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 |   On a daily basis... things that bump around in my head and make me go... hummm! |
My new blog:
This is not just a collections of personal musing but it is a place where I can vent. Talking about daily events on the local, state, and national scene is my way of letting off steam so I don't come home and kick the dog! We are all the Captain of our own "Ship of Fools." We go where the current of the times take us and we do what we must to be able to sleep at night. Now this Captain will speak his mind about that current and about the ocean on which we each sail....... ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** {image: ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** PLEASE MAIL ME YOUR VOTE FOR BLOGGER OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST. This is a shot of Me and Mel at our wedding. We were married in a simple ceremony on a deck overlooking Lake Livingston. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I am so proud of my new Siggy which was made by the very talented vivacious   . Thank you so very much for all the effort that went into this.** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** This was taken from the wall in the Blogville Post Office. If you see this fugitive, please do not approach, he is armed and stupid. Contact the Blogville sheriff's office at once, then take cover! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** } ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
LIFE IS NOT FAIR Hot off the Press! News Flash! It has been determined that Life is not fair! Well that's all I needed; more bad news. Life is not fair...well that certainly explains a lot. For instance, this news explains why, at some Wal-Mart stores the management allows their door greeters to no only sit down, but they give them recliners to sit in, while at my store we are made to stand for our whole eight hour shift. Is there a Government agency I can complain to about this inequity? If there is such an agency, can I blame them for this unfairness? That would certainly make my life much easier....just to be able to blame someone. Could it be that the management at my store is prejudiced against uneducated, middle-aged white guys? I see a lawsuit in my future....I AM OPPRESSED! I have finally attained the NEW American Dream: Be recognized as someone who is discriminated against, find someone else to blame for my misfortune, sue them and GET ON THE GRAVY TRAIN! Or, failing all that, I can just go to work, do my job and collect my paycheck like everyone else in the company. I can live my own life, support my own family and make my own happiness...I know, outlandish, but then again I have always been one to walk a different path. Interesting fact here: Most everyone has heard about the Great San Francisco Earthquake and fire, but did you know that ONE day after the fires had been put out they had the Trolley Cars up and running again. One month after the Quake which killed 3,000 people the army, which was the extent of federal help, was able to leave the city because the citizens had everything under control and well on their way to rebuilding. What was the difference between then and now? I think the major difference was the people. The Great Quake happened almost 100 years ago and people back then were more self -sufficient. Those folks could not even imagine sitting on their duffs and waiting for the Federal Government to come bail them out.....What a difference 100 years makes! Today we have a very large portion of our population to whom self-reliance is a dirty word. They feel that they are entitled to having the government take care of them. They believe that whatever bad happens to them must be someone else's fault and therefore they need to be compensated. Could it be that this is the way our Government wants us to be? Could it possibly be that those in power WANT the citizens to be dependent on government programs and not independent in either action or thought so to better control the masses? This is not really a new idea. Rome did the same thing. They used the Gladiatorial Games much the way Television is used today....as an opiate for the masses. Rome finally bankrupted itself with public doles that fed the masses and the masses stopped relying on themselves and instead relied on the Government to feed and entertain them. The core of Rome became soft and decadent to the point they could no longer defend themselves against the barbarians who were able to finally overrun the great city-state. How far are we from suffering the same fate as Rome? Oh well, in the final analysis what does it really matter...as long as I get my recliner to sit on while I work, right? |
| Thirteen months of blogging, three hundred and seventy-eight entries and 16,651 views to date on this blog... my what a journey this has been. I have learned so much from doing a daily blog. I have learned to precisly present my thoughts in an orderily fashion, I have learned restraint in writing about subjects that are controversial and most important of all I have learned to open up and be honest when writing about my own feelings and beliefs. Most of my learning process has come from reading, daily, other bloggers who really do this medium very well. I could list them all here but really, all you have to do is look over there to the left of this page and you will see the list under "member blogs". These are the people each of you should be reading. Now for the last week or so a number of us have been having an absolute ball with the Great Ducknapping caper. If, for some reason, you have not stumbled across entries about this thing yet I would urge you to go over to Nada  's blog and give it a read.For those of you who have seen some of it, but might not know the whole story, let me assure you that everyone involved are really friends and we are just having some fun....blogs can be fun, can't they? We don't have to be grown-up all the time do we? Gawd I hope not. Anyway, I know that Nada will soon be home and the Ducknapping caper will be coming to its riveting conclusion very soon. I, personally, can't wait to see what Nada does with the ending. I would like to suggest that Nada take some time after she gets home and gather up all the different elements of the story from the different blogs and put it together into story form and place it in her portfolio. Maybe she could even enter the story in a comedy contest here on WDC. I think she did a good enough job to win a contest, at the very least. As some of you might remember I recently decided to make The Blogville Weekly News into a Monthly newsletter. Well, the next issue will be ready very soon and I have decided to add a section to the newsletter. I want CC to do a short (HA!) little article each month...does that sound like a good idea? Maybe this month we can have him write on the coralation between Blogging and Multipule Personality Disorder. I can't wait for this one! Well, I see by the clock on the wall, that it is almost time to get ready for work....you guys have a happy and safe day and I will be checking in around midnight when I get home. |
| OMG! I hope you all read the last entry in Nada 's blog she posted last night. If you did, then you will agree with me; this latest edition of the Duck Wars has been well and truely won by ME! Did you see what she did? Well let me tell you, I was just floored...she actually fell back on the old Bobby Ewing in the shower dream sequence! MY ENTIRE, DETAILED BATTLE SCENE WAS MERELY A DREAM! Yes, my friends, I think I really have the dang wimmen (CC included here) on the run. Wait, I know what it is....she and Phyliss are so dang busy dancing with the bald, fat guys they have become distracted and can't keep their minds on the war. Come on ladies......ADMIT IT....I HAVE WON THE WAR YET AGAIN! You see what hanging around with CC gets you and to think that CC had the gall to tell me, over the phone yesterday, that it was all YOUR fault, that he is innocent and never WANTED the war in the first place. Yeah, that's right, and he was urging me to come in here and pound you ladies...Tisk, Tisk, the shame of it all! On a brighter note, For those of you who have been following this little melodrama, I hope you have read the latest blog entry by TeflonMike . His homage to the Jonny Horton song: The Battle of New Orleans was masterful, not to mention the way he brought to life certain scenes from my own entry.I can't wait to see what partyof5dj does in his blog today, should be interesting. So, in closing, just let me say: Nada, dear, you may start groveling any time now and of course I humbly accept your UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER...that just goes without saying.  LOL LOL LOL...Gawd, I'm dying here! |
