Jeez, guess I just don't have a good sense of time. I see my last post was last Sunday - a mere four hours away from a week ago! Sorry about that.
Not a lot happening around here. Went to Vegas last Wednesday to order a cover for the back of the truck. You have to be careful because there are lots of options but I think we got it ordered correctly. I'll probably post a photo once we get the thing (in a couple of weeks). We also wandered around looking at the Strip. Our twenty-fifth anniversary is coming up and we hope to celebrate with the kids in Las Vegas. We've got reservations for dinner & a hotel but have never seen either so thought it might be worth checking out. It should be ok; one of our daughter's friends recommended the restaurant so we have some hope. Finally we went and spent money on various "necessities" at Sams Club.
One of the things we brought home from Sams was some shelving for the garage. We've had all the garage "stuff" lying around on the floor so now we have a place for it. Earlier in the week I bought some lumber from our local supplier to make into a workbench. Looked at a bunch of plans online and kind of sorted out what I want and have started building it. Nothing fancy just big with lots of storage.
We did meet the folks who live just down the street. Nice couple a few years older than we but not ancient. Turns out they have another home in Ocala, Florida - maybe a hundred and fifty miles from our old home. I've NO IDEA why they have two homes 2,300 miles (3,700km) apart - it's not like the climates are so different; not like Maine and Florida. Maybe I need to learn about these strange choices; just a matter of interest - I'd never tell anyone they were acting stupidly. (Think it, yeah, right!)
Next week should be equally uninteresting. More work on the workbench; reading my library book, etc. Have a great week but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Quiet morning
Here in the desert it's a quiet morning; well, except for the cat who decided he needed some human company at 05:00! Bastard! Anyway, after I threw something at him (missed by a mile of course), I was awake so got up. I was rewarded with a lovely pre-sunrise morning. Colors in the sky were wonderful; wonder why my camera doesn't capture that aqua color. It was very quiet with only the sounds of the doves cooing and an occasional rooster crowing. Yes, people have chickens out here!
Met one of the neighbors the other day. That is unusual, mostly they are pretty much loners. Anyway, I only got a glimpse of their backyard but they have: three horses; four or five miniature goats; a few chickens and a dachshund. I imagine there are more of everything but the horses. He seemed a nice enough guy but I've gotta say, you've never seen a finer mullet!
Anyway, to get back to the weather report... sorry to keep on about the weather but it is really fascinating for us to see how things change. We have another three weeks until summer solstice so the sun keeps heating things up earlier and earlier; we were having to close the house up at 10:00 and now it is more like 08:00. The windows on the North side of the house have started getting a little sun in the morning. Most days it is only in the 90's (maybe 33C) but it still gets cool at night and when we wake, having left the windows open, the house is about 72F (22C). Not bad at all!
Had a thunderstorm yesterday! It is the first time we've heard thunder out here. Then we got a rain shower that probably put down a quarter of an inch (half a cm) of rain. Our daughter was driving over at the time and she said the road was completely dry but she could see the cloud over our house. It did cool things down (to the low 70's) for an hour or so. Because of the rock we put in the yard, we could still go outside. If we hadn't, the mud would have made things a total mess.
Have a good day but, remember, be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
WTF!!
Well, excuse my language but I came across this little gem in my travels: in some Texas counties there are outstanding arrest warrants for more than 10% of the population! Here's a link to a state senator's comments.
What is the deal? I just DO NOT understand. Of course the fact that governments are expecting the police department to be a revenue source is the root of the problem. The cops have a really tough job in the first place but to make them "earn their keep" this way has to be counterproductive. Imagine what would happen if they actually executed the warrants on say, another 5% of the population. Dallas County has something like 2.5 million people. So you arrest 125,000 people? How? You'd need to call out the Army. There is something really wrong with this picture.
The same thing is happening even here in Pahrump if we can believe this guy complaining to the newspaper. He claims 50 tickets were written in the same general area over several days. Well, this is the same guy who claims to have driven 170,000 miles(275000 km) a year as a delivery driver. Hmmm, there are about 2000 working hours in a year so he was doing 85mph (135km) every hour he worked? I doubt it, even in California! LOL I suspect inflation in his story; verbal inflation that is.
So what's my advice? Well, I don't have any but the obvious: don't get ticketed. Duh. But if you do, you've gotta work with the system to pay your tickets. Because otherwise, you are on a downhill slide that won't be pleasant. Meanwhile, we need to change the system. Having $300 tickets for going a few miles over the limit is over the limit itself. Having 10% of the population with outstanding warrants is some kind of awful indictment of our society. Don'tcha think?
Have a good one, it's dangerous out there!
What is the deal? I just DO NOT understand. Of course the fact that governments are expecting the police department to be a revenue source is the root of the problem. The cops have a really tough job in the first place but to make them "earn their keep" this way has to be counterproductive. Imagine what would happen if they actually executed the warrants on say, another 5% of the population. Dallas County has something like 2.5 million people. So you arrest 125,000 people? How? You'd need to call out the Army. There is something really wrong with this picture.
The same thing is happening even here in Pahrump if we can believe this guy complaining to the newspaper. He claims 50 tickets were written in the same general area over several days. Well, this is the same guy who claims to have driven 170,000 miles(275000 km) a year as a delivery driver. Hmmm, there are about 2000 working hours in a year so he was doing 85mph (135km) every hour he worked? I doubt it, even in California! LOL I suspect inflation in his story; verbal inflation that is.
So what's my advice? Well, I don't have any but the obvious: don't get ticketed. Duh. But if you do, you've gotta work with the system to pay your tickets. Because otherwise, you are on a downhill slide that won't be pleasant. Meanwhile, we need to change the system. Having $300 tickets for going a few miles over the limit is over the limit itself. Having 10% of the population with outstanding warrants is some kind of awful indictment of our society. Don'tcha think?
Have a good one, it's dangerous out there!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Went to the big city!
Went to Las Vegas today. My wife got the gift of a massage for Mother's Day from our daughter and today was the big day. They both went off to be pampered and left me free to wander around. Had a great time!
Stopped at one of the casinos that isn't on the strip for lunch. I think I've said I'm not much of a gambler so haven't been in the casinos in a very long time. It was quite impressive. The casino's here in Pahrump are quite small; human sized. This place was huge with tons of mirrors and, of course, scads of gaming machines. We hear a lot locally about how lousy business is for the casinos but this place seemed to be doing pretty well. There were lines everywhere - a line for the buffet; a line to join the player's club; a line to get into the poker room. Now granted, they only had four of the six poker tables occupied but still, it wasn't bad for a Wednesday lunch crowd!
I drove down The Strip which was probably a silly thing to do. Traffic was awful and made only worse with some construction. Again though, there were a lot of people walking around. Maybe they weren't spending money but there were a lot of people out there. I know this isn't news but the strip IS amazing. These companies have spent tons of money creating these places to try and draw your interest. For me it was just too much but that's why I'm not "The Donald" (as in Trump).
I'd forgotten that one of the early draws for Nevada was the easy marriage - easy divorce laws. There were several little marriage chapels near downtown. Kind of funny actually, would you believe "Wee Kirk O' the Heather Wedding Chapel"? Whatever floats your boat I guess.
Have a good one but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Stopped at one of the casinos that isn't on the strip for lunch. I think I've said I'm not much of a gambler so haven't been in the casinos in a very long time. It was quite impressive. The casino's here in Pahrump are quite small; human sized. This place was huge with tons of mirrors and, of course, scads of gaming machines. We hear a lot locally about how lousy business is for the casinos but this place seemed to be doing pretty well. There were lines everywhere - a line for the buffet; a line to join the player's club; a line to get into the poker room. Now granted, they only had four of the six poker tables occupied but still, it wasn't bad for a Wednesday lunch crowd!
I drove down The Strip which was probably a silly thing to do. Traffic was awful and made only worse with some construction. Again though, there were a lot of people walking around. Maybe they weren't spending money but there were a lot of people out there. I know this isn't news but the strip IS amazing. These companies have spent tons of money creating these places to try and draw your interest. For me it was just too much but that's why I'm not "The Donald" (as in Trump).
I'd forgotten that one of the early draws for Nevada was the easy marriage - easy divorce laws. There were several little marriage chapels near downtown. Kind of funny actually, would you believe "Wee Kirk O' the Heather Wedding Chapel"? Whatever floats your boat I guess.
Have a good one but be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Nothing Doing or is that Doing Nothing
Spent the morning and a good part of the afternoon surfing blogs. Came across a couple who built their own truck camper. Holly and Ryan built their own truck camper. (Building your own rv is something that fascinates me though I can't see me ever actually doing anything like that!) Anyway, after reading a bunch of that I figured out that they/she have more blogs and I spent a LOT more time reading about their real estate adventures in Nicaragua. They sound like an amazing young couple. They make living in Nicaragua with bats in the roof, guano here and there, bugs and all the rest sound fun. Hmmm, as if I needed more evidence of aging!
She has something kind of cool for comments. It's called Blipback. You click on the buttons a few times and it captures your camera & mic so you can leave a video comment. Amazing technology! NOW if it has taken over my computer I'm going to have to go down to Nicaragua and kill somebody! Hopefully, it doesn't spawn too many bugs. If I disappear for a while, you'll know it did! I must say that it was kind of fun leaving a video comment but to myself I sure sounded lame. Well, lame and stupid since it took about four tries to get the thing to record. In one of the photos she was using an Apple so maybe it is easier to use for those folks.
Smooth segueway goes here - new topic below!
Went to the store today and bought some ground pork. It says it is 4% fat - a leaner alternative to ground beef! Would you ever have thought you'd see the day? Speaking of amazing things, I have trouble imagining that people are actually eating ground turkey. I've prepared too many turkeys to consider eating it until there are a few standards in place. When they start putting the exact contents on the label (including fat content, what parts of the bird were used, etc.) I might consider it but until then - NFW.
Like I always say, be careful, it's dangerous out there (someone might offer you a turkey burger!).
She has something kind of cool for comments. It's called Blipback. You click on the buttons a few times and it captures your camera & mic so you can leave a video comment. Amazing technology! NOW if it has taken over my computer I'm going to have to go down to Nicaragua and kill somebody! Hopefully, it doesn't spawn too many bugs. If I disappear for a while, you'll know it did! I must say that it was kind of fun leaving a video comment but to myself I sure sounded lame. Well, lame and stupid since it took about four tries to get the thing to record. In one of the photos she was using an Apple so maybe it is easier to use for those folks.
Smooth segueway goes here - new topic below!
Went to the store today and bought some ground pork. It says it is 4% fat - a leaner alternative to ground beef! Would you ever have thought you'd see the day? Speaking of amazing things, I have trouble imagining that people are actually eating ground turkey. I've prepared too many turkeys to consider eating it until there are a few standards in place. When they start putting the exact contents on the label (including fat content, what parts of the bird were used, etc.) I might consider it but until then - NFW.
Like I always say, be careful, it's dangerous out there (someone might offer you a turkey burger!).
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More about Death Valley
I wrote the other day about our trip that included the China Date Ranch. I hadn't unloaded the photos I took (both of them!) but here's one of their trucks.
LawyerMom queried my comment about the fleshpots of Shoshone. Of course, that was totally tongue in cheek. Shoshone is a very quiet crossroads. But it got me thinking that many people aren't going to know much about this area so I took a little trip today out towards Death Valley, California.
Didn't go far, maybe 10 miles. Pahrump is actually the closest good sized town to the Valley; something the city is too stupid to point out. Yahoo maps say it is sixty miles (almost 100 km) from Pahrump to the Furnace Creek Ranger Station in Death Valley. I took this photo to illustrate the road.
This was taken at an altitude of about 2800 ft (850m). I THINK this is the highest altitude you reach on the trip to the Valley; which, of course, is something like 237 feet (72m) below sea level. But it's pretty quiet country. There is basically nothing out there until you get into the park: no farms; no ranches; no gas; no food; no water; no bathrooms. Maybe there are a couple of side roads that lead off who knows where. It's not a forgiving drive.
I am always translating our English distances & temperatures to metric because I do understand that we are backwards about this. It also helps me to get a better grasp of the whole metric thing. I must tell a story though. I read a blog by a Canadian named Croft. He lives part of the year up north then goes down to Mexico for the other part - not a bad life! Anyway, he was writing about the weather and said something like "it was 20 degrees, very comfortable" and I started thinking this guy's a hell of a lot tougher than me because 20 Fahrenheit is pretty darn cold! Well, gee! I guess 20C isn't that bad. Had to laugh though at my own thickheadedness.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there.
LawyerMom queried my comment about the fleshpots of Shoshone. Of course, that was totally tongue in cheek. Shoshone is a very quiet crossroads. But it got me thinking that many people aren't going to know much about this area so I took a little trip today out towards Death Valley, California.
