Beneath the Carolina Moon

Mistakes We All Make At Least Once

2009-04-05T08:02:00.005-04:00

I think I can make it with a good running start...

Smart people learn from their mistakes, but the smartest people learn from other people's mistakes. Ever hear that before? Sure you have. Did it make a difference in your life? Did you begin to ask other's before you leap? Maybe just a little, every once in a while? Do you still plunge head first into what seems like a good idea at the time, only to find out that others had made that mistake before, if only you'd asked? Why is it that there are some mistakes that no matter how many times someone else has already made them, we just find it necessary to repeat the experiment in failure all over again?

I took the job for less money, but they promised to review my salary in 90 days.

A little breath freshner and my parents will never know that I'm sloshed.

I won't get caught speeding, I've never seen a cop around here.

I don't need those pads. I'm just skateboarding down the drive.

See, you can walk on ice if you're careful.

Yeah, he's bigger and stonger than me, but I still think I can take him.

I can put Blogger adsense ads on my blog, and get relevant ads placed so that I make lots of money when people click on them, but the first ad I get is an ad about "geek babes" and other assorted tasteless drivil.

Talk to me. What was your favorite common mistake?

Posted by Dread who made the mistake of putting Blogger ads on this blog.

Flip Flop Weather

2009-03-15T08:38:00.004-04:00

No fashionistas, I am not talking about that blasphemy of footwear when I say flip flop weather! I'm actually talking about weather that flip flops, like a politician. I took the above picture in a neighbor's yard with the crackberry phone about three weeks ago. Then the below picture was taken exactly a week later, which was two weeks ago.

Then, a week ago it was sunny and 83 degrees Farenheiht. Today, a week later, it's 43 and raining. It's true; if you don't like our weather, just wait 15 minutes. If you really, really, don't like it, give it week.

Posted by Dread, who is wondering what kind of alergies only show up in rainy weather.

Snow Day!

2009-01-18T10:28:00.004-05:00

Paradise Inn, Mount Rainier, Washington. During the winter of 1916-1917, 789.5 inches of snow fell at Paradise Inn. When this photo was taken, in March 1917, the snow was 27 feet deep. To paraphrase John Denver, "Thank God I'm a southern boy!"
More specifically; "Thank God I'm a Carolina boy!"

It has been snowing and sleeting here off and on all morning. There is no accumulation though because the temperature is above freezing. It's about time we got a little taste of winter. It's been years since we had a real winter here or a real snow that actually stuck on the ground and you could make a down hill sleigh run. The daffodils were already sprouting several inches through the ground last week.

Now as to why I posted a picture from Paradise Inn, Mount Rainier, Washington on this blog about the south; specifically the Carolinas... My former boss moved to Washington state near that site last year. All I have to say about that is; HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH! AH HAH HAH HAH! AH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!

That wasn't very civil of me was it?

AH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!

Posted by Dread who will soon be planting seed trays for setting out in the spring, and is still snickering about his former boss.

A Second Handed House in a Second Handed Season

2009-01-02T08:06:00.007-05:00

I call this shot the Second Handed House in a Second Handed Season, because it reminds me of the house in the movie, "Second Handed Lions". If you haven't seen that movie, it's a must! It would not have been a big box office splash, because teens and young people mostly wouldn't get it. But, if you're under 13 or over 30, you need to see Robert Duvall and Michael Cain portray people who "really lived."

I consider autumn and winter to be second handed seasons, because, generally I don't like them. Spring and Summer are my cup of tea. Although this past autumn was one of the most beautiful in my memory, most years I don't enjoy autumn because its the forerunner of winter, which in my mind is just another brick through the windshield of life that you have to try to survive and get through.

Anywho, I forget who shot this pic this fall; Miss N, or myself. It really doesn't matter as it was a shared experience anyway. We were tooling around the Carolina mountains enjoying the cool crisp air and the magnificent colors of the 2008 autumn. I think this picture was taken sometime in late October.

Posted by Dread who thinks maybe he should share some more of the 2008 autumn pix.

Preparing for the New Year

2008-12-31T09:20:00.002-05:00

Posted by Dread, who is busy brainstorming a new method and substance of expression, while still hoping and praying for the best in 2009.

Yada Yada Yada!

