The Poor Farm

I Hope Your Grace Will Live So Long

2012-01-29T14:57:00.000-06:00

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This, of course, is the famous sword fight scene at the end of Rob Roy. Liam Neeson plays the hero Robert Roy MacGregor, Jessica Lange his wife Mary, and Tim Roth as the villian Archibald Cunningham.

I don't know enough about Scottish traditions or history to know if this flick is accurate or not, but it does provide an interesting look at life there in the 1700s. It's a slow movie to develop, with a lot of heartache, and the eventual conflict is inevitable. Neeson provides a stolid performance, Roth eats up his evil character, and Lange seemed convincing enough to me.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all backdrop and buildup to this clip. It is considered one of the best sword fighting scenes on film. Roth's Cunningham demonstrates superior talent and is for sure the best swordsman if the criteria is just skill. He runs the "rope-a-dope" on Neeson's MacGregor, tiring him and forcing mistakes while wounding his opponent. However, MacGregor demonstrates that superior tactics can best talent.

Good stuff.

Rectal-Cranial Inversion

2012-01-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

You can probably tell where this story is going, but oh well....

Last week, I made a trip to Evans, CO, as I have done many, many times. I hauled one 6'x15.5' 210bbl frp water tank on the top deck of a drop deck, plus two 10'x15.5' 315bbl steel crude tanks to the usual suspects in an oilfield supply yard. That particular load is one of our hardest pulling evah - a side wind will catch each tank and just multiply the effect. It was a windy day, but not as bad as some in the past. The trip itself takes about twelve or more hours to drive, so I don't even try, since eleven hours of driving is the legal limit. Ten or so hours finds me in Colby, KS on the way back, and there aren't many choices between there and the shop. I also usually fuel there, too. I could make it back to Garden some days, but it's best to be safe.

The Mighty Binder has two one hundred gallon fuel tanks, rated at 95% draw, which figures to be 190 gallons I should be able to rely on, correct? Uh, no. That would be if the tank had the cap at the very top, rather than tilted to the side so I can actually put fuel in the damn thing. Were the tank rolled perfectly vertical, the cap would be under the cab and inaccessible. However, the tank itself is designed and all the welded on labels are level, so the manufacturer knows damn well that the tank won't be used where the max draw figure they post is actually accurate. Trucks these days have an audible alarm when the fuel gets low, plus a warning light on the dash is activated. Aaaaand, I've run 'er pretty close a few times and have an idea what it really "holds." The fuel gauge will run on "E" for quite a while and in fact drop a ways below, too. It should be noted that this gauge never reads completely full, either.

Like I said, you just know where this is going.

I could see that the fuel level was a bit lower than it normally was during the trip home. I even thought about stopping at Limon to fuel, but I had visions of relaxing in the motel room dancing in my head. The alarm went off about the state line, but hey, Colby was only about sixty miles away, and I'd run way further than that loaded before. I could have stopped at Goodland, but my gauge wasn't even close to what I'd seen it in the past.

When I pulled into Colby, I could have fueled then. It really isn't such a hot idea to park a diesel truck after running with nearly empty tanks, because the air inside the tanks will cool, and condense any moisture in the remaining fuel. If the tanks are full, not so much. But, I was pooped. So, off to the motel I went.

The next morning, the thermometer in the truck showed eighteen degrees Fahrenheit. The ol' Clatterpillar was kinda reluctant to crank, but she fired up. If one takes off and just starts driving when the motors are cold, one can count on popping head bolts or cracking heads - having all kinds of trouble. The 'puters are supposed to prevent that by derating the motor power until it's thoroughly warmed, but that strategy still seems to place trucks in shops with the heads removed. So, I let 'er idle while I got the ol' funny pages caught up. After she was showing some water temp, I eased 'er out on the street and headed for a truck stop. I had planned on going across town to my favorite - a Bosselman's - but all of a sudden I was losing power. Well, maybe I could make it under the Interstate to the other truck stop, so I kept easing along.

Nope, wasn't gonna happen. I had enough to roll all the way to the right on the shoulder and clear the fog line. There was nutting happenin' with the engine goin' round and round no mo.

Le sigh.

I am a fat, lazy trucker. My first thought was to call someone and have them take care of it. Which would cost the company money. Money they shouldn't have to spend because of my stupidity. OK, scratch that plan.

I had rolled by a convenience store that sells truck diesel - maybe they'd have some fuel "cans." Turning on the flashers, I abandoned my ride and went to hiking. Six or seven hundred yards later and in the warmth of the store, I learned that they did not have anything like that at all. However, Orsheln's would probably carry them. At least a half mile away or more. Eighteen degrees.

Le sigh.

As I was crossing the street, I watched a Kansas Highway Patrol car drive by on his way to his regional office further north on that street. Never even looked at me. Now I dunno, seems to me it's kinda like his job to make sure that truck doesn't sit on the side of the road and if it's gonna for a while, it needs the emergency triangles out for safety. I didn't put 'em out because they're a pain in the ass. I realize it's not the Patrol's responsibility to give me a ride or anything, but it chapped my buttocks that he never even made eye contact with me.

I finally got to the farm supply store, and sure enough, they had plenty of fuel cans - even the proper yellow for diesel variety. I bought two.Thinking ahead, I also purchased a can of starting fluid (ether). On my long trudge back to the convenience store, my caring cop drove by me again with no reaction from him. Guess my carrying the cans told him all he needed to know. Glad I could help him out there.

After I filled the "cans" and carried them to the front door, it occurred to me that they were pretty damn heavy. They were supposed to be five gallon cans. I filled them to the line that said "five gallons" on both containers. I put in 8.4 gallons. Either the can manufacturer was lying (huh, sounds familiar) or we need to start buying all our fuel at that joint. A guy in a pickup happened to be there, so I just out and out asked him if he'd ferry me and my fuel to my truck parked down thataway. Sure 'nuff, he did. I told him he didn't need to hang around, just drop me and the fuel off. Thank you, God.

While pondering my fate - did I mention it was eighteen degrees out? - it also occurred to me that perhaps fuel gelling might have something to do with my predicament. I always carry some fuel treatment with me, don't you? I figured that if I poured the whole bottle, supposedly able to treat several hundred gallons - why that might break up any slushy blockage. So, half the bottle in one tank, the rest in the other.

I poured one "five gallon" in the passenger side, then I took the other can to the driver's side. I was standing in traffic on that side, and in a hurry. But, these new fangled cans have special no spill spouts that slow the process considerably. Took freaking forever. I also quit on the last can before I ran out. I needed to check my fuel filters - if they were empty, I was gonna have to fill them, too. This truck has two - one mounted on the firewall and one under the fuel pump on the motor. That one is a bitch kitty to change. Like most CATS, that filter has a manual fuel pump to help fill the filter, but for some reason there is no bleed screw on the housing anymore. One used to crack open the screw to let the air out when pumping fuel in. Seems to me the new fangled way just pressurizes the air in the filter rather than fill the thing with fuel, but maybe that's just me (and every other CAT drivin' trucker I know).

I also carry extra filters and a filter wrench, too. Luckily, the primary filter was still full. I finished off the last can, and crossing my fingers, I rolled down my window so I could hang off the steps, reach inside for the starter button, and reach the air filter with the ether can. I went to spraying and cranking. It took a while, and the cranking was slowing, but she finally fired. Shut the hood, put all the stuff away, drove to the truck stop and filled 'er up (less than 175 gallons total - including the 8.4 gallons, and I've put in right at 180 before), and removed my head from my buttocks and drove home.

I think the KHP has a policy of not giving anyone any rides, and maybe now they have a policy of not helping stranded motorists. I dunno. I just know that back in the day, the Patrolmen I knew would have at least stopped and asked me what was up, and if there was something they could do, even if they couldn't give me a ride. Some of the more legendary cowboys among them would have done what they damn well pleased. Things have changed for the KHP, and In My Humble Opinion - it's not for the best.

Nasty Perv Nutsack Sweat

2012-01-25T19:17:00.000-06:00

To rip off Dave Barry - that would make an excellent name for a rock band. But it's not - it's a quote from another hilarious post from Laura Ledford's Fetch My Flying Monkeys. This one involves three women planning on visiting some mayhem on a tally whacking exhibitionist that has been reported in a particular area. That's all I gotta say about it, you'll just have to go read. Then, read the comments. The interaction between Laura and her commenters adds greatly to the fun factor. She holds all comments for approval and usually answers each and every one. Since she gets close to fifty comments on all her posts, that's a lot of work and on the fly humor. She also illustrates (her "renderings") a ton of posts, features her toy dinosaurs wreaking havoc, unless Jack, her wiener dog, eats a toe off one.

It's all light hearted fun, and it comes your way about five or six times a week. Well worth the visit!

It About Took Us All To Win It

2012-01-25T16:22:00.000-06:00

After I had selected my food from the buffet and sat down at the Colonel's today, the elderly couple came in. With their deliberate walk, together they waited their turn at the cash register, the man paying, and together they picked up their plates and filled them from the buffet as well. They moved with the comfort of knowing each other and moving as a team for many, many years.

Side by side they sat in a booth facing me, and that is when I noticed the gentleman's hat. WWII Veteran it said. I know you've seen 'em - dark royal blue with gold lettering. I got up to make one more trip (like I needed it), and decided to continue exercising my policy.

I walked towards their table, and leaning forward over it, I spoke to the old warrior: I couldn't help noticing your hat, and I just wanted to thank you for your service, sir. That's all I wanted to say, and please excuse my interruption of your meal.

Somewhat surprised, he thanked me and voiced his appreciation. I told him it was my outstanding policy to thank veterans for their service, and that I appreciated it. He said: You know, there aren't many of us left anymore. I told him I sure knew that was true, and excused myself to continue my original plan.

Later, after I had eaten some more, reading the paper, I noticed him coming towards me to speak again. He thanked me again, and we started talking. He had been to Europe, and some of his friends had been to the Pacific. He wanted to know where I was from, and I told him and asked if he knew one of my neighbors, who had been in the Battle of the Bulge. He knew him, and some of my other neighbors, plus he knew my Dad. Once he said his name, I remembered hearing of him some years back.

That is when reflecting, he said: It about took us all to win it. He meant all his compadres and the people at home.

It damn sure did, didn't it?

I don't tell you this story to make myself sound good - I'm pretty poor at taking compliments anyways. No, it truly is rewarding to thank a courtly gentleman and his wife for the sacrifices they made, and get to see the gratitude of the recognition. I guarantee you I made his and the wife's day. It's something we should all do.

And I felt so good about it, on the way home, I made it a point to stop at another of my neighbor's place who was in the Reserves during Vietnam. He didn't go, but he was on the edge of getting shipped out for quite some time. He was ready if they wanted him to go.

I thanked him, too.

Liberals Meme What They Say

2012-01-22T11:31:00.000-06:00

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Sound familiar?

H/T Ace

Cause and Effect

2012-01-21T18:30:00.000-06:00

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Long term effects may be hazardous to your health and well being, as well as your wallet.

H/T MoK

"I Don't Know Who You Are"

2012-01-21T10:44:00.001-06:00

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Ahhh, Ordinary People. What a movie. I'm not much of a chick flick kinda guy, and so called tearjerkers often leave me cold. Don't like someone trying to manipulate my emotions cheaply. However, as the scene above shows - the manipulation of our emotions are honestly earned with fantastic writing and acting. This was perhaps the best performances of both Timothy Hutton and Judd Hirsch. Hutton was a virtual newcomer, and Hirsh shocked us all because we were all so used to seeing him in the television series Taxi, hardly a dramatic role. I gotta tell ya, this is one scene that really gets to me.

This was Robert Redford's directorial debut, perhaps his best effort. The story unfolds showing the day to day life of Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) and his parents, Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) and Calvin (Donald Sutherland) - a Midwestern upper middle class family. This was also quite a step away from what we were used to seeing Mary Tyler Moore portray. I think the choice to cast her was brilliant, because we were shocked to see her as, well, frankly, a bitch. Other notable performances and appearances were M. Emmet Walsh (one of my fav character actors of all time) as Conrad's less than sympathetic swim coach, Elizabeth McGovern as Conrad's burgeoning love interest (lookin' ever so cute), and even Adam Baldwin (Jayne and Animal Mother, baybee!).

We learn Conrad has just been released from a mental institution and is seeing Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), a psychiatrist. We learn that Conrad tried to kill himself, and that the family is still suffering from the death of the oldest son Buck. Beth and Calvin's apparently strong marriage starts to unravel and we start to see more and more of the story. An apparently simple tale that turns out to be about anything but simple. We see the always positive, chirpy shiny everything is perfect Beth unravel, Conrad's journey into healing, and Calvin's self discovery and open eyes regarding his family. It really is a predictable tale, but the writing, pacing and acting make the sum of the movie greater than it's parts.

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Another excellent scene. You can just see the porcelain doll that is Beth cracking, and the pain Calvin feels about his discovery of the truth. When Beth is packing to leave we really see her fall apart, and yet, will herself back into her delusional identity of being above it all. Another great scene is at the end, when Conrad and Calvin connect. Lots of honest, raw emotions in this flick - and none overblown, overacted or oversold. Redford definitely had a deft touch, and some quality actors to direct.

Four Oscars and two more nominations, and five Golden Globes with three additional nominations later, among other numerous awards has this film firmly entrenched as a classic, quality film. I'm sure most of us have seen the movie, and it's definitely worth watching again. If you've missed it - best rectify that situation immediately if not before, if you wanna claim you like movies!

Found in the Beauty Aisle

2012-01-20T21:43:00.000-06:00

I hear it works great on captive wimmen.

H/T Ace

Ahem....

2012-01-18T17:28:00.000-06:00

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Errrrrmmmmmm.......

Speaks for itself.

H/T Eddie

Happy Birthday, Betty White!!!

2012-01-16T21:16:00.000-06:00

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Normally, I just don't watch much network television, but for a few select programs. Tonite, while waiting on a basketball game to come on, I decided to watch Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl on NBC.

