Tuesday Schmoozeday

• There's a Texas saddle maker who died years ago whose saddles can bring thousands dollars when they come up for sale. Funny inside story: he was known for delivering those saddles in a Buick station wagon. The joke in the area he lived was he would throw his tools, the tree, some stirrups and some leather in a burlap sack in the back of that wagon and head toward where the saddle was to be delivered and what stuck together on the trip was what you got. Those saddles were also known for making life equally miserable for both the rider and the horse, but yeah- they don't give his saddles away theses days.







• Two people I know are from the same area up North and have lived here in Texas for nearly exactly the same length of time. He sounds like a total Texas hick when he speaks, but hates being here and looks often for jobs to get him back to what he considers home. If you have any ear at all you can instantly tell where she's from originally, but she loves being here, is a part of the community and would not trade being here for anything and reports only hating the fact she wasn't born and raised here in Texas.







• The other day I had a burrito made with potatoes, chorizo, eggs, mozzarella cheese, jalapenos and topped with salsa verde and salsa fuego- what a gut bomb. I was sick for 2 days. A friend said, They have something like that there? No, I ordered it and they made it for me... Yes, I special ordered something that would have put a lesser person in the hospital.







• A Beatles song I often forget I like, covered by Siouxsie And Teh Banshees- Dear Prudence.

Monday's Missives

My boy- my Life

• During my recent commute to work with my ex wife Billy Corgan's cover of Landslide started playing. We both started singing along and both bobbled the lyrics in the same place in different ways. The whole scene was oddly OK- there's nothing to it, it didn't mean a thing, but yes it was OK for some reason.



• Somebody recently commented on my limp. I explained my knee was bothering me because of the cold, wet weather. Is that what you hurt during the war? Yeah, I answered. What happened? she asked.



• And there I was- surrounded! Bullets were flying everywhere. The vehicle was burning. I pulled my driver out and giving him his weapon said,"Don't you die on me." and then I turned and a bullet went through my knee...



• I'm lying. I walked out of a guard shack at night and fell over a Jersey barrier (they're like the dividers for HOV lanes) that had been placed there during my shift.



• Recent headlines have been,"Doctors perplexed by wave of girls with tourettes syndrome type symptoms in New York schools." Doctors haven't beeen that perplexed- it's impossible this phenomenon is not psychological. Nobody wants to go on record as being a meaner is all.

Sunday's Summary

• My buddy dropped by yesterday to check on me since my phone has been out of service and he couldn't reach me. Our conversation led to a flood of flashbacks. I remembered watching a movie with his parents. It was the first time I watched Dr. Strangelove. Even though we were in our 30s and didn't know each other in our teens it was like enjoying the simple times of our teens- while knowing what had at the time. His mom fussed over us. We made it most of the way through the movie after eating pizza. Then the guys crashed and we awoke to his mom cleaning from that day and preparing for the next. We filmed all our hunts during the day and gave the tapes titles like Kill Fest 99, Blood Sport 00 and If It Flies It Dies 01. During one hunt his dad went to an appointment and was admitted to the hospital. We were going to finish the hunt and then my bud would come back and do the family thing. Instead, he came to me while I napped from the moring hunt and said, Hey, dads going bad real quick. It doesn't look good- it doesn't look good at all. I may need you to drive my truck home and we'll call it quits for now. During the stay before that I'd run a harvester for his dad. When the water pump quit he said he'd get somebody to come out and look at it. I said, Why don't we do it? We couldn't find a pump anywhere so I removed the old pump and laid everything out so the mechanic (who'd be there long after we left) would be able to figure things out- hopefully saving money and down time on the harvester. I sensed my buds dad liked and respected me for that. I liked and respected him for that. Anyway, I knew on the way home alone that night we'd never be there again- you can never go home. And I haven't been back since.


• Recently two middle aged female acquaintances were discussing the cosmetic work (in great detail) they'd have done if they could. While not normally in the business of telling people how to think or feel, without thinking I said, Good grief- you're both gorgeous. You need to be happy with yourselves and satisfied with how well you're aging, do it gracefully and go about your business without turning yourselves into some weird looking monsters.


• The look on their faces was mostly one of surprise at hearing me say I thought they were pretty I think, although yes- it may have been my blunt tone.


• The time 11:11 continues to have some odd significances for me.


