O'Donnell: 'Let Me Take Britney's Place'

"I sort of feel Britney has become the poster child (for mental illness). The kid is very young. She never had a childhood. She never rode a Big Wheel.

"Rather than put her face on mental illness, or Brooke Shields, who had postpartum depression, use me."

Noooo problem, Rosie. I had you pegged as nucking futz a loooooong time ago.

H/T Sondra K

Gag Me With A Spoon

That was one of the sayings the girls in my high school used in the distant past - it was right up there with "Ewww, gross." Anyways - aren't we all getting more than a little tired of the Sobe Lifewater commercial? Yeah, the one with Naomi Campbell and lizards dancing to "Thriller." Boy, there are a bunch of positive commercial icons for ya. Naomi - poster child for antisocial behavior, lizards getting some sort of druggie buzz from the water, and a song by a pedophile. Just what I want to see, and what kids need to be watching for inspiration.

A plain lizard leaps up to catch a drop or so of the vitamin water Naomi swills - guess she is messy, too. It transforms into a brightly colored lizard with glinting eyes, and suddenly more brightly lizards and a grasshopper appear, dancing in formation. Meanwhile, Naomi is apparently dancing to a different tune. One of the lizards eats the grasshopper, and we get a flash of the grills in some of the lizard's teeth. Wow. So cool. It's counterculture, man. Where are the baggy pants falling off asses and backwards caps? Wow. Them thar lizards aren't brotherly at all - they are predatory! Sooooo out there, man.

Looks like to me someone had dropped a hit or three more of "Vitamin A" than they could handle, and this bad trip has been foisted upon us as a result. This is supposed to sell a particular brand of vitamin water that isn't mentioned until a couple seconds at the end? This thing premiered as a Super Bowl commercial, fer G_d sakes. Somewhere, there are some ad types laughing in their bong water that they actually got this on national tv.

If you just have to see this commercial - go here. I'm not posting the damn thing. I'm tired of seeing it.

A Bad Anniversary

Ya know, I was a Democrat growing up. I hate to admit it now, but I voted for Bubba. Twice. What changed me? I bought a Smith and Wesson 686 more on a whim than anything - I just felt that The Poor Farm needed a bit more firepower than .22 rifles and a couple shotguns. It may have served Dad all those years, but I felt just a tad undergunned.

At any rate, the conversion began with this purchase. I realized the Democratic Party was pretty much after that wheelgun, and just about anything else as well, "hunting purposes" not withstanding. I started down the slippery slope of gun collecting. I figured I'd better get to buying or else I would be unable to get them later. Well, that was a revelation. The idea that the Constitution wasn't subject to "feelings" or "modern day revisionism" became more evident. Soul searching on issues became the order of the day. If I hold that liberals are wrong on the gun issue, then logically I cannot support them on so many other ideas. You can't sit on both sides of the fence. It's been an education for sure. The people I know who have embraced conservatism since an early age have it all over me as far as knowledge of issues and where they stand. I have to look at an issue and decide how it "fits" within my philosophy.

It seems to me that the Constitution is not a living document. The second amendment isn't a collective right - particularly since none of the others are. Plus, the Constitution doesn't give anyone any rights. It enumerates and defines the rights we are born with. The Bill of Rights was designed to tell our government to keep their sticky fingers out of our rights, not to give them to us. The idea of balance of power between the three branches of government was a finely tuned plan of action. The Founders looked for various ways the whole thing could go wrong, and tweaked their rules accordingly. Yes, it was written in the style of the time, which is somewhat confusing today. For instance, there is a very good reason for the electoral college. It keeps larger population centers from controlling the destiny of our great nation. The Founders saw the mood swings of popular sentiment controlling our government as a bad thing. We are not a democracy. We are a republic. We don't directly control government, but we do have a voice.

Then we come to the 17th amendment. It took effect on this day in 1913. Tam knocks one out of the park on her blog. The reason why we didn't have direct election of senators, and the ill effects of the change are covered very well there. Go and Read!!!!

This is one of the soul searching issues I ran up against several years ago. The idea of a popular democracy and citizens having a more direct involvement in government was an ideal that I subscribed to. However, it was just an ideal. In actual practice, the Founders had foreseen the popular vote as bad for the long term health of our nation. They were truly geniuses, and their document needs us to keep our greedy fingers off of it. So, if you haven't already, Go Read Tam.

