Thursday, January 30, 2014

Yee Haw

Calvin is having more success than moi


Welp, I'm back in the hospital again for much the same problems as before - retaining water to the point of congestive heart failure. I'm still weak as a kitten and tire far too easily just trying to walk a few yards, and I'm picking up weight steadily. I'm not eating a corresponding amount - it's water weight, but it's just wearing me down. The diuretics just aren't working like they should.

So, I'm for thinking I'll be here for a few days. On a fluid restriction - not allowed to drink more that a small amount every day, and one of the diuretics is intravenous.

So I'm gettin' poked and prodded, givin' blood alla time and now I'm thirsty. So we'll see, I guess.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

1986


January 28, 1986 an o-ring in one of the boosters failed and when the leak was ignited, the ship blew up, killing the crew of the NASA shuttle Challenger.

It was a terrible tragedy. I am reminded of this quote:
“I guess the question I'm asked the most often is: "When you were sitting in that capsule listening to the count-down, how did you feel?" Well, the answer to that one is easy. I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of two million parts -- all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” ― John Glenn
The astronauts knew the risks and went right on doing their jobs. Valor, bravery, whatever - but they deserve to not be forgotten.

I'll never forget what I was up to when the news was announced. I and my compadre were headed somewhere north of Hays to pick up a couple loads of milo. He was more or less my mentor, and I his apprentice - I hadn't been in trucking very long. The electronics in the truck I was driving were kinda strange - if I had my music radio on loud enough to hear, my CB would feed back if I talked on it. So when RJ felt like giving me his opinion on something, I had to turn down the music radio to respond. I'd been kinda going back and forth, and the news broke. He chose that moment to expound on some subject or another, and I told him to hold on a minute - there was some important news breaking. He did not take the hint, and was kinda miffed that I even asked him to quiet down momentarily. I finally told him to shut up - I was turning my CB off until I heard all about the shuttle explosion. He was not happy with me at all.

I didn't care. I don't much care now. I remember the news, and I'd bet he does as well, far more than whatever subject he had determined was so damned important. He got over it. The shuttle crew did not.

So, give 'em a prayer or shoot some positive karma their way, or whatever - honor them in some way today.

Oh, and there is in interesting interactive timeline here if you want to check it out. Only thing - if you leave that page open, it auto refreshes and it's a memory hog - big time.

Monday, January 27, 2014

I Thought Wimmin Just Pooted


link

It's a girl deer, right? I've always been instructed that wimmin don't fart - they poot. Well, there ya have it.

Oh, and I figure this is a fake, but have no proof. Still funny - it tweaks the "pull my finger" section of my reptilian brain.......


H/T Dave Barry


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Happy Birthday!


To John Moses Browning, genius prolific small arms designer/engineer/inventor.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

There Are Days


Yannow, even if Miss Arbiter In All Things and General Know It All doesn't like it much, Billy is just being practical here. Just take yer dolly and go cry to Mommy. You know you wanna.


Poor Jeffy. He doesn't have much going on upstairs already - he's halfway to the back of the short bus on natural talent to begin with. What he doesn't need is to have smoke blown up his arse by his know it all sister. And what is really scary - for Jeffy to be an uncle, that means at least one of his siblings must procreate. Let's hope it's PJ - he's shown little signs of idiocy, or much of anything up to this point. There still may be hope yet.


To be honest here, Jeffy, I'm for thinking that even if you were in your teenage years this game might be beyond your ken. Sorry.

There is another possibility. He can read the box well enough to know he's too young, but he cannot master tying his own shoes. Perhaps he's been sandbagging it all along. It's a long shot, and I'd highly doubt it, but ya never know.


Kudos to Dennis - nailed it in one!



Yowza! This strip's setup took a hard turn to the left, and it was not good. Not good at all.


Unanimous decision for Loretta this round? I think so.


Funky Winkerbean is probably the most unfunny "humor" comic there is. Angst, remorse, general black moodiness, self recrimination, self doubt, you name it - these people are sick in the head. They can turn a sunny day gray.

But Funky sure as hell didn't deserve the total lack of respect that this gal is displaying towards her erstwhile customer. I say erstwhile, because she'd get an earful from me while I was on my way to the front desk for a refund and to bitch to management as well.  That's gone way beyond wry and dry and well into insulting, if ya ask me.


