I've been tuning and backing up all the boxes in my home network, and realized I've got about 800 GIGABYTES of storage.

Why do I need all of this? Hell if I know, but it does make things easier.

I’m major league paranoid.

I experienced a catastrophic, unrecoverable, loss once, and learned my lesson.

I experienced a catastrophic, unrecoverable, loss once, and learned my lesson.

I script this shit, and do it in the middle of the night, every night, but I still get confused with where I put everything. I try to keep a copy of all my systems on at least two boxes, and spin the important stuff off to a CD, or a tape. God loves LINUX. Trust me, he does. Repeat after me: GOD LOVES LINUX

Anyway, my new project will be fine-tuning the tune, because

I experienced a catastrophic, unrecoverable, loss once, and learned my lesson.

I experienced a catastrophic, unrecoverable, loss once, and learned my lesson.

I’m serious…back your stuff up, or you will get screwed!!!!

Not only does my puppy Stretch steal my apples, he's learned how to unscrew the cap off a bottle of Gatorade. I kid you not.

How in the hell did he learn how to do that?

I haven't blogged about Schiavo, and I'm not going to. I've talked to many people, and they're all over the place. Left to Right, and Right to Left. I usually never hesitate to take on complex issues, but, in my opinion, this is different. I'm not exactly sure about this one, so I'm going to think about it some more. I'm not talking about her death; I think that should have happened a long time ago. Anyway, it is complicated, and I need more time to think. This whole Schiavo mess is about much more than dying.

Think for a moment about a Living Will.

I can understand how, under certain circumstances, and for some people, it becomes more complicated.

I’m trying to understand all sides, because this particular case is not a two-sided coin; it’s a cube.

Personally for me, pull the plug. It’s the decision others have to make for you, if you don’t have a Living Will, that bothers me.

What makes a Living Will legal?

My friend KEY poses some interesting questions with this reality.

I’ve been following the saga about drinking and driving over at my buddy Catfish’s place, and I’ve got to say: drinking and driving is just plain stupid. I’ve had too many friends die, because they were stupid. I know people who’ve killed other people, because they were stupid. I’ve known some people who couldn’t live with that, so they killed themselves. What a waste.

Call a cab, and if there are no cabs, call a friend, and if you have no friends, sleep in a ditch, but whatever you do, don’t get in the drivers seat of your car. It is not worth the risk to other people, and to you. Everything will be better in the morning.

Let me tell you about a couple of smart girls.

My wife and I were celebrating New Year’s Eve, downtown, in some city one year, and at 3:00 am. we wanted a cab. It was damn cold; we had no car, and there were not enough cabs to go around. Strangers were becoming best friends as they plotted routes home, splitting fares, and hoping for the next taxi. There were not enough cabs to go around, so these two nice young ladies we’d just met, made a command decision.

They called a “Toe Truck”. I told them they were thinking out of the box, and one of ‘em replied, “It’s going to cost a little more, but when I wake up tomorrow, at least I’ll have my car”. That’s my kind of girl.

Anyway, my wife and I ended up walking three miles home, but at least we could. There wasn’t enough room in the cab of the wrecker for all.

What do you give a Freshman and a Junior in college for a birthday present?

A passport of course.

Traveling outside the United States without a U.S. Passport is a pain in the ass. No mater what anyone tells you, a certified birth certificate is not acceptable, and will cause nothing but unnecessary problems and confusion. A United States Passport is the ONLY way to go. For many reasons.

Get endorsed by the U.S. government…you never know when you might need it…plus, it’s the BEST form of ID that anyone can have, and you never know when you might have to break for cover...Fast.

I’m just saying.

Happy Birthday.

A brief History of the Internet, and Al Gore isn't mentioned once.

I know some people who’ve inherited Daddy’s money, and like to project the appearance that they earned it. They seem to believe they’re “better” than other folks because they have more available cash.

I have but one thing to say to you assholes:

Kiss the north end of a duck flying south, and may the fleas of a thousand camels nest in your; well you know where, and what I mean.

Arrogance is dangerous.

