I did good with taxes this year. Managed to skate away with a nice newer vehicle (downpayment, anyway) AND a top notch washer. About a month ago, our washer took a dump. Because it was close to tax time, and because it made no sense to purchase another $75 POS, I told my wife that we would get a brand new washer...and a GOOD one, at that, with our tax check. We alread knew exactly what we wanted...a front end loader, with a large capacity. My choice of vehicles notwithstanding (a choice, I...
(Disclaimer for the humour impaired: While the following may be sharp, it is nonetheless a satire, not intended to be taken seriously by anyone.) A splinter Baptist Group has now decided that Compassion is not a Godly trait, and are at work retranslating the Bible to prove their case. The Baptist United Ministries voted 453-2 in their annual convention to combat the teaching that compassion, love, and kindness are Godly traits, and instead emphasize more heavily on the carnal sins, which, ...
(Disclaimer for the humour impaired: While the following may be sharp, it is nonetheless a satire, not intended to be taken seriously by anyone.) A splinter Baptist Group has now decided that Compassion is not a Godly trait, and are at work retranslating the Bible to prove their case. The Baptist United Ministries voted 453-2 in their annual convention to combat the teaching that compassion, love, and kindness are Godly traits, and instead emphasize more heavily on the carnal sins, which, ...
Well, taxes came in Monday and we had long ago planned for the proceeds to buy us a newer vehicle. Our faithful Buick needed to be decommissioned, and with the new addition, we needed a bigger vehicle anyway. Basically, there are three types of vehicles that meet our transportation needs: vans, busses, or Suburbans. A few models of minivan do as well, but most opt for the captain's chairs in the center, and thus, do not. And minivans are, frankly, not vehicles noted for their fual economy. Th...
Ok, This was so outrageous, I had to blog on it immediately. Oscar night comment (on Hurricane Katrina): "An event that brought home both the threat AND the impact of global warming" WHAT? global warming caused Hurricane Katrina? So, let me get this straight: there were no Hurricanes (or at least no Cat5's) prior to global warming? It's bad enough that Hollywood has spent the last 7 years gnawing on Al Gore's rectum. I mean, the Oscar win for "An Inconvenient Truth" was the biggest NONs...
I have to admit, I'm not much up on American Idol. I enjoy watching the YouTube replays of the "flops" even more than I like watching the real thing. And I rarely watch the Oscars (until Robert Loggia wins, I'm BOYCOTTING! LOL). But I have to admit the story of Jennifer Hudson is beyond compelling. Had she won American Idol, would she have gotten this chance? Not likely. Studios pretty jealously guard their contracts, and if she were the "American Idol", odds are pretty good she'd have been s...
As we waver between what to do and what to do in my battle with the city that's leading to my unconditional surrender, one option we considered has made itself painfully obvious: Moving, at this juncture, is not a viable option. If we moved to town, there are just not enough houses at the right price at this time. There are more jobs than there are people, and this has led to housing being filled. Unless we move FARTHER out, we're not going to find a good place to rent. And as I've said earli...
The question was asked on another blog about why anyone would insist on 64 bit computing at this time when the technology is so new and computers are problematic. The same question, honestly, could be asked about Windows Vista, as a replacement for XP, which is a capable operating system, despite what I may usually think about it. Now the question may be valid for the average end user, but for IT pros, it's a no brainer. The simple truth is, while you may make purchasing suggestions, usually ...
The last time I saw this view, it was framed in the dying flames and smouldering embers of the worst widlfires ever to cross the Texas Panhandle. It was in the cusp season in the waning days of winter that we like to call spring until a cold front blows through to remind us that it's not. It was, in fact, just about a year ago. Well, to be fair, I've been across this view many times since, but never really SAW it as I did that night almost a year ago and last night. It's the view of a city...
With Spring Training underway, I thought I would start a little "Fan Spring Training" of my own, by resurrecting ghosts of baseball seasons past. A past that steroids, strikes, and surly sluggers cannot take from us. And so it is without further adieu that I will relate to you the tale of my first major league ball game: I grew up in a house that hated baseball. Outside of a few games watching the old Salt Lake Gulls with friends and scout troops, we didn't watch the game. To mention ...
Sometimes being right isn't enough. My trial before the municipal judge is scheduled for Wednesday morning. But there's not going to be a trial. There's not going to be one because I give up. I have an offer sitting on my desk that's disgusting. It's insulting. But it's better than the worst case scenario, and I'm not willing to gamble a fair sum of my family's money on the off chance we might actually have a chance to present our case. I'm not a lawyer. My opponent is. I've probably al...
I've already established a distrust of our federal government. Now I can add the American Medican Association to the list of organizations that I take issue with, because of their position on vaccination. See, the AMA's not too hot on religious freedom. Witness the resolution posted on their website ( Link ): Since religious/philosophic exemptions from immunizations endanger not only the health of the unvaccinated individual, but also the health of those in his or her group and the comm...
I hate getting into endless arguments about abortion. For one, it's not likely to change any minds, but mostly because my views on abortion cannot be summed up in a simple yes or no answer. Abortion disgusts me. Period. So does war, so does the death penalty, so does poverty. But I also realize we live in an imperfect world, and sometimes we must accept the consequences of that. If there were no murder, no hate, there would be no need for the death penalty. If there were no human conflict, n...
As I've mentioned before, I have my day in court February 28. This will likely be the first of many, because my defense is that indiviaudls in the city are abusing their power and singling out individuals for prosecution. I've got a lot of evidence to support this, actually, but today I got a GEM, one that will work nicely on appeal. We were "in town" for our baby's two week checkup. As we were leaving town, i happened to look at my clock and notice that if I went home at 70 mph (the speed li...
I'm a pretty big fan of Weird Al Yankovic. Always have been, and over the years I've become more so. Not because of his music (which I love) but because of who he is as a person. See, I grew up listening to Weird Al. In fact, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say I might owe my very existence to Weird Al. The guy kept me laughing through a lot of times when laughing was, well, hard. He always came up with creative, innovative tunes, and he always managed to keep current with his parodi...