. I just hope we've seen the end of the 100 temps, and I know my mother would crap to hear me say this, but we really could use a couple of non-devastating hurricanes to come to a halt over N. GA for a few days. Of course, that would probably only serve to increase the price of gas more....

Well, that's all that I have time for, for now. I need to write up some stuff about our new soccer team - The Dacula Danger U-15. It got off to a rocky start, but it is looking promising. More a bit later in the season, when we've actually played some regular-season games. Until later, everyone keep cool....

Now Open!!!

There is now a museum open at the base I was stationed at in England. It is the Bentwaters Cold War Museum. RAF Bentwaters, and its twin base RAF Woodbridge, closed in the early 90's. I was there from 2/87 through 2/89, as my first permanent duty station. If you are ever in the area, check it out. The driving force behind getting the museum up and running was the Bentwaters Avaiation Society. I will get back there eventually, though even if I left today, I wouldn't recognise anything, I have no doubt. I probably couldn't even find either place I lived.

Virginia Tech

I don't really have the words to say what I want to say here, so I'll leave it with the above image, and just this statement: The fault lies in a person who is now dead; let's not make a witch hunt out of it, adding more victims to it. In the end, it won't bring back the dead, and it won't prevent the next tragedy, because tragedy happens every day - always has, always will. It's part of life, as sad as that is. It should make us all more greatful for the good things in life.

Imus vs. Sharpton

You know, there appears to be no limit to the stupidity that people in this country are willing to accept. I have made it apparent in other posts that I do not consciously watch any news, outside weather and traffic as needed. I just can’t stomach it. But I do consider myself relatively well-informed, nevertheless. You know, the big media blitz we live in still seeps in around the edges; I can’t block it out entirely – I’ve tried. I am a voracious reader, but there again, I am very selective in what I read; I read primarily fiction, of the historical nature, preferably of the 17th century and before. I don’t read biographies, tell-alls, anything of that nature (with the exception of Col. Hackworth’s About Face – relative and all that) – I’m not interested in people trying to justify their stupidity or victimizations, and I’m certainly not willing to give stupid people awards (i.e. my hard-earned money) for being stupid, and willing to admit it

That said, I know who Don Imus is; there are members of my household who are newsaholics, who watched the OJ trial (that’s where this all started, isn’t it?), and who have some news-something on when I walk in the house. So I’ve seen him, and I’ve even listened to him, in an effort to get my head around the obsession this country has with listening to dumbasses (see also Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Cindy Sheehan). And I know who Al Sharpton is – who doesn’t? Where Al is, Jessie’s sure to follow, isn’t he?

Okay, getting to the point: Uh, last time I checked, being STUPID wasn’t against the law. And let me tell you, if it was, neither Imus nor Sharpton would be at the front of the line. Also, SAYING STUPID THINGS isn’t against the law; in fact, surprisingly enough, it’s covered in the Constitution, being considered Free Speech. Before I continue this rant, I have to give you my interpretation of the 1st Amendment, and that is all it is, my interpretation: Freedom of Speech covers anything that does not cause harm to an individual; and by harm, I mean the act of saying certain words causing death or dismemberment. Hurt feelings don’t count, because that is 50% on the head of the recipient (s). Also, FoS covers anything that does not put the security of this country, and all the individuals it contains, singly or wholly, at risk of death or dismemberment. Of course, there are finer details here, but you get the idea, and that’s good enough for this discussion.

So, Al Sharpton wants somebody to police Imus because he said something stupid; he wants him punished for something that isn’t against the law. Now, don’t get me wrong – I do not agree with what he said, in any way, shape or form. In fact, to be completely honest, I could care less about the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team – glad they won, hope it was a fair game, etc., etc. Whatever. Don Imus is just a guy; he can have whatever opinion he wants about women, black women, black women playing basketball, women playing basketball, basketball – whatever combination you’d like to put together. And so can everybody else who cares to spend the time to form the opinion. Where he went wrong was in being stupid enough to let his opinion be known in an arena where, if it wasn’t looked on as favorable to the majority, he should be prepared to face the consequences – Open Mouth, Insert Foot. Happens every day on a much smaller scale, don’t you think? I probably do it more often than I am aware of at work. If I say something stupid, and it is brought to my attention if I really am unaware of the problem, then I apologize, and if needed, explain myself. If there is resentment afterwards, I understand it, and I move on. I’m never going to make all of the people I come in contact with happy all of the time – who can?

There are a couple of good articles about this little circus on TownHall.com – yes, the stronghold of uber-conservatives everywhere. I am conservative, but not 100%, so some of the things said on Town Hall either go against my grain, or don’t apply to me, so don’t throw any labels at me. But I do like Mike Adams and Michelle Malkin both, and their recent articles on this story I think hit the nail on the head. You can find them here: Michelle Malkin's article, and Mike Adams' article. It's interesting what is okay for certain people to say, but not others. And I've often wondered, for all those Blacks out there that don't like white people, doesn't that make them racists, too, or can only white people be racist? How does that work, exactly? Of course, I don't really worry about it myself - since I pretty much dislike everyone, you know.

RIP: Ripley

Ripley came to us in 1992; DH actually bought him from a pet store in Engelwood, Ohio - because there aren't enough free cats in the world. The first couple of years we had Ripley, we lived in an apartment in Troy, along with his big brother Booger, and then the Big Kid arrived. We never saw Ripley in that apartment; he spent his days under the water heater, next to the pilot light. How he never went up in flames, I have no idea. He would come out at night to play with superballs we'd get form gumball machines; the "foyer" and dining room was vinyl floor, and he'd have those balls bouncing all over the place, all night - the people downstairs must've really wondered what that was. When he would come out when we were up, he wouldn't pay a lot of attention to us; he was almost feral, but not in a scared-of-humans way - he just didn't need out constant companionship like Booger. He was kinda scrawny - definitely an alley cat. He had medium length hair, black and white. His chin was completely black, but his top jaw, nose, and face were white, so he looked like he was wearing a beard. And his eyes were seawater green, though he wouldn't really look you in the eye - he'd look at you though his white eyelashes. And he ginormous whiskers - they were sprouting out all over his head. One of my nicknames for him was Catfish. He wasn't a pretty cat, by any means, but he was interesting.

