This global warming stuff is getting me down...

Sunday was interesting, for part of the day it was snowing sideways. I caught these pictures when it had died down a bit. For those who have never spent much time in Salt Lake, this sort of weather is normal. We are out in the desert, but we are at around 4200 ft above sea level, and we also have the Great Frakkin' Salt Lake right next door to cause some goofy weather effects.

Click to enlarge.

This is a shot to the east from my driveway.



This is to the west. Notice you cannot see the mountains just west of me.



Most of the snow has melted today where the sun is hitting; all of the shadowed areas still have snow. We have had quite a few robins in the neighborhood lately. I counted ten on the way to my mailbox after it quit snowing; they were looking a bit bewildered. I caught this picture of one of them this morning, sunning himself in the front yard next to the street.



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It looks like the White House has decided to start telling corporations how to run their internal affairs . Personally, I see this as a bad precedent. Once the POTUS starts telling business who to put in charge, you have the first step to nationalization of businesses in this country. I realize there are some people in this country who idolize idiots like Karl Marx, and think socialism/communism is great, but I am not one of them. Governments that glorify the collective put a chill up my spine. Every one of them that has gone the way of putting the group before the individual has ended up as a totalitarian government to one degree or another.

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."
-Gerald Ford

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd."
-Bertrand Russell

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I notice the federal government is on another one of its anti-firearm campaigns; now they are blaming the violence in the drug war on American gun dealers. I keep reading articles and seeing photographs of RPG's, machine guns, "assault " rifles, and grenades. Of course the fourth estate never bothers to mention that none of those items can be purchased at gun stores or shows. They are available only to the military in this country. What would be refreshing would be to see a journalist who actually researches their subject, and doesn't doesn't automatically go to the Brady Campaign for talking points. Anyone who tries to argue that gun shows are supplying the drug wars is either an idiot or a bald-faced liar. When it comes to the ATF and the Brady Campaign, they have both been proven to be liars for anyone who actually researches the BS they put out.
But enough of that rant.

"Stress is when you wake up screaming... ...and realize you haven't gone to sleep yet."
-Unknown

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"I Want You to Rock Me" by Vixen
"Love Street" by The Doors
"Two out of Three Ain't Bad" by Meat Loaf
"Ticket to Ride" by The Beatles
"Midnight Rider" by The Allman Brothers Band
"Baby I Need Your Loving" by Johnny Rivers
"Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix
"Teacher" by Jethro Tull
"Orinoco Flow" by Enya
"That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly

A couple of them for you to hear; Vixen was one of the better all-girl bands of the Eighties (gotta love the big hair and leather), and this one by Meatloaf has always been one of my favorites.

Spring is here...

...as you can obviously see from the pictures.


The hyacinths and daffodils are not really liking this.



A view to the west; the snow is not sticking much on the streets, but it has actually dumped about three or four inches since last night.



Tonight will probably be cold. Gotta love the weather around here.

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I would like a bit of help from fellow gunnies out there.

I have an old .303 Enfield that I am trying to get information on. If anyone knows what these stamps signify, and know where to get further info on it, I would appreciate it.

Click on pictures to enlarge.





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Sort of an odd mix, but it works for me.

"The Night They Rode Old Dixie Down" by Johnny Cash
"We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner
"Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat
"Someday Soon" by Judy Collins
"Willow Weep for Me" by Chad And Jeremy
"England Swings" by Roger Miller
"Sometimes in Winter" by Blood, Sweat & Tears
"Dancin' in the Ruins" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Volare (Nel Blu, Di Pinto Di Blu)" by Dean Martin
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams

For those who liked the Eighties, this one from the list was one of my favorites from Blue Öyster Cult:

You have GOT to be kidding

A FORMER nunnery that has been converted into a comfortable modern prison is expected to be chosen by Josef Fritzl as the place in which to serve his life sentence.

Fritzl, 73, who was jailed last week for murder, rape, enslavement, coercion and incest after locking his daughter in his cellar for 24 years and fathering seven children by her, six of whom survived, is free under Austrian law to choose from three prisons that offer special sections for “psychologically abnormal” convicts.

According to his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, he will select Garsten, a former Benedictine convent about 30 minutes’ drive from the house in the provincial town of Amstetten, where he held his daughter Elisabeth prisoner from the age of 18 and sexually abused her an estimated 3,000 times.

In Garsten he will be able to improve his English or study other foreign languages, as well as singing in the choir or training in a gym that is better-equipped than those of many hotels. As an inmate, he will be offered a wide variety of hobbies and entertainment, including tennis, darts and art classes.

The prison, set in woodland in the foothills of the Alps and considered one of the best in Austria, provides inmates with the light and fresh air that Fritzl’s victims were deprived of in their dank cellar.

Fritzl, an engineer who could in theory be released on parole after 15 years, will be able to indulge his passion for reading, as Garsten has one of the largest prison libraries in the country.

That is ridiculous. What that disgusting animal deserves is to be shot, or locked away in a dungeon somewhere and the key thrown away. Instead, after all those crimes he gets to go to a resort.

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It's been nice seeing some spring around here for a couple of days. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, then Sunday night the snow will hit through Monday morning, and we'll be back to winter. This is normal around here; spring is primarily a calendar event. Usually we get winter up into April and then it turns warm. I miss gardening and I'm looking forward to it when spring/summer finally hits.

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Plenty of old stuff.

