random thoughts

two recent immigration stories from the tucson region.

first is about a tucson police officer stopping a van and after brief struggle with an occupant of the van, an illegal immigrant, the officer shot and killed him.
the second is about a mother and son on a camping trip in the middle of nowhere whne the mother loses control of her vehicle causing it to fall into a ravine. the mother is injured and trapped while her son crawls free and goes for help. he is found by an illegall immigrant who returns with him to the crash. the mother dies of her injuries while the 9 year old boy is taken care of by the illegal. the next morning they are able to find help and the illegal is turned over to border patrol and deported.

did any of you hear of either of these stories?

in my local paper the police officer story was on the front page of the regional section while the immigrant as hero story was buried next to the obituaries. this is of course in the paper that everyone considers to be the local liberal rag.

my last thought is that the illegal that sat with the kid overnight should be given, if not outright citizenship, the right to stay and work in our country. we want that sort of person here.

Where were you? (Scott's written excuse for not blogging)

This might just bore the shit out of most of you, how ever the below list is a portion of a much larger document I created in an attempt to reign in and organize a very large meal served at our home on Thanksgiving. The original document also covered the entire weeks worth of meals and events surrounding the last weeks holiday, during which time we were blessed with multiple house guests from three separate states in our home. I recapped the menu, as a just in case I decide to do this foolish sort of shit again.

Hors d'oeuvres

Cut fresh veggies and dip: Good, half the plate eaten.

Everything Nuts: Excellent!!!! Burned first attempt but wow they were really good!

Almond, Cashew, Cranberry mix: Forgot to serve.

Cheese and Crackers: Cheese selection needed to be wider, we served Cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan, and Smoked Cheddar. A Baked Brie would have been great along with more Spreadable Cheese.

Smoked Salmon: One slice of quality fish was the perfect quantity!

Crab Salad wraps: Well liked well received, made 5 times to much.

Dinner

Salad- served buffet style (build your own): No one touched it, likely due to the fact that dinner and Hors d'oeuvres were served only about 40 minutes apart.

Fresh Tangerines: Looked great, bought to many.

Fish (Grilled) Talapia: Two large pieces were perfect, Prepared on the grill yum.

Turkey: 17.5 pound bird for 16 people just a little too much, maybe 15 would have been perfect.

Corn Bread: Excellent! Pre-Mix from Trader Joes.

Mashed Potato's: Perfect Potatoes from Mom's garden.

Sweet Potato's: Good, however it looked weird and few ate them, made a double batch and was twice to much. This dish did however become more tasty as left-overs. Next time make two days prior to meal.

Rolls: Average, store bought pre-maid none left over.

Wild Rice Salad: Very Good, Batch was twice the size it should have been.

Standard stuffing: Had very little left over!!! Seems we had a lot of stuffing lovers at our dinner table.

Grandma Hill's Famous Stuffing: Gone!!!!! Big favorite!!!

Corn (from Mom’s Farm): Yum!

Carrots (from Mom’s Farm): Did not show up.

Swiss Chard casserole (from Mom’s Farm): Only a few of us ate it :(

Cranberry Sauce: !!!!!! Holy shit these were really good!!!!!! Berries soaked in lots of sugar and brandy. YUM!

Hot Cider: Finished most of it!!! Trader Joes Spiced Cider.

Wine (Harbor Red): Gone!!!!! Big favorite!!!

Wine (white?): Gone!!!!! Big favorite!!!

Vanilla Ice cream: Did well!

Pumpkin Pie: Gone!!!!! Big favorite!!! Nothing special, From Jewel Bake shop.

Apple Pie: never happened.

Strawberry Rhubarb: Half of one pie eaten, Grand Travers Pie Company.

Black Berry Pie: One quarter eaten, Grand Travers Pie Company.

Pumpkin Spice Cake: Two slices eaten… by me Pre-Mix From Trader Joes.

Banana Bread: Four slices eaten Pre-Mix From Trader Joes.

Cookies: Gone!!!!! Big favorite!!! Could have bought twice as much. Frosted Sugar Cookies (jewel), and Chocolate Chip Cookies from Josephs.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie (from Mom’s Farm): miss-fire died in transit.

For the Kids

Mac and Cheese: Never happened Colin Ate a box worth of wheat thins before dinner and more sweets after than any of our 17 other guests for desert.

Pass the Rightguard please.......

Worldwide, 1.43 showers are taken every day for every 10 people.

And also.....

Q. Why is air a lot like sex?

A. Because it's no big deal unless you're not getting any.

me scared

---Ive been deeply addicted to terrible street drugs, but this, of all things makes me very nervous.

I have to have surgery this Fri AM on my hurnea. Being put under freaks me out. The surgery should take less than like 30 mins. and Ill be home by like 1 PM.

I get terribly nervous when I think of myself being put under to do the procedure. I know, I know, Ive heard it a million times, they start your IV with a small amount of something that makes you not give a shit about anything youre so stoned and then once you are in check with the anesthesiologist, he sets you up and tells you to count from 100 down and by time you get to 98, youre gone!

Any of you guys ever had surgery? What was it like?

Im nervous as fuck.---

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tEy_500pdQE

---New song from my boys Social D. called "Bakersfield". I believe it is about Mike's hatred for that town and a tribute to the great country star Buck Owens which is kick ass. Rumors are flying everywhere that they have their latest album in the can and it should be out early in 08. If it sounds anything close to this song here, its gonna be there best work to date. This song is simply awesome. Ness gets better and better everytime he picks up a guitar and it pisses me off that he gets little recognition for it. I think IMHO he is one of the great American story tellers, not along the likes of Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan or anyone like that, but the greatest story teller to come out of the 1st wave of the punk rock scene so long ago. He has so much talent its not even funny.

Damn I fucking love these guys.---

Gimmie a break!

LONDON, England (CNN) -- UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday that officials were working to secure the early release of a British teacher who faces being whipped in Sudan after she allowed her class to name a teddy bear "Mohammed."

Gillian Gibbons, 54, was arrested Sunday after she asked her class of seven-year-olds to come up with a name for the toy as part of a school project, her head teacher told CNN.

Robert Boulos, the head of Unity High School in the capital Khartoum, said naming the teddy bear was "a totally innocent mistake" and that Gibbons had never intended to cause offense.

He said Gibbons had asked the children to pick their favorite name for the new class mascot, which she was using to aid lessons about animals and their habitats.

Classmates took turns taking the teddy bear home with them, accompanied by a diary with the bear's name written in the front of it, Boulos said.

"All this is a very sensitive area. I asked her (Gibbons) why she had done it and she said she didn't chose the name, the children did," Boulos told CNN.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday he was "very sorry" about Gibbons' arrest and that the British embassy in Khartoum was "giving all appropriate consular assistance to her."

He said all efforts were being taken to ensure her early release and that government officials were in touch with the teacher's family in the northern British city of Liverpool.

The school teacher has been accused of blasphemy and is being held by police in Khartoum, Kirsty Saunders, British Foreign Office spokeswoman told CNN.