Didn't go far, maybe 10 miles. Pahrump is actually the closest good sized town to the Valley; something the city is too stupid to point out. Yahoo maps say it is sixty miles (almost 100 km) from Pahrump to the Furnace Creek Ranger Station in Death Valley. I took this photo to illustrate the road.
This was taken at an altitude of about 2800 ft (850m). I THINK this is the highest altitude you reach on the trip to the Valley; which, of course, is something like 237 feet (72m) below sea level. But it's pretty quiet country. There is basically nothing out there until you get into the park: no farms; no ranches; no gas; no food; no water; no bathrooms. Maybe there are a couple of side roads that lead off who knows where. It's not a forgiving drive.
I am always translating our English distances & temperatures to metric because I do understand that we are backwards about this. It also helps me to get a better grasp of the whole metric thing. I must tell a story though. I read a blog by a Canadian named Croft. He lives part of the year up north then goes down to Mexico for the other part - not a bad life! Anyway, he was writing about the weather and said something like "it was 20 degrees, very comfortable" and I started thinking this guy's a hell of a lot tougher than me because 20 Fahrenheit is pretty darn cold! Well, gee! I guess 20C isn't that bad. Had to laugh though at my own thickheadedness.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Something Completely Different
Had a good day today and got to drive on a bit of "new road". A little way from our town is a signpost pointing to Tacopa, CA. We've never been there so we put the dog in the backseat of the truck and hit the road. Am I glad we did! I'm also EXTREMELY glad we didn't take the trailer! The road from Nevada Route 160 to Tacopa was narrow and gently going up and down for about 95% of the time but that 5% was extremely twisty. I'm talking hairpin turns here and maybe a 10% grade.
At any rate, we made it over and found a area that gives you a new definition of desolate. The is a hot springs in Tacopa and a little resort built around them . There isn't a lot more. Maybe there are a bunch of snowbirds (rv'ers escaping the snow up north) who keep the place alive but in the heat of May, there ain't much there! The town even has a web site but it's a quiet place for sure.
We also visited the China Date Ranch. That's another amazing road! Single lane gravel road with a steep grade - remember it's just a family ranch. But the place itself is really ok. They grow dates and sell almost anything made from dates: bread; cookies; a milk shake. Whatever turns you on. They are also doing a good job growing (and hopefully selling) cacti. Had a nice little garden going. There are places you can hike; lots of abandoned mines and some nice rock formations.
After Tacopa we headed for the fleshpots of Shoshone, CA. (six miles away). They at least have a gas station, if they have one in Tacopa we missed it. Regular was $3.39 a gallon - vs $2.29 here in Nevada. I'm sure part of the difference is California taxes but some is just shipping the stuff out there. I couldn't find a website for Shoshone so you'll have to take my word on the features. There is a motel, two cafes, a general store (sells gas too), and a post office. I know there is more to the town but you kind of have to look and today just wasn't the day for that. There is also a small but interesting museum that we visited on an earlier visit.
So, if you want to see someplace completely different; I'd recommend Tacopa and Shoshone. Visiting gives you a new respect for those folks who settled the West.
At any rate, we made it over and found a area that gives you a new definition of desolate. The is a hot springs in Tacopa and a little resort built around them . There isn't a lot more. Maybe there are a bunch of snowbirds (rv'ers escaping the snow up north) who keep the place alive but in the heat of May, there ain't much there! The town even has a web site but it's a quiet place for sure.
We also visited the China Date Ranch. That's another amazing road! Single lane gravel road with a steep grade - remember it's just a family ranch. But the place itself is really ok. They grow dates and sell almost anything made from dates: bread; cookies; a milk shake. Whatever turns you on. They are also doing a good job growing (and hopefully selling) cacti. Had a nice little garden going. There are places you can hike; lots of abandoned mines and some nice rock formations.
After Tacopa we headed for the fleshpots of Shoshone, CA. (six miles away). They at least have a gas station, if they have one in Tacopa we missed it. Regular was $3.39 a gallon - vs $2.29 here in Nevada. I'm sure part of the difference is California taxes but some is just shipping the stuff out there. I couldn't find a website for Shoshone so you'll have to take my word on the features. There is a motel, two cafes, a general store (sells gas too), and a post office. I know there is more to the town but you kind of have to look and today just wasn't the day for that. There is also a small but interesting museum that we visited on an earlier visit.
So, if you want to see someplace completely different; I'd recommend Tacopa and Shoshone. Visiting gives you a new respect for those folks who settled the West.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Money and Investing
I don't talk a lot about money and investing here except to whine about all the money we are spending. One blog I read pretty religiously is RandomRoger. I don't understand everything he says much less agree with it all but he's obviously intelligent and trying to do a great job for his clients. He is also willing to discuss investing philosophy which I think is great. He believes in being more defensive than I do but that probably isn't a bad thing. Today I thought I'd talk a little about our portfolio.
First let me say that when my wife and I got married twenty-five years ago she had about $500 in savings and I had about $10,000. We didn't inherit anything. We both had good jobs though and were able to buy a house and save. Each of the three houses we have owned was modest. If either of us had lost our job, we could have scraped by on the one remaining salary. Most people in this country do the opposite and live in a house they can barely afford. I just don't agree with that philosophy.
I'm sitting here looking at a Quicken report showing the cost basis of our investments, the current value and the resultant gain or loss. There's a lot of red ink on the page! On the other hand, there are still some investments that are nicely in the black. Oddly, the stocks I have are doing better than the mutual funds. Some of these are simply because I bought the stock and have held it for years: Altria (Philip Morris tobacco) and Merck, the drug maker. Some are 'hot' even in this climate: Monsanto (genetically modifying seeds for farmers).
Of course there are losers. I've managed to lose a fourth of my investment in Intel (the pc chip maker). The financial stocks aren't doing well either but I have only HSBC (banking) and ING (insurance).
Among the other losers are stories I just don't understand. I have a gold miner and a precious metals fund - both are losers while gold is more than $900 an ounce. How can that happen? Gotta get rid of those lemons. I bought Siemens (electronics & telcom) and have lost almost half of my investment but I'm convinced it is a great company and will eventually repay my patience. I guess that's why I find the market fascinating; there are a million stories and it's my job to figure out which one to believe. BTW: we've got 74 individual investments. I'm doing some pruning here before long!
Hope this hasn't been too boring for you. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
First let me say that when my wife and I got married twenty-five years ago she had about $500 in savings and I had about $10,000. We didn't inherit anything. We both had good jobs though and were able to buy a house and save. Each of the three houses we have owned was modest. If either of us had lost our job, we could have scraped by on the one remaining salary. Most people in this country do the opposite and live in a house they can barely afford. I just don't agree with that philosophy.
I'm sitting here looking at a Quicken report showing the cost basis of our investments, the current value and the resultant gain or loss. There's a lot of red ink on the page! On the other hand, there are still some investments that are nicely in the black. Oddly, the stocks I have are doing better than the mutual funds. Some of these are simply because I bought the stock and have held it for years: Altria (Philip Morris tobacco) and Merck, the drug maker. Some are 'hot' even in this climate: Monsanto (genetically modifying seeds for farmers).
Of course there are losers. I've managed to lose a fourth of my investment in Intel (the pc chip maker). The financial stocks aren't doing well either but I have only HSBC (banking) and ING (insurance).
Among the other losers are stories I just don't understand. I have a gold miner and a precious metals fund - both are losers while gold is more than $900 an ounce. How can that happen? Gotta get rid of those lemons. I bought Siemens (electronics & telcom) and have lost almost half of my investment but I'm convinced it is a great company and will eventually repay my patience. I guess that's why I find the market fascinating; there are a million stories and it's my job to figure out which one to believe. BTW: we've got 74 individual investments. I'm doing some pruning here before long!
Hope this hasn't been too boring for you. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sad news
We got some sad news today. A friend of my wife's just died today; he was only sixty-eight. Discovered he had cancer a few months ago and now he's gone. They had been friends for over forty years. The good side of it is that he was in a lot of pain so hanging around was bad for him and everyone who knew him. RIP George.
Truck
Ok, I'm going to shut up about this new truck soon, I promise; just not today. Have to post a photo of it.
It's a big beast; much taller, longer and heavier than our previous truck but that's what we need for towing our trailer. Back East the mountain grades aren't like the grades out here and our old truck wasn't dealing with them very well. Still, it's a shock. Those running boards were an option but without them my wife found it very difficult to get into the truck - and she's 5'7" (170cm).
Gotta go - play with the new toy. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
It's a big beast; much taller, longer and heavier than our previous truck but that's what we need for towing our trailer. Back East the mountain grades aren't like the grades out here and our old truck wasn't dealing with them very well. Still, it's a shock. Those running boards were an option but without them my wife found it very difficult to get into the truck - and she's 5'7" (170cm).
Gotta go - play with the new toy. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Can it be Thursday?
Jeez, time flies when you are having fun. No idea why I haven't posted anything since last weekend. It's been a doing things around the house sort of week. Putting up shelves, fixing a desk, you know the kind of stuff. Had to unload all the stuff that I carry around in the truck. That's a trip!
A couple of years ago we were driving on this dead end road up a mountain and it occurred to me that if, say a tree fell on the road and we couldn't get down, we'd be pretty uncomfortable. I do like my comfort so started carrying some emergency supplies - just a blanket & a little food but it might look pretty good if you were hungry! Now that we live in the dry west, I've supplemented that with a couple of gallons of water. Then there is the box of stuff for the truck & trailer - a manual, a quart of oil, that kind of thing. There is my tool box. Can't cart everything around with me but it's got the basics. And that's just the start!
Getting into the cab was really fun. I even found things that I can't identify; now that's bad! Lots of dirt; I really don't like cleaning the vehicle. Of course there was a dead flashlight; my ownership seems to kill them. I finally got one of those you shake to create power; it's kind of lame but I haven't killed it yet. Two maps of Vegas, one of Nevada and a GPS. Do you get the idea we like knowing where we are going? There were a million other things too, or at least it seemed so. But it's done. I think I'm going to go emulate the cat.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there!
A couple of years ago we were driving on this dead end road up a mountain and it occurred to me that if, say a tree fell on the road and we couldn't get down, we'd be pretty uncomfortable. I do like my comfort so started carrying some emergency supplies - just a blanket & a little food but it might look pretty good if you were hungry! Now that we live in the dry west, I've supplemented that with a couple of gallons of water. Then there is the box of stuff for the truck & trailer - a manual, a quart of oil, that kind of thing. There is my tool box. Can't cart everything around with me but it's got the basics. And that's just the start!
Getting into the cab was really fun. I even found things that I can't identify; now that's bad! Lots of dirt; I really don't like cleaning the vehicle. Of course there was a dead flashlight; my ownership seems to kill them. I finally got one of those you shake to create power; it's kind of lame but I haven't killed it yet. Two maps of Vegas, one of Nevada and a GPS. Do you get the idea we like knowing where we are going? There were a million other things too, or at least it seemed so. But it's done. I think I'm going to go emulate the cat.
Take it easy; it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
One more thing!
I was reading Nick's Blog the other day and he talked about the importance of enjoying the life you live rather than just struggling along in a rut because that's what you've always done. We were coming back from Vegas yesterday and saw an accident. It was a pickup with travel trailer and a couple of cars that had obviously had something pretty serious happen. It was sobering for us since that's the kind of rig we have. We have an idea how fast things can happen when you are towing four or five tons of stuff behind you. But the real point is that Nick was right: live for today! Tomorrow may never come and yesterday is gone. Saving for tomorrow is important but not at the expense of living today.
Be careful, it's still dangerous out there.
Be careful, it's still dangerous out there.
A Done Deal
We went back to Vegas yesterday to check out the 08 Ford and ended up buying it. I think the critical moment was on the test drive when I was on a steeply uphill freeway entrance. I stepped on the accelerator, not all the way to the floor but most of the way(unusual for me), and the truck really responded. We just didn't feel that kind of response in the Chevy. Plus the personnel at the dealership actually acted like human beings. The fat kid salesperson was late, overslept I would guess, but another guy took us on the test drive and the kid did apologize nicely once he got there. (Oops, forgot to mention, it's a diesel!)
The discussions about price were acceptable. I'm sure we could have argued another few hundred dollars out of them but we just don't care. Hell, even car dealers have to eat. We got what we think is a heck of a truck for well below the cost of anything similar. Yes, it is an 08 but since we have kept our last four vehicles between nine and fifteen years... maybe it's not that important!
