Michael - is gone. As is the way with him and his family, things can change abruptly without any forewarning.
He got his stuff and left. That's it.
I have no qualms with it, either. One less mouth to feed, TV's that won't be on endlessly. The black kids won't come over because he isn't here and that will mean even more money saved. Life isn't all about saving money, but this was his decision.
Caleb - is gone a lot now. Work keeps him very busy along with school now. Some girl at work - his age - apparently thought it would be cute to start rumors that he is a slacker and told him that he was going to get fired.
Instead, it turns out, this girl is going into rehab. At the ripe old age of 17, she is an alcoholic and they are going to try and bring her out of it. What, however, is it that goes through the mind to start an ugly rumor like that? Caleb's manager called him to him earlier this week - Caleb thought it was all over. He was going to be fired. Instead, the manger asked him if he could take some of the girl that is going into rehab's shifts? Caleb told him he thought he was going to be fired and answered the question after being asked why he thought that, the manager simply replied that you don't listen to them, I am your manager, not them.
He's growing up and learning. Dealing with workplace crap can sometimes be very traumatic. It can certainly be a big test. It will definitely force him to learn how to deal in inter-personal issues not only in the workplace, but in all of life.
Meanwhile, I am sitting here in a completely empty house. No kids, no tenants. Not that the tenants are gone permanently - they are out doing whatever they are doing. I have not experienced this kind of tranquility and peace for a long time in this house. No pity party desired, I am all over this. Okay, there are 4 dogs here, but besides that....oops, forgot the trailer tenants. They are almost always here. He just paid me up a whole month's rent and is hoping to get a place in Mesa next month.
My thoughts have wandered towards attempting to force myself to go to church tomorrow. I have the church picked out - it's in Chandler. I pass by it every day going to work. It has drawn me. I want to go - and yet - the old issues always come to mind. 10:30 am. No, not committing to go, just trying to get my mind into the place where I can walk through the doors, put on a smile, find a seat, sit down and absorb whatever there is to absorb from the place. I have some trepidation - it is a prophetic church. I have been called out in prophetic churches before - not a bad thing I guess but still.
I feel a great need to get back into the fellowship of other believers and start making some new friends again. I feel I am at the verge of it.
Besides taking Caleb to work earlier, I have spent the entire day indoors. It is very hot outside and I have simply not had the gumption to do anything but watch movies. In fact, I have done nothing at all, not even cleaning. The house, however, is in pretty good shape right now so no big deal. The heat advisories (yes, there is more than one for the area I am living in) are in effect until Monday evening. The second hottest summer on the records since they started keeping records. My electric use is off the wall, but, I am keeping it at around 82 in here during the day if no tenants are here.
So that's it. I am not going into news stuff now cause' I don't much feel like it. Obama this, Obama that. It's amazing how much that man really WANTS the press to cover him. Self-aborbed? Certainly in love with the sound of his own voice. No, I'm not a fan and never will be. At least the outcry for him to stop blaming Bush is getting louder. More people are saying - gee, Mr. President, you have had a year and a half to deal with this and now we are looking at a potential double-dip recession. I really don't think he cares. In fact, I don't think any of them care one way or the other. Get their agenda through, come what may, consequences be damned.
I'm watching some freaky movie called "The Eye" on Lifetime Movie Network. Weird stuff there. I saw the movie once but it was late when I watched it - quite a while back - and fell asleep so I really don't even know the ending of it.
Well, that's my update.
ben
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday/Judgement?
You know, I believe in God. I believe in the atoning blood sacrifice that Jesus Christ made at the Cross of Calvary. I believe in the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. I also happen to believe that the prophetic - such as was in Old Testament times - is still alive and kicking and being brought forth, yes, today.
I believe that because I operated to some small extent in the spirit of prophecy for some time before I got divorced. I"m not saying I'm anyone grand or special, just saying what I believe.
So, when I start getting these feelings, inner speakings, whatever you want to call it, about something coming down the pike, I tend to pay attention to such things. I'm not even currently going to church - not involved in fellowship with other believers (my bad, long story, not going into that here, still trying to force myself to get into a church and soon) - and I am having these thoughts and things coming before me.