Then we moved to Georgia, and something happened while he and Booger were being boarded; he became friendly, and a little fat! We bought the cats and kid a house, and moved them in, and then let the cats outside; Ripley, once he got over being scared of outside, was in heaven! He'd go out to the woods, and would be gone for days. He'd come home all beat up, covered in cuts and scratches, and he'd lay around for a couple days, eating and recouping, and out he'd go again, to defend his territory. He came home once with a BB in his shoulder; it was just below the surface of his skin, half exposed, so we doctored him up as usual. We think the neighbor got him; when we moved in (I assume before he knew we had animals), he said to not be alarmed if we heard or saw him with a pellet gun - it's how he kept the cats out of the trash (as opposed to putting lids on it, I guess?). They left eventually, anyway, so whatever. Then Ripley's new little brother, Zeke (later to become known as FatAss) got hit by a car, and had a broken leg, that we had to borrow money from my dad to fix. Hard times being a cat in the wilds of the N. Georgia Mountains, with acres of woods to defend. And don't get me started on the asshole drivers...

Ripley was definitely the scrapper in the family; Booger, with no claws, would box you hard enough to make you see stars, but he wasn't much for fighting. Zeke was still kittenish when he became bionic, and then, since they fixed him while they were fixing his leg, he just got fat, and had a bad temper to go with the fat. Ripley ran his patrols, and stood watch from the porch. He spent the warm months (all but January & February) sleeping out in the mulch in the flower beds; he'd come inside to eat, or during the heat of the day if we were home, but he'd be back out as soon as someone would open the door. He'd stand on the porch, looking in the sidelights and watch us walk past the steps; we'd go open the door, but he wouldn't move - he'd just sit there, staring in. No idea what was going on in his head.

He was kidnapped once; we went on vacation one year, and had the kid across the street taking care of the animals. He could let Ripley in, out, whatever, and not to worry if he didn't see him; he'd come back as soon as he knew we were back, trotting down the street and driveway with a "It's about time!" look on his face. He'd come make sure we were okay, the food was secure, rest a day or two, then go back out on patrol (we'd every so often get a glimpse of him prowling through the woods out back - that white fur, when he wasn't muddy, would stand out well in the green). Well, this time, we came back, and a day went by, and we hadn't seen him. So we started calling for him - he must not've heard us come home. And we called and called. Finally, DH made up a sign on poster board and put it on the ladder out in front of the house. That night, as people were rolling in from work, we got a knock on the door; a guy was standing there, and he said he thought his wife had "rescued" our cat. We showed him a picture of the Brothers Chat - the three of them, eating tuna. He said he wasn't sure, but he'd go home and check. But they had picked up a cat they thought was stray, since he was dirty (as would you be, sleeping in flower beds). They took him to the vet, where he had shots and was fixed. And would we like the paperwork if it was him? Whatever you want to do, because we aren't paying you for kidnapping him, if it is him. So the guy left, and not 10 minutes later, Ripley came hauling ass up the driveway, making a b-line for the door! He came in and didn't leave for days! I know he heard us calling him the whole time he was wherever they were holding him (we have no idea who/where they were - just someone down the street somewhere); didn't the lady think it was odd, him getting all anxious? Yeah, thanks for fixing him (it was on our to-do list - in between getting 2-legged kids, of which we had 2 by this time, taken care of; money was very tight, and vets were/are ridiculously expensive), but please let him go and stop holding him hostage, eh?

After that, Ripley didn't go away for days; he'd go for the day or the night, but he never went far. He liked to run across the street and crap under Eddie's porch (good choice, in my opinion), and he'd run back home, and curl up in the mulch. He flattened all of my lilies every year - I guess they provided great shade. When they were done blooming, then he's go lay in the monkey grass along the driveway. He didn't like to be in much. And often, when he was in, he'd pee. He destroyed an area out in the dining room. We ripped up the carpet to put down laminate, and the wood underneath was destroyed, so we fixed that, too. He would not use a litter box any more - if we didn't let him out when he needed to be let out, he'd just do his thing - he didn't think anything about it, and would even do it if we were standing there watching him. He was a strange cat that way. That cat ruined a lot of things, which we are still having to replace as we can. There wasn't any point to new carpet or furniture until we didn't have animals to keep tearing it up, so we keep cleaning it the best we can, and hope it lasts as long as these animals.

The past couple of years, Ripley had really started to look bad. He ended up losing every tooth in his head; we took him to the vet, who gave us antibiotics to get the infected teeth cleared up, so he could pull them, at $35 each. We couldn't afford that, so we took care of what we could, and let nature do the rest. Once h is teeth were gone, he couldn't take care of his fur anymore; he wasn't very good at it to begin with, and always had mats on him that I'd get off, when he'd let me. But without teeth, he just didn't even try anymore, and he wouldn't let me near him with anything. We tried shaving him, but his skin was so loose, it was impossible. And under the white fur, his skin was white - almost impossible to tell what was skin, what was fur. We tried to keep him cleaned up, but it just got out of hand; he was really looking rough for awhile. Then all of that kind of fell off, and he was okay again for awhile. But this past fall, he really started to decline. He wouldn't do any grooming, and we couldn't touch him. He'd sleep for the whole day, then wake up, pee on something, eat, go back to sleep. And he wasn't going outside much anymore, either - wanted to stay inside and crawl onside a gym bag or something and sleep. So I got him a bed around Christmas - you'd think it was the best thing ever invented. It only took him a day to realize that it was his, and nobody else's, and that where he's spent the days since then.

