First time for everything

Well seems there is a little game of tag going on, but its different in the virtual world. I am not sure how this works but I am sure some one will point out the rules I mess up.



Pick up the closest book to you and open to page 56. Write down the fifth sentence and the next 3 to 5.

OK. The closest book to me, by mere inches is :

"The Complete Paratime" by H. Beam Piper

It is a collection of his short stories about the Paratime Police.

Page 56 falls in the story "Police Operation".

He punched the designation on a keyboard; instantly, it appeared on a translucent screen in front of him. He punched another combination and, at the top of the screen, under the number, there appeared; Events, Past elapsed five years. He punched again; below this line appeared the sub-heading: Events involving Paratime Transposition. Another code-combination added a third line: (Attracting public notice among inhabitants.) He pressed the "start" button; the headings vanished, to be replaced by page after page of print, succeeding one another on the screen as the two men read.


This is early to mid 1960's Sci-fi. But I really like the story "Lord Kalven of Otherwhen". I usually read it once a year.

Just for your information, the book that lost out by mere inches was "Tick Tock" by Dean Koontz. It is also high on my list of favorites and reread often.

Now about the tagging... Walrilla said eveyone has done it, not sure how you would do it, so I will pass on the tagging this time. BUT... For the few who will stop by and read this, What is your FAVORITE book to read? I guess right now, I would have to say "The Dragon Riders of Pern" by Anne McCaffery. Looking forward to your answers.

Later :D

Ready, Set.....VOTE!!

Just a short one today. Get out there and Vote! If you voted early, "WAY TO GO". I am not sure about this "Deluge" I keep hearing about in the press. I voted just after lunch and was the 197th to cast a ballot. And I had only 2 people ahead of me. And make sure your friends vote as well. We might get through this yet.

See ya tomorrow, and we will see what that day brings.

And you were expecting?

I don't see why you are so broken up. It is just the way things work.

I know. But I figured there would at least be some feed back. That some one out there would feel like I do or at least understand what I was saying.

Well if you would post more, more people would visit and with more looks, more chances for some one to respond. Just forget about it. The world is going where the world is going and everybody is just going along for the ride. You should have been born 200 years ago and you would have been happier, but you weren't so suck it up, chin up and keep moving. And if all goes well, 2012 will pan out for us.

I have my fingers crossed.

Me too. So, are you going to bring them up to date on the latest happenings in our lives?

Sure, why not. Well last week I went to move my girlfriend down here. For those of you that don't know, I have been in a long distance relationship for the past 3+ years. And now I am trying to learn how to co-habitate. Not something I have much experience with and the experience I have says never to do it again.

Ya, I remember those times. Think it will be different this time?

I hope so. If it doesn't, I will probably be 50 before I look for another relationship.

And not only do you have a live in, you are now a pet owner too. Isn't that wonderful! EVERYBODY needs to have a pet!

I am allergic to hair, fur, wool and feathers. The only pets I could have as a kid were fish and turtles. And besides, I am not geared to be a pet owner. If something is depending on me to live, it won't.

Not even plants?

Nope, not even cacti.

Oh. Does she know?

I have mentioned it several times. Was she paying attention, I don't know.

Guess we will find out soon enough.

Probably so. Anyways, so after a 4 and a half day drive home pulling a trailer that was bigger and heavier than the vehicle towing it, we arrived.

And then the fun started :D

Oh yes. I mean I lived basically in one room bedroom/bathroom, and just forgot about the rest of the house. I mean I am rarely home. Friends don't stop by so why bother with the rest of the house. But now that is changing. Just hope I can adjust.

Have faith, people do it all the time.

Right and what, over 50 percent end in divorce? Not good odds. And nobody has ever come up with figures for people just living together.

Well I am sure it will be fine. Trust me.

Alright, we will see. Well I have to get back to work. There is a lot of cleaning and organizing to get done. God I hate house work.

You will live.

Later.

When did America change?