Although there is no ban in the Koran on images of Allah or the Prophet Mohammed, likenesses are considered highly offensive by Muslims.

Parents of students at the school informed the authorities and Gibbons was taken into custody Sunday, Saunders said.

So far Gibbons has yet to be charged with any offense, however, under Sudanese law, insulting Islam is punishable with 40 lashes, a jail term of up to six months or a fine, she said.

However, a Sudanese official told CNN that if police decided that Gibbons had acted in good faith, she would most likely be spared punishment.

"If the intentions are good, definitely she will be absolved and will be cautioned not to repeat this thing again," Mutrif Siddig, Sudan's under secretary for foreign affairs, said.

---When are people just gonna wake up and realize that Islam is a violent and non-tolerant form of Religion? I supposed once the kids got home they got beatings too because they agreed with this bear bring named Mohammed? If insulting Christianity was punishable by these same standards, people would be getting lashes on a daily basis with no remorse.---

We Americans live in a nation where the medical-care system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it.

Dave Barry
US columnist & humorist (1947 - )

OK, Mr. Cosby rant part II

---I just cleaned it up a bit to make it look better, but thats all---

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk:
Why you ain't,
Where you is,
What he drive,
Where he stay,
Where he work,
Who you be... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.

And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English

except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor

with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living. People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around. The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.


These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what ? ?

And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.

Where were you when he was 2 ? ?

Where were you when he was 12 ? ?

Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol ? ?

And where is the father ? ? Or who is his father ?

People putting their clothes on backward:
Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?

People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something ?

Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up ?

Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?


What part of Africa did this come from??

We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa .

With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem.

We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.

We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs We, as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard. We cannot blame the white people any longer."

Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.

Um.

---setting aside my usual tid bits here, this blog is getting cob webs. Its been almost 2 weeks or close to that since anyone besides myself or Steve has posted something. I know I,know life gets in the way but you guys used to check in, even if your lives were super crazy, I miss you guys damnit!!!!!---

gobble, gobble

--I wanted to take a few mins. to wish you guys a Happy Thanksgiving.

Anyone got any b.s. family events planned? God I always hated those. My b.s. plan is to go out to dinner with my Mom on Turkey Day, theres no point in having her in and out of the kitchen all damn day to prepare a huge holiday feast for just 2 people. Also, with her only being a widow for a couple weeks, has taken its toll on her. She needs rest. Shes not even gonna put up a tree for Christmas this year Our holiday season will be really grim this year with Den not being here.

We also need to move asap because we cant really afford the place we are in now since he passed away, so we are getting ready to tackle that too.


I will leave you guys with a kinda happy little story. We have a 3ft. white Christmas tree that was Den's. He would decorate it every year with his Daffy Duck ornaments (He LOVED DAFFY). And thankfully he got time to decorate it before he went in to the hospital for the last time, so right now we have that little tiny tree, fully decorated w/ Daffy in all his glory, sitting on a book shelf in our living room and its lit up...for him---

Alright fine, we'll go this route

---GREATEST punk rock cover song of all time?

My vote goes to Social D's. Ring Of Fire. Simply Amazing. They did the man in black way proud with that one. If you've ever been to a live SxDx show and been pushed up against the stage during this one to hear Ness yell out "Let it burn Mother fucker" you know what I mean and if you haven't, well, you may have missed out on a lifetime experience.---

random thoughts

hello everybody, just wanted to say i made it back from scotland. i've been back for awhile i just got caught up i life after i got back so i haven't been able to do more than look at the blog for a while. the trip was incredible and the class we took was cool and we have begun to see minor benefits from it. i got to see a real castle and roslyn chapel, very cool. the people were great and the food delicious. haggis is very good. anyway sorry to hear of tipster's loss and glad that everyone else seems to be doing well. i added my three favorites to the music list so you can go check that. as soon as i get damien to load our pictures on to a cd i will transfer them to this computer and share them. take care and talk to you soon.

no drivers licenses, yay!!!!

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will withdraw a controversial plan that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, a spokeswoman told CNN Tuesday night.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan for driver's licenses for illegal immigrants came under heavy criticism.

Spitzer plans to withdraw the proposal on Wednesday, spokeswoman Jennifer Givner told CNN.

The governor is in Washington, D.C., for a meeting with New York's congressional delegation on the issue, she said.

Spitzer's plan drew national attention and stirred opposition from critics, some of whom expressed concern over possible voter fraud.

"I believe this is just a fundamental issue of right and wrong," said Rep. Tom Latham, an Iowa Republican who opposes Spitzer's plan. "And to give people official recognition when they come in and break the law in their first act in this country is simply wrong."

Seventy-six percent of Americans oppose giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, according to poll conducted in October for CNN by the Opinion Research Corp.

---Finally, someone with some fucking brains.---

My Thanks.

---I wanted to take the time and send a special thank you out to PJB and Mike Martin for making it to my Dad's wake. I also understand Scott made a valiant effort at trying to make it there and I wanna say thank you to him also.


Thanks brothers.


More later......---

---OK, now that I am more settled back in I have some more time. This weekend was very, very difficult for me, but sometimes, it can be that way. Again, thanks to the brothers who made it there and to those who tried. The rest of the time was reassuring about how I truly am the black sheep in the family, all the way down to the ink to the kind of music I enjoy, it felt kinda good, non conformity rules. I love my family that still gives 2 shits about my Mother and I, but the rest of them can go fly.......

I didnt get to do much or see much else because we were too busy making funeral arrangements, so that kinda blew.

All I will leave you with is that tomorrow is not promised to any of us and I know we all get busy with daily bullshit (even though none of your lives are bullshit) but we should ALL really try to stay in touch more if even by here at the blog.

I love you all because you are all my brothers---

Den's Service

---He passed away this morning just before 2 AM. He went peacefully, no problems, no pain and no suffering. The wake is to be held this coming Sunday tentatively from 4 PM until 9 PM at 8300 W. Lawrence Ave. Norridge IL. 60706, the name of the Funeral Home is Cumberland Chapels.

The Funeral will be the following Monday morning at the Cumberland Chapel. The Obituary will be in one of the papers this weekend, just not sure which one. The number to the Funeral home is 708-456-8300.

If you guys wanna get a hold of me directly, you can get me at 515-745-9308, thats my personal cell number, I have it on and with me at all times.

I hope to be able to hook up with at least a couple of you while Im there for a few hours someway, sometime. I should be in town until the 14th or 15th, so we'd have time if you cant make it to his service. I REALLY hope to see you guys. I more than likely WILL NOT have internet access while I am in town this time so this will more than likely be my last post until next week sometime....call me.-

Dennis B. Enders

---I rarely addressed Den as my "Step" Dad, because he was more than that rotten piece of filth my real dad ever was. It was discovered that sometime last night, he had a stroke and a massive brain bleed. He cant eat, open his eyes, or even tell you he loves you anymore, he cant speak. I went to the hospital today to say goodbye. It could be days or maybe a week, but all in all, my Dad has died.