A few weeks ago, we noticed he was sick; he had an open sore on his face, around his lower jaw. He smelled really bad. He wasn't moving around too well, so we knew he wasn't going to get over this like he had all the other wounds he'd received in the past. We put him down the other day. Our poor, strange cat, Ripley. I think he made the most of his 9 lives, and I hope he enjoyed his time with us. He didn't get the attention that Booger gets, but he didn't require as much as Booger does (lucky me). Ripley liked to play games with us - the looking-in-the-window trick, to see how many people/times we'd open the door for him, only to be ignored. He got in trouble a lot - he did fly out the front door more than a few times when he'd pee on my floor. But then he'd just look at you with those seawater eyes, and he'd head butt you if you'd let him, and he was so thankful for any attention we'd give him. God, he was a weird cat. I mean, all cats are weird, but this one was above and beyond. We'll miss you, Ripley - I hope you have no pain where you are now, and I hope you know we did the best we could.

Another Doolittle Raider is Gone

Col. Chase Nielsen Passes Away
Air Force News March 26, 2007

SAN ANTONIO -- Retired Lt. Col. Chase J. Nielsen, one of the famed "Tokyo Doolittle Raiders" who helped boost American morale in the early days of World War II with a surprise air attack on Japan and spent a lifetime as an advocate for American airpower, died March 23 at his home in Brigham City, Utah.

Born Jan. 14, 1917 in Hyrum, Utah, Colonel Nielsen attended Utah State University and graduated in 1939 with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. In August 1939, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a flying cadet. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1941.

Colonel Nielsen, a lieutenant at the time, was the navigator of "Crew # 6," one of 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers and 80 Airmen that launched from the deck of the USS Hornet on April 18, 1942. Led by legendary aviation pioneer Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle, the raid is one of the most studied and talked about missions in the history of aerial warfare.

It was personally ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as response to Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor nearly five months earlier. Preparation for the attack was conducted in secrecy at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and was executed by loading 16 of the medium bombers onto the deck of the USS Hornet, which departed from San Francisco, Calif., April 2, 1942. Although Doolittle and his crews had perfected the art of taking off on a short field, returning to carrier was not an option.

All 16 bombers made it to their targets, however, they were forced to ditch or bail out over or along the Chinese Coast because the U.S. task force had been spotted by Japanese picket boats, and Doolittle had decided to launch early -- more than 600 miles from the Japanese mainland and 200 miles farther out than planned.

The original plan had called for the Raiders to launch during the night and recover in China at dawn, but due to being spotted by the picket boats, Doolittle's improvised plan had them taking off in the early afternoon and landing in China at night. Further complicating the recovery, an aircraft with a beacon that was supposed to take off over China and guide the crews to friendly airfields wasn't able to get airborne, so the Raiders were not able to avoid areas where Japanese occupation forces were concentrated.

Most of the aircraft were able to reach land, but two, including Colonel Nielsen's, were forced to ditch off the coast of China. Two men were killed in the ditching.

The eight men who survived were taken prisoner by the Japanese forces and held in inhumane conditions from which only four of the eight survived. Colonel Nielsen spent the next 40 months as a prisoner of war, most of the time in solitary confinement, before being rescued at the end of the war by an Office of Strategic Services para-rescue team and brought back to the U.S.
Colonel Nielsen returned to Shanghai, China, in January 1946 to testify in the International War Crimes Trials against his former captors.

Colonel Nielsen became a member of Strategic Air Command in March 1949 at Roswell AFB, N.M., where he was assigned to the 509th Bombardment Group -- the first group to be organized, equipped and trained for atomic warfare. The assignment was fitting as SAC's mission was to provide the United States with a long-range combat capability.

During his decade with the major command, Colonel Nielsen helped SAC develop key operational innovations, including radar navigation bombardment, air refueling employing the flying boom, and electronic countermeasures. He helped integrate "fail safe" and other emergency war order procedures into SAC's unique set of flight profiles.

Colonel Nielsen returned to the air while assigned to SAC and reached more than 10,000 flying hours mostly in B-29s, B-50s, B-36s and B-52s. His longest flight lasted 26 hours non-stop without refueling from Okinawa, Japan, to Roswell, New Mexico, in a B-36.

Colonel Nielsen retired from the Air Force in 1961 as a lieutenant colonel and began a career as an industrial engineer at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He retired in 1981.

Colonel Nielsen's decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart with Cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal with Cluster, Outstanding Unit Award, Longevity Ribbon with four Clusters, and the Breast Order of Pao Ting from the People's Republic of China.
Of the 80 men who took part in the raid with Colonel Nielsen, three were killed during the mission, five were interned in Russia and eight became prisoners of war in Japan. Of those POWs, three were executed by firing squad by the Japanese and another died in captivity. Thirteen others would die later in the war. There are 14 Raiders alive today.

The Raiders are also famous for their annual reunions, which began as a party hosted by Doolittle, in Miami Beach, Fla., in 1947. The reunions have evolved into a gathering of one of the most elite military fraternities in the world. At each reunion, surviving Raiders meet privately to conduct a solemn "Goblet Ceremony."

After a role call followed by toasting the Raiders who died since their last meeting, they turn the deceased men's goblets upside down. Each goblet has the Raider's name engraved twice -- so that it can be read if the goblet is right side up or upside down.

When only two Raiders remain alive, they will drink a final toast using a vintage bottle of cognac.
The 80 goblets, which are normally on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, are accompanied by U.S. Air Force Academy cadets. The Raider reunion will be held this year in San Antonio from April 17 through 21.

At last year's 64th reunion, Colonel Nielsen said, "I am proud to have been on the Doolittle Raid. I am more proud to have been of service to my country. I hope and I pray that what we Doolittle Raiders have done will be an inspiration to you people.

"I hope and pray that our young men and young women who are serving in the service today will be protected; that they will live their lives in accordance with the military rules and laws of war, that they will do their best and that they will appreciate their country and protect their flag as we tried to do ourselves," Colonel Nielsen said during reunion ceremony April 18.