Is It Enough?

Raiding the ol' email inbox today. My question is - will $5 be enough?

For You, Dad

My father was a huge Kansas University men's basketball fan. Back when I had a Cband dish, and the networks put up March Madness "in the clear," he'd be glued to the screen all of March. He loved watching college basketball, but he particularly loved KU basketball. When the networks started messing with the broadcasts - he had them figured out. They'd start a game on one transponder on a satellite, but then they would switch to another transponder on a different satellite. They didn't fool Dad - he'd winkled out where they went and had them figured out.

He was hooked well before Danny Manning and Larry Brown winning the big enchilada back in '88. He had high hopes that Roy Williams would hit the jackpot as well. Dad passed well before Roy pulled his stunt. In 2000, Roy claimed he wasn't going to go anywhere - that he was going to stay at KU. He turned down the Tarheels job. Not so much in 2003. He announced his departure during the tournament!

It looked like the soil above Dad's grave had been disturbed, possibly by some sort of massive rotation underneath the surface. I know without a doubt he would have been pissed. I know I was.

Ahhh, but revenge is a dish best served cold, as Khan said in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. The quarterfinals saw the boys in blue take on the Tarheels, and whup them rather convincingly. That would have probably been enough, but in the finals, wow! What a game!

I thought the 'Hawks were done for when they were nine down. They managed to fight back and tie the game with a three pointer with 2.9 seconds left. Memphis tried a hail mary that failed. Overtime it was, and KU seemed to control the tempo, and ended up winning. I'm sure there will be controversy, already John Calipari, the head coach for Memphis, is complaining about the referees repealing a three point call because they used video to see that the shooter had his left foot inside the arc. That was a major turning point in the game - I'll give him that. But, his kids didn't capitalize on their free throws, and they were unable to handle the Jayhawks in the closing moments of the game. They were beaten.

To be fair, I thought the refereeing could have been tighter. I felt there should have been more fouls called, but I'm always one that bitches about "letting them play." So, they let the guys play. It was really a great game to watch, and if the "boys in blue" lost, I'd still be proud of them. They did, after all, show up Roy Williams!

What Year Do You Belong In?

You Belong in 1950

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Heh. I guess I'm a fuddy duddy any more. Oh well.

Ripped off from Dustbury

NASCAR Wrecks

Well, Junior didn't do as well as expected at Texas today. His car stuck well at the beginning of a run, and then faded badly. He ended up a lap down in twelfth, and still fourth in the points standings.

Maybe y'all heard about Micheal McDowell's spectacular crash in qualifying. He hit the wall a ton, then flipped at least ten times through turn one. He walked away. The "Car of Tomorrow" may be responsible for his life - the Safer Barriers on the walls certainly played a part.



Diandra at Stock Car Science has an excellent article up about the crash, and the history of the advancement of safer cars and tracks in NASCAR. I highly recommend reading the whole thing, as they say. Of course, I'm a NASCAR geek, so what do I know. One of the things she said really stuck with me:

You know what happened next, because even if you don’t follow NASCAR, McDowell’s crash made just about every newscast. From our vantage point, which was only about 60 yards away, we watched him hit the SAFER barrier hard in turn 1, roll over on the roof, spin a couple times, then barrel roll down turn 2. The crowd quieted and all you could hear was the stomach-crunching sound of sheet metal hitting pavement. My heart stopped. The car finally came to a stop at the bottom of the track. We couldn’t see anything but some flames and a plume of smoke.Watching the car as it tumbled down the 24-degree banking, it was hard to reconcile everything I know about the safety designed into the cars and the track with what I was seeing. It wasn’t until we heard a cheer rise from the crowd that we knew he was OK.

A man standing nearby said, "I like watching this on TV, but I don’t like seeing it in person." He looked down at his young son. "It makes it too real." Even with all the emphasis NASCAR has placed on safety in recent years, everyone knows that all it takes is for a car to hit at precisely the wrong angle, or for a fifty-cent bolt to fail and the result could be catastrophic.

