Stings and things

I managed to figure out some more of the inner workings of the Linux accounting program; I am so used to Quickbooks automating the double entry system that the GnuCash way was confusing. I went on a quest to find my old college accounting course textbook, and am relearning some stuff from it. I can now create invoices, do accounts receivable and accounts payable, and hopefully make payroll. It isn't as easy as my old way, but we do not have much of a business left so I should be able to get along. I also have spreadsheet templates to be used if needed.
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Yesterday afternoon was back to the market on hwy 107. They had some more fresh corn and okra, but the latter had too many black spots so Carolyn did not buy any; black spots usually mean tough okra. We drove back via Dry Creek where we stopped at Jerry's and gave him a sack of corn. I decided to fool around in the local junk yard a bit to see if there was anything suitable for photographing and came within a step of putting my foot right on a small hole in the ground that was in actuality the entrance to a yellow jacket's subterranean nest. Yellow jackets are a wasp about the size of a honey bee. The video is of a similar hole that someone else encountered. In my life I've had many fleet run-ins with these fellows, and it used to be after one or two stings I was far enough away not to be bothered anymore. These days are different: having to use a cane just to walk precludes any running away, and to make things worse, I have developed an allergic reaction to bee and wasp poison. If I get stung it is much like being in the presence of a pretty woman; my pulse and breathing become rapid, my blood pressure falls to the point where I become light-headed, I start sweating, and if I don't lie down I will fall down. My dad was even worse off; if he got stung he had to immediately go to an emergency room to get an anti-venom injection or he risked dieing. It has been many years since I have been stung, so I do not know what my body's reaction would be now.

After leaving Jerry's, we drove part way up the mountainside on a rough fire access road. There was not much to see, and Carolyn did not like the ruts, so I turned around and came home.
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Last night was the big NASCAR race at Bristol, a huge facility that is a bit less than a 30 min. (normally) drive from my house. I used to religiously watch it on tv each year, but since the organization made all the cars look exactly alike, I have completely lost interest, and so have a lot of other people. That fact--along with a suffering economy--has put attendance at the tracks way down for the past two seasons. The big telling point is that many race fans are not watching the events on tv either. There were a lot of fans like myself that were brand loyal, and the only thing about the cars now that has to do with brand is the engine and some decals that proclaim the marque; they can--and do--swap engine brands and decals from car to car, and no one can tell the difference. The drivers are a very talented group of whiny-assed kids, and that does little to promote the sport among people who like to see good racing and not have to listen to a bunch of blame laying because only one of them won. Not a race goes by without some kind of dirty laundry being publicly aired.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!

Friday things

As if I didn't have enough to do with learning Linux and porting stuff to it, I have to take a break and go get my weekly fix. I used to get my shot and spend the remainder of Friday afternoons making photos at one or more of the nearby parks or around the area where I grew up, but bad eyes and a lot of rain this year have put a damper on all that.
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The payroll is finished except for check printing. It is a task that used to take an hour or more to complete twice each month, but with only two employees to pay, it takes about 20 minutes from time sheets to check printing. It has taken much longer this time due to GnuCash not having a payroll module and everything has to be entered by hand.
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By the way; I managed to load Windows on the new computer, but I will not be using it very often ... at least I plan to wean myself from it.
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I read where Google has accelerated developing their 64 bit Chrome browser for Linux. They seem to have put the Windows 64 bit development on the back burner. I hope this is a sign that the Chrome operating system will soon be completed. It is to be Linux based.
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Looks like most of the local robins have left for their winter headquarters on the Gulf coast. I've not had much porch sitting opportunity this year, and like the birds, time has flown by. I am preparing to start to commence to begin to get ready for winter.
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Well, back to work.
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Docs and books

Carolyn had a doctor's appointment this morning and came back with a clean bil of health and a nearly clean checking account. Although she gets medical stuff done at reduced costs because she has no insurance, it is still out of reason.
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It's been a hard day at the office. I am finding the migration from Windows to Linux becoming easier. Most of the day was spent working with GnuCash, a finance and accounting program that will allow me to do everything QuickBooks does, although there is a learning curve. I will be using both my old Windows XP and Linux until the first of the year, then I plan for it to be all Linux. One thing though, I will never be comfortable with the Gimp like I was with Paintshop Pro.

I booted the old machine into Windows to copy some things I needed from there, and first thing I saw when I logged on was a warning that my anti-virus program hasn't been updated for several days. I damn sure do not miss stupid stuff like that when booting Linux.

I haven't even had time to read the obits today; I may be dead. Haven't looked at my online comics either; after the obits I generally begin the day by reading The Born Loser and wind up with classic Calvin and Hobbes.
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Well, back to learing the finer points of GnuCash.
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MS+OS=Mess

One thing for very sure, Microsoft does not like Linux. For near two weeks I have been trying to make some version of MS Windows install and work on my new pc build. I went as far as spending three hours downloading the pre-release version of the new Windows 7, and it will not install. Apparently they all must be gagging on any Linux residue I've left on the machine. Actually, it has nothing to do with what I have installed on my computer. MS is so scared that someone will steal a copy of their bloatware that they are making it almost impossible for do-it-yourselfers like me to use their products. They wonder why people are switching to Linux. Like a lot of folk, I hope Google's Chrome based OS will soon be ready for public consumption; it could very well be the death knell for Windows on the desktop.

Sooner or later I will find a hack to make one or another of the Windows work, but until then, I will be switiching between computers.
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My eyesight is coming and going; I had four very good days, but the past three have been so-so at best. It will probably be cold weather before the allergies all go away. I have been able to make a few photos and upload some to Flickr, this blog, and the new photo site, but I cannot jump into anything with enthusiasm due to not knowing how long I will be able to see well enough.
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The last of the true televisioin journalists are dieing, and with them go the best years of tv news coverage. Walter Cronkite passed just a month ago, Robert Novak died yesterday, and now Don Hewitt is gone. I respeced all three of these men, although I did not always agree with them, Mr. Novak in particular.
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Michael Jackson--a real nobody muiscally--died and was mourned by the world. A true musician and musical pioneer died and most people in the world do not know he even existed. Les Paul was real man.

Wilbur

Carolyn and I ran some errands yesterday, and wound up at one of my favorite places in the world, the small lake behind Wilbur Dam on the Watauga river. We needed some together time, but it was short lived due to a work "crisis". I wish people would learn to think for themselves.
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Great news: Wholesale prices fell more than expected! Real news: Retail prices probably will not reflect much of the decrease. Wholesale prices are what the government uses to make its economic predictions, but like the government itself, they are unrealistic. In the real world, the money you and I have to spend for life's needs is the important equation. Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for the old and disabled are based on wholesale price indexes, not on what we have to pay as consumers, and as long as big business (and a lot of times, small businesses) are allowed to gouge people, there will be no relief for Joe and Jane Average.
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Sight seeing

Last evening we had another of those downpours that prove the Johnson City Development Authority is an useless entity. Thirty plus years of authorizing, talking, planning, promising, consulting, committeeing, spending, and tearing down some of the city's best heritage buildings have done nothing to alleviate downtown flooding. If these jerks have a plan, I'd sure as hell like to know what it is. No, I take that back; to know would just make me more nauseous.
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Healthcare in America; bought and paid for by big business as usual.