Besides Colonel Nielsen, the other Raider who will be toasted this year is former Staff Sergeant William L. Birch, a bombardier on Crew #11, who passed away Nov. 18, 2006, in Santa Anna, Calif. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Allen-Hall Mortuary in Logan, Utah.

This story is copied from military.com - this link may not work for you unless you are a registered user, which I am.

Overdue, as Usual

Been too busy to post lately; work has been a madhouse, the weather has been less than wonderful, so I've been inside, wrapped in blankets, and reading or stitching. I'll leave the stitching details to my Multiply site. I, for one, am ready for Spring, though really shouldn't complain since it didn't get below 60 until the end of December, and, oh yeah, I'm not under FEET and FEET of snow and ice! Man, I so do not miss that kind of weather.

There's something that I want to get off my chest. What is the deal with packages having to change every 6 months now? You know, I have a shampoo that I use all of the time. I went to get a new one a few weeks back, and I went right to where they ought to be on the shelf, and there were none! So I poked around. Come to find out that they were right there, but the packaging is a completely different color, the verbage is completely different, and now I'm having to read them all again to find out which variety is the one I want. And I'm still not sure I got the right one. What the hell? What weenie did a "marketing study" and came to the conclusion that doing a complete overhaul of the packaging - colors, style, verbage - would sell more stuff? If I can't find it, after buying the same product for years (it has slightly morphed a few times before, but definitely never on this scale), how will that sell you more? I do not understand this "New and Improved" thing that goes on all levels now. You know, Coke has had their bottle shape since the inception of the product; it is known the world over. Would Coke dare to do away with it entirely, and scrap the swoosh thing they have under the word "Coke", in favor of a style and color never before associated with Coke? I don't think so. Speaking of marketing studies, I've been on this planet for 40 years, and I'm pretty sure no one has ever asked me my preferences - just who the hell are they asking, that they would arrive at the above conclusion?

Okay, I'm being picky, I know, but just the plain amount of time I spent looking up, down, left, right, and then when I found what appeared to be the same product line, the amount of time I spent having to research the choices on the shelf, and now not feeling confident that what I have is the same or similar to what I have been accustomed to; gee, was it worth it, marketing weenie? Bloody hell, I hope so. I'm sorely tempted to go on a new product search, but how much more of my time would that waste? If the stores can't keep the product in stock, then that might be your indication to NOT MESS WITH IT. Yeah, if it expires and not one has moved, you might rethink the packaging.

Okay, enough of that. I was hoping to feel better after that, but it didn't work. On to other stuff. DH got a new car; the poor old Intrepid was on its last leg/tire/shock - whatever, so he traded it in on a slightly used Magnum. He's wanted one of those since they came out, so now he has one. Not the big Hemi, of course, but big enough. So now we are going to be two-car-payment-poor for the years until my Mazda gets paid off. That sucks. But, what are you going to do? He had to get something, and there's no point in trading a PoS for another PoS, so it had to be something decent. If nothing else, it will be nice to haul soccer players in, MIL can actually take all of her junk to wherever we go for vacation this year (if we have $$$ to go now), without threat of riding on the roof. It's a big freakin' car, let me tell you. It's kinda like steering the Titanic, and we see how well that worked out. Yep, guess I'm really not cut out for driving urban assault vehicles. Like the damn DWA or Hispanic in her Suburban the other morning on Breckinridge, who had no idea she was driving up the middle, taking up half of each lane, thus almost wiping me out 3 times, since she couldn't maintain a constant speed, either, and I couldn't get away from her. She wasn't even on a phone, as far as I could tell - just bloody clueless.

On the soccer front, indoor ended for both boys, with both of them getting to the Finals, and then both losing in the final minutes. Man that gets old. We seem to go to the finals all the time, but other than the Big Kid winning that Chevy Cup or whatever it was 3 years ago, they just can't get to the end, either kid. Outdoor is now beginning, amidst all this crappy weather. Big Kid has ended up playing for school only; that Select coach that he went and did conditioning with, who promised us a spot, just never got back with us; if there was a problem, he should've been man enough, nay, professional enough, to call us and tell us, but he just didn't bother. I really hate when people do that. Granted, I'm the last person to pick up a phone and call someone when I'm hesitant to say something, but when he was sent all kinds of e-mails and had messages left, he had ample opportunity to just simply reply "thanks, but we've decided to not open up the roster", or whatever. To ignore 2 months of waiting and wondering what was up, and not be held responsible for doing so, just floors me. Guess I'm glad now that we aren't involved with the group, if that's what we could have expected. People kill me. And the bastard gets paid! How exactly does that work???

Well, that's enough for now. Trying to stay warm, make it to spring. Busy, busy, busy.... C-ya!

This Pretty Much Covers It...

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, wild animals attacking humans in Florida. Not me. I concentrate on solutions to problems. The result is a win-win-win situation:

• Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border
• Use the dirt to raise the levies in New Orleans
• Put the Florida alligators in the moat.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?

For Football Fans

GO BUCKS!!

Okay, I'm not really much of a football fan, but when your home state college is in the championship game, you kinda gotta go with it. Especially when you live in the South, where they think they know everything there is to know about football (uh, where are those Bulldogs?). Personally, I view the Big Game as good time for stitching!

Ah, the Holidays are Upon Us!

Well, I finally met a bunch of family members I hadn't met before; we went to NC for Thanksgiving at my cousin's house. He was there, obviously, with his whole family, none of which I had met, and his sister and her husband, whom I hadn't met, either, and their folks. And you want to talk about a couple of cute little girls? Wow, are they cute! And I don't usually say that about other people's kids! I also met one of my aunt's sisters and her husband.

The dinner was excellent, and that night, we stayed up late playing cards and other games. I haven't done that in a while. The boys had a good time - I think their unlimited access to pop was a big plus when they thought they were going to be bored. They brought the Playstation and that kept them busy a lot of the time; the little ones were busy watching these two long-haired kids playing games they probably shouldn't have seen them playing (I told them to keep the blood & guts to a minimum - because they listen to me). Little Kid chased the cats all over the place. He would have chased the dogs, too, had they not been in confinement while in the house.

