Okay.....it's been a couple of days since I've posted.....but I've been busy!
I'm building a storage building in the back yard! Woo-hoo!
For those who don't know me, I'm never happier than when I'm in the middle of a building project! This time, it's a small one; 8'x8'. Before this, I've built an 8x16 and a 10x16. It never seems to change. When I get to the ceiling joists and rafters, I always get stuck.....well, for a minute or two anyway!
I'm using a different method for the foundation this time, too. MDB and I went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago and they had a barn in their back yard (their BY was positively CAVERNOUS!!!!!) that was apparently founded on pilings in concrete. I thought....."Hmmmm....what a concept! I'll never have to worry about the ground shifting that way...." so that's how the foundation on this one went; pilings in concrete!
Okay....it was a NIGHTMARE laying it out, but once the holes were dug and the pilings laid out, it was a piece of cake! Now, the foundation is assembled, the wall have been framed, and the ceiling joists and rafters have been laid out!
It's just a matter of time!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Trying to remember
Hello again, blogfans!
I'm certainly not the oldest registered voter in the country (50), but I have been voting for President for a number of years now. The first election I voted in was the '76 race between Ford and Carter. Inflation, unemployment, and energy were big issues (recall that we had just come through an Arab oil boycott) and trust in government in the wake of the Watergate scandal was at an all-time low.
I don't remember Carter (Ford was incumbent) going off on an international jaunt for some reason.
I also voted in the 1980 election between Carter and Reagan. Carter had taken a teetering economy and pushed it over the edge. Interest rates were positively STUPID and, to add insult to injury, Iran had taken a group of Americans hostage.
I do not recall Reagan making a trip to Jerusalem before the nominating convention.
In 1984, after the Reagan tax cuts and a moderate recovery from the malaise of the Carter years, Reagan had no real challenge from Walter Mondale or his first-ever female running mate, Geraldine Ferraro. In those days, no one with a brain in their head ever really considered voting Democrat; four years of Carter had nearly ruined the place and NO ONE wanted to go back to that!
Despite the wonderful image-booster it surely would have been, I can't recollect old Fritz doing any globe-trotting to boost his international image before the convention.
In '88, Dukakis challenged the heir to the golden Reagan years, George HW Bush. Who can recall Mike wearing his little tanker's helmet, driving his tank to show his military saavy? It was ridiculed relentlessly and little Mikey went down in inglorious defeat despite having the corpse of that party titan, Lloyd Bentsen, on the ticket!
I don't think Mikey drove his tank across the water to the G-8 summit or took it to Kuwait for a preview of Desert Storm.
In '92 and again in '96, Bill Clinton was the Democratic nominee. Even THAT camera hound, that "never met a soundbite I didn't like," spinmaster never took an overseas trip during his campaign.
I've been a student of history, especially presidential politics, for as long as I can remember. Not in any campaign that I know of has an American presidential candidate taken his show "on the road" in an attempt to sway world opinion (ostensibly) about his candidacy.
At least, not until Obama came along.
I don't know what Obama's up to, but taking a campaign stroll like this one, especially before the nominating convention, in unconventional to say the least.
I wonder who's paying the bill?
I'm certainly not the oldest registered voter in the country (50), but I have been voting for President for a number of years now. The first election I voted in was the '76 race between Ford and Carter. Inflation, unemployment, and energy were big issues (recall that we had just come through an Arab oil boycott) and trust in government in the wake of the Watergate scandal was at an all-time low.
I don't remember Carter (Ford was incumbent) going off on an international jaunt for some reason.
I also voted in the 1980 election between Carter and Reagan. Carter had taken a teetering economy and pushed it over the edge. Interest rates were positively STUPID and, to add insult to injury, Iran had taken a group of Americans hostage.
I do not recall Reagan making a trip to Jerusalem before the nominating convention.
In 1984, after the Reagan tax cuts and a moderate recovery from the malaise of the Carter years, Reagan had no real challenge from Walter Mondale or his first-ever female running mate, Geraldine Ferraro. In those days, no one with a brain in their head ever really considered voting Democrat; four years of Carter had nearly ruined the place and NO ONE wanted to go back to that!
Despite the wonderful image-booster it surely would have been, I can't recollect old Fritz doing any globe-trotting to boost his international image before the convention.
In '88, Dukakis challenged the heir to the golden Reagan years, George HW Bush. Who can recall Mike wearing his little tanker's helmet, driving his tank to show his military saavy? It was ridiculed relentlessly and little Mikey went down in inglorious defeat despite having the corpse of that party titan, Lloyd Bentsen, on the ticket!
I don't think Mikey drove his tank across the water to the G-8 summit or took it to Kuwait for a preview of Desert Storm.
In '92 and again in '96, Bill Clinton was the Democratic nominee. Even THAT camera hound, that "never met a soundbite I didn't like," spinmaster never took an overseas trip during his campaign.
I've been a student of history, especially presidential politics, for as long as I can remember. Not in any campaign that I know of has an American presidential candidate taken his show "on the road" in an attempt to sway world opinion (ostensibly) about his candidacy.
At least, not until Obama came along.
I don't know what Obama's up to, but taking a campaign stroll like this one, especially before the nominating convention, in unconventional to say the least.
I wonder who's paying the bill?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
This is getting ridiculous!
Hello again, blogfans!
Well, today my real estate agent informed me that the buyer who had entered into a contract to buy my house was exercising her right to nullify the contract.
Apparently, she'd used her right to have the place inspected to bring in an electrical contractor in addition to a standard home inspection, an inspection by a plumbing contractor, and, quite frankly, I think she brought in Elvis, Amelia, and Jimmy Hoffa to have a look around as well.
Uhhhhh......it's a $55,000 house, lady! You expected the Taj Mahal?
Sheeesh!
I bought the place when I was first divorced and needed a new place to live. I did everything I could do to buy a place that I could afford. It wasn't the Taj Mahal when I bought it, either, but it's a lot better now than it was then. When I bought it, the front door had no door handle; it was only a dead bolt. The back door would not open all the way. Both conditions were because the foundation had settled and the house was not level. I had Olshan out to remedy that to the tune of $5,000, but the place was level when they got done and I was able to install new doors on the front and the rear of the house. The carport on the side of the house was wide open when I bought the place, so I enclosed it and had a roll-up garage door installed on the front. On the rear, I built swing-out doors. This made it so that you could drive straight through the garage into the back yard if needed. I needed this feature because I have not only a 16' flatbed trailer but also a boat. The boat needs to stay locked up for obvious reasons. Obviously, I made a lot of other improvements to the place that increased it's value, but I'm never going see any profit from any of that thanks to a bunch of greedy home buyers and their ARMs and a bunch of greedy banks who lent money to people KNOWING they'd find themselves in trouble in the not-too-distant future and did NOTHING to stop it or prevent it. Frankly, the place the housing market finds itself in is not my fault and I resent that I'm having to pay the price for the greed of a bunch of other people.
On the other hand, God has blessed me beyond measure and I pray for those who fell into this mortgage trap and now find themselves in the position of losing their homes or have already lost their homes.
I KNOW, and I trust God that there is someone else out there like me who needs a comfortable little house in a nice, quiet neighborhood. It'd be perfect for a single man or a young couple just starting out. Lord, I have no right to approach You, except for the imputed righteousness of Jesus and His sacrifice for us on the cross. I don't often ask for selfish things, but I'm at a place where I really need to get rid of this house and I'm asking for You to send that certain someone who needs my house as much as I need to get rid of it! Lord, MDB has been having a terrible time with her FMA; please send her comfort and make her well, Lord. Lord, I stand on Your promises; You said that You would never give us a stone if we ask for bread; never a snake if we ask for fish. Lord, I'm asking that You bless someone else with my house just as You blessed me with it in my time of need and I'm asking that you heal my darling bride of her FMA and give her relief from her pain and I ask it in the name of Jesus, amen!
Well, today my real estate agent informed me that the buyer who had entered into a contract to buy my house was exercising her right to nullify the contract.
Apparently, she'd used her right to have the place inspected to bring in an electrical contractor in addition to a standard home inspection, an inspection by a plumbing contractor, and, quite frankly, I think she brought in Elvis, Amelia, and Jimmy Hoffa to have a look around as well.
Uhhhhh......it's a $55,000 house, lady! You expected the Taj Mahal?
Sheeesh!
I bought the place when I was first divorced and needed a new place to live. I did everything I could do to buy a place that I could afford. It wasn't the Taj Mahal when I bought it, either, but it's a lot better now than it was then. When I bought it, the front door had no door handle; it was only a dead bolt. The back door would not open all the way. Both conditions were because the foundation had settled and the house was not level. I had Olshan out to remedy that to the tune of $5,000, but the place was level when they got done and I was able to install new doors on the front and the rear of the house. The carport on the side of the house was wide open when I bought the place, so I enclosed it and had a roll-up garage door installed on the front. On the rear, I built swing-out doors. This made it so that you could drive straight through the garage into the back yard if needed. I needed this feature because I have not only a 16' flatbed trailer but also a boat. The boat needs to stay locked up for obvious reasons. Obviously, I made a lot of other improvements to the place that increased it's value, but I'm never going see any profit from any of that thanks to a bunch of greedy home buyers and their ARMs and a bunch of greedy banks who lent money to people KNOWING they'd find themselves in trouble in the not-too-distant future and did NOTHING to stop it or prevent it. Frankly, the place the housing market finds itself in is not my fault and I resent that I'm having to pay the price for the greed of a bunch of other people.
On the other hand, God has blessed me beyond measure and I pray for those who fell into this mortgage trap and now find themselves in the position of losing their homes or have already lost their homes.
I KNOW, and I trust God that there is someone else out there like me who needs a comfortable little house in a nice, quiet neighborhood. It'd be perfect for a single man or a young couple just starting out. Lord, I have no right to approach You, except for the imputed righteousness of Jesus and His sacrifice for us on the cross. I don't often ask for selfish things, but I'm at a place where I really need to get rid of this house and I'm asking for You to send that certain someone who needs my house as much as I need to get rid of it! Lord, MDB has been having a terrible time with her FMA; please send her comfort and make her well, Lord. Lord, I stand on Your promises; You said that You would never give us a stone if we ask for bread; never a snake if we ask for fish. Lord, I'm asking that You bless someone else with my house just as You blessed me with it in my time of need and I'm asking that you heal my darling bride of her FMA and give her relief from her pain and I ask it in the name of Jesus, amen!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Red Legs are coming! The Red Legs are coming!!!
Hello again, blogfans!
In as much as my "colored" teams (the Reds and the Browns) seldom make much noise, I rarely write sports here. However, my Reds are now only 3 games below .500 and are entering a VERY favorable stretch in their schedule, so who knows.....
The Reds next three series are against Colorado (44-58), Houston (46-55), and Washington (38-62). If they can't get above .500 against THAT, the season is pretty much over. However, C-town's pitching has been excellent as of late and the hitting is coming along in a timely manner, so I'm thinking we can win all three of those series and get back to the break-even mark and MAYBE even put a little streak together.