Im saddened beyond expressible words. All the male counter parts that has given two shits about me and my life are now gone.

His wake/funeral will be held in the Chicago area. I will update you all as to when I will be in town, Imgonna need some getaway time.

thanks guys---

---Small UPDATE guys. It was confirmed he had a stroke and a blood clot was thrown to his brain. He is still "here" so to speak, but all he does is sleep, his body knows nothing else now. Per my moms request (she has power of attorney) he has been removed from his oxygen and they stopped giving him his meds. yesterday, so it all up to time now. As soon as I know final plans I will let you guys know.---

my Step Dad

Well, for those that care, my step dad has been in the hospital again since Friday afternoon. It has been determined that he has developed a new form of dementia called "Sundowners Dementia". Im not sure what that is as of yet. His fever was almost 104 yesterday but its down to 98 today which is great news. I also dont know when they will release him.

All in all, things here have been very tense. They also want to enlist him in some kind of physical therapy, for what I dont know either. I didnt go to see him today, I will be going tomorrow.

This man means a hell of a lot to me. He was there for me through all of my bullshit years and then some. He put up with me through the drugs, the stealing and all the lies. Next to my Grandfather, this man has BEEN my father figure for my life. He has been a part of my life since I was 13. If something bad happens to him, Im not sure what my Mom and I will do.

---UPDATE....Monday AM.....I just returned from the hospital and now my dad is in a total catatonic state. He sleeps and sleeps and sleeps...he doesnt know his own name and all he can do is mumble some phrases that no one understands. Things DONT look good at all. No foods no liquids, nothing, he just sleeps and mumbles. I dont know what to do.---

Un F-ing beleivable

thanks to my good buddy Big Jonny over at drunkcyclist .com for this truly disturbing link.
this is just whacked.
I like a nice tattoo as much as the next guy,
I'm not a huge fan of all of the crazy peircings some of the kids are getting,
but adding body parts? come on dudes, that's .......

Ex-Manager for Ramones Beaten to Death

Nov. 1, 2007, 7:08 AM EST

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Linda Stein, a pioneer in New York's punk music scene who later became known as a real estate "broker to the stars," was beaten to death inside her Manhattan apartment, the medical examiner ruled.

Stein's daughter found her body Tuesday night face down in the living room of the Upper East Side apartment, where she lived alone. There were no signs of a break-in or robbery, and police said they had no motive or suspects.

An autopsy found that Stein, 62, died from blows to the head and neck, medical examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said Wednesday.

Stein was the ex-wife of Seymour Stein, former president of Sire Records, which was the launching pad for the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna.

A former schoolteacher, she and Danny Fields co-managed the Ramones during the band's heyday. She is credited with bringing the Ramones to England for their infamous July 4, 1976, concert that helped spark the young British punk scene.

Whos your top 3 of all time?

---Last night I got in a rather heated argument with a certain friend of mine over who he thought were the greatest punk bands of all time were. Im not talking second generation shit either, Im talking roots, way back in the day from say 1976 to 1980.

Heres my top 3 in NO special order

The Clash
The Ramones
and of course the mighty Social D.

Bands like that changed the way we look at music today.

BOO!

---Happy Halloween guys! Are you taking the kiddies anywhere special tonight or tomorrow night to go trick or treating? We have a couple of ideas to toss around here, were just not sure yet....

Let me know what you guys plan on doing!---

If you could.....

An affluent couple gets into an argument over dinner.

"If you could cook," said the husband, "we could fire the chef."

"If you could screw," replied the wife, "we could fire the driver."

---Haha. Prolly true in a lot of relationships though.

Well, my step dad comes home tomorrow, which is great news! But his recovery will be long and drawn out. Having had TWO open heart surgeries in the past, everything takes a lot more time for him to get back on his feet.

By the way Scott, I think I talked her into buying an external HD, for storage.....---

Happy Sunday Everyone!

---Yes, Im this bored right now and the cat picture is cute. Fall is in full effect here, it was 34 degrees when I went out at 715 this AM. My step Dad (Dennis) is doing better, but man, being a heart patient and having pneumonia sucks ass! It has totally drained him.

Did I tell you guys Im down to a slim 170 pounds now, down from 205 over the summer. No special diets, no weight loss pills, no eating right, my secret? I just eat dinner early, around 430 in the afternoon and then dont eat again until the next day, so cutting out the big night snack is what did it for me! Im pretty happy about it. Lets see, I got a new computer, its pretty nice IMO, Runs super fast, dual core and all the fixens. The only draw back to getting the new p.c. was the fact that that was my ink $$$, so there will be no more sleeve work for me any time in the near future.

Anyone got any Halloween plans? We will take Ava trick or treating around the nicer part of town if it isnt too cold and if it is too cold for her, we will just go the big mall here where they hand out candy to the wee ones.

Well guys, I know youre all busy, but when you get just one extra minute, let me know how youre doing, I think of my Brothers often and I am really sorry I wont be headed into town like planned next month.

One more HUGE thing..Im looking in your direction Mike and in your direction also Mark, how much do you know about flash drives? Scott, can you help me here? The ex has literally hundreds of pics of the kid on her computer and she wants to put them onto a flash drive...any ideas???? Its so bad at times, her p.c. runs low on memory and wont do anything for a while. What are some good drives and HOW MUCH can they hold, she has hundreds of pics, will she need to buy 2???---

update

well, I felt I should update ya'll on my going ons even though this blog is a ghost town but my step dad has fallen ill with a very, very serious case of bacterial pneumonia and travel is not advised for him anytime in the near future His recovery time will be long and drawn out and the main reason we were going to head that way was so he could spend time with some dear friends of his, so in a nutshell, I wont be coming, sorry guys. Guess there is always next Spring and maybe as the time that goes by between now and then, we could throw some kind of reunion together or something. Just an idea.


See you guys around I guess......Im going to Vegas anyways, or at least thats what Im telling myself.

---OK, I know you guys are busy little worker bees, but the blog is dead...

Hello, anybody out there?---

Iraq Blogs

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6940384.stm

---Sorry, I still dont know how to directly link on this damn thing, but anyways, copy and paste works just as good. Go check it out, its kinda interesting.---

OG

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A former gang member convicted in a jewelry heist that resembled robberies he described in his memoir has been sentenced to 126 years in prison.

ADVERTISEMENT

Colton Simpson, 41, declined to speak during Friday's sentencing hearing and showed no reaction when Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson III issued the sentence.

Simpson, who has previous felony convictions, was sentenced under the state's three strikes law. He was found guilty of robbery, burglary and grand theft for his role in a 2003 heist at a Robinsons-May Co. department store jewelry counter in Temecula.

Simpson was accused of being the mastermind and getaway car driver. Two unidentified men, who were not prosecuted, were accused of entering the store and actually pulling off the heist.

Dickerson permitted Simpson's 2005 memoir, "Inside the Crips: Life Inside L.A.'s Most Notorious Gang," to be presented as evidence during the trial.

Prosecutors argued that a visit by Simpson to the jewelry counter two days before the robbery was similar to scenes in the book.