It always pisses me off when people who don't "get" NASCAR say something along the lines of "It's just a bunch of rednecks going in a circle, with watching rednecks waiting for a crash." It is true that the wrecks are part and parcel of the entertainment value - but for me there is a tension that this is a dangerous sport where people get killed, and the hope that no one gets hurt. Yeah, it's fun to watch the application of "the chrome horn" at a short track to bump someone out of the way, and the paybacks and endless recriminations. The soap opera aspect is part of the entertainment. But to say fans watch hoping for blood, well, that's just ignorant.

I didn't watch NASCAR for much of my life because it just wasn't available. The only coverage on network television was The Wide World of Sports showing a delayed broadcast of the Daytona 500. It wasn't until ESPN became a market force and started covering races live that the nation had the opportunity to watch NASCAR races other than in person. Since I live where was nothing but the Big Three networks, and no cable, I was SOL. It wasn't until satellite television became somewhat affordable that The Poor Farm got ESPN. It was a ground mounted fixed dish that pointed at G5 only, and ESPN was one of the channels it carried. It was put up and most of the major cable channels were placed on it just for this reason. I ended up getting a bigger dish that tracked across the sky, and finally dropped it when so many channels were disappearing from C-Band. Nowadays, it's DirecTv.

But, that is getting away from my point. NASCAR races were fun to watch, there were bad guys and good guys, and you had to follow fairly religiously to keep track of who was what this week. There were teams with money that ran well, and underdogs who just scraped by, trying to make a living. One of these was J.D. McDuffie. Another was Dave Marcis. They were Davids fighting the Goliaths of the day. Well, one day J.D.'s luck ran out.



1991. Budweiser at the Glen. It's the road course at Watkins Glen New York. J.D. was most likely killed instantly. The owners of the track put a chicane before the turn to slow the cars down, put in gravel traps, and better energy absorbing barriers. Benny Parsons was pretty eloquent in explaining why the race and their coverage had to continue.

I knew intellectually that this sort of thing was possible in racing, but it just didn't hit home until I'd actually seen it happen. Of course Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death spurred further safety developments - the Safer Barrier and the Car of Tomorrow are children of his tragic death.

Just know that when these people "strap on the car," they can die, and they know it. Us fans know it too.

Warriors - In Their Own Words

From the welcome page:

We have always had warriors, from as far back in history as one can go — warriors are timeless.

Warriors have a moral code and are not simply trained killers (as they are all too frequently portrayed).

If we did not have warriors, we would undoubtedly be speaking another language, German, Japanese, Chinese, or Russian.

Warriors are born, they are not created. Certainly they are trained, but to be a warrior is a calling.

We should be forever grateful to our warriors and to their families who are all so courageous.

We should honor our warriors. Warriors are NOT, as they are commonly portrayed, hapless idiots with nowhere else to go but the military.

This project will show people what intelligent, honorable, and brave people we have standing in the way of the free world’s demise.

Go here to watch the short film. If you don't get a lump in your throat, I don't know what's the matter with you.

Ten Years

Dad strikes a thoughtful pose at his wedding, before the Surgeon General's warnings


April 5 and the NASCAR visits to Texas Motor Speedway mark a memorable milestone for me.

I’ve mentioned before about how my friend the sports news editor and I had pit and media center access at the track, and how we enjoyed the races. The race in 1998 was no different. We attended and had a fine time.

My father had Parkinsons, which he let run for some time before he finally sought treatment. Arguing with him about it did no good. He bitterly regretted it later, so much that I got tired of hearing about it – and I finally snapped back at him once that he should have seen a doctor about it much sooner. His tremors wouldn’t have been as bad. Anyways, as I headed out the door, I hugged him goodbye with his admonishments to be careful echoing in my head. He was preparing to go fishing at a small pond stocked with trout at the local community college.

We had a love/hate relationship, my father and I. I really don’t want to get into that much now, but it’s enough to know I lived in fear of my father when I was young – but I knew he loved me and normally I was treated fairly well. As we both aged, I gained a measure of hard earned respect from him, and we were more equal in our relationship. It wasn’t easy.

Dad’s health had deteriorated as a side effect from Parkinsons. He wouldn’t quit smoking. He hid the cigarettes from me, but the butts dumped at our distant mailbox were a testament to his habit. He refused to do any exercising (something I inherited for sure) and he was quite incapable of getting up off the floor or ground if he fell. I saw him fall backwards through our front door one day. He had a grip on the door jamb and the knob of the screen door. Panicking, he was trying to pull himself up with arm strength he didn’t have. When I saw him, he started begging me for help. I asked him to think for a second – could he have pulled himself up from that position forty years ago, when he was in good shape? Was he strong enough then? Not likely. I made him sit on his butt and roll around so he could use his legs to get up. I guess I didn’t understand and don’t now – I’m weak and unable to do much, but I have the sense to realize I can’t levitate myself up the way he was trying.