We are having some modifications done so we don't have the truck yet. (I was so shook up that I didn't even take a cell phone photo of the thing!) The biggest thing, and the dealer is giving it to us, is the upholstery is being replaced with leather. My wife was fixated on leather because the animal hair just brushes off. They have a couple other things to do so pics have to wait until late next week.
Today is Mother's Day in the U.S. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Our daughter is coming over from Vegas. She's been gone all week on a business trip but wouldn't miss the big day. My wife and I consider it another Hallmark-holiday (created by and for the greeting card industry) but she's the sentimentalist and has to show up complete with sappy card. At least it's not totally bogus like Personal Assistant Appreciation Day.
Gotta go. I feel myself climbing onto a soapbox! But before I go, here's a photo of the cat being his normal maniac self (yeah, sure!). I was sure hoping he'd fall off the edge but he's way smarter than that!
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there!
The discussions about price were acceptable. I'm sure we could have argued another few hundred dollars out of them but we just don't care. Hell, even car dealers have to eat. We got what we think is a heck of a truck for well below the cost of anything similar. Yes, it is an 08 but since we have kept our last four vehicles between nine and fifteen years... maybe it's not that important!
We are having some modifications done so we don't have the truck yet. (I was so shook up that I didn't even take a cell phone photo of the thing!) The biggest thing, and the dealer is giving it to us, is the upholstery is being replaced with leather. My wife was fixated on leather because the animal hair just brushes off. They have a couple other things to do so pics have to wait until late next week.
Today is Mother's Day in the U.S. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Our daughter is coming over from Vegas. She's been gone all week on a business trip but wouldn't miss the big day. My wife and I consider it another Hallmark-holiday (created by and for the greeting card industry) but she's the sentimentalist and has to show up complete with sappy card. At least it's not totally bogus like Personal Assistant Appreciation Day.
Gotta go. I feel myself climbing onto a soapbox! But before I go, here's a photo of the cat being his normal maniac self (yeah, sure!). I was sure hoping he'd fall off the edge but he's way smarter than that!
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there!
Friday, May 08, 2009
Local Yokels
As I responded to Lawyer Mom's comment; we drove the Chevy the local dealer has that would be acceptable. Honestly, it was a very nice truck. GM has made a lot of intelligent changes to their vehicle in the last nine years. The transmission especially was very nice and the ride quality was excellent. It was a little twitchy on the road but not bad. It has a "short bed" rather than the longer bed (and wheelbase) that I would prefer but that's not a deal breaker. There is, however, a slight problem or two.
They made it VERY obvious that they wanted to close the deal today. When my wife explained that we wanted to drive a Ford tomorrow, they tightened up even more. Then the salesman started saying bad things about Fords. That's a chump ploy; the kind of thing I expected from the idiot salesman. I haven't had a lot of experience with Fords but we did have one we bought twenty years ago that did 122,000 trouble free miles before we gave it to our son who drove it several more years.
Now the deal that they presented was confusing but didn't look too bad but when I got home and dissected it I figured out that they are cutting about four percent off MSRP and the rest of the deal is direct from GM. Hmmmm, guess they aren't really interested in doing business. This is in an environment where there were no other customers in the building during the two hours we were on the premises.
We are also thinking of buying a little car that might get a bunch better mileage that a big truck so we did test drive a Chevy HHR. It's a little "retro" styled station wagon thing. It was comfortable and has some room for carrying stuff but had the acceleration of an elderly VW. No longer on our list!
All in all, an instructive day. The Chevy is a nice truck. The dealership is going to have to completely change their approach though to remain in contention. Right now, it's the Ford dealer's deal to lose. (However, I have high hopes that they will manage it!) Stay tuned for the next inning. Don't know how many there will be but they will all be fun!
Be careful out there, it's dangerous!
They made it VERY obvious that they wanted to close the deal today. When my wife explained that we wanted to drive a Ford tomorrow, they tightened up even more. Then the salesman started saying bad things about Fords. That's a chump ploy; the kind of thing I expected from the idiot salesman. I haven't had a lot of experience with Fords but we did have one we bought twenty years ago that did 122,000 trouble free miles before we gave it to our son who drove it several more years.
Now the deal that they presented was confusing but didn't look too bad but when I got home and dissected it I figured out that they are cutting about four percent off MSRP and the rest of the deal is direct from GM. Hmmmm, guess they aren't really interested in doing business. This is in an environment where there were no other customers in the building during the two hours we were on the premises.
We are also thinking of buying a little car that might get a bunch better mileage that a big truck so we did test drive a Chevy HHR. It's a little "retro" styled station wagon thing. It was comfortable and has some room for carrying stuff but had the acceleration of an elderly VW. No longer on our list!
All in all, an instructive day. The Chevy is a nice truck. The dealership is going to have to completely change their approach though to remain in contention. Right now, it's the Ford dealer's deal to lose. (However, I have high hopes that they will manage it!) Stay tuned for the next inning. Don't know how many there will be but they will all be fun!
Be careful out there, it's dangerous!
The Local's Turn
After checking out the Fords in Vegas we decided we needed to check out the local Chevy-GMC dealer. Of course they had absolutely nothing along with the worse salesman I've ever met. The guy didn't even know the product line. GMC's have an SL package and an SLT package that is a little nicer. Chevy has an LT1 and an LT3. This guy kept getting them confused. This only aggravated the fact that they didn't HAVE either of the upgraded vehicles. So we spent some time standing out in the 95 degree sun (35C) looking at trucks we wouldn't buy.
Finally we went in and the salesman gets us to sit at his desk (way off in a corner) while he goes and talks to the only person in the place who can use their computer. Eventually we figured this out and went over and talked to the computer guy ourselves. After a tremendous amount of effort he manages to find two, count them two, trucks that have most of what we want. The big problem seems to be that we want both front seats to have power controls. Most of the trucks they have have a power drivers seat but only these two have a power passenger seat. (That's not quite true, we don't want a 4 wheel drive and maybe they have some of those with a power passenger seat; don't know.)
Anyway, we spend two hours at this dealership talking to the idiot and the almost-an-idiot. They have a storage lot in Vegas where these scarce vehicles are kept so they are bringing one of them over here today. We are to see it this afternoon. Damn, it's hard to try an do business with people in this small town. I was ready to walk out just trying to get that idiot salesman to listen to what we wanted. We'll see today if the computer guy actually found something or not.
A Lawyer Mom suggested that I might check out http://www.fightingchance.com/. It sounds like an interesting approach to buying a car. At least I wouldn't have had to meet the idiot! If what we are doing falls through I may be a fightingchance customer before long.
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there.
Finally we went in and the salesman gets us to sit at his desk (way off in a corner) while he goes and talks to the only person in the place who can use their computer. Eventually we figured this out and went over and talked to the computer guy ourselves. After a tremendous amount of effort he manages to find two, count them two, trucks that have most of what we want. The big problem seems to be that we want both front seats to have power controls. Most of the trucks they have have a power drivers seat but only these two have a power passenger seat. (That's not quite true, we don't want a 4 wheel drive and maybe they have some of those with a power passenger seat; don't know.)
Anyway, we spend two hours at this dealership talking to the idiot and the almost-an-idiot. They have a storage lot in Vegas where these scarce vehicles are kept so they are bringing one of them over here today. We are to see it this afternoon. Damn, it's hard to try an do business with people in this small town. I was ready to walk out just trying to get that idiot salesman to listen to what we wanted. We'll see today if the computer guy actually found something or not.
A Lawyer Mom suggested that I might check out http://www.fightingchance.com/. It sounds like an interesting approach to buying a car. At least I wouldn't have had to meet the idiot! If what we are doing falls through I may be a fightingchance customer before long.
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Vegas Day
I guess yesterday was too laid back because today we headed over the hump to Vegas and went car shopping. How's that for awful?
Our current truck is a 2000 GMC - the smallest of the full size pickups. It has served us well but it is getting older and things are getting a little cranky. Everything works and all; sometimes we just get a strange noise or something. It has 125,000 miles (201,000 km) of which about a third was traveled towing our trailer. I can't complain that it hasn't earned it's keep but it's time to start thinking replacement.
We did have a couple of things we needed to return to stores over there but we still made it to the Ford dealer by probably 13:00. This really fat kid salesman took us around showing us all the stuff. They had one 2008 pickup that was kind of interesting and a fair number of 09's; nothing that fit our exact desires but were close. We would like a long bed pickup this time around both for the longer wheelbase and for the additional room but it's hard to find. The buyers for the dealerships figure no one really carries much in their trucks so they only order the short beds. The difference is only something like 18 inches (45 cm) but I think it would make quite a difference. The 08 has a diesel engine which is a $7200 option that we don't care about but if their incentive is good enough we might go for it anyway. Since we keep our vehicles for so long I don't care about the thing being two years old. The 09 has a gas V-10 engine that I've heard is a gas hog. We left about 15:45 hoping we were ahead of the traffic and we mostly made it.
Anyway, the guy is supposed to email us some numbers on both the 08 and an 09 that they have. I find car buying exhausting work so I'm on my second scotch already. The salesman was standing around joking with other employees when we left so maybe he's not the guy we want to buy from. We'll see.
My wife took advantage of the time driving over there to call a friend who is dying of cancer. Not her sister who has just been diagnosed but a guy who had a really fast growing cancer and who has been undergoing chemotherapy. Apparently it didn't do a lot so yesterday we got an email from his wife saying "pray for a rapid end to his suffering". Jeez! Apparently he has good days and bad days so whether we should make a trip over to see him (Southern California) or not is kind of up in the air. She is supposed to give us a call and tell us what he would like. NOT a fun idea but sometimes that's life.
Dull, depressing post today. Sorry about that but I'm tired. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Our current truck is a 2000 GMC - the smallest of the full size pickups. It has served us well but it is getting older and things are getting a little cranky. Everything works and all; sometimes we just get a strange noise or something. It has 125,000 miles (201,000 km) of which about a third was traveled towing our trailer. I can't complain that it hasn't earned it's keep but it's time to start thinking replacement.
We did have a couple of things we needed to return to stores over there but we still made it to the Ford dealer by probably 13:00. This really fat kid salesman took us around showing us all the stuff. They had one 2008 pickup that was kind of interesting and a fair number of 09's; nothing that fit our exact desires but were close. We would like a long bed pickup this time around both for the longer wheelbase and for the additional room but it's hard to find. The buyers for the dealerships figure no one really carries much in their trucks so they only order the short beds. The difference is only something like 18 inches (45 cm) but I think it would make quite a difference. The 08 has a diesel engine which is a $7200 option that we don't care about but if their incentive is good enough we might go for it anyway. Since we keep our vehicles for so long I don't care about the thing being two years old. The 09 has a gas V-10 engine that I've heard is a gas hog. We left about 15:45 hoping we were ahead of the traffic and we mostly made it.
Anyway, the guy is supposed to email us some numbers on both the 08 and an 09 that they have. I find car buying exhausting work so I'm on my second scotch already. The salesman was standing around joking with other employees when we left so maybe he's not the guy we want to buy from. We'll see.
My wife took advantage of the time driving over there to call a friend who is dying of cancer. Not her sister who has just been diagnosed but a guy who had a really fast growing cancer and who has been undergoing chemotherapy. Apparently it didn't do a lot so yesterday we got an email from his wife saying "pray for a rapid end to his suffering". Jeez! Apparently he has good days and bad days so whether we should make a trip over to see him (Southern California) or not is kind of up in the air. She is supposed to give us a call and tell us what he would like. NOT a fun idea but sometimes that's life.
Dull, depressing post today. Sorry about that but I'm tired. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Quiet day
We are having a quiet day in the neighborhood today. The big thing is me making navy bean soup from half the ham bone leftover from our visitors. There is still another bone! Happily I took the meat off it today so cooking it will wait for another day. Don't know what I'll do with that half.
Weather guy this morning said we'd be over ninety (32C) today and for the rest of the week. That should get us in training for the summer. One of the things we are curious about is how we'll get along when it's hot every day. Nights should remain cool however so we can hope it won't be too bad.
Photo is from Sunday night:
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Weather guy this morning said we'd be over ninety (32C) today and for the rest of the week. That should get us in training for the summer. One of the things we are curious about is how we'll get along when it's hot every day. Nights should remain cool however so we can hope it won't be too bad.
Photo is from Sunday night:
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Phone BS
Good morning all. It's an overcast morning in the desert which keeps the temperature moderate - not cool not hot. But we don't get that glorious sunrise either. I think I prefer the sunrise!
