Hi everyone, Elliot here, I'm Tim's K9 Companion during the day, we spend a lot of time together so I thought I'd tell you about the wonderful day we had yesterday. First Tim got me a new walking harness and a 25 foot leash and we went to the park to try it out. Tim looked at a couple of female humans and growled quietly to himself while I got to bark my ass off at a pit bull. I told the pit bull his mother pulled dog sleds and then it was fight time. Tim doesn't really let me fight, but he's ok with me barking and kicking grass in their faces. Sometimes I pee on the grass, THEN I kick it in their faces.
After the park, we went to the car wash. That was a strange place. Logan, Tim's Grandson says they have "dancing snakes" there that wash your car. And they do! I barked at them but they didn't seem to even notice me. Then we went to another park with lots of bums. Tim has taken me there before but when we left he seemed mad. He said something about "freaking bums" and how if people wouldn't feed them they would go somewhere else. But today we went back and he found what he had been looking for. He called it a GeoCache and this time we were able to retrieve it, sign the logbook and went back to the car as happy as he is when one of the redheaded female humans smiles at him.
Then we went home and hung a new bird feeder in the backyard. I really like to chase squirrels and every now and then I catch one too. They don't really taste that good, but they are fun to chase. After that, we went to what must be some sort of religious place with a God that goes by the name of "Coffee". Funny name for a God. Anyway, you probably didn't know that Tim is a deeply religious follower of Coffee, but he is, and he goes there frequently. He get's his worship cup, bows repeatedly to it and then slowly brings it to his lips, sips, and then says "God, that is good"! You humans are complicated. Glad I'm a dog, all we want to do is eat, sleep and screw. What a life eh?
After our Coffee moment, we picked up Tim's daughter and he forced her to go hunt down another GeoCache with us. She whined like a Chihuahua at first, but after Tim let her try her hand at finding it, she started to enjoy it a little bit I think. It didn't take us long to find it (Tim's really good at finding those weird little things), and off we went again. We dropped Caitlin off at her place and she said she was going to go walking with us but she didn't. I think she went to sleep. But she might really just have been afraid of the pitbulls, maybe the redheads, I don't really know which. But Tim isn't afraid of either, so we walked around the block a few times. I smelled everything, pee'd on everything AND I pooped on a dandelion. I'm a bad, bad doggy sometimes. And I may be little, but I run with the BIG DOGS, just like Tim!
Anyway, that was about the day for us. I really like my new harness and leash, and Tim is a really cool guy. Maybe if you play your cards right, he'll walk you and let you tag along and enjoy one of his adventurous days too. If you'll excuse me now, I think I'll go lie in the corner and lick my butt.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Oh you stupids...
I've never been a big fan of laws, ordinances, codes, rules, etc. At least if your an adult. I figure you made it this far, you should know the rules, know how to play well with others, etc. And if you don't, or if you CHOOSE to disregard the rules, your stupidity SHOULD be painful, and expensive.
Quick Quiz Time: How many of you know that Alabama has a STATEWIDE Dog Leash Law? Well, we do. And without dragging out the lawyer soapbox (no, I'm not a lawyer), there are a few exceptions to this law like... "except as provided by local ordinance" (such as at a off leash dog park, and there's ONLY ONE of those in Jefferson County), OTHERWISE, unless your dog is on your own property, AND secured behind a chain link fence, then it HAS TO BE ON LEASH AT ALL TIMES! Period! Plain and simple. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself, Alabama Code of 1975. There are even stupid little cities like Irondale and Homeywood that take the leash law to the extreme and apply their own local municipal code to include all "pets" so that your turtle, unless behind a chain link fence, would also have to be on a leash if outside.
Like I said, never have been a big fan of rules, but I know why they're there. And I usually try my best to obey them, play well with others and not kick sand in anyone's face. It's what we do to live in a society so that others may enjoy their rights too without infringement. Well... most of us. As most of you know, up until last week with the death of my doggy buddy Garcia, I walked two dogs every day around the Highland Ave./Caldwell Park area. Elliot and I are all that's left of Team TurboDog, but we're auditioning for a new team member as I type. Elliot is a Jack Russell Terrier/PitBull mix. To say you have a lot of punch packed into a very small package would be an understatement. Elliot is very aggressive towards any other dog he sees, near or far, as we walk. I usually avoid any potential problems by either stopping and letting the other dog pass afar, or we turn and go another route. And all that works great IF the other dog owner is obeying the law and has their dog on a leash too, but many do not. And that's just where the problem starts!