Totally worth it, even if Teh Won was on. Luckily, I was out in the kitchen stirring supper when he came on. I'm sure he totally owes his sense of humor to Betty White and wanted just to congratulate her on her successes, and the fact that it's an election year had nothing to do with the free shot at some tube time.

So far, I've seen a whole litany of Betty's former costars and television legends - Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore (both looking pretty good, frankly), Vicki Lawrence, Ed Asner, Gavin McLeod, Carl Reiner, Jay Leno, William Shatner and Chevy Chase. There were also a bunch of more contemporary stars such as Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Morgan Freeman, Hugh Jackman, Ellen DeGeneres, and Ray Romano among others.

It's hard for me to envision a world without Betty. She's been on the boob tube since I can remember in one form or another. She was nominated for the first ever Emmy for Best Actress in television (she didn't win, dammit). She was a master at live comedic television - her timing is always impeccable. Her ad libbing is also seamless. You have to admire a woman who was worked for so long successfully in the essentially heartless and cruel entertainment industry. We hear all the time about how Madonna has reinvented herself. She can't even begin to hold a candle to Betty. Plus - take a good look at her in the clip above with Johnny Carson. That video dates to 1979 - when she was fifty seven years old!!! The first part of that clip was played on the show, and luckily I found it!

Truly, I do not particularly want to see Madonna at fifty seven. Just sayin.'

I mostly remember her from the Mary Tyler Moore Show days, and then her appearances on Carson and on the Carol Burnett Show. On MTM, she played against type - instead of America's Game Show Sweetheart (another thing we all saw her appear in), she became the perpetually horny Sue Ann Nivens. After her turn in Mama's Family, she went on to perhaps her biggest television role in The Golden Girls.

And she's still busy! Hot in Cleveland, countless guest appearances (lots of appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson), numerous film roles (Bringing Down the House with Queen Latifah and Steve Martin), a Snicker's ad with Abe Vigoda first aired on the Super Bowl in 2010 (rated the number one ad), and perhaps most notable, as host of Saturday Night Live after a grassroots campaign on Facebook requesting just that succeeded. She had the highest ratings for the show since 2008, and she quipped:

(she) "didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time."

Of course she was playing it as a bit of a ditz, which she's done for years.

I used to think the variety shows weren't cool, or were corny. Back then, they seemed pretty tame compared to SNL in it's early life, and the comedy records of Cheech and Chong and George Carlin outlined what seemed to be funny to me. However, as time has gone by, I can really appreciate the ol' hoofers' pioneering work, and how much skill was involved - and how much the survivors can still kick it up when they wanna.

I tell ya, these people are national treasures, and the ones who aren't gone ain't gonna be around much longer. Enjoy while you can.

Macho Men Drivers

2012-01-15T17:20:00.000-06:00

Just took a major hit:

It's an age-old question that men and women have been dealing with for decades: who's the better driver? A new survey from 4AutoInsuranceQuote.org gives the edge to women.
The national numbers show that women are less likely to cause a serious accident or be arrested for drunk driving, according to the study. The survey also showed that women are 27 percent less likely than men to cause auto accidents. In 2007, men were involved in 6.1 million car accidents while women were involved in 4.4 million accidents.
Not only do women get in less accidents, but they pay less for insurance as well. The average six-month insurance policy for a woman costs only $698, in comparison to $765 for a man.

So much for all the wimmen drivers jokes, eh?

A Real Cowboy Has NO Fear

2012-01-15T17:17:00.000-06:00

Guess he's showing that ol' bull who's in charge!

BTW, that is a pretty stout example of the strain of cattle known as Brahman. It's pretty easy to see if the mixed breeds have any of this guy or his cousins in their ancestry. Lookit them ears, that hump, and the hellacious dewlap. Plus, he's not some knob headed Hereford, either.

H/T MoK and Hoss

Anybody Remember This?

2012-01-14T22:39:00.000-06:00

From Ace's Overnight Open Thread: (from Wikipedia)

On April 7, 1994, FedEx Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 cargo jet ferrying electronics across the United States from Memphis, Tennessee to San Jose, California, experienced an attempted hijacking for the purpose of a suicide attack.
Auburn Calloway, a FedEx employee facing possible dismissal for lying about his previous flying experience, boarded the scheduled flight as adeadheading passenger with a guitar case carrying several hammers and a speargun. He intended to disable the aircraft's cockpit voice recorderbefore take-off and, once airborne, kill the crew using the blunt force of the hammers so their injuries would appear consistent with an accident rather than a hijacking. The speargun would be a last resort. He would then crash the aircraft while just appearing to be an employee killed in an accident. This would make his family eligible for a $2.5 million life insurance policy paid by Federal Express.^[1]
Calloway's plan was unsuccessful. Despite severe injury, the crew was able to fight back, subdue Calloway and safely land the aircraft. An attempt at a mental health defense was unsuccessful and Calloway was subsequently convicted of multiple charges including attempted murder, attempted air piracy and interference with flight crew operations. He received two consecutive life sentences. Calloway's appeal was successful in having his conviction for interference ruled as a lesser included offense of attempted air piracy.^[2] The crew was left with permanent, disabling injuries and have not flown professionally since.

There is more detail at Wikipedia, but for a better story, go to Damned Interesting.

I don't even remember this.

No Reason

2012-01-14T15:01:00.000-06:00

Just because I can.

Oops....

2012-01-13T20:38:00.000-06:00

I wonder if there is some sort of punishment for exceeding one's fifteen minutes of fame?

Boom Time

2012-01-12T20:24:00.000-06:00

I unload a lot of tanks at oilfield supply yards - and today was no different. I'd already unloaded the two right and one left tanks, and was waiting for a compadre to back his trailer with three more beside that outrigger. I've got two sets of hydraulic cylinders for lifting - the twins are far weaker than the single ram. Part of that is due to simple torque - if I let the twins down a lot, the range of the boom fully extended is increased. However, when something relatively heavy comes along, it's best to use the most lifting power available. Thus, the twin rams are extended fully, and I'll do all my lifting with the single.

When I handle fiberglass tanks, I can lock in the single ram and use the twin rams for the lifting, and gain the extra length by having a section extended horizontally rather than vertical. Just about every fiberglass tank I've ever unloaded was light enough that this knuckle boom crane can handle 'em at full extension.

This crane has another two extensions retracted within the second extension in this picture. Those 12'x15' 300bbl steel tanks exceed the lifting capacity of the unit at three extensions. Once I start getting past the third, it's over, and I've got to use some tricks to "get it back" and lifted. Rode in that particular rodeo before. Heh.

Some of our heavier cranes have six extensions, and they can lift 12'x20 400bbl steel tanks run all the way out. They have to be careful, though, because the geometry can assure that a truck can tip over. I've had the front end of my truck off the ground several feet before. That will make ya nervous.

At any rate, I'm always showing pics of our other trucks doing what I was doing, or a big crane or other heavy equipment. Just lettin' ya know I do it, too.

Sheesh. Ted Goes Off His Nut Again

2012-01-09T19:47:00.000-06:00

Well, whaddya know - ol' Mitt is Mormon! Who knew? Why, I remember well when Ted Rall posted a political cartoon lampooning Obama eating watermelon and fried chicken while smoking a big ol' doob. Oh, wait.....

Since Mitt is ostensibly a Republican (not really one I'd claim, but there you go), this really and truly isn't bigotry at all. If you have to have that explained further, yer a racist bastard, you scum.

Dagwood Approved!

2012-01-08T14:23:00.000-06:00

I carry a thermoelectric cooler in the ol' mobile office. I hate to stop for something to eat when daylight is at such a premium for us, and I pretty well have to eat breakfast or lunch with some meds. So, I carry sandwiches I make on Sunday and freeze, as well as something to drink. I used to carry Diet Pepsi, but the sodium was making me retain more water than the diuretics could handle. So, it's Propel and sammiches for the Tubby Trucker.

I prefer onion ciabatta rolls, but these plain ones work ok, too. I got them from the bakery clearance rack and tossed 'em into the deep freeze. Wal Mart carries these things - but not in every store. They also have a multi grain coated version, too. All have a chewy consistency that I like. I suppose if they stop carrying the ciabatta rolls, I could use Kaiser rolls. They just don't have the thicker consistency.

Wal Mart is where I get all my ingredients for these puppies. Mustard is their Southwest Spicy version, liberally applied. Then, I alternate deli sliced roast beef, pepperjack cheese, roast turkey, sharp cheddar cheese, and beef Pastrami. I buy two pounds of each at a time and freeze what I don't use. A better ratio would be a two to one meat to cheese - it just takes longer to use the cheese up. The things just about don't fit into a Ziplock sandwich bag.

I usually carry more than I'll need for lunches, just on the off chance that I might have to eat one for supper, plus if the end of the week finds me on a job site in Nowhere, ND, c/o The Bakken Oilfield, with more sammiches than I can eat - well, if my compadres are hungry and didn't bring anything for themselves, the excess is excessed from inventory. A lot of Friday nights when I get home for the weekend, a leftover sammich with a bowl of tomato soup rather hits the spot. Or chicken noodle.

I really like the onion rolls the best - that flavor, the spicy mustard, and the pepperjack give 'em some zing. More zing than without the onions in the bread. Plus, reviews from the coworkers have been overwhelmingly positive, with Dagwood's name bandied about.

So, if you're a regular sammich eater, too, and are totally bored with white, wheat, or whatever bread, give the ciabatta rolls a try. Good stuff!

Ensign Ro, One Fetching Bajoran, Fer Sure!

2012-01-08T13:24:00.000-06:00

Today is Michelle Forbes' birthday - born in 1965. She's been in a lot of geeky stuff over the years, and hasn't disappointed, either. From ST: TNG to Escape from LA, she had some memorable roles.

And of course she was in Battlestar Galactica, as Admiral Helena Cain.

And here she is in True Blood, which I have not seen. Clearly, I think she's pretty hawt, and I kinda doubt I'm alone in this assessment.

Green Industrial Strength Sludge

2012-01-07T19:03:00.000-06:00

Yep, that's radioactive steam coming off the stuff, and there is an unidentified creature bone off to the left. Along with the eyeballs of newt, bat wings and such I used:

20 oz package of split peas (I think that was the weight)
The ham left on the bone from a spiral cut ham given to all us workers every Christmas by my company, trimmed off the bone, plus added the bone, too. Flavor, man, it's all about flavor.
About one and a half green bell peppers, diced very fine (in fact, all ingredients were diced fine so they'd cook away to nothing in the goop)
About a half of a yellow onion (had it on hand, and didn't feel like cutting into a new one)
Handful of sliced jalapenos from a jar
Three small potatoes, diced - didn't bother peeling (more for the thickening starch than anything)
About a half package of sliced carrot chips (generally buy baby carrots and chop them but thought this might be easier)
The packet of fake ham seasoning from the bag of peas - I wasn't gonna use it, but I don't add any more salt than I have to for my meals, and it needed something while testing it out as it cooked
Some black pepper, cilantro, basil, and garlic powder (real garlic dries out before I get around to using it). I just sprinkled each on top until it looked right.
And, as I mentioned, all that stuff with no salt was tasting pretty bland, so I cheated and added some granulated chicken bouillon. I had to add it a couple of times, because I didn't want to go overboard. I can't stand salty stuff (so used to not having it, the taste really stands out for me). I got it right.

I soaked the beans in water overnight - making sure there was water completely covering the beans completely with a little left over. Ended up adding more water as I added ingredients - and I thought perhaps I had put in too much as it was pretty thin cooking. Not to worry, the taters finally broke up and thickened things up considerably. I didn't cover all the ingredients with water when I first started - the water level was below all the stuff slightly. I started the pot on low medium (4 out of 9 on my electric burner), and gradually turned it down to about 1.5 as the day progressed. Started at noon and shut it off around fiveish.

This stuff has to be stirred fairly frequently. The peas all sludge up at the bottom if you don't. I never had a problem with them burning, just being super thick at the bottom.

It turned out pretty well, my main problem is that now I'll be eating split pea soup for the next nine hundred twenty seven meals. Perhaps not that many. I'd invite Linda Blair over to get her opinion, but I hear she's a vegan. Her loss, I say.

A California Love Story

2012-01-06T15:01:00.000-06:00

A man was lying in bed with his new girlfriend.

After having great sex ... She spent the next hour just rubbing his testicles ... Something she just loved to do.

As he was enjoying it, he turned and asked her, "Why do you love doing that?"

Can you stand it?

Overdrawn

2012-01-04T22:23:00.000-06:00

Boeing announced today that it is leaving Wichita, where it's presence for over eighty years gave Wichita the moniker of "Air Capital."

This, after having their nads saved after some heavy political wrangling.

Let's go back to when Airbus was awarded the contract for the new KC-X Air Force tanker aircraft to replace the aging KC-135 fleet. Boeing protested the contract, and with a ton of political maneuvering, was finally awarded the contract. It didn't hurt that Kansas Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts (who was on the Senate Committee on Armed Services at the time) put their political muscle on the line. Wichita and Sedgwick County have certainly worked with Boeing as far as tax incentives go, too.

There was a lot of political capital spent to get Boeing the contract, with stipulations that they would keep the jobs local. Clearly, the local officials feel screwed over.

Boeing probably best not appear hat in hand begging to be saved from the evils of the world any time real soon with any of the political principals involved. Just sayin.'

Seeing Things

2012-01-03T21:45:00.001-06:00

Guess what - long distance shots with my cell phone camera suck. While westbound on I70 this morning, some mirages were visible. Often, if you look across a valley, the mirages will rise above the horizon, showing elevators on past the valley itself. Grain elevators miles and miles away seem outsized and float above the ground. By the time I got the cell phone out, it was disappearing fast.

Click for larger for sure - to the left, what looks like a hill is actually the mirage, and as you go right, you can see blue sky between the top of the mirage and the horizon. Headed towards the Rockies, you can see the mountains rising far above the natural horizon, but out here, there just aren't any features as tall as it looks.