Croft, from http://croftsmexico.blogspot.com/, asked about the new cell phones we got recently. Well, that's easy. We got the LG Shine and it is working out fine for us. Perhaps a little background is in order. Back in Florida we had a land line and two cell phones. We talked ourselves into the two cell phones because it is convenient while traveling to be able to call one another. Usually I will take the truck and go buy food and with the two phones my wife can call with any last minute additions to the list or whatever. We used AT&T's service and found it to be good almost everywhere we went. This time we decided to remain with AT&T because the service was good and because it allows us to keep 'rollover minutes'. Here in Nevada we don't have a land line and we find our telephone usage to be uneven. One month there will be a couple of birthdays and we'll use much more than our monthly allowance congratulating the lucky old people; the next month there are no birthdays and we are well under the allowance.
Our selection of the LG was based on the way we use our phones. Phone quality is the first priority; having an acceptable camera is second and price was third. We don't use the phone to text or access the internet or any of that wonderful stuff so we didn't care about those attributes. I do use it to take a photo occasionally when I've forgotten my camera. Consumer Reports was consulted and the LG got a good score from them on phone quality. The customer reviews on the AT&T site were favorable enough. The camera is a 2MP one that will keep me happy. Online the price was $20 which was acceptable - then we got a $50 rebate so the actual price was negative! Can't get much cheaper than that.
I still find the LG User Guide to be confusing at best but I like the actual phone. The Shine is a sliding model which is easy to open with one hand; the clam shell phones are more difficult for me to open. Call quality is very good and the camera is acceptable. It has a flash but it's not worth much. You can do more with the phone but we simply don't care. It does what we want. It is a little larger then some of the clam shell models but it is very thin which helps make up for it's size. All in all, we are very happy. Now, if it is durable enough to live in our house - that's the last question. You can be sure you'll hear me whining if the phones die prematurely.
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there.
Croft, from http://croftsmexico.blogspot.com/, asked about the new cell phones we got recently. Well, that's easy. We got the LG Shine and it is working out fine for us. Perhaps a little background is in order. Back in Florida we had a land line and two cell phones. We talked ourselves into the two cell phones because it is convenient while traveling to be able to call one another. Usually I will take the truck and go buy food and with the two phones my wife can call with any last minute additions to the list or whatever. We used AT&T's service and found it to be good almost everywhere we went. This time we decided to remain with AT&T because the service was good and because it allows us to keep 'rollover minutes'. Here in Nevada we don't have a land line and we find our telephone usage to be uneven. One month there will be a couple of birthdays and we'll use much more than our monthly allowance congratulating the lucky old people; the next month there are no birthdays and we are well under the allowance.
Our selection of the LG was based on the way we use our phones. Phone quality is the first priority; having an acceptable camera is second and price was third. We don't use the phone to text or access the internet or any of that wonderful stuff so we didn't care about those attributes. I do use it to take a photo occasionally when I've forgotten my camera. Consumer Reports was consulted and the LG got a good score from them on phone quality. The customer reviews on the AT&T site were favorable enough. The camera is a 2MP one that will keep me happy. Online the price was $20 which was acceptable - then we got a $50 rebate so the actual price was negative! Can't get much cheaper than that.
I still find the LG User Guide to be confusing at best but I like the actual phone. The Shine is a sliding model which is easy to open with one hand; the clam shell phones are more difficult for me to open. Call quality is very good and the camera is acceptable. It has a flash but it's not worth much. You can do more with the phone but we simply don't care. It does what we want. It is a little larger then some of the clam shell models but it is very thin which helps make up for it's size. All in all, we are very happy. Now, if it is durable enough to live in our house - that's the last question. You can be sure you'll hear me whining if the phones die prematurely.
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Lovely morning anyway!
Went to sleep last night to high winds but woke to a lovely, calm morning. Looks wonderful but there is some high cloud cover keeping it cool. Vegas tv is talking about 83F (28C) today and 98F (36C) by the end of the week. Of course, they change their estimates every day!
Dreamed of heavy rain last night; probably because people who have been here a while talk about very localized heavy rain. Two people have said that a shower of maybe a mile in diameter will dump an inch of rain but the rest of the valley will remain completely dry. Interesting image for me. In Florida we did occasionally have rain that would be on one side of the street but not the other but then the shower would move and you'd get wet too. These folks are talking like the shower just stops when it is ready rather than moving around. We'll see.
Got the bookshelves put together and a few books loaded. Only about a dozen boxes left to empty. Well, not including the boxes of photos, photo albums and loose pictures. Don't photos just multiply by themselves somehow? We couldn't possibly have taken all those photos! No wonder Kodak used to make so much money. But, you know, much as I love my digital camera I still feel the urge to get the old Nikon out of mothballs and drag some film through it. There are lots of things I haven't learned to do with the digital that I can manage with film. Still, here's a sunset that I managed with the digital camera in my new phone! Take it easy, it's dangerous out there.
Dreamed of heavy rain last night; probably because people who have been here a while talk about very localized heavy rain. Two people have said that a shower of maybe a mile in diameter will dump an inch of rain but the rest of the valley will remain completely dry. Interesting image for me. In Florida we did occasionally have rain that would be on one side of the street but not the other but then the shower would move and you'd get wet too. These folks are talking like the shower just stops when it is ready rather than moving around. We'll see.
Got the bookshelves put together and a few books loaded. Only about a dozen boxes left to empty. Well, not including the boxes of photos, photo albums and loose pictures. Don't photos just multiply by themselves somehow? We couldn't possibly have taken all those photos! No wonder Kodak used to make so much money. But, you know, much as I love my digital camera I still feel the urge to get the old Nikon out of mothballs and drag some film through it. There are lots of things I haven't learned to do with the digital that I can manage with film. Still, here's a sunset that I managed with the digital camera in my new phone! Take it easy, it's dangerous out there.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Good God! Thursday already!
How time passes when you are having fun! Actually, we are recovering from last weekend with all the family. The first day is always funny; I run to my computer and my wife runs to the tv. We eat snacks not meals. By the second day, we can manage to eat a meal together; even to do small tasks. Then we are finally close to normal; at least as normal as we ever are.
Got another shipment of bookcases on Tuesday. The others were lovely just not enough space. So now I have that to put together. We also got our new water softener. We tested the water and it was pure and wonderful however the hardness was off the scale. SO... had it installed because we just don't know anything about the darned things. Besides, I do truly believe that those of us who can afford to employ people these days ought to do so. Lots of folks are a paycheck away from disaster. If I can help them to keep the wolf away from the door for another day, well, I just have to do it. Spending an extra $100 isn't going to make any difference at all to me unless the world is a hell of a lot different than I think it is.
Right now it is almost 23:00 - a little over sixty degrees (F) outside and I have the windows open to let in the cool air. The house hasn't gotten really warm yet but being able to sleep in the cool, dry air is so great after the warm, moistness of Florida. Now if I was just smart enough to quit reading blogs and go to bed!
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Got another shipment of bookcases on Tuesday. The others were lovely just not enough space. So now I have that to put together. We also got our new water softener. We tested the water and it was pure and wonderful however the hardness was off the scale. SO... had it installed because we just don't know anything about the darned things. Besides, I do truly believe that those of us who can afford to employ people these days ought to do so. Lots of folks are a paycheck away from disaster. If I can help them to keep the wolf away from the door for another day, well, I just have to do it. Spending an extra $100 isn't going to make any difference at all to me unless the world is a hell of a lot different than I think it is.
Right now it is almost 23:00 - a little over sixty degrees (F) outside and I have the windows open to let in the cool air. The house hasn't gotten really warm yet but being able to sleep in the cool, dry air is so great after the warm, moistness of Florida. Now if I was just smart enough to quit reading blogs and go to bed!
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Almost Gone!
Our dreaded visitors are almost gone. Actually, we were really excited that they were coming but knew we'd be just as excited to see them leaving. Let's see if I can explain.
There are just the two of us living here with our dog and cat. This weekend we had my wife's birth mother & her husband; their daughter (my wife's sister) and her husband; my wife's son and his Significant Other; and our daughter. That's four couples and a spare all staying in a three bedroom home (plus our RV). Add to the mix the fact that the birth mother is far from a stable personality and you have the usual run of stress. Finally add the fact that the sister has just announced that she is suffering from breast cancer. Just a regular thrill.
Happily the whole thing went well. No one threw anything; no one got really drunk; no one went crazy. Now they are all gone except for the son & his SO. They are pretty easy to be with so things are slowing down. As for the SIL who have breast cancer; she'll start treatment next month. No one can figure out why there is such a delay but she is as hard headed as anyone you've ever met so there's no talking her into any other treatment.
Take care; it's dangerous out there!
There are just the two of us living here with our dog and cat. This weekend we had my wife's birth mother & her husband; their daughter (my wife's sister) and her husband; my wife's son and his Significant Other; and our daughter. That's four couples and a spare all staying in a three bedroom home (plus our RV). Add to the mix the fact that the birth mother is far from a stable personality and you have the usual run of stress. Finally add the fact that the sister has just announced that she is suffering from breast cancer. Just a regular thrill.
Happily the whole thing went well. No one threw anything; no one got really drunk; no one went crazy. Now they are all gone except for the son & his SO. They are pretty easy to be with so things are slowing down. As for the SIL who have breast cancer; she'll start treatment next month. No one can figure out why there is such a delay but she is as hard headed as anyone you've ever met so there's no talking her into any other treatment.
Take care; it's dangerous out there!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Heating up finally
I had this misconception that it was going to be hot in the desert. We haven't been warm since last October but now it's getting there fast. We are supposed to be in the mid-nineties (35C) for the next couple of days. That's hot enough for me but I'm sure there is more to come. The happy news is that it gets into the sixties (18C) at night. The house is well enough insulated that it is staying comfortable without air conditioning. That is an unexpected pleasure!
Don't know if I've posted this before but here is a photo of the mountain in the light of the sunrise. It doesn't really do it justice but what can I say. I can't post a twenty minute video of the sunrise.
Gotta go. There is plenty of cleaning to be done before our guests show up Friday. Take care, it's dangerous out there.
Don't know if I've posted this before but here is a photo of the mountain in the light of the sunrise. It doesn't really do it justice but what can I say. I can't post a twenty minute video of the sunrise.
Gotta go. There is plenty of cleaning to be done before our guests show up Friday. Take care, it's dangerous out there.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Lovely morning
It's a lovely morning here in the desert. I get up about 06:00 - it just happens, I don't know why. In Florida I woke about 07:00 but here it's an hour earlier. Oh well. The good thing is that I catch the sun just touching the tops of the mountains to our southwest. The tip of the mountain starts turning pink then gradually, you can't really see it happening, the entire mountain is painted pink from the top to the bottom. It's really lovely. I've tried taking photos of it about ten times now; maybe someday I'll get one. It is certainly a beautiful start to the day.
This week we are preparing for the family. Today we'll start with cleaning up the trailer. It has been sitting since we moved into the house in January and the dust alone is formidable. It is to be the official residence of number 1 son and his SO over the weekend. She is a little shy of the family (even though they have been together over ten years!) and we hope they like the additional privacy. There is also a trip to Vegas coming up. The local markets don't have any call for some of the things we want. Should be a busy week.
Take care, it's dangerous out there!
This week we are preparing for the family. Today we'll start with cleaning up the trailer. It has been sitting since we moved into the house in January and the dust alone is formidable. It is to be the official residence of number 1 son and his SO over the weekend. She is a little shy of the family (even though they have been together over ten years!) and we hope they like the additional privacy. There is also a trip to Vegas coming up. The local markets don't have any call for some of the things we want. Should be a busy week.
Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Windy and Confused!
We had another windy day here in the valley but for some reason it didn't seem to kick up as much dust as some other days. Just one of those great mysteries! Sorry I keep writing about the weather but it is fascinating to me. I must have had an idea about what it would be like because it sure surprises me.
We got our new cell phones working after a bit of a struggle. I don't know if it is age or just some lack of mental agility but I find a new device like that very difficult. Eventually we'll work it out but right now I'm just thankful that I know how to make and receive calls! That's after a good hour reading the "manual" that was included. Some day some one will learn to lay out the user manual for technical items in a manner that is useful. So far I haven't found a good user manual for anything!
We did get our gates and landscaping finished. Here's the result:
A week from today we'll be going crazy - most of my wife's family and our kids will be descending on us a week from Friday. We'll be cleaning and polishing like crazy on the Thursday! It's almost time to start building the list of things TO DO. I joke about it but I really don't mind lists. The general disarray when you forget things is much worse than being a list nerd.
Gotta go. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
We got our new cell phones working after a bit of a struggle. I don't know if it is age or just some lack of mental agility but I find a new device like that very difficult. Eventually we'll work it out but right now I'm just thankful that I know how to make and receive calls! That's after a good hour reading the "manual" that was included. Some day some one will learn to lay out the user manual for technical items in a manner that is useful. So far I haven't found a good user manual for anything!