The score:
Sarah Palin - 1: Barack Obama - 0.

I wonder if these "well meaning" people understand or have even read the preamble to the American Constitution, especially the phrase "Promote the general welfare"? "We the People" means ALL the people, not just the wealthy and powerful.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
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On a more religious subject:

Diagonally across the street from me lives four college girls; as young and as pretty as they come. One of them has taken on a habit of walking around naked in front of her bathroom window which faces my house and can easily be seen from where I sit in the office. With strong binoculars, she should be able to see what I am writing. I have taken on a habit of making sure my window is as clean as possible, and I am so tickled my eyes are becoming well. I wonder if she would close her shades if she knew a drooling, super-horny old man was catching an occasional peek of her goodies, and actually I think she knows what she is doing. Because of trees and shrubbery (see photo), the only view of her window is in a straight line from my window, and I know if I can see her, she can also see me if she has looked out the window, and I also know she has done so. Oh, my ... excuse me while I find the bottle of Windex and remove my nose prints from the pane.

Why did I say "On a more religious subject"? I understand that these young ladies are part of a Christian sorority on campus.
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Obama the Coward

Barack "Change" Obama seems to have cut and run on the public health bill; he is just another coward in high office. The Republicans and Big Business have won again, making the health care plan a watered down measure that benefits only the few wealthiest people in the nation, those whom head the medical and insurance companies and own the US Congress. Without the option of choice, what is left? The same old same old is still as ugly as ever. Sometimes a brave man catches a case of cowardly leg disease and runs when maybe he should not have, but "Change" Obama has been a coward from day one; just another politician talking the talk to get elected, but no balls when it is time to walk the walk. Nine months in office and not one real piece of positive change to show for it. He is a better friend of Big Business than was Dubya, and that in itself is mind boggling. Mr. President of Change, do us all a favor and go away! Stand up for what is right or get out of the way.

Frontier folk

Yesterday was mostly spent going to the market for fresh corn and okra, and then riding some back roads in Washington and Greene counties. At the last moment, I decided to ride by Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park and lucked up on an ongoing frontier re-enactment. I was also fortunate to be able to park the Escape very near the action. It was a view of an encampment like the 1700's pioneers might have used as they moved across the mountains into the Tennessee Valley. It was supper fixing time, and most of the involved people were busy preparing the meal they would have that evening. All kinds of dishes were being prepared in iron and copper cookware, and the food was served on pewter or hand carved wooden plates. Staples like beans, corn, chicken-&-dumplings, squash, fried and baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, and much more were being prepared. I had to drag Carolyn away from the c-&-d before she began begging for some.

At the far end of the camp, American Indians were doing the same as the pioneers, but it was farther away than my sore knees would allow me to walk, and I did not get any photos there.

The pics I did get are not great as I had my slow zoom lens on the camera, and most of the goings-on were in deep shade away from the 90F degree heat. I think I will start leaving my 50mm f/1.4 lens in the car for such occasions.

I came away from the area with some good memories, and a renewed sense of awe for the well lived lives of my ancestors and their kind whom were willing to sacrifice everything to live free.
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Work

Labor Day in the US is only a few weeks away, marking the end of summer. For me, the day is much more important than just a holiday; it is why it's a holiday that is special. Back before organized labor was castrated by Ronald Reagan, working men and women in America had a voice in government that was heard and often heeded by lawmakers, but that is no more. Organized Labor pushed the legislators into creating a special day to celebrate the accomplishments of workers, whether they toiled in a factory, on a farm, on construction, in an office, or in any place where a person traded his time and ability for a paycheck. People actually had a say in how their lives were run while trying to make a living. With that power no longer in the hands of the workforce, big business was allowed to do as they wish, and that is a big part of why we are in this economic mess.

Would you like to have your 10 year old child or grandchild working beside you in a factory or mill 10 hours per day and six days a week for $1.00 each day? It was like that in the US until the labor movement put a stop to it. There were no "break times", and they were allowed a few unpaid minutes to eat a meal ... if they had one. If so, it was usually a biscuit or a piece of fruit brought from home. Even toilet time was deducted from their pay. They worked over and around machinery that would maim or kill them if they became a bit careless, and it they were hurt on the job, well, that was just tough luck. We know it isn't like that now, and is only a little of how having a voice in the way we live our lives at work has changed our nation for the good.

Big unions have done some bad deeds, and like a lot of things, the bad is accentuated in the press and the good things often overlooked. The American labor movement was once the standard of the world. It even helped end the Cold War by empowering workers like Lech Wałęsa of Poland to create the first labor union in Soviet controlled Eastern Europe. It was the beginning of the end of the Soviet era and the rise of hope for millions of people. American labor helped define the working conditions in France, Germany, Italy, and other countries, including our northern neighbor, Canada. We then empowered a bad president to take it all away from us because he said it was the thing to do. These other nations are now coming out of this recession, and we in the US have yet to reach the bottom ... if there is one.

This nation was built by the hands and pride of hard working people. When September 7 rolls around, please take a moment from you day and remember them.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!

Nachos!

I worked until late last evening and could not convince Vista to load. It's reputation as a dog is still intact, and so is that of Microsoft's (MS) arrogance. A guy at MS support suggested I buy a new sata dvd reader. I told him "no thanks" and would continue to use Ubuntu and Firefox. Those are nasty words at MS.

If the replacement disc does not work (and I expect that it will not), I am stuck having to swap a bunch of cables between pc's until I can learn to satisfactorily use Gimp and the Gnucash accounting program. I like Gimp, but Gnucash is tough to use after being so familiar with Quickbooks. It will not import QB files, so that means I will have to re-enter every transaction by hand, and our fiscal year began on Jan. 01. No freaking way! There are nearly 1,000 already! BTW: Don't you just love those Linux names?
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They say energy prices retreated in July. That could be true for most people, when they retreat, they must go somewhere and somewhere is where I am. Gasoline prices are still rising and my electric and natural gas bills are the highest they have ever been. One damn thing for sure, medical prices are not on the retreat; in fact, they are still attacking at a quick march.
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If I can scratch up enough scratch, I am going to the store and buy stuff to make some simple nachos, if I can remember how to do it; it has been nearly 30 years since I made them. Friend Fred used to make them in the 70's (or he had Alice to make them), and they are very good hot snacks (very hot!). I think he used Dorito corn chips, bean dip or refried beans, a bit of cheese (I believe it was American, but others may work), and sliced jalapeno peppers. Place bean dip on Frito, place cheese on dip, and top with a slice of jalapeno. Bake them until the cheese melts and serve hot with cold beer. Make a lot of them because they go fast! I suppose they could be eaten with salsa or cheese dip, but it would ruin the nostalgia for me. You will be a sissy if you remove the pepper seeds before eating.
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Away

I will be offline for a bit while I install Vista and other software. I need someone to hold my hand as I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Microsoft; I fear evil! My cup runneth over with trepidation! Sob-sob! "I have fought the good fight ... "

Bye; Pa; Shalom ...
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Well, all my fears came true. I still have no Windows Vista to use. The install cd is not even recognized by my computer. All flavors of Linux are recognized, but not the ratty Microsoft Windows. I even swapped out cd drives to see if that was the problem, but it was not. I have another trick I want to try and it is very time consuming and a big pain in the ass, but I have little choice. Seems very odd, actually. After several failures, I put the cd in my laptop and it was recognized and offered to load Vista. I tried an old copy of Windows XP and the pc offered to load it. No wonder people are turning to FREE and USEABLE Linux and Mac OS's. Now I have to get the old pc running again so I can do Carolyn's business stuff.
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How has your day been?