My puppy doesn’t, I hope.

We had a large fire roaring in the “backyard” yesterday, and my puppy got too close…singed ‘em off, he did.

They’ll grow back…I hope, right?

Meanwhile, he’s acting a little funny.

I think it’s a balance thing, not that he was ever balanced to begin with.

Yes I am...against ignorance that is.

I could care less what someone’s race, color, or creed is; but I’m intolerant of stupidity.

I see a lot of futility in the world today. I see many people who agree, or disagree, with issues, for the sake of appearing informed. This is dangerous. You either are, or are not, informed; there is no happy medium. If you are in the middle, at least, research the topic sufficiently to form an opinion…or shut the fuck up.

Arguing with someone, just for the sake of arguing, is a waste of time and energy, especially if your challenger is trying to prove something to him or herself. Some people are so insecure, they’ll “go stupid” for all the wrong reasons.

Do you know what I mean?

...that February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon, or that you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.

Or that, the words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.

Or that, the sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

Or that...

Me and my ol’ lady done got up with the RedNeck last night; and I be tellin’ ya, “him and his are welcome in my house anytime.” Funny thing about bloggers, I’ve never met one I didn’t like, not that I’ve done met that many, not yet anyway.

Too bad he can’t make Whackel, causing he will be missed.

Hey Neck…Safe trip my friend, and give me a shout on the flip-flop.

I'll be meeting up with Neck, and the Neckson within the hour.

How cool is that?

I'm just saying.

For the sake of simplicity.

A B C D E F

I know a lot of people who can’t think out of the box. If they have to step through B, C, D, and E, to get from A to F, and there is a problem with one of the B-E’s, they can’t seem to make it.

This pisses me off. I have a hard time dealing with people with narrow minds. Use your imagination, think about it, and improvise. Nothing is ever certain, so change the rules if you need to.

Problem solving is a fact of life, and if you can’t solve ‘em, (for example) you’ll be managing fries in a fast food joint. Fries (A) cook for the same amount of time (B), every time. A to B, and B is the end.

Just a thought.

Anyway, I was thinking about problems, and I realized that I always solve 'em. Why is that? It's because I'm not afraid to think out of the box. I take nothing for granted, nor do I ever give up. I also realize that the solution is, more often times than not, unorthodox. There are many ways to achieve the same result, but if you can't think out of the box, you'll never know it.

If you can get from A to F without B - E, go for it, but you'll never know unless you can think out of the box.

Take a chance, after all; what do you have to lose?

As Queenie says,

"The Terri Schiavo case sparked some of the most interesting discussions I've seen in the blogosphere since before the three-year-nightmare that was the 2004 General Election."

For whatever reasons, I'm not going to touch it, but you should give this a read.

She cuts to the chase.

Or should I say “Fucking Root Canal” or “Root Fucking Canal”?

Either way, it was not pleasant. It was humiliating, and I’ll tell you why. First of all, I can’t believe I needed one, and secondly; does a root canal deem me as some sort of “inferior being”? Demeaning, it is.

I’m injected with the “cane”, and I can’t feel shit…nothing at all. I mean nothing. So, this sadist specializing in Endodontics is having his way with me, way down deep in my jaw. He’d been grinding, pulling, drilling, and inserting all kinds of horrible looking instruments (torture devices) in my gotdam mouth for about an hour. The vibrations were tickling my fucking inner ear…on both sides. That is not a good feeling.

Anyway, all of a sudden he and his dark nurse left the room. I’m laying prone in the torture chair, with my mouth jacked open like a gotdam bear at a Taxidermist, and I can hear an impromptu office meeting taking place in the next room. So and so can’t work that day…blah blah blah…give me a fucking break. The dark nurse returns, (30 fucking minutes later) and informs me, “You are a saliva factory, you’ve drooled all over yourself.” What? No fucking shit, I can’t feel a gotdamned thing, and you left me!!! You Mofo’s.

Absolutely disgusting, but it was out of my control.

I’ve had better days.