There are three public parks on Highland Ave. and all three are within easy walking distance for Team TurboDog. I have had two "off leash" attacks occur at Caldwell Park and one at Rhodes Park while legally walking "my" dogs. And I say "my" dogs even though they do not actually belong to me because their owners have entrusted their dogs safety and well being to me. They are always on leash, I always carry "doggy bags" and yes. I pick up and properly dispose of any solid waste. I even check their vaccination tags to make sure they are up to date and LEGAL to be out in public. I consider this to be the MINIMUM any dog owner who takes their dog out in public should do. Not to mention it is also the MINIMUM actions REQUIRED by Law. Yes, BHM has a "Doggy-Doo" pickup law.
A dog off leash is simply an accident waiting to happen. If you think for a minute that you can verbally stop your dog when he gets the urge to chase something down and chew on it, well, you're just plain stupid. It's a dog for Christsake. All it wants to do is eat, sleep and hump something, not necessarily in that order. All three times we have been attacked, it was with the owner running along behind their dog screaming "stop", "heel" and "whoa nelly" all the while. Do you think the dog really gave a shit? Of course not. Something tripped the dog's trigger and it was game on. Luckily there were no injuries all three times, but it was because I had snatched my dog(s) up into my arms before they could fight. And please understand that if you let your cute little Muffy run loose in a public park and he/she charges my dog and Muffy looses an ear, or an eye because you were too stupid to obey the law, don't look towards me for sympathy, or anything else.
And it's not just me and my dogs that are put out and kept from enjoying a public area because people won't obey the law, I can't even take my Grandkids to the parks for the same reason. So... It looks like I am going to have to see just what it takes and whom I'm going to have to force to do their damn job to get the leash laws enforced so I can walk with my dogs and Grandkids in the parks without fear of being attacked. They should already be enforced without someone having to cause a stink and make someone do their job. The cops just ride right by and do absolutely nothing when they see people violating the animal laws, so we'll see what it takes to get a little enforcement. Should be a fun experience for all, eh?
Quick Quiz Time: How many of you know that Alabama has a STATEWIDE Dog Leash Law? Well, we do. And without dragging out the lawyer soapbox (no, I'm not a lawyer), there are a few exceptions to this law like... "except as provided by local ordinance" (such as at a off leash dog park, and there's ONLY ONE of those in Jefferson County), OTHERWISE, unless your dog is on your own property, AND secured behind a chain link fence, then it HAS TO BE ON LEASH AT ALL TIMES! Period! Plain and simple. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself, Alabama Code of 1975. There are even stupid little cities like Irondale and Homeywood that take the leash law to the extreme and apply their own local municipal code to include all "pets" so that your turtle, unless behind a chain link fence, would also have to be on a leash if outside.
Like I said, never have been a big fan of rules, but I know why they're there. And I usually try my best to obey them, play well with others and not kick sand in anyone's face. It's what we do to live in a society so that others may enjoy their rights too without infringement. Well... most of us. As most of you know, up until last week with the death of my doggy buddy Garcia, I walked two dogs every day around the Highland Ave./Caldwell Park area. Elliot and I are all that's left of Team TurboDog, but we're auditioning for a new team member as I type. Elliot is a Jack Russell Terrier/PitBull mix. To say you have a lot of punch packed into a very small package would be an understatement. Elliot is very aggressive towards any other dog he sees, near or far, as we walk. I usually avoid any potential problems by either stopping and letting the other dog pass afar, or we turn and go another route. And all that works great IF the other dog owner is obeying the law and has their dog on a leash too, but many do not. And that's just where the problem starts!
There are three public parks on Highland Ave. and all three are within easy walking distance for Team TurboDog. I have had two "off leash" attacks occur at Caldwell Park and one at Rhodes Park while legally walking "my" dogs. And I say "my" dogs even though they do not actually belong to me because their owners have entrusted their dogs safety and well being to me. They are always on leash, I always carry "doggy bags" and yes. I pick up and properly dispose of any solid waste. I even check their vaccination tags to make sure they are up to date and LEGAL to be out in public. I consider this to be the MINIMUM any dog owner who takes their dog out in public should do. Not to mention it is also the MINIMUM actions REQUIRED by Law. Yes, BHM has a "Doggy-Doo" pickup law.
A dog off leash is simply an accident waiting to happen. If you think for a minute that you can verbally stop your dog when he gets the urge to chase something down and chew on it, well, you're just plain stupid. It's a dog for Christsake. All it wants to do is eat, sleep and hump something, not necessarily in that order. All three times we have been attacked, it was with the owner running along behind their dog screaming "stop", "heel" and "whoa nelly" all the while. Do you think the dog really gave a shit? Of course not. Something tripped the dog's trigger and it was game on. Luckily there were no injuries all three times, but it was because I had snatched my dog(s) up into my arms before they could fight. And please understand that if you let your cute little Muffy run loose in a public park and he/she charges my dog and Muffy looses an ear, or an eye because you were too stupid to obey the law, don't look towards me for sympathy, or anything else.