Friday, we got up to find 60 degree weather by 11:00; it was great. Little Kid was out on the swings with the little kids, helping the youngest one onto the slide. DH was ready to go - can't be away from home for any longer than necessary, you know - so we left and were home in about 5 hours. Which actually worked out pretty well, as that left all day Saturday for me to go to the store and get all the Christmas crap out and up, and still leave me a day to do nothing, which I pretty much did.

On December 2, Big Kid went to train with a new soccer team; DH had sent out feelers to the Dacula team earlier in the year, when we knew our Select team wasn't going to be. One of the coaches called DH and asked if we were still interested, and so I took him over to their practice facility that morning, for 1 1/2 hours of conditioning (running - BLECH!). The coach was supposed to go to Big Kid's indoor game, but no ones knows if he was there, or not. I missed it, myself, as I was in FL, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

So anyway, on the evening of 12/2, DH and I went to the Shakespeare Tavern for a performance of Troilus and Cressida. We were supposed to have gone a couple of weekends before, but we had to change the reservations to accommodate yet another soccer tournament. That was my birthday present. It was great; it always takes me a few minutes to get my ears and brain used to the way they are speaking, but once they caught on, it was wonderful. We sat in the balcony this time (we were on the floor in the back last time, for Cleopatra). We had dinner there again; I liked it, but DH did not like the very crusty bread on the sandwiches - it was tough, for sure, but it was good. And on the way home, we had No Problems finding I-85N; I finally found the damn street that has the northbound ramp, so it should be forever etched in the brain, so we can hopefully avoid all future oil pan incidents. I must be a country person at heart; it's nice to go downtown and see stuff, but there's no way in hell I could live in all that confusion and rush.

And then the ill-fated trip to Florida began last Wednesday. I was looking forward to going, if for no other reason than to hang out with my sisters, one of which I don't see very often, and we were going to try our best to see the shuttle launch that was scheduled for 12/7. Let me tell you, I-75 through Florida is B-O-R-I-N-G! God, what a long drive. And I've come to the conclusion that FL is really ugly, except for palm trees. Let me summarize by saying that we missed the shuttle launch, as it was scrubbed on the 7th, and we were at Busch Gardens on the 9th, when it did go. I got to see the town of Celebration, built by Disney, and Disney Town, where I did a bit of Christmas shopping. At Busch Gardens, we rode Sheikra, the only drop-coaster in the world, or so they advertise, and then we rode the roughest, fastest wooden coaster I've ever been on, Gwazi. That one just about did us all in, I think. I can't say as I've ever been jostled quite so much; that ride could swear me off coasters forever. The rest of our time with our mother was a true test of patience, but at the end, we were all tired, but no blood was drawn, and I think we all have a greater appreciation for the distance that separates us, but poor Ed - he's stuck. That is a trip I would not be willing to repeat for quite some time to come, unless it was just the three of us, but we'd have to be vewy, vewy quiet, so she wouldn't find out. Anyone up for a game of Spot the Loonie???? Yes, I'm leaving out the gory details, but that is to protect the innocent. Needless to say, we didn't have any margaritas with us, and that might have helped or hindered - it could go either way, I think.

And now I'm back, and so very far behind with Christmas activities. No cards this year - my card time was spent on the highways and byways of Florida. Normally, I am done shopping before Thanksgiving; not this year. I still have quite a bit to do, and one last thing to finish making, and I am fast running out of time. I finally did some wrapping last night, but that's just a dent in the pile, especially considering I haven't finished making the pile yet. And I'm running out of ideas. Hopefully DH will get a bunch of his done sometime this weekend, between the Christmas - excuse me, Holiday - Party for my work at Chateau Elan again, and work around the house that hasn't gotten done because of always being at soccer. Oh, yeah, and soccer games, indoor, too - one Friday night (Big Kid) and one Saturday morning (Little Kid's team plays the other team DH has - which is okay, because we only have one game instead of two). I just want to get through next week so I can have some down time, as I have the 26th & 27th off of work. I need it, unless we have family here, in which case I just might have to be rude and avoid doing all that stuff we'd do if family is here. I need some peace & quiet in the worst way.

I don't expect to have time to post again before the Big Day, so Merry Christmas!!!

What the MSM Doesn't Want You to See

You won't see this picture on the evening news, but you can find it in Stars & Stripes. This child's entire family was executed by insurgents, and the child left for dead, but she survived, and can now only find comfort with this one soldier. I don't really know what else to say, other than, if you think we should just pull the troops out of Iraq now, I really hope you live to see if it was a mistake or not.

This Sucks!

If it was a choice between work and sticking sharp sticks in my eyes, I would have to give it some serious thought!

Since the girl in our Maryland office left for another job, and I was given part of her responsibilities, I've crash-coursed it, and am made up the rest as I go along. But the main problem is, the boss's boss is under the impression that this is a 5-6 hours-a-week job, and it is more like 28-35; uh, I already had a job. So it's going to be kind of a reeducation on several people's parts, I think. There are a few things seriously wrong with our process. All I can do is fix what I can, and hope it doesn't drive me over the edge. And we have a major system upgrade - Agile this time, not Oracle - which has to be tested and implemented as soon as they can get it unbroken, on top of my usual stuff. I am sore tired, boss. I've been to more meetings in the past 3 weeks than in the 6 years I've been here - it's pretty crazy.

On the soccer front, it's going good for both kids. The Big Kid is undefeated so far, has played goalie, broken a thumb (almost) and has scored several goals, 3 in one game alone. Little Kid has become the star goalie for his Academy Gold team - it scares me, but he seems to be really good at it. We were both a little surprised, but his being bossy and loud helps in this, because he gets the boys where he wants them on the field. The regular seasons are over for both the first weekend in November, then one has a tournament on 11/12 November, and the other, a tournament the next weekend. And then it's Turkey Day and the official start to the Christmas Crazies, which I am NOT looking forward to.