| When last seen, in Scarlett 's blog, our hero, Tor was being quickly surrounded by the Feathered Minions of the Evil Sisterhood, not to mention some sailors of questionable reputation and some goofy Hawaiian war chief. Lowering his spyglass, Tor let's out a yell. "Holy Mother of Pearl, I can't believe they are actually bringing the fight to me". Seeing this development, Tor put his hands on his hips, threw back his head and thrust out his manly chest (CC tried this move once and sprained both nipples) and let go with a roar of laughter. "Those turkeys have fallen into my well laid trap", he exulted. Smiling, Tor waved his hand to his allies who had marshaled themselves down on the beach next to three LST's. He watched with satisfaction as his buddies loaded up and made ready to go out and meet the enemy. In the first LST was TeflonMike and his Kentucky hill folks. They made quite a striking image as they marched into the craft under their battle flag which showed a large mason jar of white-lightning rampant on a field of Kentucky green, with the words: Death to Sissy-boys and Government Men.As their craft pulled away from shore, the second craft took on its passengers: The Montana contingent, led by partyof5dj who was followed by various and sundry Grizzly Bears, Moose, skunks and other furry citizens of that fair state. As he boarded the LST, Partydude waved up at Tor and shouted: "Don't worry, bud. We will take care of those dang left-wing, commie, country music-hating perverts in no time at all." With that, Partydude disappeared into the landing craft and it, too pulled from shore. Tor wasted no time. He jumped into his speedboat and followed the two landing craft into the attack. Halfway to the Cruise ship, Tor noticed that the Freighter that had nabbed Stealthman was closing in on them and might cause a problem. He took up his radio and called his buddy, the Pilot who was circling the coming site of battle in his old crop-duster. "Begin Operation: Stinky Boy," He said into the microphone. "Starting bomb-run now," came the simple answer from the pilot. Tor watched with satisfaction as the small bi-plane dove on the large freighter. He could just make out the forms of the sailors standing on deck and staring up at the frail looking little plane as it started it dive downward to where they were standing on the tossing deck of their ship. A mere ten feet above the frightened sailor's heads, the pilot pulled up out of the dive and at the same moment, he pulled the release in the cockpit.....three hundred pounds of powdered Moose Poo sprayed out the back of the plane and all over the sailors who had dived for cover. Tor was gratified by the howls and screams coming from the freighter and he noticed that the large ship had come to a complete stop. He could just make out the figures of the sailors as they ran about on deck, trying to clear the Moose Poo from their ears, eyes and mouths. "That should hold them for awhile," Tor said as he waved to the pilot of the bi-plane who had steeply banked and was headed to shore. Tor's boat came along side the big cruise ship behind the two landing craft who had already latched onto the side of the ship and was busy disgorging their loads of warriors. Mike and the Kentucky boys were climbing up the side of the ship using ropes and grappling hooks. Partydude was already over the top and was setting up a block and tackle he would use to bring aboard all the animals he had with him. The first animal Partydude hoisted over the top was a giant grizzly who then helped him to hoist the other animals in their turn. Before too long the deck of the cruise ship was awash with furry animals all intent on wreaking havoc! Blue-haired ladies and bald, fat guys were running to and fro with bears, moose and elk in hot pursuit! Mike and his Kentucky boys went over the top next and they were met by Mr. Security Officer. “Hey Mike,” Tor yelled up at his buddy, “That there is the head “Government” man. He’s in charge of locking up anyone caught drinking White Lightning”. That was all TeflonMike had to hear. With a rebel yell him and his boys charged the startled Security Officer who took one look at the wild-eyed country boys running at him and took off at a dead run. Tor scrambled up the side of the Cruise ship and when he made it to the deck he found the place awash in bedlam. Screaming passengers and growling bears, rampaging moose and ticked off elk were all running around either trying to get away or trying to catch each other. Tor spotted Nada and Phyliss on the upper level of the deck and was about to run up that toward them when he was halted by the passing of the First Officer who barreled by him with a badger attached to his tail section. “Oh,” Tor muttered. “That’s gotta hurt!” After the First Officer and his “attachment” had passed, Tor started once again up to where the two females were standing. Both of them had this surprised, scared look on their faces....they knew the jig was up! “NADA” Tor yelled at the top of his lungs, “WHERE IS MY DANG DUCK? GIVE HIM TO ME NOW AND I WILL CALL THIS OFF”. “FORGET IT, HULA-BOY,” Nada yelled down at Tor. “I JUST GAVE HIM TO MY NEW BEST FRIEND.” With that, Nada gestured to her left and Tor could see the Hawaiian War Chief standing a few feet away, holding the terrified Dirk Duck. “DON’T WORRY LITTLE BUDDY,” Tor Yelled to Dirk, “I’M GONNA RESCUE YA, HOLD ON TIGHT!” Tor took off running, through the mass of struggling animals and people. He bounded up the stairway, headed toward the upper deck, but before he could reach the top his path was blocked by the evil CC and his lady henchwoman, Scarlett. Around Scarlett’s feet stood a mob of little, malignant, yellow ducks; her own personal gang: Dippy, Dummy, Dewy, Donald, Dildo and what ever the other’s were named....who can keep em straight! Tor didn’t hesitate, he whipped out his trusty neon-light saber (he had stolen it from a bar in Texas). WOOOOOSH! The saber made a frightening noise as it sprang clear of it’s six-pack scabbard. “Okay, CC.” Tor gritted, grimly (not easy to do) “You and da English broad been asking for it, now I’m gonna have to empty a sixteen ounce can of Wup-arse all over both of you. “BUT, BUT, BUT!” CC went into his normal grovel mode when physical violence was in the offing. “TOR YA GOTTA BELIEVE ME...IT WAS DA WIMMEN’S IDEA!” “That ain’t gonna save you this time you Dork.” Tor told him. Tor made ready to lunge at CC while all around him his allies closed in on their position. Mike and his Kentucky boys were charging toward Chief Klunky Kalooney, or whatever in the hell his name was, while Partydude and his animals were making short shrift of the deckhands and officers of the cruise ship. It did indeed look as if CC and his Female henchwimmen were about to come to an untimely, not to mention MESSY end. Will Tor save his little buddy? Will CC and the Wimmen get their final Comeupance? Will Phyliss finally find a dance partner? Will the Guano Queen’s crew finally uncover themselves from the Moose Poo? Tune into the Blog of Nada tomorrow and find out!(HOW’S THAT FOR PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON HER!) |
| Well I lived through Easter and things have quietened down somewhat at work. I do want to clearify something from my last blog entry. I DON'T think that everyone who shops at Wal-Mart is an idiot....just a large percentage of them, that's all. I certainly did not mean to call some of my friends here at WDC an idiot because they shopped there...with the possible exception of CC, of course. I want to post a couple of more recent pictures of our new puppy today. He is 6wks. old and we are going to bring him home this weekend! For those of you who have not been following the story, the new puppy is a German Shepard, AKC regestered. His daddy weighted in at 137lbs. and his momma goes about 75 or 80lbs so he is gonna be a big boy, thats for sure. As of yet, we haven't come up with a name for him. Look at these two pictures and tell me...Does he look like a "Rocky" to you? ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** This next picture is of him spending some quality time with some of his brothers and sisters...are they cute or what! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** So that's what he looks like now. What do you think, does he look like a "Rocky" to you? For any of you who have not yet read the latest blog entry by Scarlett I strongly urge you to go read that thing. She has waded in on the Great Ducknapping Story and she really did a great job. I was laffing my arse off and most of it was slamming me, so you know it has to be good.Now I gotta go give some thought to how I am going to respond to this latest blatant attack on my poor self. LOL! Scarlett, Nada, CC and all their feathered minions have not heard the last of me, that's for sure!!! |
