If anyone wants me, I'm taking my blog and moving.
I'll be over at http://daddybearsden.wordpress.com/. Please come on over and enjoy my madness.
The term you're looking for, if you're a Blogger user, is "final straw".
Friday, May 4, 2012
30 Days of Shakespeare - Day 30
To business that we love we rise betime,
And go to ’t with delight. -- Antony and Cleopatra, Act IV, Scene IV
My Time - Like I said "Sometimes it's a blast, sometimes, it's a paycheck". When it's a blast, I can't wait to get back to it, even when it's the most difficult thing I've ever done. If you see me coming home covered in dirt, bleeding, and bruised, but with a smile on my face, you can be pretty sure I'll be up early the next morning to get back to it with that same smile on my face.
And go to ’t with delight. -- Antony and Cleopatra, Act IV, Scene IV
My Time - Like I said "Sometimes it's a blast, sometimes, it's a paycheck". When it's a blast, I can't wait to get back to it, even when it's the most difficult thing I've ever done. If you see me coming home covered in dirt, bleeding, and bruised, but with a smile on my face, you can be pretty sure I'll be up early the next morning to get back to it with that same smile on my face.
Sigh
Hmmm, blogger appears to have boogered my fonts up really good now, and I seem to have been aiding it.
I'll be trying to salvage it, so there may be a few blog blinks along the way.
I'll be trying to salvage it, so there may be a few blog blinks along the way.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Thought for the Day
Gingrich has bowed out of the presidential race. All that is left in the Republican field are Romney and Paul.
Our choice is now down to the RINO or the gyno.
Our choice is now down to the RINO or the gyno.
News Roundup
- From the "This one goes to 11" Department - A man in New York was arrested recently when police clocked him going over 150 miles an hour on the highway. He is reported to have bragged that his motorcycle could go up to 190, which I'm sure every police officer loves to hear. "You're busting me for this? Heck, I can go a lot faster!" Captain Turnpike didn't have a motorcycle license either, and is being held on bail.
- From the "Not Helping" Department - The head of Russia's armed forces has threatened to conduct pre-emptive strikes against NATO anti-missile sites in Eastern Europe. His remarks were made during a conference on how to overcome friction over missile defense between Russia and NATO. This is a good chance for President Obama to show a little spine. If he were to come out in the next few days demanding that Russia clarify the general's remarks and either affirm or repudiate them, I'd give him credit. But I'm not holding my breath.
- From the "Samurai Sword Savings" Department - A shoplifter in Washington escaped recently after he pulled a sword on a security guard. Captain Kirosawa left his ill-gotten goods behind when he ran away. This is one of the reasons I'm OK with security guards carrying a gun. In this case it would have been wakizashi meets Walther, and I'm pretty sure Walther wins.
- From the "Get An Intern" Department - A road in British Columbia was closed recently when a truck hauling sewage overturned and sprung a leak. And you thought you had a bad day. Somehow this puts having to sit on a conference call all afternoon into perspective.
30 Days of Shakespeare - Day 29
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. -- Twelfth Night, Act II, Scene V
My Take - There are very few heroes in our world that are prepared to be heroes. Most people who have that title put on their name woke up the day they earned it and got on with life just like everyone else. It was when life threw something extraordinary at them and they reacted to it in a way that few others could or would that they became heroes. I always try to remember that my heroes are almost always ordinary people who had something in them that let them do extraordinary things.
My Take - There are very few heroes in our world that are prepared to be heroes. Most people who have that title put on their name woke up the day they earned it and got on with life just like everyone else. It was when life threw something extraordinary at them and they reacted to it in a way that few others could or would that they became heroes. I always try to remember that my heroes are almost always ordinary people who had something in them that let them do extraordinary things.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
News Roundup
- From the "Don't you feel safer?" Department - A young man in California is suing the government. He alleges that he was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Agency, locked in a small cell, and left there with no food or water for several days, and that's not the worst part of the story. If his assertions are true, I hope heads roll. But thank goodness the government got such a dangerous person off the streets for a few days. I mean, he could have gotten high and not bothered anyone that whole time. Can we find a way to end the War on Adults, please?
- From the "This Will Not End Well" Department - Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is foregoing the traditional meeting of the national championship Kentucky basketball team with President Obama this year. He is instead coming to Louisville to attend functions related to the Kentucky Derby. This may blow up in the good Senator's face. Lots of people in Kentucky enjoy the Derby, and people in Louisville lose their minds for a few weeks over it. But basketball is one of the three main religions here in the Bluegrass, and some of the more rabid blue-wearing acolytes might not appreciate Senator McConnell skipping out on the White House event. I guess he's not up for re-election this fall.
- From the "That's A Relief" Department - Scientists have announced findings that suggest the volcano under Yellowstone Park isn't quite as bad as we have been led to believe. I welcome this news. It will give me an excuse to get rid of all those ash shovels, fireproof roof blankets, and extra sleds I've been keeping in the basement for use in the event that parts of Wyoming and Idaho start raining down from the sky. Of course, I'll be keeping the extra-fine breathing masks and goggles, because they make me look oh so sexy. Hey, I've got to have something to wear when I pick Girlie Bear up from school.
- From the "Playing Through" Department - An older gentleman in Florida has been arrested after crashing his golf cart into the group in front of him on the course and assaulting at least one of them with a club. His complaint seemed to be that the group was drinking, taking their time playing, and driving their carts in a manner he didn't care for. My friends who play golf tell me that those activities are called "having fun". Someone needs to tell this vigilante in the rough that assault isn't exactly the way a gentleman complains, and that there will not be a golf course waiting for him when he gets to the big house.
- From the "BOFH" Department - A boy in Pennsylvania is in trouble after destroying $36,000 worth of Apple laptops by urinating on them. Obviously, this young man has a future in IT. I've often used the term "pissing into the cooling fan" to describe what someone has done to their computer.
Gunnie Dream
I had a gun dream last night. It wasn't one of those dreams where you have to pull your gun to defend yourself and it won't come out of the holster or every round has a malfunction of some sort.
This was actually a good dream.
I was back in basic training, and it was day one of Basic Rifle Marksmanship. But instead of handing me an M16A1 that was older than I was, the armorer was handing out the M41A pulse rifles from Aliens. I was going over the weapon, the trigger, the sights, the grenade launcher, when I looked at the selector switch.
It had three settings:
- Click
- Boom!
- Awwww Yeaaahhhhhh!
Too bad I woke up before we got to the range. I was looking forward to that.
30 Days of Shakespeare - Day 28
A good wit will make use of anything; - Henry IV, Part 2, Act I, Scene II
My Take - When you're working on a problem, take whatever tool and skill you have to find a solution. Use any toehold, crack, or soft spot in the puzzle to find a way to crack it open. The solution is usually there, waiting for you to find a method to coax it out.
My Take - When you're working on a problem, take whatever tool and skill you have to find a solution. Use any toehold, crack, or soft spot in the puzzle to find a way to crack it open. The solution is usually there, waiting for you to find a method to coax it out.
Thoughts on the Day
- I don't often cuss at work, but I at least had the wherewithal to do it in Russian when I did it today.
- When a southern woman cocks her head to the side at you and lifts the index finger on her dominant hand to emphasize her syllables, you have exactly seven and one half seconds to get out of the blast radius, assuming a standard nuclear trigger.
- Hope is not a plan, and "someday" is not something I can put in a project plan.
- Note to vendors: Kissing my ass is not necessary. All I require is for you to do what you contracted to do and not lie to me. Is that so much to ask?
- Mothers of America: If your mother wouldn't have let you go to a chorus concert in that skirt, you shouldn't be letting your daughter to to a chorus concert in that skirt. "If you've got it, flaunt it" has no place in middle school.
- Karaoke and lip syncing to Beyonce, Michael Jackson, and ABBA weren't part of any school musical program I remember as a child. Apparently that has changed in the intervening years.
- It's a good thing I'm a forgiving soul, because all of the people who got up to leave the audience while Girlie Bear was being recognized for being in the chorus program for all three years of middle school will survive to see the dawn.
- Listening to about 50 middle school girls sing in Latin is quite nice, actually, even if they learned the song by rote.
- I always have worries about Girlie Bear growing up, but having seen the boys who are in her peer group tonight, I may not have as much to worry about as I thought.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Thought for the Day
Tonight on the way home from work, everyone in Louisville knew I had somewhere to be and slowed down accordingly.