And it's not just me and my dogs that are put out and kept from enjoying a public area because people won't obey the law, I can't even take my Grandkids to the parks for the same reason. So... It looks like I am going to have to see just what it takes and whom I'm going to have to force to do their damn job to get the leash laws enforced so I can walk with my dogs and Grandkids in the parks without fear of being attacked. They should already be enforced without someone having to cause a stink and make someone do their job. The cops just ride right by and do absolutely nothing when they see people violating the animal laws, so we'll see what it takes to get a little enforcement. Should be a fun experience for all, eh?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
2am, it's dark, cold and I want to cure stupidity...
And I think I can too! Not all of it mind you, just the dreaded "Social Stupidity". I mean what you do in the privacy of your own home IS your own business, right? After picking Caitlin up after her show Friday night, the traffic was backing up at Highland Ave and 26th Street for some reason. No flashers, no horn honking, just a green light but there we sat. The lead car, a white minivan just sat, and sat, and sat. Finally the #2 car backs up and goes around the still not moving #1 car. As we pull abreast, I look over and see that the driver of the non-moving vehicle is either a: Asleep b: Drunk c: Dead. I got 200 cars backed behind me so I roll on down Highland Ave and dial 911 and get Birmingham Police. I explain the situation to the lady that took the call and she tells me they'll have someone there as soon as possible. Traffic around this sleeping/drunk/dead guy is backing up more and more by the second. We go around the block and are able to park in a parking lot across the road from "sleepy". As I start to get out and walk over to the guy, we hear the wail of sirens. And you'll just have to trust me, but I think the Fire Department IS better suited at handling this than I at the moment.
They pull up, spot the guy and pull along side him with sirens slowly winding down. Someone lights him up with a flashlight, then they get out and approach him. More flashlights. No movement at all. They beat on the windows, no movement. So I'm thinking, this guy couldn't sleep through all this, so he's gotta be "b" or "c" drunk or dead, right? Wrong! He finally wakes up, rolls down his window, engages them for a few minutes in conversation and then... POOF, of light a rabbit he goes. Would have made a great "Red Bull Gives You Wings" commercial.
Stupidity must be cured in our lifetime!
They pull up, spot the guy and pull along side him with sirens slowly winding down. Someone lights him up with a flashlight, then they get out and approach him. More flashlights. No movement at all. They beat on the windows, no movement. So I'm thinking, this guy couldn't sleep through all this, so he's gotta be "b" or "c" drunk or dead, right? Wrong! He finally wakes up, rolls down his window, engages them for a few minutes in conversation and then... POOF, of light a rabbit he goes. Would have made a great "Red Bull Gives You Wings" commercial.
Stupidity must be cured in our lifetime!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Goodbye GarDog...
I don't really know what to say. We knew his road was short and coming to the end, but... it still takes you by surprise, no matter how prepared you are for the last note. And it was played in the wee hours of the dawning morn today. I even tried telling myself this morning "it's just a dog", but I know better, he was a friend. He knew it too.
So without turning this into a tear jerker, let me end it with a prayer.
So without turning this into a tear jerker, let me end it with a prayer.
"Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind, Whose breath gives life to all the world. Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others. Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me. I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy Myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame. |
Monday, January 17, 2011
500 is MAGICAL...
Well, can you believe that people have read the gibberish I have laid down here almost 500 times? Makes me feel downright special. And I really mean that too. I know that on the outside I seem like a big huggable, adorable, stuffed snuggle bunny. But that's not really me, not really. I'm dangerously opinionated, obnoxiously open mouthed, and pretty much call a turd a turd. Now, that's great, unless your a turd, then I'm probably gonna call you out on it. Now don't go misinterpreting that to me I'm a whiner, hate them! And I really don't need anyone to coddle me and tell me how great and wonderful I am, or that I'm the best at this or that. I know what I do well, and I know what I don't. BUT... For some reason people seem to enjoy reading my ramblings about this and that, and that's fine. It even makes me feel good if you want to know the truth. They say writing is therapeutic, and for me it is.
So, since we are rapidly approaching the magical number of 500 times this blog has been read, to reward us both, when we cross the big 5 oh oh, I'll start doing a WEEKLY blogcast on a regular basis. Oh, the other pages like HUA Awards, RIBQUEST 2011 and such will get updated as content makes it's way out of my little head and onto their respective pages. So look forward (I hope) to a little more insight into the inner cranium of T.I.M. weekly. My buddy Jack Spirko who does The Survival Podcast records an hour long podcast show 5 days a week, as he drives to work every morning. Now I ain't gonna take it to that extreme, but I am looking forward to it.