---Its crazy to me to think there are still Crips and Bloods out there and doing well. At my last check I was under the impression that most of the serious, hardcore L.A. gangs had gone underground more or less, kinda like the MOB. You damn well know they exist, but they are just really, really quiet about it.

Its like if someone my size was to end up in prison serving HARD time. Id join a white power gang so fast your head would spin. You need protection on the inside. I still remember a lot about the prison system from my years in college (and I worked in an all women medium security prison for about 6 months too) You dont play solo in prison for very long and expect to be left alone. You do what ya gotta do to live in there. OK, I got off topic, anyone else got any ideas about prison, or gangs for that matter? Are there still a lot of gangs over there? I would imagine Chicago is riddled with them. The gangs here are VERY well hidden, Des Moines has an excellent gang task force, be it very small---

Busted

Long before the sun comes up to bake the Arizona desert, the Maricopa County sheriff's deputies get ready for the day's pursuit.

"The objective is basically to make stops on these vehicles, screen these individuals [to see] whether they're in this country illegally," said Madrid.

With 4 million residents, Maricopa (which includes the cities of Phoenix and Mesa) claims to be the fastest-growing county in America. Illegal immigrants are helping fuel that growth with their numbers and labor, and in Maricopa County they aren't waiting for Washington to stop haggling over immigration reform. That's because they have a no-nonsense sheriff who likes to do things … his way.

---Its about time they gave some of our border patrol guards the power to actually arrest someone trying to get in illegally---

raw fish anyone?

Since its sweeping westernization, sushi has seen a sharp decrease of popularity in Japan.


---Never had it, never will. I don't see how you can eat raw fish, yet raw chicken or beef could kill you due to bacteria inside of it. Ive heard that raw pork is the most dangerous meat though.---

Nov. 4th-9th

Dont forget fuckers, Ill in town in that time span, Ive given you ALL PLENTY of notice, so I expect a night out with the boys.


by the way.....this blog is dead dead dead....what are you guys up to?

Ive been enjoying the fall weather, even though it has rained here the past 3 days. Im still gettin used to my new monster of a p.c. that I just got and I have officially started my Christmas shopping already...go me!!!!!

ring ring.....

19 percent of telephone calls placed by 13 year-old-boys are prank phone calls.

---So, admit it, what was the craziest or most foolish prank call you have ever made?---

Another GREAT one from W.

We want our teachers to be trained so they can meet the obligations, their obligations as teachers. We want them to know how to teach the science of reading. In order to make sure there's not this kind of federal -- federal cufflink.
--George w. Bush

Milwaukee, WI
03/30/2000
comments made at Fritsche Middle School

I gots me a new P.C.

---Im very happy and excited about it. Vista will take some getting used to though. Its a Dell Inspiron 530s. It cost me a few bucks, but what the hell....its only paper with numbers on it anyways.---

random thoughts

hi guys, just wanted to stop in and say hi from across the pond. i'm at the edinburgh airport getting ready to head to my hotel. hope you are having fun

p.s. the paris airport is a huge headache to negotiate

one more try?

that is what i ment to do.

random thoughts

/Users/sorceress/Desktop/ACF216F.gif

a little something i picked up from a website i like www.conspriacyplanet.com while i was drinking my coffee.

ps thanks for the sentiments guys, we are all very excited. i'll do my best to get pictures.

bad bad lyrics

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Maybe Sting should start writing more instrumentals. The school teacher-turned-rock star topped Blender's list of the worst lyricists, thanks to lines that betray "mountainous pomposity (and) cloying spirituality," the music magazine said.

The survey, contained in the November issue that hits newsstands next week, placed Rush drummer Neil Peart at No. 2, Creed frontman Scott Stapp at No. 3, Oasis guitarist Noel
Blender assailed Sting for such alleged sins as name-dropping Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov in the Police tune "Don't Stand So Close to Me," quoting a Volvo bumper sticker ("If You Love Someone Set Them Free"), and co-opting the works of Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare.

A spokeswoman for the English rocker, who is currently in Belgium on the Police's reunion world tour, did not respond to a request for comment.

Blender described Canadian rocker Peart's lyrics as "richly awful tapestries of fantasy and science," and said Gallagher "seemed incapable of following a metaphor through a single line, let alone a whole verse."

Further down the ranks, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant (No. 23) was derided for his Tolkienesque musings on Gollum and Mordor in "Ramble On."

Carly Simon (No. 31) was mocked for rhyming "yacht," "apricot" and "gavotte" in "You're So Vain."

Paul McCartney made No. 38, thanks in part to "Ebony and Ivory," his socially conscious duet with Stevie Wonder.

The ascent of the Internet as the supermarket of choice for deviants has spurred law enforcement authorities to step up their trolling of the darkest corners of the Web in an effort to lure sex offenders to their arrests.

Examples abound, some of outwardly decent people, indeed pillars of the community, who have sought to have sex with children through sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
Most worrying to law enforcement, however, is a small but apparently growing subset of these predators who are hooking up online with parents or guardians willing to prostitute their children, sometimes as young as infants.
These are the most dangerous predators going after the most vulnerable victims, and finding and prosecuting such cases provide the opportunity to take both the criminal parent and perpetrator off the streets, according to criminal justice experts who spoke to ABC News.

---As young as infants????? What the hell is the matter with this Country? And no no no, dont go fucking blaming ole W for this kind of shit. Parents prostituting their children out to online predators????? WTF!!!!! This nation has some serious issues.---

life and its happenings...

---Well, its back up into the god damn low to upper 80's again here, so we are going through an Indian summer, or so they call it. It just sucks cuz I just started pulling out all my winter clothes. You know, get my 40s and 50s sweaters out and in return put the shorts away til next spring.

Ive gotten glasses! Bi focals to be exact. I HATE THEM! I just need them to read and when I sit in front of the p.c. anyways. My nearsight vision is shot to hell. They are cool Buddy Holly ones though, they look good.

I just bought a new computer, will be here by the 19th, Im really excited about that. My mom bought a new HDTV (as you have read about in an earlier thread), so I wont get into that.

Where the hell did Mark M. and Mr. Martin run off too, I havent seen them post here in ages. Do I need to send out the bloodhounds to sniff you guys out?

Well, thanks for everything, you've been awesome, thanks, goodnight---

---No, Im NOT leaving, dont start cheering yet cuz your favorite conservative is leaving, Im not, Ive always wanted to end a post like that, kinda something a rockstar would say to the crowd after their final encore.....---

question.

-----We will be gettin an HDTV next Heres my question.....

If a show comes on and it says "available in HD" or whatever does the HD just automatically kick on our new HDTV, or will we havta activate it every time we see one of those kind of things??

Im know laugh, go ahead....Im a dork

Things that go bump in the night.

The horror film "Poltergeist" is being re-released in theaters today to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The film, which is considered a classic and was nominated for three Oscars, has a lesser-known legacy: it strongly influenced the public's views about real-life ghosts.