Stealing a Meme

2012-01-02T17:52:00.000-06:00

When one is looking for inspiration for posts, sometimes fellow bloggers make is pretty easy by starting a meme. This meme is from leeann at Look! A Baby Wolf! - so naturally I'm jumping right into something easily accomplished in a probable futile effort to be funny.

Take the first sentence from the first post of each month of 2011. That’s your year in review. Tattle on yourself with your link in the comments if you give it a shot, particularly if yours works out better.

January: It's pretty easy - I've found that resolving to do things like lose weight seem to be a losing proposition for me.

February: Sigh.

March: Some of our guys spent some time detailing Mike's truck so it could sit at the church today for his service.

April: Yep, it's all lollipops and unicorns!

May: Now I know.

June: I've got Scott Adam's Blog in my reader - and while he is of a decidedly liberal bent, as a businessman he certainly has some very provocative things to say:

July: Last night's Subway Jalapeno 250 winner was Joey Logano, while Danica Patrick earned tenth place, six places worse than her best Nationwide finish so far.

August: Believe me when I tell you there has been no danger of the gauge overflowing, unless the wind is right and it fills with dirt.

September: Ronaldus Maximus.

October: The Family can only afford one helmet and they put it on Jeffy?

November: Normally, Ted Rall and I are polar opposites on whatever issue he covers.

December: Clearly I live in a mentally unbalanced area.

Pretty mundane compared to leeann's enticing opening lines. She's warped, though. In a "damn, I'd like to drink a bunch of beers with her someday" kind of way.

Made Up My Mind

2012-01-02T17:28:00.000-06:00

About who I'm supporting in the Republican Presidential Primaries. Unfortunately, Mitt will probably prevail. He really is the second coming of Flipper. He claims to be more or less against the health bill, but since it's modeled after the one he helped put in place in Massachusetts, believing him seems very self destructive. Plus, I'm tending to believe his actions towards the issue of gun control rather than what he says now. The rest of the candidates? Flashes in the pan suffering from hoof in mouth disease. Honestly, I'm not sure how a candidate can overcome the liberal bent of the press, but they'd be advised to do better than the current bunch. I'm not sure how much hubris they have collectively, because it certainly seems to be that they think more highly of themselves than the rest of us.

I'd vote for Scott Adams, who has announced his candidacy on his blog (yeah, I know it's satire). A lot of what he says makes sense, but I cannot countenance his idea of using former President Bill Clinton as his primary advisor. I'd listen to him on the subject of picking up chubby chicks at titty bars, but not much else. I do know what my definition of is is. Just. Don't. Trust. Him.

That really doesn't leave much choice - I have voted for Alfred E. Neuman for various posts in the past, but he's not revealing much about what he supports or doesn't. So that leaves one candidate in the clear:

Kevin, the Lost Bunny of the Apocalypse, the Senator from Prickly City. His openness in supporting mayhem and destruction, plus selling his soul to the devil seems refreshing to me considering his spineless competition. Try to convince me Newt wouldn't sell his soul, if the devil would have it. Or any of the other candidates, for that matter. Kevin hates everyone, so charges of antisemitism, racism and bigotry will slide right off. His only flaw so far is that it was discovered that he actually does love his wife, and is faithful to her, when he was denying it all along. I can live with that.

Since voting against the Republican stream in Kansas is a waste of a vote, and then actually having any influence being from Kansas in the first place compared to the East and Left Coasts, I might as well sleep well at night for voting the way I did, knowing I didn't have to sell out once again voting for the lesser of two evils.

Shhhhhh. Don't Tell Anyone!

2011-12-31T12:35:00.000-06:00

On this, a New Year's Eve, after some ruminations about my lack of funds for living life in the manner to which I'd certainly love to become accustomed, I have decided to start a business venture. I'm telling y'all this now so perhaps I could include all my pals in the ensuing gravy train. Yes, our ship will come in, I'm sure. So far, my plan requires us to sacrifice some of our moral character, though. Your mileage may vary.

Well, Jeffro, what in the wild wild world of sports are you talkin' bout, dude?

It seems to me the quickest way to unlimited riches is to have government funding! Any old pie in the sky project works as long as you can convince someone in charge that the good you are doing is absolutely necessary to the survival of the world as we know it, or just the Democrat party (applies to the Stupid Party when they're in charge). Sex lives of minnows? We gotta know. However, that area of study doesn't seem to hold much monetary promise - just a few execs, several hundred grand on facilities, and some bucks for a janitor. That kind of thinking is far too small - we need something much larger and more suited to an administration looking hard for any sort of technological advances in green, renewable energy. The Big O is tossing money around like it's free (wait, it isn't? Who knew?) at renewable energy companies chasing highly suspect technology. After all, if you throw cubic dollars at it, surely someone, yeah, someone, will be able to break the code and give us some energy for nothing, Meanwhile, Teh Won is doing his part by demonizing contemporary energy sources and making them so expensive that the alternatives become more economically feasible and competitive, even if they fall short (rare earth production ecological damages in China, for instance, or having your brand spankin' new windmills calm on a hot day and no one has any power, much less A/C).

So the political climate is ripe for exploitation by like minded individuals. Like us. If we can get past a few moral obstacles.

Before we get into that, we have to decide what sort of company and the kind of technology we'll pursue. I think it would be totally appropriate (since this is basically a scam) to work on improving wind powered personal transportation devices (what we'll call 'em in public - but they'll just be cars with windmills on 'em). The liberal mindset seems to believe that feeding the hungry maw of innovation requires lots and lots of government bucks chasing every avenue, no matter the likelihood of success, so what would be better than a basically impossible tech exercise - a Perpetual Motion Machine in the form of a windmill powered car? We could spend billions attempting to make the perfect frictionless driveline, the perfect no loss power conversion from the windmill to the wheels, the perfect coefficient of drag body - the avenues for improvement of the technology is endless. Plus, initially (so we'd say, because the damn thing won't run without it), we'd have to have an alternative energy source to help propel the ~~thing~~ prototype. We're gonna have to carry some sort of battery, so we're screwing Gaea over right there already, but I think we can do better. We can take a page from the hybrid car model and use an internal combustion engine for the times when the wind isn't blowing and the battery is dead, or even if the wind is blowing the wrong way.

But we won't use evil petroleum derived energy for our internal combustion engine. No sir, we're gonna have to increase the satirical level of this ~~scam~~ business, so I recommend we consider distilled crushed baby seal heads. Now I have to admit, this is one of the moral dilemmas I've got with this ~~scheme~~ plan. Not sure I wanna kill baby seals, but I guarantee ya, the liberal press would never notice what we were using for alternative green power, just as long as it's alternative and green. We, of course, would have some sort of bullshit tech explanation for using that kind of fuel, how clean it was for the environment, plus how we'd cut that shit right out when we got the rest of the tech hurdles hurdled. It would be worth it, because one of our stated goals would be for the Personal Transportation Devices would be not only energy independence, but production as well. That's right, they'd crank out the kilowatts just sitting there, getting far more energy out than what could possibly be put in by a windmill. Once we had all that perfected, see, we wouldn't need the super clean IC crushed seal skull motors. So it would be totally worth it, dude. See what I did there?

So, this proposal would be an In Your Face, You Stoopid Idjuts scam, er - business proposal.

But wait, Jeffro, you say. You said there were a couple of moral problems, right? We're just seeing the seal pup head thing - where's the beef, Dude?

Well, unfortunately, the success of these ~~scams~~ business proposals utterly depends on political donations to the Democrat Party and it's members, most notably our President. Just ask Jeffrey Immelt. He's donated literal hours of printing press runs to Der Bingle and his pals, and GE is now one of the biggest recipients of government "green" largess. So part of our deal with the devil is going to include giving up some of the sweet .gov money to the current crooks in power.

So, there's that to deal with.

But, like they say in the late nite commercials - Act Now! This offer is due to expire without notice! Mail before midnight tonite!

The elections are coming soon. This scheme would work under Republican control, but we wouldn't have the extra added bonus of being completely shielded by the easily deluded press or the accolades of the green movement. Once the Stupid Party is involved, we'd have their taint and the greenies would automatically hate us, and might want to look at what's been swept under the carpeting, as it were. The press, always on the lookout for an Elephantine scandal, would be all over us in short order.

No, the time to strike is now, if we have the stomach for it. As always, suggestions are welcome and encouraged!

The Care and Feeding of Blue Flame Heaters

2011-12-30T20:40:00.000-06:00

I think I mentioned coming home to a cold house the other day because my heater had failed to keep running. Frankly, it was due to my extreme laziness and perpetual avoidance of preparedness. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, dammit. Well, that's just foolish if you rely on a thing for a very important service, like, for instance, keeping YOUR WHOLE HOUSE WARM WHEN IT'S BELOW FREEZING OUTSIDE. Just a thought.

Ventless blue flame heaters are a very cost effective and fairly economical way to keep a room warm. However, it should be noted that they are not vented and in some locales, installation in a house without some sort of venting capacity is illegal. Don't rely on my advice whether to get one or not if it's illegal for you to use one. Just sayin'. Plus, I'm not taking any responsibilities for any actions any of you might take after reading this article. Remember, this is an explosive gas we're working with, and if something breaks or fails, it ain't my fault.

At any rate, they work great when everything is up to snuff, not so great if something is out of whack. Since purchasing this unit, I've had several HVAC types tell me the radiant heat varieties are better because they aren't so picky or service oriented. I really don't know, and further more, I'm gonna run this one until it craps out and buy something new. Parts are available, but not locally, so if it quits, I'm gonna want something in it's place tout suite. I might consider a radiant heater at that time.

What makes the blue flame so picky is that there has to be air introduced into the propane stream in both the burner and the pilot in order for it to function properly. End of story. Ok, Jeffro, you say, what does that mean?

If you've hooked your unit up with a standard yellow gas flex hose, there probably is enough slack to turn the thing over and look underneath (keep in mind that the line has only so many flexes in it's life). Otherwise, you'll have to crawl under it and look up. You'll see the pilot assembly roughly in the center, and it will look something like this picture above. My pilot air inlet is round and considerably smaller, and there is a wire mesh in the very end of the pilot assembly, where the flame runs. If you are like me and have a cat, plus are an indifferent housekeeper, all this is going to have cat hair and cobwebs interfering with the air flow into the assembly. This will shut off the unit and the pilot light. If you come home and your pilot light is out, you can get it relit, and after a while get the burner to going, and then seconds later - click - the whole thing shuts down, well, a dirty pilot assembly is probably the culprit. If the air is obstructed in any way, the pilot light doesn't burn at the proper temperature, nor is it as long as normal. It looks weak.

All you have to do is use a can of compressed or "computer" air, and be sure to get the straw for extending the nozzle. Spray around the end and in the air inlet for sure. I even took the gas line off and blew in from that end to make sure the mesh end gets cleaned out.

When this happened, I did not have any full cans of air. All I had was some carb cleaner. While that is an excellent solvent, it does nothing to cat hairs or cobwebs, and may even make things worse by matting them to block the air. Just use air, and if you have an air compressor with a long hose, so much the better, just be aware that oily air isn't going to help, and lots of air pressure could damage delicate parts. Air from a can is at about the right pressure, and it takes very little.

Okay, next up is the burner chamber - the blue flames dance over the slits in the tube. If your flames start getting longer and have yellow tips, you'll also probably notice that your stove is cranking out some soot. Not good. You may even hear a "guttering" noise, look over and see yellow flames with the inlet on fire with a yellow flame. This is a very big clue that it needs cleaning as well. To get it to stop, I just shut the gas down, and wait for the flame on the intake to go out, then fire it up again. Temp fix only, though.

Part number eight is the tube burner. You may notice the one end is wide open, except for a smaller inner flange - sort of like a lid with a hole in it. The mounting brackets space the nozzle (part 17) away from the burner, being locked into place by a mounting nut (part 28). The gas line (part 14) feeds the nozzle.

In order to get the clean burn, the propane must be premixed with atmospheric air, so that is why there is a spacing between the nozzle and the burner, and why the burner has a flange, etc. This area is also extremely vulnerable to cobwebs and cat hair, and the nozzle can get coated with carbon from that stuff burning onto it. At any rate, using the canned air cleans that crap out of there fairly well with the straw bent in a manner to reach some of the hidden areas. The tendency of the 'puter air can to blow wet actually helps here - it's enough of a solvent to help clean off the carbon.

I'm sure at some point, I'm gonna have to pull the burner unit out and really go to town on it to clean it up. I have done that before, taking it out to my air compressor. There is a carbon buildup around the gas slits, and it sure seemed that the inside would load up. That is a project more suited to warmer times, as your stove won't be running while you go after the carbon with some more serious solvents. It's gonna have to dry completely before reinstallation and burning gas with the remains of solvents still within.

So, pay attention to what your stove is telling you and you'll be fine. If none of these things work, then your stove has problems beyond what I know, and you will either be replacing the stove or certain parts that I do not posses the knowledge to diagnose the particulars. This advice is offered with the understanding that I'm not responsible for any of your actions, because I'm not there to control the outcome. I accept no liability for any actions any of you might take. If you have doubts, call a service person.

New Years Resolutions

2011-12-30T11:40:00.000-06:00

Once again, it's time for thinking of New Years Resolutions. We always go back over our faults and pick out the most egregious societal violations that should we manage to improve, well, life would be nothing but rainbows, lollipops and unicorns.

Yeah, right.

I'm here to tell ya, I'm sick and tired of trying to change to suit the world. The world never acknowledges my efforts nor my successes in the areas of self improvement. Nor does it comfort me when I fall short of my goals. The world surely seems to be quite unable to give a rat's ass what I think, say or do in that regard.

With this in mind, I'm announcing that from now on, there will be no more New Years Resolutions coming from this fat boy. Nope, I'm not conforming to suit a bunch of rude sunsabitches that have no common courtesy. Screw 'em all, I'm sick of it.