So, I started to make him lie on his back on the floor, and get up. I made him do his exercises. He looked like crap, too. What we didn’t know was that he had pneumonia in one of his lungs. He fell trying to climb in his tractor, and was under the tractor for several hours. He lost his mind and was quite incapable of getting up. At first, the doctors concentrated on the pain he had in his side – he had his gall bladder removed. It wasn’t until later they figured out he had pneumonia – he just wasn’t improving. His right lung was nearly collapsed because the lung sac was full of infection, and taking up a lot of space. It was too thick to draw out with a syringe, so they spread some ribs and dug it out.

After the hospital let him out, he had to live in a nursing home for about a month for rehabilitation. This more than anything spurred him to take better care of himself. The lady continually crying for help down the hall, the one that would come into his room and start going through his clothing, and the loss of freedom seemed to drive home the need to just go ahead and do his exercises. His color was better, and he was in far better shape. He retired from farming, and sold his main tractor. He’d already sold his secondary tractor a few years earlier.

So, it was with some confidence that my father was going to be alright that allowed me to leave for my bit of vacation. We had a good time – that was the year they gave me garage access. One of my work buddies was down there, and my editor friend wasn’t going to make it Saturday, so we used his pass to get my coworker in during the Busch race. A good time was had by all. We didn’t try to get out of the track Sunday for some time because he had to file his stories. When we finally started leaving, the traffic was so bad we spent several hours getting free of it and getting home.

When we got home, the babysitter was acting strange – she did not want to talk to me. She and Todd went to another room, and Todd came back telling me I needed to call one of my neighbors. This was around midnight or later. I was to call no matter the time. My worst fears seemed to be coalescing around me.

I called her – she’s been a very sweet lady to our family for years. She told me my dad had been found dead in his chair. One of my friends, who was now Dad’s tenant farmer, dropped by to see him Sunday morning and found him there, looking like he was asleep in his chair. Unsettled, he called another neighbor (who now does the farming) and they both determined he had passed away. The ambulance came out and hauled him to the mortuary. I had to call my sister – she had been trying without any luck to get me all day. She had me paged at the track – but there was no way I could have heard it. Back then, my cell phone didn’t have follow me roam (remember that?) I could call out, but no one could call me. I had to call other relatives as well. I finally tried to get some sleep, but was largely unsuccessful.

I can remember driving home listening to a live tape of Fleetwood Mac. One song had Stevie Nicks dedicating “this one’s for you, Daddy.” Every time that one rolled around, I’d end up bawling. I couldn’t put it up. I got to the funeral home that evening. I was informed that Dad was in no shape to be viewed – they recommended that my last memory of him be more positive. The casket needed to be sealed as well – for the obvious reason. My cousin, a nurse, was the only family member available when it came time to do an autopsy, so she decided not to. It was assumed Dad had died from a heart attack in his sleep, and passed away quietly. They thought he had died either that Thursday or Friday. So, the fifth was decided to be the day.

One of my neighbors thought Dad had looked terrible in the days before he passed, and since I saw him every day I would tend to miss it. I still don’t agree – he was going fishing, and had been getting out and about. I’d heard it said that Dad’s big fear was dying alone at home. That’s pretty much how it happened, but I also know he knew I loved him. I’d told him that before. He also preferred to die at home, not in a hospital or rest home. Like most farmers, he’d have preferred to die on his tractor, working until the last second, but that option is rarely available to them.

I miss him, but I’m also glad he went without pain or a bunch of drama. He didn’t mind being the center of attention, but it had to be in a positive manner. He still speaks to me – in certain situations, I hear in my head what he would say were he beside me. It is a comfort at times.

Warp Drive Anniversary

April 5, 2063. Mankind's First Contact and the introduction of Warp Drive occur on this date. Zefram Cochrane is the inventor and "captain" of the first warp capable ship. His first contact with the Vulcans launching from Bozeman Montana, make interstellar history and influence Mankind's history from this day forward. In the centuries that follow, school children are required to memorize this important date in history, and the launch site becomes a shrine visited by many - a statue of Cochrane is one of the attractions.