• I've had my own take on this for years, but I like the concise simplicity of this: before doing something ask yourself this- how will I feel about it- how will it affect me, 10 minutes from now, 10 days from now- 10 years from now?


• Marines in firefight- Afghanistan

It's Caturday!

• I'm mostly OK alone, I'm mostly OK with someone else, but the only time I really consistently wish I were with someone if I'm not, is when it's raining and thundering.


• A crazy patient who comes in daily for treatment asked, Can I have you tomorrow? after I saw her. She then burst out laughing at the perceived implications of that question.


• The poor design and furnishing of the gazillion dollar building I work in is odd. Doors open directly into peoples work areas in the business office- I mean literally, as in clerks spend 50% of their time fending off doors to prevent bodily injury. In said business office you bump into clerks chairs as you walk through since there isn't enough room between them and the files. In a conference room there are bar stool type seats around a huge conference table. There's not enough room to put your feet up on the rest without bashing your knees on the underside of the table so your legs dangle while you lean over a computer. I literally had trouble walking out of there after a 3 hour meeting. Desks in the offices are too shallow to write on a chart- you have to let half of it hang off in the air. The layout does not allow for what should have been considered the inevitable computerised charting by letting a patient face you as you enter information in front of a monitor and keyboard...


• I like and respect everybody in my chain of command where I work- important to me and unusual I think.


• I'm 100% sure I'll watch The Artist, but have no idea- none whatsoever what to expect.


• Zac has been given candy by me only a handful of times in his life.


• Headline: 'Toddlers And Tiaras' mom sues over " sexualization of her daughter".


• I simply do not know where to start.


• Like your face being forced to the floor

Friday's Dispatch

• West Texas has arrived: The sky is brown, tastes dirty, feels gritty and is bypassing the door and landing on the tile to the entryway.


• They think they've go it bad? My initial response to the Save Teh World/world/children/environment spot on television that was just on hi liting the drought in the Horn Of Africa.


• I like to eat tuna and mac and cheese in the same meal, but not mixed together.


• There's a toy stuffed mouse hanging from the tree outside my living room window.


• Zac's mom took him to a place familiar to him where we do business. When they walked in he said, Can I have a cookie and a Gatorade? The hot chick behind the desk said, Sure- you know where they are, help yourself. He brought them back, walked around the desk like he owned the place and after sitting in the girl's lap picked up a pen and started doodling on her note pad.


• Lucky for me, mom wasn't in a humor impaired mood that day.


• Novocaine for the the soul

Wednesday's Digressions

• Recently at work while trying to schedule on the computer an appointment for a patient who has a reputation for being difficult I became aware that she had moved behind me and was looking over my shoulder. Seeing my last name in the log-in she said as much and then lamely trying to affect a playful tone said,"Hey- now, I know your last name- I can Google you! Ahem, my full name is printed intentionally rather prominently on my ID, I would have gladly given it if asked and regardless, would have been compelled to do so if again, she'd only asked. In the words of the Blogfather, "I bet her life is a thousand times harder than it has to be."






• Will somebody tell me (using small words and diagrams if possible) how to set an about me button on the main page of a blogger.com blog?






• If I were fantastically wealthy I'd: spend every waking hour getting every available hot air balloon certification and gaining thousands of hours of flight time. Then I'd move to Africa and sell rides across places like Ngorongora crater, Maasai Mara and take film makers on flyovers of the annual migrations of the plains animals. For Europeans I'd lay my Texas accent on thick and with Americans I'd affect a British accent and refer to myself as an expat.






• At the store where I drop in to get drinks and milk etc. they know I like to scan the products myself so as soon as they see me walk in they rotate the laser toward the front of the counter.






• My insurance agent is pretty hot- I asked her out the first time we met. She was on the skids from her marriage and looking for herself so I wished her well and moved on. Recently I had to interact with her again. Predictably I commented on her hawtness. She said, Aw, you're so sweet- let me see if we have any discounts to put on your policy.






• One of the most neglected secrets of life is figuring out which wheels to grease and how.






• No centaurs

Monday's Missives

• Recently I heard a friend interacting with someone and during the course of their discussion I could have sworn I heard the other person say to her," Oh, yeah fatty?!" I was seeing red and already headed toward them when it registered he had actually said, "Oh yeah- Patty!?" (her name).