Alright, we are going to show our ignorance. We would like for those in the know to shed some light on some things. We appreciate all input and all opinions as we are very concerned about the over all perceptions of people in general.

When did the government of the United States of America, decide that we did not have the right of free will to make choices that only affect us? We mean, why is there a LAW that states we have to wear a seat belt when we are in a motor vehicle? The only entities that should be concerned if we wear a seat belt or not is our health insurance company and our auto insurance company, if we have personal injury as an option. That’s it. And they shouldn't be able to tell us we have to wear a seat belt. They may charge us differently for wearing it or not. But it will be our decision whether or not to wear it. Did the government “cow down” to the insurance companies and pass this to appease them? If so, when did the government start taking orders from industry? We hear you say, “They did it to reduce health cost and drains on Medicaid / Medicare / Social Security”. When did the government become a wet nurse? When did the people of the United States quit taking responsibility for their actions? Why is it that every time there is a problem, the government is supposed to be the fixer?

And when did the government start TELLING us what is in our best interest? If we are not mistaken, the politicians are OUR PROXIES! They are to forward OUR OPINIONS and DESIRES. When did they get the idea that they ruled the PEOPLE and the PEOPLE bowed to THEM? Or are they just trying to run the country because WE just don’t want the RESPONSIBILITY of THINKING FOR OURSELVES? Have WE become a nation content to let others lead? To have others tell us what is right and what is wrong? To have the freedom to choose and the freedom to act taken away from us because we just can’t be bothered with thinking for ourselves?

WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, not THOSE WE ELECT, are the government. Those we elect are our proxies. When we forget that WE are responsible. When WE, through freewill or negligence, give away OUR authority to others, WE will have no rights other than those handed out at the discretion of others.

And speaking of people, when did they change? When did they go from “I can work and achieve a better life” to “give me some of yours so we can be equal”? When did the socialist attitude of “I deserve and need” replace “I can strive and achieve”? We remember a time when a person would take any job available to avoid going on “assistance”. Now people have no qualms about getting “assistance”. People would rather take a handout than take a job “below them”. Where did kids today get the idea that the world owes them? That with out education and experience, they deserve 6 figure jobs? That some one will always be there to pick them up and dust them off and tell them everything will be OK? Why is reality a foreign concept to them? Is it parents wanting to be friends and not parents? Is it the parents that work all day, come home and don’t want to be bothered with raising kids? Is it the parents that spend so little TIME with there kids that they basically let the kids run wild, bailing them out of any trouble and coming to their defense when ever they screw up because they feel guilty about not being there all the other time? Is it because the kids have never learned that there are consequences for their actions? And when did we start rewarding just for participating? What’s the incentive to get better? We just don’t understand. That is probably why we decided not to have kids.

There is more to come, but I have run out of time, but the rant will continue as soon as I get back.

Until then, tell me what you think. Have you noticed these things? Is it just our imagination?

The Ice is begining to break....

Hi everybody! Hope everyone is doing well. This is not one of my "normal" post, I am working on that one now and should be up soon. I just figured since this was close to what that will be, I would go ahead and put this up. It was my response to an online article about "Joe the Plumber".

As stated by "Joe the Plumber", DO NOT PENALIZE ME FOR MAKING MONEY! If I work, I want the rewards. I want to get ahead in this world. I don't see why my acheivements should be taken from me and given to others. There are those in previous comments who are stateing that "Joe is the problem, he is greedy, he charges outlandish amounts". Wake up! Joe is working for a company. He wants to buy the company one day. Working for the company he is lucky if he gets 1/3 of the hourly rate that you are charged. OK, I hear you say, well then it is the company who is greedy and they are over charging. Have you ever ran a business? Plumbers and others have to be bonded and insured. They don't want to loose there business because of an accident a worker caused that ruined your house. Those policies are not cheap. Every service vehicle they own has to be fully insured and usually to a higher level of coverage than most drivers pay. Does the employer provide health care, if so, do you want to talk about that cost? The owner has workers, so he is probably paying into an unemployment program. Cost are high. It is expensive to run a company. Its a fact, some people are greedy. This is also a fact, most people just want to work and know that they are free to be as successful as their abilities allow them to be. Don't take from me to give to someone else, charity is an individual choice. Don't expect to be given what others have earned. Don't expect to be equal to those who earn a living if your are one who is receiving assistance. This country was made great by people who worked to make it great. We didn't ask anybody to grant us anything, WE EARNED IT! And that is a heritage I am proud of and will fight to continue!