Pleasant dream!
In as much as my "colored" teams (the Reds and the Browns) seldom make much noise, I rarely write sports here. However, my Reds are now only 3 games below .500 and are entering a VERY favorable stretch in their schedule, so who knows.....
The Reds next three series are against Colorado (44-58), Houston (46-55), and Washington (38-62). If they can't get above .500 against THAT, the season is pretty much over. However, C-town's pitching has been excellent as of late and the hitting is coming along in a timely manner, so I'm thinking we can win all three of those series and get back to the break-even mark and MAYBE even put a little streak together.
Pleasant dream!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Intrinsic value
Well, boys and girls, it hasn't been that long since I posted a Blog with exactly this title.
Of course, that post was about a bunch of idiots paying unbelievable amounts of money for license plates, and I guess that's appropriate since this Blog will be along those same lines; Valuing those things with real value and NOT valuing those things that have NO intrinsic value.
Now, before you accuse me of advocating a return to a mercantile economy, let me explain. I have to believe that people, by and large, have enough sense to recognize those things that have value and differentiate them from those things that do not. Diamonds are rare and are therefore valuable. Gold is rare and is therefore valuable. A new operating system for a computer is NOT rare. It has a replacement on the way and probably (especially in light of the Vista fiasco) won't work any better than the old one anyway. A new Iphone is nice, but does it really work better than the old one? Did you really use all of the functions on the old one or are you buying a new one so people will envy you?
I have to believe it's the latter.
So, why do we place value on things that really aren't valuable at all? I'd have to ask a very fundamental question at this point to further illustrate my point: If you were marooned on a desert island, what three things would you insist on having with you? Would it be your Ipod, a cell phone, and a laptop, or would it be things a little less high-tech, like a box of matches, a knife, and roll of fishing string?
I hope it's the last list; not the first.
Those things that have intrinsic value are those things that equate to NEED. What things do we really NEED to survive?
Let me clue you; it's NOT an IPod!
When we re-evaluate those things that are important to us and determine to only buy those things that will be and ARE valuable, that's when our economy will rebound and, I'm afraid, it will not happen UNTIL we get to that place.
Of course, that post was about a bunch of idiots paying unbelievable amounts of money for license plates, and I guess that's appropriate since this Blog will be along those same lines; Valuing those things with real value and NOT valuing those things that have NO intrinsic value.
Now, before you accuse me of advocating a return to a mercantile economy, let me explain. I have to believe that people, by and large, have enough sense to recognize those things that have value and differentiate them from those things that do not. Diamonds are rare and are therefore valuable. Gold is rare and is therefore valuable. A new operating system for a computer is NOT rare. It has a replacement on the way and probably (especially in light of the Vista fiasco) won't work any better than the old one anyway. A new Iphone is nice, but does it really work better than the old one? Did you really use all of the functions on the old one or are you buying a new one so people will envy you?
I have to believe it's the latter.
So, why do we place value on things that really aren't valuable at all? I'd have to ask a very fundamental question at this point to further illustrate my point: If you were marooned on a desert island, what three things would you insist on having with you? Would it be your Ipod, a cell phone, and a laptop, or would it be things a little less high-tech, like a box of matches, a knife, and roll of fishing string?
I hope it's the last list; not the first.
Those things that have intrinsic value are those things that equate to NEED. What things do we really NEED to survive?
Let me clue you; it's NOT an IPod!
When we re-evaluate those things that are important to us and determine to only buy those things that will be and ARE valuable, that's when our economy will rebound and, I'm afraid, it will not happen UNTIL we get to that place.
Monday, July 21, 2008
An economic prescription
Hello, blogfans!
This is a "hard truth" entry tonight, boys and girls. Many, if not all, will not like what I have to say but, if you have an ounce of honesty in you, you have to admit that what I say is true and, if America will heed what I say, we CAN get back to prosperous ways in this country.
It needs to happen NOW, though.
If you look back at when things were good in this country's economic past, you'll see some things that were true then that are most definitely NOT true now. When things were good, we had a large manufacturing base and the things that were produced were roughly balanced between commodities and consumer items; washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, etc. Now, about the only consumer items that are still produced here are some consumer electronics and there are practically NO commodities produced here at all. What do I mean by "commodity?" Steel, oil, etc. Now, for us to get back to commodity production and to bring consumer item production back, what needs to happen? Low-end wages here need to adjust so that our work force is paid on a level commensurate with what major competitor nations pay their work forces. We've lost enough jobs to Mexico, China, Indonesia, etc. It's time we brought some of them back!
So, that's item #1; Manufacturing has to return as the basis of the US economy and the only way that's ever going to happen is if wages fall to a level commensurate with international competition.
So, with unions controlling wages etc., how are we going to get wages back to where they need to be? Sadly, unions used to be about taking care of members and their wage/benefits issues, but for about fifty years or so, they've been about political power almost exclusively. A lot of union members are losing their jobs as their union contracts price their labor out of the market. Unless unions wake up and make concessions on behalf of their membership, I'm afraid they'll ALL be out of work before it's all over and then the market will have attained a goal that US companies never could; it will have broken the unions and members will be forced to work for less if they're going to work at all.
Sad, but true.
The second thing that must happen is credit MUST become much harder to obtain and savings MUST be encouraged. How is that going to happen? Uh......the government regulates everything else, why can't they make it illegal for banks or other lending institutions to loan money to people who clearly will not be able to pay it back? (college students, people with little or no work history, "pay day loans" etc.) Instead of giving us "earring" (thanks, MO) money in the form of tax rebates, let's do it like this; pay incentives to banks earmarked only for payment in increased interest to savings accounts, AND reduce tax rates so that people have more to save in the first place. Let's face it; a tax rebate is nice, but if the government has money to rebate, that means they charged too much in the first place, right?
Here's the item #2 bottom line - You cannot borrow your way into prosperity, but you CAN save your way there! This country saves far too little and borrows far too much! Let's cut back on the borrowing and increase the amount we save! If we can get that job done, we may actually get a little bit removed from our "get it now, instant gratification" society and get back to the "delayed gratification, save first/buy when you can afford it" situation that we SHOULD have!
Sadly, the other side of that coin is that, if lending institutions or consumers do "high risk" business like ARMs, the old "let the buyer beware" credo's got to play out and people and their banks have to face the consequences of their actions.
I'm afraid that's basically what's going on now in the market, but I don't see any adjustments in regulations for borrowing or lending going on. Regulating commerce IS one of the constitutional mandates of our government so why is it that, when finally faced with something they ARE supposed to be doing something about, they are doing NOTHING?
Too busy trying to do too many extraconstitutional or anti-consitutional things, that's why!
Okay, so let's review. If we want the US economy to recover, we've got to restore an manufacturing base which means that wage structure has got to be adjusted so that it's competitive with the world labor market. Second, saving has got to be encouraged and lending MUST be tightened! That's where we're at so far!
Look in tomorrow for economics 101, ie., "perceived vs intrinsic value." I'll attempt to explain why it's imprtant to value things that have actual material value and devalue those things that do not.
This is a "hard truth" entry tonight, boys and girls. Many, if not all, will not like what I have to say but, if you have an ounce of honesty in you, you have to admit that what I say is true and, if America will heed what I say, we CAN get back to prosperous ways in this country.
It needs to happen NOW, though.
If you look back at when things were good in this country's economic past, you'll see some things that were true then that are most definitely NOT true now. When things were good, we had a large manufacturing base and the things that were produced were roughly balanced between commodities and consumer items; washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, etc. Now, about the only consumer items that are still produced here are some consumer electronics and there are practically NO commodities produced here at all. What do I mean by "commodity?" Steel, oil, etc. Now, for us to get back to commodity production and to bring consumer item production back, what needs to happen? Low-end wages here need to adjust so that our work force is paid on a level commensurate with what major competitor nations pay their work forces. We've lost enough jobs to Mexico, China, Indonesia, etc. It's time we brought some of them back!
So, that's item #1; Manufacturing has to return as the basis of the US economy and the only way that's ever going to happen is if wages fall to a level commensurate with international competition.
So, with unions controlling wages etc., how are we going to get wages back to where they need to be? Sadly, unions used to be about taking care of members and their wage/benefits issues, but for about fifty years or so, they've been about political power almost exclusively. A lot of union members are losing their jobs as their union contracts price their labor out of the market. Unless unions wake up and make concessions on behalf of their membership, I'm afraid they'll ALL be out of work before it's all over and then the market will have attained a goal that US companies never could; it will have broken the unions and members will be forced to work for less if they're going to work at all.
Sad, but true.
The second thing that must happen is credit MUST become much harder to obtain and savings MUST be encouraged. How is that going to happen? Uh......the government regulates everything else, why can't they make it illegal for banks or other lending institutions to loan money to people who clearly will not be able to pay it back? (college students, people with little or no work history, "pay day loans" etc.) Instead of giving us "earring" (thanks, MO) money in the form of tax rebates, let's do it like this; pay incentives to banks earmarked only for payment in increased interest to savings accounts, AND reduce tax rates so that people have more to save in the first place. Let's face it; a tax rebate is nice, but if the government has money to rebate, that means they charged too much in the first place, right?
Here's the item #2 bottom line - You cannot borrow your way into prosperity, but you CAN save your way there! This country saves far too little and borrows far too much! Let's cut back on the borrowing and increase the amount we save! If we can get that job done, we may actually get a little bit removed from our "get it now, instant gratification" society and get back to the "delayed gratification, save first/buy when you can afford it" situation that we SHOULD have!
Sadly, the other side of that coin is that, if lending institutions or consumers do "high risk" business like ARMs, the old "let the buyer beware" credo's got to play out and people and their banks have to face the consequences of their actions.
I'm afraid that's basically what's going on now in the market, but I don't see any adjustments in regulations for borrowing or lending going on. Regulating commerce IS one of the constitutional mandates of our government so why is it that, when finally faced with something they ARE supposed to be doing something about, they are doing NOTHING?
Too busy trying to do too many extraconstitutional or anti-consitutional things, that's why!
Okay, so let's review. If we want the US economy to recover, we've got to restore an manufacturing base which means that wage structure has got to be adjusted so that it's competitive with the world labor market. Second, saving has got to be encouraged and lending MUST be tightened! That's where we're at so far!
Look in tomorrow for economics 101, ie., "perceived vs intrinsic value." I'll attempt to explain why it's imprtant to value things that have actual material value and devalue those things that do not.
Status report....
Hello again, blogfans!
Saturday, I fitted and re-installed all of the rot boards, built and hung the gate, and installed the latch; fence finished! Woo-hoo! While I was doing that, MDB cooked and cooked, and COOKED!!! Most of what she cooked was for the Nelson's going away luncheon, which took place yesterday. It was very nice and I really believe it produced the sort of closure that everyone was looking for.
