Pitchpull

NOT! How It's Done

2009-11-21T00:58:00.000-08:00

Embarrassing and expensive...
With the factory check pilot and Border Patrol Standardization pilot aboard!

Precious Metals, 20 November 2009

2009-11-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Gold last week- $1116.80. This week- $1146.80, another record high.

Silver last week- $17.39. This week- $18.44.

If you think it's too late, I think you're mistaken. This train has a long journey ahead.
UPDATE-
You can check spot prices of the precious metals "live" here.

Paint It Black

2009-11-20T00:48:00.000-08:00

Ouch.
Watch Michigan!

Now All I Need Is A Gun Rack

2009-11-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

Sara Jean has wanted one for years, since Mom gave us her set of "Friendly Village" dishware. We've had no place to display it. So a week ago I took my own advice...
By opening a "Macy's" charge account I got an additional 10% off a China cabinet that was already reduced 30% in price.
...No interest charged for one year, so I'll be paying the loan back with dollars that are of less value than the ones I borrowed. (See the post immediately below this one.) What a deal, huh?
We're far enough from the store, they won't deliver it... we gotta go get the thing. And that will be no small matter... the distribution center where we need to pick up our new piece is all the way on the other side of BigTown, a little more than two hours away. As you can see, this cabinet is a two-piece affair... the top is mostly glass to display the dishware. The bottom is fronted by two big doors which, when opened, reveal two shelves and two drawers for storage of flatware or the remaining small body parts of folks who show up on our doorstep wearing anything with Barack Obama's image on it.
Put together, the two pieces are 82" tall, 17" deep, and 50" wide.
Obviously, when we go to pick them up they'll be in big cardboard boxes...
Not a load we can shoehorn into the back of a 4-door sedan. I need a pick-'em-up truck.

How often do you find yourself in this position?
Me? I find myself needing a pickup three or four times a year, minimum. The last time I needed one was when I took five 30-gallon containers full of crushed aluminum cans to the recycling center. That effort earned me something like $78, which, considering I had to drive 3 hours round-trip seemed a little sad. Add to that the fact that I always return a vehicle with a full tank of gas and it was even sadder. Add to that the fact there was a stiff wind when I stopped to fill the gas tank that ripped the big door from my hands and slammed it into a short concrete pole protecting the gas pumps, dinging the door to the tune of a $120 repair on the borrowed truck, and the $78 for recycled aluminum ended up being philanthropic environmentalism on my part. Look, I care about the environment, but the only reason collecting and crushing the aluminum cans was attractive was because there was money involved!
I needed/wanted my own pickup.

My neighbor two doors down lost his job in the Spring. Unable to find work, he's slowly been selling off his possessions, including an old 1988 Chevy Silverado. When I saw the "For Sale" sign I asked "how much?"
"$800."
"What all is wrong with it?"
"It runs good, but the gearing is wrong, so 70 indicated is actually 55 m.p.h.. And the rear main seal leaks pretty bad... I just keep adding oil to it."
I drove it. It ran fine and sounded good. I paid him and brought it home.

So I've owned this ratty old thing now five months or so, and I've been waiting until I have the time to replace the seal myself, (I'd need help to do it right), or until I have the money to have an expert do it. And then I noticed something...
When I went out to start the truck a couple weeks ago, there was no oil on the dipstick. WTH?
A leaky rear main would not empty the crankcase while the truck was sitting.

I took the truck to my mechanic for repair and told him what I know...
"The former owner says the rear main seal is bad, but the oil is getting out statically, somehow."
My wrench-twister called me yesterday-
"The oil pan has a hole in it. Looks like someone scooted the engine across a concrete floor on the pan and wore a hole in it."
Me... "Fix it."

So now I have my pickup.
Ratty lookin', runs great... I don't have to worry about where I park it.
I paid $800 for the truck and $300 for this repair, and I'm kickin' myself for not having it fixed sooner. If it wasn't illegal, I'd put a gun rack with a lever action .30 cal rifle in the rear window.

We'll go get the China cabinet my first day off work...
In MY pickup truck!

Obama's Misery, November Update

2009-11-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

Finally!
"The Misery Index" has been updated.
Last Index, (two months ago)... 8.51%
This update, 10.02%
Does the fun start now?