Blogmeet 2008...

Well we made it back alive. A little more toasty brown but alive.

You are still not grasping the whole sunscreen thing are you?

Well for your information, I did buy and use some while I was at the blog meet.

Well shut my mouth. And it only took you burning how many times this year to get it through your thick skull that you need to do this? Don't we go through this EVERY year? Why is this such a hard concept for you to grasp?

No, I get the concept. Its just slips my mind.

Are you just really like the lobster red arms / mayo white body tan?

NO I DON"T!! It looks ridiculous! Its the main reason I didn't wear shorts or go swimming. The bright sun and my beyond white legs would have blind everyone there!

You shouldn't worry about that, everyone had on their beer goggles.

OH HA-HA.

Seriously, what are you worried about. Are you afraid someone will post some unflattering pictures or some really detailed description of your appearance? Please. These people have better things to post about than you. GET OVER IT! I knew we should have left you at home.

That's a fact! You were a big wet blanket. I swear, every time I tried to have some fun, you just have to go and run off.

They were laughing at us!

Well of course they were, I was being silly. People laugh at silly things.

But now they think I am a doofus.

No, I was being silly. And I am pretty sure they knew I was just being silly. Of course I am not a professional comedian and a few times things went sour, but what the fuck, I tried to be entertaining. At least I was interacting with people.

Look. We understand you have self image issues. You don't like anything about yourself. We know you think your looks, ideas, voice, mannerisms and a whole grocery list of other things are below par even on your best day. But your wrong. And if you don't start pulling it together, we will be forced to put you away for a little while and see if you can't work through this.

Ya right, if you put me away, you have to let someone else out, remember? Storage is not infinite. And just which one of them would you trust to be out. They are locked up for a reason you know...

OH PICK ME, PICK ME!! I SWEAR I WILL BEHAVE THIS TIME!

Shut the hell up, if anyone is getting out its ME! And if ANY of you think any different, I will be glad to discuss this with you out back...

Oh put a cork in it. Letting you out would be a sure sign of a total mental break down. Now me on the other hand, letting me out would show great wisdom on our part. I mean really, the only reason I am in here and whiny butt is out there is that the majority thought it was time to try the girlfriend thing again and that I would be counter productive to a "relationship". Well its been almost 3 FRELLING YEARS and she is still in NY!! When are you all going to wake up and smell the coffee and realize this is nothing but BULLSHIT! Hey, I was all for waiting, but the time has come to cut this line and try new waters.

Well that was fun and before anyone else chimes in, we will be considering what course of action we will take. We will keep you informed.

(me, pick me)

(it better be me or else...)

(hey, i have been keeping a list of girls I am sure you would want to get to know better)

Yea, replace me. And I will just sit back and laugh my ass off at the situational comedies that will ensue.

Hey, we never said it would be easy...

But you just really need to lighten up. You have got to be the biggest worrier I have ever met.

Ditto.

Ya, but my worrying has kept us out of trouble!

You have kept us from a lot of fun!

You just want to throw caution to the wind, devil be damned, ......

And you just can't let go and have ANY fun, ......

Well I will just let them continue their conversation in private. Next post will be a recap of the blog meet. Peeps we met, things we did, food we ate and beverages we consumed. Too bad I don't have any pics. Maybe Walrilla has some I can use.... Anyways see you soon.

Time Marches On....

Well in less than a week, I will add one more click to my life counter. Yep, its time for another birthday. This one will make it 41 years on this rock, 20 more than I ever planned on. But anyways, I am still here...