We were rather in a hurry, unfortunately, because part of what I got MDB for her birthday was a "Sunday in the Park" ticket package for the Astros games, the first of which was yesterday against the Cubs. The game was scheduled to start at 1:05 Central and we didn't leave the luncheon until about 12:45 or so, which means we got to the game at the end of the 3rd inning. When we got there, the Astros had the bases loaded but I couldn't see how many outs there were. We had to go up a few levels to get to our seats; when we got there, the inning was over and the Cubs were batting. Here's what was strange, or maybe NOT so strange; we heard a huge roar from the crowd as we ascended the escalator and thought that the Astros had gotten a timely hit and managed to score but that was clearly NOT the case when we got to a place where we could see what was going on. What was the big roar about? Well, come to find out, there were more Cubs fans in the stadium than Astros fans and everytime the Cubs made a good play or got a hit or whatever, there was a huge cheer from all the Cubs fans! WEIRD!!!!
Well, maybe not so weird. Sort of like the Braves courtesty of TBN, the Cubs generated a huge fan base thanks to WGN and those fans come out of the woodwork wherever the Cubs play, or at least that's my theory. If that's not it, we have a nation of IDIOTS out there! The Cubs are the veritable POSTER KIDS for futility in MLB, having not won anything to speak of since 1908. That's right; it's been 100 years since the Chicago Cubs won a world championship!!!
Oh well, let's continue the news update. As I said yesterday, I used the new Ranger to pull my 16' flatbed first empty, of course, and then with a load (7 sheets of 3/16" 4x8 plywood and one 2x10x16' board for the trailer). It pulled JUST FINE, thank you very much! As you may suspect, I went ahead and got the plywood we need for the windows, so that little job is done as well.
It took awhile, unfortunately.
Our little neighborhood Home Depot has exactly ONE person who knows how to operate a cash register and, whenever there's any problem of any kind, she gets quite a line backed up. Today, the credit card of the man in front of me wouldn't approve and he had to call his company to find out what to do while the poor cashier had to call for a manager to override the computer and cancel the transaction.
It took 10 minutes to pick out suitable building materials and 35 minutes to check out!
Well, today I guess I'll go ahead and prime the little chest that MDB has been wanting me to do for MDBM (My Darling Brides' Momma) for the last 6 months or so. It won't take very long and if we get it done today, she may very well be able to deliver it tomorrow when she goes downtown to the doctor.
We'll see!
Saturday, I fitted and re-installed all of the rot boards, built and hung the gate, and installed the latch; fence finished! Woo-hoo! While I was doing that, MDB cooked and cooked, and COOKED!!! Most of what she cooked was for the Nelson's going away luncheon, which took place yesterday. It was very nice and I really believe it produced the sort of closure that everyone was looking for.
We were rather in a hurry, unfortunately, because part of what I got MDB for her birthday was a "Sunday in the Park" ticket package for the Astros games, the first of which was yesterday against the Cubs. The game was scheduled to start at 1:05 Central and we didn't leave the luncheon until about 12:45 or so, which means we got to the game at the end of the 3rd inning. When we got there, the Astros had the bases loaded but I couldn't see how many outs there were. We had to go up a few levels to get to our seats; when we got there, the inning was over and the Cubs were batting. Here's what was strange, or maybe NOT so strange; we heard a huge roar from the crowd as we ascended the escalator and thought that the Astros had gotten a timely hit and managed to score but that was clearly NOT the case when we got to a place where we could see what was going on. What was the big roar about? Well, come to find out, there were more Cubs fans in the stadium than Astros fans and everytime the Cubs made a good play or got a hit or whatever, there was a huge cheer from all the Cubs fans! WEIRD!!!!
Well, maybe not so weird. Sort of like the Braves courtesty of TBN, the Cubs generated a huge fan base thanks to WGN and those fans come out of the woodwork wherever the Cubs play, or at least that's my theory. If that's not it, we have a nation of IDIOTS out there! The Cubs are the veritable POSTER KIDS for futility in MLB, having not won anything to speak of since 1908. That's right; it's been 100 years since the Chicago Cubs won a world championship!!!
Oh well, let's continue the news update. As I said yesterday, I used the new Ranger to pull my 16' flatbed first empty, of course, and then with a load (7 sheets of 3/16" 4x8 plywood and one 2x10x16' board for the trailer). It pulled JUST FINE, thank you very much! As you may suspect, I went ahead and got the plywood we need for the windows, so that little job is done as well.
It took awhile, unfortunately.
Our little neighborhood Home Depot has exactly ONE person who knows how to operate a cash register and, whenever there's any problem of any kind, she gets quite a line backed up. Today, the credit card of the man in front of me wouldn't approve and he had to call his company to find out what to do while the poor cashier had to call for a manager to override the computer and cancel the transaction.
It took 10 minutes to pick out suitable building materials and 35 minutes to check out!
Well, today I guess I'll go ahead and prime the little chest that MDB has been wanting me to do for MDBM (My Darling Brides' Momma) for the last 6 months or so. It won't take very long and if we get it done today, she may very well be able to deliver it tomorrow when she goes downtown to the doctor.
We'll see!
Friday, July 18, 2008
The sun must be getting to me!
As I've mentioned, I've been working outside for most of the day for the last several days.......it must be getting to me!
I fell asleep on the couch this afternoon and slept for nearly an hour! I hardly ever do that!
Earlier, I finished the "picket" part of the fence and, lo and behold, it looks pretty good. Tomorrow, I've got to get the rot boards back in place then build and hang the gate. I can leave the sand hauling for Monday or whenever, but I want to get that part of it done pretty soon because the sand is occupying the spot that I intend to build the backyard storage building. Hopefully, that little job won't take too terribly long.
MDB and I are traveling to Home Depot for plywood tomorrow. It looks like it could be a fairly active storm season here and we want to be prepared.
I'm going to buy a new board for my trailer while I'm at it. One of the boards has finally rotted through and through and it needs to be replaced.
I'm going to try to pull the trailer with my Ranger. I got the one with the 4.10 rear end and four cylinder engine which means it's pretty good on gas, but it's not rated for towing much of anything. I think the official rating is something like 750 pounds, which is basically nothing more than the empty trailer, but we'll see what she'll do. I've moved the empty trailer with it before and it moves just fine, so we'll see what it does with a load on it!
MDB is on the warpath and I'm on it with her! One of the local weather talking heads has flustered her for the last time! It seems that, a couple of weeks ago, he said that a system was developing off of the west coast of Africa and "unfortunately" wasn't going to develop into anything significant. Then, night before last I believe it was, he made some comment about this hurricane season reminding him so far of the season of 2005. Woo-boy!!! Bet those displaced New Orleans people here were happy to hear THAT!!! What a moron! You can't say stuff like that! You'll create a panic! How about saying something like "Well, it looks as though this may shape up to be a fairly active season this year, but, as usual, we'll wait and see what develops. Back to you, Bob!" Dude, if you want to incite a panic, why not just tell everyone to stock up on duct tape and fill that bathtub with water; you're going to need it!
Then there's this. It seems that everyone in America heard the call of the Environazi and traded in that old gas guzzler for a Freakin' Prius, because oil prices have FINALLY started to drop. It's that old "supply and demand" thing finally kicking in. I told MDB that this place is going to look like France before it's all over with. The only vehicles on the road will be those two-seater Citroens; everything else will be shoe-leather or bicycle! Then there's India and China, those veritable garden-spots of environmental care and responsibility! We're to believe global warming is okay if it's coming from the other side of the planet, and that only American carbon emissions are evil and leading to global catastrophe! Uhhhh......WHAT???? Well, good luck with those Olympics, there, PRC! I know you've vowed to shut down the country to show the world a clean and envronmentally responsible China, but doesn't the mere fact that you have to shut down the country to make that happen speak to the very nature of your problem? Will someone re-run the '36 Olympics footage for our Asian brethren? Do you think the world is really that naive? Hey China!! You live in a rotting, backward stinkhole! See! Your secret is out! You can stop with the Olympic showboating to try to massage your image on the world stage! Look, I know that the emerging economies of the world are going to produce more "greenhouse gas" than the more developed economies, but COME ON!!! Isn't China supposed to be the new "silicone valley?" Aren't we supposed to be taking a back seat technologically speaking and bowing to their collective mental prowess? Why is it that the paragon of human intellect and virtue that is China can't come up with clean energy for that sprawling population of theirs? Maybe toasters, microwaves, flatscreen TVs, and DVD players produced by slave labor are the pinnacle of Chinese techno achievement?!
I feel better now!
I fell asleep on the couch this afternoon and slept for nearly an hour! I hardly ever do that!
Earlier, I finished the "picket" part of the fence and, lo and behold, it looks pretty good. Tomorrow, I've got to get the rot boards back in place then build and hang the gate. I can leave the sand hauling for Monday or whenever, but I want to get that part of it done pretty soon because the sand is occupying the spot that I intend to build the backyard storage building. Hopefully, that little job won't take too terribly long.
MDB and I are traveling to Home Depot for plywood tomorrow. It looks like it could be a fairly active storm season here and we want to be prepared.
I'm going to buy a new board for my trailer while I'm at it. One of the boards has finally rotted through and through and it needs to be replaced.
I'm going to try to pull the trailer with my Ranger. I got the one with the 4.10 rear end and four cylinder engine which means it's pretty good on gas, but it's not rated for towing much of anything. I think the official rating is something like 750 pounds, which is basically nothing more than the empty trailer, but we'll see what she'll do. I've moved the empty trailer with it before and it moves just fine, so we'll see what it does with a load on it!
MDB is on the warpath and I'm on it with her! One of the local weather talking heads has flustered her for the last time! It seems that, a couple of weeks ago, he said that a system was developing off of the west coast of Africa and "unfortunately" wasn't going to develop into anything significant. Then, night before last I believe it was, he made some comment about this hurricane season reminding him so far of the season of 2005. Woo-boy!!! Bet those displaced New Orleans people here were happy to hear THAT!!! What a moron! You can't say stuff like that! You'll create a panic! How about saying something like "Well, it looks as though this may shape up to be a fairly active season this year, but, as usual, we'll wait and see what develops. Back to you, Bob!" Dude, if you want to incite a panic, why not just tell everyone to stock up on duct tape and fill that bathtub with water; you're going to need it!
Then there's this. It seems that everyone in America heard the call of the Environazi and traded in that old gas guzzler for a Freakin' Prius, because oil prices have FINALLY started to drop. It's that old "supply and demand" thing finally kicking in. I told MDB that this place is going to look like France before it's all over with. The only vehicles on the road will be those two-seater Citroens; everything else will be shoe-leather or bicycle! Then there's India and China, those veritable garden-spots of environmental care and responsibility! We're to believe global warming is okay if it's coming from the other side of the planet, and that only American carbon emissions are evil and leading to global catastrophe! Uhhhh......WHAT???? Well, good luck with those Olympics, there, PRC! I know you've vowed to shut down the country to show the world a clean and envronmentally responsible China, but doesn't the mere fact that you have to shut down the country to make that happen speak to the very nature of your problem? Will someone re-run the '36 Olympics footage for our Asian brethren? Do you think the world is really that naive? Hey China!! You live in a rotting, backward stinkhole! See! Your secret is out! You can stop with the Olympic showboating to try to massage your image on the world stage! Look, I know that the emerging economies of the world are going to produce more "greenhouse gas" than the more developed economies, but COME ON!!! Isn't China supposed to be the new "silicone valley?" Aren't we supposed to be taking a back seat technologically speaking and bowing to their collective mental prowess? Why is it that the paragon of human intellect and virtue that is China can't come up with clean energy for that sprawling population of theirs? Maybe toasters, microwaves, flatscreen TVs, and DVD players produced by slave labor are the pinnacle of Chinese techno achievement?!