| I hope each and every one of you are enjoying your Easter holiday. It really is a nice holiday, what with visiting with family, cooking out, lazing around the house and just enjoying the spring weather. Well there was none of that stuff in my Easter Day, no siree, I spent the day at work. Yup, that's right, by seven this morning I was standing at the front door of our local Wal-Mart SuperCenter greeting the Masses as they stormed through the front door, intent upon celebrating this Holy Sunday by a little consumer gluttony. This whole weekend has been hell on Wal-Mart employees. Friday and Saturday we did right at a half million in sales both days. Sunday though was the worse day of the three because today EVERY OTHER STORE IN TOWN WAS CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY! So, you can see what that did for us....Livingston is a town of over 5,000 people and twelve miles from town we have Lake Livingston with another 3 or 4 thousand living around the lake and that's not counting all the tourists who made the lake their weekend destination...and we were the only place open! It was wall to wall people all day long, no let-up. The worse part of this is that, on a normal day I will be subjected to maybe half the local village idiots, but on a day like today, with all the other stores closed, I get every damn one of them! I swear, it felt like my own personal space craft of mischance had crash-landed on the planet, Stupid, right in the heart of the town of Idiotville! One day soon I think I will do a scientific paper on the properties of any retail establishment's ability to lop off 40 IQ points from the majority of people who walk through the front doors to shop. Ahh, thank you for listening to this little mini-rant, I feel so much better now. Oh, and if by some chance I have accidently offended any village idiot who may have stumbled in here to read, well that is just an extra added bonus isn't it! Now, if you will pardon me I need to go try to figure out what Nada and ccstring is up to now....I know it can't be good for me! |
| Still waiting for further word on Dirk here. Nothing new for two days now and I am beginning to wonder if I shall ever see my little ducky again. I have, however recieved a couple of messages on my answering machine consisting only of frantic duck quacking, followed by insane giggling in the background which leads me to believe that Dirk is still alive and probably being tortured as I write this. ********************* As I have stated many times in other entries, I love songs that tell a story. I enjoy the "story" the lyrics of a good song tell. Well yesterday I bought a new CD, the Tenth anniversary editon of "The Road Goes on Forever" by The Highwaymen. For those of you who might not be familiar with this group let me give you some background. The group, when formed, consisted of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. They recorded three albums as a group, this one was the second, and probably the best of the three. Sadly, half the group is now gone so there will never be any more CDs in the future but I dearly love the ones they managed to record before the untimely deaths of both Cash and Jennings. What follows is the lyrics of the title song: The Road Goes on Forever. This is a perfect example of music that tells a story and the reason I will always be a fan of this group. *********************** Sherry was a waitress at the only joint in town She had a reputation as a girl who'd been around Down Main Street after midnight with a brand new pack of cigs A fresh one hangin' from her lips and a beer between her legs She'd ride down to the river and meet with all her friends The road goes on forever and the party never ends Sonny was a loner he was older than the rest He was going into the Navy but he couldn't pass the test So he hung around town he sold a little pot The law caught wind of Sonny and one day he got caught But he was back in business when they set him free again The road goes on forever and the party never ends Sonny's playin' 8-ball at the joint where Sherry works When some drunken outta towner put his hand up Sherry's skirt Sonny took his pool cue laid the drunk out on the floor Stuffed a dollar in her tip jar and walked on out the door She's runnin' right behind him reachin' for his hand The road goes on forever and the party never ends They jumped into his pickup Sonny jammed her down in gear Sonny looked at Sherry and said lets get on outta here The stars were high above them and the moon was in the east The sun was settin' on them when they reached Miami Beach They got a hotel by the water and a quart of Bombay gin The road goes on forever and the party never ends They soon ran out of money but Sonny knew a man Who knew some Cuban refugees that delt in contraband Sonny met the Cubans in a house just off the route With a briefcase full of money and a pistol in his boot The cards were on the table when the law came bustin' in The road goes on forever and the party never ends The Cubans grabbed the goodies and Sonny grabbed the Jack He broke a bathroom window and climbed on out the back Sherry drove the pickup through the alley on the side Where a lawman tackled Sonny and was reading him his rights She stepped into the alley with a single shot .410 The road goes on forever and the party never ends They left the lawman lyin' and they made their getaway They got back to the motel just before the break of day Sonny gave her all the money and he blew her a little kiss If they ask you how this happened say I forced you into this She watched him as his taillights disappeared around the bend The road goes on forever and the party never ends Its Main Street after midnight just like it was before 21 months later at the local grocery store Sherry buys a paper and a cold 6-pack of beer The headlines read that Sonny is goin' to the chair She pulls back onto Main Street in her new Mercedes Benz The road goes on forever and the party never ends |
| Like many of you, I am sitting here on pins and needles waiting Nada's next entry in the saga of the great Ducknapping caper. Now that I got two of the characters...Stealthman and CC...into the story and with Nada and Phyllis I await her taking the story to its next level. The only trouble is, now I gotta think of something to blog about....let me think about this. Good Friday....Well for some it might be. For me, however the whole idea of calling this Friday "Good" just isn't a good enough adjective. You see a funny thing happened this morning. My sweet, always supportive little wife, Mel woke up, rolled out of bed, jumped on her menstrual cycle and spent the day running over my arse! You would think that after reaching the tender age of 53, such problems would be a thing of the past, but noooo she still suffers from "that" time of the month. It wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that she hates to suffer alone....she feels the need to share the agony with your's truely. When she is like this, the mere act of saying "Good Morning" is tantamount to coming upon a Grizzily bear with a tooth ache and slapping him upside the head... you just don't wanna go there! Take, for instance what happened this morning just after getting out of bed. I came in the living room with my first cup of coffee of the day and sit down at the computer to read blogs. Well it was about 10 in the morning and I just happened to mention to Mel, who was stumbling around the kitchen and looking like death warmed over, that it was a little late for breakfast, what was she gonna fix. She called out from the kitchen: "What would you like dearest?" "Oh some sausage and eggs would be nice," I replied innocently. I heard the door to the fridge open and then the next thing I knew here comes Mel into the living room carrying two eggs (still in the shells)and a package of Jimmy Dean Sausage. She deposited the whole load in my lap and growled: "Should I also bring you the Frying Pan?" She Growled. "No sweetie, that's quite alright". Hell, I knew where the dang pan would have ended up. "Good call, baby," she said calmly as she headed back to the bedroom. If all that wasn't bad enough, later in the day Mel informed me she was out of "Feminine Products". "Sounds to me like you need to make a trip to town then". Sometimes I am so dumb I amaze myself. I got THE LOOK...... That is why, thirty minutes later, I found myself in Walmart doing something I have never had to do before....BUY THE DAMN FEMININE PRODUCTS! There I stood, in the express check-out line with various boxes of that crap...when it came my turn at the register, the checkout girl looked up at me and snickered. "One more facial twitch or giggle," I told her, "and you are gonna have to go to the ER to have that cash register surgially removed from your rear end." "My, my," she retorted, "you certainly get in a snit when its your time of the month don't ya." I slunk out of the store followed by a chorus of laughter coming from that check-out line...GAWD! So now I am back home, licking my wounds and taking care of my damaged ego. Mel has taken care of whatever she takes care of with the products and has gone back to bed. She couldn't help leaving me with a parting shot: "You know," she said, " the good thing about this is that now I can be sure I'm not pregnant." PREGNAT??? MOTHER OF GOD, NOW WHY DID SHE HAVE TO GIVE ME THAT MENTAL IMAGE!!! I Will probably have nightmares tonight about attending some little league ball game in my wheelchair! BAH! Good Friday, Indeed! |