Also, I am trying to get into shooting HD Digital video if anyone wants to partner with me in that endeavor. Just trying to learn the in's and out's right now, but got a few series in mind for the open market. Ideas are WELCOMED!
So, since we are rapidly approaching the magical number of 500 times this blog has been read, to reward us both, when we cross the big 5 oh oh, I'll start doing a WEEKLY blogcast on a regular basis. Oh, the other pages like HUA Awards, RIBQUEST 2011 and such will get updated as content makes it's way out of my little head and onto their respective pages. So look forward (I hope) to a little more insight into the inner cranium of T.I.M. weekly. My buddy Jack Spirko who does The Survival Podcast records an hour long podcast show 5 days a week, as he drives to work every morning. Now I ain't gonna take it to that extreme, but I am looking forward to it.
Also, I am trying to get into shooting HD Digital video if anyone wants to partner with me in that endeavor. Just trying to learn the in's and out's right now, but got a few series in mind for the open market. Ideas are WELCOMED!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Pink Poodles and Grade 8 Bolts...
Man, what an emotionally draining day. Joy's sick, argued with my Mother all day over her nursing home issues, took care of my sick doggy friend Garcia, argued with the nursing home, argued with myself, a lot, took Caitlin to work at the buttcrack of dawn, AND kept up with Elliot who's tail never stops wagging a mile-a-minute and is always looking for something to eat.
No, I'm not complaining, even though it might look that way at first. And yes, I can handle it, and a lot more. It's just draining. And being the middle of Winter in Dixie (15 degrees this morning), there is little recourse for recharging of one's batteries other than sleep. And I don't do that very well any more either. So, what's a guy to do? Drink? Smoke dope? Some do. Not my style though.
They say writing is therapeutic, but when you're a perfectionist, you're never satisfied with what you create. I did just see something that did warmed the cockles of my little heart. I'm always bragging on the guys that work at Tom & Jerry's Chevron across from the old Police Station on Highland, right? Well, I just got back from there and as I walked in the door, there was Ed, standing beside a guy in a power wheelchair helping him put his wallet back in his fanny pack and make sure it was securely zipped up. He then made sure all the things the guy had purchased was securely tied up in the bags and he hung them on the guy's power wheel chair. Even held the door open for him as he left too. And that did my heart good. It's nice to see people who care about their fellow human being. Don't see it a lot either.
My doggy buddy Garcia. He's got cancer. Already spread to his lungs, not much that can be done. Sad. We thought we were going to loose him this morning, but he made it to the Vet, got some shots and made it through another day. We'll pray for another night. Here's GarDog (brown), Elliot (white) and a funny girl named Caitlin (human), that loves them both.
The weekend is here, I gotta call my Dad and get some VA info from him that might help my Mother with some of the nursing home issues. Joy's gotta work tomorrow, Caitlin too. Maybe I'll stay up all night tonight so I can sleep all day tomorrow? Gotta go to the bank Monday and retrieve the last 5 years of my Mother's financial records, then hopefully to the VA office and file some papers there for my Mother. If the weather warms even a little, I'll be out of the house like a fly on a watermelon and be hitting the coffee shops trying to get to know the iPad a little better. Who knows what kind of stuff I may get into this weekend?
Oh... Saturday is my birfday. Yeah me! No, don't need/want anything, thank you very much though. I might get me a nice cupcake at one of the coffee shops???
I got a friend named Reggie that is doing the job search thing. To no avail. He's got a vision problem, can't drive, has to rely on public transportation. Very talented, great personality, not even ugly, just got more issues than most employers want to take on. I keep looking for him.
Kid updates:
Wes... hadn't talked to him in a few days.
Matt... hadn't talked to him either in a few days.
Caitlin... female.
Pet updates:
TiggR... eats french fries now.
Gravy... eats TiggR, anytime he can.
Dixie... still Dixie.
Angus...eats anything that is not bigger than his head.
Vehicle updates:
Libby... running, today.
Cherk... hopefully running today.
Element... probably running today.
CRX... DOA
Stalker Van... still DOA.
Project RoadPig... no road, all pig.
Sportster... too damn cold.
Are you still looking for the Pink Poodles and Grade 8 Bolts tie-in? Well, quit. There isn't one. But I made ya look!
Getting new glasses soon. Gonna go back to the smaller lens. Some kind of Titanium Flex thingy at WallyWorld.
Wandering off now and gonna sit in the corner and watch the spiders eat...
No, I'm not complaining, even though it might look that way at first. And yes, I can handle it, and a lot more. It's just draining. And being the middle of Winter in Dixie (15 degrees this morning), there is little recourse for recharging of one's batteries other than sleep. And I don't do that very well any more either. So, what's a guy to do? Drink? Smoke dope? Some do. Not my style though.