I feel better now!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Today's struggle
Well, as promised, the day got started with a bang. The foundation people came back to the Holly house and re-leveled it, a procedure that is really pretty interesting if you've never seen it. Actually, it helps things a lot AND it tears a lot of stuff up! Last time they did it, the jacking up and letting down (they use the weight of the house to drive the piles into the ground) action caused a leak in the gas line.
Now, THAT was an adventure!
No one noticed that the line was damaged until several days later when I was at work; the neighbor smelled gas and called the gas company (BIG mistake.....HUGE), who promptly pulled the meter and blocked the line on their end. Well, my neighbor was beside himself upset that he didn't think about what would happen and realized that he just should have turned it off himself and let me know. Well....anyway....he told me right up front when I got home, so I got out the shovel and started digging. The line was a galvanized steel pipe that had merely rotted from the outside at the soil level and the added stress of getting pulled up and pushed down in the soil was too much for it. I cut it in two with a hacksaw, removed both sections, bought a couple of short sections, a union, and a valve at the hardware store, reinstalled the line, pressurized it and soap tested it, and called the gas company; "Hello gas company! The leak is fixed; you can send your boys out here and put my meter back!...........I have to have WHO inspect it?........the CITY?......what do THEY have to do with my gas service?..........A permit?........a certified plumber?........a pressure AND a vacuum test?.......You've got to be out of your freakin' mind!"
Well, my neighbor must've heard me screaming into my phone, because he came over and volunteered his friend, a certified plumber, to look at my little problem. When HE got there, he looked at my repair and told me that it would have been okay if it was 1985, but times had changed. NOW the union had to be above the valve and the whole thing all the way up to the house had to be wrapped with waterproof tape. He said if I would repair my repair (he left me some of the tape I'd need), he'd get the necessary permit from the city and get it inspected as early as possible. SO........I re-did my repair to code, and waited. After a couple of days taking cold showers, I was past ready for this little fiasco to be over, but I was still a week away from having my gas back!
Should've learned! TODAY the added stress broke the water line, so I spent the afternoon putting THAT back together. Earlier, I had done all of the yard work and retrieved the key from inside the storage building in the back (some genius locked it inside the building....so I had to remove a piece of the siding, get the key, and nail the siding back in place!), so, when the water leak was repaired, I was about done for the day.
Tomorrow, it's back to the fence!
Now, THAT was an adventure!
No one noticed that the line was damaged until several days later when I was at work; the neighbor smelled gas and called the gas company (BIG mistake.....HUGE), who promptly pulled the meter and blocked the line on their end. Well, my neighbor was beside himself upset that he didn't think about what would happen and realized that he just should have turned it off himself and let me know. Well....anyway....he told me right up front when I got home, so I got out the shovel and started digging. The line was a galvanized steel pipe that had merely rotted from the outside at the soil level and the added stress of getting pulled up and pushed down in the soil was too much for it. I cut it in two with a hacksaw, removed both sections, bought a couple of short sections, a union, and a valve at the hardware store, reinstalled the line, pressurized it and soap tested it, and called the gas company; "Hello gas company! The leak is fixed; you can send your boys out here and put my meter back!...........I have to have WHO inspect it?........the CITY?......what do THEY have to do with my gas service?..........A permit?........a certified plumber?........a pressure AND a vacuum test?.......You've got to be out of your freakin' mind!"
Well, my neighbor must've heard me screaming into my phone, because he came over and volunteered his friend, a certified plumber, to look at my little problem. When HE got there, he looked at my repair and told me that it would have been okay if it was 1985, but times had changed. NOW the union had to be above the valve and the whole thing all the way up to the house had to be wrapped with waterproof tape. He said if I would repair my repair (he left me some of the tape I'd need), he'd get the necessary permit from the city and get it inspected as early as possible. SO........I re-did my repair to code, and waited. After a couple of days taking cold showers, I was past ready for this little fiasco to be over, but I was still a week away from having my gas back!
Should've learned! TODAY the added stress broke the water line, so I spent the afternoon putting THAT back together. Earlier, I had done all of the yard work and retrieved the key from inside the storage building in the back (some genius locked it inside the building....so I had to remove a piece of the siding, get the key, and nail the siding back in place!), so, when the water leak was repaired, I was about done for the day.
Tomorrow, it's back to the fence!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Vacation pics and what's up since....
If you want to see a lot of great vacation pics, check out MDB's blog! She loaded up a slide show that has some of the highlights!
Today, the work began! It started with mowing the front yard, which had rather grown out of control while we were on vacation. Then, it was time to start rebuilding the fence in the back. Before MDB and I met, the next-door neighbor built the fence, but it was only the second fence he'd ever erected (his own was the first). It was really nice of him, but he didn't know what he was doing and the fence started to fall down several months ago. One section fell off altogether, so we've had a walk-through for a month or so! The first thing, of course, was to wreck the old fence, so I hacked at it with a crow bar and took it down a section at a time. The grand plan (I hope it works!) is to simply nail up whole sections once the framing has been redone. Anyway, once that was done, I pulled a guideline to mark the top of where the pickets should go when the fence is re-erected and then another to mark the height of the posts. When the old fence was put up, the height of the posts did not matter the way it was done. Now, using a top rail that runs along from post top to post top, the posts should be approximately the same height. That line came right back down once the mark was made, then I dug the hole for the new post, which will act as the anchor for the gate hinges. Naturally, after the hole was dug, I mixed two bags of concrete and set the post. Of course, the post has to set up for 24 hours, so after the concrete was poured and the post leveled, I cut the rest of the posts off level and ran the top rail up to (but not including) the new post. By that time, it was getting a little toasty outside, so I moved things inside and hung a new cabinet in the bathroom.
That did me in for the day!
Tomorrow, the foundation people will be tweaking the leveling on the Holly house, so I'm going to mow over there and spend the time doing a couple of other little jobs that need to be done.
Then I'll get back to the fence on Thursday!
Today, the work began! It started with mowing the front yard, which had rather grown out of control while we were on vacation. Then, it was time to start rebuilding the fence in the back. Before MDB and I met, the next-door neighbor built the fence, but it was only the second fence he'd ever erected (his own was the first). It was really nice of him, but he didn't know what he was doing and the fence started to fall down several months ago. One section fell off altogether, so we've had a walk-through for a month or so! The first thing, of course, was to wreck the old fence, so I hacked at it with a crow bar and took it down a section at a time. The grand plan (I hope it works!) is to simply nail up whole sections once the framing has been redone. Anyway, once that was done, I pulled a guideline to mark the top of where the pickets should go when the fence is re-erected and then another to mark the height of the posts. When the old fence was put up, the height of the posts did not matter the way it was done. Now, using a top rail that runs along from post top to post top, the posts should be approximately the same height. That line came right back down once the mark was made, then I dug the hole for the new post, which will act as the anchor for the gate hinges. Naturally, after the hole was dug, I mixed two bags of concrete and set the post. Of course, the post has to set up for 24 hours, so after the concrete was poured and the post leveled, I cut the rest of the posts off level and ran the top rail up to (but not including) the new post. By that time, it was getting a little toasty outside, so I moved things inside and hung a new cabinet in the bathroom.
That did me in for the day!
Tomorrow, the foundation people will be tweaking the leveling on the Holly house, so I'm going to mow over there and spend the time doing a couple of other little jobs that need to be done.
Then I'll get back to the fence on Thursday!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Well, the Holy Spirit pulled me up short today!
I was on my way home from the lumber yard, hauling a little more than usual (here's where you insert the joke about how much weight I've gained! Woo-Boy! I'm going to have to get the Goodyear tatoo if I don't drop some and THAT right quick!), when an older white Cadillac pulled out in front of me and practically stopped!
Naturally, I was upset. All of the usual thoughts went through my head; "What was that moron THINKING?"; "People like that ought not be allowed to drive!"; "Nice day for a drive, eh, Mr. Charles?"
Then I pulled up alongside the car as I went around it. Driving the vehicle was an elderly woman and when I say elderly, I mean closer to 105 than 80! As you might expect, she was hunched up as close to the wheel as possible and was obviously straining to see her way. Then I saw the expression on her face..............................................she was TERRIFIED! My heart sank as I thought of all the terrible thoughts I'd had about her just a few moments earlier! Poor thing probably got into her car as an absolute last resort, needing food from the store or medicine from the pharmacy. She obviously didn't want to be behind the wheel of that car any more than I wanted her there, but what choice did she have? Starve? Die for lack of insulin or whatever? I asked God to forgive me for all of those terrible thoughts I'd had before and I'm sure He did, but I still felt bad about my initial reaction.
God, help me to trust You enough that I know that You're in control and whatever happens, You're in the driver's seat!
Oh, and thanks for being co-pilot for that old lady today! She'd have never made it without You!
Naturally, I was upset. All of the usual thoughts went through my head; "What was that moron THINKING?"; "People like that ought not be allowed to drive!"; "Nice day for a drive, eh, Mr. Charles?"
Then I pulled up alongside the car as I went around it. Driving the vehicle was an elderly woman and when I say elderly, I mean closer to 105 than 80! As you might expect, she was hunched up as close to the wheel as possible and was obviously straining to see her way. Then I saw the expression on her face..............................................she was TERRIFIED! My heart sank as I thought of all the terrible thoughts I'd had about her just a few moments earlier! Poor thing probably got into her car as an absolute last resort, needing food from the store or medicine from the pharmacy. She obviously didn't want to be behind the wheel of that car any more than I wanted her there, but what choice did she have? Starve? Die for lack of insulin or whatever? I asked God to forgive me for all of those terrible thoughts I'd had before and I'm sure He did, but I still felt bad about my initial reaction.
God, help me to trust You enough that I know that You're in control and whatever happens, You're in the driver's seat!
Oh, and thanks for being co-pilot for that old lady today! She'd have never made it without You!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Is Favre trying to make his name synonymous with "waffle," or what?
You know...throwing the ball into the first base dugout is "going Knoblach;" coming up with a ridiculous and completely unfounded assertion is "Goreing." Do we want the annual "is he retired or is he coming back?" story for the QB du jour to be called "Favreing?"
I don't know about you, but I'm a little more than tired of the annual "what will Brett do?" sweepstakes. It seems as though it's been an annual phenomenon for as long as I can remember, like swallows to Capistran or, more correctly I suppose, like buzzards to Hinckley.