Limited

My eyes are messed up again. Rats! If they do not quickly heal, I will abandon most computing and reading until they do. This is beginning to become a little too much for me; I am not as tough as once I was.
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Last evening, Carolyn's crew found more money lying out in the same place they clean where some was found before. $6,000 this time. Same person is responsible for not putting it away.
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I did make a very few photos while in Fall Branch last evening, but I cannot see well enough to fool with them.
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I will shut up and go search for my eye drops.

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Finally back on Flickr and it is so freaking slow. If it wasn't for the wonderful people I've met there, I would abandon it in an instant. There are other places where people can share photos and interact; places where the administration is not arrogant and they care for the members and content. My "Pro" account is paid up until April, so I will have some presence there 'til then, and as long as I have close contacts there, I will hang around.
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I want to get out and make some photos! I've clicked the shutter a total of 11 times since I was at Cumberland Gap on July 3. I see (finally) all the wonderful things my pals have been doing and it gives me the burning desire.
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Carolyn has received some potentially devastating financial news. She may be about to lose 50 percent of her remaining business income. It's a new world out there, folks.
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Days of the Dog

Dog Days end today after a successful worldwide tour and sold-out performances. I felt like an old, worn out mongrel for most of August. I am considering going for my bath one evening this week; I will try using Tide instead of lye soap. I spotted a promising pool at a creek in Carter County and may give it a try this time. It appears to be suitable for a bubble bath, and fortunately after dining on beans and ham for a couple of days, I should be able to create my own scented bubbles. If anyone wants to join me for a bit of recreational skinny-dipping fun, let me know and I will tell you the time and place (wink-wink). I love the life of a hillbilly.
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Chris is working in the produce department at Wal-Mart in Elizabethton, but the "new" Ashley furniture store never did call JJ to work after promising him a job.
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Carolyn is threatening to trade me in for a new model while the "Cash for Clunkers" government program is going on. I tried to explain it is for cars, but I believe she is shopping around and trying to better herself in the spouse department.
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I am learning to use the G.I.M.P. photo editor, and the above pic was processed from a single .jpg using a tone mapping script. It did wonders for the clouds and opened up the shadows. This was uploaded at 85 percent quality. I like it.
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Bras and GIMPs

Didn't get much done yesterday but ride with Carolyn to various farmer's markets and produce stands. We probably used $10 gasoline to find $30 worth of veggies (said Ken the Miser). I took the camera along, but nothing of importance did I see.

I wanted to go into the mountains today where the temps will not be so hot, but Carolyn busted a bra and had to go shopping. My eyes are very much improved and I need to get out and do some shooting. Maybe sooner or later I can get back to Flickr and other places, but it will probably be at least a week.

Speaking of bras, Carolyn has worn one of the hateful things to bed for the past 30+ years. I keep trying to persuade her not to and that I will not bother her, but she has insisted that my hands roam too much and has steadfastly clung to her supports. About a week ago, I remembered an article I read somewhere claiming that wearing a bra all the time could cause breast cancer. I think that claim has come under scrutiny by the scientific community because there were just a handful of subjects put to a long term test. Anyway, I told Carolyn about the claim without mentioning the scientific part, and she has not worn a bra to bed but one time since then, and one thing was definitively proven; I do have roaming hands that are now well slapped and very sore.
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The new computer build went smoothly with JJ (my son) doing all the mechanics under my close, expert supervision. Like Jerry and myself, he is very good at figuring out stuff like this, but they both tend to assemble first then wonder what went wrong, whereas I read and study first, assemble slowly, double check, then wonder what went wrong. I am waiting on the Windows Vista OS to be delivered from Amazon so I can get it installed and begin hating it, and then I will have to redo this Linux I'm working with as I write this. I made an installation mistake with it, but it is forgiving enough for me to keep on working. Windows XP would have failed to boot under the same circumstances.

I managed to load a few graphics files--photos--into GIMP and one thing I quickly noticed different from the old machine is the speed with which heavy renderings get done. That much of an improvement I did not expect. Also, movies play very well with other computer programs running in the background, due to the extra processor cores and memory.
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I am doing an outline for a new story; this one will be a detective whodunnit set in the late 1930's or early 1940's, Phillip Marlowe style (as played by Bogey). If I can get it finished and some older attempts polished, I will have enough for a novel-length book of short stories.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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New

Blogging from new computer.

North Korea - A View

My thoughts on the situation in North Korea:

• Never negotiate with a terrorist or a dictator. Britain's N. Chamberlain negotiated a "Peace for our time" treaty with Hitler in 1938, ceding him a big hunk of Czechoslovakia (which wasn't his to give) and then after taking over all of the Czech nation, Germany invaded Poland less than a year later, bringing on WW2. Superior force and threat of imminent and total elimination is all these puppet-masters understand.

• If Bill Clinton had let S. Milosevic run wild, what would Eastern Europe be like today?

• If H. Bush had allowed S. Hussein to keep Kuwait, how long before Saudi Arabia became a province of Iraq?

• Instead of strangling North Vietnam into submission in the 60's war, we negotiated a "dignified and peaceful resolution" with them. The communists now control all of Vietnam and sell us sweatshop products. R. Nixon sold us out via Chinese diplomacy.
  

• J. Kennedy was able to negotiate with N. Khrushchev concerning Cuba because the Soviets knew we held the trump card and were reluctantly willing to use it; the ability to destroy Russia.

• Kim Jong Il cares nothing for the people of North Korea or anywhere else; his only desire is for personal power and to be heard, revered, and feared in the international community. Many times we have sat at the negotiating table with him and his sainted father before him, and they always insist on more than a reasonable people are willing to give and they always manage to keep changing their wants and needs in the middle of the talks and if they do not get their way, they walk out.
  

It is time to bring the Korean Conflict to an end after nearly 60 years. North Korea fears only two nations and those are the United States and Japan. Big Stick diplomacy should be sufficient.