They say writing is therapeutic, but when you're a perfectionist, you're never satisfied with what you create. I did just see something that did warmed the cockles of my little heart. I'm always bragging on the guys that work at Tom & Jerry's Chevron across from the old Police Station on Highland, right? Well, I just got back from there and as I walked in the door, there was Ed, standing beside a guy in a power wheelchair helping him put his wallet back in his fanny pack and make sure it was securely zipped up. He then made sure all the things the guy had purchased was securely tied up in the bags and he hung them on the guy's power wheel chair. Even held the door open for him as he left too. And that did my heart good. It's nice to see people who care about their fellow human being. Don't see it a lot either.
My doggy buddy Garcia. He's got cancer. Already spread to his lungs, not much that can be done. Sad. We thought we were going to loose him this morning, but he made it to the Vet, got some shots and made it through another day. We'll pray for another night. Here's GarDog (brown), Elliot (white) and a funny girl named Caitlin (human), that loves them both.
The weekend is here, I gotta call my Dad and get some VA info from him that might help my Mother with some of the nursing home issues. Joy's gotta work tomorrow, Caitlin too. Maybe I'll stay up all night tonight so I can sleep all day tomorrow? Gotta go to the bank Monday and retrieve the last 5 years of my Mother's financial records, then hopefully to the VA office and file some papers there for my Mother. If the weather warms even a little, I'll be out of the house like a fly on a watermelon and be hitting the coffee shops trying to get to know the iPad a little better. Who knows what kind of stuff I may get into this weekend?
Oh... Saturday is my birfday. Yeah me! No, don't need/want anything, thank you very much though. I might get me a nice cupcake at one of the coffee shops???
I got a friend named Reggie that is doing the job search thing. To no avail. He's got a vision problem, can't drive, has to rely on public transportation. Very talented, great personality, not even ugly, just got more issues than most employers want to take on. I keep looking for him.
Kid updates:
Wes... hadn't talked to him in a few days.
Matt... hadn't talked to him either in a few days.
Caitlin... female.
Pet updates:
TiggR... eats french fries now.
Gravy... eats TiggR, anytime he can.
Dixie... still Dixie.
Angus...eats anything that is not bigger than his head.
Vehicle updates:
Libby... running, today.
Cherk... hopefully running today.
Element... probably running today.
CRX... DOA
Stalker Van... still DOA.
Project RoadPig... no road, all pig.
Sportster... too damn cold.
Are you still looking for the Pink Poodles and Grade 8 Bolts tie-in? Well, quit. There isn't one. But I made ya look!
Getting new glasses soon. Gonna go back to the smaller lens. Some kind of Titanium Flex thingy at WallyWorld.
Wandering off now and gonna sit in the corner and watch the spiders eat...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
SNOWDOOM 2011 COMETH...
The much anticipated (dare I say dreaded...) SNOWDOOM 2011 has finally arrived. The Dixie Deepfreeze, Birmingham Bling Blizz, Magic City Meat Locker, and a few more, are all names I've heard over the past few days here and there. Now spending way too many years in OKC, you got used to the snow, and the tornado's, and the heat strokes, but OKC is flat as a 10 year old's chest. And therein lies the difference. Birmingham, while not "mountainous", is, indeed hilly, curvy and generally not a place you want to try skating your car around on a sheet of ice. Add to that most of the drivers here are the ones that fell out of the trees and didn't have enough brain to figure out how to get back up in the tree anyway, and you get to see all kinds of weird shit the morning after a snowing here. Cars on top of cars, cars on top of dumpsters, buildings, in trees (and I mean "UP", in the trees), cars hanging off the freeway bridges, parking decks, etc. Then you have the "upside down" cars, in the ditches, in the neighbor's front yard, middle of the intersection, bottom of the hill, just about any place you can imagine, you'll find at least one that has gone "dirty side up" after we get snow or ice. And I doubt if in the morning will be much different either. But it will be funny to see.
So, we are prepared for the SNOWDOOM 2011 monster, as best as one can prepare for this sort of thing, got the canned foods, extra smokiesmokie's, Milo's Sweet Tea, cases of firelogs, stacks and stacks of firewood, and so on. As they say "Fate favors the prepared", maybe it will smile upon us and we won't loose power (worst case scenario) and we simply get to hole up in the house and look at the pretty sights, and sliding/skidding idiots tomorrow as we look out the windows. Point in case... We just stepped out on the front sun porch to look at the snow and what comes sliding down the hill past our eyes? 4 guys on an inflatable Queen sized air mattress. Let's see, take one hill, add air mattress, beer and the ageless Southern Motto of "Hold ma beer and watch this shit", and you got 3 drunk guys sledding down the middle of the street. Only in Dixie!