This year (allegedly), he was actually retired. I mean, he had the "real tears" news conference and everything. Did he think that the Packers were going to beat down his door and BEG him to come back? Well, that's probably exactly what he thought, but, when it didn't happen, he supposedly asked for an unconditional release from his GB contract so he could hook up with another team.
Look, I know that the NFL is desperate for quarterbacks and all; (I mean, doesn't someone seems to trot out the corpse of Vinny Testaverde at least once a year?), but how many years does BF have left even if he's not toiling in the frozen tundra? One? Two?
Anybody not named New England that close to a Super Bowl that they're willing to mortgage the future for one or two years of season-ending interceptions? Uhhh....sorry, Brett. They've got this guy that they really like, name of Brady....I don't think they'd be interested.
Brett - do us all a favre; go away. Go fishing, go golfing, go kayaking, go ANYWHERE, as long as it's away. I'm tired of this circus, and the LAST thing you want is to take the record for most mundane, boring and tired story line of the decade away from Ana Nicole and her two-year funeral procession!
I don't know about you, but I'm a little more than tired of the annual "what will Brett do?" sweepstakes. It seems as though it's been an annual phenomenon for as long as I can remember, like swallows to Capistran or, more correctly I suppose, like buzzards to Hinckley.
This year (allegedly), he was actually retired. I mean, he had the "real tears" news conference and everything. Did he think that the Packers were going to beat down his door and BEG him to come back? Well, that's probably exactly what he thought, but, when it didn't happen, he supposedly asked for an unconditional release from his GB contract so he could hook up with another team.
Look, I know that the NFL is desperate for quarterbacks and all; (I mean, doesn't someone seems to trot out the corpse of Vinny Testaverde at least once a year?), but how many years does BF have left even if he's not toiling in the frozen tundra? One? Two?
Anybody not named New England that close to a Super Bowl that they're willing to mortgage the future for one or two years of season-ending interceptions? Uhhh....sorry, Brett. They've got this guy that they really like, name of Brady....I don't think they'd be interested.
Brett - do us all a favre; go away. Go fishing, go golfing, go kayaking, go ANYWHERE, as long as it's away. I'm tired of this circus, and the LAST thing you want is to take the record for most mundane, boring and tired story line of the decade away from Ana Nicole and her two-year funeral procession!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Guess who says that the country is getting "more polarized?"
In an article I read this afternoon, Bill Clinton, of all people, warned that the country is getting more polarized over time, citing recent work from Bill Bishop's new book, "The Big Sort."
Uh......I wonder who caused THAT to happen, Mr. Clinton?
Perhaps it was your politics, "the politics of personal destruction," that caused people to take sides as they have!
Actually, I think the whole study is skewed because Mr. Bishop chose an unusually strange starting place; the Carter/Ford election. For those of you old enough to remember, a lot of people who were sick and tired of the scandal known as Watergate chose to cross over and vote Democrat in that election. Frankly, I don't think that narrow margins in a majority of counties nationwide really MEANS anything in the context of that particular election. I mean, it's like saying that 4 out of 5 doctors recommend this toothpaste or that prescription drug. Sounds pretty good, right? What if I said 20 PERCENT OF DOCTORS DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT TOOTHPASTE OR THAT PRESCRIPTION DRUG???? You wouldn't be nearly so inclined to purchase that product, would you? Same deal! Give me some stats from an election that was close and did NOT reflect the backlash from a horrific scandal....Kennedy/Nixon, for example. For that matter, you could cite Bush/Kerry stats if you like; that was a close election where no major scandal skewed the result!
But I digress; for Bill Clinton to wag his finger and try to shame us out of the polarization that he helped to create is the pot calling the kettle charcoal grey IMHO. Mr. Clinton, if you want the nation to be less polarized, move the politics of your party away from the left-hand fringes and back toward the center. The middle ground is what got you elected not once but twice and it's the only place ANY Democrat can make hay in this day and time.
That one's free. I start charging after this!
Uh......I wonder who caused THAT to happen, Mr. Clinton?
Perhaps it was your politics, "the politics of personal destruction," that caused people to take sides as they have!
Actually, I think the whole study is skewed because Mr. Bishop chose an unusually strange starting place; the Carter/Ford election. For those of you old enough to remember, a lot of people who were sick and tired of the scandal known as Watergate chose to cross over and vote Democrat in that election. Frankly, I don't think that narrow margins in a majority of counties nationwide really MEANS anything in the context of that particular election. I mean, it's like saying that 4 out of 5 doctors recommend this toothpaste or that prescription drug. Sounds pretty good, right? What if I said 20 PERCENT OF DOCTORS DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT TOOTHPASTE OR THAT PRESCRIPTION DRUG???? You wouldn't be nearly so inclined to purchase that product, would you? Same deal! Give me some stats from an election that was close and did NOT reflect the backlash from a horrific scandal....Kennedy/Nixon, for example. For that matter, you could cite Bush/Kerry stats if you like; that was a close election where no major scandal skewed the result!
But I digress; for Bill Clinton to wag his finger and try to shame us out of the polarization that he helped to create is the pot calling the kettle charcoal grey IMHO. Mr. Clinton, if you want the nation to be less polarized, move the politics of your party away from the left-hand fringes and back toward the center. The middle ground is what got you elected not once but twice and it's the only place ANY Democrat can make hay in this day and time.
That one's free. I start charging after this!
Home again!!! (God's Pottery backlash!)
Well.....vacation's over and it's time to get back to work!
Today the only thing we did was get up and eat the delicious breakfast from the B and B, pack it up and head home!
As we were coming in on I-10, one of those "news" signs flashed the fact that the highway was closed in Houston (what a SHOCK!!! They NEVER do any work on I-10......Uhhh.....change "never" to "always" and now you know how often I-10 is under construction in Houston!!!), so we made a quick exit in Sealy and headed for Rosenburg. That was pretty fortuitous, actually, because it gave us an opportunity to head back to the antique store in Rosenburg where MDB saw a pair of candlestick holders she wanted. Last time we were there, we'd seen them, but held off on buying them at that time, so we scooped them up this go-around! Woo-hoo!
Our garden was a bit overgrown......(imagine an okra that's about a foot and a half long)....but it's all back to normal now!
I was hoping we'd have eggplant when we got back, but they're not ready yet. There are TONS of them set and growing, but none big enough to pick just yet. I have picked some peppers from the pepper plants, but they're very small for some reason. I've got to start watering more often, I guess.
I was hoping we'd have eggplant when we got back, but they're not ready yet. There are TONS of them set and growing, but none big enough to pick just yet. I have picked some peppers from the pepper plants, but they're very small for some reason. I've got to start watering more often, I guess.Somehow, my little blog made it's way to the God's Pottery MySpace page and people from there stampeded my little corner of the planet! Not that I mind the extra traffic, but when you're used to getting 20 or so hits a day and that goes up to 120 all in one day, it's interesting, to say the least!
Having read some of what people have posted on the GP MSpage, it's possible that God's Pottery is genuinely interested in spreading the gospel of Jesus and is NOT trying to clown Christians or a Christian worldview. If that's the case and I'm somehow the only one who doesn't really "get" it, please accept my apology, GP. Lord knows, what this world needs is a big dose of Jesus and if self-deprecating humor is what it takes to get that job done then, who am I to say that's a bad thing?
Friday, July 11, 2008
Fredericksburg and my new favorite city!
Hello again, blogfans!Today we made the trip to Fredericksburg and toured the Nimitz Museum, a visit that takes the better part of the day! The first part, dedicated mostly to the career of Fredericksburg native Chester Nimitz, is very interesting in as much as it details how a kid from "Landlockville" Texas comes to serve with distinction in the US Navy! The second part of the tour, dedicated to the war in the Pacific, goes into some detail from the first shot to the last, including what was going on at home and what went on with the politics of the day. Very interesting!The last leg of the tour was more of a "hands-on" experience! They had a real Avenger torpedo plane like the one that was shot out from under former President Georg
e HW Bush; they had a real Higgins PT boat with all the accoutrement's! They had a genuine Japanese tank and various other Japanese ordinance set about to make things realistic. Best of all, they had one of the bomb casings from a "fat man" atomic bomb, and not just a mock-up! Apparently, and unbeknownst to me, the US had several other atomic bombs in its arsenal at the end of WWII and, had Japan not surrendered, they were going to use them in advance of the US invasion of the Japanese home island
! I purposefully got a picture of the last "straggler" in the frame to give some idea of how large the bomb was! It was enormous!
As of today, I have a new favorite city in Texas! It is Sisterdale, Texas! It has the best junkyard EVER, not to mention some of the prettiest lanscape anywhere in the state!
I am purposefully NOT posting a picture of THAT since, if I did, everyone would want to move there and that would certainly spoil things, wouldn't it? Suffice it to say, Sisterdale is awesome and MDB's awesomer still for snapping all of the fine photos of her!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tubing the river!
Hello again, blogfans!
Today, MDB and I went "tubing" on the San Marcos river!
What's "tubing" you say? Well, comedian Ron White has a pretty good spiel about tubing on the river. He wondered what everyone was doing after several hours of floating down the river drinking beer from a huge floating cooler having not seen a single soul get out and relieve themselves, only to realize that everyone was merely relieving themselves ON themselves! He thought, 'well, if everyone else is just peeing on themself, I guess I'LL just pee on MYSELF!!!'
Of course, he was in a canoe..........standing up!
Well.....our experience wasn't QUITE like that! First of all, most "tubers" around here tube the Guadalupe River, not the San Marcos. The Guadalupe, though not as clean as the San Marcos, is deeper and runs faster for the most part. There are more twists and turns, and more rapids on the Guadalupe. The San Marcos, for the most part, is a more sanguine experience, but the water is so clear and cold! It's AWESOME!!!
Anyway, that's what we did this morning. NOW we're going back to the outlet mall to exchange some stuff that we bought the other day and to replace a pair of sunglasses that I lost in the "rapids" on the San Marcos!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Wednesday's Trek
Hello again, blogfans!
Today's journey took us round about until we got to Kerrville and then down TX 16 to San Antonio - one of the most beautiful drives in the country, I believe! Last year, we made the same journey except that we went from San Antonio to Kerrville and came back on I-10. One day, if land is still available in the area, I think I'd like to retire to the Medina/Bandera area - it's got to be one of the prettiest places I think I've ever seen!
Anyway, once we got to San Antonio, we stopped at the Alamo and did the tour of that place and then walked the River Walk for a spell, stopping only to eat. We ate at "the Original Mexican Restaraunt." From the way it acted in our gastrointestinal tracts, I think some of the food was original as well! It reminded me of a very old joke:
Marlon - Maybelle, did I tell you about the eggs I bought the other day?
Maybelle - No, Marlon! Please tell me!
Marlon - Well, I bought me a dozen eggs the other day and on one of the eggs was written 'to any gentleman suitor - PLEASE write!'
Maybelle - Well, Marlon, you're not married.....did you write?
Marlon - No......after I opened the egg, I knew by this time she must be a very old lady!
Well, tomorrow, if the weather holds, we're going to go "tubing" on the river. It's been awhile since I did THAT, so it should be interesting!