• I had wanted to also serve in Afghanistan. Among the many reasons were it was heating up to a bad war as my service was winding down and I also in general thought I had something to offer. Mostly though, it was so when I bumped into some guy and he said, Hey, do you remember me? I served with you during the war! I could look hard at him and say, Oh yeah- which one?







• I'm reading Dafoe's Robinson Crusoe- what an unbelievably good book.







• Wish I'd died instead of lived- a zombie as my fate

Friday's Dispatch

• If you're ever going to have a surgery that allows you time to prepare, try drinking (without skipping meals) two to three nutritional supplement drinks per day prior to the surgery. It really helps if you can start 2 weeks out. Recovery for many surgeries is much quicker and complications decreased.





• Coffee, tamales and pizza- today's lunch.





• Protein drink, a glass of water, a banana and a multivitamin- tonight's dinner.





• See, it's all about balance...





• Browser headlines are, "Jim Carreys unlikely new girlfriend" basing their "unlikely" pairing on her youthfulness and extreme hawtness. He's rich, famous and if not George Clooney- he doesn' look like the Boggy Creek Monster, so not that surprising.





• I'm watching some episodes of the original Outer Limits. Man, I had literally forgotten how good that show was.





• Two of my nieces do extreme couponing. Last week they bought over 600.00 worth of groceries for 200.00.





• I can't stand it. I know you planned it.

50 Year History Of Math Teaching

Teaching Math In 1970 A logger sells a truck-load of timber for $1000. His cost of production is 4/5 of the selling price. What is his profit?



Teaching Math In 1980 A logger sells a truck-load of timber for $1000. His cost of production is 4/5 of the selling price, or $800. What is his profit?



Teaching Math In 1990 A logger sells a truck-load of timber for $1000. His cost of production is $800. Did he make a profit?



Teaching Math In 2000A logger sells a truck-load of timber for $1000. His cost of production is $800 and his profit is $200. Your assignment: Underline the number 200.



Teaching Math In 2009 A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is totally selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $200. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers. If you are upset about the plight of the animals in question counselling will be available)



Teaching Math 2018أ المسجل تبيع حموله شاحنة من الخشب من دولار . صاحب تكلفة الانتاج من > ! الثمن . ما هو الربح له

Wednesday's Digressions

• This morning while shopping for Zac some shoes I saw a woman wearing scrubs and sporting a fresh black eye. She looked miserable and ashamed. She was checking out work boots. I wanted to say, You think he'll treat you better if you treat him even better, but it's not true- you'll make it worse, and as a matter of fact, he'll probably stomp you to death in those boots, but I kept walking. I went around to fit Zac for his shoes and decided I couldn't take it anymore and went back around to say something, but she was gone.








• It's laundry day.








• Zachary had a blast yesterday splashing around in the creek at Sunshine Lake. We saw several deer and a very large, healthy looking bobcat.








• The other day at work several girls were showing off their shoes and boots. I put my booted foot in the mix and turning it for effect said, These are Wolverines. I got them on sale for 39 dollars at Tractor Supply Company 8 years ago. They make my feet look smaller when I have to wear my fat clothes.








• It kills me not to know this, but I've all but just forgotten what the color of her eyes were and her scars or how she got them

Until Tuesday

• If you can spare 1 minute and 53 seconds for something that will have you shaking your head for the rest of the day click here.







• The golden cheeked warbler presents an interesting example of our lack of basic critical thinking skills and biology knowledge. You can't read anything about it that does not trash humans for it's possible demise. The likely only reason it is still here though is due to mans influence. The junipers it likes to nest in are more or less protected by mans interference with wildfires. People will say the threat is mans clearance of the trees it nests in- this isn't strictly true- it nests in junipers that are in gullies and hillsides- areas not often cleared. It is too highly specialised with too small of a range- nature had selected it for extinction a long time ago. Humans are the only reason it may actually survive and we get blamed for its impending demise.







• We are weird.







• When you hear that bird sing for the first time though you'll never forget it. It well, warbles. It has a gorgeous song and warbles at false dawn, especially when the air is real still.







• I hurt someone's feelings at work unintentionally recently. It was the last thing I thought of before I napped when I flexed out early and the first thing I thought of when I awoke the next day.







• A friend is looking for love in all the wrong places and faces. I've tried bluntly talking to him about it, joking, kidding and cajoling him regarding his quest- nothing gets his attention. Sometimes our lessons have to be hard I guess.