Nope, the world is gonna have to change to accommodate me, by God. I'm too tubby for ya? Well, screw you. Too crabby? Up yours. Too poor? Eat me. My anti-social behavior getting under your skin? Good. Shows me I'm on the right track.

Y'all can take your Hallmark Moments Resolutions and put 'em where the sun don't shine. Not gonna play no more.

Needs Something

2011-12-30T10:30:00.000-06:00

Great idea, but I'd add clowns to the list. Damn clowns bring down property values each and every time, I tell ya.

The Strange Disappearance

2011-12-29T13:06:00.000-06:00

Earnest wasn't sure anymore if he had lost his mind.

It all started a couple of years ago when he first noticed the sparkly lights. He was driving home in the frigid embrace of new fallen snow when the specks appeared in his peripheral vision. They almost seemed like fireflies to Earnest, but it was just too cold for them. He told himself it was just reflected glints of light off the crystalline snow, and his tired eyes just added the motion. However, that did not explain the distant humming he heard.

They started appearing in broad daylight, floating around his head to torment him like buzzing mosquitoes. Often one might see Earnest swatting at his visions to no avail.

Of course, the finest specialists were consulted and the latest tests were administered. CAT scans, MRIs, extensive blood work, allergists, opthamologists and endocrinologists were all called upon to diagnose Earnest's problem, and failed. No sign of brain tumors, no chemical imbalance, no nutritional deficiencies, no vision problems, nada, zip. Even an extended stay at Rochester found nothing.

And yet the lights continued and in fact increased.

Earnest could see the sidelong glances directed at him. He could just catch the whispers - crazy as a bed bug, wasting our time, belongs in a nuthouse.

He used to joke about the long sleeved white canvas shirt that tied behind his back, but lately he wasn't so sure. Could he be going nuts? The buzzing got louder all the time, the swarms of lights more intense, more frequent and more dense.

He could see the toll in the mirror. The face that he'd seen thousands of times shaving was now lined and drawn, the stubble now turning gray from a dark brown. The dark bags under his eyes belied the lack of sleep. His temples were becoming "distinguished."

What could it mean? Why him? No one answered Earnest in the still of the night. Isolated and alone, he faced the ordeal as a single entity. Thoughts of suicide even entered Earnest's thoughts. Perhaps the classic "swallowing the pistol" would silence the swarms. Or driving into a wall at high speed - he didn't want to hurt anyone by crashing head on into traffic - just to quiet the torment.

Suddenly, the swarms were back, and more intense than ever. Swirling about his head, extending for yards, the buzzing so loud Earnest thought he would scream and never stop - *Pop*!

Leaving an acrid, burned wire insulation wisp of an odor behind, Earnest disappeared from this plane of existence, never to be seen again.

Julie was driving her husband home after the hockey game. "Look at the pretty lights, honey!"

"Uh, what lights? I don't see any lights?!?!"

I've Been Fortunate

2011-12-29T12:25:00.001-06:00

Jess at Scratching to Escape has a thought provoking post up today about horrific highway accidents to remind us to be careful on the roads today.

In all my years over the road and all the miles I've seen, I have to say that fortune has preceded me. Never have run up on a bad accident. Yeah, I've gone through the temporary one lane road and seen the carnage written in glass and steel, and what none of us want to see covered with blue plastic tarps. Never have I encountered one of these scenes fresh after it happened.

Which bothers me not.

Of course, I've heard stories. One in particular haunts me to this day, just because I can see it in my mind's eye.

One of my trucking buddies had just started as an owner operator hauling grain, and was following his lease owner (the original "Tubby Trucker") on their way to get another load west of Jetmore, KS on K156 highway. They were behind a cow hauler - all three easing along eastbound. There is a bad intersection where if one pulls up to the stop sign, one cannot really see what is coming from the west. If you stay back a ways, there is a rise where the traffic can be seen, but once yer in the hole, forget it.

An elderly school bus driver found himself in that hole, and pulled out directly in front of the cow hauler. With a load of children. Of course, there were questions about his ability to drive and why he was allowed to drive a bus in the first place, but all that was just arguments after the fact. The cabover truck t-boned the bus and split it open.

My two fellow drivers were unable to shut down, and had to drive through the mess.

My buddy "Rhubarb" is a man of few words. All he said was: "Jeff, I had to try to dodge pieces of kids. I'll never be able to forget that."

Well, my friend, neither have I.

Stubborn

2011-12-28T20:40:00.000-06:00

Did I ever mention that my father was stubborn? And perhaps I might, just might have inherited that characteristic from him?

Dad was a farmer/stockman. Often, they will become enamored of one brand of truck, tractor or whatever beyond logic. Some will only buy Fords, some a certain brand of fencing, or a certain brand of tractors.

Dad was a J.I.Case man, through and through. The above picture is of a Case 930 Comfort King. Comfortable? It was as comfortable as about any other vehicle with no suspension other than a swinging front axle, riding over rough ground. It was a Case, which meant the engine and transaxle were joined together to form the tractor - there was no frame what so ever. This particular model was a naturally aspirated motor - so it did not have a turbo. The transmission was all manual - it was pre Power Shift all the way. It cranked out about 80hp out of 400 cubic inches. It was a 1967 model.

Our next tractor was a 1974 Case 1070. I loved that tractor. The space age styling, the solid cab (for it's day) with the decent air conditioner and wonder of wonders - the cab was quiet enough to actually hear a radio! Whoooweee! Livin' large now! It sported a 450 cubic inch naturally aspirated motor and the tranny was a four speed with a three speed power shift. Pretty kewl.

Case tended to use large cubic inch motors for their power - the idea being that superior torque would carry the day. They had a reputation for being fairly fuel efficient as well. Another of their characteristics was a coarse cored radiator - the fins were spread fairly far apart. One could hose out the radiator core to clean the dirt and debris out.

But, no matter the brand, you've got to have dealer support. Meaning, your dealer had better keep a good selection of commonly needed parts for your heap, or you will be parked when you need to be running. This dealer had also better be willing to actually work on the things and stand behind them, or you will be paying a lot of mileage to a distant dealer to do the same work the local one fails at.

Dad's local Case dealer basically deserted his market - he decided the small farmer was not the way to go, and just wanted to service the big ones. It was very clear after several years.

When the extremely painful but obvious truth that Dad just wasn't going to get any service from that dealer, he finally bit the bullet and bought a John Deere. They do happen to have the largest and best equipped dealer network for farm equipment extant, now as then. So, he bought a 1977 4430 - four speed with a powershift tranny. This tractor was rated considerably higher than either of the old Cases - close to 110 hp.

Dad's collection of implements were definitely dated, too. He really needed to upgrade to larger stuff with the increasingly more powerful tractors, but he never did. So, we ended up with some too small implements for the tractor we had.

Plus, this JD was different. Horsepower was obtained by fuel and turbocharging - this tractor's block was about the same size as the old 930 - right at 400 cubes. This meant the cooling system had to be more efficient. Which also meant that the radiator had a much finer core, with more fins and tubes closely spaced together. Dad was used to hosing out his radiators, but he was told repeatedly that was not a good idea on a John Deere by plenty of people. One of my neighbors brings his tractor home every evening, and blows out the radiator, all over the tractor, and the cab with A/C filters. He also waxes 'em, so his prep could be considered a bit excessive.

Farm implements are designed to run at certain speeds - generally in the four to five and a half mph range. Disks are especially picky - too fast and they'll ride right out of the ground, and toss the dirt unevenly. Dad's old Cases had their sweet spot in a certain gear wide open. He used to tell me "Pull 'er ears back and get to work" - meaning to pull the steering column mounted throttle on the old 930 to the rear, wide open in fourth gear. It needed to be wide open to run fast enough and to pull the load. The 1070 would run in second gear in the second hole of the three speed powershift - the first hole was useful for when it pulled down, and the third was just too fast, and it wouldn't pull the load most of the time anyways.

However, in a tractor with a bit more power, the way to save fuel is to run it in a higher gear throttled back. When the load increases, the fuel pumps will try to maintain that rpm by increasing the fuel, and with a turbo, the pressure increases and away you go. This helps the tractor run cooler and with less strain on the components as a side benefit. With a very flexible powershift tranny - if it pulls too hard, just drop a gear and crank 'er open for a while.

But not Dad. His radiators had always been cleaned with a garden hose, and his tractors were supposed to be run wide open in a particular gear. End of story. He hated that Deere before he got it - it wasn't a Case.

Oh yeah. That Deere wasn't the tractor that ol' 1070 was. Ran hot all day, drank fuel like crazy, too much glass in the cab, not enough leg room, hard to enter and exit - you name it, there was something wrong. Granted, I agreed with him on the lack of legroom, but I think I've still got dented knee caps from the stylish instrument panel protruding edges in the 1070 (and every other 70 series Case).

At any rate, several years went by, and I was employed off the farm. I never did run that 4430 until Dad had to be hospitalized, and I had to do his fieldwork. I jumped in the old tractor and sure enough, it ran hot. So, since we didn't have an air compressor big enough, I drove it to a neighbor's and spent over an hour blowing chunks of dirt out of that radiator. Dad would hose 'er out, then run to the field and fill the radiator with dirt catching in the wet radiator. I also got a bunch of straw and other debris out. After I got back to the field and hooked up, I selected a higher gear and throttled the motor back so I was running the proper ground speed.

That cab was quiet. The motor just chuckled along, and if it encountered a pull, the turbo started to sing a tune and yank that implement right along. I also didn't have to fuel so soon that afternoon, either.

Of course, I reported this to Dad. He seemed pretty non committal about the whole thing - the tractor was, after all, a John Deere and not worth his thinking about it too much. I think he did finally stop hosing out the radiator, which was a source of irritation to his friends who had advised him to use air and were ignored.

To make a living off the land, one must be stubborn. But, one must be an effective businessman as well. I, too, am something of a traditionalist, but it always seemed to me that if the tradition cost money above and beyond, maybe, just maybe, that kind of thinking needed to be revisited for validity.

My grandfather ran Case tractors, which was really the reason for my father's slavish devotion. I didn't inherit that kind of thinking. Frankly, were I farming, I could give a rat's ass what color the hood might be on my tractor - as long as I had a dealer who supported it. As a rule, Deeres are more expensive. They also have greater resale value, and they have the best dealer network. Period. This might piss off some Long Green Line fanbois out there, but they aren't always the best piece of equipment. Having all those dealers with parts in inventory does cost money, though, which is why the greater cost. Nowadays, we have several brands that are well supported in this area, so the choices are greater and the costs perhaps can be reduced.

So, I'll never understand my father's extreme stubbornness that actually cost him time and money.

Follow Me, Where I Go

2011-12-27T19:42:00.000-06:00

H/T Eddie

The Reason for the Season

2011-12-26T20:16:00.000-06:00

link

Just how festive can Jolly Old Nick get???

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T20:29:00.000-06:00

I'm sure the Chinese peasants who toiled over the manufacturing of this "tree" were just as full of Christmas spirit as a Tweetin' Alec Baldwin prevented from playing a game on his phone.

At any rate, I've got a lot of things to be grateful for this holiday. We got some snow while I was off in North Dakota - not sure how much but at least a foot. Hasn't even begun to melt - it's real heavy and gonna soak in slow, just like we like it. Friday night, my house greeted me with a rather unfriendly chill - my blue flame propane heater had decided not to run. Turns out it just needed some judicious cleaning with some 'puter air in a can. Of course, I'd used up my supply on - 'puter keyboards and blowing out cooling vents in the ol' laptop. I got the thing running Saturday morning, and then got ready to drive to OK to Sis's house today - just too pooped to pop Saturday.

Got all the required phone calls to relatives in, and have been watching the Duke on AMC. ABC had How The Grinch Stole Christmas on tonight, so we absolutely had to watch that! Sis has that damn show memorized even better than me! "Little Cindy Lou Who, who was no more than two" indeed!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope yours was a good one!

You Have Termites In Your Smile

2011-12-24T22:25:00.000-06:00

link Better version here, embed is disabled.

So, what is your favorite Christmas show? Pretty obvious what I like! It's really a toss up between How The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas, due in large part to the song Linus and Lucy.

Linus and Lucy - Click here for more blooper videos

To think actual jazz was utilized in a kid's Christmas show. The horror. The horror.

N! S!

2011-12-22T20:49:00.000-06:00

Yep.

At The Super C-Store

2011-12-20T19:51:00.000-06:00

In Belle Fourche, SD. I think this could be classified as commercial folk art. Heh.

Stupid Tax

2011-12-19T19:06:00.000-06:00

I will be paying it.

On the way home last week, the Mighty Binder started flashing the "check engine" light. Everything still ran fine - the software didn't derate the motor, but it could happen at any time. Derating is when the 'puter decides that in the interest of preserving the motor from severe damage, power is reduced considerably. One can limp for a few miles to a shop, then it's all over and time to get fixed.

I pulled up the code (you can do that in trucks, as opposed to the OBDII for cars requiring a reader) and called it in to my supervisor. Navistar claimed it was a Caterpillar code, and the CAT boys claimed it had to be an IHC code. I Googled it, and it looks like the CAT boys win - it has to do with a sender that measures barometric pressure, or the circuit it is in.

So, this morning, it was off to the closest International shop - in Dodge City. I, however, was in an extra truck. It's another 9900i almost identical to mine, but it's black, and the paint has literally fried on it. IHC really picked up some lousy black paint that year. The paint on my hot rod looks new.

Anyways, my load wasn't ready this morning and I had to wait. The original plan was to make it to Belle Fourche, SD on our way to the Bakken in ND. It was windy as hell and a hard pull, and I had to stop for fuel in Valentine because the mileage was so bad. But, the wind slacked off, and I'd been discovering that this truck didn't run like a slug - it really got down to bidness. It felt way more lively, seemed to accelerate faster, and it showed another ten to twelve pounds on the boost gauge. So, it pulled pretty good, and I was trying to take advantage and make up time.