As usual, Whitlock has a point!
And, even if I don't agree with his solution, you have to agree that the whole sham that is college basketball is a silly and unwise arrangement.
Here's a better idea. Set up a minor league for basketball like the one in Baseball. Oh, let me guess......I can hear the excuses coming already! "They don't have the revenue stream that baseball has....." "Baseball has the antitrust exemption; basketball can't compete the same way baseball can...." "Baseball DOES draft guys right out of high school!".....Ya Di....ya di....ya da!!!!
Uh, baseball, basketball, and football are on nearly even terms when it comes to overall revenue. "Aftermarket" revenue in basketball is much larger than it is in baseball and, even though the baseball season is much longer and the number of home dates is stupid compared to any other sport, the price of a ticket is not nearly as high in baseball. Here's the bottom line. Everyone EXCEPT the universities has come to the realization that some kids are professionals right out of high school and these kids not only don't NEED to go to college to earn a good living, they'd just as soon skip it and go right to work, so to speak. We don't force the student population at large into college.....why do we insist that athletes do it? Minor leagues work in baseball; why can't they work in football and basketball?
The owners don't WANT them to work, that's why! Why on earth would they pony up the cash to start up player development leagues when they've got the good old NCAA to do it for them? When we STOP leaving it up to the toothless NCAA to enforce it's antiquated rules and make it illegal to entice amateur athletes into professional contracts, then and only then will the pro leagues look at developmental programs for player development and the OJ Mayos of the world will disappear!
Here's a better idea. Set up a minor league for basketball like the one in Baseball. Oh, let me guess......I can hear the excuses coming already! "They don't have the revenue stream that baseball has....." "Baseball has the antitrust exemption; basketball can't compete the same way baseball can...." "Baseball DOES draft guys right out of high school!".....Ya Di....ya di....ya da!!!!
Uh, baseball, basketball, and football are on nearly even terms when it comes to overall revenue. "Aftermarket" revenue in basketball is much larger than it is in baseball and, even though the baseball season is much longer and the number of home dates is stupid compared to any other sport, the price of a ticket is not nearly as high in baseball. Here's the bottom line. Everyone EXCEPT the universities has come to the realization that some kids are professionals right out of high school and these kids not only don't NEED to go to college to earn a good living, they'd just as soon skip it and go right to work, so to speak. We don't force the student population at large into college.....why do we insist that athletes do it? Minor leagues work in baseball; why can't they work in football and basketball?
The owners don't WANT them to work, that's why! Why on earth would they pony up the cash to start up player development leagues when they've got the good old NCAA to do it for them? When we STOP leaving it up to the toothless NCAA to enforce it's antiquated rules and make it illegal to entice amateur athletes into professional contracts, then and only then will the pro leagues look at developmental programs for player development and the OJ Mayos of the world will disappear!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Tuesday in paradise!
Welcome from heaven on earth!
Today, we took a drive from here to the Natural Bridge Caverns; the largest and most ornate limestone cavern in all of Texas and the wildlife ranch that runs adjacent.
It was pretty incredible!
I'd been through the caverns before around twenty years ago, but I didn't get to see a lot on that trip; I was pushing a twin stroller around when I could, carrying it when I could not! Anyway, I got to see everything this time around and we took our time and took pictures everywhere! When we got done, we went through the wildlife ranch next door. We saw all of the African animals and a few that are rare but NOT African. They have emus and ostriches; they have caribou, antelope, gnus, impala, wildebeast, cape buffalo, American Bison, longhorn cattle, pronghorn, zebras, giraffes, white rhinocerous, all sorts of goats and deer, and a lot of other stuff I can't even remember. MDB wanted to take pictures of them all, but she used up her battery in the cavern....
It was a lot of fun anyway! There's a place where the "road" on the "safari" goes either right or left. The first time through we went right and didn't see a whole lot other than goats. We decided we'd go through again once we finished the first run through, this time going left. We saw ALL KINDS of stuff we missed the first time! That when we saw the American Bison (we'd have missed it if we hadn't gone back!!!) and the longhorns! All of the Cape Buffalo we on the left, and the only widebeast we saw were on that trail, also. We also saw axis deer, red stag, and more of the goats we'd seen earlier! It was really well-worth the return trip, that's for sure!
When we finished, we decided we'd take a drive up to Wimberley and do the glass factory and the little shops there in town. The glass blower was off, but they had some really nice stuff to see. Wimberley was pretty much what you'd expect; a lot of overpriced "tourist" stuff, but the people were nice and the drive in was AWESOME!!!
Even more awesome was the drive OUT! We took RM 12 (most of the rural roads in Texas are "FM" designated; that's "Farm to Market," but route 12 is a "Ranch to Market" road) back to TX 32 and that back to Canyon Lake. The drive was perhaps the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen, both on the road from Wimberley to Canyon Lake and then the drive around Canyon Lake itself. The whole area is just beautiful; a big part of why we love it so much!
Selling the house, and saving everywhere else I can!
Hello again, blogfans!
About a week and a half after listing with a new agent, I got an offer on my house that looks very promising! This is the third time I've gotten an offer, so if I don't sound totally convinced yet, it's because we've been down this road twice before with no closure! Please pray that this will be the one and I can FINALLY consolidate things and stop paying two sets of bills!
MDB and I have taken a little trip for our anniversary back to the B&B where we honeymooned. We LOVE this place! It's so peaceful and clean, and the views around here are just awesome. Not only that, but MDB's favorite shopping Mecca of all time is not far away, so we get to kill two aviary inhabitants with one terrestrial projectile and shop there while we're at it! Woo-hoo!
Actually, this year, it came in really handy. I've managed to put on a few pounds since our nuptials and I can hardly squeeze into some of the stuff I was wearing with ease not that long ago, so I had to buy a few new things myself.......
Time to go on a big time diet AGAIN!!!!!
Yesterday wasn't the day. We finished the day by driving into Austin and meeting up with MDB's son; CDM1. We were going to eat at the world's best pizza place, "Brick Oven Pizza," but apparently it was "founder's day" or something and BOP was closed!!! So, we went to Conan's and ate the 2nd best pizza in the world!
Conan's reminds me of why I never liked Austin! Everyone working there is just WEIRD!!! Well, maybe they're not so weird in today's social scene, but in MY day and my social circle, they're just WEIRD!!!! Back in the pet shop days (another subject for another blog; the days when the ex and I owned a pet shop), we'd have called them "snake people." You could always tell a snake owner from a general pet person, the sort who owns a frog, a fish, a dog, or some other "normal" animal; snake people were tatooed anyplace a tatoo could be applied and pierced wherever they were tatooed! The delievery guy who came in before the pizza was ready had blond dreads that were up in a pony tail along with lip, eyebrow, nose, ear, and only God-knows what else pierced. Everyone behind the counter was the same, except for delievery guy #2. He came in about half-way through the first pizza and, from all appearances, was not a "snake person" for lack of a better term. Anyway, it seems that "odd" is the norm in Austin and normal is odd there. It's the liberal capital of Texas and I don't think it's any accident that odd and liberal go together there. THAT's another subject for another blog, to be sure!
Anyway, today we're going to the caverns and the glass factory, then back to the B&B! It's going to be awesome!!!
About a week and a half after listing with a new agent, I got an offer on my house that looks very promising! This is the third time I've gotten an offer, so if I don't sound totally convinced yet, it's because we've been down this road twice before with no closure! Please pray that this will be the one and I can FINALLY consolidate things and stop paying two sets of bills!
MDB and I have taken a little trip for our anniversary back to the B&B where we honeymooned. We LOVE this place! It's so peaceful and clean, and the views around here are just awesome. Not only that, but MDB's favorite shopping Mecca of all time is not far away, so we get to kill two aviary inhabitants with one terrestrial projectile and shop there while we're at it! Woo-hoo!
Actually, this year, it came in really handy. I've managed to put on a few pounds since our nuptials and I can hardly squeeze into some of the stuff I was wearing with ease not that long ago, so I had to buy a few new things myself.......
Time to go on a big time diet AGAIN!!!!!
Yesterday wasn't the day. We finished the day by driving into Austin and meeting up with MDB's son; CDM1. We were going to eat at the world's best pizza place, "Brick Oven Pizza," but apparently it was "founder's day" or something and BOP was closed!!! So, we went to Conan's and ate the 2nd best pizza in the world!
Conan's reminds me of why I never liked Austin! Everyone working there is just WEIRD!!! Well, maybe they're not so weird in today's social scene, but in MY day and my social circle, they're just WEIRD!!!! Back in the pet shop days (another subject for another blog; the days when the ex and I owned a pet shop), we'd have called them "snake people." You could always tell a snake owner from a general pet person, the sort who owns a frog, a fish, a dog, or some other "normal" animal; snake people were tatooed anyplace a tatoo could be applied and pierced wherever they were tatooed! The delievery guy who came in before the pizza was ready had blond dreads that were up in a pony tail along with lip, eyebrow, nose, ear, and only God-knows what else pierced. Everyone behind the counter was the same, except for delievery guy #2. He came in about half-way through the first pizza and, from all appearances, was not a "snake person" for lack of a better term. Anyway, it seems that "odd" is the norm in Austin and normal is odd there. It's the liberal capital of Texas and I don't think it's any accident that odd and liberal go together there. THAT's another subject for another blog, to be sure!
Anyway, today we're going to the caverns and the glass factory, then back to the B&B! It's going to be awesome!!!
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Oh sure.....NOW you get some intestinal fortitude!
Apparently, someone found a wax characature of Hitler offensive; they attacked it and tore off it's head.
Uh.....you're 70 years too late!
Where were you when the real Hitler was gathering up "inferior specimens" and concentrating them in ghettos and concentration camps until a "final solution" could be formulated?
Cowering in fear like the rest of Europe, more than likely!
Look, I don't think anyone else would have played it differently in the same situation, so don't accuse me of being a "Monday morning quarterback;" all I'm trying to say is that trying to deny that the events of the past actually occured is ignorant! He who attempts to deny the truth is doomed to repeat it!
It's rather like race relations in this country today. We DARE not speak of slavery, as if the mere mention will bring it back or somehow demean the memory of those who suffered unspeakable horror. To accept it for what it was, to believe in the truth; THAT has become the sin in this day and time!
I have an idea! Accept what happened for what it was, teach it to our children so they will never EVER, think about going back there again and mourn for those who were too swept up, too overwhelmed, to fight back when it was happening!
That's what we owe them and that's what we owe the future!
Uh.....you're 70 years too late!
Where were you when the real Hitler was gathering up "inferior specimens" and concentrating them in ghettos and concentration camps until a "final solution" could be formulated?
Cowering in fear like the rest of Europe, more than likely!
Look, I don't think anyone else would have played it differently in the same situation, so don't accuse me of being a "Monday morning quarterback;" all I'm trying to say is that trying to deny that the events of the past actually occured is ignorant! He who attempts to deny the truth is doomed to repeat it!