Rain Sensor II

Today, I retraced the dreadful path I followed on Wednesday. It was a different day, with different circumstances. I left before sunrise, and witnessed a beautiful dawn, no rain, and little traffic. It provided the opportunity to become one with some German engineering. I sustained 130 mph, at one point, for about 60 seconds, with more room to go. What a rush. I don’t know if the trees were blurred, because I never took my eyes off the center stripes, or both hands off the wheel. I do know it only felt like 80. Smooth and tight like glue. I do know that images in my peripheral seemed surreal.

Anyway, I made it back to point A, uphill, much faster than I made it downhill to point B.

This is not something I’d do everyday, but just knowing that you can, is pretty cool.

I must be crazy.

My car is equipped with a rain sensor, which activates the windshield wiper as needed. I spent 6.5 hours on I-40, I-85, I-77, I-26, and I-95 today, and the wiper never stopped.

Absolutely, the worst road trip I’ve had in a while.

I want a cold beverage.

KNOW YOUR STATE MOTTO

Alabama
Hell Yes, We Have Electricity.

Alaska
11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong!

Arizona
But It's A Dry Heat.

Arkansas
Literacy Ain't Everything.

California
By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.

Colorado
If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother.

Connecticut
Like Massachusetts, Only The Kennedy's Don't Own It Yet.

Delaware
We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water.

Florida
Ask Us About Our Grandkids.

Georgia
We Put The Fun In Fundamentalist Extremism.

Hawaii
Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru
(Death To Mainland Scum,Leave Your Money)

Idaho
More Than Just Potatoes...
Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Real Good

Illinois
Please, Don't Pronounce the "S"

Indiana
2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free

Iowa
We Do Amazing Things With Corn

Kansas
First Of The Rectangle States

Kentucky
Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names

Louisiana
We're Not ALL Drunk Cajun Wackos, But That's Our Tourism Campaign.

Maine
We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster

Maryland
If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It (ain't this the truth!)

Massachusetts
Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden's

Michigan
First Line Of Defense From The Canadians

Minnesota
10,000 Lakes...And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes

Mississippi
Come And Feel Better About Your Own State

Missouri
Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars At Work

Montana
Land Of The Big Sky, The Unabomber, Right-wing Crazies, and Very Little Else.

Nebraska
Ask About Our State Motto Contest

Nevada
Hookers and Poker!

New Hampshire
Go Away And Leave Us Alone

New Jersey
You Want A ##$%##! Motto? I Got Yer ##$%##! Motto
Right here!

New Mexico
Lizards Make Excellent Pets

New York
You Have The Right To Remain Silent, You Have The Right To An Attorney...

North Carolina
Tobacco Is A Vegetable

North Dakota
We Really Are One Of The 50 States!

Ohio
At Least We're Not Michigan

Oklahoma
Like The Play, But No Singing

Oregon
Spotted Owl...It's What's For Dinner

Pennsylvania
Cook With Coal

Rhode Island
We're Not REALLY An Island

South Carolina
Remember The Civil War? Well, We Didn't Actually Surrender Yet

South Dakota
Closer Than North Dakota

Tennessee
The Edyoocashun State

Texas
Se Hablo Ingles

Utah
Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus

Vermont
Ay, Yep

Virginia
Who Says Government Stiffs And Slackjaw Yokels Don't Mix?

Washington
We have more rain than you do

West Virginia
One Big Happy Family...Really!

Wisconsin
Come Cut The Cheese!

Wyoming
Where Men Are Men... And The Sheep Are Scared

I popped my first squirrel with my new Benjamin 1000. This is one sweet pellet gun, with fiber optic sights, and an adjustable trigger.

I think for this line of work, I prefer the .177 to the .22 caliber pellet. More velocity, greater range. Anyway, I slid a hollow point in the chamber, drew a bead, and popped his ass from about 45 yards.

This is the first time I've killed anything, except a flowerpot, with a hollow point pellet, and I'm impressed. I suspect there will be no need for any "second" mercy shots this season.

The count sheet is on the wall.

Acidman's mother passed away this morning. My mother died three years ago, also under the care of Hospice.