All of which I lost when I met the South Dakota State Trooper north of Mission, SD. Seventy seven in a sixty five zone. I got written up for ten over rather than twelve, which will help things considerably, but it's still a $105 fine - and I'm not sure if that includes court costs yet.

Didn't even come close to making Belle Fourche, either.

Sigh.

From the Road Again

2011-12-18T21:20:00.000-06:00

I've been pretty slack in posting, but after you hear my ~~excuses~~ story maybe you'll find it in yer heart to forgive me.

Five of us went to Woodburn, OR - which is just south of Portland. I'd never been that far west before, even considering a trip to California several years ago. Of course I took a few pictures - usually at 75mph, or in Communist Oregon - about 60mph, since their truck speed limit is still 55mph. Sheesh, even Communist Illinois has raised their truck limit to 65mph. Get a clue, Oregon!

Well, before we got to Oregon, we had to traverse Wyoming along I80. One of the neat features is the Lincoln Highway Memorial located at exit 323 east of Laramie. It has a bust of Abe's head perched on a pedestal, and was originally placed on the highest point of the old Lincoln Highway. It's pretty much the highest point on I80 right now.

A slightly better view from the eastbound side. Westbound - I kinda had my hands full trying to pass a slow chicken hauler, go around a curve, and drive seventy five.

This is dropping down into a little valley where I80 heads south and I84 splits to the north. Clearly, there is no chance of going straight ahead. The valley and pass that I84 follows on the way to the north side of Salt Lake City also has a small river and a railroad located within the confines. The river is full of rapids, and during the summer, one can ride on rental rafts. Not for this fat boy, thank you very much!

This is part of the climb up Cabbage Hill on I84 between La Grande and Pendleton, OR. Technically, Cabbage is the west side and this climb has another name, but to an ignernt trucker such as myself, it's all the same and it's known nationally as "Cabbage Hill," regardless of what the locals call it.

I've posted about these forests before - this is a stand of Pacific Albus (hybrid) near Boardman, OR along I84.

Not long after running over the fairly flat farm plains of north central Oregon, I84 drops into "The Gorge" and runs along the banks of the Columbia River. It also serves as the state border with Washington. There are several locks along the way, and we did see a few barges.

Another sweeping view of the road and how it follows the winding river.

Sometimes the edge of the Gorge is deep, tall, and close to the water.

And here I am eastbound out of Cheyenne getting close to the Nebraska border, where the town of Pine Bluffs, WY is located. Why do you suppose they named their town that? Heh.

And just as a bonus - a truckin' story. When I was between Laramie and Rawlins, I saw a Wyoming State Trooper with a truck on "my side" as I went by. I wasn't breaking any laws, was empty, and all my paperwork (as far as I knew) was up to snuff. So, imagine my surprise and unease when the trooper appeared rather suddenly in my mirrors with the disco lights on.

I pulled over, and retrieved my license and all my truck registration papers, which are kept in a fabric notebook, and waited for the officer to come to my door. Sure enough, she wanted that, my physical card, and all kinds of other stuff. I had a pretty hard time understanding her, because she definitely had an accent that said rather loudly "Not From Here." She asked me where I'd delivered, so I told her. She asked if I had come across Wyoming loaded, and if I'd purchased a permit. I had, so she wanted to see it. She wanted to see my last two fuel receipts. I had those, plus my first one was purchased in Wyoming, if she needed that. Nope, just the last two. My logbook was also needed. Plus my trailer registration. We keep our trailer registration papers on the trailer in sealed containers, so I had to fish it out. It was also about fifteen degrees outside as well. I was having problems fishing out my fuel receipts from my packet in the wind, so she invited me to sit in her back seat momentarily. She was driving a Dodge Charger. The front seat was completely full of electronics - most notably the laptop placed at a strategic angle above all the other stuff in the right seat. The back seat was separated from the rest of the car by a wire mesh divider that separated the back half of the seat and the front compartment. I expect a midget could fit in - when I sat down, I could not get my head under the roof nor get my legs in the absolutely no legroom space. My knees were ten inches too far out, and my head was about eye level with the roof. I doubt the Dodge Charger will ever be a choice for personal transportation for this fat boy, cuz I'd never fit.

At any rate, Ms All Business took pity on me and told me to wait in my cab. Ten or fifteen minutes later, she came up to the driver's door and told me she wanted me to open my right door so she could climb in. I laughed, saying the right side of my cab had more junk than her car! She asked me to open the window - she'd hang off the mirror and hand me back my stuff and have me sign the paperwork, etc. After she clambered up (she was certainly well insulated from all the cold - her face was the only feature of hers exposed), she determined that would not work. I suggested we meet at the front of the truck, at least we could understand each other slightly out of the wind there. That was indeed the ticket, so that's what we did.

I had passed with flying colors, and just needed to sign two copies of the inspection sheet, and make sure my copy was handed over to my company. They are required to keep those. So, now that she was friendlier since I wasn't Joe Lawbreaker, I asked - "You sure don't sound like you are from around here!" She replied that was the case; she was originally from Argentina.

There has to be quite a story there, and I'd sure have enjoyed the chance to hear it first hand. I rather suspect the amount of female Argentinian Wyoming State Patrol officers could be counted on one finger. But, it was on down the road for both of us. It took me another five minutes to get all the paperwork back into the proper places before I could go on - she took off with the Dodge V8 singing it's tune through the exhaust pipes, hammer down.

Perhaps you noticed, or maybe you didn't. Was there any sort of probable cause to pull me over?

Nope, there was not.

How can they do that?

Because I and my truck are subject to laws that suborns my individual rights to the rights of the public expecting "safety" from the behemoths of the road. By far and large, most accidents involving trucks and "four wheelers" are determined to be the fault of the owner operators of the personal conveyance vehicles. Logic would indicate that drivers of cars might, just might be subject to greater scrutiny, but since they outnumber us dumb truckers in the voting department, we're screwed.

So if using using cell phones in any wheeled conveyance on public roads is banned, don't expect any sympathy from me. Y'all let me dangle on that and so many other issues a long time ago.

Important Information You Must See

2011-12-15T20:28:00.000-06:00

You can thank me later.

H/T Louis

Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-12T20:14:00.000-06:00

Who wouldn't go?

I Want One

2011-12-11T15:31:00.000-06:00

Yannow, lots of us carp about bad manners, entitlement mentalities and such quite a bit. So, if you're not into hearing about me bitching about those subjects, this post ain't gonna be for you.

I help moderate a private page on Facebook. The subject of the page really doesn't matter to this discussion, so I'm not gonna say anything about that. Just as an aside, going off topic here - Facebook should make these little group pages more like a forum. The organization is far better, and finding information is much, much easier. Plus, it's easier to post rules as well. Turns out we needed some in place.

Part of the fun of this page is going back in time to our childhoods. Now, that can be bittersweet - not all memories are positive for a lot of people. It sure isn't for me, so I can relate. There has been a lot of pain exposed on this page, and for some people, it's been therapeutic. It wasn't all lollipops and unicorns for many of us, and venting helps.

But for others it has been an excuse to malign others in the group. Their agenda is to get even for being picked on as children, and the justification is that they were, in fact, picked on. There should be no other justification necessary - being bullied gives them a special status that shields them from any responsibilities or adhering to some sort of societal norm. Cross the line? So what? Move on? Never! They now have the right to vent about their pain any time any place and name names. Plus, they can deliberately be mean and catty to others who had no involvement with their childhood just because of the pain they suffered as a child from bullying.

Now let's look at another facet of life - dating. I'm certainly a poster child for failure there - I finally got tired of the mind games and just quit. With my health the way it is, I have little to offer physically anymore, plus I'm so set in my ways and irascible, you best not cross me. Just. Don't. Take. It. Anymore.

Specifically, I got tired of being lied to. When I was on a date and everything seemed to go well, and the evening ended on a good note, and my companion suggested that I call her to do this again? Well, I took that seriously. If they really wanted to go out with me again - cool! Let's do it! Conversely, I'm a big boy and can take rejection. If they thought being with me was like pulling teeth, then by all means, just say no. Be honest. I was, and will be, and I expect the same in return.

Boy, have I ever been disappointed there. Got the phone number from the parties in question. I was told to call later in the week. I did. I left a message. I'd never hear back.

Okay, I can take a hint, but it's just freaking rude. If someone has changed their mind, fine. If they had no use for me, fine. I've dealt with that before. Never went batshit crazy or even close.

So I developed a "three strikes" rule mostly for myself. I'd call the second time, and remind the person that I'd been invited to call, and this was the second time I'd called with no response. I'd say I did have a good time on the date and thought it might be fun to try to repeat. Even if I'd figured I was tossed under the bus, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. The third phone call? That's when I'd burn the bridges - I mentioned this was the third time, I wasn't going to call anymore, and I wanted nothing from them nor cared what they thought any more. If they didn't have the good manners to be honest with me, or misled me from the start, or changed their minds - no matter. I had no use for that kind of behavior. How the hell can you have any sort of relationship with someone who lies? Not for this fat boy.

Often, I'd run into one of their friends later. "Oh, you just have to remember, she just came off a bad relationship with so and so, the asshole, so she's afraid." Oh, she's still touchy about the messy divorce from her abusive alcoholic ex hubby and that's why she did that to you." You see, the bad behavior of someone in their past justified the ill treatment I received.

So, let's get this straight. If someone dumps all over you in the past, that means you now have the right to dump all over someone else in the present, manners, good taste and honesty be damned. You, the aggrieved party, now have an escape clause to treat people like shit.

Like the Get Out of Jail Free Card from Monopoly. Mkay, but I have some questions. How does one apply for this card? Is it rewarded by a divorce judge?

"I hereby decree the petitioner is allowed a "Hurt in the Past Card" that relieves the petitioner of any moral responsibilities in future dealings with the opposite sex."

So, is this thing like a frequent shopper card? X number of punches and it's no good anymore? Or is there some sort of tribunal where one applies for a renewal? Or is this card good for life no matter what? Is this card only good for relationships? Perhaps there is another card available for those who were bullied as children? How long is that one good for? What are the restrictions, if any? How about transfers? Can you use it in handicapped parking? Why not - this person was unfairly hurt in their past, surely some good parking at Wal Mart is the least we can do to make their lives better now. For that matter, why shouldn't the card get you a pass in the "15 Items or Less Line" as well? I mean, c'mon! This person was hurt in the past.

I can see all kinds of situations where this card would be handy. Long line at the DMV? Not for a "Hurt in the Past" card holder. Ten percent discounts at participating merchants? Good enough for the AARP, good enough for our card holders. Denny's could offer a free meal on the anniversary of the card's award date, or the day the divorce was final, or whatever. Nothing would be too good for the members.

Why not being excused for perjury? Why the hell not? It's supposedly socially acceptable to be untruthful in certain social situations or to be a complete dick in public if your past contains pain, why shouldn't these pore people be excused from being honest in court? That's right, yell "Fire" in the theater all you want, baybee. We understand.

This story has been making the rounds lately - LeaAnn and Ace linked to it. Basically - it was a guy who met a gal for a concert - the original gal backed out for some reason, and this one took her place as a sort of blind date, and he basically stalked her. As I understand it, he spent some serious effort to find her email address and her phone number, and then gave her a critique on "twirling her hair" among other things. The kicker was the 1600 word email he sent her.

That is the flip side of bad behavior - the guy was reading more into their "date" than was really there, and then went on a stalking spree. Not for this fat boy, either. Like I said, three strikes and they're outta here. I'm not wasting any more time on 'em, and looking back, I shoulda probably went with two strikes. The second call was to be polite, and like I said - the third was for me to burn bridges.

Apparently, I've expected too much from people. I should be satisfied with getting tossed under the bus for convenience sake, and I should realize that pain justifies treating people like shit. Silly me.

Bleak House, or Cows Gotta Eat Anyways

2011-12-11T13:54:00.000-06:00

This is the sight that greeted me yesterday morning. We get heavy frosts, but generally the wind is blowing hard enough that it doesn't build up like it did here. The wind was beginning to fire up, so it looked like it was snowing. Alas, it was just the frost coming off the trees. The ground was littered with little crystalline feathers, all spiky and sharp looking. Obviously, this didn't bother the cattle, who were grazing away contentedly.

Then it warmed up and all of this was gone - just a memory of the illusion of moisture remains.

Yessir

2011-12-11T13:45:00.000-06:00

That tree has to go.

Ab So Freaking Lutely

2011-12-09T21:22:00.000-06:00

I thought he was gonna move to Canada if W. was elected. Huh.

Ain't Technology Great?

2011-12-07T20:54:00.000-06:00

Yippee KiYay!

Stolen from The Overnight Open Thread at Ace's

Live TV

2011-12-06T19:33:00.000-06:00

link

Check out the little boy on Ford's right (our left). Think he was getting into the music?

H/T MoK

After a Trip Through

2011-12-04T14:22:00.000-06:00

link

The Estrogena Seven Anomaly.

Don't Bother Me

2011-12-03T21:41:00.000-06:00

I'm studying.

Going Downhill

2011-12-02T11:07:00.000-06:00

Jeffy was just having trouble tying his shoes. Now he can't even tell if he's got them on the correct feet.

Twighlight

2011-12-01T21:57:00.000-06:00

Clearly I live in a mentally unbalanced area.

H/T Ace

The Centennial World Tour

2011-11-30T13:45:00.000-06:00

If you are a 1911 fanboi as the proprietor of this here joint is, you might find this article worth reading. It really has nothing in it that most who worship at the altar of JMB (pbuh and a moment of silence, please) don't already know, but it's good readin' none the less.

Congrats!

2011-11-29T12:03:00.000-06:00

The ubiquitous GM small block is approaching a rather significant milestone - the 100 millionth example will be produced sometime today:

WIXOM, Mich.– General Motors today will build its 100-millionth small-block engine – 56 years after the first production small block – representing an engineering legacy that continues to deliver greater performance and efficiency through advanced technology.