• My favorite (and yours) Violent Femmes song.

Monday's Missives

• Weird: an acquaintance's husband was recently busted in an adulterous relationship. Not that weird you say? Oh, imagine my embarrassment, I should have added some detail in the set-up. It was with another dude. Still not that strange? Oh OK, her sister's husband was also getting freaky with the same guy. Regardless, the poor girl is destroyed. Here's a tip for you ladies though- if you have a gay guy friend and your hubby goes on a homophobic, curse filled tirade every time the guys name is mentioned and then suddenly starts hanging out with the guy, you know- to play X Box, watch the game etc. you can bet his curiosity has gotten the better of him and he'll never be the same again.






• After years of driving a compact car she wasn't that happy with my children's grandmother bought an Expedition. On the way home grandad drove the Expedition and she followed in the old car. Somewhere along the way he stopped and she did not- totalling the car. The Expedition's trailer hitch was scratched.






• Yesterday afternoon I had to restore my computer. I didn't pay attention to the time/date settings when it came up Pacific Time and spent the rest of the day thinking it was two hours earlier than it was. Man, why am I so tired? And then later, Zac sure crashed early...






• I dreamed night before last I sat at a bus stop in Boston and chatted with Paul Giamatti while he was in makeup and costume as John Adams.






• Although they are one of natures most perfect foods- I eat too many hamburgers.






• Regarding a woman fighter who was fined for steroid use the California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer said," Anabolic agents and other banned substances put not only the user of those agents at risk, but their opponents as well." The first part of his quote is arguably true, but it's also true of everything we do. The second part of his statement is just odd- put their opponents at risk? Regardless, you didn't need a urine test to know she was using steroids, all you had to do was glance at her picture.






• Motorhead Love Me Forever

Friday's Dispatch

• Against my better judgement I've let a few Iraqi refugees I've met know I was in Iraq. I don't think I'll do it again. There's a vague sense in the back of my mind it will come back to haunt me. The world is just too small- Aha! You're the one who kidnapped my brother in the middle of the night and took him to jail. He died there you infidel! Or, I remember you- you zip tied me and sat me by the highway where my neigbors and family could see my shame!



• The cool weather is great. When I walk out in the morning I smell the neighbor's fireplace burning.



• There has to be a better way to word that- fireplace burning?



• I know it got the point across, but it also seems nonsensical.



• Something I heard a long time ago that I cannot explain why it's true, but I do believe it is: Never tell someone they look tired. If you sense something is bothering them and wearing them down and you want to help, say something to the effect of, You don't seem yourself- are you OK? etc.



• The other day I saw a clip of a NASCAR driver getting mad at another and intentionally wrecking him out. They were going as I recall 130 MPH- couldn't he have killed the other guy over what was essentially a hissy fit?



• Strangelove

Thursday's Thoughts

• A Denny Crane post reminded me of a long ago family member memory. He mentioned crazy things people used to get high with around the world and one of the things mentioned was substitute alcohols in Russia. An extended family member's uncle had a bad drinking problem. His wife more or less threatened the lives of every alcohol retailer in town within walking distance of the house (he did not drive) if they sold him liquor or beer. While cleaning out the attic after he and his wife both died they found it was stacked to the rafters with empty vanilla extract, cheap after shave and another product I don't recall, bottles. It took two pickup loads to carry it all off to the dump. It amazes he could have put all that away without dying much earlier than he did. Oh, and as I recall- he outlived the wife.








• Yesterday morning in the bath a razor fell off into the water. I bent over and it pinched me on the abdomen. I bent over again a minute later and felt another pinch- or so I thought. It was cutting into me- not pinching with all five blades in two different places nearly evenly in line with each other. I can hear the ME doing my autopsy when I die in a car wreck tomorrow: the decedent is a middle aged, well nourished, height and weight proportionate white male with no obvious identifying tattoos or marks except- wait a minute- he appears to have been a cutter...








• My high schooler is taking economics and two other classes this summer- amazing. He'll have his associates when he graduates from high school.