Just so you know.

Last Season of BSG

I have to admit - I pretty well blew off Battlestar Galactica when the colonists moved to New Caprica. So, knowing that the show will be gone was a bit of a spur to get caught up during the Sci Fi Channel's marathon. I didn't know about the Final Five, nor about the identities of four of them. They didn't know that they were Cylons, until they started hearing snippets of "All Along the Watchtower." Plus, it's a kick ass cover, as far as I'm concerned.



So, as I write this, my butt is planted in front of the teevee watching the first episode of the last season. Lots of action so far, and lookin' good!

Response from a Legislator

I said I was going to contact my state representative and senator about the Greensburg Gun Confiscations. I have received a response from one of them - Senator Tim Huelskamp of Fowler, KS.

Dear Jeff,


Thank you for the e-mail. I wanted you to know that I led the Senate effort
to pass this legislation yesterday afternoon - and we were successful. By a
30-2 vote, we passed the bill to the Governor!


Sincerely,
Tim

He did not address my main request - which was an investigation into the illegal confiscations and evacuation. I expect this is as good as it's going to get. I got this email yesterday and have not heard from Melvin Neufeld, Ingalls KS, my state representative. I would not be surprised if I didn't hear from him, because HB2811 has passed the House. To be fair, he is the Speaker, and he is busy with the coal powered generating plant issue.

Now, it has to get past our hoplophobic Governor, Kathleen Sebelius - she of the Legislative override on concealed carry. Right now, she seems more focused on securing a job in Obama's possible presidency than governing Kansas. Except of course her concerns about CO2 production by coal powered power plants in Western Kansas. But, that is another issue for a different day.

Greensburg Gun Confiscations

We've all heard about the illegal gun confiscations in New Orleans. Apparently this happened in Greensburg, KS in the aftermath of the tornado. Greensburg is about sixty miles from where I live, so this hits home pretty hard. This is an excerpt from an update from Patricia Stoneking, who is reporting about HB2811 - a proposed law to prevent gun confiscations during a time of emergency. Source

Well, the hearing was an enlightening day. Jordan and I were able to spend a couple hours with a gentleman from Greensburg before the hearing and I was shocked by what we were told. As far as the hearing itself, it looks like out of the 17 committee members we have 12 in favor and 5 against but that is based soley on the 12 saying they will "probably" support the bill and they are "A" rated by NRA. We have not gotten the vote results yet. After we were done they had another bill to hold hearing on and they did not work the bill or vote at that time. They will probably work it and vote next week. I'll keep you posted on that.

As far as Greensburg, here is the shocking truth. I will simply state the facts. First of all, understand that it is not lawful to carry out a mandatory evacuation unless martial law has been declared. Martial law was NOT declared and folks in the town were told they had to leave and some were forced to leave at gun point because they didn't want to leave. The tornado happened at 9:46pm and they were forced to leave within a couple hours of it, being given no time to collect themselves or assess the damages or even try to pick up anything such as guns and valuables to take with them. Ed Klummp, Police Chiefs Association, testified against the bill and said the evacuations were so they could search for bodies and shut off gas and power. This town was locked down tight for 4 days and no one was allowed in or out. The only people in that town those 4 days were Sheriffs Officers, Kansas Highway Patrol Officers, ATF, FEMA, National Guard, Police Officers from surrounding areas and some volunteers from Ft. Riley. They claim no one else was there or could have gotten in and out. Many guns and other valuables such as jewelry have gone permanently missing and have never been recovered. There were some houses that were not destroyed and were in tact at one end of town. Those folks did not want to leave but were forced to leave. When they returned they found their front doors kicked in and all of their guns and jewelry missing. Guns and ammo that were collected were taken to a trailer (18 wheeler size) and an ATF agent manned the trailer. When people first came to collect their guns they had to fill out a 4473 and get a nics approval before they could claim their guns. No one had paperwork, receipts, or lists of serial numbers because it had all blown away. Later into the process they quit demanding these items. Apparantly many guns were claimed by not the rightful owner. One man had 75 guns that did not belong to him, which he was busted for trying to sell. In one of the houses they busted into they found 5 full auto guns, C-4 explosive, grenades and a rocket launcher. This gentleman claimed to be ex military and kept them from that time. He was not charged as it was determined to be an illegal search and seizure. The people in Greensburg are a close, tight knit community, everyone knows everyone kind of place. They were very resentful of government coming in and telling them what they had to do. They would have preferred to stay and help each other locate valuables and guns and not leave their property. In one case, in the collection trailer, a gun box was claimed by one man who had a very nice gun in it and when he opened the undamaged and closed box, not a mark on the box, he found an old rusted gun that was not his. Supposedly, 2 police officers from Wichita who were part of the task force during the 4 day evacuation were fired because they were found to have stolen guns and trying to sell them. The comment made to us was that none of the really nice guns were found. The main source of this information was a gentleman from Greensburg who is an FFL and has a gun shop outside of town and he is also a gunsmith. He sold a good portion of those guns to people in Greensburg and also has been working to repair many of their guns in the aftermath. When he went to claim his guns, from his home, not his shop as the shop was in tact, and they did not break in the shop and take anything, he said the ATF agent basically told him to take anything he wanted. There was no collection list and guns were NOT cataloged for location of discovery or anything like that.

