Wednesday's Digressions

• I'm responsible for some gold on another blog which always gets favorable comments- well mostly but, I can't bring myself to own up to any of them so I post anonymously.




• Now, if I did put my ID with them I would get accused of plagiarizing.




• I can never seem to win- for losing.



• People who lived near the major who committed the murders on Fort Hood are saying he was mistreated for his faith. After duty hours he would change into clothes associated with Afghan men and attend prayer at his Mosque. I find this a bit odd since he was born in the US and his ancestry is Palestinian. His appearance reportedly led to verbal taunting and vandalizing of his property. Another thought: what would happen to me if I wore a clown suit in some backwater neighborhood in Lebanon? or, short, tight cut off jeans and a string tank top? His actions while working in DC have been properly referred to as, "making himself a lightning rod for trouble."



• Would you buy a one ounce gold coin for 50.00 dollars? Would you accept it if someone gave it to you?



• 2012 looks sadly- sucky. I'll assuredly catch it on DVD though.



• The pond at the end of the road looks spooky at night and the wetlands in the bottom behind it even worse. I'm going to take my oldest son down there and dare him to walk through the wetlands with me some night.



• Yes, I dare my child to do things.

Don't Forget Where You Heard About This When You Accept The Position!

Help wanted: a government dog-sledder

The federal government has an opening for a one-of-a-kind job running kennels and mushing into the wilderness in Denali National Park in Alaska.

Anchorage - In the world of dog mushing, there aren't many jobs with a steady paycheck. Professional mushers live off the bounty of their race earnings, dog-breeding skills and marketing savvy. Within a federal government that employs 19.7 million people, there is one -- exactly one -- dog-mushing job. And it's open.The National Park Service is looking for a new kennels manager at Denali National Park and Preserve, a job that in addition to running Denali's 31-animal dog kennel includes mushing into one of America's great swaths of wilderness. The pay range -- between $33,477 and $66,542 a year, plus a generous cost-of-living adjustment -- is more than many mushers earn in a race season. As part of the federal bureaucracy, though, there's more to it than mushing and caring for dogs."Our candidate must be a strong leader with supervisory skills and will be relied upon to provide all manner of services as a park ranger -- from rescuing visitors and patrolling the park wilderness to presenting educational programs and community outreach," Philip Hooge, Denali's deputy superintendent, said in a news release.

Karen Fortier, a Connecticut native who held the post for nearly 10 years, calls it "a great job." It changes markedly depending on the season. As much as 70% of the winter is spent mushing thousands of miles in the Denali backcountry -- ferrying supplies, taking researchers to various parts of the park, hauling firewood and patrolling. Those trips can last weeks. "There's really nothing that quite compares to being out on the trail in the middle of winter," Fortier said. "It's beautiful, it's completely silent, and by March you have the long daylight too. "But it's physically demanding. We're breaking our own trail, and we end up doing a lot of snowshoeing in front of the team at times."

Summer is tourist season, which means three daily hourlong interpretive programs for hundreds of visitors a day. This summer, more than 50,000 tourists stopped by. But in every season, the kennel must be managed. Dogs must be fed, bred and trained; poop must be scooped; vaccinations must be administered."And just like with any federal or government job, there's that whole level of paperwork," Fortier said. "You think it's going to be this glory job, but so much is managing the operation behind the scenes."Fortier had a second daughter a year ago, and the time away from her family became too great. Despite the sacrifices, the successful applicant to replace her can rest assured that nobody else in the country has the same job. "It's a lot more than a mushing job, for sure," Fortier said. "A real mixed bag."

Don't forget me- I'll be your snow bunny!

Nightmare Team

Zombie Wilt Chamberlain leads the Nightmare Team to victory! Ha, get it? See he's dead and instead of the Dream Team it's the Nightmare Team because he's a zombie. Oh, forget it- I don't even know why I try.

Monday's Missives

Not a real aircraft- prop for the terrible movie Stealth- it should however enter mass production due to its coolness alone.

• Two of my idols in an old newsreel. Really bums me I never got to see either Fred Gwynn (Herman Munster) or Al Lewis (grandpa) live in any context and especially to have a chance to meet them.