About half of Americans believe in ghosts, according to a 2003 Harris poll. Since the scientific evidence for ghosts is shaky at best—and since relatively few people claim to have personally seen a ghost—most people get their information about them through the media.

Steven Spielberg, who wrote and produced "Poltergeist," is well known for his influence on pop culture in general. But his films have also shaped the public's perception of the paranormal. His successful films often include supernatural themes, including ghosts, aliens (e.g., "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," and "War of the Worlds"); miracles (the Indiana Jones series); and psychic powers ("Minority Report").

While audiences know the films are entertainment, there is a clear (if subtle and sometimes subconscious) influence on their beliefs about these topics

---Do you believe in ghosts?---

random thoughts

"when fascism comes to america, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
-sinclair lewis


also i'm leaving for scotland on the eleventh and my step-son, damien has just turned 18. wow time sure flys.

Iranian Pres. visits US

A firestorm of controversy swept throughout the nation last week as the defiant president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, visited the United States. Ahmadinejad was originally invited to speak at Columbia University last Monday as a part of that institution’s World Leader’s Forum.

From there, he delivered a speech to the United Nations opening General Assembly Tuesday morning. Both appearances are a source of hefty dispute.

First, Ahmadinejad received a mixed greeting at both in New York and at Columbia University. A handful of students applauded his arrival while another handful of protestors stood outside the University, touting messages like, “GO TO HELL.”

There were also protestors all over New York City itself. Most of the demonstrators were centered on Ground Zero, due to a visit Ahmadinejad had planned. Because of all the hostile activity, the Iranian president was forced to cancel his visit, much to his dismay.

Ahmadinejad was asked to speak at Columbia University as part of the institution’s World Leaders series. To make him feel even less welcome, Columbia University’s president referred to Ahmadinejad as a “cruel and petty dictator,” when as he was introduced to the audience.

In his presentation, Ahmadinejad inspired laughter and uproar as he covered various topics such as questioning who was really behind the September 11 attacks to his right to question the reality of the holocaust.

He even said, “In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals, like in your country.”

He talked about God, science and how the United States merely misunderstood him, that he was truly an academic. All in all, Ahmadinejad’s lecture lasted about an hour.

He ended on a good note by inviting the entire listening faculty and students to Iran, saying that they could visit any Iranian University of their choice, where they would be respected and listened to.

---This guy is a jag bag, plain and simple. I cant put it any other way, fuck him.---

The following day the Iranian President addressed the U.N. General Assembly. As Ahmadinejad prepared to give his speech, the United States delegation left, setting a hostile tone for the duration.

WTF Jack, im lost

So. im not Bill Gates, but HOW THE FUCK do you change your homepage/start page onFirefox?


ugh
ugh
ugh

can 1 of you help me?

Yet another reason not to fly.

As air travelers' summer of hell draws to a close, stories of canceled flights, lost luggage and late arrivals abound. But while it might seem that the whole system is a mess, which carriers are actually the biggest culprits?

Other than JetBlue's much publicized ice storm fiasco in February, customers seem to be engaged in a general rage against the industry machine. And it's true that some common annoyances, like long security lines, come courtesy of the government and tend to affect airlines across the board.

Check out the worst airlines at our partner site, Forbes.com.

But when it comes to delivering for customers, there can still be quite a difference from one carrier to another. To measure the worst performing airlines for the 12 months ended July 31, 2007, we analyzed the U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Travel Consumer Report for the three criteria that consumers say are nearest and dearest to their hearts--flight delays, cancellations and mishandled bags.

Overbooked planes were also cited in consumer complaints--who doesn't detest getting bumped from an oversold flight? But because the problem affects only a tiny fraction of the flying population, we didn't include the category in our calculation.

The numbers show that Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a former Delta Air Lines unit that still has working agreements for baggage and other ground operations with its former parent in Atlanta, and which ranks at or next to the bottom in all three categories, has earned the dubious distinction of America's worst airline. Right behind are Delta's low-fare subsidiary Comair, which has the nation's highest cancellation rate, and American Airlines' unit American Eagle, which ranks among the bottom four in all categories.

---Man, I truly hate airliners.---

Meth, how do you feel about it?

I've been to my share of parties, talked to more than a few "pharmaceutical majors" and read plenty of Bukowski and Burroughs, but I've never heard people describe a drug with such simultaneous reverence and revulsion as the meth-heads in Montana, where a PSA campaign has helped reverse the prevalance of this drug. (To watch the videos, click here.)

"You feel like God," one young woman told me about her experience with the drug. Another described feeling "10 feet tall and bulletproof." She cracked a guilty smile when she spoke, and I was able to count her six remaining teeth.

Methamphetamine was invented in Japan in the late 1800s, and years later, the Nazis mixed it with chocolate to keep their pilots focused in battle. A graph charting American meth use looks like a hockey stick; a low plateau through the '60s and '70s that cranks skyward.

By the '90s, it was no longer a fringe weight loss aid or trucker's buddy. It became a smokeable, snortable, shootable party drug that has devastated rural America.

Why here? For years, it was cheap — and everywhere. Unlike cocaine, heroin or marijuana, meth is not grown but mixed; a witches brew of cold medicine, antifreeze, drain cleaner and other store-bought or farm-pilfered chemicals.

One needs only time to cook it, and space to mask the fumes. The American West has plenty of space, along with plenty of small-town kids eager to experiment on a slow Saturday night.

But calling meth addictive is like calling water wet. As it floods the brain with dopamine and serotonin, it also explodes the vesicles that receive these pleasure-producing hormones in the future.

Soon, the only way for a user to experience joy is with more meth. "If someone tells you they're a recreational user, they're full of crap," a veteran drug cop told me with a wry laugh. What begins as recreation often ends in soul-crushing depression and physical decay.

---Hah, I didnt know Nazi's used the shit, did you? I cant begin to tell you how many lives I have known that have been impacted by meth. My former sister in law lost her kids because of it. Iowa is pretty big for meth users. If you head out into "Corn Country" you can see plenty of old, abandoned trailers that were used for meth manufacturing. Drugs, how fun. Well, I just wanted to post a story to the board maybe spice things up a bit, me done.---

MT quote...

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.

Mark Twain (35)

---I dunno about "good books" being on this list but the other two are pretty good.---

roll call

---OK, as I have mentioned 394,137,409,303,940 times in the past, who will be around and even aviailable November 4th-9th? Im giving you plenty of warning time now. I was thinking we could all meet up for one night of drinks o fun, even though I dont drink, it still be fun...


Dont worry Ill post again in a couple weeks as a reminder----

eye catcher

A man was eating in a fancy restaurant, and there was a gorgeous woman eating at the next table. He had been checking her out all night, but lacked the nerve to go talk to her. Suddenly she sneezed and her glass eye went flying out of its socket towards the man. With lightning quick reflexes, he caught it in mid-air. ''Oh my gosh, I am so sorry,'' she said as she popped her eye back in the socket. ''Let me buy you dinner to make it up to you.'' They enjoyed a wonderful dinner together and afterwards the woman invited him back to her place for a drink. They went back to her house, and after some time, she took him into her bedroom and began undressing him. The couple had wild, passionate sex many times during the night. The next morning when he awoke, she had already gotten up and brought him breakfast in bed. The guy was amazed and said ''You know, you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?'' ''No, she replied. "You just happened to catch my eye!''