Grandmother's Folksy Sayings Delay Senility Detection For Years

"CLARE, MI—Despite losing the last of her mental faculties in 2004, Mary Parise, 89, avoided being committed to an elder-care facility until just last week, when her children discovered her down-home turns of phrase were in fact the senseless ramblings of a senile woman. "We would have taken her to a specialist sooner, but you know how Mom's always saying, 'I reckon I'll stay where I am as long as the good Lord's willing and the rooster don't break bread with a jackass,'" daughter Karen Parise said. "For years she's been calling my son 'Buster Brown' and telling him he's so bowlegged he couldn't hem a hog up in a ditch. I assumed it was a term of endearment, but now I don't think she actually recognizes any of us." Parise's children told reporters they also believe their grandmother's diet of uncooked beans and cornstarch is not in fact "a Great Depression thing." from the onion.com

Crazy Comment On Snopes

"Posted by snopes on
document.'write' (timestamp'(new Date'(2003,2,13,2,18,0), dfrm, tfrm, 0, 0, 0, 0));
13 March, 2003 02:18 AM: Comment: Have you heard of a snake in mexico that comes into the houses of'women who just gave birth and are nursing their babies only to wake up and 'find that a snake has been suckling off the mom and the baby is sucking on'the tail of the snake? "

Wednesday's Digressions

• On the way to work yesterday morning after my flat tire experience it was 47 degrees, I had the sunroof open, this was on the radio and I was driving a little too fast. It felt good.




• How could I ever hate you baby? I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up to you- a nice foam bath and Armor All your tires? I cooed as I rubbed her steering wheel.




• At the homeless shelters I sometimes screen I've noticed if the weathers hot the clients are way more likely to be in a bad mood. If it's cold they're more subdued and compliant.




• My nursing buddy looks really cool in funky hats, but rarely wears them. Another acquaintance looks like a tool under a hat and wears them every day.




• An acquaintance drives a car with out of state plates, no inspection, no insurance and no registration and has done so for years. How do you get away with that?




• A vote for Clint Webb is a vote for truth, justice and the American way.

Last Night I Faced Adversity And Tragedy With Typical Aplomb

I would replace my car with a sweet ride like this, but the cow would probably die and I like cows- especially when I'm eating them.

• Yesterday Zac's mom called and asked if she could ride in to town with me (we work only blocks apart) since her car was down. Predictably, on the way home my car got a flat tire. Perhaps even more predictably the spare was also flat. As I started taking the offending tire off it started pouring rain.





• The universe likes to jack with me.





• What do we do now? she asked.





• I don't know- want to make out?





• I don't think so- you're dirty and wet.





• That's the way it's supposed to be.





• Yeah, that's the kind of stuff I do.





• Anyway, she posted our predicament on Facebook. Her friend texted her and asked, "Um, what are you doing on the side of the road with your ex husband?"





• Tell her we're making out.





• All I could think on the way back to the car was wouldn't it be great if a semi going a hundred miles an hour just plowed over that stupid car? And the driver is the drunk son of a wealthy trucking company owner? And they pay me 100,000 dollars hush money?





• After we got rolling again we stopped at Playa Maya to eat. Their cowboy enchiladas are great, especially since they're covered in about a quart of cheese sauce.





• I did not dip them in the bowl of cheese sauce we had for the chips to make me feel better.





• But, I was tempted.





• Zac flirted with the waitress. She brought him a ball of tortilla dough to play with. He made what I thought was a frog out of it and then got mad at my perception of his scultpure and wouldn't tell me what it actually was.





• Lots of car fail here, but at 4:20 you'll see me.

Monday's Missives

Ellie Mae- where did the years go?

• Yesterday a girl asked asked where I had been. I replied, You mean as in, this morning or all your life? She called me moco, which is Spanish for snot. I knew then my work there was done.



• Zac asked for candy when we got home from Olive Garden. I reminded him he already had candy at OG in the chocolate mints he ate. His reply? That wasn't candy- that was food!



• My house got so out of control recently my buddy who drops by to use the Internet cleaned while I was out one evening. He must have spent a couple of hours on it.



• A couple of days ago I bought some just ripe bananas. Today, they're so overripe it's unlikely I'll eat them. I wonder why they ripened so quickly?



• I almost always misspell bananas.



• What I called show and tell in school when I was a kid is more often called show and share today.