Yannow, I really, really like Zits. I'd not have Walt and Connie's patience when it comes to Jeremy's attitude. If I'd been that big of a smartass with my Dad, I might still be talking out of the side of my head instead of the front - he'd have walloped me right then and there. It wouldn't hurt Jeremy to show his parents some respect once in a blue moon.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

I've Done Tolt This Here Story Before


I saw this on Facebook and got a large charge out of it, because I've seen this tableau before. Poor ol' Lady, my long suffering Golden Retriever, would find herself in this position with a problematic skunk that I eventually killed. She was mighty peeved, but she never put herself behind the bully, and she'd stamp her feet in disapproval. Much more than that might have provoked the little bastard. She was very territorial when it came to her food, and wasn't much for sharing. Not. One. Little. Bit.

But when you're outgunned, what do you do? Lady lived to fight another day without having her sense of smell destroyed.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Wonderful New Product We Can't Live Without


If you don't have any, you will be required to purchase some from the .gov's newly established failure of a website. Don't get any ideas about fighting this, because the Supremes have ruled this to be constitutional. However, if you already have a similar product that meets guidelines, you can keep that product. Kinda sorta more or less if you held your mouth correctly, at any rate. Otherwise, you'll be paying way beyond market price in order to subsidize those poor underprivileged folk who cannot afford any at this time - they'll receive substantial subsidies in order to purchase the stuff.

Do not ingest, fold, spindle, mutilate or mock. The NSA will know, and send the FBI, the IRS, the National Park Service, Smokey the Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog after your ass.

Thank you for your time, and remember that we are from the government and we're here to help. We're here to service the taxpayers, so be ready - you are gonna get serviced in a big way, if you know what we mean and we think that you do. Remember to vote early and vote often for Democrats - just remember that we are the party of free stuff, unlike those nasty Republicans, who don't want rich people paying for your rightful pile of goodies.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

Classic


link

Warning for language!

Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe were just plain brilliant, and this example of uncensored outtakes only reinforces their mastery of hilarity, timing and so on. Nothing like this on the vast wasteland these days.

H/T Nunkle Kim

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Redskins



One of the benefits of blogging is that one spends a fair amount of time reading other bloggers. Sometimes, I even have my horizons expanded by reading different points of view. Which brings me to this:

We've surely all heard about the uproar about the usage of "derogatory Indian names" for sports teams and in particular the Washington Redskins have been singled out, mostly because of the rather politically incorrect comments the owner has made in the past.

Well, it just so happens that over the years I've counted a fellow blogger named Ron as a friend. He happens to be full blooded Choctaw, and is rightfully and damned proud of his heritage, and is heavily involved in the dealings of his tribe both spiritually and politically. His blog is called "The Local Malcontent" and he is based out of the Talihina, OK area. In the mountains.

At any rate, he has some very strong opinions on this subject and expresses himself quite well in this rant. I very strongly recommend you go and read the whole thing, as they say, because I suspect his position is not quite what one might expect when one listens to the limousine liberals stirring the pot.

I'm serious. Go and read!!!!

Bridge to Nowhere


I hope it doesn't decide to go somewhere, I'd prefer that it stays in my mouth. Got it installed Monday. The plastic one had really deteriorated - it was broken out at the ends. It had popped out and I set it aside while eating a turkey leg - it was tough and I had to cut it up just to eat it. Apparently, I set it with some of the tough skin I'd cut out and tossed the whole kit and kaboodle. I went through the trash a couple times and never did find it.

So, I went without front teeth for about a week. You didn't want to see a picture of that.

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Going Back In Time

Sis just had some old pics of family members emailed to her, and she sent them to me. I picked out the ones that had that little extra meaning for moi. They are all from my Mother's side of the family.


My Grandpa Bill (I was four or so when he passed away), Grandma Julia (about sixth grade), one of our great aunts Aunt Pauline (quite the character), my mother's sister who was Aunt Judy to Sis and I (she passed away several years ago), her hubby Pleasant (Kim) - he's my Nunkle Kim who comments on this blog occasionally, and my Mother. This was labeled April 17, 1949.


Mother expressing awe and wonder!


Mother was born in 1929, so this is surely not a graduation picture. I can guarantee you that is her handwriting - I'd recognize that anywhere.


1-24-1948. Pleasant and Judy. I'd say they've been to a wedding, but I have no idea.

Well, anyways, this is a look back at some of my loved ones long before I came along. Hope you enjoyed 'em too!

Monday, January 06, 2014

The Legend Is True!


Don't leave home without it! If you leave one signal on for too long, you'll run it out of blinker fluid and possibly cause a major imbalance in your vehicle, making it prone to falling over.

So don't do that.

H/T Jon on Facebook.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

They're Crazy!

For those of you who don't know, Spangles is a Wichita, KS based burger and fast food chain. I think the closest store is in Hutchinson - I've eaten there before and it's ok. I like their sourdough bun burgers.