"Lawyers, Guns and Money" by Warren Zevon
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful
"No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper
"I Can Make It With You" by The Pozo-Seco Singers
"Heart of Glass" by Blondie
"Black Blade" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Baby, Won't You Come Out Tonight" by Buddy Holly
"Lili Marlene" by Dave Brubeck
"I Drink Alone" by George Thorogood
"In the Pay of Spain" by Ian Anderson

The Pozo-Seco singers may be unfamiliar to anyone under 55; they were a folk/rock band that was somewhat popular back in the early to middle sixties. Here is the one that is in the list:

Where does the time go?

It would appear that my blog is three years old today. I would like to thank you people for taking to time to read (and even answer!) my questionable scribblings; I have met (in virtual space) a lot of good people who have visited here, and hope to see you in the future, also. If at times I seem a bit goofy, just think of the lines to the old Waylon Jennings song:

"I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane"

A view of my desktop (excuse the clutter and dust)



A few flowers from my yard to celebrate.

The humble but beautiful periwinkle



The daffodil; a joyous harbinger of spring



Miniature daffodils; these are only an inch across



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I've been reading news from what's been happening with our friends across the pond in the UK.

The U.K. government is considering the mass surveillance and retention of all user communications on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo.

and

The travel plans and personal details of every holidaymaker, business traveller and day-tripper who leaves Britain are to be tracked by the Government, the Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Like I told my brother the other day in an e-mail, I'm beginning to think that Orwell was an optimist.

“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals.
“Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone?
“But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted-and you create a nation of law-breakers-and then you cash in on the guilt.”
-Ayn Rand

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Lots of golden oldies mixed into this bunch.

"I Want You to Rock Me" by Vixen
"Crossroads" by Robert Johnson
"Devil Woman" by Cliff Richard
"Perfect" by Sara Evans
"Season of the Witch" by Blues Brothers Band
"Rebel Rouser" by Duane Eddy
"Ride the Wild Surf" by Jan & Dean
"I've Always Been Crazy" by Waylon Jennings
"Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Twist and Shout" by The Beatles

This song from 1967 always tickled my funnybone for some reason.

No rant, I'm in a better mood today

I found an interesting/amusing item; what amounts to a golf ball rifle. The first thing that occurred to me after seeing this was a picture of someone with a shortened version popping a burglar between the eyes with a golf ball.



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The last snow has melted away, except for patches in the shade on the north side of buildings and trees; spring is trying to pop up around here. For those who like nature photos, these are from my yard. Click to enlarge photos.


Some crocuses in my flower garden.


Violets



One of my Swiss chard plants coming up early


A catkin from a quaking aspen


One of my miniature roses is leafing out.


One of a pair of doves; they are quite numerous in our neighborhood.



How are things coming up in your neighborhood?

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Some old, some very old.

"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" by The Byrds
"Highwayman" by Johnny Cash/Kris Kristofferson/Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson
"Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
"Today" by The New Christy Minstrels
"Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears
"Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran
"Michelle" by The Beatles
"Against the Wind" by Bob Seger
"All Over The World" by Electric Light Orchestra
"Right Down the Line" by Gerry Rafferty

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Who was the idiot who invented the term "The Golden Years"?

Been laid up most of the weekend; the weather has been changing and my back decided I didn't really need the ability to stand upright, walk, or anything else that involves using the lower back muscles and/or sciatic nerves. The air pressure seems to have evened out (it's snowing outside right now), so I am able to hobble about for now. It's getting where any day you can get out of bed without help is considered a good day.
Had to see my cardiologist today for my periodic checkup; my heart doesn't seem to be getting any worse, but I still need to get my weight down to a reasonable level. More calorie cutting and more time exercising, I guess. Amazing how your body gets so damn goofy when you get older. Years ago I could eat more than I do now, and only weigh a fraction as much. Of course, that was when hair grew on the top of my head, where it belongs, instead of trying to grow out of my nose and ears.

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Barbie is 50 years old; in keeping with her age, this is the latest model:



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Every day when I decide to listen to music while on the computer, I open my music program and toss a bunch of songs together for the day's playlist, so each day tends to be a bit different. I have a few basic lists that I modify on occasion, but usually my mood determines what I'll be listening to. Today's list, for some unfathomable reason, is all female singers. Some of the top ten in the shuffle may be familiar to you, but a few of them have been around a long time.

"Queen of Hearts" by Juice Newton
"Midnight at the Oasis" by Reneé Olstead
"Have You Never Been Mellow" by Olivia Newton-John
"Wishin' & Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield
"Born to Fly" by Sara Evans
"To Sir with Love" by Lulu
"Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins
"Society's Child" by Janis Ian
"Cold, Cold Heart" by Norah Jones
"Dreamboat Annie" by Heart

No, I haven't been hacked...

...I'm just posting sooner than usual.

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Michael Jackson is doing his final concerts. Does anyone really give a rat's ass? A fifty year old ethnically-confused has-been with short eyes. I think that curtain went down long ago.

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I'm still trying to figure out why the Democratic Party seems to have a case of the ass for Rush Limbaugh; don't they have anything better to worry about than some blowhard on the radio? Sounds to me more like they're trying to divert everyone's attention from Porkzilla and all the other shenanigans going on in DC. Personally, I don't listen to him; I don't like either party. Of the people I know who claim to be in the two major parties, I think I know more Democrats who listen to him than Republicans. Geez, guys, if he bothers you that much just ignore him and don't listen to him; it works for me.