Most people say that's a good thing. I take it that they are looking at it from their point of view in that being alive is better than the alternative. To each their own I guess. To me it doesn't really make that big of difference. Now don't get me wrong, I am not looking to "check out" anytime soon, but I am not afraid of it either.



Which is one thing that has always struck me funny about some people. They are afraid of dying. Why? For the religious people, dying brings you to your eternal reward. Where there is no pain. Where the is no suffering. When you would be filled by the loving light/spirit of 'insert you deity'. You would have eternal joy and happiness. You would be with your loved ones that have gone before and patiently wait to greet those you left behind. Sounds good to me, but most people are still afraid.



Maybe its the thought of missing things. Missing your children growing up, missing family and friends. Missing all the life events that bring us all joy. I can understand this, but it only partially applies to me, I like things that bring me joy. I am single and have no children by choice. My "family" ceased to exist when my dad died in 1987. I have a mother, brother, aunts and uncles but they are just people. There is no "family" with them. And my friends,'your deity' bless my friends. They have been with me in good times and bad, through thick and thin. I would miss them. I would probably even miss some of my relatives, but I am not afraid to die.



Could it be that people just feel like they haven't accomplished everything they wanted to do in this life and that this "incomplete" feeling is why they fear death. You have probably heard them. "I wish I would have traveled more", "... seen the pyramids in Egypt", "... gone to Europe", etc. etc. Are maybe they just wanted to accomplish something; "I wish I would have learned to snow ski", "... climbed a mountain", "... learned to skydive". For those of you this applies to, time is wasting away. If you want to do something, do it. It may not be the "responsible" thing to do. It may seem selfish. Others may or may not understand. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you want to do something and there isn't a "earth shattering" reason why you shouldn't do it. For me, I never want to look back on life and say "You know I wish I would have done/seen/experienced . I have my list. And I am checking things off. There are still a lot of things on my list but I am still not afraid to die.



Then again, maybe it is just something as simple as things left unsaid. I have noticed this seems to be a big concern for those who are dying. They will go around and bare their soul, clear their conscience or tell their true feelings. They will ask for forgiveness, forgive an old wrong, "mend fences" and wipe the slate clean. This is important to them... when they know they are going to die. My question is, "If it is so important, why wait?" I mean, you are not guaranteed you will know you are dying, you may just die. It happens all the time. All I can say is, "Don't wait." Tell that person you love them, tell this one he is forgiven. And if required, tell them every time you see them, call them up if you haven't seen them in awhile and tell them. Don't be afraid that you sound silly or sappy. Don't be afraid that you will look foolish. You have time now, use it. Because no one knows how much time is left on the clock.



Well it less than a week till the next big click on the clock. Where does the time go.....



I love you guys and take care....

Return to Forever

I love MUSIC. All types of music. So when a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go to a concert I didn't hesitate to say 'YES'. Now the name of the band seemed familiar but I couldn't recall ever hearing any of their music before. He told me who was in the group and they sounded familiar too, I just couldn't place the names, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White and Al Di Meola.

So, with no expectations, I went to see the reunited group "Return to Forever". And I am very glad I did. It was a great concert with good friends, what more could you ask for?

So what are they like I hear you ask. Well my friend says their style is called "Fusion" and combination of Jazz and Rock. I would have to agree with that description. It also reminded me of some Keith Emerson compositions. Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

If you haven't heard their music before and you like Jazz and Rock, give them a listen. You just might like what you hear.

Up, Up and AWAY! (finally)

Well I can now scratch one more thing off the "List of Things I Have to do before I Die". It took 11 months to get it done, but it is done. And what could it be?? Why its a....

Hot Air Balloon Ride!! Yes, I have now added a lighter than air flight too the list of things I have experienced in this life.