So, because I'm bored and sitting at home, I guess I notice stuff like this. Check out this ad for some Spangles chicken sandwiches - but what I really want you to look at starts around the 25 second mark:


I'll be the first to admit that a burger like that catches my eye. However, tackling one of those beasts would require rolling the ol' clock back by quite a few years - I just don't have the room or the appetite for a whole one of them.

Just what is it? 

It would be "The Beast."

It’s a burger named “The Beast,” and it features six 1/3-pound steak burger patties layered with 12 slices of American cheese and topped with mustard, ketchup, onion and pickle.
The burger, a 3,000-calorie monster, is too big for the average mouth to even bite. But that’s not stopping Spangles customers.
On New Year’s Day, said marketing director Stephanie Huckins, 12 people ordered the burger, including a pair of brothers who challenged each other to a burger-eating contest.
The burger, which costs $21.99, was the brainchild of Dale Steven, the chain’s co-owner.
“It’s something fun for people to talk about,” Huckins said. “We don’t expect people to eat it alone by any means.”
The Beast is a limited-time offering but will be around as long as customers keep ordering it, Huckins said.
By the way, if the sixer isn’t enough, you can also get The Beast in a value pack for $24.99.
I suspect we haven't started hearing the outrage from nutrition nuts about this - about how Spangles is irresponsible, people are gonna die, etc. and so on. The usual, in other words.

But honestly - how many of us aren't well aware that there would be a ton of calories and fat in this sucker? Criminy, just look at all the processed cheese food between the slices of meat!

I won't be ordering this bad boy any time real soon or even way down the road. However, I do salute Spangles for having the intestinal fortitude to introduce and market such a beast. I might have to make it a point to give them some business on their other offerings next time I'm in the Air Capital. Let's face it, this thing rawks.

Finally!

After all these years, my ol' innertube, forum and blogging pal finally met each other. That would be Chris Byrne, the Anarchangel and one of four forum moderators at The Gun Counter.

We first met when Kim DuToit started his first forum. Chris was the fourth person to sign up - I didn't get signed up until the next day. But, we were there at the start of it all, before either of us started blogging. Kim was an inspiration to both of us. If you remember, he wrote such controversial essays about the pussification of the American male and held some feces stirring views which he and his wife Connie famously defended tooth and nail. Chris and I used to have some very long and involved phone and IM conversations where we really got to know each other. I gotta say, if you don't know it, Chris is pretty much a genius. I had to give him some crap today when he started providing a little extra knowledge into the conversation - I asked his lovely wife Melody (Mel) what it was like being married to her own edition of Wikipedia. I had always thought there was no difference between a KC strip and a NY strip steak. I was wrong.

I'm laughing thinking about it now.

At any rate, Chris, Mel and their progeny Chris V were headed across I70 - they were going to Colorado Springs this afternoon on their way back out to the Phoenix area. Man, I'd never had Chris so close to home before - when they lived in northern Idaho, I was in the southern part - still way too far. But now? A two hour drive to Hays? To meet at a nice restaurant? You betcha.

We met at a small chain grill called Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill in Hays, where the steaks are marinated and grilled and delicious.


And by the way, Chris is a big guy. He gets his clothes from Omar the Tentmaker just like I do.


Melody with the sprout - rather I should say sapling. I've forgotten how long they've been together, but it has to be well over five years. And I finally got to meet the better half! She was kinda busy.....


The star of the show - I give you "Happy Boy." That is what the family calls him because he just plain smiles all the time. He's always happy. It's easy to get him to smile and laugh. He has no fear, and liked me right off. This is different than I'm used to - I'm far more used to fussy babies that are freaked out about how big I am - particularly if they first see me standing. Not this little turd - only he ain't so little. He's a statistical outlier, which is what Melody thinks is a better name for him. He's eating solid foods, refuses pureed baby food  - he just turns his head and the trap is closed when he doesn't like something. No drama, just outright refusal. He's manipulative - of course he had me wrapped around his little finger instantly.

It had been a while for sure. Chris was fascinated by two babies sitting at the end of the table next to us, and they were just as intent as him giving him the once over. None of them had anything to "say," but it was pretty comical. He was a head bigger than either one of them, and the same age. He also liked my beard and immediately tried to remove it from my face. Never got a grip on it, but I understand that he does - and does the same thing with hair. And he's got a grip for such a tyke.

At any rate, we didn't have much time - it was snowing when I rolled into Hays, and it wasn't getting any better while we were there. So we both knew the longer we stayed, the more bad weather we'd be fighting. Sure enough, I had to drive all the way to Dodge to finally run out of the snow. Chris ran out of it around Wakeeney, but they ran into weather in Colorado.

At any rate, even thought it was a pain in the arse to fight slick snowy roads, the whole thing was completely worth all of that. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.