We did get our gates and landscaping finished. Here's the result:
A week from today we'll be going crazy - most of my wife's family and our kids will be descending on us a week from Friday. We'll be cleaning and polishing like crazy on the Thursday! It's almost time to start building the list of things TO DO. I joke about it but I really don't mind lists. The general disarray when you forget things is much worse than being a list nerd.
Gotta go. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Delivery Guys!
This was a good day for the delivery crews. Our gates finally arrived - now the dog can run free. The new china arrived - haven't had new china since sometime in the early 1980's. Our new cell phones arrived - the Shine by LG was our choice for our sins. (Had Sony Ericsson's - wife killed three of them in two years - then used an old Samsung originally belonging to our daughter for eight months to get through our two year agreement period.) I'm looking forward to a much improved cell phone camera!
Ordered a shed to cover the water well/pump/expansion tank. Ordered a building much larger than needed but we can always store odds and ends out there. The important thing is that it protect that stuff from freezing AND that it not blow away! The dealer had a sample shed out in front of their building. It was sitting on concrete and was bolted into the concrete. It was there for six years. Last week a gust came along and blew it over into a pile of metal scrap. Hmmmm.... But nothing except metal will survive the climate down here. The salesman suggested railroad ties with rebar through them and six feet into the soil. I may go another way!
I also ordered a new refrigerator today. A small 18 cu ft model to sit in the pantry. We are having NINE people here over the weekend of the 24th. It is a big change from two. LOL There are things needing cooling: the odd case of beer; the whole ham; heaven knows how many bottles of wine. You get the idea. We may only run the refrigerator three weeks a year (for visitors) but it will earn it's living!
I'll try to post a few photos of the yard and gates tomorrow. For now it's late and dark and I've been drinking. Take care; it's dangerous out there!
Ordered a shed to cover the water well/pump/expansion tank. Ordered a building much larger than needed but we can always store odds and ends out there. The important thing is that it protect that stuff from freezing AND that it not blow away! The dealer had a sample shed out in front of their building. It was sitting on concrete and was bolted into the concrete. It was there for six years. Last week a gust came along and blew it over into a pile of metal scrap. Hmmmm.... But nothing except metal will survive the climate down here. The salesman suggested railroad ties with rebar through them and six feet into the soil. I may go another way!
I also ordered a new refrigerator today. A small 18 cu ft model to sit in the pantry. We are having NINE people here over the weekend of the 24th. It is a big change from two. LOL There are things needing cooling: the odd case of beer; the whole ham; heaven knows how many bottles of wine. You get the idea. We may only run the refrigerator three weeks a year (for visitors) but it will earn it's living!
I'll try to post a few photos of the yard and gates tomorrow. For now it's late and dark and I've been drinking. Take care; it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Nice afternoon here
Last week we finally bought some furniture for the patio. Not the quality that we had in Florida but comfortable and available. Had breakfast this morning then went outside to enjoy the weather. It's comfortable and behind the house the wind isn't obtrusive. It's a different thing if you are where the wind can get you directly; that's not particularly nice. Anyway, the cat decided to join us & I had to share his royal lion self.
We do get a lot of enjoyment from our animals. The way they shed doubles the amount of wash we have to do but...... The only downside for us is that we aren't willing to kennel them so we can travel overseas. I suppose we could but I just don't think it would be right. Neither has ever been in a kennel so it would be tough on them. And when we make the big flight, we want to stay a while. (Well, we got the dog from the pound but that was a LONG time ago!)
BTW, one of the things on my as-yet non-existent "bucket list" is to do some nice woodworking. I've got a couple of projects around the house that need doing so maybe I can get some satisfaction here. I'd REALLY love to do some cold molded epoxy work but that is going to have to wait.
One more thing: heard this afternoon that the Navy SEALS managed to get the captain of that ship away from the pirates who had captured him, killing 3 of the 4 pirates in the process. I know those pirates are just terribly poor guys who are trying to make a living in one of the poorest areas on the globe. Having said that, I'm so glad someone had the guts to take them out. Pirates are simply criminals; just like someone who carjacks you. Now if we weren't wasting tons of money fighting Mr. Bush's War on Terror; maybe we could afford another ship or three out there keeping the pirates ashore.
Until later. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
We do get a lot of enjoyment from our animals. The way they shed doubles the amount of wash we have to do but...... The only downside for us is that we aren't willing to kennel them so we can travel overseas. I suppose we could but I just don't think it would be right. Neither has ever been in a kennel so it would be tough on them. And when we make the big flight, we want to stay a while. (Well, we got the dog from the pound but that was a LONG time ago!)
BTW, one of the things on my as-yet non-existent "bucket list" is to do some nice woodworking. I've got a couple of projects around the house that need doing so maybe I can get some satisfaction here. I'd REALLY love to do some cold molded epoxy work but that is going to have to wait.
One more thing: heard this afternoon that the Navy SEALS managed to get the captain of that ship away from the pirates who had captured him, killing 3 of the 4 pirates in the process. I know those pirates are just terribly poor guys who are trying to make a living in one of the poorest areas on the globe. Having said that, I'm so glad someone had the guts to take them out. Pirates are simply criminals; just like someone who carjacks you. Now if we weren't wasting tons of money fighting Mr. Bush's War on Terror; maybe we could afford another ship or three out there keeping the pirates ashore.
Until later. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Thursday, April 09, 2009
A Bucket List? Not yet!
One of the blogs I often read is Nick's Blog at http://gypsyjournal.net/blog/. Nick and his wife are full time rv'ers who also publish a newspaper called Gypsy Journal. He was talking about his bucket list - the things he wants to do before dying. Coming on top of having my sister-in-law diagnosed with breast cancer, it got me thinking. (Always a bad thing!)
I don't have a Bucket List; not because I'm worried about my own mortality but because I really don't think about dying. But maybe it would be a good idea to work on a list. There are tons of things I'd like to do; I should be doing one of them and not spending so much time reading blogs! (For example!) Travel is a huge one: one of the reasons we moved out west was so that we could rv to places out here. In the area of foreign travel, I'd be willing to visit almost anywhere! We've been on a couple of cruises and I don't like them, however, an Alaska cruise sounds pretty interesting.
What about you? Do you have a list? What's on it? Curious people want to know.
I don't have a Bucket List; not because I'm worried about my own mortality but because I really don't think about dying. But maybe it would be a good idea to work on a list. There are tons of things I'd like to do; I should be doing one of them and not spending so much time reading blogs! (For example!) Travel is a huge one: one of the reasons we moved out west was so that we could rv to places out here. In the area of foreign travel, I'd be willing to visit almost anywhere! We've been on a couple of cruises and I don't like them, however, an Alaska cruise sounds pretty interesting.
What about you? Do you have a list? What's on it? Curious people want to know.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
A week!
Can't believe it's been a week since I posted but why would Blogger lie?
Both nothing and everything has been happening. So let's start with the simple stuff. The landscaper is still banging away at our yard. It is becoming a rock-scape but damned slowly I think. We have from two to four guys in the yard all day. Every now and then the truck shows up with more of a certain kind of rock. The main guy was here this a.m. and said he was bringing in more of the expensive rock without cost to us, because it just needed it. (Guess we paid plenty, huh!) The work just takes a while I guess. I'll post a picture or two when we finally are finished.
Today we finally made a trip "over the hump" to Vegas. (There is a 5400 foot pass between here and there.) Bought towels and blankets for our expected family visit in late April. We also found some china we like (third or fourth time looking for it) and some silverware. The silverware we brought home but the china will be shipped to us. That was a quick $800! Then we went to another store and found a tv that should work in the guest room - a few odds and ends and there was another $400. Jeez, maybe we should stay at home and feed guests from paper plates & plastic utensils!
The real bummer of the day was waiting for us when we got home. Turns out that my wife's half-sister has breast cancer. We've been buying all this stuff partially because she, her husband and the parents are supposed to be visiting later in April. She found a lump; it's been tested and is a cancer. She is to meet her surgeon on 20 April then schedule the operation for some time in May. All we can do is offer our best wishes for her. How she can be as calm as she sounds is amazing. We are hoping that the visit will at least help keep her mind occupied for some of the time until her operation.
Hope all is well in your blogger world. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Both nothing and everything has been happening. So let's start with the simple stuff. The landscaper is still banging away at our yard. It is becoming a rock-scape but damned slowly I think. We have from two to four guys in the yard all day. Every now and then the truck shows up with more of a certain kind of rock. The main guy was here this a.m. and said he was bringing in more of the expensive rock without cost to us, because it just needed it. (Guess we paid plenty, huh!) The work just takes a while I guess. I'll post a picture or two when we finally are finished.
Today we finally made a trip "over the hump" to Vegas. (There is a 5400 foot pass between here and there.) Bought towels and blankets for our expected family visit in late April. We also found some china we like (third or fourth time looking for it) and some silverware. The silverware we brought home but the china will be shipped to us. That was a quick $800! Then we went to another store and found a tv that should work in the guest room - a few odds and ends and there was another $400. Jeez, maybe we should stay at home and feed guests from paper plates & plastic utensils!
The real bummer of the day was waiting for us when we got home. Turns out that my wife's half-sister has breast cancer. We've been buying all this stuff partially because she, her husband and the parents are supposed to be visiting later in April. She found a lump; it's been tested and is a cancer. She is to meet her surgeon on 20 April then schedule the operation for some time in May. All we can do is offer our best wishes for her. How she can be as calm as she sounds is amazing. We are hoping that the visit will at least help keep her mind occupied for some of the time until her operation.
Hope all is well in your blogger world. Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
End of quiet!
Ok, yesterday was anything but quiet. First we bought a Weber BBQ; just about like the one I left in Florida so now I can cook for many people. Second we dropped a $5K down payment with the landscaper. Finally, we came home to find the landscaper had already dumped a load of rock in our back yard AND another shipment of blinds had been delivered. Whew!
TODAY was even more fun. The landscaper's dump truck was here at 07:30 with the second load of rock. The guy was driving around our trailer just squeaking past so I had to run out and move the trailer. This is non-trivial since hooking up takes about fifteen minutes and unhooking another ten. Rock has been arriving hourly since the first load. Then at about 14:00 the guy showed up to deliver our bookshelves. We ordered them from IKEA; we had IKEA shelves in Europe and brought them home with us but sold them in Florida. Cheap but well made, we ordered over the internet since the nearest store in in mid-California. Now we have new shelves - twelve boxes worth and 532 lbs worth and at least a couple of days work putting them together. Why do I get myself into these things?
Have a good day and if it's quiet, don't complain! Be careful, it's dangerous out there.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Quiet day here
My wife promised me biscuits and gravy for breakfast a couple of days ago but things came up & it wasn't until this morning that she was able to make them. We also had the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix race on the video recorder: it was a great combination. We had good food and the only sport that I follow! To crown the event, a real underdog won the race. What's not to like?
The weather here is still pretty windy. Gusts are over 30mph (50kph). Yesterday evening we couldn't see the mountains because of the blowing dust. Today it is fairly clear but not you still can't see the detail on the mountains.
I'm going to make a trip into town anyway; I've promised to do fried rice for dinner. Needless to say, it's nothing that you might get at an asian restaurant. None of my cooking follows a recipe. My fried rice has about 50 times more meat than a restaurant meal and I don't usually put egg in it. No reason, I just leave it out. It is a nice hearty meal the does not require me going out in the blowing dust to bbq!
Have a good one; be careful out there!
The weather here is still pretty windy. Gusts are over 30mph (50kph). Yesterday evening we couldn't see the mountains because of the blowing dust. Today it is fairly clear but not you still can't see the detail on the mountains.
I'm going to make a trip into town anyway; I've promised to do fried rice for dinner. Needless to say, it's nothing that you might get at an asian restaurant. None of my cooking follows a recipe. My fried rice has about 50 times more meat than a restaurant meal and I don't usually put egg in it. No reason, I just leave it out. It is a nice hearty meal the does not require me going out in the blowing dust to bbq!
Have a good one; be careful out there!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Rummaging About
The big excitement on Friday was talking with the landscaper. He's going to develop a little plan for us so we have an idea of what we'll get for our $10K. So far it sounds like he'll move some dirt around a bit; add an awful lot of rock in various colors and install gates. Sounds like fun, huh.
Saturday night we went out to eat at the steakhouse located in one of the casinos. Overall, it was ok but I don't think we'll be taking any truly discerning guests there. The presentation of my steak was awful; one appetizer was cold when it should have been hot; the server was nowhere to be seen most of the time. It just wasn't good enough; we may go back sometime but I don't know if we'll even do that.
Part of moving into a new house is the opportunity to go through your things. I'm rummaging around in some of my computer backups finding things I wrote and photos I took. It's kind of fun but it makes me want to travel more especially in Europe. And just now we can't do that. So, here's to the memories!