2008-12-24T08:07:00.004-05:00

..and all that stuff. Some years I get into it and some years I don't. There's a bit of frustration this year... Okay; a lot. Anyway, I hope yours is great. I'll be back about the time you start next year's hangovers. Until then; stay safe!

Posted by Dread without any real enthusiasm.

Bar Window Art, Thrice Removed

2008-12-10T08:07:00.001-05:00

Art recalled and documented can become art itself. Somewhere over my rambling readings, I came across the quote below, which I consider to be a quality sample of the art of prose. I think once you have read it you will agree that it is art, recalling art. Here is the quote:

"I was once sitting at a table in a bar when a young woman came up to the bar window, lifted her shirt and pressed her breasts against the window. When she left, there were perfect imprints of her breasts on the dusty glass. I didn't think of it as art at the time. If only I had known."

I failed to document where I clipped the quote, and can't for the life of me even remember when I collected it. But I found it interesting, moving, and thought provoking. It occurred to me that the little clip was art itself, and so the temporal art created by the young lady at the window, moved to a remaining print on the window and a lingering imprint on the writer's mind. Although it can be argued that the act of the imprint and the imprint itself were all one unit of art, does it really matter? Art is in the mind of the beholder.

I suppose that with my posting of the picture of illustration and the quote together here, the art the young lady created, and then was reminisced to prose, is in some way taking on it's third mutation. Yet, in some way, the original art still remains a pure statement of itself.

Some stories loose something in each additional telling while others gain. They evlove through adoption and added perspective. The south is full of art like that; especially here beneath the Carolina moon.

Posted by Dread who thinks it is neat art, when stories like this come full circle, but the original artists keep their secrets.

Election Circumspection

2008-12-09T07:15:00.004-05:00

The, so called, election left me feeling like I had been hit by a beer truck. But, I'm back by unpopular demand. Tomorrow I will begin cleaning up this place, and putting up posts that are relevant to the roots and purpose of this blog. Eventually, all the political fodder from the past year will be moved to a political blog site I am preparing. But, Beneath the Carolina Moon will return to all things Southern and all things Carolinian. There's a quirky, eccentric side of the Carolinas, and most likely that will overtone this blog. After all, quirky, eccentric, and enigmatic are all good qualities when done with style and grace.

There is a time and place for everything, and this is quiet a place: here beneath the Carolina moon!

Posted by Dread who feels better already.

Day 2, An Obamanation

2008-11-06T18:29:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average finished lower by 443.48 points, or 4.85%, to 8,695.79. All 30 Dow component stocks tumbled one day after Wednesday's 486-point (5.05%) loss! That seems to be a 9.9% drop in the confidence level of Tuesday's election outcome. Do I detect buyer's remorse?

I understand that these bumper stickers are already enjoying brisk sales.

Posted by Dread who wonders just how stupid Obama supporters feel now that they've sent a message to George Bush, who still will leave office on schedule in January 2009. Yeah, that's showin'im.

Why America? Why?

2008-11-04T23:17:00.003-05:00

Why did you drink the Obama Kool-Aid?

Posted by Dread who has gone away to grieve the death of the once great and proud bastion of freedom that will be no more.

PLEASE!

2008-11-04T08:05:00.002-05:00

for McCain Palin.

Your continued freedom depends on it.

It really is that simple.

Posted by Dread who finds this election, with a cult socialist running as a democrat, to be the scariest ever. But we will have freedom of religion if the cult socialist wins. We will be able to choose between either the church of Oprah or the church of Obama.

2+1=3

2008-10-28T08:14:00.003-04:00

If you liked these guys...

You're REALLY going to LOVE this guy!

Posted by Dread in an attempt to be succinct.

A Southern Thing

2008-10-24T07:51:00.002-04:00

I haven't blogged on "southern" things in a while, and won't again at least until after the election next month. I've felt an obligation to fight FOR the freedom of my country, whenever I did have a few minutes to blog, and will continue to do so. We've evidently hatched a lot of idiots in this country and some how managed to let them slip into the status of electorate.

Oh well. When we southerners make a mess, we clean it up. That's why I'm here trying to get a statesman elected president (John McCain) instead of writing about Spanish moss and night blooming honeysuckle. I guess it is a southern thing after all. Southerners love their country and don't want the reins turned over to an arrogant socialistic, near do well, who's only significant accomplishment in life has been self promotion. At least good southerners don't. The rest of you should wear orange when you're out in the woods during deer season.