| "Uh....one of you guys wouldn't happen to be the officer in charge of reservations would you?" Stealthman mumbled, hopefully. "I think I would like to book a room on the cruise ship now." The large, bearded, dirty man who had first spoke to him cocked his head and stared at Stealthman in a decidedly unfriendly manner then he spoke again, this time in broken, barely understandable English. "Vat iss dis 'reservations' stuff?" He growled as the men around him began to talk among themselves in their own language. "I be Igor," he declared. "I Captain dis ship, da "Guano Queen." "Guano Queen," Stealthman gulped. "You mean: Guano, as in Bat poo?" "Da, Da," the Captain nodded. "We bring da stuff from South Pacific islands to our homeland. Guano iss main ingredient in perfume for wimmen in our country". Stealthman thought he might faint. What a mess this had turned into, instead of landing on a cruise ship bound for Hawaii, he had crashed into a tramp steamer loaded with Bat crap and bound for somewhere in Eastern Europe! Just then one of the louts nearest the Captain plucked at the officer's sleeve and said something to him, then laughed. This was quickly followed by laughter by the other men who were there and more animated conversation. "Hey, I hate to butt in," said a little peevishly, "but would you mind translating for me and letting me know what is so damn funny here". The Captain, who had been laughing along with his crew, looked back Stealthman with a definitely strange look in his eyes. "First Officer just say you smell a lot better den wimmen in our country," the Captain replied with an evil grin. "Den he say you also prettier than most of em too." Stealthman knew that the only reason he had not fainted dead away after hearing this response was the fear of what might happen to him while unconscious. He really hated the way this was headed. However, before he could form any intelligent argument that didn't include screaming "I WANT MY MOMMY!" The captain spoke again. "De crew iss decided dey vant you stay wit us for LONG voyage to homeland," he said with a cruel laugh. "Lucky for you me captain, I think I perform marriage ceremony.....many times, dis trip". Just then luck intervened on behalf of Stealthman when his suit suddenly decided to flash on! The captain and the crew gave a startled shout when Stealthman's quaking form disappeared from their sight. Stealthman, realizing that his suit was working again, quickly dropped to his knees and crawled out of the circle of amorous sailors through the legs of the First Officer. Once clear of the ruffians, Stealthman stood up and ran toward the bow of the ship. He hadn't run ten feet when he heard a loud "POP" and his suit shut off again! "Damn," he gritted as he ran. He could hear the sound of pounding feet behind him....the crew had spotted his fleeing figure! He reached the bow of the ship, the forward most part of the boat, there was nowhere else to run and as he turned, he could see the crew closing in on his position. Picking up an iron bar, Stealthman turned and braced himself for battle. He vowed to go down swinging, he would sell his virtue dearly, by God! Just then he heard a faint shout from somewhere below him. Turning back to the ship's railing, Stealthman looked over the side and down to the dark, roiling sea. He could not believe his eyes; There, running along side the ship was a long, sleek, cigarette boat, one of those super fast sea-going speed boats used by smugglers and there was no mistaking the figure standing at the wheel of the boat...IT WAS CC! CC was yelling up to him: "HEY DAN, HURRY UP MAN, JUMP, I'M RIGHT BELOW YOU. JUMP IN THE BOAT AND I WILL SAVE YA!" The crew of the "Guano Queen" were almost upon him and Stealthman had no recourse.....with a quick glance at his pursuers he yelled "SO LONG YA PERVS!" and then he vaulted over the side of the ship and plummeted downward toward the dark churning waters of the Pacific and hopefully, toward the safety of the rescue boat driven by his arch-enemy, CC! To be Continued.......... |
| Had to work late tonight and my brain is fried! No blog tonight, just no words handy. I promise the next chapter in the ongoing saga will be posted before 2pm. tomorrow afternoon. Good night guys. |
| Stealthman found himself wrapped in inky blackness as he "rocketed" along at barely a hundred miles an hour. It was close to midnight, somewhere over the vast Pacific ocean on a moonless night two days after taking the phone call from Tor. From his perch in the back seat of a two-seater bi-plane that, until this caper, had been used primarily for crop-dusting, Stealthman had been letting go with a more or less steady stream of invective aimed at his buddy Tor. The wind from the slipstream of the propeller buffeted his head as he sit in the open cockpit of the plane and made it bob up and down so much he resembled one of those plastic dogs you see on the dash-boards of 57 chevys in a Cinco de Mayo parade. Stealthman aimed his latest round of whining at the back of the pilot's head and he spoke into the microphone attached to the bicycle helmet, the plane's only safety device that he could see. What Stealthman (Dan) did not know was that the pilot had grown weary of his bitching about ten minutes after take-off and had shut his radio off. It made no difference....Stealthman had to vent. "Yeah, trust me, Tor said," he yelled at the unhearing pilot. "Money is no object, he said. Well where the hell is the C-130 I was supposed to be flying in? Oh and how am I supposed to make a High Altitude Low Opening jump if this crate can't fly above 800 feet without the motor seizing up?" Stealthman was screaming at the top of his lungs by now but of course the pilot never responded. Finally Stealthman could take it no longer and banged the man on the head with one fist. Immediately the old bi-plane dropped a good hundred feet toward the cold, black waters of the ocean. The startled pilot got control and brought the craft back up to cruising altitude then decided he better turn on his radio. "WHAT ?" He yelled into his mic. "Tor told me he was going to have a top-notch, military pilot make this run, what army do you fly with, if any?" Stealthman's voice fairly dripped with venom. "Well hell, pardner," the pilot drawled into his radio, "I'm a one time member of the Texas Air National Guard and I would still be there if I hadn't washed out. They said I had a problem with my depth perception and my ability to judge distances...go figure." "Sweet Jesus in a burlap bag!" Stealthman moaned. "I'm as good as dead!" "Don't sweat it pard," the pilot yelled back at him. "I got that there ship spotted and we are coming in dead on target. Piece of cake." Stealthman strained to look out and over the pilot's shoulder and sure enough, he spotted what looked like running lights of a large ship dead ahead of them. Stealthman turned his attention back to the pilot. "I ask you again: How the hell am I supposed to make a HALO jump from this altitude, or lack of it?" The pilot seemed to think about this for a minute then he yelled back at Stealthman. "When you jump just count: 'Thousand-and-one, thousand-and-two, then open your shute. you should have plenty of time to use the hawser lines to guide yourself onto the stern of the ship." Stealthman thought about this for a moment. "Well, what alternative do I have " he mumbled to himself "after all, the way this crate if flying I will have to jump sooner or later anyway, it might as well be while a ship is under me." Just then the pilot raised his hand and spoke into his intercom: "Okay the ship is coming up. Climb out on the wing and get ready to jump." Stealthman's eyes threatened to pop out of his head. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, CLIMB OUT ON THE WING?" He yelled. The pilot yelled back. "It's either that or I turn this bird upside down and dump your ass out, your choice." Stealthman let out a sigh and began to climb out of the cockpit and onto the wing, all the time letting fly a string of obscenities directed not only at the absent Tor, but toward the crazy pilot as well. He maligned both men's parentage back five generations. Finally he ran out of curse words and was a little amazed to find himself clutching onto the rickety top wing of the airplane as his feet struggled for purchase on the bottom wing. The wind buffeted and tore at his Stealth suit and the goggles he wore to protect his eyes. He was about to yell at the pilot when that worthy gentleman pointed down and gave him the "Go" sign. Every nerve in Stealthman's body screamed: "NO FREAKING WAY!" and he gripped the top wing even harder and even tried to grip the bottom wing with his toes, right through his shoes. He was not going to jump! To hell with Tor, with Dirk and the whole slimy business... Just then, figuring that Stealthman was going to chicken out, the pilot dipped the wing on which the super hero stood and wiggled it a bit. Stealthman slipped off the wing and into the black night 800 feet over the great ship! "OHGOD, OHGOD, OHGOD!" Stealthman was screaming like a girl. "WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? " Downward he plummeted. "Oh yeah," He was babbling now. "Count One Thousand and One, One Thousand and Two...okay." Stealthman took a deep breath and yelled: "ONE THOUSAND AND ONE, ONE THOUS...." SPLAT! The sound Stealthman's body made when it hit the deck of the ship was very similar to that of a dud 105mm. mortar shell hitting hard packed ground. Meanwhile, the pilot, who had circled around and headed back to the mainland, witnessed Stealthman's crash landing on the ship. He scratched his head in confusion. "Dang," he muttered. "I could have sworn we was at 800 feet, must of been closer to five hundred. Well at least he hit the boat." Luckily, Stealthman's Stealth suit was made from an indestructible material and it kept him from mortal injuries. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the ship. There was about a six inch crater in the stern of the craft shaped in a perfect outline of Stealthman's body. Even though he was not seriously harmed, he did have the wind knocked out of him and worse still, his stealth suit had short-circuited and he was fully visible. Slowly he raised his head and groggily surveyed his surroundings. Something was wrong, he could see that right away. Everywhere he looked, Stealthman could see fittings and railings covered in rust and dirt. This didn't look like the ocean-going, 5 star hotel, that Nada usually sailed on when she went on these trips. Stealthman struggled to a kneeling position then he saw something that really frightened him: He saw a large group of men coming along the railing from the bow of the ship. To his dismay, all the men looked like bums...very large, very hairy, very dirty and unkempt bums and all of them seemed to be armed either with clubs or knives. The men quickly surrounded Stealthman who was too scared to move a muscle. The largest of the men stepped forward and spoke then but to Stealthman it sounded like just so much gibberish....THESE GUYS WERN'T TALKING AMERICAN! Oh this is not good Stealthman thought to himself. TO BE CONTINUED......... |
| Lightning flashed across the East Texas sky and lit up the Fortress of Solitude belonging to the Dark Lord. The following thunder-clap caused Tor, the Dark Lord, to jump out of his chair and drop his needle point. "Damn," he muttered. "I think I dropped a stitch". WHAT? SHADDUP! The dark lord does needle point when he is nervous, it calms him down and helps him think, so get over it! Yes the lightning and thunder had startled Tor, but these days almost everything startled Tor. After all, when you discover an enemy so powerful that it can reach into your inter-most sanctum and steal your best buddy then you too would be a little skittish. Tor began to pace the floor, the needle point forgotten. He was obsessed with the idea of getting Dirk from the clutches of that evil California hussy that had ducknapped his little buddy. Suddenly Tor stopped in mid-pace, just missing stepping on a cat who scurried under the couch and out of harm's way. "Eureka!" He yelled, causing three other cats to join their compatriot under said couch. "That's it. I have a plan". Both Tor's dogs lifted their heads expectantly at this verbal outburst from their master. To their dog ears the words came out: "BLAH, Blah blah. Blah Blah, Blah, Blah." All Tor's words came out that way to them with the exception of "Dinner-time, Treat and Food." Since they had heard none of these key words both dogs lowered their heads again and went back to sleep. Tor ignored both dogs as he hurried over to the phone and began punching numbers. In no time at all a phone 300 miles away was answered: "Hello?" "Hey Stealthman, this is Tor.” “Wassup, Dark Dude?” “Listen, I got a job for you and it is very important”. Silence on the other end..... Tor waited a minute then yelled. “It won’t work, you dork, I know you are still there I can hear you breathing”. Stealthman finally gave in and answered, his voice hesitant. “Okay, I’m still here. What kind of job you got for me.....and it better not involve nothing illegal, I’m still on probation from that last caper you had me pull.” Tor shook his head. “SM, you gotta learn to just let go, man. How was I to know the Game Warden had that Duck pond staked out anyway?” Stealthman glared at the phone. “Just give me the details,” he retorted. “ALL THE DETAILS THIS TIME.” Tor smiled. He knew he had him now. “Look bud, you have to put on the sissy suit.....uh....super-hero suit of yours and help me rescue Dirk.” Stealthman, aka, Dan the Duck Hater, chose to ignore the remark about his stealth suit and instead, got right to the heart of the matter: “What’s in it for me?” He asked, flatly. “You know I don’t do super-hero crap for nothing, not even for the Dark Lord.” “Yeah, yeah,” Tor replied. “I can understand that. “How about season tickets to all the Cowboy’s games this year?” Stealthman was quick to reply: “Whose momma you want shot?” “Nothing like that.” Tor assured his buddy. “I just want you to board Nada’s cruise ship in mid-ocean and rescue Dirk.” “How the hell am I supposed to carry that off,” Dan snapped. “This dang suit makes me invisible, it don’t allow me to fly”. Tor smiled again. “Simplicity itself buddy.” He said. “All you have to do is a HALO drop from a transport plane onto the deck of the ship. Grab Dirk then hide with him until the ship docks in Hawaii, then stick Dirk in your ’stealth-pocket’ and walk off the ship unseen. I will arrange your trip home.” “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND” Dan shouted into the phone. “I’M STEALTHMAN, NOT FREAKING RAMBO!” Tor had been holding the phone away from his ear, expecting this outburst, now he brought it back to his face and spoke quietly. “I got it all arranged, Dan. Money was no object. Only the best and the safest for my friend, Stealthman.” Dan said: “I don’t know.....” Tor interrupted him: “Dallas Cowboys”, he whispered into the phone. “Sideline pass for the season. Dallas Cowboy CHEERLEADERS!” “Okay,” Dan said, excitedly, “I’m in. Tell me the plan.” Tor spent the next thirty minutes briefing Stealthman. When he finally hung up the phone he walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness. “Oh Nada,” He spoke into the stormy night. “If you only knew what was about to befall you. I will make you rue the day you crossed The Dark Lord!” TO BE CONTINUED............. |
| Yesterday I told you something about my little town. Remember me telling you about the giant old Live Oak tree that stood on the courthouse lawn? This tree was used in olden times as the county hanging tree where outlaws and murders and horse thieves met their just end. Well that tree was much more than that. When I was a child that tree was THE place for kids to view Fourth of July Parades. We would all scamper up into the lower limbs of the trees and perch there to watch the multi-colored floats, pulled by trucks and tractors, marching bands and most importantly, the legions of horsemen who always rode in all our parades. Now the favorite pass-time of me and my buddies, all of which were about 9 to 12 years of age, was to climb up into that tree prior to the parade armed with our trusty pea-shooters. After the floats and bands had all marched by us the horse-back riders always brought up the rear and that was our target! Every parade was the same....we would sit up in that tree and cheer the floats and the bands and then when the horses drew abreast of our position we would let fly our missles! Horses would rear and buck, riders would shout and curse...then the sherrif would send out a couple of deputies to chase us all out of the tree. There was usually four or five of us and we would scamper down out of that tree and high-tail it down the street, the crowd cheering and hooting as we fled with the deputies in hot persuit. Man those were golden days! As I grew older that tree would sometimes serve as a meeting place, on a hot, muggy Saturday night where I would just "happen" to run into this cute little lady. We would sit under that tree and talk of so many things as we watched the stars. Our futures were away in the distance and could only be guessed at as we sit there and shared our dreams.....I wonder what ever happened to her? We lost touch so many years ago, I do hope her future was all the things she had hoped for. I remember once, in the late 70's, my oldest son was about seven or eight, no older and I took him down to main street to sit under that old tree and watch a Fourth of July parade. I was standing on the sidewalk and watching the floats and marching bands when I realized my son was not at my side. Looking around, I was just in time to see him climbing up that old tree with two friends....pea-shooters in hand! Well I yelled at him to get out of that dang tree and when he was safely, and sullenly standing safely by my side I remembered those long ago parades and I began to laugh. I guess some things just never change, just the faces of the guilty. I really figured that old tree would still be there for another hundred years or so and the news that it was to be cut down really was a shock to me. Seems the tree had developed some kind of decease and was dying. At least that is what the city fathers told everyone, funny they should find that problem about the same time they decided to have a landscaper redo the Courthouse grounds.... Anyway, about four or five years ago they cut down that old tree and a piece of Texas history and my own personal history faded into the mists of memory. They replaced that lovely, majistic Oak with this skinny, lousy FERN, of all things...here is a picture of the Oak's replacement: ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Sometimes progress just sucks, don't it. |