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The new spending bill looks interesting.

To the embarrassment of Obama — he promised during last year's campaign to cut way back the number of so-called "earmarks" — the bill contains 7,991 pet projects totaling $5.5 billion, according to calculations by the GOP staff of the House Appropriations Committee.

Why does this surprise anyone? As I've said many times, one of the main rules of politics is that Politicians Lie; it's what they do to get votes. I don't take it personal, I just accept the fact that any time a politician can tell a lie and get away with it, he/she probably will do it out of reflex, just like Pavlov's dogs couldn't help drooling when he rang a bell.



H/T to SheeplePeople for the picture.

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Looks like there's a good chance California supreme court will probably uphold the gay marriage ban. I don't see what the problem is; if people want a contract to be life-partners, whose business is that as long as they're consenting adults? If churches don't recognize them, that's their prerogative, but the government has no business getting into the institute of marriage. A civil contract between two people is their own damn business.
Just my opinion.

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It dumped about four inches of snow during the night (my back warned me before I ever got up and looked out the window this morning), so todays playlist has mainly been older rock and country to try and get my spirits up.

"Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
"See You in September" by The Happenings
"More Than a Feeling" by Boston
"Runaway" by Del Shannon
"You Were on My Mind" by We Five
"Hold Me" by Fleetwood Mac
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams
"Wild Summer Nights" by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band
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March is here

Another month shot in the ass.
Even for a short month February seemed to go by fast. Does anyone else feel that way?

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It's interesting looking at Congress's attitudes with regard to the Porkulus Stimulus Package; it brings to mind a picture like this:



Of course if things go bad, we'll have this reaction:

"When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators."
-P. J. O'Rourke

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Felt like a mix of a lot of old with just a touch of new.

"She's My Girl" by The Turtles
"Fresh Garbage" by Spirit
"Legend of a Mind" by The Moody Blues
"Stealing Rosemary" by The Bangles
"A Real Fine Place to Start" by Sara Evans
"Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke
"Strange Days" by The Doors
"Dhun" by Ravi Shankar/Sir Yehudi Menuhin
"Songs to Aging Children Come" by Joni Mitchell
"Dog and Butterfly" by Heart

Anyone out there remember those oldies?

"Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke

Anyone else getting tired of winter?

I know we have to have a changing of the seasons, and we need the mountain snowfall, but I am getting rather bored with the current scenery. Bare trees, mud, and snow. At least some of the spring bulbs are starting to wake up. I have tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths sending up shoots. I even have a couple of the crocuses that are starting to bloom.

Click for larger view.



This is the time of year when I miss working in my gardens; my flower gardens are just starting, and the vegetable and herb gardens are still a couple of months in the future. I can still get parsley, sage, oregano, and rosemary, now that most of the snow has melted, but everything else is still waiting to wake up.

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Still feeling like I've been hit by a truck; my arm is a little stronger, still can't use it fully and it hurts like hell. Enough whining about that.

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I see where the "Stimulus" is supposed to hit the states this week; let me know if anyone other than politicians notices the difference. Personally, I'm not holding my breath while waiting. I think by the time the politicians get done butchering Porkzilla, the taxpayers are going to be lucky to end up with a couple of soup bones.

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Looks like there was a sting that rescued some unfortunate children and netted some lowlifes. I really have trouble understanding people who can do this sort of thing, it makes me want to spend a few minutes in a locked room with them in a chair, and me with a baseball bat. I consider people who molest or traffic in children to be somewhere on the evolutionary scale in between body lice and tapeworms.
Just my opinion.

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Felt like an all-sixties day today; I'm not sure how many people will recognize even half of the top ten of the playlist I put together.

"Abraham, Martin and John" by Dion
"Baby the Rain Must Fall" by Glenn Yarbrough
"King of the Road" by Roger Miller
"Abilene" by George Hamilton IV
"The Times They Are A-Changin'" by The Byrds
"Light My Fire" by José Feliciano
"Today" by The New Christy Minstrels
"Willow Weep for Me" by Chad And Jeremy
"If I Had a Hammer" by Trini Lopez
"Sloop John B" by The Beach Boys


Here's an old classic from those days. During the seventies and eighties, when I was working in a shop, every time this song came on most of the crew tended to join in the chorus, even the ones who didn't normally listen to rock music.

Porkzilla

I see in the news that Congress has pushed through the so-called "stimulus" package; the only ones that are getting stimulated are the ones who voted for it.

Below we have a picture of the Democratic Congress admiring the bill they passed.



Now, from a couple of my favorite humorists:

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
-Mark Twain

"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
- Mark Twain

"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets".
- Will Rogers

"The budget is a mythical bean bag. Congress votes mythical beans into it, and then tries to reach in and pull real beans out."
-Will Rogers

I'm not sure how much Hope and Change© this country can take without crashing.

"Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason." -Unknown

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My shoulder is slowly getting better; it turned out I didn't have a torn rotator cuff, so no surgery is needed. What I do have is several torn tendons that attach to the rotator. I've been going through some physical therapy sessions, and it looks like that should solve the problem over the next few weeks. It's still weak, and hurts like hell, though.

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Sort of a hodge-podge of music today, seem to be in a blasé mood.

"Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who
"Sunset Grill" by Don Henley
"What a Wonderful World" by David "Fathead" Newman
"With You There to Help Me" by Jethro Tull
"Comin' Back to Me" by Jefferson Airplane
"The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Eric Burdon and The Animals
"Never Comes the Day" by The Moody Blues
"A Summer Song" by Chad and Jeremy
"Highwayman" by Johnny Cash/Kris Kristofferson/Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson

Any favorites in that bunch?

It's been a while

Some day maybe I'll get better in my blogging habits. Since my last post, I've gotten a year older, my chronic back problem is doing its usual thing(the air pressure has been bobbing up and down like a yo-yo this winter), my shoulder has gone from bad to worse (had to get an MRI, and I may need surgery), I've had a wisdom tooth yanked out, had to attend the funeral of an old friend, and I've had to replace a monitor. Hope the rest of the year doesn't continue in this trend.

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I assume everyone has looked over the "stimulus" package; the only thing that monstrosity is stimulating is the national debt. From everything I've seen, only about 5-12% of it actually will have any effect on the economy, the rest is just the usual bloated pork that politicians line up to devour.

"The budget is a mythical bean bag. Congress votes mythical beans into it, and then tries to reach in and pull real beans out."
-Will Rogers

I think too many politicians have lost sight of what the beans are supposed to represent.

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What's with so many of the appointees for positions turning out to be tax evaders? Maybe what we should do is start requiring anyone who wants to hold a public office to submit to an audit from the IRS. At least that way they'll have to wait until after they're elected to show their criminal side.

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office."
-Aesop

Seems like the best way to set a person on the road to crime is to elect them to a public office.

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Google Latitude lets you track friends, employees

Am I the only one who thinks this is a spooky idea that could get badly misused?

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This may seem like a dark group of songs to those who are familiar with them. Goes with my mood these last couple of weeks, I guess.

"Let Me Be" by The Turtles
"In My Time of Sorrow" by Marianne Faithfull
"Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones
"Lost in a Lost World" by The Moody Blues
"Sometimes It's a Bitch" by Stevie Nicks
"Strange Days" by The Doors
"Mechanical World" by Spirit
"I've Been Down for So Long (It Looks Like up to Me)" by Nancy Sinatra
"To Beat the Devil" by Kris Kristofferson
"Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty



Here's the first song in the list, with the lyrics:




Please don't mistake me or try to make me
The shadow of anybody else
I ain't the him or her you think I am
I'm just trying hard to be myself
Oh, society's goal is to be part of the whole
That may sound good to you, not to me

Let me be, let me be
To think like I want to
Let me be, let me be
That's all I ask of you
I am what I am and that's all I ever can be

Don't try to plan me or understand me
I can't stand to be understood
I could never give in to or ever live up to
Being like you think I should
I've got some inner need which I'm tryin' to heed
I can't take hand-me-down destiny

Let me be, let me be,
To think like I want to
Let me be, let me be
That's all I ask of you
I am what I am and that's all I ever can be

Don't try to change me or rearrange me
To satisfy the selfishness of you
I'm not a piece of clay to mold to your moves each day
And I'm not a pawn to be told how to move
I'm sorry I'm not the fool you thought would play by your rules
But to-each-his-own philosophy

Let me be, let me be,
To think like I want to
Let me be, let me be
That's all I ask of you
I am what I am and that's all I ever can be

I said that's all I ever can be
I said that's all I ever can be
I said that's all I ever can be

Hosannas will abound for the Chosen One

Looks like Washington is going to have a celebration on inauguration day that will rival the Second Coming. I think I'll pass. I'll probably be out to dinner, since Jan 20 is my birthday; turning 57 years old is nothing to be yelling w00t about.

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The Momster has tagged me with a meme.

A- Link to the person who tagged you.
B- Post the rules on your blog.
C- Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
D- Tag six people with a link

1. For some reason, most people (even medical personnel) underestimate my weight by fifty to sixty pounds.
2. I have no problems talking with complete strangers; it drives my wife crazy when we're on vacation.
3. I haven't had a bottle of ketchup in the house in years; it is too bland and tasteless for me unless I mix it with chiles or horseradish.
4. One of my favorite sandwiches growing up was sliced purple onions and butter.
5. Though I enjoy hunting and target shooting, I haven't been to a formal firing range in over 50 years; I prefer shooting out in the boonies somewhere by myself or with a few friends.
6. I like drinking coffee even in the summer when the temperature is above 100ºF.

I'm going to put this one out there for anyone who wants to run with it.

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Should be something here to please/annoy everybody.

"American Pie" by Don McLean
"Season of the Witch" by Blues Brothers Band
"Shenandoah" by Lorie Line
"Autumn Leaves" by Cannonball Adderley/Miles Davis
"Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" by Waylon Jennings
"Coming into Los Angeles" by Arlo Guthrie
"Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult
"The Voice" by The Moody Blues
"Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
"Dominique" by The Singing Nun

Resolutions? Surely you jest

No way I make New Year resolutions; I don't like promising to do something that I may not be able to accomplish. I need to get healthier and blog on a more regular basis, but I refuse to make promises I can't always keep, so there.

So far this year what we have mainly had is snow every couple of days. At least the temperatures have been better, not so much of the stuff down in the teens. We have had a lot of pressure changes, which is playing merry hell with my joints. The anti-inflammatory pills got rid of the tendinitis, but I still have pain down in the shoulder joint itself, and it is getting worse. Right now I can barely lift my right arm above the shoulder, forget about trying to lift anything that weighs more than a couple of ounces. Guess I'll have to go back to the doctor to see what else is wrong. Hopefully it's just something that takes a cortisone shot, and not surgery.