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I am writing some of this this yesterday in case I cannot see well today.
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Twitter was offline more than once for several hours yesterday due to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. DoS is where someone (a person or persons; a government entity or entities) flood the victim's computers with so many requests for service that the servers cannot handle them and basically shut down the affected site. Tragically, if one of our pc's isn't fully protected, it could be infiltrated and used by the evil doers to help with their crime. Sometimes it is just one disgruntled geek doing his childish thing, and other times it is more sinister. It could be a foreign government sponsored retaliation against the site for allowing their citizens to see things they do not want them to see. Recent events in Iran and China come to mind. I don't think it would be North Korea because most people there do not know that electricity has been invented (discovered), much less something as exotic as the internet. Even "secure" government military computers are not immune to such attacks and they do often happen, but the military is reluctant to tell an attacker whether or not he was successful. Imagine an enemy nation making a surprise military attack on the US under cover of a DoS infiltration (remember the movie War Games? Same thing only much, much larger scale) of the Pentagon war control computers. Your beloved and protecting government will tell you it cannot happen, but believe me, it can and sooner or later probably will happen. Another of my overly pessimistic pipe dreams? Possibly.
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The Atlantic Ocean has been suspiciously quiet so far this hurricane season.
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One thing I detest to have to do for the new pc build is buy an OEM copy of Microsoft Windows Vista so I can do Carolyn's business stuff without learning a new accounting system. I've been using Quickbooks for Windows since it first came on the scene in 1998, with a couple of upgrades along the way (presently the 2005 edition). The price of Windows has stayed about the same over the years, but Quickbooks has gone from $40 to $200. No more upgrades for me. Quickbooks does have an online version that can be run from Linux via Firefox browser, but the monthly fees are so high that I am better off buying Windows and using my old software on it.

I have been using the beautifully free, secure, and easy to learn Linux Ubuntu now as my primary weekend system for quite awhile, and will contine to use it more often. The only reason I do not use it a lot more is I have to restart the computer to switch to Windows and vice-versa, and that would not be too bad if it didn't take bloated Windows so long to load: 30 second (+-) load time for Ubuntu; 90 seconds (+-) for Windows on the same machine. A two computer setup on my desk? That sounds great but at my age, two of anything is confusing.

Actually I did take Windows XP completely off Carolyn's computer and off my laptop, and the world is a better place. One thing about the Vista purchase and install; I get a free upgrade to Windows 7 come October, and from what I can tell, it is a decent OS, but still very bloated. It has almost caught up with Ubuntu and the Mac Leopard OS in usability. Virus scanners and security software are the biggest drags on my computer's resources using Windows, but Linux has only a firewall, and it is built into the system kernel, which is the best place for it to reside and be protective of everything. No virus scanner is really needed on Linux, but there are a few free ones (very good ones) to use if it makes you feel safer.

My advice if you want to install Linux and Windows on the same machine; use separate hard drives for each. That way, if one hard drive fails, you will still have an operating system to use. Install Windows first if it isn't already in place, and then install Linux. Linux will find your Windows OS and create a boot loader that will allow you to choose which one you want to run when the machine starts up. You can even place Linux on an USB external hard drive, memory stick, flash drive, or even run it from a cd. Try that with Windows. Not!
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Seeing

A beautiful day it is! I placed moisture drops in my eyes at 7:30am, and it is now noon and no more have been required. I can see with both eyes; not great, but much better than in a long while. Please cross your fingers for me.
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Obama the electric man. I will give Mr. Obama credit for the electric car initiative; there are many technology breakthroughs out there waiting to happen so as to largely decrease our dependency on foreigh oil as a fuel source. The worlds next generation of kids will likely not be tied to a power or communications grid in any form. Cheap solar energy conversion—and I mean very cheap compared to today's prices for consumer electricity—will generate enough electricity with only three or four hours of sunlight each day to power our future homes. Solar cells will become so efficient that on days when the sun does not shine, enough energy can be generated to keep a house running. Solar power is already a viable alternative in places where ample sunshine is received each day, and it's cost once the equipment is installed is near zero. To boot, the equipment to solar-power a house is rapidly falling in price. A $6k one time investment will now buy the installed system for a 3,000 square foot energy efficient home, and all that will be needed is infrequent maintenance.

Let's get behind the President on this and the health care reform movements; let's make him do it.
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Did I tell you it is a beautiful day?! I am getting some things done that have largely been ignored for a month, and I hope later on to get to Flickr and do some catching up on my dear friend's photos. I have been viewing them when opportunity arose, but I have done but little commenting.
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Beginning tomorrow, I may go AWOL once more for a few days if my eyes hold up. For the past several months, I have been collecting parts to build the last computer I intend to construct (that is what I said about the this one). All the pieces have been purchased piecemeal from online retailers that were having closeouts and open box sales, no taxes, free shipping, and some were acquired with points I have built up from doing online surveys for the past ten years. The only part that is cutting edge technology is the cpu, an AMD Phenom II triple core unit. The pc I am now using was built by me exactly five years ago and could possibly be upgraded, but the price for the new one is significantly lower than an upgrade that still would not be as good (fast) as the new one; a two-core cpu upgrade would cost more than $400 for a used part (the new cpu is less than $100), and the entire new computer will be not much more than that when all is said and done and I will have warranties on everything. This computer I am using to write this cost more than $1500 to build in 2004 less a monitor, and it has been trouble free except for crappy software. Why am I doing it? Photo editing is the main reason; with today's too feature-rich software that hogs memory and cpu cycles, it is almost a must if you want to get anything done before the coffee becomes cold. Besides, when you get everything in place, plug in the power cord, and see the motherboard bios do its self tests and beeps that everything is ok, and when the boot screen flashes on the monitor, it is very satisfying, much like the thrill of having sex for the first time in a long while (not quite that good, actually).
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Yep, a beautiful day!
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Bill and the Babes

I will try to squeeze in a few words before my eyeballs go on break for the day.
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Wild Bill Clinton is being hailed for freeing the journalists from rogue North Korea. I'm glad they are home and safe, but I wonder what the US had to give up to make it that way? The US has a long standing policy of not negotiating with terrorists, but I bet there was some give and take; mostly give on our part. I hope we have not lowered ourselves to a position like France has assumed of paying out the nose in money and international prestige for release of hostages. We are changing as a nation, which is needed in many ways, but selling out to terrorists and sappy national leaders is not the road for us to travel. I wonder if Bill was allowed to visit and partake some the treats in the well known harem of Kim Jong Il?
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From the web:
You Know You're In A Redneck Church......

• IF the finance committee refuses to provide funds for the purchase of a chandelier because none of the members knows how to play one.
• IF people ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5000, whether the two fish were bass or catfish, and what bait was used to catch 'em.
• WHEN the pastor says, "I'd like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering," five guys and two women stand up.
• IF opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church holiday.
• IF a member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck because "It ain't never been in a hole it couldn't get out of."
• IF the choir is known as the "OK Chorale".
• WHEN in a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory.
• IF Baptism is referred to as "branding".
• IF high notes on the organ set the dogs on the floor to howling.
• IF people think "rapture" is what you get when you lift something too heavy.
• IF the baptismal pool is a #2 galvanized washtub.
• IF the choir robes were donated by (and embroidered with the logo from) Billy Bob's Barbecue.
• IF the collection plates are really hub caps from a '56 Chevy.
• IF instead of a bell, you are called to service by a duck call.
• IF the minister and his wife drive matching pickup trucks.
• IF the communion wine is Boone's Farm "Strawberry Hill".
• IF "Thou shalt not covet" applies to hunting dogs, too.
• IF the final words of the benediction are, "Y'all come back now!! Ya Hear"

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Thanks y'all for making my birthday one of my most memorable. You are the best!