Chevrolet introduced the small-block in 1955 and the production milestone comes in the same month the brand marked its 100th anniversary. The small-block engine has been used in GM vehicles around the world and is currently found in global Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac vehicles, as well as Vauxhall in the United Kingdom and Holden in Australia.
“The small block is the engine that brought high-performance to the people,” said David Cole, founder and emeritus chairman of Center for Automotive Research – and whose father, the late Ed Cole, was the chief engineer at Chevrolet and oversaw development of the original small block engine. “There is an elegant simplicity in its design that made it instantly great when new enables it to thrive almost six decades later.”

The milestone engine is a 638-horsepower supercharged LS9 small block – the power behind the 205-mph Corvette ZR1 – which is hand-built at GM’s Performance Build Center, northwest of Detroit. It represents the fourth generation of the small block and is the most powerful engine ever built by GM for a regular-production car. GM will preserve the engine as part of its historical collection.

The small block has been adapted in almost innumerable ways throughout the auto industry and beyond. Updated versions of the original Gen I engine are still in production for marine and industrial applications, while “crate engine” versions offered by Chevrolet Performance are used by thousands of enthusiasts every year to build hot rods. The 4.3L V-6 used in some Chevrolet and GMC full-size trucks and vans is based on the small-block, too, but with two fewer cylinders. All of these versions contribute to the small block’s 100-million production milestone.

“This tremendous achievement celebrates an engineering triumph that has reached around the globe and created an industrial icon,” said Sam Winegarden, executive director and group global functional leader - Engine Engineering. “And while the small-block’s enduring design has proven adaptable to meet performance, emissions and refinement challenges over the years, it has more importantly delivered them with greater efficiency.”

Current small blocks engines feature all-aluminum cylinder block and heads in car and many truck applications to help save weight and contribute to greater fuel economy. Many applications feature fuel-saving technologies such as Active Fuel Management – which shuts down four cylinders in certain light-load driving conditions – and camshaft phasing, which continuously alters valve timing to optimize performance, efficiency and emissions.

The 430-horsepower (476 kW) LS3 version of the Gen-IV small-block helps the 2012 Corvette accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about four seconds, run the quarter-mile in just over 12 seconds and achieve a top speed of more than 180 mph – all while achieving EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 26 mpg. That compares favorably against many sports and performance cars.

snip

In the beginning
GM didn’t invent the V-8 engine, but interpreted it in a way that made performance accessible to millions of new customers. It got its start in the years following World War II, after Chief Engineer Ed Cole transferred to Chevrolet from Cadillac, where he oversaw the development of its premium V-8 engine.

Cole’s team retained the basic overhead valve design that was a staple of Chevrolet’s inline-six engine – affectionately called the Stovebolt. It was seen as one of the Chevrolet car line’s selling points, reinforcing a message of simplicity and reliability. Cole challenged his engineers to tighten the new engine package to make it more compact, less costly and easier to manufacture.
Upon its debut in the 1955 Chevy lineup, the new V-8 engine was physically smaller, 50 pounds lighter and more powerful than the Stovebolt six. It was not only a better engine for Chevrolet cars, it represented a better way of building engines, with a minimalist design that took advantage of streamlined production techniques.

After only two years on the market, the small-block began a steady march upward in displacement, power and technological advancement. In 1957, a version equipped with mechanical fuel injection was introduced, dubbed Ramjet. The only other high-volume manufacturer to offer fuel injection at the time was Mercedes-Benz.

Mechanical fuel injection was discontinued in the mid-Sixties, but the small-block debuted electronically controlled fuel injection in the 1980s and established a benchmark with the 1985 launch of Tuned Port Injection. This electronically controlled port fuel injection system was advanced in its day and its basic design is still used on most passenger cars and light-duty trucks more than 25 years later.

The small-block’s 4.4-inch bore centers – the distance from the center of one cylinder to the next – would come to symbolize the compact, balanced performance of the small-block. It was the dimension around which the Gen III small-block was designed in 1997. In 2011, the small-block is in its fourth generation, powering Chevrolet’s full-size trucks, SUVs and vans, midsize trucks and the Camaro and Corvette performance cars.

The first 4.3L (265 cu. in.) engine in 1955 produced up to 195 hp with an optional four-barrel carburetor. Today, the LS9 6.2L (376 cu. in.) supercharged small-block in the Corvette ZR1 is rated at 638 hp (476 kW), making it the most powerful engine ever installed in a regular-production Chevrolet or GM vehicle.

snip

Of course, this is straight from a GM press release, but the info is legit!

Just because - an illustration by the automotive industry's finest cutaway illustrators - David Kimble. This is the 1967 302 V8 (Z28) for the Camaro. This particular motor had a four inch bore and a three inch stroke, which was considered at the time to be the perfect ratio for a high winding high horsepower V8, considered "over square." It was actually inspired by hot rodders who were taking 283 cranks and dropping them into 327 blocks. On a side note, the 283 block with a 327 crank made the 307. It was "undersquare" without the high winding horsepower capabilities, however, it's strength was high torque at comparable lower rpms. It made a fine truck motor and found it's way into who knows how many GM built pickups. It just didn't have the power that the later big blocks set up for high torque had - like the 366. Performance didn't always mean high horsepower for the engine line.

A typical tricked out small block. Check out the tuned headers with the shorty collectors stuck on some Edelbrock heads - this baby is set up to breath pretty free. It does have a fairly low profile intake manifold, but it's got some other high performance goodies like the Edelbrock fuel pump and a performance ignition system. It sure looks like it's based on GM's HEI setup - still has vacuum advance, for instance. I like the braided fuel line running from the pump to the unknown carb - if there was ever a weak spot in a small block it was the way GM routed their steel fuel lines - when they kept it close to the block and heads you'd have vapor lock in the summer sure as hell. That chrome coolant inlet on the top probably helped make another hp or three (snork!).

I am clearly a fan. Yep, the ol' big block Hemi's would outrun a SBC. So would the Chrysler wedge heads with more cubes. The big block Chevys (BBC) would do the same, as well as the big Fords. But there never was an engine line with so many different options, bores, strokes and so on with interchangeable parts ever produced. Ever. So for a guy on a budget who just wanted to go faster, the SBC was (and still is) a perfect playground.

Plus, GM is still committed to the ancient platform and is derided for it quite often, mostly because it's still a pushrod motor instead of using overhead cams like everyone else. So what, I say. The Corvette is produced and sold far cheaper than about all of it's performance contemporaries with equal or nearly equal performance. Certainly they have cornered the bang for the buck department - the money it takes a Ferrari or Porsche to outrun a Vette is considerable. Might be higher tech, but it costs cubic dollars more.

I've had the pleasure of owning four SBC equipped vehicles, and I've enjoyed each and every one of them. Biased? Hell yes I am.

And just because nothing sounds like one tuned up and "on the cam," here ya go:

link

Oh, Baaaayyyy Beeeee!

Question of the Day

2011-11-28T15:54:00.000-06:00

How did Sen. Feinstein get ATF gun trace data in violation of Tiahrt Amendment?

Senator Feinstein, who knows more about how guns are bad than you do, demonstrates how to violate Rule III at a press conference. Her extensive knowledge of guns and gun safety makes her an expert in the field.

H/T David Codrea

Oh, Dern It All, What Will We Do Now?

2011-11-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

Representative Barney Frank, Democrat, Massachusetts, will not run for reelection. How will we survive. Oh, woe is me.

Well, not so much, really. No, really.

H/T Ace

Whoa!

2011-11-28T12:53:00.001-06:00

Don't give 'em any ideas.....

Aaaand, edited to add:

With a genius like Dolly instructing him in the ways of the world, Jeffy is certain to be a success in life.

Attention!

2011-11-27T21:42:00.000-06:00

STOP! Driving Quiz Ahead!

Here is a question about driving in traffic.

If you miss it you may be too old to drive.

Q: You are driving along a narrow two lane road with a "NO PASSING FOR 5 MILES" sign posted, and you come upon a bicyclist. Do you:

(a) Follow this slow-moving bicycle rider for the next 5 miles, or

(b) Do you pass the bicycle - as carefully as you can?

Which is the correct choice?

Note: Most men got this right!

Can you stand it?

There's Something Not Quite Right With That Boy

2011-11-26T16:25:00.000-06:00

Simple bathroom plumbing befuddles Jeffy?

Is he still in diapers or what?

Thanksgiving Classic

2011-11-24T21:39:00.000-06:00

link

"Oh, the humanity!"

"As God is my witness......."

Sightseeing

2011-11-23T22:47:00.000-06:00

I was on my way home from Sis's in OKC Monday, and decided to take a detour. I have no idea how many times I've driven by the entrance to The Big Basin and St. Jacob's Well - a state funded preserved area without stopping. The Big Basin is thought to be formed by a humongous salt deposit gradually eroding until the ground above it fell in - somewhat like a sinkhole. The well supposedly runs all the time and was a stopping point for cattle drives and travelers across the prairie. I'm sure the Indians knew all about it as well.

The location is south of Minneola, KS, east of Meade, KS and west NW of Ashland KS on US 283 on the east side of the highway. Access is primitive - it's a river rock covered two track lane, which for all the world looks very much like the oilfield access roads I traverse frequently. The tracks are somewhat rutted, so something with a little more than average ground clearance might be necessary to visit the area. There were a couple of forks and I kept bearing to the right. The first left would probably take you to the pens seen below. It was also raining slightly, which really messed up my light. I took a ton of pics, but these are the best.

After driving in for well over a mile, I ran across a pullover area that overlooked a bluff. This is when I discovered the place kept buffalo. There are really quite a few herds scattered over Kansas and I've been meaning to get pictures if they'd cooperate and lounge near the fences near the highways I travel in the truck. There is a large herd north of Scott City on US 83, but they are kept on a huge tract of rough ground like this, and are usually a mile or better from the road. You can still see 'em, just not a good photo op.

At any rate, this fellow (and I'm assuming it was a fella watching over the herd, his bona fides were too far away to see) was the closest and wasn't particularly interested in me as a threat. I was facing the west for this pic.

Same spot, no zoom but pointed south. You can see the opposite side of the basin, as well as more buffs.

A picture of my buddy not zoomed, showing the high rock formation. This was hardly the high point in the joint.

Another couple miles of driving - one has to go east, then south and back to the west to get here is the actual well. To the left is the outline of a platform that hugs the edge of the bluff, and in front of the sign is the beginning of the trail down to the well. If you want to see pictures of the well, go here. There was far too much elevation change in too short an area for my fat butt, if you know what I mean and I think that you do.

This closeup of the sign shows the marker placed on the hill behind. THAT is the high spot, and the marker was placed so people could see it from a long distance and find the well for water.

At the edge of the platform looking down, the path winding it's way to the well surrounded by the trees. You really should go see the pictures in the link above, pretty impressive.

This is the marker with a spot for a long lost plaque. I'm sure some damned vandal stole it years ago, whatever was placed there.

The view from up high slightly WSW. Luckily a track led up to the "peak" that I could drive to, but I don't think some low slung sedan or sports car, or a lowered and tricked out slammer would want any part of that trip. I was considering using my four wheel drive, but I made it ok - the rocks embedded in the road really helped. If it was dirt, I'd have needed it.

link

Kansas might be the Bread Basket to the World, but it's not because all the ground is perfectly flat and is farmed. Nope, there is some pretty rough country hidden between the wheat fields, one just has to know where to look. Besides, where are we gonna put our cattle? They're always on pasture ground too rough for farming.

Calvin Says a Mouthful

2011-11-23T12:07:00.000-06:00

He discovered Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, and it impressed him, even changing his view on classical music. Pretty cool.

Just as a side note, I've blown a couple tweeters over the years playing this piece on the ol' home stereo. When the "guns" go off, there is a high frequency "crack" that will do 'em in.

Not At All

2011-11-22T20:45:00.000-06:00

Star Wars Burlesque from Tenderloins on Vimeo.

link

These are not the wookie-suiters you are looking for.

Morons!

2011-11-22T17:57:00.000-06:00

link

At the Tomb of the Unknowns, one shows respect.

H/T MoK

It Really Was A Tough Question

2011-11-21T07:04:00.000-06:00

View Larger Map

Where in the world indeed! The picture of the sailboats was taken from the building with the red roof - Mama Roja Mexican Kitchen on the shores of Lake Hefner, which is located within the metro Oklahoma City, OK area. It serves as a reservoir and recreation area with a bunch of bike paths, picnic areas and such.

The entire area on that little point is very picturesque - behind the restaurant to the west are more restaurants and clubs, and to the south is the Oklahoma City Boat Club with even more mooring for sailboats.

When I saw the view while eating lunch with my sister, it occurred to me that no one would believe that was in OKC. Just looking at the picture on it's own certainly suggests a coastal location! So, it really wasn't a fair question - you'd just about have to familiar with the area. I am, and I sure didn't know all that was there.

There Can Be Only One

2011-11-20T14:57:00.000-06:00

Or, Things One Notices Right Off When In Oklahoma. It could be argued that The Daily Oklahoman, published in Oklahoma City, might be considered the state's paper of record (the other choice would be the Tulsa World).

At any rate, football is a very important part of Sooner society. There is no pro team - but most here root for the Dallas Cowboys. Oklahoma and Nebraska both share this situation, but Nebraska only has one major university team. You would barely know Oklahoma has two, however. Just look at the Sunday special college football wrap-up supplement:

OMG! OU lost to Baylor - the Bears. Unbearable? Get it? Page one.

Page 2. More OU coverage.

Page 3. Yep, more OU coverage. Must be the only game in the state, eh?

Page 4 - well, other teams did play around the country Friday and Saturday. Gotta cover them.

And OU is in the Big 12 (kinda iffy there long term, but for now.....), so we have some league coverage on page 5.

Page 6 - oh, hai, we duz haz 'nother team hyar in Oklahoma! Damn near fergot, dern it! Those Cowboys at OSU up the road at Stillwater lost, too!