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I notice a lot of hand-wringing over the continuing scuffle between Israel and Palestine. I have an idea; why doesn't everyone else STFU and just let them work it out between themselves? It doesn't matter who goes over there and talks to them, Hamas is not going to honor any kind of truce or peace agreement, so quit acting like the problem can be settled by diplomats. There are some people in the world who can not understand anything unless it is accompanied by a beating. If they wanted peace, all they have to do is quit attacking Israel. If you keep throwing rocks over somebody's fence, they are going to throw them back. I have no sympathy for someone who attacks and then hides behind women and children.

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I see where the New York Times has an article on what kind of dog will be chosen for the White House. Does anyone really give a rat's ass? Seems like there are actually important issues out there that could use a little bit of reporting. Personally, I don't really care what kind of pet they have, and I don't really see where it is a national issue, or relevant to anything at all concerning the rest of us.

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Looks like Messiah-Elect Obama is getting antsy; it seems he wants Congress to push things a little harder. Hey, how about waiting until you're actually sworn in, guy? It's bad enough we're getting stuck with a bunch of idiots and crazies that you have appointed, give us a little air and some time to get ready before BOHICA.

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I still don't understand why everyone is tolerating pirates, and actually rewarding them for their efforts. I know it's not politically correct to say so, but why are we letting these vermin live? It would make more sense to blow them out of the water instead of paying them. All that ransoms do is encourage these assholes. If they let ships keep some arms so they could shoot back at pirates attempting to board, and let local aircraft drop a load of hurt on the pirate ship in the form of high explosives, it would cut down on this bullshit in a hurry. Quit trying to capture these cockroaches, just sink their boat as a warning. Any survivors can be left to swim.

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Feeling in an odd mood, this kind of reflects it.

"Downtown" by Petula Clark
"Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
"It Was a Very Good Year" by Frank Sinatra
"Down Under" by Men At Work
"Reuben James" by Kenny Rogers
"Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Janis" by Country Joe & the Fish
"Someday Never Comes" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream
"You Ain't So Tough" by Heart

The year is almost at an end

Here's hoping that all of you have a good new year's day, and that 2009 is a good year for you.

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I'll be glad when my shoulder gets better; hopefully I'll be able to get back to the gym on Friday or Monday, as long as I don't do much upper body stuff. At least my wife got over her dental problems before Christmas.
Christmas turned out well; nobody is rich, but we all did right by one another with stuff that counts. We also got a lot more snow the day after Christmas, but that is normal this time of year.

A shot of the house from the mailbox.



View to the west from the mailbox.



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Too bad the Middle East couldn't calm down for a while, but I don't think that will ever happen. I'm afraid I don't have much sympathy for Gaza; they keep lobbing bombs at Israel and then piss and moan when Israel tosses some back. Seems like too much of that part of the world will always be back in the dark ages; a bunch of ignorant barbarian tribes starting skirmishes with other tribes. If it weren't for oil in that area, they would still be living in tents and living like their ancestors did hundreds of years ago, in the days of Hārūn al-Rashīd when their culture and technology peaked and then ground to a halt. Time to join the modern world, guys.

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Tonight we're getting together with some friends from my wife's church, with everyone bringing food and drink. I'm not a member of her church (I'm not a member of any religion), but that doesn't really matter much to me or them; just some good friends getting together to welcome in the new year. I'll try to watch what I eat, since I haven't been getting as much exercise as usual since my shoulder started acting up, and I don't need to put on any more pounds. I may tip a few beers, but that's about it. I don't mind getting a mild buzz, but I don't care much for getting drunk; it makes you act like a fool, and you feel like hell the next day.

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So what will the new year bring? I think the economy will get worse before it gets better. We didn't get into this mess overnight, and we won't get out by someone waving a magic wand.
Politics should be interesting (and not necessarily in a good way). I'm not a fan of socialism or Big Brother, and I think both will be increasing their foothold over the next few years. I get nervous any time the President and the Congress are in the same party; that party tends to get arrogant and bossy, no matter which party they are. I'd rather see it spread out more even, so that they all have to get together and work something out before passing another law or tax. From what I can see at this point, "Hope and Change" is just another meaningless slogan; what we will probably get is more of the same stuff we have had for the past few years until people get pissed off and dump the current batch out. Politics, like a lot of other things, tends to run in cycles; it tends to alternate between Bullshit and More Bullshit.

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As usual, a lot of old stuff. Looks like this list has a lot of blues and older rock, with a smattering of country and classical.

"Hello Walls" by Willie Nelson
"Goin' Down Slow" by Howlin' Wolf
"Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
"Baby Don't Do Me Wrong" by John Lee Hooker
"Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin
"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" by Waylon Jennings
"Air on the G string" by Bach and his time
"This Ain't the Summer of Love" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Maybellene" by Chuck Berry
"Crown of Creation" by Jefferson Airplane

When I pick out a playlist for the day, I tend to go down a list of stuff and just pick what I seem to be in the mood for until I get a couple dozen and then scramble them; it can sometimes change later in the day, that's when I sort through and pick out a new list. I guess the list sort of reflects my mood at the time, but I'll be damned if I can figure it out what it is today from my list.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas...

...or any other holiday you may be celebrating at this time. Whether Christian, Jewish, Pagan, agnostic, atheist, etc, I wish you the best.