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Very bad eye problems today ... hope to be back tomorrow.

65

Thanks, Alice. ☺♥☺
Thanks, Zuzka. ☺♥☺
Thanks, Kevin. ☺♥☺
Thanks, Jola. ☺♥☺
Thanks, James. ☺♥☺
Thanks, Mark. ☺♥☺
Thanks, Cyrus. ☺♥☺

Small thoughts

As promised, I have a small 'sermon" for today. It concerns Matthew 22:21 and is said by Jesus: They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. We must remember that Jesus was speaking in parables; sayings which we call metaphors in our English language era.

In the United States, the first amendment to the Constitution states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." In my opinion, the words of Jesus and the phrase from the American Constitution go hand in hand, and they each have the same meaning: government must keep out of God's business and religion must keep out of a government's business. It is the concept of "separation of church and state" which Thomas Jefferson wrote about in 1802. The problems arise when religions attempt to misinterpret or ignore the words of Jesus and the Constitution. If the US Constitution isn't good enough for American-style religions, why should they risk all and go against the words of the Son of God whom they claim to revere? Because they choose to interpret the words of Jesus Christ in any fashion which suits their immediate wants and needs. After awhile, these immediate wants and needs become part of the dogma and tradition and are never questioned by the congregations or their leaders, be it a lay preacher (laity), the Pope or whomever. In fact, I bet most Christians never bother to read and think about all the words of their Saviour, much less their entire Holy Bible. Instead, they go to church each weekend and depend on a Sunday School teacher or a preacher to tell them what the Bible says and means.

The same God whom created man also created in him the ability to think for himself, but when it comes to religious beliefs, our minds are taught (usually through fear of Hell as much as the love of God) to be closed to any other interpretations than those of the person(s) instructing us, just as they were instructed. These traditional teachings are instilled in us from the day we are born until the day we die, but if we choose to remain ignorant to the truth of Bible teaching, there may be a high price to pay.

Disclaimer: I am not one of those Sunday teachers, but am merely placing my thoughts here. My interpretations are ripe for interpretation, but they do come from an open mind.
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My next "sermon" may concern Jesus's teachings on questioning authority, especially biblical authority.

Politickin'

So far, my eyes are not as bad as they were for several days. The entire month of July was mostly lost but at least eye am still here and eye have hope.
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According to news sources, Obama says "Spirit of innovation" is the key to the future. Mr. O had better be taking his case for fixing the present to the voters so that pressure can be put on Congress to repair some of the mess from the past. I have yet to see any meaningful legislation to control big business, big banking, and big Wall Street. What does a salary cap on fat-cat executives prove? It shows us that Congress has our best interests at heart. Like hell, it does. It shows us that meaningless legislation to make themselves look good is as rampant as ever. The only thing that has changed in Washington in the past three decades are the shiny new faces in office. They still have the same grubby and greedy hands as the theives they replaced. Reagonomics has been a real blessing for them and big business, but it has ripped the heart out of our nation. The soul of America has been sold to anyone whom has a dirty dollar.
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When all the accounts have been counted, we will find that a large majority of the stimulus money has not been used for what was intended. The 15 percent of "normal" funding wastage will be more like 30 percent, and much of the money that is being trickled into infrastructure projects is being siphoned off by unscrupulous contractors and officials. One place some of the funds could be used is near my home. A few years back, the city built a park near where I live that is now heavily used by people from all over town and a big part of the county, but they have yet to widen a narrow and dangerous street that leads to it. There have been numerous auto accidents, but the park is not in well-to-do North Johnson City and the street widening is on the back burner and will likely remain there while they study old bricks and trolley lines in downtown. They are now planning a similar 'take Rover for a walk" park in the northen part of town which will push our area further back on the "poor south-west side" list. Money talks.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the week.

New stink from an old fart

I will attempt to write a bit while I have some decent sight this morning. I have been awake since 5:30, thinking about life in general. Nothing deep or profound was contemplated, just musing about where I am in life, where I've been, and where I think I will be for the unforeseeable future. I also thought a lot about the people I've known, the friends that have passed through, and the few whom I have left alive. One expects older family members to die and leave a void in his existence, but when friends pass by death, it is particularly troubling. Nearly all my real-life friends have been younger than me from a few months to several years; probably not by any choice of ours, but that is just the way it has been. Now, one only remains from my past, and I could not have been blessed with a better person than dear Alice. Yes, men and women can be friends without the "sex thing" being brought into play.

In this virtual world, things are a bit different. Actually, I've had only a handful of online people I would say are true friends, but even at that, we hardly know one another. Some whom I thought were my friends have just disappeared without a trace, while others have popped into and out of existence several times before their bits and bytes finally became only memories. The anonymity of the net makes it so easy to be a ghost-like entity and "just go away".

Whether they now are dead or alive, whether they be flesh and blood whom I can physically touch, or whether they are real people emoting in a virtual ether via an internet umbilical, each has been—and still is—very special. For the ones whom have come and gone, thank you for being a part of me and making my life so much better. For those whom are still with me in one way or another, thank you for your patience, kindness, and understanding.

Why am I saying all of this right now? For one thing, it probably has something to with becoming another calendar year older, and for another thing, I am about to go through some huge changes in my life; many things I have taken for granted for many years are going to be replaced by new things and there will be new trials to face and also some new opportunities for being a better and wiser person. I hope I have the "right stuff" for all of it, and I hope I can keep my dignity throughout. One thing about we hillbillies, we may look like fools and act like ignorance ordained to outsiders and flat-landers, but as long as we have our dignity, we have all we need.
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Be forewarned: Come Sunday if at all possible, I intend to do another of my little sermons concerning the bible. It will not be aimed at any one person, at anyone's faith, or at any one's brand of Christianity. It will be as inoffensive as I can make it and still be clear about my thoughts, but I am sure someone will take it and make it to be what it isn't, and to tell the truth, I will be disappointed if someone doesn't. Life is good and people are interesting.
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I still have a lot I want to say today, but my old eyes are beginning to fail me.
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Today both eyes are running sores so I will not be posting unless I find some relief. Thanks everyone for caring.