This Black Man Can't Tap Dance

2009-11-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Waste 91 Seconds Of Your Life-

2009-11-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

The List

2009-11-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

(Recently added: Mike Farrell, Bill Nye The Science Guy.)
I'm still confused-
If you are in the business of selling yourself to the masses, why would you express yourself in a way that would anger 50% of your audience? Add to that the fact that you live in a cloister of like-minded people, and you have NO IDEA at all how real folks make a living. Why not just shut your pie-hole and let 100% of your audience enjoy your work?
I present to you my list...
The list of folks that I refuse to support with my hard-earned $$$$$ because they're destroying my country. (Feel free to leave suggestions for additions in your comments.)

Robert Altman
Ed Asner
Alec Baldwin
Sandra Bernhard
"Ladies and Gentlemen"... Cher
The Dixie Chicks
George Clooney
Elvis Costello
Matt Damon
Ted Danson
Johnny Depp
Danny DeVito
Pee Puff Diddy-Daddy
Richard Dreyfuss
Mike Farrell
Will Ferrell
Tina Fey
Sally Field
Jane Fonda
Megan Fox
Janeane Garofalo
Danny Glover
Whoopi Goldberg
Kathy Griffin
Woody Harrelson
Heart
Scarlett Johansson (Man I hate that she's on this list!)
Ashley Judd
Val Kilmer
Kris Kristofferson
Spike Lee
DAAAAAAVIIIID LETTERRRRRRRRMAN!
Madonna
Bill Maher
Barry Manilow
John Mellencamp
Michael Moore
Bill Nye
Rosie O'Donnell
Keith Olbermann
Gwyneth Paltrow
Sean Penn
Rob Reiner
Tim Robbins
Alan Rosenberg
Tim Roth
Linda Ronstadt
Susan Sarandon
Martin Sheen
Sarah Silverman
Bruce Springsteen
Oliver Stone
Barbra Streisand
Wanda Sykes
Gore Vidal
Kenya East (Whatever)
Oprah Winfrey

ARE YA FIRED UP?

2009-11-17T00:18:00.000-08:00

I know it's a long way off.
But it's not too early to be getting your attitude right...
The Tea Parties definitely have me FIRED UP!
I'm hoping you are as angry and frustrated with the country veering left as I am!

The Senate seat Barack Obama vacated, now filled by Bozo Burris (D), is at risk.
Lindsey Graham, (Rino), South Carolina, watches as his numbers plummet.
That traitor Jim Moran (D, VA.) will have a viable primary challenger for the first time in years.
The time is ripe...
Time to put your rage to beneficial use.
Time to take advantage of those that now realize what a mistake they made last election and no longer have their heads where the "sun don't shine".
This is opportunity knocking.
Can we turn crap into fertilizer?

Start now making plans to elect true conservatives.
I don't care if they have a "D", an "R", an "I", or an "L" behind their name...
We MUST elect people who will not subjugate us to unconstitutional government power. We MUST elect people who won't willfully put our security at risk.
And the only way this will happen is to use the enthusiasm shown at the Tea Parties to elect true conservatives.

The primaries will be here before you know it...
The Congressional election is less than a year away.
Next November we can turn Bozama into a Lame Duck if we just move in concert with one another.
Pay attention... REAL conservative candidates will need our support.
Start getting focused now, people...
Start talking with your neighbors... gathering email addresses for a united front.
LET'S DO IT!

Nagging

2009-11-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

I've been voraciously reading and digesting for quite a while. To the degree my understanding will allow, I've been tryin' to share with ya. (Don't want my peeps to be left behind!)
A few months back I suggested all that money spent on big bailouts would cause more problems than it would resolve because the money supply would increase and eventually make all our dollars worth less... maybe eventually actually make them worthless.
I also have been worried about the FDIC's ability to insure all the accounts of folks in those failing banks and suggested at some point a biggee might fail and really put a strain on the Fed's already stetched-too-thin insurance coverage.

You may have noticed all the ads for gold on TV?
Even if you haven't, others have!

By trebling the country's deficit since he's taken office, Obama has turned a terrible GWB economy into a house of cards...
It's just a question of time until the breeze picks up.

I still hope for the best,
But I'm desperately preparing for the worst.

Intercept!

2009-11-16T01:38:00.000-08:00

The phone rings and I answer...
"Weather check for XXXX coming back into XXXX."
"We can do that."
"Then your flight is a go. You will meet the ambulance there carrying a thirteen year old female victim of a fall."