We extended our invite to our neighbor David, his dog Elliot and cat Boetie (pronounced Buoy-T) for a spot in front of our fireplace should we loose power, at least we won't freeze to death. We can cook over the fire if need be, I've got that covered with a folding camp grill, outside will be the food cooler, and in these parts we'll still have water till the pipes freeze even without power. So, we got all the essential bases covered. And here's a quick SNOWDOOM 2011 update, not only do we have snow, we have THUNDERSNOW!!! Yep, lightning and thunder during the snowstorm. Only in Dixie!
Enough about the snow... Next week is my birfday! The 15th to be exact. I'll be 54, unless I choose to use the rule that once you hit 50, you can start counting backwards. In that case, I'll be 46, again. Either way, I'm looking forward to it. Healthy, as best as I can figure, still ugly, but they say there's no cure yet. If you consider the mileage I got, the bullet holes, the "replacement" parts from various motorcycle accidents/military experiences, and years of smoking my ass off, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape and expect to go a few more miles. And more importantly, I still WANT to! My ailments are a combination of a whole lot of little things that just keep me right on the ragged edge of insanity. If I get my gut to stop hurting, then my back starts coming apart, and then my hearing (or lack thereof) goes on the blink, and then the tinnitus cranks up and it sounds like a Cicada concert, then my leg swells, then my kidneys quit, then... well, shit, see what I mean? If it's not one thing, it's another. And most have cures, but I am really trying to avoid surgery (back, neck, ears) at all costs. No, I've had surgeries before, and that's why I'm trying my best to dodge that bullet. I don't do well on anesthesia. It take s a lot to put me down. Enough in fact most of my organs go into shutdown and it takes several days to flush them and get everything cranked and firing on all cylinders again. Waking up on a ventilator is not a fun thing. Been there, got the T-shirt. So, I may have no choice but to take things one little surgery at time and see how it goes.
Speaking of birfdays, today is Anna Grace Suggs birfday. She's 6. We had everybody over yesterday for her Birfday Party since the snow was coming today. Had a great time and met a child who made me rethink my opinion on forced birth control. Well, I'm sure you think your Grandkids are perfect too, I do. Next month is Logan's Birfday, he'll be 7. Man, that roaring fire in the fireplace behind me feels damn good as I look out the window and see the snow still falling. Makes me want coffee. BRB...
Sip... ahhhh! Might as well bitch and moan about Project ROADPIG while I'm typing. I wanted to have her on the road by this Winter so I would know what I needed to do over the winter so she was ready for some nice roadtrips come fall. Headed to Augusta GA, Aiken SC, Houston TX, Gonad AR, TN, FL, OK, NC and a few more. A lot of miles, and I don't want to be stranded on the side of the road so I want to build her right. And that's where my problem be laying. I get all fired up, smoking from both ends, chomping at the bit and foaming at the mouth, and I know what I want to do, I just don't have the tools at the moment to do the metal work I want to do. So, I pump myself up, measure, sketch, draw and then... nothing. The thing about tools is real simple, they are addicting, and you can never eat just one. So, I need a bandsaw, I need a tubing saw, a tubing bender, a MIG welder, a plasma torch, a belt sander, grinder, on and on... See what I mean. I'll have more invested in tools than I will in the bike as a whole and would be fully equipped to build frames professionally. So, looks like I'm gonna just have to take her to a custom shop and say, "Hey, I need a hardtail, how much?". Let `em do it, and be done with it. Matt got some new ink on his right arm and told me our favorite Tattooist, Shane at Non Stop Art is ridding a old 550 he's done some custom paint work on so I need to stop by and lay eyeballs on it for possible new ideas. Either way, I need to get off my ass and just get it done.
Speaking of Matt's new ink, it's beautiful! A pirate ship with a Craken attacking it. The shading Shane just did really brings out the depth and detail like you wouldn't believe. Once the color is added, it's gonna be wicked. I'm still looking for budding artists to come up with my tat design if anyone is interested. I want a medieval sword on my left arm and a shield on my right should someone out there have the desire to see their art creation be displayed on my skin forever, draw away!
I have a friend who will be looking for a new puppy in the near future. Her current doggy buddy is sick and won't be around much longer. Breaks my heart. I'll be loosing 1/2 of Team TurboDog that I walk everyday. So, a real bummer for all of us, but I think he might like to meet "the new kid" before he goes. Might want to pass along some tips and hints. So if anyone has any leads on a replacement puppy, keep me in mind. I think Garcia is an Akita, so think German Shepard sized puppy. All leads welcomed.
Ok, I've bored all of you enough for one night. I'm going to sip my coffee on the porch and see what strange things come sliding down the hill in the dark. The parks ought to be covered up with sledders in the morning. So should the ER's soon thereafter.