• I met one child legend and hero though and actually had a bit of a conversation with him- a great catcher and general human being Jim Sundberg. He is still with the Rangers as a senior executive vice president of public relations and personally visits wounded warriors on Texas bases.






• A giant of a man although he isn't as tall as his baseball cards say in his personal stats.






• Some great old photos of an area ranch here.





• The world is a small place. I remind myself of this often and in my area and profession I get outside reminders frequently. While chatting with a nurse from another agency with whom I share common friends and associates she brought out the name of someone so random I know I had give myself away when I nearly choked on my tongue at the memory she caused to surface but, since she did only give the first name when she asked if I knew her I had plausible deniability,"Hmmm not sure- I've probably met her somewhere along the line..."

Sunday's Sundry Missives

• Check this painting out by rolling your cursor across the image. Not a great work of art by any means but, kind of interesting- although don't get too torqued up if you're not a religious person and miss the point. Found the little gem here.



• Story about the above 2 million dollar Bugatti turned Jon boat here. Too disturbing for a weak kneed sissy such as myself but, try to work your way through it if you dare. Oh, wow! PS- Look here for video of the Bugatti going into the drink.



• Too sad for words.


• Regardless of where I'm at or what's going on if I'm in the shower- the door to the house will locked.


• The first thing I said when I saw a picture of the Fort Hood murderer was,"He doesn't look too sharp." "What do you mean?" I was asked. "He doesn't look very bright- he looks like a dimwit." That exchange was the first thing I thought of when it came out he was a very mediocre student in medical school.


• Snap judgments: another one of my superpowers that must be used for good and not evil.


• My insurance agent is smokin' hot and I don't mean she was tragically set on fire by some moron burning their trash or she huffs Marlboro 100 cigarettes like there's no tomorrow for her lunch break.

Saturday's Summary

• I have a funny feeling if you've seen the trailer for Men Who Stare At Goats you've seen all there is worth watching.





• "Don't bother me- I'm busy!" The last thing Zac said to me.




• Watched part of a speech by President Obama and in it he referred to the Medal Of Honor as the Congressional Medal Of Honor- no biggy I guess, just would have thought if he didn't know any better a proofreader, fact checker or somebody would have caught that goof.




• Everybody is being so quick to dismiss the role Major Hasan's religion played in the murders he committed on Fort Hood. OK- I get it but, they would not have occurred were it not for his religion.



• So...




• When Zac is sick it's all Barney all the time. God forgive me but, I do not like Barney.




• I dig Bob The Builder though and could watch it anytime.




• I've got a bad feeling I'm going to buy a motorcycle.



• HBO's new series The Pacific looks great! It's from the creators of Band Of Brothers.

Friday's Dispatch

• Windy days get on my nerves and in fact I sometimes have to turn off ceiling fans.



• Zac was asked,"What did you do today?" when he was picked up from day care- "I went to school" "Oh, yeah- what did you learn, baby?" "That I don't listen" "Why?" "Because I hit Albert"



• This morning it was,"I'm hungry. I want a sandwich."



• Did I mention he's two?



• President Obama rendered a very good salute when he was present for the arrival of troop caskets at Dover.



• People sometimes assume a general would always want more troops- no matter what. This is not true- more bodies equal more supplies and maintenance issues, more troops to cause political trouble if not kept busy and monitored with good leadership and all the problems associated with excess troops in a theater is exponential- twice the troops are more than twice the headache to maintain. Also, excess troops drain reserves for contingency plans involving other theaters.



• I've never heard anyone mention the number one reason why Afghanistan would be unwinnable (if it is)- it's because they haven't been beaten by an outside, modern army. You are not dealing with sophisticated pragmatists who understand things will be better with time and effort. These people are primitive, tribalistic and stuck literally in a medieval mindset and way of life. A misplaced sense of pride has and always will keep them from moving forward even though they had a brutal, oppressive regime removed and a chance at a real future handed to them on a silver platter. Even though in this situation it isn't even necessay to have to mark something in the win/loss column (the Taliban were targeted not the people or even a legitimate government) most Afghan men do not want to be associated with being the first generation to lose.