We take off and get pointed in the right direction. I dial the waypoint for XXXX hospital into the GPS...
"Base, this is XXXX 3."
"XXXX 3, your ambulance contact is 4 Edward XX on XXXXXX. They were enroute from Littletown to (Children's Hospital) with their patient who is now experiencing unbearable pain."

"Roger. Our ETA to XXXX is now 14 minutes."
"Roger that."

Two minutes pass...
"XXXX 3 this is base."
"This is XXXX 3, go ahead base."
"The ambulance now indicates they'll arrive at XXXX fifteen minutes after your arrival."

It takes a minute for this to register.
If this patient needs to be transported by helicopter, why are we wasting that fifteen minutes?
"Base, this is XXXX 3."
"XXXX 3, go ahead."
"Call XXXX ambulance service back and see if there is somewhere along their route we can meet them to save time, please."
"Roger. Standby."

While my base is doing that I change frequencies on my Wulfsberg radio and try to contact the ambulance directly...
"4 Edward XX this is XXXX 3, over."
A few seconds silence, then, with siren in the background we hear, "XXXX 3 this is 4 Edward XX, go ahead."

"Is there anywhere we can meet you along your route to save a few minutes here?"
"We are just coming into the city limits of XXXXXXX now. There is a High School parking lot where you can land. Are you familiar?"

Now we are seeing the lights of the ambulance in the distance...
"We see you now. We'll follow you to the landing area."

And we do. The landing at the High School is accomplished between light standards in the parking lot next to the football field. There is loose gravel all over the lot that kicks up more dust than I expected as we land, but it's not of serious concern.
My crew moves to the ambulance while I secure the aircraft and get out to keep others from approaching the tail. Eight minutes later the crew loads the patient and we takeoff and fly 23 minutes to the receiving hospital... a distance that would have taken the ambulance an hour, easily.

After the flight I learn...
This 13 year old female was playing in an abandoned warehouse with friends (at night!) and fell through the roof fifteen feet to the concrete floor below. She has broken legs and other traumatic injuries, but her head is apparently okay, thank goodness.

Did my decision to not wait fifteen minutes for the ambulance to arrive at the original destination make a difference? I don't know.
But my thought was, "If she needs the helicopter, why not use it in the most efficient way possible?"

This is why I LOVE scene flights!

Another Tragedy-

2009-11-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Initial reports of this one are unsettling, but there are still WAY too many EMS helicopters crashing and killing those they're trying to assist.
Night flying, weather flying, night flying in weather...
Just say NO folks!

Won't Make My "List"!

2009-11-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

Asked to participate in political discussion, John Mayer allegedly responded the way all celebrities should:

"Have you ever heard me play guitar? I’m really f*****g good.
You know what I’m bad at? Answering questions about public health care. This is not in my wheelhouse. Do you have any questions about music?"

(Found that at "Girl On The Right")

Precious Metals- At Friday's Close

2009-11-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

At the close of business on Friday:

Gold, $1116.80, up from $1096.00 last week.
Silver, $17.39, up a penny per ounce from last week's close.

Purple Hearts At Ft. Hood?

2009-11-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

This will be interesting to watch.

Should the soldiers at Ft. Hood be awarded Purple Hearts? As a recipient of the award myself, I think they should. But if I were a wagering man, I'd wager the Bozama administration won't award them.
Why?
Because they're trying desperately to make us believe we're not at war. The Purple Heart is awarded only to those "injured in combat by enemy action."

-This administration now won't even use the term "War on terror".
-They are bringing the 9/11 perps to New York to try them as criminals, rather than allow, as we have in wars past, military tribunals to prosecute their cases.

They won't want to admit this is what it is... the act of an enemy combatant during a war, even though we now know Major Malik Nidal Hasan was a "Soldier for Allah" in frequent contact with Al Quaeda operatives and was sending most of his pay to Pakistan to support some sort of nefarious activity.

Watch and see what happens here...
Those dead and wounded heroes will be awarded some kind of medal to thank them for their service...
But I'll bet they don't get Purple Hearts.
Insane.

More detail on the subject here.

Where We Are, Friday, 13 November, 2009.

2009-11-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

First, I'll admit something that will surprise you:
I'm glad Barack Obama was elected...
Because if McCain had been elected, he'd be making many of the mistakes BHO is making and I wouldn't be able to shout "FOOL!" at the top of my lungs. He'd be my fool.
Bringing Khalid Sheik Mohammed to trial in civilian court is such a huge mistake, I can't assign words to describe how I feel right now. I'll ask again...
Is this administration systematically TRYING to destroy this country?

BUT...
Obama's election has opened the doors to blunt, honest discussion that we've avoided too long. If you didn't see Glen Beck's program this afternoon, you missed an eye opener...
A crowd of Black people talking openly about how Liberals cause many of their own problems. (I know... many of you have been convinced Beck is a loon, but most of you have never watched his show, have you?! Take a look at today's show... it'll be on again late tonight. Then try to tell me he's not doing constructive work.)
It's a discussion we MUST have. It's a discussion I think we would not be having had McCain been elected.

Obama ran his campaign saying he'd bring us together. So far, he's pushing the races apart. But his election has made this discussion possible, so I'm sincerely hopeful the healing may begin in spite of him, rather than because of him.
How odd, huh?

Let Me Tell You A Story

2009-11-13T00:48:00.000-08:00

I love stories, don't you?
Let me tell you one that will strongly reinforce something you already know, but may need to be reminded about:

A former student was giving helicopter rides at a fly-in at a local airport in the R22.
A 55-or-so year old man approached him and said, "I'd like to buy an hour in the helicopter". My former student said, "I have several people here in line waiting for a ride. If you can wait until 5 O'Clock, I can take you for an hour then."
The gentleman agreed to that arrangement.

He returned promptly at 5 P.M. and my student flew him around the local area...
Over his house and his place of business...
Over several of the area landmarks. My former student, an instructor in his own right by this time, allowed the man to take the controls and showed him how the individual controls affected the machine in flight.

On the ground at the end of the hour my former student turned to the gentleman and asked, "Well, what'd ya think about that?!"
And the man quietly began to cry.
Perplexed, my friend asked him, "Did I do or say something wrong?"

"No, it was wonderful!
I'm a Dentist. There are five chairs at the Dental Center we flew over, and three other Dentists work in my practice there. I've done well. I've worked hard all my life, denying myself vacations and other nice things, saving and looking forward to being able to retire about now. I've always loved helicopters...
Always hoped to learn to fly them and maybe buy one for my personal use. I've just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer... I have just a few months to live, and I now realize I should have done this YEARS ago!"

Then he turned to my former student and through tears looked him squarely in the eye...
"If you have a dream and you have the resources to pursue it, don't procrastinate."

The very next week, my former student purchased a Robinson R44 he had been eyeing for a couple weeks...
And that is money he's never been sorry he spent.

Got a dream you've been putting off "until later"?
Think about my story.

Applebee's- Thank You!

2009-11-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

I like "Applebee's" restaurants... good, reasonably priced food, with friendly servers and a comfortable atmosphere. Restaurants that get that combination right are likely to succeed, aren't they? Well Applebee's has, and they have the "Goodwill" thing nailed too. Let me tell you more-

A year ago or so one of my Medics informed us his kidneys had failed and he was undergoing dialysis. A devout Christian, one of his Sisters in his congregation was a good DNA match and had agreed to give "Joe" one of her kidneys. (Doesn't the selflessnes of that act blow you away?!!)

Joe began to do lots of fundraising stuff to raise money to cover costs not covered by insurance. He did all the things you normally hear about... auctions, etc., but there was one thing he did that surprised me... an "All you can eat pancake breakfast at 'Applebee's'". The restaurant opened early... 8 A.M., and allowed his Church to come in and take the place over. I don't know the full details, but members of the congregation waited and bussed tables while the restaurant provided all the pancakes, sausage or bacon, orange juice and coffee I could embarrass myself eating, for a cost of less than $10. The place was packed and was a successful fundraiser for Joe.
I was impressed with the number of congregants helping my friend, and I was surprised the restaurant would expose themselves to this kind of risk... many of Joe's Brothers and Sisters in Christ were youngsters... some servers looked to be 12 or 13 years old.

Wednesday night, after our niece's visitation, we went to Applebee's in Hugetown to eat. A sign next to the front door announced they'd be offering free lunch or dinner to Veterans and active duty and retired military folks tomorrow, Veteran's Day. So on the drive home from Hugetown yesterday Sara Jean and I stopped at an Applebee's near a big military facility to take advantage of their generosity. The place was PACKED with people and it was fun looking around, picking out the Veterans, trying to figure out which war they might have served in and what branch of service they were members of. (A truck right at the front door had a beautiful custom paint job with the "Eagle, Globe, and Anchor" covering the hood.)

It truly is a fraternity, this group of folks we found ourselves surrounded by...
Men and women... black, white, brown, yellow, and red... old and young...
All conversing with those near them, laughing, sharing stories.
It was such a neat experience!

Thank you Applebee's for the wonderful gesture, both yesterday and with "Joe's" fundraiser. Looking at the number of folks jamming your restaurant yesterday, I hope you made money. I have ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT you made many friends that will darken your door in the future!

Smiling At Memories

2009-11-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

She was a fine addition to our family.
Sara Jean's brother had married her mother a short time before, inheriting this beautiful 14 year old cheerleader. It's Thanksgiving Day, and we are realizing more and more what a wonderful choice he's made. Both fit into our family seamlessly.

Dinner is still an hour or so away and she's taking advantage of our great weather outside, practicing her cheerleading moves. My Dad grabs his camera and begins to record her practice.
Now we have transferred that recording to DVD. Anytime we want, we can go back and see her moving this way and that, pausing, biting her lip a little in thought, then continuing with her routine.

That was 22 years ago.
Our cheerleader went on to become a grade school teacher. She married a fine young man and had two children, both boys. A little over a year ago she had an odd pain and sought medical care...
Ovarian cancer.
Of course we were crushed. But so long as she is alive we can hope for a miracle...
Some new medical breakthrough...
Spontaneous remission.
But you know from the outset it'll be a tough journey. Hard for her. Hard for her family. Hard on her little boys who are too young to understand what's going on with Mommy. And hard for those of us in the extended family to watch from a distance.

And in the end, as is so often the case, you just pray for an end to her suffering.
Her suffering ended Sunday morning as the sun rose on an absolutely beautiful day. That near-Springlike weather has continued, so as we set out on our journey to celebrate her life with family, we rejoice that our long drive won't be made more difficult with ugly late-Fall weather.
Tears will come, of course. But smiles and laughter too. And in the back of my mind I'll always have the memory of that pretty 14 year old, pensively biting her lip, trying to remember that next move.

We love you Jenn. We are glad you are at peace.

Out Of Thin Air

2009-11-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Obama says, "We are gonna do X !", and the crowd roars.
"We are gonna do Y!"... excited shouts and applause.
"We are gonna do Z!"... tears of joy, followed by fainting.

The country is bankrupt.
Others around the world already know it... witness India's big Gold purchase last week. Look for China and other U.S. debt holders to follow suit.

So when fearless leader says "We are gonna...", ask yourself-
"Where's the money for that coming from?"

Drug users need to quit ingesting.
Alcoholics have to push the bottle away.
Politicians have to stop buying votes with other people's money.

Representative Republic?

2009-11-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

I'm going to change.
I don't like writing to my elected representatives because it seems like complaining. I don't like complaining and I don't like complainers. It's time for a mental adjustment...
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Back in '78 I wrote both my Senators advising them I thought the Panama Canal Treaty was a mistake. They both sent a form letter in return, telling me about 80% of their constituents agreed with me, but they knew MORE about the situation than the rest of us and they were going to pass the treaty against our wishes.
Now, the Chinese are running the Panama Canal.

Last week I wrote my congressman telling him not to sign this horrendous health care reform bill...
A bill he could not possibly have read, and therefore could not possibly understand. I told him if he passed this bill I would work fervently in the next election to insure he was defeated.
He voted for the bill.

People, we're being ignored by folks who think they're smarter... better than we are. They think they deserve pay raises while they ignore us... while the economy falls apart before our eyes.
They think we need a health care system they won't be subjected to themselves.
It's time for "Change we can believe in", and the only way we can make that change is at the polls.

President Obama asks, "Are ya fired up?"
Yes Sir, I think you'll find we are!

Ft. Hood-

2009-11-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

An on-scene Paramedic's account.

Finesse

2009-11-08T00:08:00.000-08:00

It's Easy To Be Number 1 When...

2009-11-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

A little crude, but made me laugh:

Trickle UP?

2009-11-07T00:28:00.000-08:00

Can someone please explain to me how giving gymnasiums full of stimulus money to huge Corporations and Government agencies to disburse as they see fit fulfills the promise of "building the economy from the bottom up"?

Bizarro world!