It's rather like race relations in this country today. We DARE not speak of slavery, as if the mere mention will bring it back or somehow demean the memory of those who suffered unspeakable horror. To accept it for what it was, to believe in the truth; THAT has become the sin in this day and time!
I have an idea! Accept what happened for what it was, teach it to our children so they will never EVER, think about going back there again and mourn for those who were too swept up, too overwhelmed, to fight back when it was happening!
That's what we owe them and that's what we owe the future!
Friday, July 04, 2008
A little more on the new car....
Already, the car-buying public is clamoring...."But, DAN!!!! You could've had a Civic and you passed it up?! Are you MAD?"
Uh, no. But then, I don't worship at the altar of Father Honda and his band of war profiteers, either.
Let me try to explain this one more time.
Assuming I drive 15,000 per year (pretty accurate assumption, actually), if I'm driving a car that gets 33 mpg (Ford Focus), that means I'm going to consume 455 gallons of fuel during that time. If I drive a car that gets 36 mpg (Honda Civic), I'm going to consume 417 gallons of fuel in a year; 38 gallons less. With gas at $4.00/gallon, that means that the Focus is going to cost me $152 more per year to operate than the Civic. Are you with me so far? If both cars cost the same amount to drive off of the lot, it's a no-brainer; you buy the Civic. However, that was NOT the case! The Civic was $4500 MORE than the Focus and the Honda dealer was too busy trying to RAPE me to realize that I was NOT one of their converts who would just blindly sign up for it without thought! Anyway, at $152 per year, it would take the Civic 30 years to "catch up" with the Focus.
I tried to explain this concept to the Honda guy, but he didn't seem to get it! Read up, Honda guy! Even if your car gets better fuel economy than the Ford, it's not so much better that the up-front investment makes any sense!
On the other hand, why was I buying a new car in the first place? Well, my F-150 gets about 15 mpg, which means it's going to consume exactly 1000 gallons of fuel in a year if I drive 15,000 miles. The Focus that I bought is going to consume 455 gallons during the same period; that's 545 gallons less than the F-150. At $4.00/gallon, that means that the Focus is going to save me $2180 in fuel cost alone, meaning that it is essentially going to pay for itself in fuel savings! What a concept!!!
As happy as I am with the Ford dealer and what they were able to do to help me, THAT'S how totally disappointed I am with the Honda dealership!!! MDB loves, loves, LOVES Honda cars and every experience she's ever had with one. I've never heard anything bad about them, either, so I was more than willing to listen and try to work a deal for a Civic, but they just were not willing to come off of their ridiculous price demand! $1500 OVER the MSRP! That's completely unheard of! What's sad, my friends, is that the same car we passed on will be snatched up in another minute by some poor lemming who will blindly buy Honda because of the perceived savings in fuel! I have half a mind to write the AG's office and demand an investigation! I mean, this price-gouging scheme they've devised is about as close to war profiteering or disaster scalping as anything I've ever seen on the open market and I realy hope that people are smart enough to see through it and NOT buy Hondas because of it! I hope people boycott Honda and refuse to buy their products for a very long time!
There.....I feel better now!
"But Dan!" you say, "There were so many other cars out there to choose from! Why did you limit it to only those three?"
Well, that's a pretty good question, actually. I am and always have been a Ford guy. Fords have always been good to me and the Ford dealer that I prefer has always been a very honest, up-front, friendly kind of place that bends over backwards to offer the kind of service that keeps it's customers coming back. I bought my first vehicle from them in 1988 and then, last year, I bought another one from them! MDB likes Hondas and has never had a bad experience with them, so we decided to look them over as well. I've owned a Corolla before and IT was a really good car, so we decided to include them in our list of potential cars to buy. My mom has always driven Chevrolet and she seems to like them, but I've never had much luck with them and I just don't like the way they're engineered, so I didn't consider a GM product. I wouldn't drive a Nissan if you gave it to me, and I feel pretty much the same about Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki, and all of those other non-Japanese Asian brands that seem to fall apart as soon as the warranty expires. Besides, if we couldn't get what we needed with those three brands, we probably weren't going to find it elsewhere, right?
Okay....enough said! If you have any other questions, send them to BoycottHonda.com and I'll answer them there!
Uh, no. But then, I don't worship at the altar of Father Honda and his band of war profiteers, either.
Let me try to explain this one more time.
Assuming I drive 15,000 per year (pretty accurate assumption, actually), if I'm driving a car that gets 33 mpg (Ford Focus), that means I'm going to consume 455 gallons of fuel during that time. If I drive a car that gets 36 mpg (Honda Civic), I'm going to consume 417 gallons of fuel in a year; 38 gallons less. With gas at $4.00/gallon, that means that the Focus is going to cost me $152 more per year to operate than the Civic. Are you with me so far? If both cars cost the same amount to drive off of the lot, it's a no-brainer; you buy the Civic. However, that was NOT the case! The Civic was $4500 MORE than the Focus and the Honda dealer was too busy trying to RAPE me to realize that I was NOT one of their converts who would just blindly sign up for it without thought! Anyway, at $152 per year, it would take the Civic 30 years to "catch up" with the Focus.
I tried to explain this concept to the Honda guy, but he didn't seem to get it! Read up, Honda guy! Even if your car gets better fuel economy than the Ford, it's not so much better that the up-front investment makes any sense!
On the other hand, why was I buying a new car in the first place? Well, my F-150 gets about 15 mpg, which means it's going to consume exactly 1000 gallons of fuel in a year if I drive 15,000 miles. The Focus that I bought is going to consume 455 gallons during the same period; that's 545 gallons less than the F-150. At $4.00/gallon, that means that the Focus is going to save me $2180 in fuel cost alone, meaning that it is essentially going to pay for itself in fuel savings! What a concept!!!
As happy as I am with the Ford dealer and what they were able to do to help me, THAT'S how totally disappointed I am with the Honda dealership!!! MDB loves, loves, LOVES Honda cars and every experience she's ever had with one. I've never heard anything bad about them, either, so I was more than willing to listen and try to work a deal for a Civic, but they just were not willing to come off of their ridiculous price demand! $1500 OVER the MSRP! That's completely unheard of! What's sad, my friends, is that the same car we passed on will be snatched up in another minute by some poor lemming who will blindly buy Honda because of the perceived savings in fuel! I have half a mind to write the AG's office and demand an investigation! I mean, this price-gouging scheme they've devised is about as close to war profiteering or disaster scalping as anything I've ever seen on the open market and I realy hope that people are smart enough to see through it and NOT buy Hondas because of it! I hope people boycott Honda and refuse to buy their products for a very long time!
There.....I feel better now!
"But Dan!" you say, "There were so many other cars out there to choose from! Why did you limit it to only those three?"
Well, that's a pretty good question, actually. I am and always have been a Ford guy. Fords have always been good to me and the Ford dealer that I prefer has always been a very honest, up-front, friendly kind of place that bends over backwards to offer the kind of service that keeps it's customers coming back. I bought my first vehicle from them in 1988 and then, last year, I bought another one from them! MDB likes Hondas and has never had a bad experience with them, so we decided to look them over as well. I've owned a Corolla before and IT was a really good car, so we decided to include them in our list of potential cars to buy. My mom has always driven Chevrolet and she seems to like them, but I've never had much luck with them and I just don't like the way they're engineered, so I didn't consider a GM product. I wouldn't drive a Nissan if you gave it to me, and I feel pretty much the same about Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki, and all of those other non-Japanese Asian brands that seem to fall apart as soon as the warranty expires. Besides, if we couldn't get what we needed with those three brands, we probably weren't going to find it elsewhere, right?
Okay....enough said! If you have any other questions, send them to BoycottHonda.com and I'll answer them there!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
I hope you enjoyed THAT car-buying experience!!!
Hello again, blogfans!
Like a lot of Americans these days, I've been experiencing the "pinch" at the pump. About a year and a half ago (when gas was $1.50 a gallon less than it is now), I bought a new F-150. I'm not one of those "status" buyers who buys a vehicle because it's "hot" or "in" or popular; I buy a vehicle strictly for the utility, which is why I bought the full-sized Ford. I have a 23' boat that I have to pull and a 16' flatbed trailer that I pull from time to time, both of which require a full-sized truck. I bought the Ford because Fords have always been good for me. Including the one I bought last year, I've had 6 full-sized Ford trucks since I started driving and I've never had anything but a great experience with them; they pull like there's no tomorrow, they're easy to drive and maintain, they're relatively efficient, and they maintain their value fairly well. All that said, the F-150 isn't getting the sort of mileage I need driving back and forth to work, so I needed to park it when I'm not using it to pull and buy something more efficient for the trip back and forth to work.
I decided that I'd test drive a Ford Focus (33 mpg), a Toyota Corolla (35 mpg), and a Honda Civic (36 mpg) and Fit (33 mpg) [all mpgs listed are for the automatic transmission model - MDB doesn't want to have to shift when she drives it]
The Focus tested well; it was roomy and had plenty of power. The ride was comfortable and the trunk was absolutely cavernous! Not only that, Ford is offering $1500 cash back, which put the drive-out price at about $16,000 after everything is said and done.
The Corolla was a little cramped and, even with the additional gas mileage it offered, it would never "catch up" with a sticker that runs over $18,000.
The Fit was very nice if a little troubling. The salesman kept saying that the car weighs less than a Civic, which made me go "hmmmmmm....." It has a smaller engine (1500 cc) than a Civic, which, coupled with a lighter weight, ought to equal higher gas mileage than a Civic, but the Fit gets 3 mpg LESS.......Hmmmmmmmmm......
Anyway, the Fit had a sticker of ~17,000 (keep that figure in mind)....
The Civic was what you'd expect. It was very comfortable, comes with legendary Honda reliability, and gets 36 mpg doing it. It carries a sticker of ~19,000 (keep that figure in mind)....
Since I'd already eliminated the Corolla for reasons already stated, it came down to the Focus and the Civic (the Fit and Focus were a wash; both got 33 mpg and the Focus was cheaper, so the Fit was out). I'd have driven off of the Honda lot with a Civic, except for the fact that Honda has seen fit to ADD $1500 TO THE MSRP AND REFUSE TO DEAL WHATSOEVER!!!! That means that the $19,000 Civic was going to run $20,500 and there wasn't going to be any discussion about it at all!
Right there at the salesman's desk, I ran the numbers for him:
The focus gets 33 mpg, which means for a typical 15,000 mile year, I'm going to use about 455 gallons of gasoline. The Civic, at 36 mpg, is going to use about 417 gallons; that's a difference of 38 gallons. At $4.00 per gallon, that means the Focus is going to cost $152.00 more per year to operate than the Civic. Since the Civic cost $4500 more than the Focus, that means that it will take the Civic nearly 30 years to "catch up" with the Focus.
I don't think I'm going to have either one of them for 30 years!!!!
Anyway, I presented the figures to the salesman and he hemmed and hawed (as you'd expect) and then brought his manager over so I could present my figures again! "Would you be interested in a pre-owned Civic?" they wanted to know....