• One of of my patients is schizophrenic. While she is legitimately profoundly disabled by it, she also gets a kick out of scaring people by walking like a zombie and alternating between expressions of a blank thousand yard stare and burning anger. After noting her engage in getting a charge out of seeing people being fearful of her I betrayed my perception by grinning at her and shaking my head. Later while drawing her blood she looked hard at me. Again, I smiled and shook my head. She busted out laughing. Then I did the same- while trying to hold a winged collett needle (butterfly) in her arm and change out collection tubes.



• After watching Afghans fishing with RPGs I think we can die whole and complete.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

1994 Camaro Z28, LT1 - $3000 (The Colony)
Reply to: mailto:sale-rv8 [Errors when replying to ads?]Date: 2009-04-23, 10:16AM CDT

1994 Camaro Z28 LT1 engine, auto trans. 136000 miles, would consider as partial trade on a very nice car.
Location: The Colony

PostingID: 1136233463

Saturday's Situation

• I'm on the shore of Lake Bridgeport. After knocking a duck down at a ridiculous range I set my sweet Remington 1100 Special Field shotgun down on the ground and walk over to the water with Zachary dispensing wisdom about the great outdoors as we go. After spending an hour looking for the duck I spend the next hour looking for the gun. Finally somebody tells me a guy who lives in a shack back from the lake found it and took it home. A smoking hot lady in a teal colored evening dress offers to show me how to get to his place. As she stands from her camouflaged lawn chair I awaken.






• That was my odd, but nevertheless lame dream from last night.






• If you watch this movie you'll see a guy accidentally rob a bank with a salami.






• At work a girl was so miserable with seasonal allergies I gave her my last two pseudoephedrine tablets I found in the console of my car. Thinking they were the 30 mg tabs I normally carry I told her she might want to take both of them since she was in such bad shape. She came to my office a couple of hours later and said, What did you give me? I feel funny and floaty!






• They were 60 mg tabs.

A Prediction

As far as in our lifetimes are concerned there will always be fossil fuels. Coming very soon though there will be cost effective, clean, cheap fuels to replace them. Whatever comes around, it will be so cheap due to low production costs and competition it will make the good old days of cheap gasoline look like highway robbery.

Craigslist Craziness

MUSTANG GT 5.0 1991 90k - $2650 (H.E.B)

Reply to: sale-qgvxd-11717] Date: 2009-05-15, 2:02AM CDT


I finally got me a hot rod to build a couple years back, been workin on it little at a time. Now my soon to be x-wife is trying to take it. Our divorce wont be final for a few weeks. Hell will freeze before she gets it so im letting it go cheap just to spit her. SHHHHHH dont tell. Iv got around 6 thousand in the car and it drives great interior needs couple of window motors but other than that its not bad. Its white with silver pony wheels. I can go on and on and on about the engine mods and the drive train but it would just be easier to call me.(817)-841-0100 my name is Chance and i say this with all seriousness, that the first one who looks at this car will ask me if im stupid as they drive it away please no low ballen BULL #$%@ if your close with my price we can talk iv got clear title in hand. Call any time Cell # (817)-&&^ !@#$


Location: H.E.B
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Does Anything About This Label Jump Out At You?

Click to enlarge

Wednesday's Digressions

USMC CPL Burness Britt wounded in Helmand Province. Shrapnel from an IED severed an artery in his neck. He has a long road ahead of him, but he lived. AP photo

• I bumped into a woman today with whom I share multiple of just a few degrees of separation. Among others I worked for years with her father and an old friend used to date her. All I could think of while we chatted was, Holy smokes- she looks just like her dad and frog tongue! after what my bud had said about the way she kissed.



• I took my eldest to his Army training recently. We had dinner afterwards and made each other laugh. It's oddly OK when you talk about things with an adult son that you know may help save his life and end the lives of others. It was a little weird though, when we laughed after I told him about the gruesome (but nonetheless interesting/dramatic) deaths of some insurgents killed by my unit.



• When you find yourself at the intersection of 281 and 57 in Stephenville Texas (as we all will at some time or another in life's journey) stop at the Hard Eight BBQ place. When you do, have one of their 2 inch thick pork chops and when they say,"Can I dip it in butter for you? say Why, yes please- I thought you'd never ask.



• Then the next time the universe brings you there, have a chopped sandwich on a sourdough jalapeno roll. Then, place what falls out of the sandwich onto the butcher paper into a bowl of beans from the 5 gallon cauldron that you help yourself from. Scatter some cheese and onions across the top and think of me.



• My son's choir will be having a performance in a fancy place this weekend.