Going to town

Clarification concerning yesterday's post: Just because I am desperate and stoopid enough to put Neosporin in my eyes, doesn't mean I reccomend it for anyone else do so. Read and heed the directions on all medications and pay no attention to the rambling words of old men and witchy women.
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How poor were we when I was a small boy? Money poor for sure. Fortunately, my grandmother owned a few acres of the the old family farm which she was able to sell piecemeal when we became very needy. I did not have a lot of support from my dad (financial or otherwise) in those days, and my mom worked in the textile mills in Johnson City to support herself and me while we lived with my grandmother and shared the small house with with two of of my mom's brothers whom only did odd farm work for cash to buy their clothes and tobacco. Uncle Roy liked to drink, so most of his earnings went to various bootleggers. Another uncle moved out not long after returning home from WW2, and my aunt Iva married and moved on when I was small. As an only child, I was very spoiled by all these well meaning family members.

After walking the mile to the bus line and then riding into Johnson City, my mom and I usually spent several hours window shopping and browsing in the various five-&-dime stores. If she had some extra change, we would enjoy a ten cent hot dog and a nickel coke at the Woolworth's lunch counter. If the cash wasn't there, we would remain hungry until we got back home. It wasn't a big deal then, but if I thought one of my kids or grandchildren were missing a meal, it would fret me beyond reason. At that time, my mom could not afford to buy feminine napkins very often; instead she used cut-up sheets for such and washed and reused them. One time in the Kress store, we had been browsing for a few minutes, and she finally picked up a box and headed for the checkout. Being a curious little boy, I was tugging at her dress hem. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, bent over and warned me not to ask what it was she was buying. Kotex was a word that was sometimes whispered in the presence of children, and hardly ever discussed among adults. My mom was not one to easily endure embarrassment, and if I had asked her in public what she was buying, I can only imagine the consequences for both she and I.

Isn't it weird the things we think of around birthday time?
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Christianity: We receive gifts to celebrate the birth of Jesus and receive candy to honor his death. Cool!

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Rambling

Damn, this is a slow week. In fact, the past three weeks have been moving like molasses except for my age of course. I have been trying to think of a remarkable quote for my 65th natal anniversary, but all that comes into my head is "oh, crap!".
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During some work on Main Street in the old "downtown" part of my fair city, the crews uncovered some brick paving and a section of trolley tracks that once served "Little Chicago". The powers that be, along with the local rag are all atwitter over this find of "great historic significance". Those lousy bricks and short span of trolley tracks are going to wind up costing the taxpayers lots and lots of money as the city bows to pressure from the Johnson City Development Authority to use the artefacts as a center piece of downtown re-re-re-renewal. Over the past 30+ years, the JCDA has touted many "center pieces" of renewal, and everyone has been a dud except in the amount of money spent there and several real historic buildings being torn down for one "reason" or another. I will never forgive the municipal government nor JCDA for removing the old Arcade building which had many unique-to-the-city features. Bastards! I suppose they don't care one way or another about my forgiveness.
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My mom used to tell me of riding with my granddad in a horse drawn wagon from their home near Jonesborough to downtown Johnson City to sell cows milk and butter to the locals there. The route was along a road that is now called West Walnut Street in Johnson City, the Old Jonesborough Highway in the county, and East Main Street in Jonesborough. No wonder getting old is so confusing. As a lad, many times I walked with my mom to the bus line on "The Old Highway" and rode into JC for a nickel. Can you imagine what downtown Johnson City was like to a country kid that hardly ever went anywhere? All those big two and three story brick buildings, all those cars steaming and honking, and so many people going into and out of the five-and-dime stores and other public buildings were very imposing. I will get into more of this later when my sight has improved.
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My sight is slowly improving from what it was at the peak of my misery. My left eye is about 50 percent better, but the right one still has a long way to go. I am now taking advice that a witchy woman once gave me by the light of a full moon; I am placing a tiny dab of Neosporin on my eyelids and some of it is getting into my eyes. I believe it is helping with the healing. She was a wise old gal, even while she was bewitching me.
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The photo is of my grandson Jeremy and his best friend, Rimy.

Obama seems to have finalized the sale ot the economy to China. I'm glad I'm really too old to give a crap!
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I had two good days of vision this weekend, but today is back to the same old stuff. I'm beginning to believe i will not get well this time. Just something else I will find a way to deal with.
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Cannot see to write more ...
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Just Sunday

Not a lot going on today. I again watched the movie Wild At Heart last evening, and even if Laura Dern's tits were not displayed, it would still be a very good see. The actors are all great. Tonight I will watch Casablanca again for the umpteenth time. I'm not big on love stories, but this one with its remarkable actors, an incredible setting, and perfect script writing has made it my favorite movie of all time. I will not watch the colorized version that Ted Turner turned out.
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Later today I will ride with Carolyn to Elizabethton to clean the building; the one she cleaned in Piney Flats is no more.
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Dogs and Pigs

It is mid-Dog Days and time for my summer bath down at the creek. I am in a bit of a quandary this time: Should I use my regular lye soap to scrub off the crud, or can I find something else? I don't know of anything that will get my hide clean other than the mixture of lard, ashes, and lye, but seeing as how the main ingredient in the soap is rendered pig fat, I am afarid that I will contract insidious swine flu if I use it. I've stopped eating pork and I've given up my aspirations of someday being a professional football player and I will not travel in the state of Arkansas, so why should I risk my health just so I will smell a little better and my hair won't look so greasy? Modern problems they did not teach us about in school.
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Yesterday was my worst eye day in more than a week. Trudy, a Flickr friend whom lives in England has a lot of eye problems also, and she read about my struggles. She emailed me and turned me on to an eyedrop medication called Celluvisc which seems to contain some of the stuff that makes the expensive Lacrisert inserts work. Carolyn bought a box of them at Wal-Mart and I quickly found out I cannot use them in day time but they seem to work fine a night. Thanks very much for the info, Trudy. Celluvisc sure beats trying to place a dab of ointment under my eyelids at night.
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The Smoking Guns's Mugshots Of the Week!

Insurance switcheroo

Original photo is sepia. The other is a version restored with Calvin's Transmogrifier.
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A few weeks ago, an uninvited insurance peddler and his supervisor came a-calling at my door. I usually shoo them off, but I am about to lose a $25k term life policy next month when I turn 65 years old, so I figured I would listen to what they had to say. The presented and did show and tell about how pathetic life is for old folks without enough burial insurance and how sorry I would be if I left my dear bereaved spouse having to scratch up money for a burial. Sounded as if I would be dead, but in some way still hanging around feeling sorry for Carolyn. I told them I was to have the old "burn and turn" when I kick off in another 30 or so years, and I would not need a lot of money for that. A simple cremation with no services added and the ashes turned over to the family costs about $1500 these days. Nohow, I ended up buying a $5k policy, we shook hands, and off they went with a check for the first month's premium in their paws. A few evenings later, I receive a call from another of their reps asking me the same health questions as the original guys. I told them all I was ok except for the RA. The latter guy said I would be hearing from them in a week or so. Day before yesterday, two new guys showed up at my door with my policy in hand and big grins on their faces. As one of them was about to hand me the papers, he said, "Did the first reps tell you the policy may be 'rated'". I said no. He explained that because I had the RA, the policy had been rated and the $5k had been cut to $2501 but the premiums would stay the same. I told him to take his Liberty Life Insurance Company policy and hit the road, and I had better be getting my original premium back. This puts me to half-blind scrambling trying to find another policy before my birthday in less than two weeks. I have a couple of other small policies, but would like to have a bit more in case Carolyn wants to throw a big hoot when I am gone. I wonder how many people fall for that old switcheroo these guys were trying to pull on me?