I'm happy to say my wife(SandyG) is doing better; her pain is pretty well gone, and the swelling is hard to see if you are not looking for it. My tendinitis hasn't let up, but that doesn't matter to me as much.

This is a picture of our little tree we have been using the last few years; nothing special, but it works.



In case you're wondering about the funny looking star, it is homemade. Back when we
had only been married about a year, our top ornament broke. My wife cut out a star from a piece of cardboard, wrapped it in foil, and had me put it on top (that was back when we still got tall real trees.) It has become a tradition here after 30+ years, so we still use it.

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I'm not big on Christmas music, so my playlist is looking as usual.

"And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind" by Mark Lindsay
"Bella Linda" by The Grass Roots
"Wolverton Mountain" by Claude King
"Water music suite no 2 in D" by Handel
"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring
"867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone
"Abracadabra" by Steve Miller Band
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" by Tony Bennett
"Midnight" by Spyro Gyra
"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran

Do we REALLY need a white Christmas?

More snow; at least it's warm. It was 36º this morning, that's double what it has been lately. This is a shot looking to the west again; notice the mountains are invisible.



What I don't want is a lot of snow. I managed to get tendinitis in my right shoulder and can't use my arm very well; the tendinitis is in my biceps, deltoids, and a bit in the pectorals. Lifting my humerus parallel to the ground is extremely painful, and I seem to have no strength in my arm, so shoveling snow is a problem if this stuff keeps coming down.
My wife is the one who has serious problems though. On Friday she had a cracked tooth removed which is a routine operation, but it decided to become infected. Saturday night saw us at the dentist's office just before midnight. The antibiotics are doing their job, but the whole left side of her face is greatly swollen, and her eye is almost swollen shut and discolored. It makes her look like someone punched her in the face several times and blacked her eye. The pain was really bad, so now she is taking percodan, which is managing the pain. Hopefully she will be doing ok by Christmas.

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This sounds a bit suspicious to me.

SANDY — Four men wearing ski masks broke into a home here Sunday night, tied up a woman and allegedly took tens of thousands of dollars in cash as well as a cache of weapons, according to police.

"They awakened the adult female and asked for money and guns," he said.

They took the woman to the living room where they forced her to show them where the safe was, then tied her up with a rope, Chapman said.

The robbers left the house with an estimated 49 handguns and an unknown number of rifles, he said. A man who also lives in the home, but was working at a Christmas Tree lot near 9000 South and State Street at the time, later told detectives there was an estimated $50,000 to $80,000 missing from his safe.

That much money and handguns in a safe, and the robbers knew about it. I have to wonder in what sort of business the owner was involved. Possibly he was a gun collector and just happened to have that much cash on hand for emergencies (neither one of these is illegal or evidence of a crime), but I tend to doubt it. And how did the robbers know all about them? Seems sort of fishy to me.


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I know someone has to be familiar with at least a couple of these.

"La Bamba" by Los Lobos
"Loving You's a Dirty Job But Somebody's Gotta Do It" by Bonnie Tyler
"Embryonic Journey" by Jefferson Airplane
"One Of The Living" by Tina Turner
"Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears
"Janis" by Country Joe & the Fish
"Suds in the Bucket" by Sara Evans
"Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix
"Lost in a Lost World" by The Moody Blues
"John the Revelator" from Blues Brothers 2000 soundtrack

Here's one from the list:

"Embryonic Journey" is an instrumental, and one of my favorites from the Sixties.

What a crock

New York Gov. David Paterson is fighting obesity and budget deficits in a proposal for an 18 percent tax on soda and other sugary drinks.

The idea is to discourage consumption of high-caloric beverages and to raise $404 million in fiscal year 2009-2010 toward the state's multibillion dollar budget gap.

What's next, a tax on potato chips? I call foul on it being for health reasons; I think it's just a phony excuse to slap another tax on people. If your going to rob someone by jacking up their taxes, at least admit that you're screwing them; don't make up a bunch of bullshit that you're doing it for their own good.

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.
- Aesop

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Freezing air blanketed much of the nation Tuesday, making roads hazardous in Texas and slowing recovery from ice storm blackouts in New England, in the second day of a bitter cold wave.

Temperatures were 20 below zero and lower across the northern Plains, and a band of snow, freezing rain and sleet stretched from Kansas and Nebraska along the Ohio Valley to Maine.

Dozens of schools closed in Kentucky and Tennessee because of slippery roads and salt truck crews started working before dawn. Up to a half-foot of snow had fallen in parts of Kentucky.

"It's pretty treacherous," said Jodi Shacklette, a Kentucky State Police dispatcher in Elizabethtown. "We're working wrecks just left and right."

Authorities in Lincoln, Neb., blamed some 20 accidents on the weather.

Al Gore, your phone is ringing...

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Feeling sort of moody about music today. Some mellow, some not so much.