Speaking of the CCs, I haven't even started shopping yet, and some years, I am pretty close to done by now. I just don't feel like it, at all. I'd like to do it all via the internet and never leave my house - I definitely don't want to go to the mall, ever. I think a lot of it is just because of all the stress at work - I just can't seem to think about shopping when I'm this fried. Hopefully, when we get our hour back next weekend, I'll rebound a little, and get back to business. And I am trying to get DH to commit to going to North Carolina for Turkey Day - my California family is now all on the east coast, and it would be so nice to see them - I haven't met my cousin's wife or either of his daughters yet. And that would be one less meal I have to take care of. But Mr. Antisocial doesn't take any of that into consideration, so we'll see how that goes. He can stay here, and me and the boys'll go - I'm sure the dumbass across the street will feed him. Eh, too far away to think about now.

On the hobby front, I have been doing lots of stitching - not making a lot of progress on anything, but have been doing a lot here and there. I seem to have lost my desire to finish my Long Dog St. G, though have been making myself work on it the last few nights, which caused me to have to frog a section the other night - dammit! I am at about the 3% mark on my SQ L&U - one night I spent 1 1/2 hours and managed only about 40 stitches - all confetti and stopping/starting. Man, sometimes that is very tiring. And we have a SAL on TW's The Castle beginning in January - I have a very cool (I hope) fabric coming from Silkweaver for it, plus a group of Kreinik sparklies to add to it. And the Fantasy Triptych is sitting there, looking all abandoned - but I will get back to it, eventually - I haven't not finished one yet!

Beads - I have my huge turquoise chunk & pearl necklace set sitting almost done on the table - it hasn't been touched for weeks, while I wait for a clasp I ordered to arrive. Which is okay, since I really don't have anything to wear it with. Yet. Other than that, nothing much going on with beads. I'm waiting to see if anybody is going to want me to make any gifts - my boss mentioned it one day. That's a little extra cash I can take to Florida in December when me and my sisters go down to see Mom - I haven't been down there before (wasn't invited until she suddenly wasn't able to travel - HHHMMM, coincidence? I think not). I think we are planning a day at Busch Gardens - never been to any of them (Disney, Sea World), so it'll be fun, if we don't get rained out.

Okay, enough for now. Trying to make it through the day to get to the Gwinnett Gladiators Opening Night tonight - Go Glads!!!

What's Going On?

Well, it's been a while since I posted in here - man, things have gotten ridiculously hectic. Soccer season is in full swing - Big Kid is doing great with his Rec team (they are killing everybody, which is making a couple of mostly-Hispanic teams very unhappy :) ), but Little Kid's teams are kind of hit and miss. They beat the pants off of a team that slaughtered them last year, much to that coach's surprise. Other teams, it just seems kind of random what results we get. Out of some of the new players this year, we have a few ball hogs; they have excellent skills, but they won't pass the ball to save their lives. Part of the problem is that they are Hispanic, and their dads coach from the sidelines, and that is just their style of play - if you have the ball, regardless of your position, you are supposed to take it all the way. These parents just haven't made the connection that that is not what Academy/Select is all about - it's a TEAM of Hotdogs, not individual Hotdogs, so if they can't play as a team, they aren't going to advance to Select successfully. And now the rumor mill is overflowing with stories that none of them are coming back for Spring; whatever. If DH doesn't feel like releasing them, they can't play anywhere else, and they are still obligated to the financial commitment for the season, so they might as well show up and learn to play correctly.

Another issue DH is having is with our DOC. He is much involved with the Academy teams, as the DOC should be, but his ideas and DH's do not match, at all. There is no strategy being taught by the DOC - okay, they don't need a lot at this point, but all the skills in the world mean nothing if you don't know what to do with them on the field. And DH and the others will work on stuff at practice during the week, then the DOC will show up around game time, and pretty much just take over, which equates to "Never mind all that crap the coach just said, this is what I want you to do...", which 98% of the time has nothing to do with what they worked on at practice. It is pretty frustrating for DH - is he the Coach, or is he a babysitter who isn't being paid? But at least we are seeing where some of the problems with Big Kid's Select team came from, and why our club can't compete with these other, bigger clubs; our DOC just doesn't go about it the same way, so none of his hand-picked coaches do, either. I understand his goal - he wants to "teach" the game, but when all of the clubs in the state, and likely the country, are in the Win WIn Win mode, we obviously need to do something different. Teach, yes, but maybe a more rounded approach, to include strategy and shape? Just a thought....

On the work front, it has gotten totally insane. A girl from our MD office left to get a job closer to home - 1 1/2 hours in the car each way is too much - so I have picked up part of her duties. She was a Buyer, and after we had a couple of people leave here, she got stuck with the RMA/Vendor Repair process. I am picking up the RMA part, and since it is purchasing-related, it is totally foreign to anything I have done so far in all my years in manufacturing. The data-entry bit is the easy part; it's the knowing who has what when & where and what part of the process are we in right this minute with a particular piece that's kinda hard to follow. And the fact that I had to be "trained" via phone, when a specific question or process needed to be gone over, it was just that, no "here, look at this, just in case you need to know it" or any of that. SO I learned the basics, and will just have to wing the rest. I have discovered a few things, one of them being that a lot of people are doing a lot of unnecessary work; the girl who handles the receiving wanted to fax me 70 pages FROM THE OTHER BUILDING! I almost laughed right out loud, but then said, "Um, no, I really don't want to hear people bitch when the stupid fax runs out of toner. Put them somewhere specific, and I'll take a minute and walk over and get them." And the truth of the matter is, she wanted to spend 45 minutes standing in front of the fax machine doing nothing. Uh, I don't think so. It probably makes me unpopular to be calling people out already, but if somebody is doing something stupid, I'm not going to go along with it just to make people happy; we are going to do it my way, eventually, because I am a firm believer in never having to touch anything more than absolutely necessary - call me lazy that way. I also came to find out that there are spreadsheets flying around all the time, instead of someone getting off their ass and putting a MASTER in one place that all people who care have access to; that'll be fixed in pretty short order. And people spend a great deal of time rearranging the same data to fit on various spreadsheets; um, no, here's the format that has all the info - it might be more than some folks need, so IGNORE WHAT YOU DON'T NEED. I am not spending minutes, hours cutting/pasting columns. I already had a job, you know. Of course, the boss's boss, who decided I was the one, thinks this is a 5-6 hours-a-week venture, when in reality, it's 30-35 hours a week. Well, I'll get it whittled down as far as possible, as soon as I understand it all, but it's going to take some time. Job security, I guess, though I was actually feeling pretty secure before, and now I know I'm stepping on toes. I guess it depends on if I was given it so I could whittle it down; I'll probably never know. Whatever - so long as it is reflected in my next review, it's all good.