In fairness, the Cowboys played on Friday, so any coverage on Sunday would be supplemental. But, the whole university is recovering from the unexpected deaths of their girls' basketball coach and one of his assistants in a plane crash earlier this week. And the paper had already covered the emotional human interest side of that tragedy. But I guarantee ya, it wouldn't have mattered if OSU played on Friday or Saturday, they'd have had only the back page!

This just blows me away, because in Kansas there are two division one universities with two mens' football and three division one mens' basketball teams. Of course the main rivalry is between KU and KSU - lately KSU has the football side sewed up and KU has had the basketball end pretty well covered for years. But, if ya look around Kansas, you'll see all kinds of "house divided" bumper tags and stickers with both the Jayhawk and the Power Cat on them. As you'd expect, the rural areas support the ag college and the dazzled urbanites follow KU. Nebraska? The Huskers get all the coverage, but they're really the only game in the state. In Oklahoma, in the furthest reaches of farm country you'll find farmers with outbuildings painted in orange and white with the OSU logo for support. That's about it! It's red country everywhere else.

I expect I'd better quit now, because I'm still in OKC at my sister's house, and the OU fans might wanna kick my hiney for dissing 'em.

Where In The World

2011-11-20T10:25:00.000-06:00

Was this photo taken? Yep, I took it - I was there.

The World's Most Precise Tape Measure

2011-11-18T21:59:00.000-06:00

New tape measure - A must for anyone in construction.

Stanley has just released a new tape measure that will surely take the industry by storm!!!

Can you stand it?

Anybody Got a Quarter?

2011-11-17T21:44:00.000-06:00

I'm ready to play!

Come-a Come-a Down Doobie Do Down Down

2011-11-16T21:03:00.000-06:00

Breaking up is hard to do........

Tell Me Again

2011-11-15T14:29:00.000-06:00

link

Why guns for self defense are bad, and why this woman shouldn't have had one.

H/T David Codrea

I'm Screwed

2011-11-15T07:42:00.000-06:00

link

Hornady apparently doesn't make this in .45ACP. They'd better hurry, or I'm toast, dammit.

Veterans Day Part II

2011-11-11T13:24:00.000-06:00

My grandfather, the doughboy. He passed before my parents married, so I never got to meet him. I'm the exception in the long line of those who have served in my family.

The best post I've seen about Veterans Day is by my blogging friend Earl of Just the Library Keeper. Go and read. I promise you it will be well worth your time.

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T06:00:00.014-06:00

I really can't add to what I said back in 2007:

For me, Veteran's Day always brings memories of local veterans who I know (or in most cases these days – knew). I've spoken of my “Uncle Ted” before, but I also had an “Uncle Nate” as well. He and “Aunt Edna” lived about a mile north of Ted's place, and I spent many a happy hour in their basement house. Uncle Nate was a small man, and he had a son who was considerable larger. The younger and larger Nate was known as “Little Nate” and the smaller but older Nate was “Big Nate.” Which is why - while I'm a Jr I'm nicknamed Jeff and my Dad (Robert for both of us) was known as Bob. My parents didn't want me hung with the sobriquet “Little Bob.”

Anyways, being a veteran was a large part of Nate's life. Every year his unit had a reunion, which found he and Edna in various places across the nation. Nate was in the Battle of the Bulge. I'm pretty sure he was involved in D-Day as well. Nate was like most veterans – he just didn't talk about what he'd seen or where he'd been. He and a cousin (another veteran) went on regular fishing trips that involved a lot of Old Charter. There was always a pint or two stashed in the garage – I spotted them nosing around playing as a child. As long as I can remember, Nate wore hearing aids. Edna would harangue Nate about something, and Nate would shut them off. Then, Edna would harangue him about that, and turn to me and wink. Nate would surreptitiously wink at me when Edna wasn't looking. Nate passed away a few years back, and Edna is in the local nursing home. She is the last of my elderly neighbors.

One of my longtime friends (Steve) father was in the Battle of the Bulge as well. He also liberated Hitler's Eagles Nest. This apparently involved drinking the liberated wines stored there. Needless to say, one of Steve's favorite DVD sets is “Band of Brothers” since his father lived that life. Gene was a paratrooper. He even scored some trophies – one is an officer's sidearm. Sadly, Gene is no longer with us. Steve is the repository for much of his father's experiences.
Another neighbor was in the Korean War. Jim's prize possession was a Garand he purchased after he got out, because he considered it to be the finest rifle he'd ever used. He wanted one just like the one he was issued, so he got one. He used it, too. Many a varmint fell to that rifle over the years. Jim is gone, too.

My uncle in Denver was in the Navy during the Korean War. He was in the Reserves for a long time after the war was over. He served aboard the USS Cronin (DEC 704).
My own father was stationed at Okinawa during the Korean conflict. He didn't see any action. He was a lineman. Nowadays, I fear Dad painted a pretty pure picture of his activities. He enjoyed building and flying control line model aircraft, and most of his pictures reflect that. He got to go to Japan several times on leave – somewhere I've got some yen from those trips. However, according to him, he must have lived a very boring life, because I never heard about any sort of mamasans, cathouses or otherwise. Either Dad was as pure as the driven snow, or he sort of neglected to tell his son about any “good times” he might have had.

All these men were involved with the local chapter of the VFW. I can remember Dad dressing in his khakis for funerals on a regular basis. The neighbors did the same. They didn't expect anything back other than they wanted the same at their funerals. They didn't look at their service to their country or to the VFW as anything other than it was the thing to do. There were no questions of self doubt about a mission, or the political ramifications, or any other sort of distraction. They served their country. They ate and took breaths. They raised families when they got home. They saluted the flag. It was their duty, but there was more to it than just simply doing their duty – they loved their country, their way of life, and felt they had to defend it when called.

These are the men who are my heroes. They became the backbone of our country – in areas requiring morals and courage, and just the simple day to day existences. I grew up in the era when the draft had been dropped, and registration wasn't required. I sometimes regret not having served, but the Armed Services weren't a great place to be at that particular time. Am I the equal of the men of the past? I honestly don't know, as I've never been tested. I am heartened at the bravery and fiber of our soldiers serving now, and hope that as they come back into our society, they will have the long term effects my heroes had.

So, I remember. I think that I am incapable of forgetting.

Might be a rerun, but it still says what I wanna say. Thank you for your sacrifices, ladies and gentlemen who have served.

I'm Still Stuffed

2011-11-10T18:47:00.000-06:00

I had to go to Arkansas City today to appear in court due to my expired DL. Apparently, if you do something above and beyond a simple speeding ticket with a CDL - that is automatic. Yer gonna appear in court.

And that went better than I thought it would, so having some free time, I decided to tour some pawn shops in Wichita. Ya just never know what you'll find in those things. Anyhoo, it was well after noon and I asked the guys at the last shop where a good bbq place would be. They directed me to the Fire It Up Pit BBQ on S Seneca - there were others closer, but they said this little place piled on the food, everything was great, and it was well worth the trip over there. So, I went.

This is the combination platter - three meats, two sides, Texas toast and a drink - with tax I got change back from eleven bucks. I had brisket, turkey, pulled pork, potato salad and baked beans.

After I ate the sides - then you can see just how much meat is piled on there. And it was delicious - the plastic hardware was all ya need to handle this stuff - moist and falling apart tender. There is a roll of paper towels on each table along with three kinds of sauce in dispensers - mild, hot and Memphis. The mild and hot are variations on typical KC style sauces, and the Memphis is more Southern with apple cider vinegar. A far hotter sauce for those who find the "normal" stuff too tame is available, too. I was happy with the Memphis.

Everything is homemade - the sauces, the sides, the dry rubs - all of it except for "what gets dropped into the fryer." So the breaded stuff - okra and pickles, and the fries are from a supplier, but all the rest they make right there. And it tastes like it, too. Fresh. Of course, they didn't slaughter the meat or make the Texas toast, either, but there you go. Heh.

And you may have gathered they treated me pretty well while I was there. They went out of their way to make me feel at home and welcome, and answered any questions I might have. I was curious, so I asked about all this stuff.

So, when people talk about how the best bbq comes from some little hole in the wall place - this place is tiny, and there is nothing fancy about it. All the quality is in the food. Boy is it ever.

I just don't do reviews of restaurants - not sure why, but not too many jump right out and make and impression like this little joint did.

So, if you are ever in Wichita, you simply have to go. It's in the SW part, mostly south. Southbound on I235 - get off on Seneca and go south. On I135 catch 47th St South - its the last free exit - and head west til Seneca, hang a right and it's just up the block on right side. If you were coming up I35 on the turnpike, get off at the I135 exit and immediately after paying your toll look for 47th. I've got their webpage linked with their name up above, but here it is again anyways.

In Memoriam

2011-11-09T21:37:00.000-06:00

Bil Keane 1922-2011.

FILE - In this June 21, 2006 file photo, cartoonist Bil Keane, creator of the comic strip "Family Circus," poses in his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz. A spokeswoman for King Features Syndicate, the comic strip's distributor, says Keane died Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011. He was 89. (AP Photo/East Valley Tribune, Paul O'Neill)

Read more: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/11/09/1812367/family-circus-creator-bil-keane.html#ixzz1dGljEVPF

Bil had retired and was in relative comfort for many years. Jeff Keane (53), the inspiration for Jeffy - has been writing and drawing the strip for quite some time and will continue to do so.

While the strip is far too saccharine for my tastes, the fact remains that the gentle, slightly nostalgic and innocent tone that Family Circus has embodied over the years is a consistent comfort for many. Au revoir, Bil Keane, and thank you.

I will, however, continue mocking the strip. So sorry.

Well, maybe not so much.

H/T LeeAnn

Math? Math?!?!? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Math!

2011-11-09T20:44:00.000-06:00

link

The term Hell in a Handbasket comes to mind.

Actually this is a spoof. I got it in an email purported to be for real, but it's not. The original video it is parodying is here. The subject? Should evolution be taught in schools.

H/ T Nunkle Kim

Quiz Time

2011-11-09T00:12:00.000-06:00

How much do you know about the Second Amendment?

I got 11 out of 12, and I vehemently disagree with the answer they have for number ten.

H/T SayUncle

Why We Win

2011-11-07T13:37:00.000-06:00

link

We owe our freedom to men like this.

H/T Nunkle Kim

I Tell Ya, These Just Fall In My Lap

2011-11-07T11:22:00.000-06:00

Jeffy, Jeffy, Jeffy. It's a good thing. Nerd implies you are smart.

Gawd y'all got that right. Perfect example of decline in quality of the comics? Funky Winkerbean.

Yeah, This is Pretty Sad

2011-11-06T13:35:00.000-06:00

As I was watching Platoon for the 297th time last night, the background music finally prompted me to find out more about it. Turns out it's Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. I wanted to hear it again, so a video search brought up this video as the top result:

link

Wow. The background of this piece is that it was performed by the BBC Orchestra on September 15, 2001 at The Last Night of the Proms at The Royal Albert Hall in memoriam for the terrorist attacks on the eleventh. This selection was unusual because it replaced normally upbeat and patriotic songs.

The author of the video mixed shots from the performance with visuals from ABC's Report from Ground Zero. I know we've all been through the anniversary of 9/11 earlier, and this is kinda late as far as that's concerned, but I challenge you to watch this video and remain unmoved.

No Reason

2011-11-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

No reason at all. I just wanted to.

More Christina Hendricks pictures here.

H/T Ace of Spades

"Yoooouuuuu Sneaky Mom!"

2011-11-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

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It's the end of the world as we know it! And no, I don't think those kids thought they felt fine. Heh.

H/T Tina

Reductio Ad Absurdum

2011-11-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

Normally, Ted Rall and I are polar opposites on whatever issue he covers. Not this time. "Too Big To Fail" BOA just has to charge fees for debit cards on money sitting in their accounts that rarely draw interest. Boo hoo. They just have to charge more in other areas because the .gov got after them for usurious fees charged to merchants for card usage, and made them quit. In order to pay the huge bonuses for exceptionally bad job performances, BOA (they're not alone in this) has to make it up somewhere!!! Our bailout money was just the ticket to add to the ol' profit side.

The sad bankers had to withdraw their plan to charge for debit card usage. Sad, sad, sad. See them cry sad tears. See them charge more hidden fees to accomplish the same thing. Happy bankers at bonus time! Yay!

Maybe this makes me a hypocrite as far as staying true to the principles of libertarianism and free markets. Let 'em charge what they want, and let the marketplace sort it out, right? Isn't that what happened here? The backlash made BOA back off right? Well, if it was a free market, yeah. It is not. The banking industry is tightly regulated, ostensibly to protect consumers. Yeah. That's why banks aren't putting their deposited money back into small business loans and growing the economy, but rather investing in very shaky ventures and basically gambling through loopholes, a practice that grows nothing but profit and actually hurts the economy.. The last TARP fiasco was to cover for the banks losing their asses in speculative investing and hiding their losses until it was too late. Regulated? Yeah. Who owns the elected people who initiate the laws? The wealthy banks or you and me? The dice are loaded.

Quote of the Day

2011-10-31T21:11:00.000-05:00

From Spartanburg County, South Carolina:

Sheriff Chuck Wright opened his news conference by saying, "Our form of justice is not making it.

"He said, "Carry a concealed weapon. That'll fix it."

Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/29638219/detail.html#ixzz1cPoxTzJf

He's gonna catch nine kinds of hell, but it's nothing but the truth.

H/T Aglifter from the Gun Counter forum

Dear Mr. President:

2011-10-31T19:45:00.000-05:00

Sincerely,

Rural America

H/T Larry S

Happy All Hallow's Eve

2011-10-31T05:45:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween*, everyone!