There have been two more non-invited pitchmen to come knocking in the past week, but I have put them on their way. Also, I have received many, many letters wanting to explain to me how Social Security only pays $255 to my spouse when I die. These same peddlers also brought that up, and Carolyn asked them why the S.S.A. payed so little. One of them told her it is just how the government operates. I looked him square in the eye balls and said it is like that because insurance companies pay off congressmen to make sure it isn't changed. He admitted that it may be part of the reason. All I can say is beware and be assured of the fact that there are no "good" insurance companies out there.

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Seagate ships 40.6 million hard drives in Q2 but loses $81 million dollars. AMD loses $330 million in second quarter. Does any of that make sense?
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Received my invite and signed up for Google Voice.
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My eyes are bad again today, so it is back to a darkened room for me. Catch you later.

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Stimulated

Remember Obama's old codger stimulus checks that were to be sent to people whom draw social security benefits? It was part of his income tax decrease. Guess who got left out again? The money was supposed to go directly into our bank account like my regular measly funds do, but it did not do so. I have yet to receive one rebate or stimulus payment from the government since the bushman began this silly crap back in his first term. Uncle Sam has always "made up" for it at the next years tax time, but by then inflation has eaten a huge portion and I never see any real cash. I can go online and fill/file numerous forms to try and get it, but it just ain't worth it. Next year at tax time, I will not only allow for the $250, but also for inflation and penalties and interest just like the I.R.S. would do if I owed them. Screw 'em!
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Carolyn is at the church she cleans trying to do some extra work there so she will not have to pay the employees to do so. She is working herself into an early grave trying to hold on.
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Although the eyes are not as good today as yesterday, they are much improved over what I had the past two weeks. Hopefully I will be able to drive Carolyn to do the jobs this evening. Even more hopefully, I want to get back to making and editing photos, plus some writing. One thing for sure, one can think of a lot of things to write about when he cannot see well. For instance, a decent ending for a story I started on this blog has eluded me since last winter, but now I have it if I can see to write it.
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For the lemonade maker: Do not over-squeeze the lemons as they tend to become too sour and all the sugar in the world will not temper the bitterness.
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Please be well ...

Happy 40th Birthday to the Apollo Moon landing!
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I hope I am not spoiling a good thing by talking about it, but I have been able to see better the past two days than at anytime in the past two weeks. Not yet great, but some better.
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Carolyn prepared a huge and scrumptious meal yesterday, consisting of pot roast surrounded by potatoes, carrots, and onions, and she made macaroni and cheese from scratch, fresh green beans and corn cooked together, fresh boiled cabbage, fresh corn on the cob, fresh salad, and homemade cornbread. For desert, she tried her hand at making jello pies and they are delicious. She also made awesome bread pudding out of biscuits she had left from Saturday. After our meal settled and the stragglers left, I rode with her to clean the buildings. She was most ready for a good night's sleep and rest when we returned home. Bless her heart.
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As expected, Republicans are putting down everything Obama proposes for the health care overhaul. They want Big Business to play a major role in the oversight of any new legislation, which would equal the same old same-old. The insurance, drug, and other related medical entities must have been in collusion for many years to have gotten us into this woeful mess. This, along with bought politicians and the lack of federal oversight is what placed this nation's health care in such a ridiculous position. How can insurance companies justify doubling the Medicare drug benefit premiums in just three years?

Here is a recent example ot the atrocities drug companies have perpetrated on consumers. The Lacrisert eye medicine I told you about that is placed under the eye lid cost $39 the last time I bought it several years ago. Carolyn phoned my eye doc and had him call in a prescription for the drug. She phoned this morning to verify the druggist had it and asked what the price would be and it was only $237 for a month's supply. The druggist informed her that no insurance company will cover any part of the drug cost. Is there something wrong here; do we really need a health care overhaul in this country? Another example: The orthopedist prescribed Celebrex for Carolyn's knee and gave her a few samples to try. They really helped her and when she went to get her prescription filled, it was $190 for a month's supply (it was $78 in 2001 when my mom was taking it). Carolyn could afford only a half-month's worth, and she has been out of them for more than a week now and we cannot get the rest of them. Her knee is beginning to hurt again, but there is nothing she can do but bear the pain and go on living. She no longer has health insurance except for a hospitalization policy.

The moral of this story is people like Carolyn and I all over this bought and paid for nation are in a Catch-22 situation. We make barely enough above the poverty level to keep us from getting assistance from TennCare and other agencies, but we do not make enough money to afford any kind of decent insurance except for my Medicare. She will continue to limp and I will be legally blind for at least awhile longer. No, we are not asking for charity and would not accept it if it was offered; we have made it on our own for a lot of years and will continue to do so. At least that is how I feel; Carolyn may feel differently, but I doubt it.

Damn good work, Republicans and politicians!
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Sunday blues

I think I need a secretary. I have a lot of words to write but cannot see well enough to type them myself. At least the eyes are getting no worse. "See" you later.

To the market ...

Walter Cronkite: November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009. He was a man whom I would have voted for to be president of the United States. The art and honor of of broadcast journalism died the day he retired from CBS television in 1981.
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I rode with Carolyn to the produce markets on 107 yesterday. Would you believe $1.25 for three ears of corn? The first place (David Thompson) we stopped was sold out of ears, but we did get two sacks of potatoes and a few other goodies (I love raw potatoes). The next place was where the prices were so high she didn't buy anything, and the third place (Larry Thompson) she found some corn at three for a dollar, which is still very high. I believe she would have been better off to have gone to the farmer's market this morning when the local growers set up stands and sell their garden produce.
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We planned to go picnicking this day atop the Roan, but the eye problems persist and I am in no mood to be in a good mood. I am dieing to get out and about with the camera; but it may be fall before I am again able to do so. Being like this is much akin to being in jail.
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Chris has finally found another job, but it will last for only a month. Maybe she can make enough to get her car payments caught up. JJ also is supposed to go to work for the "new" Ashley furniture store when it opens next month in the old Hill's/Decorator's Warehouse building.
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My vision is waning for today, so I will leave until tomorrow.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!