Posted by Dread who has learned that just because people have average intelligence, doesn't mean they have adequate intelligence.

Yo! Idiots and Stoners!

2008-10-19T08:28:00.008-04:00

The United States of America is full of idiots and stoners. We may very well be doomed. 49 percent of Americans have said they are not concerned about loosing their jobs due to the current economic downturn. To not be concerned about your livelihood in the current economic developments and direction, you either are an idiot or stoned.

According to the media polls, (and if you believe those you are an idiot or a stoner) Barack Obama, the Arab candidate for President posing as African-American, with absolutely nothing to qualify him for the job except he frequently utters the word "change" (a word frequently heard in baby nurseries when one of them has excreted a load of crap), anyway, is leading the polls. Only idiots or stoners would support such a candidate, and in light of the economy, give the goofball One hundred and fifty million dollars in September alone, to use for campaign expenses. (to sell more lies of "change")

We let our government spend billions of dollars battling the drug cartels from Central and South America, meanwhile back at the ranch the market they are selling to are the people living the next street over from us; the ones that break into your house and steal your stuff. If our stoner neighbors didn't buy the drugs, the cartels would have no business, no power, and pose no threat to anyone. The problem isn't in Honduras, it's just down the street.

Some Americans woke up long enough to quit using as much oil product as they could. The Arabs, (distant relatives of Barack Obama and like him a child of Islam) are now alarmed at the lower price of oil and are planning to quickly cut back production to drive up the price. If Americans were smart, we would cut back our use even further, and accelerate the production of alternative fuels, and ways of doing things so that Arab oil isn't needed at all. But we won't. I predict that with lowering prices, the majority of Americans will act like idiots and stoners and go on another oil binge, driving the prices even higher, so that the Arabs can make even more money by selling us less oil.

These idiots and stoners are the same ones that call a woman who gets pregnant and decides that she doesn't want to be a mother, pro-choice, and call a man who gets a woman pregnant and decides that he doesn't want to be a father, a deadbeat dad.

Sooner or later someone is going to pull that great toilet lever in the sky and flush this whole thing away, then all the good people and all the idiots and stoners will all go down the great American sewer. That used to be the Hudson river, but now I understand the Mississippi has taken it's place. When that happens, I hope I drift off to the Dominican Republic or some similar place that still has a little unspoiled natural beauty. (I wonder how long it takes to drift to New Zealand)

I haven't blogged in a while because frankly, I've been busy. I work in neighborhoods full of iditots and stoners. I'm worried about my job in the economic quagmire we're plunging further into. I spend a lot of time figuring out how to NOT make trips in my car, and I worry a lot about what's going to happen when the American idiots and stoners elect a radical socialist Arab, posing as an African-American. Yeah, I'm one of those gun and Bible clingers, and I'm begining to wonder if I should be buying up ammo to protect myself from the idiots and stoners, after their bubble bursts.

For the first time in my life, I'm spending time thinking about how I will protect my self and loved ones from the idiots and stoners. They are not smart so it doesn't take much, but now, there's becoming a lot more of them, and that's worrisome.

Posted by Dread who has the nose snots really bad this morning, or otherwise would be too busy to spend time at the keyboard.

A Real Bridge to Nowhere (An Obama Nation? An Abomination! Part 4)

2008-09-25T07:30:00.004-04:00

Uh oh!

Yesterday, it was revealed in the news that TWICE a proposal was raised in the US Senate to divert the funding of the controversial Alaskan "bridge to nowhere" to Katrina recovery. TWICE both Obamalamadingdong AND old Joe Biden voted to keep the money right where it was earmarked; to a bridge to nowhere.

Obamalamadingdong and Biden? CHANGE? Nah... just a REAL bridge to NOWHERE!

Posted by Dread who thinks cartoon characters have no place in politics.

A Correction to History (An Obama Nation? An Abomination! Part 3)

2008-09-23T07:45:00.004-04:00

This man is not the first African-American to be the presidential nominee of a major party.

Historical Correction: Barack Hussein Obaba is the first Arab-American presidential nominee of a major party. Since the liberal media seems to be totally bent on pushing the race of this candidate as a huge feature, they should at least get it right. Truthfully, he is of mixed decent, but predominately Arab. And the religion he practiced for 30+ years, before becoming associated with the hate spewing Reverand Wright? Yes, he was Moslem, the peace loving religion that teaches that we infidels should all be slaughtered, etc. blah, blah, blah.