So, we are prepared for the SNOWDOOM 2011 monster, as best as one can prepare for this sort of thing, got the canned foods, extra smokiesmokie's, Milo's Sweet Tea, cases of firelogs, stacks and stacks of firewood, and so on. As they say "Fate favors the prepared", maybe it will smile upon us and we won't loose power (worst case scenario) and we simply get to hole up in the house and look at the pretty sights, and sliding/skidding idiots tomorrow as we look out the windows. Point in case... We just stepped out on the front sun porch to look at the snow and what comes sliding down the hill past our eyes? 4 guys on an inflatable Queen sized air mattress. Let's see, take one hill, add air mattress, beer and the ageless Southern Motto of "Hold ma beer and watch this shit", and you got 3 drunk guys sledding down the middle of the street. Only in Dixie!
We extended our invite to our neighbor David, his dog Elliot and cat Boetie (pronounced Buoy-T) for a spot in front of our fireplace should we loose power, at least we won't freeze to death. We can cook over the fire if need be, I've got that covered with a folding camp grill, outside will be the food cooler, and in these parts we'll still have water till the pipes freeze even without power. So, we got all the essential bases covered. And here's a quick SNOWDOOM 2011 update, not only do we have snow, we have THUNDERSNOW!!! Yep, lightning and thunder during the snowstorm. Only in Dixie!
Enough about the snow... Next week is my birfday! The 15th to be exact. I'll be 54, unless I choose to use the rule that once you hit 50, you can start counting backwards. In that case, I'll be 46, again. Either way, I'm looking forward to it. Healthy, as best as I can figure, still ugly, but they say there's no cure yet. If you consider the mileage I got, the bullet holes, the "replacement" parts from various motorcycle accidents/military experiences, and years of smoking my ass off, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape and expect to go a few more miles. And more importantly, I still WANT to! My ailments are a combination of a whole lot of little things that just keep me right on the ragged edge of insanity. If I get my gut to stop hurting, then my back starts coming apart, and then my hearing (or lack thereof) goes on the blink, and then the tinnitus cranks up and it sounds like a Cicada concert, then my leg swells, then my kidneys quit, then... well, shit, see what I mean? If it's not one thing, it's another. And most have cures, but I am really trying to avoid surgery (back, neck, ears) at all costs. No, I've had surgeries before, and that's why I'm trying my best to dodge that bullet. I don't do well on anesthesia. It take s a lot to put me down. Enough in fact most of my organs go into shutdown and it takes several days to flush them and get everything cranked and firing on all cylinders again. Waking up on a ventilator is not a fun thing. Been there, got the T-shirt. So, I may have no choice but to take things one little surgery at time and see how it goes.
Speaking of birfdays, today is Anna Grace Suggs birfday. She's 6. We had everybody over yesterday for her Birfday Party since the snow was coming today. Had a great time and met a child who made me rethink my opinion on forced birth control. Well, I'm sure you think your Grandkids are perfect too, I do. Next month is Logan's Birfday, he'll be 7. Man, that roaring fire in the fireplace behind me feels damn good as I look out the window and see the snow still falling. Makes me want coffee. BRB...
Sip... ahhhh! Might as well bitch and moan about Project ROADPIG while I'm typing. I wanted to have her on the road by this Winter so I would know what I needed to do over the winter so she was ready for some nice roadtrips come fall. Headed to Augusta GA, Aiken SC, Houston TX, Gonad AR, TN, FL, OK, NC and a few more. A lot of miles, and I don't want to be stranded on the side of the road so I want to build her right. And that's where my problem be laying. I get all fired up, smoking from both ends, chomping at the bit and foaming at the mouth, and I know what I want to do, I just don't have the tools at the moment to do the metal work I want to do. So, I pump myself up, measure, sketch, draw and then... nothing. The thing about tools is real simple, they are addicting, and you can never eat just one. So, I need a bandsaw, I need a tubing saw, a tubing bender, a MIG welder, a plasma torch, a belt sander, grinder, on and on... See what I mean. I'll have more invested in tools than I will in the bike as a whole and would be fully equipped to build frames professionally. So, looks like I'm gonna just have to take her to a custom shop and say, "Hey, I need a hardtail, how much?". Let `em do it, and be done with it. Matt got some new ink on his right arm and told me our favorite Tattooist, Shane at Non Stop Art is ridding a old 550 he's done some custom paint work on so I need to stop by and lay eyeballs on it for possible new ideas. Either way, I need to get off my ass and just get it done.