It was originally supposed to be a birthday present for me and a co-worker last year in June, but due to weather, scheduling conflicts, weather, winter and weather, it kept being pushed back till mid May of this year. And weather nearly fouled us up yet again. It seems they like to fly hot air balloons when the winds a light, like less than 10 mph. And the morning we flew, the winds were forcasted for about 6 mph. Have you ever felt like Mother Nature was out to get you? After we arrived at the launch site and started getting the balloon set up, the wind changed direction slightly and started to increase. The change in direction meant repositioning the balloon half way through the inflation process. The increased wind speed made the set up a little more tricky, but we finally got everything situated and launched.... at 23 mph. So, there we go, clipping along at almost 4 times the speed we were planning on. And the slight change in wind direction really limited landing possibilities. SO, the trip was cut a little short, not distance just time aloft. And as I found out, the reason for flying in lower wind speeds is not because of craft limitations, its because landing in a balloon at higher speed can be a ROUGH experience!! But EXCITING!! So with options limited on landing area, our pilot choose to land on a practice field of an area high school. OK, picture this. Your in a hot air balloon, trying to land on a football practice field. Just past the football field is a 4 lane divided highway. To get to the field, we have to clear high tension power lines and towers, and the tall stadium lights of the actual football field. We clear everything and start our decent. With the highway coming up fast, you look down and what do you see?? You are almost perfectly lined up with the goal post on the practice field. There just happens to be 2 side by side on this particular field. We barely clear the first one and come in right beside the second one. WE MADE IT!!! Well, almost. You ever notice the the balloon is a LOT wider than the basket? Well as the basket passed right by the goal post, the balloon snagged the first upright, causing the basket to turn 90 degrees really fast. Now we had preped for landing, so when we turned ,we were not in the best position for a fast landing. The balloon was ripped through the scoop (lowest section near the burner), and 2 panels. Back to the landing. So we hit out of position and ended up on the floor of the basket. Went airborne again. Came back down and this time the basket was pulled over on its side. Luckly me and the pilot were on the ground side and my co-worker landed on top of us. If it would have been the other way around, I don't think she would have been too happy. Alright, we are down and not moving anymore. We crawl out and see we had about 200 feet before the highway. Everyone is OK and it was definitly cool. After we help packing up the gear we head out for a champagene brunch, learn a little about ballooning history and hear some stories of past exploits of our pilot and friends. All in all, it was a great morning. But if I ever do it again, it will have to be over a more sceninc location.

Now.... whats next on my list?

Hi, its Me...

That's right. I am tired of taking a back seat to him. I am tired of his lazy ways. I am going to start living for me. Let him sit in front of his damn computer and play his silly games, I am going to start having fun! And since the money has already been put down on the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, I guess I can start with that. I was talking to my friend the other day and the point was raised that this will be the longest ride either of us has ever attempted. I mean, just to get there will be over 1200 miles and we are planning on doing that in 2 days. The longest ride either of us has been on to this point has been around 300 and we were sore after that. So we decided we REALLY need to try this before hand, so we could get some idea of what we were getting ourselves into. Well any trip like this requires some planning, talking to others who have made similar trips, web searches etc. Well everybody I talked to had an item or 2 that were must haves. Like biker (bicycle) riding shorts, or wicking underwear with flat seams. Even talked to one guy who swore by "monkey butt powder". Monkey Butt... I have to admit this was a new term to me. It apparently refers to a species of monkeys that have bright red butts. And riding long hours you get a sore, red, chaffed butt that looks or at least feels like it is bright red. Anyways, so taking all the information provided and found, we set off yesterday for a 600+ mile ride. We figured staying off the interstate highways would be better with it being a holiday and all. The ride was fun and we did manage 630+ miles in just over 12 hours and we weren't really pushing hard. Never the less, when we got off the bikes at his house I wanted to jump for joy. But all we could really do was stand for joy. So we made it. And I actually don't feel bad at all today. It didn't even hurt to get back on the bike this morning. So now I really feel better about this trip in August. And I did learn one thing on the ride, wear sunscreen. 12 hours in the Texas sun will burn you, even if it is only 93 degrees. But I have really interesting tan/burn lines. Hopefully I will have a chance to even them out before the blog meet.

Take care and see ya soon!