| Off subject: As many of you might remember, we are soon to be the proud parents of a brand new GSD puppy and we have yet to come up with a suitable name. Here is a picture of the new baby (3 more weeks till we can bring him home)so you can see what we are working with now. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Now, those of you who read TeflonMike 's last blog entry know that he wrote a nice entry about his hometown and supplied pictures. Well I have decided to do the same thing. I know it won't be as good as Mike's but I thought I would give it a try anyway.Livingston, Texas is a small town of about 5,000 population and is located 75 miles north of Houston. I thought the first picture I would show you pretains to a recent blog entry I did about our Party Place. This was a large room above a furniture store owned by one of the guys I went to school with. Well, here is the scene of the crime today.... ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** This next picture was taken from the steps of the County Courthouse and looking down Main Street. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The courthouse and grounds haven't changed a lot since I was a kid. The biggest change in all that time would have to be when they cut down the giant Live Oak tree that once stood near the corner of the grounds in the direction that this pic was taken. The tree once doubled as the hanging tree for the county and had a very storied history. They replaced it with a damn Fern...go figure. I included this next picture because the building, though it is now an Antique store, was once the town Drugstore, owned by Mr. Arron Epistine who happend to be the only Jewish man living in the town at that time. There was this really great soda fountain in the drugstore and every Saturday that was our ultimate destination. Sometimes I dream about those Banana Splits and Cherry Cokes....Heavenly stuff! This is the old drugstore: ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** This is the Courthouse: ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** We once had a very old, quaint building which housed our City Hall. It was over a hundred years old and the building had Character. Unfortunately, a few years ago the city fathers decided Livingston needed a City Hall that would demostrate how the city had moved into the Twenty-First century....we are all modern now. This is the new, multi-million dollar City Hall...where the same old business is done. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Now, finally, I want to leave you with a picture of one of my favorite buildings in town. This is picture of the old jail. It was last used around 1900 and is now being renovated as an Historic site. Many an outlaw walked from this building to the old Hanging Oak where they ended their criminal career. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Well there you have it...a glimpse at my little town. Its a speed-bump on highway 59 and if you blink you might miss it....but its home for me, what can I say. |
| Today was like any other day. Being Wednesday, I slept in a bit later and didn't have to be at work until 11 a.m. I spent my morning having a lesiurely breakfast and checking out the blog page, read some great blogs, did some comments and then it was time to go to work. As usual I kissed the wife, petted the dogs, threw things at the cats and walked out the door secure in the knowledge that all was right with my world. Oh how quickly disaster can strike the innocent! After an uneventful day at work, I made my way home. I was greeted, as usual by Molly and Sherman. They seemed agitated but I just chalked that up to them being happy to see me....oh how wrong I was! After feeding the dogs, I let them out to do their business and then settled down to read some blogs and get ready to write my own entry. You can imagine my shock when I read Nada 's blog entry.She had this big story about MY DUCK BEING DUCKNAPPED!! My own little Dirk Duck was pictured in her blog, tied up and blind-folded by a bunch of yellow fanatics and a damn BEAR! Well at first I laughed along with everyone else...it was very funny but of course I KNEW she didn't really steal my duck. I happened to know that my little Dirk was sitting safe and sound on top of my stereo right over......WAIT A DAMN MINUTE! You can not imagine my horror when I glanced over to the stereo and found NO DUCK SITTING ON TOP OF IT! My duck was gone! I have torn the house up looking for Dirk and, sadly, I must conclude...he is gone. What evil genius can be behind this? I feel that Nada has shown her true colors, she has crossed over to the Really Dark Side of the infamous CC and his cohorts of evil (dang near every female on WDC!). What really bothers me is the fact that, as good as I am sure Nada is, she is still in California for god's sake...how could she have Ducknappped Dirk who was safe and sound here in Texas? There is only one possible conclussion..she had inside help! Could it be possible that I was betrayed by someone close to me? Could my inter-sanctum have been breeched from within? OH THE SHAME OF IT! Mel will be home soon and I think I have to sit her down and ask some hard questions. If she is a part of this low conspircy against my minions then woe unto her! Oh, and Nada, When you decided to go over to the side of CC, The Duke of Dufus, you should have quizzed him on what it was like to be targeted by the Dark Lord. I fear you will soon know the fun which CC has experienced a FEW times over the past several years. and...and...I WANT MY DUCK BACK!!!! |
| This is the third time I have opened my blog page to do an entry. The first two times were to write about widely different subjects. First about a job I once held and the misadventures I had while at that job. The second time I tried to write it was going to be about a family "character", my Uncle Earl. Both times I found the word-well totally dry. I just could not consentrate nor could I get the images to flow. In a word, I was just too exhausted. So here I sit for the third time...trying to put words on the screen but I am still tired. Thus, we come to the third subject which has come to today ...Americans are Brain-washed. Now this might very well be true of other cultures but I want to just talk about Americans because that is the culture I know best after all. From a very young age, we Americans are bombarded by TV and print adds telling us that we can not be complete people without owning all the latest toys, the cutting edge of time saving devices, the latest design in clothing and shoes. We are constantly watching commercials and print adds extoling the virtues of owning three or four major credit cards...AND ITS SOOO EASY! JUST SIGN UP! NO INTEREST FOR THE FIRST 12 MONTHS! Then we get more commercials telling us how easy it is to get HOME LOANS to pay off those pesky CREDIT CARD bills that we have accumulated over the years of excess. It seems to me that the powers-that-be want the common man/woman to live thier lives in debt. They want us to go from cradle to grave owing one or more of THEM money. Am I the only one that finds this somewhat distrubing? Have you ever wondered what would happen if everyone decided: "ell no, I will not go into debt again." What would happen if we didn't buy a car or a home or a boat or anything else...even certain foods...until we could afford it? What would happen to the American economy? I think it would crash and burn. American business needs wage slaves forever indebted to them for survival of their business. What brought on this subject, you ask? Easy. I am tired. Exhausted. I am 57 years old and I see my future ahead of me. I will have to keep working for years more, with no let up in sight. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind working but I have reached an age when I want to do something I have never done before....I want to spend some time, not all the time, playing. I want to not worry about paying bills. The thing is, I am not in near as bad a shape as some are in. Everything I have, I own, outright. I rent, I do not own my home. Two cars, both used and both bought and paid for with cash. But think about all the people out there who are induced to buy the latest car, a bigger home, the latest electronics and they buy the easy way....get a loan, use the plastic....where is the future in this. It has gotten to the point where many of us will have to work until we die just to keep up the payments on what we bought in the past. What would the world be like if everyone threw away the plastic, opted against Home loans, went with cash only for purchases. Like I said in the beginning...I'm tired. I want to pick up my toys and go home. But, of course I won't do that. I will continue to work and maintain my modest level of living. But sometimes I dream. I dream of taking a year off work and writing my own Great American Novel, or just laying on a beach with my sweetie and sipping fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them. OKAY.....THANKS FOR LISTENING...I FEEL MUCH BETTER NOW! I love being able to come in here and blow this crap out of my system...thank you for enduring it with me. Tomorrow I will take another stab at one of those other topics that would not come out today...I promise. |
| I hate the first week of the month. Any sane person who works in retail hates the first week of the month, you just have to hate it. This is the time when, not only do you have your regular shopping traffic, but you also get the mad rush of people who only get paid once a month and thus tend to shop in a major way for that one week. I don't know how it is where you live, but here in Livingston, Texas the first of the month serves as proof positive that morons breed with greater frenquency than normal people. I mean, all the idiots come out of the woodwork and make their way to our front doors like lemmings headed to the sea! What makes this situation intolerable was the actions of short-sighted lawmakers who have seen fit to make it a felony to shoot a moron. They just sucked all the fun out of working for Wal-Mart. Now I know many of you out there are saying,"Gee, Tor, that's a bit harsh don't you think. Your intolerance of idiots sounds a bit snobbish too." Not at all. I am not intolerant of idiots...as long as they don't splash me with their ignorance, hell I don't hate idiots, I even have a few in my family, I just wouldn't want my daughter to marry one. The thing is those of us on the retail front lines have to deal up close and personally with these people on a daily basis. You are probably wondering how bad could it be, right? Okay, let me give you a few examples, just from my own store. 1. Man walks through the front doors carrying an electric trimmer. Of course I am the first person he sees so he starts yelling in a loud voice: "THIS #@%!THING DON'T WORK WORTH A %&^#! I WANT MY MONEY BACK". Now the first thing I notice is that this particular trimmer is not a brand we carry at our store, in fact it is carried by Lowe's "Sir," I tell the irate man reasonably, "I'm sorry but I don't think we can help you because we don't even carry that brand". He stares at me stupidly for a moment, then looks at the trimmer, then back to me. "You mean I didn't buy it here?" He said. "Afraid not, sir," I answer him. Then he starts getting mad again and tells me: "Well, hell, why can't you assholes take it back anyway then get your money from Lowes!" I just smiled and took out my radio and called for the store manager to come to my door to take care of the customer.....I just love watching the manager turn the color of an overripe tomatoe like he does everytime his blood pressure peaks at about 180 over 225...its really fun to watch this process. 2. A woman who has just spent two hours shopping in the store, riding one of our electric carts, has her purchases loaded in the front of the cart and is headed out the door. I step in front of her and tell her that she can not take the cart out onto the parking lot. They have to remain in the store. "How do you expect me to get to my car?" She asks me in this whinny voice. "I can't walk". "I'm really sorry to hear that ma'am," I told her. "Might I ask how did you get from your car, into the store?" She got this real mean look on her face then and snapped at me. "Well I walked, of course, but I'm tired now, I need help". "I've heard that exercise is a great help," I told her as I transfered her purchases from the cart, into a regular push-cart. When last seen, she was making her way, quite nimbly I nmight add, to her car while pushing the cart. At least she had enough wind left in her lungs to question my parentage and give me a suggestion as to where I could place the electric cart. Believe me, her suggestion was phyically impossible for me to do too. So there you have it...just two examples of what me and my compatriots deal with on a daily basis. Now multiply that by a factor of 10 for the first of the month. Now I think I shall go fix a rum and coke and daydream about a sane job like maybe being a member of the bomb squad or maybe a skin-diver in charge of cleaning city sewers...something plesant like that. |
| Okay, it's offical, I WANT MY DAMN HOUR BACK! Nobody asked my premission, oh no, they just came in and took an hour away from me. Now I'm normally a reasonable guy, I would have given them an hour, maybe not all at once, maybe in ten minute increments over the period of a month...NOT ALL AT ONCE! The thing is, I was not consulted. They just took the damn thing and left me an hour short on sleep when I got up this morning. Of course they have been doing this for many, many years and we have just rolled over for it. They tell us Daylight Saving Time is implemented so that we might better the extra time of light and sun...BALDERDASH! Who made them the boss of me? I mean, who better to decide how efficent I use daylight than "your's truely"? They don't tell me how to use the night hours do they, so why do they have to be Mr. Buttinskis when it comes to daylight? I wonder if I could sue someone over the unlawfull snatching of my hour.....Would the ACLU take my case? After all they have deprived me of my right to my full compliment of darkness. Isn't that covered in the Constitution? I think, if were to sue, I would demand that I get all the lost hours that have been stolen over the span of my lifetime returned in one large batch. Would that be best or do you think I should get a monthly pay-out? I would also demand reparation from the U.S. Government for not only the hours it stole from me but from my father, grandfather, great-grandfather and so on and so on, plus a letter of apology for having done that to us in the first place. I know, you think I'm just making a mountain out of a mole hill with this rant but I'm not, not really. I mean, think about it....If we let them get away with this what is next? Will they start taking money out of our pay-checks so that we might better use our retirement? Then when we do retire, will they tell us we can only get that money to use in small amounts each month...if there is any left when we do retire. WAIT A MINUTE.....OMG...THEY ARE ALREADY DOING THAT! Damn that Social Security anyway! Anyone out there got the number of a ACLU lawyer? |
| I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who commented on my last blog entry, you will never know how much your positive comments helped me to make it through last night and this morning. Your kindness and your caring has truely humbled me and made me so very thankful that I found each of you. The other day I was reading gypsy4evermore 's blog and she was bemoaning the fact that her home state of Montana is not known for anything important nor does there seem to be any well known folks who hail from there.Well, dear, I have done a bit of research and have found some interesting facts..... Well known people from Montana: Dorothy Baker author, Missoula Dirk Benedict actor, Helena W. A. Tony Boyle labor union official, Bald Butte Dana Carvey comedian, Missoula Gary Cooper actor, Helena Chet Huntley journalist, TV newscaster, Cardwell Will James writer, artist, Great Falls Evel Knievel daredevil motorcyclist, Butte Jerry Kramer football player, author, Jordan Myrna Loy actress, Helena David Lynch filmmaker, Missoula George Montgomery actor, Brady Jeannette Rankin first woman elected to Congress, Missoula Martha Raye actress, Butte Michael Smuin choreographer Lester C. Thurow economist, educator, Livingston As if the above wasn't enough, I have found, on google, 50 Facts about Montana...things that make this beautiful state so special! 1.Montana has the largest migratory elk herd in the nation. 2.The state boasts the largest breeding population of trumpeter swans in the lower United States. 3. At the Rocky Mountain Front Eagle Migration Area west of Great Falls more golden eagles have been seen in a single day than anywhere else in the country. 