Speaking of Matt's new ink, it's beautiful! A pirate ship with a Craken attacking it. The shading Shane just did really brings out the depth and detail like you wouldn't believe. Once the color is added, it's gonna be wicked. I'm still looking for budding artists to come up with my tat design if anyone is interested. I want a medieval sword on my left arm and a shield on my right should someone out there have the desire to see their art creation be displayed on my skin forever, draw away!
I have a friend who will be looking for a new puppy in the near future. Her current doggy buddy is sick and won't be around much longer. Breaks my heart. I'll be loosing 1/2 of Team TurboDog that I walk everyday. So, a real bummer for all of us, but I think he might like to meet "the new kid" before he goes. Might want to pass along some tips and hints. So if anyone has any leads on a replacement puppy, keep me in mind. I think Garcia is an Akita, so think German Shepard sized puppy. All leads welcomed.
Ok, I've bored all of you enough for one night. I'm going to sip my coffee on the porch and see what strange things come sliding down the hill in the dark. The parks ought to be covered up with sledders in the morning. So should the ER's soon thereafter.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
IPad to the rescue...
This will be my first blog post completely done on the iPad. For what Joy and I wanted one for, this thing is fantastic. Virtual keyboard (I'm actually typing on the touchscreen now) is so nice. Touchscreen, no mouse, just touch it and it's yours. Auto screen orientation, portrate/landscape with the flick of your wrist. And this thing sucks WiFi out of the thin air like you wouldn't believe. All in all I'm tickled to death about this thing. But there are some limitations I am slowly discovering. Whether I can overcome the pesty little obstacles is the real challenge. Some of which I have no control over.
I took it GeoCaching with me on the last day os 2010 and was amazed I was able to type my "find" reports while standing in the middle of all three parks on Highland Ave within feet of the actual GeoCache. I hope to be able to do the same when I take the iPad with me when I hunt for Civil War Relics across the South. Battery life on the iPad is also phenomenal usually lasting me all day. Small enough to always have the little sucker with you, I just don't see that many laptops or notebook computers out there that fit that bill as nice as the iPad does.
Some of the drawbacks I have discovered are:
Slippery as a Redhead coated with bacon grease! With very. Little around the edge of the screen for you to grab onto, you pretty much have to rely on your grip of the smooth chrome plated back panel. The solution is simple, buy a case dummy. You need one to protect it anyway. We got a nice leather case from Office Depot for a little over $50.00 that also has a super usable hand strap so you can even use it while walking.
Adobe Flash Content. Forget it, apparently Apple and Adobe are in the middle of some type of pissing war and I am the looser. So, it'll do a .PDF document, but anything that requires Adobe's Flash Player is just a dream.
Where's my picture? One of the draws to the iPad is it's amazing HD graphics capability. Well they dropped the ball with a little connectivity issue. No USB port! Can't plug your digital camera/video camera into the iPad unless you give them more money ($30.00) and buy their combo USB/memory card reader. And that leaves me feeling somewhat duped! The other graphic related issue is that no web based image storage site "see's" the iPad as a viable device from which you can upload your images from.
So, a lot of good, a few bad, but in the end I'm very pleased with it so far. It's almost 2am now and I gotta be up at 4am so I'll cut it off here for now and post updates as I get the urge.
I took it GeoCaching with me on the last day os 2010 and was amazed I was able to type my "find" reports while standing in the middle of all three parks on Highland Ave within feet of the actual GeoCache. I hope to be able to do the same when I take the iPad with me when I hunt for Civil War Relics across the South. Battery life on the iPad is also phenomenal usually lasting me all day. Small enough to always have the little sucker with you, I just don't see that many laptops or notebook computers out there that fit that bill as nice as the iPad does.
Some of the drawbacks I have discovered are:
Slippery as a Redhead coated with bacon grease! With very. Little around the edge of the screen for you to grab onto, you pretty much have to rely on your grip of the smooth chrome plated back panel. The solution is simple, buy a case dummy. You need one to protect it anyway. We got a nice leather case from Office Depot for a little over $50.00 that also has a super usable hand strap so you can even use it while walking.
Adobe Flash Content. Forget it, apparently Apple and Adobe are in the middle of some type of pissing war and I am the looser. So, it'll do a .PDF document, but anything that requires Adobe's Flash Player is just a dream.
Where's my picture? One of the draws to the iPad is it's amazing HD graphics capability. Well they dropped the ball with a little connectivity issue. No USB port! Can't plug your digital camera/video camera into the iPad unless you give them more money ($30.00) and buy their combo USB/memory card reader. And that leaves me feeling somewhat duped! The other graphic related issue is that no web based image storage site "see's" the iPad as a viable device from which you can upload your images from.
So, a lot of good, a few bad, but in the end I'm very pleased with it so far. It's almost 2am now and I gotta be up at 4am so I'll cut it off here for now and post updates as I get the urge.
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