On the hobby front, I've been stitching here and there - I kinda stalled on my Long Dog, when I got to within the last 1/4 of it; I'll finish it soon, but now I'm working on a couple of small secret projects, which could turn into 4, if I feel like it when I get done with the two I am doing now. And I have the coolest bead project going right now; I got some big honking chunks of turquoise, and I am putting them together with freshwater pearls; it's going to be huge!!! Cass will hate it - it's big and showy, but it is definitely me. My only problem is, I'm having trouble finding a suitable clasp. It needs to be pretty heavy-duty, as this is going to be heavy, but I definitely don't want it to be heavy itself - the focus is the turquoise chunks, not the clasp. I have picked out a simple silver s-hook, from my supplier - a girl in my bulk-buy group may place a silver order this coming week, so if she'll add this in, that'll save me a couple of $$ than me ordering just this myself. Bad thing is, I have nothing to wear it with, yet. I really need to invest in some fall/winter things that aren't sweaters and don't have button-up fronts. I actually need a couple of blazers of some sort, with jewel-neck shirts underneath, but since I haven't gotten the boys outfitted for winter yet, my clothing needs are not even up for consideration at this time.

Well, that's the news that's fit to print, and some other crap. Back to the fun, I guess. Later.

RockStar & a Driving Lesson

Dearest Tommy, Gilby, and Jason,
If you fellows from Supernova choose Lukas Rossi as your singer, I will no longer spend my hard-earned money on any of your CDs. He looks like a cartoon chicken with eyebrows, and about the only music his voice is suited for is anything by The Smashing Pumpkins, and I can pretty much live my life never hearing them again. Any of the remaining choices I think would be great, Magni or Toby equally good. Please choose wisely, gentlemen. And for whichever ones of the last 5, excluding Lukas, that you do not choose, please do your very best to help hook them up with a deal - I would very much like to hear more of them! Oh, and a picture of Dave without clothing on the website would be much appreciated - that, I would pay for!

Thanks!!

Okay, on to new business. Or it might be old business, depending on how you look at it...

Dear Asshat in the stupid Aztek with the broken-off gas cap cover,
It is considered good form to actually look at the traffic you are trying to merge into, even if only by using your mirrors. To acknowledge the presence of those with the right-of-way is not only polite, but it just makes sense! And going 30 miles an hour faster or slower than the traffic that has right-of-way does not entitle you to special consideration when merging into said RoW traffic. Oh, and you could give that blinker a workout - it's looking a little neglected!
I am sure that you will give this matter your full attention, after you finish your phone call, of course! If you don't have time to get to it soon, you might want to consider installing a "How Am I Driving" sticker with your cell number on it, on your rear bumper somewhere, unless, of course, you plan on ripping that off on something, too! Thanks in advance!!

Somebody asked me today if I was in a bad mood; not really, I am just being very verbal today, I think. For some reason, many people that don't know me very well equate my verbal days with bad mood days, when in reality, it's usually the reverse. I guess I need to post a sign....

We'll Miss You, Crocodile Hunter

Our entire family was saddened to hear of the death of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. My younger son was raised on his shows; when he was only a year or so old, the whole house would stop when the Crocodile Hunter came on TV, and Little Kid would not move until a commercial came on.

Steve Irwin's enthusiasm for wildlife was contagious, and he will never be replaced. He was a little over the top at times, but only because, I really believe, it's the way he really felt. I hope Terri and his children continue on; Bindi seems to already have that intuitive feel for wildlife like her dad, so hopefully someday, we'll see her making shows for our kids' kids. Our thoughts are with you, Irwin family.

Oh, somebody please double up on the safeguards around Jeff Corwin, too, okay???

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Here's a thing I found - Enjoy!

You Are: 20% Dog, 80% Cat

You are are almost exactly like a cat. You're intelligent, independent, and set on getting your way. And there's no way you're going to fetch a paper for anyone!

Are You More Cat or Dog?

20 Years Gone By

Well, I had my 20th Class Reunion this past weekend. Hard to believe it has been that long. I drove up Friday, after I got my kids on their buses for their first day back to school, and I took my MIL home, as well. Well, I took her to the sister in Kentucky, at any rate. I stayed at my best friend's house Friday thru Sunday nights, and we hung out and ate some food, and bought some books, and saw a friend who opted to not go to the reunion. The first 3 hours of the event were odd - being the Most Unremembered Person of the class is a heavy burden sometimes - some people I recognized right off, others, I still can't place them. People would look at my name tag, look at my face, look at my name tag again, and then head off to the yearbook. One actually came back to me and said "Oh, Yeah!", but then we spent time trying to figure out who our mutual friend might've been. There were a few people I was hoping to see, but they didn't show up. And my buddy Gary was there; he and I had a good time getting caught up a little.