A quote

A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake at the moment.
- Willis Player

What am I?

I drift forever with the current
Down these long canals they've made
Tame, yet wild, I run elusive
Multitasking to your aid.
Before I came, the world was darker
Colder, sometimes, rougher, true
But though I might make living easy,
I'm good at killing people too.

what am I?

Ramble On.....

---Hey Guys. It was a brisk 66 degrees here today so I guess fall is definitely here. Supposed to be sunny and 71 here tomorrow. I think it rings true to the fact that the older you get the faster time flies, I mean I cannot believe its already October for all purposes. Here we are just a few simple months away from the holidays again!

How would you guys rank your summers? Pretty good? Busy? Too hot? Dreadful? Do tell....

The months of fall always put me in a weird mood, I like to ramble about life a lot. I know you guys have been busy with life's doings and haven't had too much time for the blog as of late and I do understand.

I hope I catch ya here more often in the days to come. I miss you guys........----

Believe it or not?

One in six Americans has never been on the internet, compared to five in six people worldwide

kick ass

Have you dudes seen or used Pandora Internet Radio
this makes Yahoo radio shit
It's free (as far as I can tell)
I am currently listening to a Shellac radio site. I have a primus and Front 242 station as well. and no stupid ass internet phone comercials.
check this shit out.

Computer on the fritz!!!

Hey guys I have been out for the week, my computer is down. 99 percent of my data is backed up and on disk, however that last 1% is proving very trouble sum! Hope to be back with you soon.

sc

changes!?

the more observant of you may have noticed I have changed the link on the right side of our blog. where I was sharing pictures of my family, I am now sharing a link to my other blog. It's dedicated to our business, and the address of it will be on all my business related stuff, for now it our shops only presence on the WWW. (so if you decide to post, be nice please!)
I may later re-add the flicker pics link... when I figure out how to add not just edit stuff in that fancy computer language.
Just thought I would share....
this is a very exciting and nerve racking time for us here in AH. cause we are making MAJOR life changes, and throwing everything we know into the air.

Lame lame lame....

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Laura Hathaway initially had no regrets after getting a tattoo on her lower back when she was 21. But now, 10 years later, she wants it gone.

Tattoo removal is more painful than the original tattoo, patient Laura Hathaway says.

The pharmaceutical sales representative from Atlanta, Georgia, says it doesn't fit in with her current lifestyle as the mother of a 2-year-old boy who just started to talk. "The other day I bent over and he said, 'What's that?' and it just confirms why I'm having it removed."

Dr. Scott Karempelis of Atlanta Dermatology Associates is performing a multitreatment laser procedure that will gradually erase Hathaway's tattoo with little or no scarring. The process is painful, expensive and time-consuming.

Karempelis says that in spite of the drawbacks, "business is booming." He and three other dermatologists in his office see more than 30 patients a day who want tattoos removed by laser.

---Hell, my daughter thinks my tattoos are cool because she gets to see animals and fire and cool stars and hearts all over her Daddy's arms, back and tummy. Its pretty hilarious that getting them removed is more painful than getting them done initially. Good, I hope it hurts like fucking hell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-V1bXs_5Io

Do any of you actually buy into this shit?

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup?id=3599774&contentIndex=1&page=1

I have a stupid question...

If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?
- Scott Adams

could very well be true.

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'
- Ronald Reagan

retrospective..

---It feels like fall is literally right around the corner here. Its been in the low 70's here all week and I think the highest the temp. over the next week itself is gonna be 82. Whew, survived another summer.

So, anyone have any fall plans? The only plans I have is me being there, in Chicagoland, November 4th-9th, and yes, that set is stone just finalized the arrangements today boys. Just keep that in the back of your mind for now, Im sure Ill bring it up another 10000000 times beforehand. I do expect to see all you guys though, ok?

Fall always puts me in a retrospective mood, it makes me think of the year that is all but passed and it also makes me wonder whats around the corner besides ridiculous debt over Christmas and my kids BDay....oh well, its only paper with numbers on it to me, I have more important things to worry about than being in debt. I could always claim bankruptcy a little while down the road.

Hope you are all well. I miss seeing your words here even though I know you guys get super busy and sometimes you have to put this on the back burner. Ive been pretty busy myself as of late, but Im not gonna lie, out of all the little things in life that make me smile and happy, its coming to this blog everyday that does it for me at times. Im back to seeing my girl again so that isnt a big stressor anymore. I make time to come here and read and post, it just makes my day a little better!!!---

not forgiven not forgotten

Not much else to carry on about, or rant over on the date of 9/11

WTF????

---OK, you figure this one out.....---

The American people wants a president that appeals to the angels.
--George w. Bush

08/01/2000
in his speech during the GOP convention

I still have not set my vote in stone yet, but what do you guys think of Fred Thompson getting into the act?---

Fossett

By GIGI STONE
Sept. 9, 2007

It has been six days since Steve Fossett's plane disappeared somewhere in Nevada. Even though hope is diminishing that the 63-year-old multimillionaire adventurer will be found alive, there are no plans to scale back the search.

says Civil Air Patrol Major Cynthia Ryan. "I think that you can look at a long-term search on this for at least two weeks. A search of this magnitude typically goes on for that long. We don't always have a famous person in the airplane and this much media here."

The Nevada Air National Guard said it is not ruling out any area without checking it thoroughly

---Is it just me or does anyone else just find this whole story as odd? Granted, or so I have heard, this guy is a big time survivalist, but wouldn't they had found his plane wreckage by now?---

Did you know that...

Portugal is the only country in Europe without meteorite craters?

ha ha

The owner of a drug store walks in to find a guy leaning heavily against a wall. The owner asks the clerk, "What's with that guy over there by the wall?" The clerk says, "Well, he came in here this morning to get something for his cough. I couldn't find the cough syrup, so I gave him an entire bottle of laxative." The owner says, "You idiot! You can't treat a cough with laxatives!" The clerk says, "Oh yeah? Look at him, he's afraid to cough!"

Plain ole yummers....

Caramel Swirl Plush Puffs dipped in chocolate. Really, there is no comparison when it comes to the meeting of ecstasy and subtle indulgence -- and this marshmallow will bring you there. A sack of 16 Caramel Swirl marshmallows sells for $5.99.
(Courtesy of Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows)

----Shit, I could live off these little darlings,mmmmmm----

Plastic in the Microwave

Have any of you received this Email labeled “Dioxin Dangers - Microwaving and Freezing”? Kind of scary, it was sent to me via a nurse. Adding insult to injury, recently I had a disagreement over this topic with my wife along with a few coworkers as I am skeptical of its validity. So this Email last night was the final straw. Feeling pummeled in to a corner I did what I should have done long ago and went to my good friend Google. There armed with only the title of this email in hand I went on my search, and to my surprise I was able to find ample writing on the subject (FDA ,USDA,Plastics info.org). In fact most of the writing I found called the contents of this email an urban myth! So now the question is do I finally feel vindicated? Well mostly… turns out that nobody really has a strait answer on this subject. So in short it may be best said that it is prudent to first check and make sure the container you are sticking into the microwave is rated for that type of use no matter the material it is made of. Other wise your wife will continue to look at you smugly with that look that says you are nothing more than a stupid man, no wait scratch that there is no hope of that ever happening. Any how hope you found this info useful.