*Brought to you by your brain starved zombie host.**

**Just not starved of much of anything else.

Just Won't Sweep Under the Rug Anymore

2011-10-29T13:44:00.000-05:00

Of course I speak of Operation Gun Runner, also known as Operation Fast and Furious. From my seat high up in the bleachers, it seems to me that we all owe a great debt to David Codrea of The War on Guns, and Mike Vanderboegh of Sipsey Street Irregulars. They kept hammering and pushing on the subject, and their continual railing eventually got some notice and some network television coverage through CBS. Even some liberal editorial cartoonists have noticed and chimed in.That started the ball rolling. Since then, the situation has been unraveling for the Obama administration - Holder's and Obama's statements about when they knew not matching up (Teh Won heard about it and had Holder investigating before Holder knew about it), the rewarding of major players with promotions, plus Eric Holder's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee that he didn't know about it, and Janet Napolitano's assertion that not only didn't she know about it, but since it was an ATF operation, it had nothing to do with Homeland Security.

link

Mmmmkay. So, it's not their fault. There are two options. Either they didn't know because they're too incompetent to keep their cowboy underlings ( who, by the way, are all career bureaucrats whose culture demands they don't fart without permission in order to cover their asses) under control, or they are lying.

Gee, guess what I think.

Okay, time's up. I think they should all be canned. I think the White House knew about it and planned it, because this has the Obumbler administration fingerprints all over it. The stated goals were to trace the guns back to the drug lords in Mexico. I was in debate in high school for four years. When on the affirmative side, we had to propose a plan and promote and defend it in a series of speeches. In order to promote the plan, we always had to propose advantages that the plan would bring that the status quo was unable to provide. I have to think an advantage to their plan was that they could also stoke the fires against the Second Amendment by having proof of guns going across the borders to supply drug cartels. They've been hammering on that non existent issue for years, since the weapons that do cross the border are generally stolen, not bought by straw buyers. It's a fact that the Mexican drug lords get better value and selection for their money from arms merchants. In hindsight, this so called advantage surely seems far fetched to them now, but I also think the parties involved have such self inflated egos that they figured it would work, just because they thought of it. They've all been armchair quarterbacking for years with no experience, why would that change?

So, I think Teh Won oughta be impeached.

Do I think it will happen? Are you kidding? At most, some heads will roll and some will be tossed under the bus, maybe even Holder and Napolitano. After that, the flood walls of the mostly compliant press will contain any efforts to pin this on their Dear Leader. It's amazing to me that CBS is following this story as much as they have. I suspect this story is causing some pretty big rifts in Black Rock and above at Westinghouse's board meetings. And, GE, Viacom, Disney and Time-Warner have got to protect their investments, and that's just the visual media. Not having a Republican dominated Congress kinda shoots that idea right in the ol' buttocks, too.

I'm truly not going out on a limb to make that prediction. Think about it. Hang on and watch.

There May Be Hope...

2011-10-28T11:18:00.000-05:00

... for Billy yet. Billy ponders his future with a national ID card and wonders how a Founding Father managed his. Meanwhile, Jeffy goes mining for green gold.

Bob

2011-10-27T12:34:00.000-05:00

BOB from Jacob Frey on Vimeo.
link

Be sure and watch until after the credits have rolled - it ain't over just yet! Cute factor eight out of ten, IMHO!

H/T Ant Gail

Didja Ever Notice?

2011-10-26T22:24:00.000-05:00

Now that movie studios have everything digitized, they are altering colors. Today's movies are washed out in order to emphasize flesh tones. Teal and orange are the predominant colors these days.

Picture from Ace of Spades "Overnight Open Thread"

Technicolor is closer to reality than today's color palette.

It's bad enough when horror, sci-fi and fantasy movies seem to slavishly adhere to this unpleasant template, but even mainstream adult dramas like Up In The Air and Fair Game (both of which are films that I would otherwise like) are being drained of all their colour in post-production. This unfortunate trend in dreariness also lessened my enjoyment of last year's Best Picture winner, The King's Speech.

Recently, I did some searching on Google to find out whether others are equally disturbed by this ugly trend in today's films. Sure enough, I turned up this article that helps to explain what is going on. It's interesting to read the numerous comments afterward, as there are many, like me, who abhor this unpleasant trend, while others defend it as being true to the director's "vision". Though they may like to think of themselves as unique visionaries, most directors working today merely conform to one basic template of mediocrity that the Hollywood studios all decree must be followed. Because of this trend toward the drab and ugly, I find myself seeing fewer and fewer films with each passing year. Perhaps Hollywood should realize that many older moviegoers are used to far richer looking movies from the more glorious past - today's films just turn us off. BLECCHH!!

After reading the various posts linked to above, it seems even my favorite new movie of the last year or two True Grit is guilty as well - it sure seems to be a sepia kind of tone, perhaps to convey the idea that the events took place in the past, where the pictures we see from that period look the same. And the latest Harry Potter movie was almost unwatchable on my television - I was working over the brightness and contrast just to see detail that was obscured by the intentional cutting out light. After I'd fooled with those settings, the rest of television land was overly bright and sharp.

Hollywood doesn't seem to listen much to the actual people who pay to see their products. They all jump on bandwagons that only they, in their insular world, have any use for. I've got enough gripes about the endless copying, the predominantly liberal mindset (and if you know what's good for you you'll agree with whatever mindset they're pushing, because after all, they are the beautiful and cool trendsetters), the advent of short attention span theater quick cuts (remember when a long shot was art?), shaky and disoriented camera work and, and - well, you get the idea.

And now we get dulled and dark movies that look depressing. Yeah, color me not so entertained. No wonder I end up watching old movies these days.

H/T Ace of Spades, who linked to Boing Boing, who linked to this article and this article.

Chum

2011-10-26T12:33:00.000-05:00

Checking in on the ol' social networks this morning, I saw this tweet from Iowahawk (who has nearly abandoned blogging for the Twitter platform, and is a true Master):

When government gives you money to pay your mortgage to a bank, they're not doing it to help you.

No kidding. TARP just bypassed the customers and fed the hungry maws of the banks directly. Too big to fail, remember? Then I saw this editorial cartoon by Tony Auth.

Which is about right, but Tony (who has a decidedly liberal bent) really missed the point - our Hope and Change Government is chumming the waters ahead of the underwater mortgage holders. Frankly, Tony would have this cartoon right if it were people who successfully pay their mortgages doing the swimming - they're the ones that will have to pay the bills of those who cannot pay, and will continue to get assistance, plus the banks whining about getting into trouble again ought to trigger yet another round of stimulus money hot off the presses.

Sharks as a metaphor for banks is apropos - they are just doing what they do. Mindless search for profit, no ethical controls since they are the big fish in the pond with no other controls - they are just getting what they paid for. Paid with our money directly and profits diverted from truly growing our economy towards corrupt politicians. Corrupt politicians. Sorry, repeated myself there.

Oh, Damn

2011-10-25T23:43:00.000-05:00

Financial Woes May Sink WikiLeaks, Assange Says

LONDON (AP) — One of the world's most notorious secret-spillers is going silent.

WikiLeaks said in a statement Monday that it would stop publishing in order to focus on making money — explaining that the blockade imposed by financial companies including Visa, MasterCard, Western Union and PayPal left it with no choice.

They're looking for donations. Oh, my, as my daddy used to say, "My heart pumps pure piss for ya." What will we do without someone who compromises the safety and lives of U.S. citizens abroad in the name of transparency?

George Soros, your phone is ringing.

Boob Apron

2011-10-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

Wimmin, are you so well endowed men never meet your gaze because they ain't lookin' there? Then this product is for you.

Below the fold for language and such.

Can you stand it?

'Til Ya Die

2011-10-24T23:37:00.000-05:00

link

Gawd forbid, I heard this song and found myself movin' to the groovin.'

Well, it's funk, not disco.

Heh. Really, this was a pretty fun song when it debuted, and that ain't changed none.

Teh Won Testy? Tell Me It Ain't So!

2011-10-23T22:04:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed in Our Dear Leader's speeches how grumpy he sounds lately? If you have, you aren't the only one.Seems a linguist has done some testing.

What I noticed is that president Obama seemed a mite testy in his weekly address for 10/1/2011 ("Fighting for the American Jobs Act"). This led me to ponder the phonetics of testiness, and of emotional expression in general. For this morning's Breakfast Experiment™ I thought I'd take up one small aspect of one dimension of this large topic, namely what happens to F0 ("fundamental frequency", commonly called "pitch") when you "raise your voice".

He goes on to explain how differences in ambient background noise can make you raise your voice - if it's louder, you have to compensate. He decided to test a couple of speeches - one in August where he seemed calmer, and one in October, where he was noticeably louder. He found no difference in the level of background noise.

The difference is a fairly large one: an average pitch of 137.3 ±0.38 Hz on October 1, vs. an average of 106.6 ±0.31 Hz on August 6, for a proportional difference of about 29%. To avoid misunderstanding, let me repeat that there are lots of reasons for someone's pitch range to vary, so that this is not a reliable metric for physiological arousal. But when other things are held constant, it can be interpreted that way. And it's easier to quantify and compare than things like voice quality are.

I'd say the Mighty O is mighty rattled these days.

H/T Ace of Spades

(It) is Not the Name of the Restaurant, That's Just the Name of the Song

2011-10-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

Alice's Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie - Full song from Scott Wade on Vimeo.
link

This performance even had my father laughing so hard tears were running down his face the first time he heard it.

Just remember, friends:

If you want to join the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement, and
all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the
guitar.

With feeling. So we'll wait for it to come around on the guitar, here and
sing it when it does. Here it comes.

You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant

OMG! No Wonder!

2011-10-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

Here we see the feral PJ wolfing down his food as he always does, exposing the horror behind his normal diet, even as the more worldly Dolly tries to hide the truth. If you find yourself at a singles bar and run into Thel wanting your hot bod, you just might want to step back and reconsider before thinking you are gonna score. There are worse things than waking up in a tub of ice with a missing kidney.

Why Change Your M.O. Now?

2011-10-22T12:07:00.000-05:00

Okay, here we have Alex, extreme liberal young daughter of Mike. She's been the vehicle for Trudeau's views on gun control (last issue, open carry in Starbucks) and any other liberal agenda he sees fit to "comment" on. Her boyfriend, "Toggle (Leo DeLuca)," recent Iraq veteran. Up to this point, I thought perhaps, maybe, just maybe, since most soldiers are very conservative, we might see some sort of debate between political philosophies. Toggle's mother is a trailer trash biker lovin' ignorant mama with tats, cigarettes, and is a jab at conservatives. Like liberals all live in mansions and townhouses. The whole point is Leo wouldn't have gone into the military had he been born in more lucrative surroundings - he'd be a success instead of being forced to go into the service to make a living. He's a disadvantaged poor person with no chances, you see.

Even knowing all this, when I saw that last strip, I thought perhaps Mr. Trudeau might present a different POV, considering the implied conservative politics of his downtrodden protagonist.

Silly me. Of course, he's gonna have his poor military protagonist suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder toot suite. Every military character in the strip so far has, so why should Toggle be exempt? BD has it. Everyone in his support group has it - all veterans. Ray Hightower has it. Possible the only one not displaying PTSD is Jeff Redfern, who worked for the CIA in the sandbox rather than serve. He's off his nut as well, portaying "The Red Rascal," an invention of his supposed exploits in the Middle East that he even believes. But not PTSD yet.

Every veteran you and I know all suffer from PTSD to the point of being unable to function in society, don't we? I mean, you can't take one to the freaking Post Office for fear they'll open up and slaughter us all, right? Or Gawd forbid, go to a crowded Mickey D's for lunch without blood in the streets - am I right?

Of course not. In Trudeau's little mind, using veterans as a punching bag for unfair characterizations is fair game because they disagree with him. Using black stereotypes to make a point is automatically racist and unfair, but painting veterans with such a broad brush is A-OK. They should know better than to think the way they do, it's why they all go nuts, am I right?

Fucking asshole.

Ahhh, it's all cleverly solved now. Leo is taken back to his deepest inner fears from the battlefield by a bunch of privileged liberal kids whining. Now it all makes sense. Ha ha, isn't that funny.

Feel The Power

2011-10-21T23:23:00.000-05:00

link

I'm with Dave on this one. Keep that damn thing away from me!

The Poor Farm

I Hope Your Grace Will Live So Long

Rectal-Cranial Inversion

Nasty Perv Nutsack Sweat

It About Took Us All To Win It

Liberals Meme What They Say

Cause and Effect

"I Don't Know Who You Are"

Found in the Beauty Aisle

*Ahem....*

Happy Birthday, Betty White!!!

Macho Men Drivers

A Real Cowboy Has NO Fear

Anybody Remember This?

No Reason

Oops....

Boom Time

Sheesh. Ted Goes Off His Nut Again

Dagwood Approved!

Ensign Ro, One Fetching Bajoran, Fer Sure!

Green Industrial Strength Sludge

A California Love Story

Overdrawn

Seeing Things

Stealing a Meme

Made Up My Mind

Shhhhhh. Don't Tell Anyone!

The Care and Feeding of Blue Flame Heaters

New Years Resolutions

Needs Something

The Strange Disappearance

I've Been Fortunate

Stubborn

Follow Me, Where I Go

The Reason for the Season

Merry Christmas

You Have Termites In Your Smile

N! S!

At The Super C-Store

Stupid Tax

From the Road Again

Important Information You Must See

Ho Ho Ho!

I Want One

Bleak House, or Cows Gotta Eat Anyways

Yessir

Ab So Freaking Lutely

Ain't Technology Great?

Live TV

After a Trip Through

Don't Bother Me

Going Downhill

Twighlight

The Centennial World Tour

Congrats!

Question of the Day

Oh, Dern It All, What Will We Do Now?

Whoa!

Attention!

There's Something Not Quite Right With That Boy

Thanksgiving Classic

Sightseeing

Calvin Says a Mouthful

Not At All

Morons!

It Really Was A Tough Question

There Can Be Only One

Where In The World

The World's Most Precise Tape Measure

Anybody Got a Quarter?

Come-a Come-a Down Doobie Do Down Down

Tell Me Again

I'm Screwed

Veterans Day Part II

Veterans Day

I'm Still Stuffed

In Memoriam

Math? Math?!?!? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Math!

Quiz Time

Why We Win

Ahem....