Uhhh....I don't think so!
Let's see, Honda; would you be the guys who're charging $10 for a bag of ice after a hurricane? Are you the guys who respond to an opportunity to provide an actual service to the American public by sticking it to us like this?
I went and bought the Ford! I'm taking delivery on the 14th (they didn't have any in stock, but they've got one that has the stuff on it I wanted in transit and THEY didn't mind dealing with me!!! They added $500 to the invoice cost, gave me the $1500 rebate AND an additional $500 cash back that I was eligible for for some reason that I'm not sure of)!
Anyway, since I walked out of the Honda dealer, my phone has rung twice; once it was some "customer satisfaction survey" who wanted to know why I didn't buy at the Honda place and the other time was a call from the General Manager of the dealership. He also wanted to know why I didn't buy a Honda. Here's how that conversation went:
Honda guy - "Mr. Armstrong?"
Me - "Yes?"
HG - "You visited our dealership today and you did not purchase a vehicle. Could I ask why you did not do business with us?"
Me - "Sure - The price of the Civic was too high versus the price of similar vehicles from other manufacturers and the dealership would not deal with us on the price."
HG - "Well, we like to feel that the value of the Civic is worth the price."
Me - "It's a wonderful car and I'd really like to own one, but it would take the Civic 30 years to catch up with Focus and Ford doesn't seem to mind dealing with me, thanks."
HG - "Well, sir, if we could get you to come back in maybe we can work something out."
Me - "Uh....I don't think so; I'm at the Ford dealership taking delivery on a Focus right now, thanks!"
Thanks, Ford! I knew I'd been faithful to you all these years for a reason! Even when there's "gouging money" to be made, you're still dealing!
I hope Honda suffers a tremendous set-back in the market and is FORCED to deal with people! I understand "supply and demand" better than most, but I really have a hard time with the prospect of sticking it to people who're suffering with these gas prices and simply cannot afford NOT to deal with these greedy Japanese model dealerships. Thanks, Ford, for being there for me, once again!!!
Like a lot of Americans these days, I've been experiencing the "pinch" at the pump. About a year and a half ago (when gas was $1.50 a gallon less than it is now), I bought a new F-150. I'm not one of those "status" buyers who buys a vehicle because it's "hot" or "in" or popular; I buy a vehicle strictly for the utility, which is why I bought the full-sized Ford. I have a 23' boat that I have to pull and a 16' flatbed trailer that I pull from time to time, both of which require a full-sized truck. I bought the Ford because Fords have always been good for me. Including the one I bought last year, I've had 6 full-sized Ford trucks since I started driving and I've never had anything but a great experience with them; they pull like there's no tomorrow, they're easy to drive and maintain, they're relatively efficient, and they maintain their value fairly well. All that said, the F-150 isn't getting the sort of mileage I need driving back and forth to work, so I needed to park it when I'm not using it to pull and buy something more efficient for the trip back and forth to work.
I decided that I'd test drive a Ford Focus (33 mpg), a Toyota Corolla (35 mpg), and a Honda Civic (36 mpg) and Fit (33 mpg) [all mpgs listed are for the automatic transmission model - MDB doesn't want to have to shift when she drives it]
The Focus tested well; it was roomy and had plenty of power. The ride was comfortable and the trunk was absolutely cavernous! Not only that, Ford is offering $1500 cash back, which put the drive-out price at about $16,000 after everything is said and done.
The Corolla was a little cramped and, even with the additional gas mileage it offered, it would never "catch up" with a sticker that runs over $18,000.
The Fit was very nice if a little troubling. The salesman kept saying that the car weighs less than a Civic, which made me go "hmmmmmm....." It has a smaller engine (1500 cc) than a Civic, which, coupled with a lighter weight, ought to equal higher gas mileage than a Civic, but the Fit gets 3 mpg LESS.......Hmmmmmmmmm......
Anyway, the Fit had a sticker of ~17,000 (keep that figure in mind)....
The Civic was what you'd expect. It was very comfortable, comes with legendary Honda reliability, and gets 36 mpg doing it. It carries a sticker of ~19,000 (keep that figure in mind)....
Since I'd already eliminated the Corolla for reasons already stated, it came down to the Focus and the Civic (the Fit and Focus were a wash; both got 33 mpg and the Focus was cheaper, so the Fit was out). I'd have driven off of the Honda lot with a Civic, except for the fact that Honda has seen fit to ADD $1500 TO THE MSRP AND REFUSE TO DEAL WHATSOEVER!!!! That means that the $19,000 Civic was going to run $20,500 and there wasn't going to be any discussion about it at all!
Right there at the salesman's desk, I ran the numbers for him:
The focus gets 33 mpg, which means for a typical 15,000 mile year, I'm going to use about 455 gallons of gasoline. The Civic, at 36 mpg, is going to use about 417 gallons; that's a difference of 38 gallons. At $4.00 per gallon, that means the Focus is going to cost $152.00 more per year to operate than the Civic. Since the Civic cost $4500 more than the Focus, that means that it will take the Civic nearly 30 years to "catch up" with the Focus.
I don't think I'm going to have either one of them for 30 years!!!!
Anyway, I presented the figures to the salesman and he hemmed and hawed (as you'd expect) and then brought his manager over so I could present my figures again! "Would you be interested in a pre-owned Civic?" they wanted to know....
Uhhh....I don't think so!
Let's see, Honda; would you be the guys who're charging $10 for a bag of ice after a hurricane? Are you the guys who respond to an opportunity to provide an actual service to the American public by sticking it to us like this?
I went and bought the Ford! I'm taking delivery on the 14th (they didn't have any in stock, but they've got one that has the stuff on it I wanted in transit and THEY didn't mind dealing with me!!! They added $500 to the invoice cost, gave me the $1500 rebate AND an additional $500 cash back that I was eligible for for some reason that I'm not sure of)!
Anyway, since I walked out of the Honda dealer, my phone has rung twice; once it was some "customer satisfaction survey" who wanted to know why I didn't buy at the Honda place and the other time was a call from the General Manager of the dealership. He also wanted to know why I didn't buy a Honda. Here's how that conversation went:
Honda guy - "Mr. Armstrong?"
Me - "Yes?"
HG - "You visited our dealership today and you did not purchase a vehicle. Could I ask why you did not do business with us?"
Me - "Sure - The price of the Civic was too high versus the price of similar vehicles from other manufacturers and the dealership would not deal with us on the price."
HG - "Well, we like to feel that the value of the Civic is worth the price."
Me - "It's a wonderful car and I'd really like to own one, but it would take the Civic 30 years to catch up with Focus and Ford doesn't seem to mind dealing with me, thanks."
HG - "Well, sir, if we could get you to come back in maybe we can work something out."
Me - "Uh....I don't think so; I'm at the Ford dealership taking delivery on a Focus right now, thanks!"
Thanks, Ford! I knew I'd been faithful to you all these years for a reason! Even when there's "gouging money" to be made, you're still dealing!
I hope Honda suffers a tremendous set-back in the market and is FORCED to deal with people! I understand "supply and demand" better than most, but I really have a hard time with the prospect of sticking it to people who're suffering with these gas prices and simply cannot afford NOT to deal with these greedy Japanese model dealerships. Thanks, Ford, for being there for me, once again!!!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Lots of questions surrounding the Joe Horn case
Hello again, blogfans!
Those of you who read here often know that I cannot stand hypocrisy or inconsistency when it comes to questions of race. The yardstick you use to judge one SHOULD be the yardstick you use to judge all. Which brings me to the question; would anyone be at all upset about what Joe Horn did if the perpetrators he executed had been white?
Of course not!
Which means, dear "Horn haters," that you are guilty of taking a non-racial issue and attempting to turn it into one! Shame on you!
Would Horn have done the same thing if the perpetrators had been white?
Yup!
End of discussion, as far as I'm concerned!
But then, there's the hate that's come out towards poor old Joe and the death threat that was actually phoned into the DA! Uh, that leads to a whole new series of questions, doesn't it?
To the Horn haters:
1. If you were in Horn's shoes and someone were burglarizing the home next to yours, TELL me that you wouldn't do EXACTLY what he did to protect yourself and your property!
2. The burglars were found with bags of cash that they had stolen from Horn's neighbor. Police had not arrived yet and neither criminal seemed willing to wait quietly for them to arrive. TELL me you wouldn't have pulled the trigger in the same situation!
3. Do you think, Horn haters, that you would be upset about any of this if the burglars that Horn executed had been white?
4. I know it's hard to believe, but white guys DO commit crime in Houston from time to time. When police kill a white guy during the commission of a crime, where's Quantrell X and his posse? Why don't they find the killing of a white man by police just as heinous as they supposedly find THIS killing? Do they actually believe that Horn was racially motivated to do what he did?
Quantrell, when you start attending the funerals of white guys and bemoaning their deaths the way you do for black victims, you'll gain some credibility in my eyes. Until then, you're nothing but a suit-wearing clown and a wind-up jack-in-the-box that chants the same song over and over again whenever your hate-fired master turns your crank.
Quantrell, as far as I'm concerned, you can take your tired act right on out of town until you can figure out how to apply your yardstick consistently. Until then, feel free to stay away!
Those of you who read here often know that I cannot stand hypocrisy or inconsistency when it comes to questions of race. The yardstick you use to judge one SHOULD be the yardstick you use to judge all. Which brings me to the question; would anyone be at all upset about what Joe Horn did if the perpetrators he executed had been white?
Of course not!
Which means, dear "Horn haters," that you are guilty of taking a non-racial issue and attempting to turn it into one! Shame on you!
Would Horn have done the same thing if the perpetrators had been white?
Yup!
End of discussion, as far as I'm concerned!
But then, there's the hate that's come out towards poor old Joe and the death threat that was actually phoned into the DA! Uh, that leads to a whole new series of questions, doesn't it?
To the Horn haters:
1. If you were in Horn's shoes and someone were burglarizing the home next to yours, TELL me that you wouldn't do EXACTLY what he did to protect yourself and your property!
2. The burglars were found with bags of cash that they had stolen from Horn's neighbor. Police had not arrived yet and neither criminal seemed willing to wait quietly for them to arrive. TELL me you wouldn't have pulled the trigger in the same situation!
3. Do you think, Horn haters, that you would be upset about any of this if the burglars that Horn executed had been white?
4. I know it's hard to believe, but white guys DO commit crime in Houston from time to time. When police kill a white guy during the commission of a crime, where's Quantrell X and his posse? Why don't they find the killing of a white man by police just as heinous as they supposedly find THIS killing? Do they actually believe that Horn was racially motivated to do what he did?
Quantrell, when you start attending the funerals of white guys and bemoaning their deaths the way you do for black victims, you'll gain some credibility in my eyes. Until then, you're nothing but a suit-wearing clown and a wind-up jack-in-the-box that chants the same song over and over again whenever your hate-fired master turns your crank.
Quantrell, as far as I'm concerned, you can take your tired act right on out of town until you can figure out how to apply your yardstick consistently. Until then, feel free to stay away!
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