Darling not with out you, Artie Shaw

quote time

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Mark Twain

who took my pants????

WAUKESHA, Wisconsin (AP) -- It was embarrassing enough that Mark Stahnke woke up in a neighbor's yard without his pants. Then he remembered they contained a cashier's check for $41,093, meant for his son, and several hundred dollars in cash.

But he got it all back Friday, including the pants, thanks to a man and his dog.

Stahnke said he doesn't know what happened between when he left the bar and when he woke up the next morning, and police were skeptical when he filed a report on Monday.

"We're used to hearing weird stories, but with his intoxication we figured this one would be different, that the amount of money wouldn't be exact," Police Lt. William Graham said. "How do you get so intoxicated that you lose your pants?"

Stahnke said he had met his son at a bar and doesn't remember much afterward.

"I woke up cold not knowing where the heck I was, and I didn't realize it at first because I still had my shoes and socks on," he said. "When I got up, I realized, my God, I don't have any pants."

Tim Curzan's dog, Joe, found the pants at an intersection, according to a police report. He found the cashier's check and tried twice, unsuccessfully, to deliver it and the cash to where he thought the owner lived.

On Wednesday, the pants were still at the intersection, so Curzan took them to the police, who contacted Stahnke to claim his belongings.

---I tell ya what, the next time I see a shoe or an article of clothing curb side, or in the street for that matter, its really gonna make me think twice about checking them out and yet this still furthers my point of when I say alcohol is far more worse than almost all other street drugs. First of all, you wouldnt find a heroin addict with 41 grand in his pocket, ever, and I dont think a junkie would be caught with his pants down in his neighbors front lawn. Alcohol makes you do and say stupid shit, street drugs dont. Heroin makes you pretty mellow ans kinda euphoric and coke just makes you all zippy. And forget weed, we all know how "stoners" are.

'S'Up fools

Miss me?
Apparently the Library in Asland is closed, like long term. They need to get some budgeting stuff sorted out. And there was no WWW access at the School I was at.
Two whole weeks with no internet, it was kinda wierd.
I can only imagine how many work E-mails I'll have when I get around to checking it. :)

Lots of bike geeking, a fair amount of drinking, some friend making, and some pretty scenery, I'll post pictures when I get them developed (I didn't bring the digital camera).

The Sky Light

In C’s bathroom there is a skylight. Through it you can se the sky and a portion of a large oak tree which sits next to our house. On the first day in our new home, C discovered the window from his bath, and squealed Air plane air plane!!! Since then he is always looking for the air plane when in that room. For the most part we spend that time talking about the green leaves on the tree, the blue sky, and the white clouds. This morning however he squealed something I could not identify while pointing up at the sky light. While re-explaining the green leafs, blue sky, ect I turned my head up and was alarmed to see two beady eyes looking at us!!! It was a squirrel. I then made the mistake of yelling “look it’s a squirrel” and with that C and I were immediately joined in our small bathroom by two large and very excited dogs. It was a lot of excitement to be had in a very small part of our home at a very early 6 am this morning, just thought I would share with the rest of you.

YAWN!

This
blog
is
dead
as
shit.


Just thought Id share......hi boys, I still love you though.

on that note....

	What did the bra say to the hat? "You go on ahead, while I give these two a lift."

Dragging their feet

	Two men are approaching each other on a sidewalk. Both are dragging their right foot as they walk. As they meet, one man looks at the other knowingly, points to his foot and says, Vietnam, 1969." The other points his thumb behind him and says, "Dog crap, 20 feet back."

what?

We had a chance to visit with Teresa Nelson who's a parent, and a mom or a dad.
--George w. Bush

Jacksonville, FL
09/09/2003

dog eat dog world

Chewed up Vick cards sell for $7,400

By BRIAN CHARLTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The eBay auction for 22 Michael Vick football cards, chewed up and slobbered on by two Missouri dogs, ended Wednesday as the winning bidder dished out $7,400 - with the money expected to be donated to the Humane Society.

The success of that auction, with 31 different bidders, created a craze of 25 other postings this week offering torn up cards featuring the disgraced NFL superstar.

But so far, the original post from Rochelle Steffen, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., has been the only auction to attract droves of bidders.

Steffen gave Monte, her 6-year-old Weimaraner, and Roxie, her Great Dane puppy, every Vick card she owned to destroy. The result: The cards worth $1-to-$10 were crumpled, crimped, chewed, torn and generally in a sorry state. Some even had corners missing.

"When I started this, I only expected to get $100 for a local shelter," Steffen told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "But it's received so much attention. It's for such a good cause."

The gnawed cards were the most expensive Vick items on eBay, with well-preserved rookie cards, autographed jerseys and other collectibles selling for far less.

Vick pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting charge this week. He will be sentenced Dec. 10

---Michael Vick is a scumbag.----

is he really a terrorist?

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.
--George w. Bush

Washington, DC
08/05/2004

---Well George, I definitely think you've done a pretty good job hurting us......---

What a ride it's been thus far.

August 28th 1973, at 9:50 PM, Tippy Turtle was brought into this world. Wow, I always told myself Id never make it to 21, then it was 25, then it was 30 and here I am at 34.

Ive made some bad decisions in my life, but haven't we all?

Compared to others I know, Ive lived a charmed life.

When the dice come tumbling down I'll be waiting
To see what luck comes my way
When the cards get passed around I'll be waiting
To see what hand I should play
I believe it's neither wrong or right
To cross that line from the dark to the light
And I say, Even in the worst of times against all odds,
I seem to have led a charmed life....

Ideas?

Well it has been a while, and I had a moment this morning so why not add to the pile of useless.
Ideas #2.

1. A Micro turbine highbred car? I was reading that when a micro turbine is compared to a traditional gasoline combustion engine it has higher power density (with respect to footprint and weight). In addition a micro turbine has just one, moving part. Why not Pare one up with a state of the art hybrid battery electric system? Would not a lighter car go farther on less fuel?
   

Are you guys getting flooded out up there? It hasnt really rained too much here over the past couple of days but Northern IA. is getting it pretty bad though.

Hows things there?

Ya only live once and its only money afterall

Would any of you boys (seriously) be interested in getting out to Vegas on either the 1st or 2nd of December? Im going alone if I have to but I wanna extend the invitation to everyone else too...

seriously, let me know, still PLENTY of time for planning.

The MIGHTY Social D. is in town both those nights, thats why Im going.....