"Maggie May" by Rod Stewart
"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
"Saginaw, Michigan" by Lefty Frizzell
"A Fistful of Dollars" from the soundtrack
"The Four Seasons: Spring" by Vivaldi
"Let It Ride" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
"Bullshitter's Lament" by Blues Traveler
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics
"Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin
"Hellraiser" by Lita Ford

That time of year

The time of the winter solstice is just about here; an old celebration in many cultures and places that is reflected in our culture as Christmas. Best wishes to all who celebrate a holiday at this time of year.
I have no religious beliefs of my own, but I like to respect the wishes and attitudes of those who do have faith; if a person is doing good and treating others with respect and compassion, who cares where they send their prayers?
It is almost time for a new year, whether for better or worse we will not know until it comes; all we can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

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Not too bad around here so far this winter; it has only been getting down into the twenties on the thermometer, which isn't bad. I remember times when I was younger that would bring the mercury down to -15º F every night for a couple of weeks at a time. To those in the northern US and Canada that may not sound too bad, but when combined with the altitude it can cut to the bone. Much as I hate snow, we could use some more around here. We got some this weekend, but where we need it is in the higher elevations; rainfall around here is practically nonexistent in the summer, so all of our water is dependent on winter snowfall in mountains.

This is a picture of the Oquirrh Mountains a few minutes to the west of me that I took from my front yard; the higher parts are blocked by a snowstorm (I took this picture Sunday morning). It is not a high range; I think the highest point is only 10620 feet in elevation. The Wasatch Mountains on the east side of the valley are taller, and more rugged. They are the ones that store the water for summer use. I don't have a picture of them, because they are a little farther away and are blocked from view in my neighborhood.



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I'm not sure what the big deal is about Blagojevich; after all, he is a politician in Chicago; they have been electing crooks into office since the city was founded. During Prohibition it got even more corrupt when organized crime took over. Looking at the history of the last few governors, it is no surprise that this one is a crook also. I imagine there will be all sorts of shit flying around for a while yet; who knows who will get hit over the next few weeks. The media will be interesting to follow, they tend to edit the news according to their political beliefs, so if you want to know what is going on, you may wish to check several sources before believing anything. Personally, I don't trust a big percentage of the press.

"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers."
-Thomas Jefferson

If that offends anyone from the Fourth Estate, too bad.


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I remember when I was a kid, Nikita Khrushchev taking off his shoe at a UN meeting and pounding on a table with it. At the time I thought it sounded like a little kid throwing a tantrum, or a barbarian that had no idea of civilized behavior. Over the weekend some journalist character throws a shoe at the president, and all sorts of people act like he's a hero. Personally, I don't care for Bush. That does not mean that I approve of assholes insulting the office of the president. What I would like to do is slam one of my shoes up the journalist's ass while it is attached to my foot, just on principle.
Just my opinion.

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The bailouts are getting more ridiculous all the time; we have a bunch of fools and crooks who put us in this state, and what happens? Everyone decides to let the same bunch of coprocephalics try to solve the problem by giving them more of our money to spend. Why the hell would you want someone of proven incompetence to solve a problem that they were instrumental in causing?

"Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing -- and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even."
-Will Rogers

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."
-H. L. Mencken

“Washington is a stud farm for every jackass in the country.”
- Mark Twain

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Tried to put together a playlist that was a little more upbeat in word and/or structure; mostly a lot of older pieces.

"Hell in a Bucket" by Grateful Dead
"And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind" by Mark Lindsay
"Vacation" by The Go-Go's
"She Comes In Colors" by Arthur Lee
"Chelsea Morning" by Judy Collins
"Hot Rod Lincoln" by Commander Cody
"Sugar Town" by Nancy Sinatra
"Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison
"98.6" by Keith

A meme

This meme has been going around so much that I think I am one of the last three people on the Internet that has not done it yet. The ones in boldface are the ones I've done:

100 things I've done.

1. Started your own blog. (Duh)
2. Slept under the stars. (Some of my happiest childhood memories)
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland. (Back in the late fifties; it's changed since then.)
8. Climbed a mountain. (Hiked up to the top of a mountain, does that count?)
9. Held a praying mantis. (Lots of times; I think they are cool.)
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped. (HELL NO!)
12. Visited Paris. (Only Paris I've been to is Paris, Idaho)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (Hasn't everyone?)
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon. (Are you kidding?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse. (Only of the moon.)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community. (Drove by one years ago in Ohio)
36. Taught yourself a new language. (Not fluently)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. (Several times)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. (But it wasn't an ocean beach)
46. Been transported in an ambulance. (At least the second time I was conscious)
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. (Been to more drive-in theaters than indoor ones)
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving. (NO FREAKIN' WAY!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (Up in my closet I still have a teddy bear from when I was two years old)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. (I have been laid-off more than once, however)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone. (Lots of them)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (Helped write a repair manual once, but it was just at the place I worked.)
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. (More than once)
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible. (It was a long time ago.)
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Lots of times)
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life. (Three separate times, as a matter of fact)
90. Sat on a jury. (Federal court for a bank robbery.)
91. Met someone famous. (Meh.)
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one. (You don't get to be my age without that happening a few times.)
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. (I've floated in it; it is too buoyant in which to to swim.)
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day. (More than once.)


As you can tell, I don't get out much.

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Playlist is sort of melancholy today; snowed this morning. Should be a few familiar ones in here to anyone who has ever had the blues.

"I Am a Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel
"With or Without You" by U2
"Sometimes in Winter" by Blood, Sweat & Tears
"Misery and the Blues" by Maria Muldaur
"It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty
"The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King
"If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot
"The Streets of Laredo" by Eddy Arnold
"Alone" by Heart
"Red, Red Wine" by Neil Diamond

It's been a while

I was going to try and post more often, but you can see how that worked out. Seems like every time I think I might blog, something comes up; when I don't have anything to do, my mind goes blank or I don't feel up to it. It's amazing that some of my friends and readers still come here, considering how irregular my posting seems to be. For all of those who come here, thank you.