Did you ever study one of these in school? It had to do with a little village called Troy.

I figure that's why there's a brand named Trojan. To give you a sense of security while you're getting... well... this is a family blog. You get the picture, I'm sure.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

Posted by Dread, who wonders how alligator got into his family tree.

EXACTLY! (An Obama Nation? An Abomination! Part 2)

2008-09-16T14:12:00.003-04:00

(NO PICTURE TODAY- IT WAS TOO UGLY!)

The email quoted below has come in to me from various parts of the country and in various forms. It pretty much confirms what I've suspected all along. Also, on the news today, it is confirmed that Obamalamadingdong while in Iraq, asked Iraqui government officials to not settle on a US troop withdrawal until after George Bush leaves office. Since he is in favor of getting out NOW, why is he asking such? So that he can take credit for getting us out of Iraq, after he is elected? Big mistake! He's not going to get elected!

Maybe he'll be tarred and feathered and run out of the country, as he deserves. Read on the emails that have been coming in here beneath the Carolina moon.

Obama's Not Exactlys:

1.) Selma March Got Me Born - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as
Selma was in 1965. (Google'Obama Selma ' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various untruths.)

2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.

3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.

4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establi sh Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone. Check out the following link for verification of that....and for more.

Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia Muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.

5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to
mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.

6.) My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language.
Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.

Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly Arabs... Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth cert ificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). From....and for more....go to.....
http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_-_Arab-American,_only_6.25%25_African

7.) I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office. 4-3-08 Article 'Obama was 'quite religious in Islam'' http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559

8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).

February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as 'one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.' This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says 'Obama's narrative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts.'

9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language.

10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia , I Have More Foreign Experience - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't even speak the language. What did you learn except how to study the Koran and watch cartoons.

11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.

12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of
Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine

13.) An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and
never did, exist.

14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't,
and never did, exist.

15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 - NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.

16.) Voting 'Present' is Common In Illinois Senate - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.

17.) Oops, I Misvoted - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your misvote.

18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it or create it.

21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish.

22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.

23.) I Have Released My State Records - NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.

24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens.
You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.

25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.

26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.

27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.

28.) No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA - NOT EXACTLY, the Canadian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them.

29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel.

30.) I Want All Votes To Count - NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide.

31.) I Want Americans To Decide - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.

32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.

33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.

34.) I Don't Take PAC Money - NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it.

35.) I don't Have Lobbysists - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.

36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon.

37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time.

38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who don't have to buy it.

39.) My uncle liberated Auschwitz concentration camp - NOT EXACTLY, your mother had no brothers and the Russan army did the liberating.

So, who EXACTLY is this Obama guy and what is he trying to sell us?! Please get to work now...not enough of your loved ones and friends know about this fraud.

Coming from a TRUE American, this is not the "Change" we want or need. I Googled the information and it's ALL true. I don't know a lot of people so I am depending on whoever gets this to help me "Educate" America. I am afraid that Obama is doing just as his brother did, going after the uneducated, poor, and promising "Change", they have no idea what "change" he will bring. Our only hope is our Constitution, for right now, until that's "changed."

Forwarded email posted in it's entiriety by Dread, who is wondersing WHO is pulling the puppet Obamalamadingdong's strings.

An Obama Nation? An Abomination! Part 1

2008-09-06T08:49:00.004-04:00

Barack Heusein Obama's Ten Point Plan to "CHANGE" the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:

1. Ban use of firearms for home defense.

2. Pass Federal laws eliminating your RIght-to-Carry.

3. Ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns.

4. Close down 90% of the gun shops in America.

5. Ban rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting.

6. Increase federal taxes on guns and ammunition by 500 percent.

7. Restore voting rights for five million criminals including those who have been convicted of using a gun to commit a violent crime.

8. Expand the Clinton semi-auto ban to include millions more firearms.

9. Mandate a government-issued license to purchase a firearm.

10. Appoint judges to the United States Supreme Court and Federal judiciary who share his views on the Second Amendment.

Posted by Dread, who thinks the Obama hogwash speaks for its self but won't sell here, beneath the Carolina moon.

The source of the 10 points material is the National Rifle Association.