God damn drunks

The Irishman's Wish
	An Irishman is sitting at the end of a bar. He sees a lamp at the end of the table. He walks down to it and rubs it. Out pops a genie. It says, "I will give you three wishes." The man thinks awhile. Finally he says, "I want a beer that never is empty." With that, the genie makes a poof sound and on the bar is a bottle of beer. The Irishman starts drinking it and right before it is gone, it starts to refill. The genie asks about his next two wishes. The man says, "I want two more of these."

Stick to your guns.

If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing. Margaret Thatcher

What do you think?

I heard about this on the radio and thought I might like to hear the opinions of the OMI crowd as at least a plurality of you are inked.

There is appearantly a new type of tattoo ink called Freedom-2. Instead of the traditional style of tattoo ink, this stuff uses a dye encapsulated in a clear microbead. It is applied like normal ink and is just as permanent. The difference is that it can be removed in a single removal session instead of the 6 or more sessions it takes to remove traditional tattoos.
I know that a lot of you take pride in and are totally committed to your tatts; so is having a tattoo made of this new, relatively easy to remove ink really the same as having the old school pain in the ass(or arm or leg) to remove type of ink? Does having an "easy out" of your tattoo diminish the value of the tattoo? Is this one step above the temporary tattoos from the Cracker Jack Box?

Where were you August 16, 1977?

I was at Steve's house when his older brother came bouncing out into the living room yelling the king is dead the king is dead! When I asked who the king was my older cousin replyed "you know Elvis, the king if rock and roll), and again I replied who? Bob then proceeded to find an Elvis record and played "Hound Dog" to which we all proceeded to bounce around the room barking and screaming "you aint nothin but a hound dog"... What do you expect we were only 6 years old.

The 08-15 (not so) Random Photo

Well it has been a while since I posted any images from the archive. To be honest my editing suite of software and hardware has become a tad fragmented recently... well excuses are endless. Seen as Monica has been lurking around our site, I thought it only appropriate that I see if there where any photo's of her in the old archive, and would you just look at this little gem I pulled from the box. What fun!

state fair madnesss

---Went to the state fair last night with the ex and the kid. Madness I tell ya. Ate a boatload of greasy food, was wonderful...deep fried snickers bar was great, it was like a snickers bar slightly melted surrounded by funnel cake like goodness. The kid won some little stuffed unicorns so s he was happy. Unfortunately, our time there was cut short by threatening weather. Oh well, life goes on...---

rock group

I am a rock group that has 4 members, all of whom are dead, one of which was assassinated. What am I?

Peter Simpson

If you haven't seen me in a while, trust me. I've been told it's a good likeness.
Here at the Barson house we are huge Simpson fans.
We have all the dvd's and we went to the movie the day it came out. the boys get the comic books from the library frequently.
So when this site came to my attention, I was sure to check it out and share.
This is the coolest thing ever..
Turn your self into a Simpson
I know it's sorta lame that it is Burger King ad but, ya gotta take the good with the bad.

Mexico in July?

Last month I traveled to Mexico with my wife and her entire family to celebrate her parents 40th anniversary. It was a load of fun and I can now say I have an appreciation for Tequila. We visited both Tlaquepaque and Ajijic. Neither of which is considered a tourist area, so I found my self with the daunting task of dusting off my 20 year old (high school level) knowledge of Spanish, which I found surprisingly useable… although just barely. Any hoo while sober I took some PHOTOS and thought you might enjoy looking at them.

The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish.
- Robert Jackson

If I decide to [run for President], it will be to restore the promise of America. And I'll define what that means later.
--George w. Bush

11/15/1998

Gotta love deano

You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.

Dean Martin

Life at the Barson House

Meet Barley, she is our new puppy, we got her off of Craigs List. She's pretty cool.
Besides that Summer has been pretty busy,
We saw the Simpsons movie, full frontal nudity, wowo wee.
We saw the Harry potter movie, at a midnight showing (did I say that already) the best of the bunch IMO.
Read the latest Harry Potter book, (BFD)
My wife's brother came to town for a few days, he's on the short list of her family that I actually like.
At work: my other manager quit, so starting Aug 1 we are on a 2 manager schedule, which just means 2 doubles, 3 regular shifts, and lots of extra admin duties. I am going on "vacation(more on that later)" the last 2 weeks of August, so it really sucks for my boss. Finding a competent Manager to fit in with our team and is willing to work for peanuts is chalenging, It's a resume position.
Now more on my Vacation, I am going to Bike Geek Camp. really it's a school where people go to learn bike mechanics and shop operations. It's in Ashland Oregon, a part of the country I have never been in. So I'm pretty excited
We applied for a loan with our bank, but the Small buisness association, doesn't like our finaincial history. We are still going forward with Plan to Open the Shop, but have to adjust the financial plan a bit.
I am experimenting with building a Blog for our building buisness, I wil share a link when it's ready.
The kids are still on Vacation through the month of Aug, (When are they gonna start year round school? not soon enough!)
Tif had taken the summer off, but she just started a job, working for the Park District of AH, something completly different then she has ever done. No food. weird.
I think that pretty much brings us up to date.

See ya

Good Can of Corn


There were three couples, one elderly, one middle aged, and one newlywed, that wanted to join a church. So the minister tells them that in order to be members they must abstain from sex for two whole weeks. After two weeks, the minister asks the elderly couple if they had abstained.
"Yes, no problem!" So the minister welcomes them to the church. Then he asks the middle aged couple the same question
"Well, after one week, the husband had to sleep on the couch, but we made it!" So the minister welcomes them to the church. Then the minister asks the newlywed couple if they had abstained from sex for two weeks.
"We were unable to abstain. On the third day, my wife dropped a can of corn and when she bent over to pick it up, LUST and PASSION overcame me!"
"I'm sorry," the minister says, "but you are both banned from this church!"
"That's okay," says the husband, "We were banned from the supermarket, too."

hello?

---Awful quiet around here, you guys must be super busy, which is good. There have been a lot of changes in my life recentley. I started a bunch of new medications and right now I am not allowed to see my daughter because of...well, lets just say I was out of mind last Friday and said somethings in front of her I shouldnt have. Life more or less sucks.

Its damn hot here. Been swimming a lot. Going to get my next sleeve finished up next month. It should be pretty cool. The Social D. skeleton known as "Skelly" will be a big part of it. Im excited about that. That state fair will be here soon, oh boy.---

I like your thinking

	I Like Your Thinking
	A teacher asks her class, "If there are five birds sitting on a fence and you shoot one of them, how many will be left?" She calls on little Johnny. "None, they all fly away with the first gunshot." The teacher replies, "The correct answer is four, but I like your thinking." Then Little Johnny says, "I have a question for YOU. There are three women sitting on a bench having ice cream. One is delicately licking the sides of the triple scoop of ice cream. The second is gobbling down the top and sucking the cone. The third is biting off the top of the ice cream. Which one is married?" The teacher, blushing a great deal, replies, "Well I suppose the one that's gobbled down the top and sucked the cone." "The correct answer is the one with the wedding ring on... but I like your thinking."