Amsterdam, the Netherlands:
Antibes, France:
Rome, Italy:
Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday night we went out to eat at the steakhouse located in one of the casinos. Overall, it was ok but I don't think we'll be taking any truly discerning guests there. The presentation of my steak was awful; one appetizer was cold when it should have been hot; the server was nowhere to be seen most of the time. It just wasn't good enough; we may go back sometime but I don't know if we'll even do that.
Part of moving into a new house is the opportunity to go through your things. I'm rummaging around in some of my computer backups finding things I wrote and photos I took. It's kind of fun but it makes me want to travel more especially in Europe. And just now we can't do that. So, here's to the memories!
Amsterdam, the Netherlands:
Antibes, France:
Rome, Italy:
Take care, it's dangerous out there!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Quiet Day in the Neighborhood
We had a pretty quiet day today, the big event being taking the dog to the vet for her shots. We went to one of the vets here in the valley and were disappointed to find that he took your animal off to the back of the building to be examined. The owner was not allowed to be present. I've had animals almost continuously since 1979 and I've never had a vet who wouldn't allow the owner to be present while the animal was being examined. Sure, when they are putting the animal to sleep while they operate on it; well, duh! Who needs some fat old guy like me fainting? But giving the mutt a shot in the butt isn't going to lay me out. Anyway, we didn't like that guy's business plan; told him so and left.
New vet is MUCH better! Not only do we get to be there, she's willing to get down on the floor with the dog to give her her shots. And, I think, she is quite a bit cheaper. We were both happy with the experience.
Second high point of the day was when FedEx delivered a voltage converter so we can run our little Dutch lamp on 120 volt current. We like our little souvenir to work! It's funny; the lamps we saw in Dutch shops were so different; so innovative to our stodgy American eyes. This one was tiny; we knew we wanted to take it home with us and I wasn't going to spend $300 on a lamp that we might not be able to use in the US. Those lamps we saw almost 10 years ago are in Home Depot now. Wonder what's available in the Netherlands now. Wish I could go find out!
Bummer of the day was when we discovered that a tool with little rubber feet had left apparently permanent marks on our new table. The table is very light colored wood (pine most likely) and now we have these little round marks on it. We'll talk with the furniture store but nothing we've tried made a dent on the marks. We may have to sand them out and refinish the table! Not my thing but what the hell.
That's pretty much all that's going on here. Hope your days went well. Take care; it's dangerous out there!
New vet is MUCH better! Not only do we get to be there, she's willing to get down on the floor with the dog to give her her shots. And, I think, she is quite a bit cheaper. We were both happy with the experience.
Second high point of the day was when FedEx delivered a voltage converter so we can run our little Dutch lamp on 120 volt current. We like our little souvenir to work! It's funny; the lamps we saw in Dutch shops were so different; so innovative to our stodgy American eyes. This one was tiny; we knew we wanted to take it home with us and I wasn't going to spend $300 on a lamp that we might not be able to use in the US. Those lamps we saw almost 10 years ago are in Home Depot now. Wonder what's available in the Netherlands now. Wish I could go find out!
Bummer of the day was when we discovered that a tool with little rubber feet had left apparently permanent marks on our new table. The table is very light colored wood (pine most likely) and now we have these little round marks on it. We'll talk with the furniture store but nothing we've tried made a dent on the marks. We may have to sand them out and refinish the table! Not my thing but what the hell.
That's pretty much all that's going on here. Hope your days went well. Take care; it's dangerous out there!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Dark nights
About a mile north of where we live is a road that goes over into California. When you leave Pahrump you go over a small mountain range then descend to the southern part of Death Valley. Then you go over another range and land in the Mohave Desert. Even now, when I watch vehicles leave town at night headed into the darkness I wish them well. I cannot imagine what the people who settled this land must have felt. Mountain after mountain; desert after desert; it would almost drive a guy to believe in God. Or at least wish like hell that there was one!
Be careful, y'all. This isn't the only place it's dangerous out there!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Dust?
I took this photo this morning of the mountain almost due north our house. (Sorry about the power lines!) This afternoon I can hardly see it because of dust in the air. We are having 25mph winds with gusts to 50 (40kph gusting 80 kph). This is from one of the Las Vegas tv stations:
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has issued a dust advisory for the weekend due to high winds. Clark County Air Quality officials are advising residents that there could be unhealthy levels of dust due to expected high winds. Dust can cause people with respiratory illnesses like asthma to have symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
Not a great day for outside activities; not to mention it is kind of cool. Good day to stay inside and spend way too much time on the net. Whatever you are doing, be careful, it's dangerous out there.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Lazy Day
Had a good trip to Vegas yesterday. Kid (she is going to be 39 this summer!) is kind of crazy - working really hard & no boyfriend worth speaking about. Still, we enjoyed hearing all her news. She got a new camera and took a photo of me so I have a new blogger photo that is only a day old. The wine was on the table next to me this time rather than in my hand. Funny how many photos of me include alcohol.
I'm lazy today; doing almost nothing. I am, however, hungry for chicken stew. Who knows where that kind of lust originates! So I'm off to the store in a while to get the makings. Have a recipe that has chicken, tomatoes and cannellini beans. I got it off the net quite a while ago and never made it; or at least never made any notes about it. It's one of those cook until the meat falls off the bone things.
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
I'm lazy today; doing almost nothing. I am, however, hungry for chicken stew. Who knows where that kind of lust originates! So I'm off to the store in a while to get the makings. Have a recipe that has chicken, tomatoes and cannellini beans. I got it off the net quite a while ago and never made it; or at least never made any notes about it. It's one of those cook until the meat falls off the bone things.
Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Traveling man
Photo is of the mountains west of our house in light from the sunrise.
Today we are headed over the hump to Las Vegas to see our daughter. She has been traveling a lot lately so we thought it would be easier on her if we came to her place. We'll just have a couple glasses of wine and dinner then come home. Nice low-key visit.
Got the blinds put up yesterday; today my wife is online ordering more! No good deed goes unpunished I guess. She helped me put the largest one up; it's over six feet long (nearly two meters). Now she is going to be telling her entire family how SHE put the blinds up. I know how this woman operates. Her family thinks I can't tell one end of a screwdriver from the other. How I come to have all those tools must be a mystery to them.
I just looked at that photo I have on the blog and figured out that it was taken in Nice, France ten years ago in May. Wow, does time fly when you are having fun. I'll see if I can't find another. Haven't changed much though; weigh about ten pounds more (four kilos) and grayer. Imagine that! Still drink wine. I am usually behind the camera; maybe I'll talk the kid into taking a couple for us.
Gotta go. Take care, it's dangerous out there.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Quickie
This house was a foreclosure. Twelve of the thirteen houses we saw when we were buying were foreclosures. When people are forced out of their houses they get mad; and they try to take whatever they can. Here, one of the things they took were the blinds. The bank replaced the blinds on the street side of the house but not in the back. We finally ordered blinds for the back windows of the house and they arrived yesterday. Today I'm "the blind man". Lucky I don't have to drive anywhere (for all you blondes out there).
The instructions say allow 25 minutes a blind - we have six so I have three hours of work. Better get going or I won't be done by Happy Hour. Have a good one but be careful.
On that note: glad to say Braja - from lostandfoundinindia.blogspot.com is recovering. It is obviously going to be a while before she is completely recovered but at least she's on the road.
The instructions say allow 25 minutes a blind - we have six so I have three hours of work. Better get going or I won't be done by Happy Hour. Have a good one but be careful.
On that note: glad to say Braja - from lostandfoundinindia.blogspot.com is recovering. It is obviously going to be a while before she is completely recovered but at least she's on the road.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Things are cooking!
Today seems to be the day for cooking. I bought some london broil beef the other day & got around to working on it yesterday. London broil is also called Flank steak; it is from the under side of the cows stomach, near the back legs. http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/meats/beef/glossary3.asp#flank These folks have a nice picture of what comes from where.
Anyway, yesterday I cut up one piece of the steak for jerky. I marinate the jerky over night then today I put it on the dehydrator to dry. When done it is pretty tough but very spicy. Don't have any trouble getting rid of it!
The other piece of london broil I cut up into .5 inch (or 1 cm) chunks for chili. Brown it in olive oil then add a beer and a can of Rotel canned, spiced tomatoes and let it cook. About an hour later I figured out that I hadn't put any chili powder into it! Well, the meat would need more cooking anyway. Added a couple of tablespoons of chili powder (three centiliters - if that is the right measure) and a teaspoon (maybe three/fourths of a centiliter) of cayanne pepper. After another hour & a half, I added a can of red beans. Letting them warm while I cut up some onion & cheese for toppings. Opened the salsa and invited my wife to lunch. Yum!
Lots of leftover for the next few days. Hope you are having a good one. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Anyway, yesterday I cut up one piece of the steak for jerky. I marinate the jerky over night then today I put it on the dehydrator to dry. When done it is pretty tough but very spicy. Don't have any trouble getting rid of it!
The other piece of london broil I cut up into .5 inch (or 1 cm) chunks for chili. Brown it in olive oil then add a beer and a can of Rotel canned, spiced tomatoes and let it cook. About an hour later I figured out that I hadn't put any chili powder into it! Well, the meat would need more cooking anyway. Added a couple of tablespoons of chili powder (three centiliters - if that is the right measure) and a teaspoon (maybe three/fourths of a centiliter) of cayanne pepper. After another hour & a half, I added a can of red beans. Letting them warm while I cut up some onion & cheese for toppings. Opened the salsa and invited my wife to lunch. Yum!
Lots of leftover for the next few days. Hope you are having a good one. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
St Patrick's Day......
Friends in Florida always celebrated St. Patrick's Day; not that they were Irish, they just liked a reason to have a party. We had to have the traditional corned beef, cabbage and potato boiled dinner. Yum! I loved it. I'm surprised that there are leftovers. Comfort food; sometimes I think it is what I live for. It is an easy thing to prepare these days. God knows what is like to prepare the piece of meat that we buy in the package (or what's in it!).
Talked to our friends (the Florida folks) today. Steve is already blaming everything in the world on Obama. He is amazed that we think Bush should be prosecuted for war crimes. What kind of weird world does he live in? Of course he only watches the Fox news channel. He did give us some tips about gambling in the casino. He's married to a great woman. I couldn't stand being married to her, mind, but I do like her. Kicks him in the ass regularly (figuratively of course).
Got the blinds for the back of the house today. We ordered them a couple of weeks ago. Guess what I'll be doing in the morning. Now there are only the glass doors and a couple more windows that need covering. Finishing the house will never end!
Braja from http://lostandfoundinindia.blogspot.com/ was in a hell of an accident - here is the story: http://www.prabhupada.org/rama/?p=4422 Please send your good thoughts to her, her husband and their taxi driver. Sounds like they ran head on into a really big truck.
On that happy note, I leave you. But remember, like I always say, be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Talked to our friends (the Florida folks) today. Steve is already blaming everything in the world on Obama. He is amazed that we think Bush should be prosecuted for war crimes. What kind of weird world does he live in? Of course he only watches the Fox news channel. He did give us some tips about gambling in the casino. He's married to a great woman. I couldn't stand being married to her, mind, but I do like her. Kicks him in the ass regularly (figuratively of course).
Got the blinds for the back of the house today. We ordered them a couple of weeks ago. Guess what I'll be doing in the morning. Now there are only the glass doors and a couple more windows that need covering. Finishing the house will never end!
Braja from http://lostandfoundinindia.blogspot.com/ was in a hell of an accident - here is the story: http://www.prabhupada.org/rama/?p=4422 Please send your good thoughts to her, her husband and their taxi driver. Sounds like they ran head on into a really big truck.
On that happy note, I leave you. But remember, like I always say, be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Traveling
Yea! We went somewhere other than Vegas! We went the other way, to Death Valley. I admit you must like rock if you are going to like Death Valley. Guess I like rock. Especially when it is in fantastic shapes and colors. Took a bunch of pictures but the colors were all washed out. Don't know what I did wrong; maybe a filter or something is in my future. (NO, getting up for the sunrise light is probably not in my future. LOL)
Many centuries ago there was a lake at the bottom of the valley; now there is still a bit of water. It's called Badwater because it is salty. Here is the obligatory photo of the sign telling you where I was.
I only took the one photo of the sign; there was another couple there who were just crazy about it. They had what looked like a VERY expensive camera with a lens that was about eight inches long (20cm) with a glare shade and all that. They used this wonderful camera to take turns taking photos of each other with the sign. They spent five minutes taking photos there; first of her then him. It's not like they were Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie either - they were about 50 & quite ordinary. They weren't even speaking with an accent. Whatever turns them on, I guess.
What I really liked was the sign showing where sea level would be.