Drop by and pay your respects...Rob is a great guy.

11:30 am. EST - Brian Nichols is in Custody.

They should have killed that piece of shit.

I would have.

I received my Benjamin 1000 one pumper, and to my surprise, it has fiber optic sights. Very cool. Since I downshifted from a .22 to .177, I had to purchase some pellets. I had no idea that pellets come in more than one flavor, so I bought some, Magnum, Super Point, Wad Cutter, and Hollow Point. Hollow Point .177 pellets, damn.

The tree line in my back yard is about 50 yards from my kitchen, so I sighted this bad puppy at that distance. I was impressed; it only took a few shots.

After I had it dialed in, I raided my wife’s clay pot stash, and had some real fun. You would not believe the damage a .177 hollow point will do to a flowerpot from 50 yards. All pellets went straight through both sides, but the hollow point blew the whole back of the pot away. The squirrels don’t stand a chance.

Since I’m shooting from inside, and the trees obscure my sight from any one point, I’ve set up four kill zones. One is from the kitchen, one from the den, one from a bathroom, and one from a bedroom. I have become a sniper.

Anyway, I’ve got a bunch of flowerpots to replace, but damn, that was fun.

My wife and I are serious about our garden.

I’m sick and tired of hearing accusations that U.S. troops acted irresponsibly when they killed Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari, and wounded Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, last Friday. When they were signaled to stop, they should’ve complied. This is a war; they were traveling down the most dangerous road in Iraq, the U.S. was unaware of this “Italian Operation”, and they disobeyed an order to halt. What else could our troops do? Whip out some coffee and donuts? Would you like a map?

Keep in mind; Sgrena is a fierce opponent of the war and a frequent critic of U.S. policy who works for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto. She is behind the accusations. Go figure.

It gets better. Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini told his government Tuesday that the car was not speeding and was not ordered to stop by U.S. troops at a checkpoint. What? Would someone please tell me how he would know the car wasn’t speeding, and our troops did not order the car to stop? Radar detectors and real time satellite reconnaissance, I suspect. We stop everyone at a checkpoint. Max Smart must have trained Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari.

What a dumbass. What was he thinking? “Oh, it’s just a U.S. checkpoint manned by U.S. soldiers armed to the teeth, just floor it, we’ll be fine.”

Well he’s not fine; his ass is dead.

…said Teresa Heinz Kerry. Bullshit, she’s just pissed because her cell phone number was listed under Arrogant Dyke in Paris Hilton’s Blackberry.

Spring is just around the corner, which means I'm thinking about planting my garden. The problem is, I've let the squirrel population get out of hand for the last six months. They breed twice a year. I guess you could say, on the up side, I'll have more targets.

I live within the city limits, across the street from a golf course, so I can�t whip out the 12 gauge, or even a .410. In the past, I�ve used a .22 pellet rifle, but that was too much banana, the larger size pellet that is. Now, on the way, I have, a .177 Benjamin 1100 fps, break barrel one pumper. Silent and deadly. I downshifted to a 177 because it�s more effective for �inside the city limits� squirrel popping.

I'm going to kill 'em all. I like vegetables more than I mind killing squirrels.

They either move forward or they die.

Charles Krauthammer is right you know. Revolution is in the air.

Chapter Five is up.

The plot thickens, again.

If you need to catch up:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

This post is for Acidman.

Unfortunately, I’ve had a lot of experience with death and grief. I was a pallbearer twelve times before I reached 29 years of age, and many more times after that. Joss.

But, one’s mother is different. My heart reaches out to you my friend, because I know what you’re feeling. I had a bunch of inner-family stuff going on during my similar situation. Crazy stuff.

A couple of years ago, I lost my mother. When I found out she was terminal, I immediately got Hospice involved. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, for her, for me, and for everyone else. I cannot say enough good things about the folks at Hospice. They ensured my mother didn’t suffer, and they were there for my family and me. It was a good thing. I never realized how much I needed them, until I needed them. That’s hard for me to say, because I’ve never needed anybody. I thought I could handle everything alone, and maybe I could have, but I didn’t have to. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t try to go it alone.