It's a little warmer than usual around here lately; we have been getting a wee bit of snow in the mountains, but no enough to do any good. Precipitation here in the valley has been almost nonexistent. It is getting too dry around here. Even with low temperatures, the lack of moisture could have deleterious effects on dormant vegetation. Hopefully we will get some rain soon, though I am not looking forward to snow. The air pressure has been acting like a yo-yo, so my joints have been very unhappy; some days I have to struggle to tie my shoes and walk to the mailbox, other days it just hurts without limiting me too much. Growing old really sucks.

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I can't say I'm impressed with the federal government and their handling of the financial crisis. They all vote to bail out a bunch of incompetents, and then start asking for more money. From what I can see, all they are doing is trying to see who will kiss their asses for some money, and how much they pucker up will determine how much they get. The auto manufacturers are the ones that really annoy me; they do a piss-poor job of designing and making cars, and then want the taxpayers to save their butts, without giving any reason to doubt they will go belly-up again. It seems to me if they are going to get some loot from the deal, they should have to do some major restructuring. And the auto workers are going to have to come down off the clouds and join the rest of the working class in this country. They are not without blame in this.

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I don't really understand India; they have a poorly trained police force (due to lack of funds, they say), but why is it they have enough money to have a nuclear weapons program? Seems to me if you want to protect your citizens, you start on the ground level. Of course, letting the people people protect themselves wouldn't hurt. Terrorists (who are cowards at heart, and don't try to convince me otherwise) look at places like Dombai the same way the crazies in this country look at schools and malls: as low-risk, target-rich environments.

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I see where the firearms industry is doing well for right now; a lot of people feel that there is going to be an offensive against their 2nd Amendment rights under the new administration; I think they're right. Expect the federal government to chip away at the 2nd Amendment, the same way they have been chipping away at the rest of the Bill of Rights. If you don't think the Bill of Rights is being eroded, you haven't been paying attention. Of course, the mainstream media paints a different picture; they manage to distort facts, hide stuff, and tell plain-vanilla lies.

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed."
-Mark Twain

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Mainly a lot of old stuff, from several different genres. There has to be at least one or two favorites in this bunch.

"Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon
"Strange Days" by The Doors
"The Shadow of Your Smile" by Tony Bennett
"Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Amarillo by Morning" by Terry Stafford
"Summertime" by Reneé Olstead
"In the Misty Moonlight" by Dean Martin
"Yesterday" by Marianne Faithfull
"Five Feet High and Rising" by Johnny Cash
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly (long version)

This version of a classic blues/jazz song being sung by Reneé Olstead is one of the newer ones. She is a singer-actress who has been around for a few years. At the time of the video below she was 17, but has been singing this type of music since her early teens. You may have seen her in movies and on TV in the past couple of years.

Hello world

Anyone who has studied programming should recognize the title phrase from their first program. Nothing geeky here, just a way to break the ice. It's been so long since my muse left me and hit the road, I probably wouldn't recognize her if she did come back.

I've been meaning to post something before now, but just haven't really been up to it. The past few days have me feeling somewhat down; it was on the fifteenth of November three years ago that I lost my dad to cancer, and, though the pain has lessened somewhat, it never quite goes away.
The weather change has me feeling like someone took a club to me from my shoulder blades to the back of my knees; most of the time it just hurts, but now and then I get some really interesting muscle spasms in my back that tend to wake you up fast when they happen at about 400 in the morning. Sleeping has been a chore; I already sleep with a CPAP machine, but when you combine that with a charlie horse in the wee hours of the morning it tends to ruin your beauty sleep. Sleeping 3 to 5 hours a night has my head a little foggy, so excuse my whining and my meandering thought processes. Right now I feel about as friendly and cheerful as a bear with a sore tooth.

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This has me a little puzzled:

A Salt Lake City man is accused of slashing another man's face with a meat cleaver he was wearing as a necklace.

In charges filed Monday, police wrote that the man, 22, had called the victim's girlfriend "bad names" during a fight Nov. 10, and the victim threw his soda on the man.

The man allegedly took a meat cleaver he was wearing as a necklace and swung it at the victim, striking him in the face, arm and chest. The victim required 65 stitches, police wrote.

The 22-year-old was charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault.

Who the hell wears a meat cleaver on a necklace?

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I really don't understand all these problems with pirates; it used to be that if you had thugs on the high seas, you hunted them down and blew them out of the water. What the hell happened to that idea? The UN is always acting like they're useful; this would be a good time to prove it, rather than just bad-mouthing everyone else and sucking up money and bribes. Some types of people don't understand talking; with them you just have to get rough. Try executing a few of these sea-going assholes and maybe some of them would change vocations. Of course, the eunuchs at the UN have fits any time someone wants to actually get rough with criminals, and they start whining about arms and weapons and acting like bumping off murderers and thieves is a bad thing. Executing pirates is a public service, and should be treated as such.
Just my opinion.

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Mostly older stuff in the playlist today. Anyone old enough to remember some of these?

"There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" by Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings
"As Tears Go By" by The Rolling Stones
"Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Never Comes the Day" by The Moody Blues
"Red, Red Wine" by Neil Diamond
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles
"Two out of Three Ain't Bad" by Meat Loaf
"Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins
"With You There to Help Me" by Jethro Tull
"The Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert