reenactorNet

Social bookmarks added!

2009-06-13T11:41:00.003-04:00

I've been looking for a simple way to just have a button people can click and post this on their Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or whatever. This, of course, being on the odd chance I write something they will wish to remember... I couldn't find one that was simple and that I liked so... I grabbed some code and fooled w/ it and by jiminy, it seems to work. That's a new one. :-)

Anyway, I'm off to Gettysburg to meet someone for business and then maybe (if there aren't too many touronz there) visit the new visitor center. :-) Too hot to take Zoey though. Oh well. Will be back later, striving to get some actual work done on r.Net.

Stay tuned Kinder, more to come.

Ah, a calmer day

2009-05-20T23:00:00.002-04:00

Well, in many ways. Things on the Roman front have calmed down, but the RevWar thing... oh bugger it! I'd sooner just concentrate on people I know. You try to help people and they are never happy. You give them an inch (or in this case, a damned good deal) and they want a foot. Blark!

r.Net...
Our new mod is finished and should be installed in the next day or two--I am majorly excited as this will really help make running the time areas much easier. Right now, it is hard, but after the mod, it will be more automated, allowing units to upload their own link (which we approve, etc.) and their info. Much, much better.

What is reenacting?
Oh, I know what it is, but I mean to others. Most of the world sees us as "kooks" who dress up and like boring stuff. Of course, to most of US, those people are dorks and slaves to modern consumer BS. The latest x-box or cell phone. Oh, the coolest car or clothes. Hundreds for sports tickets and memorabilia. Whatever. And right now, when the world seems about to fly off the rails, really, do they even pay attention?

My Brother Jim
Jim will have a blog soon. Of all the people I can think of who SHOULD blog, Jim is the one. He is VERY astute about politics and he's more often right, than wrong. Jim called the price of gas crashing last year, well before any others did. Stay tuned and I'll announce his blog.

Health
Ack! My heels still hurt alot. I DO stretch them, but my job means they are set in one position for HOURS :-( This is very aggravating.

Dipshits!

2009-05-15T00:11:00.003-04:00

Where do I start? Okay, reenactors will work... first thing, we have this Potsdam musket we are trying to sell. Nice gun, made in India and pretty nice work! Good price, what do we get... some dipshit saying they have a welded barrel and they blow up >:-O Head clam shells open and green nuclear cloud comes out. Dumbshit guy meets the Flammenwerfer!

Roman: In the quest to improve our hobby, we are trying to make things more standardized--see Roman commands are not known... really, it was so long ago, they can only GUESS. Fine. We are trying to make simple "soldier Latin" as would be used and understood by new recruits from say, Outer B-F Egypt... Oh NO..... we have the Latin Scholar ding-dongs all saying it's WRONG and we need "PROPER" grammar. Oh SHUT UP STUPID! My dog has more common-sense in the tip of his penis than a couple of these guys do in their entire beings. Just absolute planks! I could go on... dolts, idiots, dipshits, etc. Now some of the reenactors are trying and I think we had a breakthrough tonight, but there's more out there. Way more >:-( Makes me really wish I could still smoke the demon marijuana!

Loyalty and Honor; the promised blog.

2009-04-11T23:44:00.000-04:00

Loyalty and Honor
Two subjects I have been meaning to blog on. It's amazing just how many people (especially those in "high" places) are ignorant of these two things.
Loyalty, a Definition:

loy⋅al⋅ty [loi-uhl-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.

the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.
faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.
an example or instance of faithfulness, adherence, or the like: a man with fierce loyalties.

Loyalty and ethics
The concept of loyalty is an important part of ethics. Plato originally said that only a man who is just can be loyal, and that loyalty is a condition of genuine philosophy. The philosopher Josiah Royce said it was the supreme moral good, and that one's devotion to an object mattered more than the merits of the object itself. Loyalty is a quality you look for in a friend.

Some thoughts from ME on loyalty: Loyalty is important! Many leaders just don't understand you can't drive people--leaders LEAD. They're so shallow and self-centered that they can't understand the concept AT ALL! >:-(

Loyalty works out like this: If you're loyal to your people, they'll be loyal to you! In fact, they will go to the ends of the earth for you. If you aren't loyal to them, if you think they're there to serve you (like you own them), well... they can make your life a misery. They can cost you money. They can ruin you. Loyalty is a two-way street. And last: Loyalty is EARNED, it is NOT given freely!!!

Honor
Let's define "honor" first:

Honour or Honor, (from the Latin word honos, honoris) is the evaluation of a person's trustworthiness and social status based on that individual's espousals and actions. Honor is deemed exactly what determines a person's character: whether or not the person reflects honesty, respect, integrity, or fairness.

Accordingly, individuals are assigned worth and stature based on the harmony of their actions, code of honour, and that of the society at large. Honor can be analyzed as a relativistic concept, i.e., conflicts between individuals and even cultures arising as a consequence of material circumstance and ambition, rather than fundamental differences in principle.

So, what are we talking about here Marsh?
Well, I think it's about one's honor as a human, one's honor as a man. Way too often these days, both in business AND in life, it is totally forgotten or ignored. Here's some thoughts on honor:

An honorable man does not lie.
An honorable man does not cheat.
An honorable man does not go back on his word once given.
An honorable man does not harm or attack those weaker than himself (women, children, the elderly, etc.)

If you lie, especially out of habit, you are NOT an honorable person. Bald-face lies are just that. Need I go on? It's people like this who are dooming our nation and society and they should be excised!

A Final Thought
Don't like what I say here? Have I offended you because you perchance DO these kinds of things? Well then: FUCK OFF! Don't come here! You're not welcome on my blog nor on my websites. I cannot stand back-stabbing snake fuckers, liars, cheats nor those without honor.

I have been musing on this theme for a long while and finally got it written... I doubt it will help things any, but who knows... if it saves one soul it'll be worth it.

The art sez it all!

2009-04-05T01:11:00.003-04:00

My thoughts on a disturbing trend amongst young pick-em-up-truck owners. (We used to call 'em "Goat Ropers" back home)... You surely ain't gonna find a truck driver doing this stuff... and ya know, I just love that black smoke coming out of the stacks... can we say B_U_R_N_I_N_G___M_O_N_E_Y ???

New Cars... why no one's buying

2009-04-05T00:14:00.002-04:00

Well really, it's the economy stupid. Partly anyway. Part of it is that what new cars cost is frigging ridiculous! Crazy. I am sorry, but I am NOT paying $20-30K for a car... absolute lunacy. And what do you get? Something better? No, not really. Most American cars are still kinda crappy and not that well built.

I saw the President on TV trying to encourage people to buy new American cars... ain't gonna work. When it costs $500. plus a month just in car PAYMENTS, that's too much. Waaay too much! For what? Something that get's dog shit fuel mileage... something that the tranny craps out in w/ in a couple years and then costs $3500. ?!? to repair. Do YOU have $3500. lying around? I don't. No, these idiots expect you to put it on your credit card and many do. No wonder our country is in the throes of reverting to a third world nation. "Oh, we gots ta give everyone EQUAL ability yo borrow money." What CRAP! This is why there's a huge housing crash... giving poor folks loans for houses that cost crazy money. "Oh, yes, $300,000 for this 2 bedroom house is a bargain." In WHAT friggin' reality? In my hometown, Atascadero, CA, for awhile, the median home price was over $600 THOUSAND dollars. Guess it ain't now.

We need a REAL President... like T.R. not Barry O.

Hey, what do I know, I'm just a stupid, dumb-ass truck driver. I'm no great minister of finance. However, I am also not in credit card debt of over $50k like a lot of folks my age. Wanna know an empire-shattering secret? What are they gonna do to you if you blow it all off? Put you in debtor's prison and make your kids work in a shoe factory? Uh, NO, this isn't 19th century England there Tiny Tim... The problem there is when you don't have credit anymore, you'll have to actually PAY for shit and you won't be able to. Kinda like goin' from doing a lot of coke to not doing ANY... can we say heavy-ass withdrawal :-O Better than at Citi Bank where they're sendingout a crack team of ninja assasins to kill me for revealing this secret. Just think if everyone did that... crash comes the house of cards (and that's ALL it is!)... It's all an illusion... ack! scream! teeth gnashing... gotta solution? I dunno... I'm not the President or a member of OUR corrupt and incompetant board of directors (called "Congress" by the mainstream media)... Good luck on that idiots.

I think corrupt politicians should be publicly stoned to death... it'd sure make them less likely to do this kinda crap. Idiots like Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a once-honorable man, would pay for their crimes for real, instead of sitting in a cell. And he thought "W" would pardon his corrupt, bribe-takin' ass... (yes, I met him, he was a dick!).
I'll stop now... Ende

Manners

2009-04-04T20:59:00.002-04:00

Manners
Why is it people don't have ANY manners anymore? I know some will blame the Internet--I don't. It's more than that. Yes, the ability to insult someone without them punching you in the nose is part of it, but I think it's more MTV and Nintendo to blame. "What? That fat bastard's high" you're thinking... au contraire, mi Amigos... MTV teaches kids/people that their actions don't really have consequences and Nintendo (PlayStation/X-Box/Wii/etc.) teaches them that violence is okay. "Hmmmmmm.... he's full of crap..." say you.

But think about it, people on the highway have this mentality of "Screw them, I'll speed up and not let him in..." or "I'll cut him off." You know I'm right too... I drive for a living and I see it every day. Rude assholes who think they and their jalopy are immune to damage!?

Strange Utterances Indeed!
The "F-Bomb" is in common usage, even by little old granny ladies and anything less, well it's okay... I remember when MY Grandma would have ripped off an earlobe for uttering such words. Now no one cares.

Perhaps it's the end of our civilization, I don't know. I DO know that when people had guns on their persons, there was a lot more politeness in evidence :-O Ooooohhhh guns, how icky... I'll stop there.

What do YOU think about this?

Truck Stop Women

2009-03-29T22:05:00.005-04:00

Now there's a loaded topic... Women at truck stops and no, were not discussing "lot lizards" (hookers). The truck stops I go to seem to go through a lot of women working there and I can bet why. Being around most of these billy bobs would be damned scary! Alone in a truck for weeks at a time, the only women they see are the girls at the fuel desk or in the restaurant... you KNOW these guys are hitting these girls up CONSTANTLY. Ack! And the thing is, they think they're suave, debonair, a rogue... just irresistible to the girls... Actually, what they are is, again, a lot of bit scary.

It's like going to Hooters... ever been? Holy crap, those women could have a guy eating fried dog shit and PAYING them for the privilege of doing it. No, I am not kidding. They come, they sit down AT YOUR TABLE and talk to you... "Oh wow, so you're a proctologist... that's SO cool! What can I get you? Can we start you off with some wings?" Guys eat this stuff up. $20. tips are nothing. It's almost the same at a truck stop, it's just the women aren't wearing shorts and a low cut t-shirt nor sitting at your table. Aii carumba!!

A Damned Interesting Investment Idea
Here's an idea a Hooters Truckstop... LOL! Actually, it'd make money, scads of it, but all that money would all be used up cleaning up the blood and damage from crazed truck drivers in lust. What carnage it would be :-o

Anyway, the women at truck stops, for the most part, TRY to be nice to drivers... well, at first they do, but after a few months, Wow! They can sure be nasty (think of just how nasty a woman can be when she wants to be). But really, is there a place for some rude-ass wench at a truck stop treating a driver that way? You really DO see some serious contempt for drivers at these places... I find that offensive. Not much I can do considering just how rude and low-class some of my "brethren" are >:-(

Parkin'
Of course, drivers are kinda stuck, as most Wally World's (or other big stores) won't let you park there. In fact, most places won't and in the Communistwealth of Virginia, they'll wake you up at a rest area and make you drive illegally (and unsafely) to some other place. What friggin' bastards! Oh, they say it's about safety, but it's really about "revenue enhancement." Personally, were I an owner operator, I'd NEVER go to or through Virginia. If they ALL did this and maybe grew a set, this kind of shit would stop.

The French
Ya know, it's popular in America to make fun of the French, to call them cowards or losers. Well, let me ask you this: how come when French truck drivers go on strike, they get EVERYTHING they want? I'll tell you why, because they have BALLS and aren't afraid to lock it up-- to block on ramps, to block fuel islands, intersections, etc. Here in the "Land of the Free" well, most of us won't participate because "Ah got's ta pay me ma pickemup payment or fer ma quads. I gots to buy ma kids that thar xbox, so I don't dare rock the boat." blah, blah, blah! Company drivers, well were in a bad spot because we CAN'T decide to strike unless some kind of wacky violence happens... sucks really!

Hey jackasses, don't insult the French anymore... they HAVE cojones... unlike many American drivers (ooh, bad me for callin' a spade a spade!)... Alas, our country has become all form and NO SUBSTANCE :-(
Ende

French Truckers on STRIKE!

Old Skewl Truckin'

2009-03-29T00:14:00.008-04:00

Yeah, I think most truckers nowadays are a bunch of cry babies and posers. Back in the day, when I learned, these guys were real. They didn't need, nor have, a/c, cd players, AUTO-frigging-matic transmissions, power steering, etc. Hell, we drove CABOVERS (they sucked BTW!)

Back when, we didn't have the standardized trannies we have now... there were multi-sticks like a 4x4 and that stuff was hard to learn. 13 speeds were common. Now, it's all 9's and 10's. You give some of these pussies a super 10 or a double-over tranny and they just can't do it. "But ah done been me to truckin' school..."

I sometimes look at trucker forums and just have to burst out into laughter. And they have special forums to bitch about big companies like J.B. Hunt, Swift, etc. And INVARIABLY, you will see some Billy-Bob's wife going on about how her wonderful other half got fired by this meanie company -- of course, when it comes out, he had 3 accidents right out of trucking school, but two wern't his fault... Spare me, dumbasses! These big companies go through some drivers now. And they Do fire people because they are self-insured. They get to work them hard and stuff because THEY (the big company) train them and take on the onus of putting some doofus who JUST GOT HIS LICENSE into a $85,000 tractor hauling expensive loads. Guess what, do you really think they're safe? Do you really?? I've been driving a tractor trailer for 24 years now and know that I learn something EACH day I go out. You don't know that when you start... you think you got it. You don't.

And BTW, don't think the CDL program is making things safer. It ain't. These companies just teach the billies how to get a license, not how to drive--you can't teach it in a classroom, you have to go out and DRIVE. And yes, that's true. It's all a buch of crap... like America has become, all form and no substance.

Did you know that the DOT has intentionally made it more unsafe? Oh yeah! It used to be teams could drive 5 hours, sleep 5 hours. NOW, w/ the new rules, oh no, you have to drive 10-11 hours before you then MUST take 10 hours off. And once you start "
on duty," 14 hours later, that's it, you MUST go off duty and cannot drive over the 14th hour and have to be off duty for 10 more hours. Totally unsafe, but it appears good tot he suits and ignoramuses in Congress, so let's keep it.

Why am I ranting, I dunno, probably because I talked to a friend I knew back when I started trucking and remembered his Dad (now passed away) ; he was a real trucker, from back in the day. I mean it. An owner operator when that meant something. I learned some things from him. Actually, I learned from a few good drivers back then. Things like you NEVER use the clutch except to start and stop. You certainly don't shift with it. You stop and help other drivers out. If there's a car (or truck or cop) on the shoulder, you get over in the other lane. You ALWAYS do this; ALWAYS!!! The modern inbreds we have driving today don't do this shit nowadays.

You waved at the other drivers you passed (or when they passed you). You cleared them w/ your lights day and night when passing and you'd NEVER do something so frigging retarded as to pull behind someone backing up at a truck stop (union drivers like those at Roadway and Yellow Freight are famous for this).

I learned how to back up from Mr. Coley at the Washington DC post office. I have NEVER seen a better person for backing up. I saw him blind-side a trailer into a hole INSIDE a tunnel inside the North Cap Post Office under Union Station in almost pitch black conditions!?! :-o The thought of ME trying that still makes my asshole pucker TO THIS DAY.

Just know this: It isn't better. It's not close to better and no matter what the DOT idiots and Congress (and the ATA dipshits) will tell you, it's not. It's still easy for some dumbshit to get a license and these dipshits still drive waaaay too fast and aren't really in control of their rigs. No, I'm not making it up and I'm not paranoid. I'm a truck driver -- I damn well know of what I speak. Be careful on the road and give these Billies (especially from the big companies) a WIDE berth.

We arent even going to talk about all the inbred, rude scumbags on the CB radio nowdays :-( I am disgusted with them--they make me EMBARRASSED to be a truck driver :'-( The only good thing is the CB is kinda dying off as most have cell phones and satellite radios. I could go on about states that think talking on a cell phone (and I mean w/ a hand-free) is bad... what stupidity! MANY the times my cell phone and me yapping to someone on it, has kept me awake and not hitting a bridge abutment. Oh, but holding a CB mic is okay... dumbasses.

I should take a second to mention another disturbing trend: truck stacks on pickups... I'll just print the really cool bumper sticker my friend Kenny saw:

"Stacks are for semis...DUMB ASS!"

Nowadays, drivers are just a bunch of whiners and pussies. Oh, wait, this is where we came in.
Ende

This is about the vintage truck I started hauling Mail in--a 1964 White Freightliner cabover (COE) w/ a 180 Cummins engine. The crybabies of today would NOT be able to deal w/ this. It WAS a 10 speed, but had a double over and NO power steering or a/c. The radio worked sometimes and the wipers were AIR powered--this meant they sucked (and didn't work well). Spring suspension you wimps!

Movies...

2009-03-28T23:59:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I am weird. I like happy endings and such. Hell, chick flicks are usually okay. Some anyway. Some are just a waste of digital space. Sex and the City the movie or whatever it is. I always thought that was a dumb show on TV and ya know what... the red head, I could SWEAR I met her one night in a strip club on Times Square. This chick, who I remember as looking JUST LIKE her, was "in acting" and wouldn't let anyone take her pix. It was at some live sex show that Ricky Jackson and Brian wanted to go see. Hmmmmm. I digress.

I like stuff like Love Actually, The Holiday, Under the Tuscan Sun... chick flicks all--oh well... that oughta give Rich some ammo :-Þ Now don't get me wrong, I DO like a good war movie, but the problem is, the Hollywood dipshits don't make good war stuff anymore. We have Tom Cruise bullshit. Or it's always got to be PC and show the evyil Nazis and such. F-that! Why not remake The Longest Day? Oh, I know, because today's crop of shithead commies wouldn't be par tof an ensemble cast.

Lord of the Rings was cool... in The Two Towers, the ride out of Helm's Deep by the Rohirrin is just too goddamned cool! I mean Theoden and his men just ride out and take on the whole frigging orc army and then as it happens, the Rohirrin led by Gandalf, ride down the mountain and just ride the damend Orcs under. So cool!!!! However, I doubt well see good war movies anymore. I know, let's make us some dumb shit stuff liek a U.S. Navy crew stealing a U-Boat to get the code machine (complete witha black sailor how PC... even though the Navy was not integrated in WWII). Let's forget that it was the POLISH who got the Enigma code machine... Or let's have Tom Cruise as Count von Stauffenberg?! Where's a good actor liek John Wayne or Sean Connery when you need him. Even the new James Bond is in some stupid partisan flick. I suppose redoing the Battle of the Bulge into something accurate, rather than the hollywierd "splendor" that it became would be out of the question. Why, it might show how the war was. How real men fought and died for their countries.

I'll stop now.

The BITCH! Oh, the BITCH!

2009-03-07T22:07:00.001-05:00

I bet you were thinking this was about something else... it's about m dog Zoey. She's a Australian Cattle Dog, or, as many call them, a Red Heeler (or Queensland Heeler). She's smart, I'll give her that. She's a good dog, but... if you're out side her family group or on her street... watch out! Tonight we were walking and a neighbor girl was walking her dog... Zoey goes nuts!! Nothing new, I made her sit. I took Angus in and figured we'd walk around... they come back around the block and I sit her down (I was holding her as she doesn't like that)... so, I am kneeling there, holding her and she starts snarling and all. I (foolishly) put my hand around her snout and BAM, she got me. Good too. OWWWWWW. That earned her a bit of a spanking (sorry Jessica) and I picked her up and carried her back to the house, head down (she really doesn't like that). And bad me, I bit her a couple of times... making sure she couldn't bite back--a Heeler specialty. I know, the "experten" say you shouldn't do it. Sometimes I do.

She has this temper around other dogs--it's a Heeler thing. However, she needs to chill and I gues it will be muzzle time on walks now :-( Kills me too as she gets a lot of joy from it. I need to buy her a basket muzzle... always about money. She's always pretty lovey. The times she get sme are when I get in the way. I need to NOT try and grab her mouth, just rein her in and take her away. MY BAD! Oh well, I'm sure I'll remember. But will she?

A New President...

2009-01-20T23:24:00.002-05:00

So, today Barrack Obama was sworn in. Amongst all the pomp and ceremony, all the tradition and of course, all the political nastiness. I for one, thought his speech was pretty good. Did I vote for him? No, not in the general election; I'm not a big fan of Biden... However, saying that, I'm an American. Barrack Obama is now MY president and I will follow him and give him my support until he proves that support is unworthy.

Beliefs
I grow tired of those who won't even give the man a chance. I too worry about his plans for gun ownership. I worry about this big new economic stimulus... WHERE will the money come from? However, I am not President, nor am I a member of the Congress. I will let them do their jobs, but I still keep an aye on what they do in MY Name. I wish my fellow countrymen did this too. I wish they wouldn't let frigging Oprah or Rush or whomever tell them how to vote, what to vote for and what to believe. Alas... it's sad--so many people in this country just don't know and what's really scary is they don't care; don't give a shit, actually >:-O Most don't even deserve the right to vote, but we have to let 'em. I often wish there was a test they had to pass before getting to vote.

Time to Work
The time for hatred and animosity has passed. It is now time to move forward, to join together and work WITH each other instead of against one another. Think about it... things have become so acrimonious here that we have to HATE, literally HATE the other side... well, I don't. I have friends on both sides and I respect their opinions (even when I know they're friggin' crazy).

Please feel free to comment on this blog. I don't need to just hear I'm wrong, tell me why.

So, where we're at now...

2009-01-11T18:52:00.003-05:00

Let's see. First, the move is done. Ack! I don't wish to do that for a LONG time. We have too much stuff. I donated a LOT to thrift stores. Still a bunch of crap in the back of my pickup. Am very happy to have moved. My old landlord was a good guy, the house was close to work, but... it had oil heat and I am not at all thrilled w/ oil. Was real expensive, but has come down. New place is waaaaaaaay cheaper to heat. High-tech!! Alas, the garage is FULL. I have to dig in and start clearing stuff and finding it... maybe tomorrow I can find W's comp. And with that...

Computer Probs
My main comp is down. The video stopped working, so, I put in a new video card. Guess what... still no signal. >:-o Most computer Volk concur it's the motherboard, but the local shop tells me they have to "diagnose" the problem first, and that's $70. >:-( Anyway, so I take it in last Monday; "We have a 3 day backlog sir. You should buy a Mac." I wait and call on Thursday. Oh no... not yet. That afternoon I am told "It's on the bench. You should buy a Mac sir." Closing time on Thursday: "It will be running tests all night, we'll know in the morning. You should buy a Mac sir." Friday at NOON (I even waited): "He's still working on it sir, but KNOWS to call you. You should buy a Mac sir." Friday at CLOSING: "Well sir, that technician was out on an offsite call. It was previosuly scheduled. It won't be done today. No, we're not back until Monday." "Oh..." thinks I, this means he really WASN'T working on my comp at ALL and they were lying to me. Nice... and I should have them do the repair work on it... WHY? At least they've stopped for now trying to sell me a f-ing Mac. And yes, I have told them I NEED that comp... unreal. Almost like a hospital--they ignore what you have to say and tell you what they think you should hear.

Weather
Cold. As in ice coating on the outside world most of the day. I layed about (annoying the wife) on my day OFF. Took dogs out a while ago and of course, the guy across the street (a cop) lets his dog out offleash... don't know them at all, but kinda not kosher. Z wanted to go into attack mode. I averted it but still... why? I'll stop now.

Life
What's to talk about? I see no sense in mentioning my job... I haven't got around to blocking IP addresses yet. Anyway, there's nothing to talk about there. And... I try not to think of work when I'm off--that's how you grow old and have a heart attack. As for MY stuff, well, it's damned hard to work on websites off of a laptop. Damned hard and this one is slow. I have it hooked to a regular monitor, mouse and keyboard, but still, it's SLOW. Click something and wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-ACTION. Then click and wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-ACTION. Very friggin' annoying. Might just buy a new desktop... we'll see. They're cheap now-a-days.

Need to get off of here and go downstairs. My hip hurts badly (twisted it getting out of the big truck yesterday)... this seat hurts. I can go down and spend some time w/ Pacha. Really, if it weren't for the animals, I doubt I'd care much about life.

And it still goes on...

2008-12-15T09:31:00.005-05:00

So, the move is almost done, but like every move I've ever made, the end-stage drags on and on. I have to go to the dump—at least once, prob twice. I wish the construction dumpster here wasn't full, I'd give it a bunch of old boxes (especially now they've been rained on). Ack! Prob two dump runs will be needed... :-(

A Date Which Will Live in INFAMY
At the old place, it is mainly just clean-up, very little left there. Alas though, the back porch DOES have a lot of crap there and I think much of it is destined for the dump. We'll see. We have too much shit! Way too much! Last Sunday, December 7th, two thousand and eight, a date which will live in INFAMY, we moved most of the basement. Of COURSE, it had to be the coldest day it's been so far, like in the teens w/ a strong wind blowing. :-( The next day was not much better. Luckily, we had some help from great friends!! Tuesday, I was able to hire a couple of movers to help get most of rest. Soooo much stuff >:-( One note on moving: U-Haul... $39.95 a day... yeah, isn't it interesting how that morphs into $282. for 3 days on a local move?! How I used about 120 miles and it became 152 and last, how they tell you to make sure the gas gauge is where it was when you got it—fine, but it was broken and I ended up putting $40. in the tank... and I'll say this I AM A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER and I had trouble keeping that truck on the road—how can some normal schmoe do it? It drove like a drunken porpoise and when I used the cargo light, it killed the battery; when we ended up jumping it, we found the truck had a CAR battery in it... no wonder. Rant, rant, rant. Nice people, nice boxes and supplies, but sometimes ya just wanna scream.

Unpacking
Wendy has been unpacking and putting stuff away. Without her, I'd be lost. Of course, right now, we have the garage stacked floor to ceiling and my office is mostly stacks of boxes. It's just so stressful moving and why is it every time I turn around, something else is costing me $200.??? Get's old, ya know!! I DO like the new place though. Like the neighborhood, I like it being close to town. I like ELECTRIC heat vs. oil >:-( I just need for one of my days off to be that... not something where I have to work all day humping boxes, etc.

X-Mas Rush
Well, one good thing this year... I have a run, I don't have to go to a P.O. in fact, I don't have to deal w/ them in ANY way, what-so-ever this year :-) Warms the heart it does! Not that I hate the P.O., I just hate chaos and the P.O. during X-mas Rush is a lot of chaos. Common sense and organization make jobs easier... when companies just don't plan, it makes it waaaaay harder and waaaaay more expensive... why do they do that? They know it's coming, why not plan ahead of time?? I will say this, one of the Postal Contractors I used to work for would hire all the X-Mas temps in November... when the Rush started (they called it "Peak Season") things were already smoothly (if you can call anything dealing with X-Mas in the P.O. "smooth") rolling along. I think a lot of it had to do with the manager there at the time, Steve Pratt... He's a good guy and made things easier by planning and common sense. Of course, no planning can account for the P.O. doing things like neglecting to have a place for drivers to wait (trucks around the block), not enough help or deciding there will be "no overtime" (something I am told they've said this year--their dock workers have been telling my fellow drivers this as to why things are late...).

Can It Be Done?
And of course, often, things will be scheduled so as to be impossible to run. It's all well and nice to say "We'll run legally" until you get a run that can't be. And the P.O. doesn't really care—they just want it done. "Oh, and we don't care if your driver doesn't have any hours left because we've held him at our facility for an extra hour or two... make it so!" Little Timmy needs his present from Grandma, the cards must go out, gifts must arrive (not to mention the normal mass of junk mail, welfare checks and credit card bills that the Postal sytem is snowed under with). And even then, Postal volume seems down. My PERSONAL opinion is that now-a-days many people order online and those places tend to use UPS or FedEx (we won't even go into the P.O.'s unholy alliance w/ FedEx right now).

Ende
So, a blog that started about moving has ended w/ me blathering about the P.O. A final note on this though: for all the irritations, all the problems, I still think the USPS does a damn fine job—they're better than any other nation's postal system and they're cheaper. And really, most Postal contractors do a great job, an awesome job of making it work. I just think sometimes it could be better. And, as always, this is my blog, my PERSONAL blog. It's MY opinion, it's not an agenda. The only agenda's I have are to pay my boat slip payment, make my websites better and get my life stabilized—oh and to keep my wife and animals happy. :-)

Moving blows

2008-12-13T00:04:00.004-05:00

Okay, real quick... the move is almost there and done. Just a small amount of crap at old place and the clean-up. Ack! It has sucked. I am stressed and every time I turn around, something else is costing me $200.

We have SO MUCH SHIT! Crazy horrible. I don't want to move again for at least TWO DECADES. Anyway, I don't have time to really write, as she who is my wife, needs me to carry MORE boxes upstairs... I, on the other hand, need a long soak in the "love tub" ... since it's in her room, she's being possessive about it :-(

Tonite's Fiasco
I was off the 'Net for a week and a half... literally THOUSANDS of e-mails to wade through, mostly spam... tired... very tired and still sore. PLUS, when walking dogs tonite, Angus bumped my hand and Zoey's retractable popped out of my hand... so, off she goes. Me yelling "treats" here going "F-you Daddy" and heading for the fields w/ the retractable dragging behind. Across the new house pad, me tripping over rocks and debris in the dark, trying to pull up my pants (falling off due to me losing weight in this horrible move)... down into the drainage area where there is, of course, MUD. Freezing mud and straw. Off she goes, up the hill, leash trailing. Dark, butt-ass cold. Holding pants, other leash w/ Angus on it (him trying to run off too) SS fur hat on my head. Up the other side, me moving fast so I don't sink into the semi-frozen mud. Shit, SHIT, SHIT-- Zoey!!! Damit!

Over hill and dale through the mud, around the field, taking off each time the fat one closes in on her position. Finally, we smell something dead or nicely stinky and as we stop and smell, up runs the heavily panting, pants-falling-off, WWII German fur hat wearing fat one, who barely manages to stomp on the leash, standing there, breathing hard and cursing dogs, all dogs. And women too, just for good measure. >:-( Not funny. Mud everywhere. Shoes, pants, dog feets... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Night for now...

Ack, it's getting old (or is that me??)

2008-11-29T02:31:00.005-05:00

So, now we've taken 3-4 loads (I'm losing count) and more to come. I AM getting way too old for this crap. Making a small dent in the house (not even started on the nightmare that is our basement here)...

A Truck
Probably will rent a U-Haul truck next weekend. Work had offered to loan me a straight truck, but as I think on it, it's 2 hours away and it's cheaper ($39.95) to just rent a U-Haul truck than to drive to Baltimore at 10 mpg... besides, my pickup is acting cranky and has low oil pressure... I Do appreciate their offer, but I think it would be better this way. Besides, it's X-Mas in the P.O. and they need all their trucks.

House is Cool!
I AM quite excited to get the new place. I love it—it's big, it's modern and it's w/ in 2 miles of a Starbucks, so my wife won't need a 40 mile round trip for her coffee. :-) I know, you don't wish to hear me blather about the house... suffice it to say, it will be great.

X-Mas 2008
Hey, so I won't have to be delivering to any P.O.'s this year :-) YAY!!!!!! I'm the middle driver in a "pony express" type run... This won't be a bad X-Mas... If I can just get through the move!!

And we're off...

2008-11-27T09:03:00.004-05:00

So, we took load one to the new house last night. I hurt. Pacha had fun. I am still overwhelmed. I wish I had the $$ to pay some movers to get our crap and just take it there. This is gonna kill me. Oh, don't get me wrong, it will be cool when it's done, but in the meantime... Ack! It'd one of those FEW times that I actually WOULD like to have a credit card, instead of not having the cc debt. Trade-off I guess... most people I know my age have like $50K in credit card debt I will say that, I don't. have that weight around my neck...

Wee was in her element last night. She has been agitated about the move... she always is, but once we get down to it, she is the glue that holds it all together. AND she has a great eye for how stuff should be in any house–she'd make a good decorator. This new place is awesome; twice as big as what we're in now... we'll finally get our lives back out of all the boxes in the basement.

Thanksgiving
Well, today is Thanksgiving, not for myself and most Mail drivers, of course, the powers-that-be in the P.O. (Post Office fer you un-informed folk) don't much worry about that kinda thing–we get the day AFTER off. What's funny is that no work gets done on holidays, especially X-Mas Day and Superbowl Sunday (really). On Superbowl, they all are in break rooms or looking at mini-TV's and watching the game. Nothing get's done at all... they're eating and drinking, etc. And really, that's how it SHOULD be, but management doesn't much approve as they turn a blind eye to it. I think that's because the Execs give them the dumb orders. Really, on holidays like Thanksgiving, X-Mas, etc. they should just close the plants and have a skeleton crew... they won't, of course, but hey, what do I know? I'm just a stupid dumb-ass truck driver. I've only been dealing w/ these people for almost 24 years... And no, I don't hate the P.O., I don't hate the people—I just hate the hypocrisy of it, the corporate greed that says "They WILL work that day!" and ignores the fact that people are people, not some Orwellian drones.

I'll stop blathering now.

Hmmm, election musings...

2008-11-04T22:55:00.004-05:00

Okay, so it looks like Obama will win—I didn't vote for him. Is it good? I dunno. I doubt it. Is it bad, again, i don't know. A lot of people voted, but what kills me about this country is that most are too frigging lazy to do ANY research and will vote how the party or Oprah or their church or something tells them.

Am I a McCain fan? No, not really, I just thought he was the lesser of two evils. I do like Sarah Palin and think she has a big future w/ the Right. Alas though, the Republicans ALWAYS step on their dicks, EVERY TIME they get in power, they can't get over stupid shit like abortion... Or religion... they let themselves get nailed down. We've had 8 years of Bush and we had his father before Bill Clinton (I didn't like Bush I at all)... Anyway, America seems to think ALL our ills are due to G.W. Bush... forget that Congress actually controls the purse strings. If the leader controlled things, do you think California would be so screwed right now? Not frigging likely. The stupidly left liberal legislature should be at the least, taken out and stoned to death. AFTER being flogged 500 lashes from the cat o' nine. Something apropos.

So now, we'll have probably 4 years of poor liberal decisions... maybe only 2 because as the Democrats in Congress raise taxes and truly fuck up the economy, they'll get booted in the next mid-terms... at least I believe it'll happen. Clinton had a Democratic congress and went nuts with stupid legislation, only to see them get booted out. It made him run to the center... All I can say is the next two years will probably suck shit for business and even freedom. Why freedom? Well you KNOW they're gonna start renewing calls for gun control. It's a liberal centerpiece—you don't want the people having the ability to fight back. Oh well, hold on to your ass... it'll be an interesting ride.

One other thing, SNL will probably go back to being unfunny and irrelevant as it has been for years. Oh well. Good luck America, we're gonna need it.

[and yes, my wife voted straight Democratic ticket just to piss me off... oh well, that's her right. At LEAST she voted!]

The Olympics

2008-08-09T00:31:00.002-04:00

Okay, I have to admit, I came home and Wendy was watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (actually delayed 12 hours by a news media blackout here in the US by the shitheads at NBC). Anyway, it is nice to see in this fucked up world that some good things still exist.

In a world where a war was started today, where so many are suffering economic hardship, you can turn on the TV, watch the Olympics and feel good. Really... this is something positive in a world that has had some real shitty news lately.

My only real gripe (besides frigging NBC pissing all over America) is that, ONCE AGAIN, the U.S. Team has a butt ugly costume or whatever it is called. Yes, BUTT-UGLY!!! Whatever happened to the American Flag jacket? That was the sharpest we ever had!! I know, it's so low class, it's not designed by some New York fashion geek. It'd sure be nice to see it back -- not this ugly-ass blue blazer and dorky hat. Just like the winter Olympics wherein our team ALWAYS has something frigging stupid like cowboy hats or some other ugly hat. How hard is it? Stop letting idiot fashion geeks design this stuff. You're embarassing us... you dumbasses!

I saw SO MANY really good looking Olympic costumes/uniforms tonight and then BOOM, I get smacked in the face w/ this ugly shit >:-0

My opinions, but they're there!

Another day... probably deeper in debt.

2008-07-31T09:48:00.004-04:00

Oh well. Ya can't dwell on money. How about the oil prices? Crashing :-) It'd be so nice to see them crash hard and all the speculator scum lose everything! Oh, such Schadenfreude on my part :-0

On Another Note
Anyway, on another note, my friend Ken was telling me about the recent Iranian missile launches and how some people are thinking they did it to prove the feasibility of launching Scud missiles from cargo ships and the second was to see about detonating airborne nukes... he says to fire off an EMP pulse and knock us (modern world and the Satan USA) back to the 1900's... I dunno. They'd have to be stupider than I thought they were. First, we'd retaliate and Tehran would glow green (I'd hope, but you never know with our cowardly, poll seeking government), second, we'd destroy Iran... and maybe that's what they want? I don't know. And article about the EMP threat is here. Ken also seemed to think GW would launch an "all out" against Iran in Nov.-Dec. if this was really thought to be in the works. I don't know. Why? It'd be interesting to see how ole Barry Obama would deal w/ it. Who knows. I'd rather see peace and prosperity and lower gas prices... say $1.50 a gallon or below -- where it SHOULD BE.

Okay, so I have rambled enough for today and my 3 readers will have something to comment on, rather than my marital crisises. :-0

Why did I get married?

2008-07-25T21:05:00.003-04:00

Why did I get married?
I just can't remember now. When someone talks about getting married, I surely cannot recommend it. No matter what, nothing is ever right; never good enough. Why did I do it? I just don't know. I certainly wouldn't do it again if I could go back.

For me, marriage has been a constant fight -- one for survival. Why? I guess because I am married to someone who EXPECTS to be handed everything on a platter without working. Someone who won't drive and expects to be driven everywhere. Who actually fights against everything I try to do to bring money into the house and succeed.

Maybe it's just that we have changed, I don't know. It didn't used to be this way, but for a long time now, it has been teeth gritting every day. There are occasions when the person I fell in love with surfaces, but they're rare. I'm not the latest thing anymore, the animals and I are pushed aside thing. Whatever... whatever!

So, for young people in love, guys especially, think it over. Don't jump in. Make sure they like what you like and aren't "hiding it" until later. I don't know. I just know that I, and most guys I know, are miserable. Some women too.

I'll stop now...

Oh the horror!

2008-07-20T23:19:00.007-04:00

So, we went to town today. Was cool as my truck wouldn't run yesterday, resulting in my friend giving me a ride to and hither. Got home, got it to start :-) However, when we went to leave, it was running shitay! Started to die, but that was the front tank running out of gas (my fuel gauges work sporadically)... so, w/ a quick switch tot he rear tanks we were off! Of COURSE, it wouldn't shift into 3rd gear and others were not working well. Ack! Stopped, looked, etc. but HAD to get to Wally World as Wendy had to have her BP meds (you don't mess w/ that!)...

Aha!
Anyway, while talking to my friend Kenny on the cell, I took the air cleaner off and fooled w/ it. Eventually I noticed that one of the vacuum lines was off the front of the carb base. All the vacuum lines are old and crappy too -- the mechanics here look at me like I'm high on peyote when I say I want to replace them. ANYWAY, I hooked it up and it WORKED!! Turns out it was the vacuum line to the transmission shifter thingee (I forget the name of the part, but know how it works... so good enough). So... it came off the other night when I put in the new solenoid and changed the PCV and breather filters (whoops!)

Dinner and Gas (not Kent's kind of gas)
Wee came out w/ her purchases, and we went to Hosse's for dinner. A belated birthday dinner and I had charred beef of cow. And damned good beef it was! After, we stopped at Giant for some fruit and veggies and gas. Why gas at Giant? Well, w/ their card and Wee having spent over $100. there in the last few weeks, I got .10 off of every gallon!!! :-D Woohoo! The tightwad in me leaped for joy, as it was now $3.89 a gallon (WTF, when did THAT become good??) So, was that it? We came home and had a fun night? Oh HELL NO! The plot doth thicken...

The Horror, the TRUE Horror!
When we got home and were going in the house. Suddenly, Wee let's out an exclamation. Angus has puked in kitchen and it reeked... oh no, he also puked (and had diarrhea) on the couch and carpet and Zoey's dog bed. It took us well over an HOUR of blotting to remove it from the carpet completely (isn't the knowledge of Women great!?). NEVER have I had something that nasty... we had to spray it w/ cleaner and blot it up and blot it up and then spray again... and so-on and so-on. Clean now, but oh, the horror. And poor Angus, puked on the kitchen floor twice more :-(

I need to go take old sicky out -- I am sure he needs to go again. He's sick and I don't know why. Prob ate something in the yard. There's no way he'd do this in the house otherwise. He's quite finicky and will hold it for hours and hours. I feel so bad for him as he's sick and just stands there w/ his tail down and a horrified look on his face :'-(

Hmmm birthday ruminations

2008-07-16T02:07:00.002-04:00

Okay, so it was my birthday, actually still is as I was born at midnight between the 15th and 16th. Anyway, it was one of those days. It got better when I got home and my wife made me a nice cake :-)

Today, well yesterday now, I actually was thinking, for the first time of just selling off all my reenacting shit. I love WWI and the Roman stuff and I am very comfortable w/ WWII, but I just don't know -- I am so disgusted with some of these people... some in Roman actually, that I might just do it. I could put all the $$ into the sailboat. At least there, I'm not going to have a bunch of janitor-generals and puffy know-it-all's bloviating on tunic colour. And for the record, I believe Romans wore RED, not white. And I don't care what Fuentes wrote, his article was 20 years ago... new stuff has been written since then.

I just don't know. I have never felt this much disgust for people in my hobby. It' s not fun! Okay, I like the people form Lafe, they all try and just have fun and put their differences behind them. I'll post the video here so you can look at it... fun and reenacting... not standing around for a bunch of bored touronz. Oh well, I need to take some valium or something.

Onward. I miss my boat -- I need to get down and paint the bottom... Sara is getting me a gallon of bottom paint for my birthday :-) Gods I hope I can get Gaia in the water and use her this year.

Oh SO TRUE!

2008-06-09T01:26:00.001-04:00

If you're a guy, you know this to be oh so true!!!

I Wanna Talk About Me
Artist: Toby Keith

Yeah, Yeah
That's right

We talk about your work how your boss is a jerk
We talk about your church and your head when it hurts
We talk about the troubles you've been having with your brother
About your daddy and your mother and your crazy ex-lover
We talk about your friends and the places that you've been
We talk about your skin and the dimples on your chin
The polish on your toes and the run in your hose
And God knows we're gonna talk about your clothes
You know talking about you makes me smile
But every once in awhile

I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you you you you, usually, but occasionally
I wanna talk about meeeeee (me,me,me,me-background singers)
I wanna talk about me (me,me-background singers)

We talk about your dreams and we talk about your schemes
your high school team and your moisturizer creme
We talk about your nanna up in Muncie, Indiana
We talk about your grandma down in Alabama
We talk about your guys of every shape and size
The ones that you despise and the ones you idolize
We talk about your heart, bout your brains and your smarts
And your medical charts and when you start
You know talking about you makes me grin
But every now and then

I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you you you you, usually, but occasionally
I wanna talk about me (me,me,me,me- background singers)
I wanna talk about meeeeeeee (me,me- background singers)
(I wanna talk about me- background singers)mmmm me me me me
(I wanna talk about me- background singers)mmmm me me me me
You you you you you you you you you you you you you

I wanna talk about ME!

I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, you, you, you, usually, but occasionally
I wanna talk about meeeeeeee (me,me,me,me-background singers)
I wanna talk about me (me,me,-background singers)
I wanna talk about me (me,me,me,me,me,me-background singers)
Oh me!

Wow! Old age...

2008-06-07T21:47:00.002-04:00

What, you're saying? Is this idiot babbling about!? Okay, well a coupla minutes ago, I was in search of "drink." Not having any beer here (except the Wifial unit's Newcastle Horsepiss beer -- which is nasty), I spied my bottle of JD I have, but usually mix... "Okay," sez I "I'll just have a shot..." Okay, yeah, I must be getting old or have become a pussy as it made my eyes water :-0 I still like Jack and 7, but this was too much... I didn't spit it out, but it was tought going down. Old age... "Why" Sayeth you? Because, I used to be able to drop a shot of JD. Oh well. I still like beer and red-headed sluts :-Þ