Now just a quicky of what my opinion is. The folks in that town had their constitutional rights violated from the get go. I am appalled at what happened there and can tell you I would never leave my property under those circumstances. I guess those over zealous government agents would have to shoot me which was a close case almost scenario in Greensburg but the citizens gave in. I would not give in. The people in that town who were already traumatized by the tornado were further traumatized by government officials. If there were no civilians and no looters then where are all the missing guns. Funny how all the missing guns are the nicest, most expensive guns. Also funny how there was no media coverage of any of this and it was kept very hush, hush but then we all know the media and what cxxp they espouse to.

As this bill moves through the process the entire population of KS needs to raise it's voice in the loudest manner to see to it the bill gets passed. Once it passes out of the House committee it will go to the Senate committee. People need to educate themselves on what their rights are in times of disaster. The folks in Greensburg thought they didn't have a choice about leaving because that's what they were told and that was a lie.

PEOPLE NEED TO GET INVOLVED!!! Yes, I just shouted that. I was shocked by the fact that only 3 people turned out to attend the hearing to support our side, other than those of us who testified. The NRA sent an alert out to its members in KS, I sent an alert out to my 2000 member database urging them to come in support and 3 people show up. There is power in numbers. When a hearing room is full of proponents, legislators take notice.

I was terribly angered by what I found out Thursday and feel very bad for the people of Greensburg. It literally made me sick to hear all this and wish I had been told when it was happening. There had been a few rumors but the rumors were vague with no actual evidence or proof and were not first hand detailed accounts. The people of Greensburg will never be the same. Emergency Powers Legislation has been passed in 22 other states and is actively going through the process of being enacted in several other states. The NRA has made it a priority to see to it that it gets passed in all 50 states. We need to support the NRA in this effort.

If this doesn't give us all a wake up call, I don't know what will.
__________________

Patricia A. Stoneking
Target Master Shooting Academy, LLC
NRA Certified Training Counselor
Law Enforcement Certified Tactical Firearms Instructor
Northeast Quadrant Director, Board of Directors, Kansas State Rifle Association
Legislative Liaison, Board of Directors, Tri-County Rod and Gun Club
P. O. Box 117
Bonner Springs, KS 66012
(913) 667-3044
PAStoneking@kc.rr.com
www.targetmasteracademy.com

I'm contacting my State Senator and Representative on this issue tuit suit. Not only should the bill pass, there should be an investigation into why this occurred in the first place. I'm sure it's far more handy to evacuate everyone so it's easier on law enforcement, but the last I checked, we were not put on this earth for their convenience in ordering around. They are supposed to protect and serve us - they are public servants.

I wrote about my experience delivering some fuel trailers to Greensburg during the time the town was closed. I can tell you there was one gentleman who was not happy with "the feds" and how he and his bulk fuel business were treated. The last thing a victim of disaster needs is to be subject to the whims of overreaching bureaucrats.

Thanks to Xavier for the story.

If Only It Were True

Powered By limobus


Would that this were true and translated into the real world. Oh well....