Matter Attracts Like Matter

2008-08-30T12:31:00.003-04:00

Matter attracts like matter and genius attracts genius. I am 100% behind the McCain - Palin ticket. I've read, "She is a staunch opponent of abortion rights, and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. Her youngest child is a boy named Trig who was born in April and has Down Syndrome. The parents were aware of the diagnosis when Palin was four months pregnant, but they decided to have the child anyway."

This woman's nickname is barracuda, and I think she and John McCain are going to eat the Obamalamadingdong Bidenshmiden bunch alive. Then maybe we can begin to get the mess this country is in straightened out. And that's the way I see it, on the last weekend of the summer clothing season, and just before the last summer hurrah (September) here beneath the Carolina moon.

Posted by Dread who is preparing to savor the last month of this year's decent weather.

Sugar Sand, Rest, Home Again

2008-08-22T21:49:00.008-04:00

This is the whitest sand I have ever seen. I absolutely had to wear sunglasses or I could not stand to open my eyes. It was actually painfully bright! I took this pic in front of the Sandestin Hilton where I was earlier this week in north western Florida. It was nice. I needed it. I'm glad to be back in my own bed.

All in all, it was a really good trip. There were mostly sunny skies, the food was fantastic, and the hotel and service was top drawer all the way. The beds were too soft. That was my only real complaint. An over soft bed means I wake up with a back ache in the middle of the night, and have to stretch the kinks out of my spine before I can stand straight enough to drink a cup of coffee in the morning.

This Hilton is located within a gated community, which was beautiful and manicured to the nines. Breakfast, with tip, was $20 per person, which is just a bit out of the price range I'm accustom to paying. But, it was all good.

Everything completely fell apart at work while I was gone, but isn't that just keeping a great American tradition? I'll get over it, eventually. I always do. And, life goes on. The get away for a few days was good, and restful, but I'll get over that too. I always do. And, life goes on, here beneath the Carolina moon.

Posted by Dread who could have knocked off early today, but just hung out with the staff, because it just seemed like the right thing to do after the tough week they've had.

A Room WIth A View

2008-08-18T13:22:00.002-04:00

This is the view from the patio of my room. After a bit of wandering around, but not too much, I made it to the gulf coast. More later. I'm going to enjoy this!

Posted by Dread, who's enjoying a day at the coast.

I Need A Small Vacation

2008-08-16T21:19:00.010-04:00

I'm taking off for a short vacation. Not that anyone would notice anyway, since this summer I have only posted here about once a week, but maybe I'll have an experience to share when I get back. I've had very few uneventful vacations in my life. Come to think of it, I've actually had very few vacations the last few years.

Oh! About that picture up there? Not that I plan to start a nuclear war or anything while I'm on vacation, but I did think that I should leave you with a thought to mull over while I'm away from the keyboard. So, here it is.

To date, there have been only two nuclear bombs dropped on human populated areas, both with the full intent of wreaking death and destruction on an unprecedented scale. What you need to think about is, BOTH nuclear bombs were ordered up by a DEMOCRAT.

Don't get me wrong. Harry Truman was one of my favorite Presidents. I'm just saying... yah know? It's food for thought.

See you next week. Behave yourselves. I've gone looking for a hammock.

Posted by Dread who's gone meandering through the south to find his way to the gulf coast.

Does Your Heart Go Flippity Flop?

2008-08-09T07:05:00.005-04:00

No! That isn't moi in the picture above. Now get over it and read on.

Jimmy Buffet made a fortune singing about an accident involving a pair. Podiatrist have made fortunes from the resulting injuries of people who wear them, and political fortunes have been lost to the ages as a result of them. I’m talking about the cheap, who invented this crap anyway, the noise drives me crazy, plasticized and rubberized, and always villainized (by me at least), noisy, nasty, so called footwear, flip flops.

In the fashion arena, flip flops are at the top of the heap of what I call the garbagewear category. It doesn’t matter how many spangles, dangles, flowers or sparkles you put on them, they’re still trash fashion. You can’t even buy socks for a dollar a pair, what do you expect for a $1 pair of shoes? Although I’ve seen $10 and up flip flops, that just proves that P.T. Barnum was right. There’s a sucker born every minute.