• A family member's military job requires a clearance of above top secret. He goes places for short periods of time and can't tell his immediate family where he's going. Based on: what I surmised as his honest denial when I asked if it was a common country in the region for our guys to go, a country he admitted in another conversation using as a jumping off point to get to the country he works, the language he's recently been studying and my limited knowledge of world events- it just hit me on the drive home last night where's he's been going. Mmmmm- very interesting. Ah, this is either going to be big news someday- or no news at all.



• I know it's shamelessly anthemic, but if you missed this as part of your youth and hear this song today and would not trade all those years to have experienced those days- well, there's no hope for you.

Tuesday's Thoughts

• A favorite German word: wolkenkratzer. It means skyscraper, but literally translates into cloud scratcher.






• Zac is going shopping today for himself for the first time using cash and gift cards he scored for Xmas.






• People misunderstand what war may mean to an economy. By it's very nature it's destructive and not a positive thing. Regardless, it takes a huge one to really lift a large population's economy and then what? What about when that war ends? What about the resources wasted?






• Taco Cabana: it's what's for lunch.






• I have a ton of 35 mm camera bodies, lenses and other accessories I need to sell off although I have no idea what market there may be for them now.






• Noel Fielding is Vlad the impaler in this must see music video.

Monday's Missives

Hey now- Jennifer Tilly. 53 years old and she gets better looking each year. Can you imagine what she'll look like at 153?











• The next time you're in combat and nothing is going your way- your weapon jams, the radio won't work, the enemy is getting on your nerves and you get that sinking feeling where you know your blood sugar is about to crater- take my advice, find some cover and break out some MREs. Then, look for whatever cake you can find, squirt a tube of peanut butter on it, mix cocoa powder to a pudding consistency and place it on top, do the same with a creamer packet, then sprinkle instant coffee across the top of that then sprinkle a French vanilla cappuccino packet across the whole shebang.








• Then throw the entire mess away.








• I kid- it's delicious, nutritious and will keep you going for hours.








• A couple of weeks ago on NPR I heard them talking about how awful Nickelback is then oddly, as the report faded out they played one of the only good songs they do. About two days later on another station I heard them talking about software that blocks to your computer even a reference to Nickelback. It's called Nickelblock.








• I've never talked about Nickelback so such in my life.








• I feel dirty.








• Feeling sniffly the other night I drank Theraflu. First of all- as good as the concept is and effective as it can be, that stuff is nasty. Secondly- I went to bed with my favorite lounge pants on and awoke in the morning naked, having no recall of taking them off.








• Hank Williams Lost Highway

2012 Is Here- Ready Or Not

• Moamar Khadaffi simply had to be ready in some way to die, what with him being a despotic, international pariah who had lost control of his country. My guess is he'd come to terms with the idea of a Hellfire or Brimstone missile incinerating him or a 500 lb laser guided bomb disintegrating him- not being slapped around, pistol whipped, having a stick crammed up his backside and then being shot in the head and chest by a mob.


• When a bad US politician dies I hate to say it, but if I feel anything, I feel relieved.


• A couple of days ago samples were played of music of all different types from all different eras on the radio. It seemed to go on for 5 minutes or more. I didn't know what it was all about until they mentioned it was samples of music from musicians who died this year.


• It shouldn't be as surprising as some thought that Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning as opposed to a heroin overdose. She had quit the heroin and needed something to dull the pain- and fill the holes. Alcohol is more socially acceptable and since a little probably helped fill some of the holes...


• I can't say that I've made any new friends this year although I guess there are quite a few friendly acquaintances.


• Christopher Hitchens died this year and I have no idea who he was, but it's kind of a big thing he's gone.


• We dropped Iraq like a bad habit and expanded ops in Afghanistan this year- we are weird.


• Although, yes I know- Iraq leadership wanted us gone- ready or not.


• I love my job and feel lucky to have gotten it.


• I've never made a new years resolution although I might make a few this year. They almost always always fail though don't they?


• David Arquette has achieved a year of sobriety. I was really worried about him.


• When a year ends we always think of the deaths and disaster incurred in the previous year. I don't know why we let tragedy and loss define us like that, but with a couple of different searches I couldn't find a compiliation of good news from 2011 to put up.


• I hope you have a great year.


• Chris Thomas King Hard Time Killing Floor Blues