I’m not being philosophical, but death is a part of life, in a way. Everyone turns the final corner.

May she not suffer.

This is more important than you might realize.

It's almost like going to the moon, with a "slide rule", but not quite.

The future of flight will be based on planes constructed from lighter, composite, materials, which will enable them to go farther, and perform better, with less fuel.

It’s all about the gas.

I'm not sure what I think of this.

I’m only talking about the absorbed fuel models.

I've used a ZIPPO for as long as I can remember. By the time I could ride a bike I had one. All the kids in my pack had ‘em. Back in my sailboat racing days, I found it was the only lighter that would light in the wind. Everybody had one, regardless of whether they smoked or not. Portable fire is a must, as you never know when you might need it.

ZIPPO is a great American company, who wouldn't sell out to the Japanese. They are the Harley-Davidson of lighters, and they take the "lifetime warranty" serious.

If you ever have a problem with one, or just need a "tune up", just send it back to Bradford, PA, and they'll fix it, or tune it for free. They'll send it back to you with some fresh flints and a small can of fluid. Everything you need to get it fired up again. I know, because I've done it many times. It's usually just the hinge that needs adjusting.

Anyway, some guy (a couple of years ago) with a metal detector found someone’s ZIPPO, who died on June 6th, 1944 on the beach in Normandy, France. There were initials engraved on it, and he sent it to Bradford, where Zippo repaired it, tuned it, incurred the expense of finding the owner, and sent it to his family. How cool is that.

I would hate to see federal regulations hurt this company, and I don’t think a ZIPPO could bring down an airliner. How easy is it to fly with a book of paper matches? It is the same thing in my opinion. The wind doesn’t blow inside an airplane.

I’ve been questioned about mine many times while clearing security in airports; so, I guess I should’ve seen it coming.

The times are changing. Damn.

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the THINKS you can think up if only you try. - Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss, creator of the Cat in the Hat and Sam, I Am, would be 101 today.

Green Eggs and Ham...

...especially over water.

A technical glitch? Who knows, but it takes balls to continue on with this. You do not want to run out of gas halfway between Japan and Hawaii.

…the crew had been forced to assume that 2,600 pounds of the original 18,100 pounds of fuel "disappeared" early in the flight…

Disappeared? Where’d it go? His inflight systems are probably running some flavor of Microsoft Windows, which might just get his ass kilt dead.

Godspeed!

I just verified my reservation for the Georgia Writers Workshop, and Missy Whomever informed me that my room was secure and that I’m with the GWW.

The Wrongs:

1. I damn sure can’t right.
2. I ain’t from Georgia. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The Write:

I might learn something, and I’m damn sure going to have a good time.

I’m just saying.

In response to that question from Christina.

I�m a news junky, and have been surfing since the pre AOL 1.0 days. Before broadband, I had an ISDN line installed in my home, not for the small speed advantage it provided, but for the stability. It never went down, and back in those days, that was a major deal.

Obviously, I found Glenn Reynolds and the Blue Eyed Infidel, and from there, Acidman and Dax. Reading these last two folks gave me a whole new perspective on what was, or was not, acceptable. I thought, �these people are wide open, and I like it.� I think I�ll get in the game.

I realized there is no set style, and anything goes, out here in cyberspace. I was attracted to that. It�s more of means to store my personal journals; especially about experiences I�ve had in the past, and bitch about current and past events that I have an opinion about. If someone wants to read it, fine, if not, that�s fine as well. I�m not blogging for anyone but myself, because I enjoy it, and get some personal gratification from doing it.

I try to lead people to the source of my opinions, so that they may develop their own, although, I�ve not been entirely successful with this. I�ve been complimented, and I�ve been threatened, and I don�t give a shit about the threats.

As far as the money goes, you can run a blog for a month, for less than a bar tab on your way home from work one day.

Like you, I�ve also made some real friends doing this. At least, I think I have.

Well, there you have it.

I've been helping a friend move. Pain in the ass...

...and shoulders...and the lower back...and this is bullshit!!!