Classy
Let's say there are two grocery stores in your neighborhood. To be honest, there isn't much difference between them, except for the signs over the door and one has a few more organic vegetables than the other. One of them is the dominant store in your town, and you've been buying your groceries from them for a few years. To be honest, you aren't happy with the quality of their wares or the service you get.
So when the other store gives itself a makeover and has a bit of publicity, you decide to go over there one morning. You buy a few things, and while things are pretty much the same as at the other store, your experience is marginally better, so you start doing regular business with them. You notice that there are a lot of people who start shopping at the second shop at about the same time you do.
A few weeks later, you get an email from a friend. It's basically asking "Have you seen this?". The first store, the one you left because of service, price, and quality, has put up a big billboard in front of their store. On the billboard is your name, your picture, the times you went to the other store, and the amount you spent. It also details the things you bought, and even goes so far as to make aspersions about your character based on any run-ins you'd had with store management over the years. They have a little section for each person who has stopped doing business with them in favor of the new store.
For a grocery store, this is pretty crass and classless. For a President of the United States, it's shameful.
President Obama and his re-election campaign are doing something very similar when it comes to people who are donating money to the Romney campaign. The campaign's website is singling out individual donors to Mr. Romney and impugning their motivations and character for committing the sin of supporting Obama's opponent.
These are not the actions of a man and an administration that recognize the rights of citizens to support whatever political candidate or cause they want. This is voter intimidation just as certainly as if he had posted thugs at the polls with cudgels.
I don't think it's a surprise to anyone reading this that I don't care for Mr. Obama, his politics, his values, or his work ethic. I don't have a much better opinion of Mr. Romney. I've been very torn as to whether to vote for Romney this year. I don't like his record as governor of Massachusetts. Nothing he has said during the primaries has convinced me that he has changed enough since then to make me want to support him.
But I will be damned if I will be intimidated by some Chicago machine thug from questioning and opposing President Obama, no matter who I vote for in November. Things like this make me want to vote for Romney if for no other reason than to spit in the eye of the President's campaign.
Want to see me cut my nose to spite my face, President Obama? Keep pulling stuff like this.
So when the other store gives itself a makeover and has a bit of publicity, you decide to go over there one morning. You buy a few things, and while things are pretty much the same as at the other store, your experience is marginally better, so you start doing regular business with them. You notice that there are a lot of people who start shopping at the second shop at about the same time you do.
A few weeks later, you get an email from a friend. It's basically asking "Have you seen this?". The first store, the one you left because of service, price, and quality, has put up a big billboard in front of their store. On the billboard is your name, your picture, the times you went to the other store, and the amount you spent. It also details the things you bought, and even goes so far as to make aspersions about your character based on any run-ins you'd had with store management over the years. They have a little section for each person who has stopped doing business with them in favor of the new store.
For a grocery store, this is pretty crass and classless. For a President of the United States, it's shameful.
President Obama and his re-election campaign are doing something very similar when it comes to people who are donating money to the Romney campaign. The campaign's website is singling out individual donors to Mr. Romney and impugning their motivations and character for committing the sin of supporting Obama's opponent.
These are not the actions of a man and an administration that recognize the rights of citizens to support whatever political candidate or cause they want. This is voter intimidation just as certainly as if he had posted thugs at the polls with cudgels.
I don't think it's a surprise to anyone reading this that I don't care for Mr. Obama, his politics, his values, or his work ethic. I don't have a much better opinion of Mr. Romney. I've been very torn as to whether to vote for Romney this year. I don't like his record as governor of Massachusetts. Nothing he has said during the primaries has convinced me that he has changed enough since then to make me want to support him.
But I will be damned if I will be intimidated by some Chicago machine thug from questioning and opposing President Obama, no matter who I vote for in November. Things like this make me want to vote for Romney if for no other reason than to spit in the eye of the President's campaign.
Want to see me cut my nose to spite my face, President Obama? Keep pulling stuff like this.
30 Days of Shakespeare - Day 27
This above all — to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man. Hamlet, Act I, scene III
My Take - If you can't keep promises to yourself, how well will you honor promises to others? If you're not honest with yourself, can you be honest with the people in your life?
Conversely, if you are dishonest with others, can you be honest with yourself?
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man. Hamlet, Act I, scene III
My Take - If you can't keep promises to yourself, how well will you honor promises to others? If you're not honest with yourself, can you be honest with the people in your life?
Conversely, if you are dishonest with others, can you be honest with yourself?
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