They had an 80's band, The Breakfast Club; they were okay - the music was really good, but the vocals were a little strange. The guy, who tried really hard to look like Billy Idol (I hope that's what he was going for?!?), did a Prince "WooHoo" in every song. Not bad, I guess; maybe they just need one other person to do some of the vocals, just to mix it up - their playlist has too much range to try to have one person cover it all. We danced to a few of them, I got some pictures of the crowd - a group of my friend and our class president, for some reason - you'd think they were the only ones there. It was all good, until the margaritas ran out. Which was probably a good thing, because if I'd had more, I might not have made it home on Monday, as bad as I was feeling all day Sunday. Blah!

I think there are 5 of us that were there that are in the Atlanta area; that seemed to be the highest concentration of us not still in the Dayton area. At one point, 4 of the 5 of us were in the limo together - not sure how that worked out, it just did. I didn't find out where they all were - I am betting most of them are downtown, not out in the sticks where I am. Eh, they can have it. It's too crowded where I am now, so I couldn't tolerate more.

Not a bad turnout, I guess. We had 321 graduate, and I think over 100 showed up this time. I'll count when I get my copy of the group shot. I guess I could be talked into going to another; maybe if a shorter time span, more people will remember me? It could be a good time. Or it could be very, very surreal (see Bodemiller).

Later, peoples.

What's Wrong With This Picture II?

This morning, as I was walking out, Whiny Diane was on, as GMA came on. Lead story, the stuff going on in the Middle East, of course. Next, the heat wave in California, and how Lindsey Lohan passed out from it! Yeah, that's newsworthy! Screw all those people blowing stuff/people up over there in the Sandbox - how is Lindsey Lohan???

Road Warrior

You know, I am astounded on a daily basis by the crap that goes on the highways and byways of this country. I am at a loss as to why people are not aware that a vehicle can be used as a deadly weapon, whether intentional or not. Don't even get me started on how inconsiderate people are, not just on the road, but in all aspects of daily life. What happened? When did being an asshole become the preferred SOP? Am I getting old?

There was a report the other day - I think it was on tv - about speeds & fatality crash rates, saying that since we raised the speed limits a few years back, the rates of fatal crashes have steadily declined. That may be true, but let me tell you, my instances of narrowly avoiding death have increased ten-fold. Now, part of this just might be because I live in such a congested area, becoming more so every day; perhaps if I was back in my hometown, it wouldn't be such an issue. Just as we are running out of water for all the new houses being built (app. 4000 lots within 3 miles of my house alone), we are running out of room on our roads. There's no way to keep up, I know; we have trailers for classrooms at our schools this coming year, even though they just added onto the schools year before last - already filled up. It's just crazy the way urban sprawl consumes things.

Another problem that I see very plainly is foreigners out there mixing it up with everyone else. Now, I don't want to stereotype, but stereotypes are based on a realistic sampling of people, whatever. I remember getting a driver's license as being slightly difficult, but there's no way you can tell me that some of these people out there now had the same tests I did - there's no way. Of course, I now live in a state where driver's ed is not required (how stupid is that?), so there's a foundation destroyed right there. And the huge foreign population that lives here, from all over the world, many areas of which do not have traffic laws and such as we are accustomed to. We have plenty of those who just don't understand how it works, can't read the signs (might've learned enough to pass the test, or had their translator give them the answer, but obviously didn't retain it, or know how to apply it). Jeez, we have enough problems with people born and raised here - how many times do you have problems at 4-way stops, or when the stop light is out? And then there are the people out there who are driving illegally - no license, no insurance, not supposed to be here, etc. In my area, we have a huge Hispanic population, and you can always tell the ones who aren't supposed to be driving - they are in the fast lane, doing exactly 2 miles below the posted speed limit, with 50 cars backed up behind them. Now, considering everyone here who is legal drives, at a minimum, 10 miles over the limit, this causes a lot of problems, especially during rush hour.

Yeah, I know, everyone thinks they are the best driver out there. And it is really bad to let driving upset you, let alone to react to it. But you know, when I get home most days - and not just from work, from anywhere - and thank god I got there in one piece, with my heart rate raised and sweat on my lip, it's just too much. I'm pretty sure it's nothing I'm doing; except for one speeding ticket, I have a clean driving record as long as I've been driving. Granted, I drive fast, but I do not feel that I am ever unsafe. I ensure I have plenty of room, in front and behind, if possible; I use my turn indicators religiously; my car is functioning and has all the necessary lights and such; and I follow basic road rules and common sense. I DON'T read, watch tv, eat, or that kind of stuff. I'd like to say I don't use my phone, which I didn't own until a year ago, but I have done it. But also know that if there is traffic or something going on, where I feel I cannot afford the distraction, I will not use it - I have been known to say "I have to go, so I don't get killed - click". (Of course, some people only call me when I'm known to be in my car, even though I've asked them not to, since the original reason for getting the damn cell phone was to call for help in the event of an accident. The road to hell is paved with good intentions; pretty ironic, huh?) I understand that for some, there is no other choice - get to work or not eat, but I really don't think this applies as often as people would like to think. There are emergencies, and then there are people who just don't want/care to try to do the right thing.

I'm not really sure what my point here is, other than I really wish people would take a minute to consider that they can easily kill or maim other people while in their vehicles. It can be totally unintentional, but again, some plainly don't care if they take out the person who is in their way. I really do not understand this race for everything that goes on every minute of every day. I wish people would stand back and take a minute to consider if it is worth it? Is getting to a job you hate really worth the possibility of killing people? Or even to a job you love? Is getting home so you can get your kids loaded up and to 3 different activities, with none of the proper equipment, really worth killing them, yourself, and/or others? Is being out there without a clear understanding of how to get from Point A to Point B in the safest way possible really worth causing problems for the multitudes? Is being rude and threatening, to spite someone you don't know, and will never see again, someone who just didn't have the forethought to realize you are the Most Important Person on Earth, really worth the time and energy? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, I truly feel sorry for you. I think poor driving might be the least of your worries.