To really enjoy the sign, you need perspective. That's my truck at the bottom of the cliff; the sign is circled in red.
We took a lunch and the dog and made a day of it. It is only about an hour's drive to get there. You don't see all that many cars though (and NO trucks). Bought our annual pass that lets us into all the national parks - $80 and well worth it since there are lots of parks here in the west. Left the park about 15:00. Stopped in Shoshone, CA to buy a CA Lotto ticket and got home by 16:30. All in all, a great day.
Be careful out there; it's dangerous!
Many centuries ago there was a lake at the bottom of the valley; now there is still a bit of water. It's called Badwater because it is salty. Here is the obligatory photo of the sign telling you where I was.
I only took the one photo of the sign; there was another couple there who were just crazy about it. They had what looked like a VERY expensive camera with a lens that was about eight inches long (20cm) with a glare shade and all that. They used this wonderful camera to take turns taking photos of each other with the sign. They spent five minutes taking photos there; first of her then him. It's not like they were Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie either - they were about 50 & quite ordinary. They weren't even speaking with an accent. Whatever turns them on, I guess.
What I really liked was the sign showing where sea level would be.
To really enjoy the sign, you need perspective. That's my truck at the bottom of the cliff; the sign is circled in red.
We took a lunch and the dog and made a day of it. It is only about an hour's drive to get there. You don't see all that many cars though (and NO trucks). Bought our annual pass that lets us into all the national parks - $80 and well worth it since there are lots of parks here in the west. Left the park about 15:00. Stopped in Shoshone, CA to buy a CA Lotto ticket and got home by 16:30. All in all, a great day.
Be careful out there; it's dangerous!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Great comment!
I subscribe to this service that offers quotes from the time when the US was being formed. Some are from people like Washington or Jefferson; you would need to do some searching to know some of the other speakers. I really liked this quote:
"If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send 150 lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, & talk by the hour? That 150 lawyers should do business together ought not to be expected." --Thomas Jefferson, autobiography, 1821
I was watching an interview with Warren Buffett the other day where he said that we need the President to come out with at least the start of a plan to fix some of our financial crisis. It sounded good coming on the heels of Jefferson's comment. We can't committee this thing to death; we need to do something. Thankfully, we seem to have a President who is NOT planning on prosperity-by-making-war; unlike our last!
Have a good one but take care, it's dangerous out there.
"If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send 150 lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, & talk by the hour? That 150 lawyers should do business together ought not to be expected." --Thomas Jefferson, autobiography, 1821
I was watching an interview with Warren Buffett the other day where he said that we need the President to come out with at least the start of a plan to fix some of our financial crisis. It sounded good coming on the heels of Jefferson's comment. We can't committee this thing to death; we need to do something. Thankfully, we seem to have a President who is NOT planning on prosperity-by-making-war; unlike our last!
Have a good one but take care, it's dangerous out there.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Dull and duller?
Sat around fooling with the internet today until after lunch. Then thought I'd take a drive. Left town on highway 160 headed north; ended up visiting the small 'town' of Crystal, Nevada. Maybe there used to be a town there but now there are only a couple of business ventures: a bar (with some old newspaper clippings called a museum); and two brothels. I'm a dull guy so I went into the bar.
That was really kind of interesting. There is a woman behind the bar and two old guys drinking. Both were drinking mixed drinks and were pretty drunk, especially for 13:00! They were both saying 'one more and I'm leaving'. Anyway I just walked around learning some of the history of this part of the country. Apparently there have been a few brothel owners who have disappeared or have been murdered. Didn't know it was such a dangerous occupation. Anyway, I had my beer (a light one at that!) and left. The brothels were a series of mobile homes and small factory built homes that were connected by enclosed walkways. One was 'closed for remodeling' but the other two were still going. Business wasn't very good though; two pickups full of guys isn't a crowd.
Came back to town and hit Home Depot - I'm not sure how long it will be here. There just isn't enought traffic to support it. When I went to check out, there was only one checker and she wasn't busy. Maybe I should go buy some stuff!
Take it easy out there, it's dangerous!
That was really kind of interesting. There is a woman behind the bar and two old guys drinking. Both were drinking mixed drinks and were pretty drunk, especially for 13:00! They were both saying 'one more and I'm leaving'. Anyway I just walked around learning some of the history of this part of the country. Apparently there have been a few brothel owners who have disappeared or have been murdered. Didn't know it was such a dangerous occupation. Anyway, I had my beer (a light one at that!) and left. The brothels were a series of mobile homes and small factory built homes that were connected by enclosed walkways. One was 'closed for remodeling' but the other two were still going. Business wasn't very good though; two pickups full of guys isn't a crowd.
Came back to town and hit Home Depot - I'm not sure how long it will be here. There just isn't enought traffic to support it. When I went to check out, there was only one checker and she wasn't busy. Maybe I should go buy some stuff!
Take it easy out there, it's dangerous!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Quiet times
We are having a little quiet time here in Pahrump. There are plenty of things I should be doing I suppose but I've no energy for it. Today my big thing was to make a pot of bean soup. It was a different recipe than I usually use but ok I guess. What can you do to bean soup anyway!
We are expecting family to visit near the end of April so are frantically looking for bedding and dishes and things like that. Went to one of the 'better' restaurants in town and decided the food wasn't good enough for our guests. My wife's fish was either old or had been frozen; my chicken was tasteless. There is another place; we'll try that soon. If that doesn't work out, we'll be looking for recipes for ten! I may be forced to buy that new bbq grill!
We did finally order blinds for the back windows of the house. They should show up in a couple of weeks. I hate being in a lighted house with the windows open to the world. I've read too many stories of assassinations. Besides, our guests may not be as comfortable undressing in front of an open window as we.
We simply must bite the bullet and have someone come rock in the yard. It's just a matter of choosing the person we like, opening the wallet and handing over the money. Everyone in town needs the business.
Hope you are having a good one.
We are expecting family to visit near the end of April so are frantically looking for bedding and dishes and things like that. Went to one of the 'better' restaurants in town and decided the food wasn't good enough for our guests. My wife's fish was either old or had been frozen; my chicken was tasteless. There is another place; we'll try that soon. If that doesn't work out, we'll be looking for recipes for ten! I may be forced to buy that new bbq grill!
We did finally order blinds for the back windows of the house. They should show up in a couple of weeks. I hate being in a lighted house with the windows open to the world. I've read too many stories of assassinations. Besides, our guests may not be as comfortable undressing in front of an open window as we.
We simply must bite the bullet and have someone come rock in the yard. It's just a matter of choosing the person we like, opening the wallet and handing over the money. Everyone in town needs the business.
Hope you are having a good one.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Buying stuff.....
Went over the hump to Las Vegas today because there are just a lot of things that aren't available on this side. Went to various stores and found that things are far from inexpensive. I've been hearing a debate whether we are experiencing inflation or deflation. Well, I don't know that the prices are going up but if people don't feel they have the money to buy them; what's that? (I promise you, we did manage to spend over $500 even so. Gotta do our part for the economic recovery!)
It reminds me of the builder we talked with before buying this house. He said that if one bought one of the foreclosed homes it would cost less than his cost to build the same thing now. His costs have not gone down - lumber, paint, cement are the same or higher than a year ago. His competition is existing homes that he built a few years ago; therefore he simply cannot build anything.
This was brought home by the people next door. I've never met these people but their house looks nice. It is about the same size as ours however their yard is landscaped (rocked in) and there is a nice two car garage built in the back yard. (There is already a two car garage attached to the house.) They do NOT have any kind of fence. They are asking $410K for this house; we paid well under $300K for ours. Do you see the problem here? Their extra garage probably cost about the same as our fence to build so the difference is their landscaping which is being estimated to us at $7-8K. It's an awful position in which to find oneself. I hope they aren't in a hurry!
Take it easy out there; it's dangerous!
It reminds me of the builder we talked with before buying this house. He said that if one bought one of the foreclosed homes it would cost less than his cost to build the same thing now. His costs have not gone down - lumber, paint, cement are the same or higher than a year ago. His competition is existing homes that he built a few years ago; therefore he simply cannot build anything.
This was brought home by the people next door. I've never met these people but their house looks nice. It is about the same size as ours however their yard is landscaped (rocked in) and there is a nice two car garage built in the back yard. (There is already a two car garage attached to the house.) They do NOT have any kind of fence. They are asking $410K for this house; we paid well under $300K for ours. Do you see the problem here? Their extra garage probably cost about the same as our fence to build so the difference is their landscaping which is being estimated to us at $7-8K. It's an awful position in which to find oneself. I hope they aren't in a hurry!
Take it easy out there; it's dangerous!
Monday, March 02, 2009
AMERICA, God Shed His Grace On Thee....
Someone with whom I generally agree; Lee over at "A Curates Egg.htm" had a moment about national service on one of his blogs. He was talking about military service and I'm not certain about my feelings on that. I went to classes during my college years and emerged an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. Those lessons and the two years I spent in the U.S. Army have been very important to the way I have lived my life: that is by way of open disclosure.
Currently, however, I'd like to see EVERY citizen required to spend at least two years working for our country. They needn't carry a gun but they would be required to help our nation. Not thinking about "number one" is good for the soul. I would love to see national service for ALL if it included more choices: military service; hospital service; the park service; etc. And I'd like it to include women as well as men. Women need to be treated like men; how tough it that to grasp? I think there are social values and lessons to be learned by being in a group. Some people do well in the military; some would crash and burn. However, I think that almost everyone would do well to have to give some time to "the greater good". Sure there are some who need to be exempt but in my mind people who were exempt could pretty much kiss off their political aspirations! (i.e. G.W.Bush)
Our new President is talking a lot about overcoming the political questions and focusing on the real problems of our country. Fine, during the Great Depression, there were a lot of guys on the government payroll in a program called the CCC: Civilian Conservation Corp. They needed work and the Federal government hired them. They built bridges and roads and did all kinds of things in our national parks. Now, seventy years later, we are still enjoying the fruits of their labor. It is time to renew some of those things though. What the hell is wrong with hiring a bunch of people to fix the roads in Detroit? I've been on them; they need work! BTW, don't wish to be nationalistic but only U.S. citizens need apply!
I'd love to see a new CCC. And they needed not stick to the parks and all. What state would object to the federal government not only funding but providing the manpower & all for a replacement of their highways? State highways are fine but they aren't built by state employees - why shouldn't a new CCC build the highways for the states?
We could also reduce the cost of health care dramatically by offering thousands of young men and women to serve as aids in hospitals and nursing homes. It doesn't take a lot of training to serve lunch or supply aspirin to patients. You get some choices: think of the help these people could give to their fellow citizens; think of the good it would do them to help others; or think of the good it would do our economy to have people earning money while reducing the national governments outgo.
BTW; I think it wouldn't hurt if EVERY COUNTRY required something of their citizens; the U.S. is not alone in thinking that freedom is not free.
Have fun but remember, it's dangerous out there!
Currently, however, I'd like to see EVERY citizen required to spend at least two years working for our country. They needn't carry a gun but they would be required to help our nation. Not thinking about "number one" is good for the soul. I would love to see national service for ALL if it included more choices: military service; hospital service; the park service; etc. And I'd like it to include women as well as men. Women need to be treated like men; how tough it that to grasp? I think there are social values and lessons to be learned by being in a group. Some people do well in the military; some would crash and burn. However, I think that almost everyone would do well to have to give some time to "the greater good". Sure there are some who need to be exempt but in my mind people who were exempt could pretty much kiss off their political aspirations! (i.e. G.W.Bush)
Our new President is talking a lot about overcoming the political questions and focusing on the real problems of our country. Fine, during the Great Depression, there were a lot of guys on the government payroll in a program called the CCC: Civilian Conservation Corp. They needed work and the Federal government hired them. They built bridges and roads and did all kinds of things in our national parks. Now, seventy years later, we are still enjoying the fruits of their labor. It is time to renew some of those things though. What the hell is wrong with hiring a bunch of people to fix the roads in Detroit? I've been on them; they need work! BTW, don't wish to be nationalistic but only U.S. citizens need apply!
I'd love to see a new CCC. And they needed not stick to the parks and all. What state would object to the federal government not only funding but providing the manpower & all for a replacement of their highways? State highways are fine but they aren't built by state employees - why shouldn't a new CCC build the highways for the states?
We could also reduce the cost of health care dramatically by offering thousands of young men and women to serve as aids in hospitals and nursing homes. It doesn't take a lot of training to serve lunch or supply aspirin to patients. You get some choices: think of the help these people could give to their fellow citizens; think of the good it would do them to help others; or think of the good it would do our economy to have people earning money while reducing the national governments outgo.