H/T Jed

Fifteen Years Ago Today

Fifteen years ago today, April 1, 1993, Alan Dennis Kulwicki, the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, was killed in a light plane crash. He was in one of his sponsor's (Hooters) planes on a publicity trip before a race at Bristol. He also represented the last of an era - the owner driver. Yes, there have been owner drivers in NASCAR since his death, but none of them have won the Cup. His cup victory over Bill Elliot was one of the closest points race ever, and his victory wasn't decided until the end of the Atlanta race.

Alan was the first Cup champion with a college degree. He was the first champion from a Northern state. The Polish Victory Lap is a tradition he started. He would take the checkered flag and drive around the track backwards, in a humorous poke at his Polish heritage. Rusty Wallace insured the Polish Victory Lap wouldn't be forgotten when he won the Bristol race following Kulwicki's death, and ran one in memoriam for his friend. For the remainder of the season, when Rusty or Dale Earnhardt won a race, they ran a Polish Victory Lap for Alan. The entire field had stickers of Kulwicki's #7 on their cars. After Davey Allison's death on July 13, 1993 in a helicopter crash, all the teams had a #28 displayed as well. At the final race of the season, race winner Rusty Wallace and series champion Dale Earnhardt carried flags in memory of Kulwicki and Allison in a Polish Victory Lap.



Now Earnhardt is gone, and Rusty is retired to the broadcast booth. Sometimes, being a NASCAR fan is bittersweet.

MAD Fold Ins

I grew up on MAD magazine. I never subscribed, but a trip to the store usually meant stopping by the comics display to see if the new issue had arrived. Somewhere, I have a load of the paperback books.

The New York Times has an interactive display showing some of the old Jaffee fold-ins. By clicking on the right edge and dragging to the left with the mouse, you can relive those halcyon days. Of course, it is art nowadays.

H/T SondraK

Jealousy

I gotta say, I'm pretty jealous today. MoK of Six Degrees of Blondness is at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville VA. The weather is cold, but oh well. I've only been to Texas Motor Speedway in the Ft. Worth area - but it was a sweet deal. One of my buds was the sports editor for one of the local papers, and I went along with him at first so I could help him cover the action. He became a fan, and probably was more knowledgeable after a couple years. One year, I actually got garage access. The rest of the time, I had pit lane and media center access, which meant I watched the races from pit lane, and ate my meals at the media center.

I got to meet quite a few Nascar personalities as well. Some memories are bittersweet - Adam Petty was a nice, polite kid who was extremely personable. Kenny Irwin, Jr. was very soft spoken and a pleasure to be around when we interviewed him. Of course, I really never even got close to Dale Sr. - even my buddy never got a chance to interview him. Chocolate Meyers and Richard Childress were accessible, though. But, I saw Dale up close several times. We interviewed Jeff Burton. Wow, what a class act. We hung out with Dave Marcis and his team one year. Benny Parsons and Ned Jarrett were also very great spokesmen for the sport - a pleasure to be around.

The media center is placed between the now Nationwide and now Sprint garages. So, the Claim Jumpers (once Busch Whackers) had to hustle across the road from one garage to another when one practice was over and another began. Yes, Micheal Waltrip is tall. He stood out like a sore thumb. I've got a picture of he and John Andretti, Jr. talking in the garage area - what a contrast. Dick Trickle was pretty concerned about getting a butt sucked down while he had a moment. He used to smoke in the cars, until the in car cameras caught him doing it during cautions and the powers that be decided that wasn't good publicity.

I was there the year that excessive rain caused "weepers" in the track, and drivers were wrecking when they hit the wet spots during qualifying runs. Pit security more or less broke down, and there were fans on pit road getting autographs, and drivers and crews (and me) sitting on the pit wall. I stood up on the wall to get a better picture and sitting down discovered Todd Bodine's car owner was next to me and Todd was beside him. During Busch practice, I sat with Tony Stewart's team spotting babes for them to watch as they walked by. Good times.

Texas has only recently gotten away from one groove racing. Whoever dominated the race at first generally didn't win, because track position was critical. A poor pit stop or some other normal incident would take the initial leaders out. But, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is true you see the race far better sitting at home watching it on television, but the sights, sounds and smells are an experience I highly recommend. Qualifying is fun to watch, because you hear the single car the whole trip around the track. It's easy to tell when the driver lifts, feathers or hammers on it. Green flag starts are also very cool. There is a deep bass rumbling as all the cars work around the track, and the noise gradually builds as they enter turn four. It just keeps building slightly until the green flag drops, then the place explodes with honking, unmuffled American V8 power overcomes the senses. The smell of the fuel - like the old premium of days past, permeates the air, mingled with the smell of hot rubber from the tires. During the race, forget hearing anything unless you have some pretty good headphones on.