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Pretty good day

Today has been busy since 7:00am. I've done payroll, filled various forms for various agencies and companies, got stuff ready for mailing, faxed some forms, renewed my driver's license online, ordered a supply of checks, ordered a battery for my laptop pc, and now I am blogging.
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Does this make sense: Mortgage foreclosures rose by 15 percent in the first half of this year while one of the nations largest mortgage lenders profits rose 36 percent? More than 336k households received foreclosure-related threats in June. The money Obama placed in these bank's care for relief to stressed homeowners has apparently gone on the banks books as profit to boost stock sales. You know what? We the people are going to sit idly by and allow it to happen. Dammit, it is our money!
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The unemployment taxes Carolyn is required to pay to the state on her employee's income has risen from .15 percent to 1.9 percent and is retro to January1, 2009. She has already paid in more than three times as much this year compared to all of 2008 on a far smaller payroll. The tax base also went from $7k cutoff to $9k on each employee.
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From desperation, I used some 10 year out of date medicine in my eyes which has helped a lot. The drug is called Lacrisert, and is actually a small pill that looks much like a piece of spaghetti (could be?!). It is placed under the lower eyelid with a special soft plastic tool and it does a good job of relieving dry-eye symptoms. I was under the impression that they were no longer manufactured but I checked as I was writing this and they darn sure are being made; now I have to convince some doctor somewhere to write a prescription for them. I still have a few of the outdated ones, but they do not last as long (nearly all day) as they did when fresh. I believe with them and an occasional allergy pill, I can get back to doing a little something.
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For Alice: Alan McCartt is my eye doctor's name.
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Shingles

Last time I was at the RA doc, I asked her if I could or should have a shingles vaccine as my regular doc advised. She thought about it for a moment, and told me not to have one until she did some more checking. She wants to find if there have been any recent studies done on the subject because the shingles shot uses the living virus and that can make the someone like myself more susceptible to having the disease. I have a suppressed immune system and so do most RA patients whom use the methotrexate drug.
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I was hoping my eyes would be some better by now, but the symptoms wax and wane. Mornings are not too bad, but by evening I am in misery; at least they say I am miserable to be around. I know I become ill tempered when I am like this and try to stay away from people as much as possible.
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I rode with Carolyn to do the buildings yesterday, and I had to get a shot of this green house that has fascinated me for months. I had her set the camera exposure to f/8 and let the auto-focus do its thing. I like this light.
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I will say so long for today, and hope to "see" you tomorrow.

Sermons Inc.

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Happy Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) to the French people and to all whom love that great nation.
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Today it becomes legal for certain private citizens in the Confused State of Tennessee to carry loaded firearms into establishments where alcohol is served and sold. Folding Buck knives are still illegal to carry in public. R.I.P. Common Sense. I suppose a good anarchy is what we need to help pull us out of this recession; maybe our national leaders will follow suit. I think gun carrying should be mandatory in churches, schools, and Wal-Marts. Maybe CNN will have some bloody news to incessantly pour through the airwaves instead of the endless, mind numbing, repetitious crappola they feed us when one of our national gods kicks the bucket. R.I.P. Common Sense. Let's all grab the kiddies and go to the park and hope to see a good old fashioned OK Corral type shootout. Maybe we will be lucky if a gunslinger bullet hits one of us or our brats so we can sue someone like the citizens of this law-based nation are prone to do. R.I.P. Common Sense.
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A.I.G. is petitioning The Fed to allow it to use bailout funds to give raises to its executives and others in the slimy organization. Bank of America is wanting more, more, more. Citi Group is claiming a profit for the first quarter this year, but it is just numbers to make its stock look favorable to investors; it is still in dire straits.

Last week, Carolyn took her '06 Chevy van to the dealership for an oil change and tire rotation, She also asked them to repair under warranty the oil pressure gauge which quit working for the second time since she bought the van new in Nov. '06. Also to be fixed was a wobbly latch on the side cargo door. All was done, but the bad latch was replaced with something that looked like it has been well used and is rusty from disuse. This from a company that is pulling itself out of bankruptcy at taxpayer expense and promising to do better. The New General Motors is still operating in a business as usual atmosphere and I see no reason for them to be any different than the "old" GM.

At one time I was for a GM bailout, but not the kind we the people decided to allow them to have. I will not make the same mistake again. Let these companies go under and let the investors, homeowners, and policy holders take their lumps. We need to re-invent ourselves as nation of, by, and for the people, and it will not be done until we make it so. It will be very tough, but we will be strong again. The Spirit of '76 is sorely needed in our heats and in our hands.
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A new week ... a new hope

Today is a bit better sight-wise, but nowhere near normal. Yesterday I uploaded some photos and it was the first time I had done so in a while. I cannot say if they look decent or terrible.
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Mark, better known on the net as yankeepez, has created a new photo blog he is calling Fading America Photography. Please give his work a look-see if you have a chance. Like myself, yankeepez is very much concerned about the direction our country has taken over the past several years, but unlike my bitching and whining, he has dedicated his new blog to photos of what he considers as America in decline and he includes brief descriptions of the places and things he has seen. It is a sobering look at the nation a lot of us grew up in, and he has hope for this country, truly believing we can save ourselves.
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I rode with Carolyn to clean the buildings yesterday, making the entire trip to Elizabethton without having to stop for any of the 10 traffic lights we had to go through. Don't tell me I have nothing to do!
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Speaking of my bride, she and Vicky worked Saturday doing some floors and pressure washing. Humpty-dumpty Carolyn was taking trash to a dumpster when she somehow made a misstep and fell forward barking her knees, elbows, and the tops of her toes; one of her toes seems to be broken. She was sore yesterday but she hasn't complained today. Did she learn that Crocs® are not made for work in the janitorial field? No! I cannot imagine a line of work where they would be safe to wear, although they have become very popular with nurses. Give me leather or give me death! Sorry about misusing your famous quote, Mr. Patrick Henry. Sorry for using your skins on my feet, Mr. and Mrs. Cow.
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Time ...

I am going to take my two hours of reasonable vision and try to do a little something positive. I am very thankful to have this bit of time, and here is a link to a Helen Kellor Simulator that shows why. Even now, I must dim my monitor and increase its contrast to do my short-time thing, and it makes photos look terrible.
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I read where Obama is asking Americans to give his stimulus plan time to work. I don't know what he expects to happen to make it viable, but all those jobs are obviously not being created. A lot of the work is for national infrastructure which means heavy construction, but folks believe me writing from the viewpoint of a heavy-construction electrician, there will not be many jobs like that created either for tradesmen or for supporting and collateral work. It just doesn't require a lot of people to build something unless it is a priority job and the powers that be are willing to pay for less efficient and more expensive shift work and overtime pay. It takes "X" amount of man-hours to complete a structure no matter how you go about it, and when it is done, workers must move on to another project. To have a large quantity of big time construction depends on a lot of people investing money into the nation's future, and it is not going to happen until a real-world leader steps forth and convinces citizens that he or she has a long term plan with a chance of being implemented and producing results. Obama is obviously charismatic and probably sincere, but that in itself does no good. Blindly throwing money at a problem looks good at first, but lacks any positive long term impact and worsens the short term implications. We will have a much better infrastructure when all is done—it is surely needed—but the economy is going to have to expand and show promise of sustainable growth several years into the future before large construction projects again help rebuild America. At best, there are no short term peacetime fixes as the administration seems to want us to believe; it is the same old Washington politics at work trying to put a positive spin on sorrowful conditions. Just tell us the truth, Mr. Politician.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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