BTW; I think it wouldn't hurt if EVERY COUNTRY required something of their citizens; the U.S. is not alone in thinking that freedom is not free.
Have fun but remember, it's dangerous out there!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Change or not....
The other day I bought a new dehydrator and this morning I'm doing my first batch of jerky. I made a lot of jerky in Florida but the racks for the old machine were all broken up; it just wasn't worth keeping. We'll see if I can keep this one in better condition. In the excitement of moving here, I forgot my recipe for jerky marinade so went to my friend, the internet, looking for ideas. There were plenty of ideas and I ended up using one that is very similar to what I think (!) I used before.
It got me thinking about our need for change vs our need for stability. Here I am, 2,500 miles away from the house in Florida with a new dehydrator and I'm searching for the same old recipe. Has there been enough change in my life so I'm searching for pieces of the old life - or is it just preferring one recipe over the other. LOL A lot of physical things have changed over the last eight months but, after all, they are just things. The important things in my life, my wife, our kids, even our animals, are the same. Our country is changing as it always does. Our economy has declined, but that's not something I can affect. We have a new President who, I hope, will turn around some of the moral decline that was caused by the previous administration. Again, that isn't something an average person can affect (after the voting is over). I don't know, maybe I just need to go do some physical work! Think I'll go attack a tree or something.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
AFU
My title today is indicative of how I feel - I downloaded a 'registry cleaner' that cleaned things so well that I had to reload my computer. I couldn't even get Freecell to work! Couldn't see the router that is about five feet away; etc. Bah!
I'd forgotten how much I dislike Microsoft and how many extras I've downloaded. It's amazing how much stuff I use to avoid Microsoft or to do things that just aren't available from them. Anyway, the machine is back to about 50% of it's old self. Some things I'm still working on. For example, when I hover the cursor on top of something, the machine decides to go there without a click. This is something that is installed to enable people who for whatever reason can't click on the item. That's a nice idea; but in is not supposed to be enabled; the box isn't checked; but the damn thing is working anyway. Bah, humbug! At any rate, the people at Toshiba did include a 2 disc set that quickly and easily reset the machine. I am happy they did such a nice job.
Unfortunately, I didn't backup my 'favorites' list. Some blogs and other sites will be forever lost. Guess I just didn't care all that much anyway. If you spot my comments in the future, know that I really like you!
It's a sunny day in the desert; we've been overcast for several days. Should reach 70F (21C) today for the first time this year. I'm planning a little outside work to mark the occasion. The previous owner planted perhaps 20 trees in the yard then didn't water them. Needless to say, all are dead. They are little; 1-3 inches (2-7 cm) so some I can just snip off; others I'll saw off at ground level. We are going to rock over the entire yard so leaving the root ball shouldn't be a problem.
Must go get to work. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
I'd forgotten how much I dislike Microsoft and how many extras I've downloaded. It's amazing how much stuff I use to avoid Microsoft or to do things that just aren't available from them. Anyway, the machine is back to about 50% of it's old self. Some things I'm still working on. For example, when I hover the cursor on top of something, the machine decides to go there without a click. This is something that is installed to enable people who for whatever reason can't click on the item. That's a nice idea; but in is not supposed to be enabled; the box isn't checked; but the damn thing is working anyway. Bah, humbug! At any rate, the people at Toshiba did include a 2 disc set that quickly and easily reset the machine. I am happy they did such a nice job.
Unfortunately, I didn't backup my 'favorites' list. Some blogs and other sites will be forever lost. Guess I just didn't care all that much anyway. If you spot my comments in the future, know that I really like you!
It's a sunny day in the desert; we've been overcast for several days. Should reach 70F (21C) today for the first time this year. I'm planning a little outside work to mark the occasion. The previous owner planted perhaps 20 trees in the yard then didn't water them. Needless to say, all are dead. They are little; 1-3 inches (2-7 cm) so some I can just snip off; others I'll saw off at ground level. We are going to rock over the entire yard so leaving the root ball shouldn't be a problem.
Must go get to work. Be careful, it's dangerous out there!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Priority
I received a comment on my post about how things have changed; how we don't write long beautiful letters any more. The comment was that our priorities have changed. I am extremely tired of that word; though I cannot abandon it.
I spent a lot of years working in the computer world: programming; designing systems; supervising projects and people. The companies I worked for spent a lot of money on software intended to prioritize our work; and to keep track of all the fiddly little bits. You could look at a task, like writing a certain routine, and see this long list of tasks that needed to be done before it and another list of ones that should be done afterwards. I don't really miss those lists!
However, priorities are still with us. We are furnishing our new house; first buy the sofa then the end tables. First buy the bedroom set then the bookshelves. It goes on and on! Yes, we do have to prioritize things. Maybe I've just been doing it wrong lately. I wrote a letter earlier today. It's a start. Maybe I'll take the camera and go for a walk later.
Take care; it's dangerous out there.
I spent a lot of years working in the computer world: programming; designing systems; supervising projects and people. The companies I worked for spent a lot of money on software intended to prioritize our work; and to keep track of all the fiddly little bits. You could look at a task, like writing a certain routine, and see this long list of tasks that needed to be done before it and another list of ones that should be done afterwards. I don't really miss those lists!
However, priorities are still with us. We are furnishing our new house; first buy the sofa then the end tables. First buy the bedroom set then the bookshelves. It goes on and on! Yes, we do have to prioritize things. Maybe I've just been doing it wrong lately. I wrote a letter earlier today. It's a start. Maybe I'll take the camera and go for a walk later.
Take care; it's dangerous out there.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Buncha questions - 1 word answers
Answer the following with ONLY 1 word....not as easy as you might think!
where is your cell phone? desk
your significant other: Judie
your hair? leaving
your mother? Dead
your father? Dead
your favorite thing? life
your dream last night? messy
your favorite drink? scotch
your dream/goal? healthy
what room are you in? den
your hobby? photography
your fear? heights
where do you want to be in 6 yrs? here
where were you last night? here
something that you are not? loner
muffins? please
wish list item? health
the last thing you did? talked with a cabinetmaker
what are you wearing? pants-shirt
TV off
your pets? Loved
friends? Few
your life? Fine
Your mood? Happy
missing someone? Yes
your car? GMC
something you're not wearing: Undershorts;
your favorite store? Sears
your favorite color? blue
when is the last time you cried? movie
who will resend this? Won't send it
where do you go to over and over? Walmart; CVS; Albertsons; Smiths; etc
five people who email me regularly? 1 friend; 1 blogger; 1 kid; 3 or 4 family
my favorite place to eat? home
favorite place I'd like right now? Paris
where is your cell phone? desk
your significant other: Judie
your hair? leaving
your mother? Dead
your father? Dead
your favorite thing? life
your dream last night? messy
your favorite drink? scotch
your dream/goal? healthy
what room are you in? den
your hobby? photography
your fear? heights
where do you want to be in 6 yrs? here
where were you last night? here
something that you are not? loner
muffins? please
wish list item? health
the last thing you did? talked with a cabinetmaker
what are you wearing? pants-shirt
TV off
your pets? Loved
friends? Few
your life? Fine
Your mood? Happy
missing someone? Yes
your car? GMC
something you're not wearing: Undershorts;
your favorite store? Sears
your favorite color? blue
when is the last time you cried? movie
who will resend this? Won't send it
where do you go to over and over? Walmart; CVS; Albertsons; Smiths; etc
five people who email me regularly? 1 friend; 1 blogger; 1 kid; 3 or 4 family
my favorite place to eat? home
favorite place I'd like right now? Paris
Monday, February 16, 2009
Times have changed
Some time ago I subscribed to a newsletter that is fairly right wing. I thought that I might broaden my outlook by reading their ideas. Unfortunately, I can hardly read a sentence without thinking 'what claptrap!'. Then I stop reading. There is one redeeming feature of this group; they send out a daily quote from one of the founding fathers of this country. Here is one that was sent out recently.
"It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good disposition."
--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, 19 August 1785
This certainly sounds like a letter to a young person; a very fortunate young person to be tutored by so great a man. Of course the language is lovely but what strikes me is Jefferson had time to write to his young acquaintance. It seems we have no time any more. I cannot recall the last time I spent an hour writing a letter or even just watching the clouds roll by.
I forget, however, that Jefferson was a wealthy man with servants and slaves to take care of the mundane details of life. And his attention was not claimed by so many details of the world. He would not know of the airliner that crashed near Buffalo, NY or that nuclear subs have collided in the middle of the ocean. The amount of information we receive is truly amazing. Perhaps I need to create a limit on the amount of time I spend on the net. What do you think? What do you do? Do you find this information age somewhat daunting? Imagine the amount of information that is sent to the Presidents and Prime Ministers of the world. Yet another reason not to run for high office!
Take care; it's dangerous out there!
"It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good disposition."
--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, 19 August 1785
This certainly sounds like a letter to a young person; a very fortunate young person to be tutored by so great a man. Of course the language is lovely but what strikes me is Jefferson had time to write to his young acquaintance. It seems we have no time any more. I cannot recall the last time I spent an hour writing a letter or even just watching the clouds roll by.
I forget, however, that Jefferson was a wealthy man with servants and slaves to take care of the mundane details of life. And his attention was not claimed by so many details of the world. He would not know of the airliner that crashed near Buffalo, NY or that nuclear subs have collided in the middle of the ocean. The amount of information we receive is truly amazing. Perhaps I need to create a limit on the amount of time I spend on the net. What do you think? What do you do? Do you find this information age somewhat daunting? Imagine the amount of information that is sent to the Presidents and Prime Ministers of the world. Yet another reason not to run for high office!
Take care; it's dangerous out there!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Warning!
Found this on the web somewhere; it's so true! Be careful out there, it's dangerous.
BREAD IS DANGEROUS.
1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; Infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; Many women died in childbirth; Diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.
4. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
5. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat, begged for bread after as little as two days.
6. Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cream cheese.
7. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey, bread-pudding person.
8. Newborn babies can choke on bread.
9. Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 450 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than two minutes.
10. Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaning-less statistical babbling.
BREAD IS DANGEROUS.
1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; Infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; Many women died in childbirth; Diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.
4. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
5. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat, begged for bread after as little as two days.
6. Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cream cheese.
7. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey, bread-pudding person.
8. Newborn babies can choke on bread.
9. Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 450 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than two minutes.
10. Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaning-less statistical babbling.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Dumb and dumber
Here is one of the dumbest things I've seen in a long while. It doesn't even work as a joke. It is being called a Democrat Special; you are supposed to be so down about the way the world is going that you want to end it all. Jeez! That implies to me that things were so much better six months ago. Don't these people have any memory at all? Gotta admit, the artwork is nicely done though.
Take it easy, it's dangerous out there.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Quiet Day
Today was a quiet day. Did some laundry while my wife cleaned up the kitchen. Also found our Social Security cards - took a while because who cares about them really. Unfortunately for us, the State of Nevada wants them before we can get our new driver's licenses! Took an hour or more to find the darned things. Anyway, the lost are now found. We'll take a couple more steps toward being citizens of Nevada in a day or two.
Tomorrow we get delivery of our new sofa and a couple of sleeper sofas intended for guests. We could buy regular beds for our guests but we feel cramped for space and since we usually have guests for a week or so a year... sleepers sounded reasonable.
Went over the hump to Vegas yesterday. It was rainy in the valley; the same when I went over the pass to the big city. When I came back the rain turned to snow as I approached the pass. They had a couple of inches in the ground up there but it didn't stay on the road. I was glad to be coming home at 15:00 rather than 22:00 when I imagine the conditions were quite different.
It was rainy and blowy today. I put down a towel while I washed the dog's feet after her walk and the damn thing blew away! Guess that wall around the property is going to come in handy if only for keeping things from blowing away. A side effect is that the light is great - first dull then sparkling then alternating between the two. It makes it totally impossible to describe the mountains. I'm just loving looking at them.
Take it easy out there; it's dangerous!
Tomorrow we get delivery of our new sofa and a couple of sleeper sofas intended for guests. We could buy regular beds for our guests but we feel cramped for space and since we usually have guests for a week or so a year... sleepers sounded reasonable.
Went over the hump to Vegas yesterday. It was rainy in the valley; the same when I went over the pass to the big city. When I came back the rain turned to snow as I approached the pass. They had a couple of inches in the ground up there but it didn't stay on the road. I was glad to be coming home at 15:00 rather than 22:00 when I imagine the conditions were quite different.
It was rainy and blowy today. I put down a towel while I washed the dog's feet after her walk and the damn thing blew away! Guess that wall around the property is going to come in handy if only for keeping things from blowing away. A side effect is that the light is great - first dull then sparkling then alternating between the two. It makes it totally impossible to describe the mountains. I'm just loving looking at them.
Take it easy out there; it's dangerous!
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