Texas is a cool place to be, but it isn't as distinctive as some. It is kinda reviled as a "cookie cutter" track because it is "D" shaped and 1.5 miles long, just like plenty of other tracks. There are no two exactly the same, but the races are a lot alike because the cars are set up very close to the same at each one. Martinsville is unique. It's shaped like a paper clip - long straights hooked to fairly "tight" corners. Drivers are on the gas very hard coming out of a corner, and on the brakes very hard going in. It's also considered to be more or less a "flat track" because it doesn't have steep banking (like Bristol). Stock Car Science has a far better explanation of racing at Martinsville (and racing in general - she explains the physics, mechanics and of course, the "science" far better than I). Brakes, and right side tires are critical here. Forty three cars makes for one big traffic jam all day. Combine lots of cars with mechanical failures likely, plus tempers flaring, uncomfortable racing conditions, and not much grip - well, it gets interesting.

That is why I'm really jealous. I'm jealous of anyone going to any Nascar race, but this one? Really jealous. Maureen - you have yourself a time there. It will be a lifetime experience, particularly since this is your first race in person. Enjoy!

UPDATE: It turns out Mo is going to the second race there this year. I'm still jealous, though. That hasn't changed.

UPDATE 2: I should learn to read - it's Richmond she will be attending. Oh well, it's another great short track that I'd give a left - well, maybe not.

Hazards of Cialis

Another health service I'm happy to provide. Beware.

Oh, and surgery went fine. Home and sore, with two pretty useless appendages, instead of just one.

Another Meme

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating

Heh. I haven't had anything to eat since midnight and nothing but clear liquids (water) since then, and shut that off at seven am. My caffeine content has to be residual.

I'm going in for outpatient surgery for carpal tunnel on my right hand today. If everything goes well, after a month I'll be cleared to go back to work. It's about farging time.

Meme H/T Tam

Frustrated, and the Air is Blue

Today is another Woot-Off. Woot is a geek oriented site that generally sells one item per day, and when they run out, too bad. No backorders. They have quite the selection of goodies sure to warm the heart of any geek - IPods (and other media players) and accessories, computers, recordable media, bluetooth accessories, R/C toys, LCD and plasma televisions,vacuum cleaners (generally Roombas or Dysons), printers, and well, you get the idea. Woot offers new and refurbished goodies, too. A Woot-Off is when they put up a variety of items one at a time, and when one sells out, another is put on the block. These occur about once a month to six weeks. It's a good way for them to clear out low inventory items. You literally have to be Johnny On the Spot, refreshing the page to see what is new. They do put up a flashing light icon and an inventory bar to give you an idea of how much stock is left. There are people out there that stay up all night and day until Woot is out of inventory and the Woot-Off is over. Some call in sick at work to do this.

So, this came up:



Polaroid DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Drive and ATSC Tuner

For $99.99. $5 shipping and handling. Oh, did I mention everything is $5 shipping and handling, even if you order one, two or three? Kinda nice if you buy a big heavy plasma screen. This one was a refurb, with a 90 day factory warranty. If you've shopped for one similar, you'll see why I was interested. This one is about half price or less compared to a new one. I saw it had the ATSC tuner, which is digital (or the new high definition signal), but I wanted to check if it had NTSC (the current analog signal) built in. I've got an older HD "monitor" tv without a digital tuner installed. So, if I want to watch the local HD channels, I have to buy a tuner. Having the recorder and hard drive was icing on the cake. Instead of hitting the "I want one" button, I scrolled down the read the description. Well, you can probably see how this story is going.

It was sold out when I hit the confirm button after reviewing my card info, and entering in my security numbers. Turns out they had eleven units. Sales averaged one per 4.601 seconds. By the time I had read the description, I was SOL. I wasn't gonna drop a bill on something I wasn't sure had what I wanted. This is pretty typical of my experiences with a Woot-Off. Oh well, I'm not gonna go nuts - apparently the eleven who bought this item didn't waste any time seeing what they were getting.

Aaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!!