I thought I had finally connected with a solution to this fashion flop fest of foot failure. A group from a local church that I've started attending in planning a mission trip, had asked for flip flop donations, to help villagers in their Caribbean destination who have no shoes. That seemed like a very good thing to me, so off I go to buy up all the flip flops I can find and or afford. My reasoning is that by buying them up here, and sending them there, not only will disadvantaged people be helped, but also it will be that many pairs off the streets of the Carolinas, and that many more pairs that the sound of I will never have to listen to going kaah-puck, kaah-puck, kaah-puck, kaah-puck. Ingenious huh?

I was proud as a peacock that I was helping someone out over there, while ridding the streets here of the annoying, flip flopping, kaah-pucking, noise. Then it was pointed out to me that the flip flop manufacturers would probably think the demand had gone up and make even more of them to put on the store shelves here. The more I buy, to send overseas, the more they make! AGGGGGH! Is there no justice in this world?

Please people, can’t we just buy and send the disadvantaged those annoying Nike swoosh shoes and quit buying flip flops altogether? With the demand gone, the manufacturers will quit making flip flops and there will be a huge decrease in summer noise pollution. Perhaps even medical insurance premiums would also go down. Personally, I’m in favor of adding, “Do you ever wear flip flops?” to the medical questionnaire right between “Have you ever had a heart attack or have a history of heart related problems?”, and “Do you frequently drink heavily and drive?” Then charge those people humongous premiums and lower the rates for the rest of us who wear sensible shoes.

Anyway, that’s the way I see it, here beneath the Carolina moon.

Posted by Dread who spotted a pair of Nike flip flops today, and now is without a "rid the world of flip flops" strategy.

Humididitized

2008-08-01T10:26:00.006-04:00

76°F

Current:Clear

Wind: SW at 0 mph

Humidity: 95%

That information came from my Google weather thingy for my city at 10:23 A.M. today. Talk about freaking steamy weather! The high today is predicted to hit 94 F which is around 34.44444444444 C. Of course humididitized isn't a real word, unless I say it is. But, if you couple that humidity with that temperature, need you wonder why people in the south drink a lot of beer and have a little violent streak? Really!

We have to have some word for the influence of this weather, so I recommend humididitized.

Normally I would say that if you have a better word for it, say so. But, I really think you have to actually experience being humididitized before you have the qualifications to name it.

I plan to work outside this weekend in the yard and garden. If the weather doesn't kill me or turn me into a frog, we'll visit again next week. Neither is really at all likely, since I have survived many worse dog days than this, all here beneath the Carolina moon.

Posted by Dread who is dripping with sweat, standing still, in the shade.

Friends

2008-07-30T08:02:00.003-04:00

Miss Sandy, whose blog is listed over there----> and here I Beati , listed the "Friends/Southern Friends" list in the comments of my previous post. Then, she also listed them on her blog. I thought them worth repeating here for any readers who don't read comments and didn't catch them on her blog. Thank you Sandy!

I find that the list of qualities is only slightly different here beneath the Carolina moon, but not significant enough to quibble over. Hah! There's you and odd word Miss Sandy, that you don't hear out of the current generation. I like it. Quibble. Something friends don't do, especially Southern friends. Well they my quibble, but not seriously, just mostly for fun. Here's the list with a few of my "comments":

FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Always bring the food, so southern friends never have to ask for food.

FRIENDS: Will say 'hello'
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss. Whether you want it or not!

FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Call your parents Mama and Daddy; usually accompanying their first or last name, like Daddy James, or Mama Jones.

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Cry with you. And pray with you, and sometimes you cry over them, as well as pray.

FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing, and just being together. But, will also insist on helping to clear the dishes and wash up.

FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you, and usually have a cousin who cashed in on it and did (with your permission of course)

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds' back-ends that left you, and never leave you.

FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, 'I'm home!' I beg your pardon, they call out first, then come in.

FRIENDS: Will visit you in jail
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will spend the night in jail with you, if they can't raise your bond, which they probably will.

FRIENDS: Will visit you in the hospital when you're sick
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will cut your grass and clean your house then come spend the night with you in the hospital and cook for you when you come home. All without thought to repayment at all.

FRIENDS: Have you on speed dial
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Have your number memorized. That's in case we have to call for someone to get us out of jail, or take us home from the hospital.

FRIENDS: Are for a while.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Are for life. Yep. Even when you're arguing or disagreeing.

Posted by Dread who enjoys many pleasant acquaintances, but only a few true friendships.