4. North of Missoula is the largest population of nesting common loons in the western United States. 5. The average square mile of land contains 1.4 elk, 1.4 pronghorn antelope, and 3.3 deer. 6. The Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area contains as many as 300,000 snow geese and 10,000 tundra swans during migration. 7. At Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge it is possible to see up to 1,700 nesting pelicans. 8. The Montana Yogo Sapphire is the only North American gem to be included in the Crown Jewels of England. 9. In 1888 Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world. 10. 46 out of Montana's 56 counties are considered "frontier counties" with an average population of 6 or fewer people per square mile. 11. At Egg Mountain near Choteau dinosaur eggs have been discovered supporting the theory some dinosaurs were more like mammals and birds than like reptiles. 12. Montana is the only state with a triple divide allowing water to flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hudson Bay. This phenomenon occurs at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park. 13. The notorious outlaw, Henry Plummer, built the first jail constructed in the state. 14. No state has as many different species of mammals as Montana. 15. The moose, now numbering over 8,000 in Montana, was thought to be extinct in the Rockies south of Canada in the 1900s. 16. Flathead Lake in northwest Montana contains over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline. It is considered the largest natural freshwater lake in the west. 17. Miles City is known as the Cowboy Capitol. 18. Yellowstone National Park in southern Montana and northern Wyoming was the first national park in the nation. 19. The town of Ekalaka was named for the daughter of the famous Sioux chief, Sitting Bull. 20. Fife is named after the type of wheat grown in the area or, as some locals contend, by Tommy Simpson for his home in Scotland. 21. Fishtail is named for either a Mr. Fishtail who lived in the area or as the area Indians prefer for some of the peaks in the nearby Beartooth Mountain Range which look like the tail of a fish. 22. The Yaak community is the most northwestern settlement in the state. 23. Montana has the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states. 24. Near the Pines Recreation Area as many as 100 sage grouse perform their extraordinary spring mating rituals. 25. The first luge run in North America was built at Lolo Hot Springs on Lolo Pass in 1965. 26. Combination, Comet, Keystone, Black Pine, and Pony are names of Montana ghost towns. 27. Virginia City was founded in 1863 and is considered to be the most complete original town of its kind in the United States. 28. Montana is nicknamed the Treasure State. 29. The bitterroot is the official state flower. 30. The density of the state is six people per square mile. 31. The highest point in the state is Granite Peak at 12,799 feet. 32. The most visited place in Montana is Glacier National Park, known as the crown jewel of the continent. It lies along Montana's northern border and adjoins Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, forming the world's first International Peace Park. 33. Buffalo in the wild can still be viewed at the National Bison Range in Moiese, south of Flathead Lake and west of the Mission Mountains. 34. Montana's first territorial capital, Bannack, has been preserved as a ghost town state park along once gold-laden Grasshopper Creek. 35. The Old West comes to life through the brush and sculpture of famed western artist Charlie Russell at the Charles M. Russell Museum Complex in Great Falls. The museum contains the world's largest collection of Russell's work, his original log-cabin studio and his Great Falls home. 36. The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman gained fame through the work of its chief paleontologist, Jack Horner. Horner was the prototype for the character Dr. Alan Grant in the best selling novel/movie, "Jurassic Park." 37. Montana's rivers and streams provide water for three oceans and three of the North American continent's major river basins. 38. Just south of Billings, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his troops made their last stand. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument features the Plains Indians and United States military involved in the historic battle. 39. The western meadowlark is the official state bird. 40. The first inhabitants of Montana were the Plains Indians. 41. Montana is home to seven Indian reservations. 42. Every spring nearly 10,000 white pelicans with a wingspan of nine feet migrate from the Gulf of Mexico to Medicine Lake in northeastern Montana. 43. The Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Park is considered one of the most scenic drives in America. 44. The state's official animal is the grizzly bear. 45. The state's motto Oro y Plata means gold and silver. 46. Montana's name comes from the Spanish word mountain. 47. In Montana the elk, deer and antelope populations outnumber the humans. 48. Glacier National Park has 250 lakes within its boundaries. 49. Hill County has the largest county park in the United States. Beaver Creek Park measures 10 miles long and 1 mile wide. 50.Competing with the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon for the title of the world's shortest river, the Roe River flows near Great Falls. Both rivers lengths vary from 58 feet to 200 feet. The source for this small river is Giant Springs, the largest freshwater spring in the United States. So there you have it....All the wonderful things that make the Great state of Montana so very special. My favorite city in Montana? Well that's easy...Livingston, Montana, the sister city to my own hometown of Livingston, Texas, maybe one day I will be lucky enough to visit there, I've heard it is beautiful! |
| Tomorrow morning I have to wake up by 3:30 a.m. and leave home by 4:30 a.m. in order to deliver my youngest son to the airport. He is flying to Yakima, Washington. His name is Ricky and this is his last chance. Rick is 19 years old and for the past two years he has been ensnared in his mother's world of drugs. Two years ago Rick decided that he had to go live with her, though he had lived with me soley since he was two years old. He had the mistaken idea that he could help his mom who by that time was well on her way down a road to self-destruction. Rick thought he could make a difference....he couldn't. This sorid story came to a head two weeks ago when his mother left him in a motel room, took HIS car, and went off to make a drug deal. Now she is wanted by the police for posession of drugs with intent to distribute. She is on the run and no one knows her whereabouts. Inside that car was everything my son owned...clothes, money, ID....everything...gone. So he made his way to me. I had not layed eyes on him since hurricane Rita. The storm hit Galveston, where he and him mom had been living, hard and forced them to come north. He stayed with me during that time and I begged him not to go back but by that time he, himself was hooked on the drugs and the drug lifestyle and he wouldn't listen. For almost six months I didn't know wither he was alive or dead. I had no way to reach him and was helpless to hellp him....that was such a horrible feeling. So, now he is back with only the clothes on his back but at least he now knows that staying in that world his mother has embraced means his own destruction. He wants to rebuild his life. So what can I do but help him one last time? We, Mel and I, have taken our savings and bought him a plane ticket to Washington, far from all the drug element he knows and his brother is waiting there to give him a home and help him get a job. We took him to town and bought him clothes and what money is left we will give to him as start-up cash. This has been emotionally crushing to me and I think maybe some of this upheavel has shown in my blog. I hate doing that, I hate showing emotion, even accidently....old habits are hard to break. So tomorrow will be a long and draining day for me. I will be sending my son off almost two thousand miles from me and so very much is riding on this journey. I hope he can pull it off, I hope he can turn his life around...I pray he can. As for his mother, if I knew where she was right now I would call the cops myself. She is a woman who loves herion more than her child and if I were truthful I would admit that if I had the chance I would end her miserable life myself with absolutely no qualms. At least that is what I would WANT to do, but then I am a civilized man now, I am not sure I could do it...but God, I can't help but think about it. Now all I can do is pray for my son....and ask that maybe you give him a small prayer too. Thank you for listening. |
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Congrats on 500 entries, and we are all looking forward to the sequel.