I heard some stuff on the radio yesterday that totally confirmed what I have been thinking and I wasn't listening to a Christian radio station. My ex-wife then sends me all kinds of stuff about terrorist cells being all around us. You see in the news about terrorists being "home grown" - right here in the good ole' U.S.
I do believe there is a lot more to this than the government is telling us. I rather believe, also, that they know full well what is going. I'm not saying the government is involved in any of this, to the contrary. When terrorist cells want to stay invisible, they know how to do it.
And if they decide to do something, how are they going to be stopped? There were also recent reports of Hezbollah coming through or stationed near the Mexico/New Mexico or Texas border. Other reports that terrorists are coming through the basically open border that it is down south (of me, anyway).
The picture starts to come together of why I am feeling what I am feeling. I'm less than 200 miles from the Nogales border entry.
If these cells exist, what are they planning on doing? Usually, modus operandi dictates destruction on mass level versus "just" killing af few people on the streets or something. Such as a giant stadium, or a large event where mass amounts of people are gathered together.
My senses are not failing me. It is a strange thing to suddenly come to all of these conclusions, but the pieces have been coming together for some time now in my mind, I just didn't recognize it.
Fear? The only fear I can have is of God Himself. HE is the one to fear, not man. If I am not ready to go to Him, that is fearful. I cannot stop man, mankind and it's inherent nature to destroy itself by destroying it's own kind. Wars have gone on from the beginning of time. Mankind is, generally, self-destructive.
No, the only preparation I can do is to make sure my heart is right - and I do believe there are areas lacking right now - that terrifies me more than any threat of death at the hands of other men through bombs or shootings or whatever. We are all going to go out of this world one way or the other. Where we end up is of eternal, utmost, grave concern.
Now, I do firmly believe in the right to bear arms and the right to defend your home. This goes without saying. But - against a group of men that are trained in tactical maneuvers and the workings of war? I would be mowed down in a minute. My head would be blown clean off and that would be the end of that. Oh, I might get one of them with a lucky shot, who knows - but reality is I am nothing compared to someone with military training and I am not about to go out somewhere and start learning. I don't really care that much. I believe my life is in God's hands and however I go out of this world, it won't be because some man decided to shoot me, rather, that the Lord allowed such to happen - or didn't. I can tell you (true) stories of when I was on the mission field and the Lord protected me from imminent hard. I could, but won't - not now anyway. First, you would have to believe that God WILL actually intervene in a situation if He does, indeed, choose to do so. Second, you would have to take my word for it. Third - work day approaches and I don't have time to write all of that out.
WHY men/mankind is so hell bent to destroy each other? Not a clue. I mean, I have a clue, it just doesn't make any sense, at all. These people would go out of their way to come into our society, set up camp and devise ways to kill the masses? It's just senseless.
I know, strange way to start a Friday morning entry, but that's what hit me this morning as I started thinking about all of this. No, I am not trying to instill fear into anyone, really, I am speaking to myself. This IS, after all, my internet diary.
Anyway, Sunday morning will come and I will face the same thing I face every Sunday morning: can I force myself to get into church? What will happen if I go? I do know WHY I have such a problem, I have written about it in my blogs for a long time now, it's nothing new or hidden. I feel the need to get back into fellowship, yet I have this inner wall blocking me.
Anyway, very little to do here, at work, today. So far, anyway, that can always change of course. I do believe I am going to seriously start picking back up on my food storage, I stop and start and stop - well, I think it's time to do some other things beyond what I have been doing.
This weekend? No idea. Work on the pond. Whatever is coming down the pike - if indeed anything really is - I am still going to have my little place of solace for however long it lasts. When it's gone, it's gone. All things in this world are temporal anyway.
With that I bid you a great day : )
ben
You know, I believe in God. I believe in the atoning blood sacrifice that Jesus Christ made at the Cross of Calvary. I believe in the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. I also happen to believe that the prophetic - such as was in Old Testament times - is still alive and kicking and being brought forth, yes, today.
I believe that because I operated to some small extent in the spirit of prophecy for some time before I got divorced. I"m not saying I'm anyone grand or special, just saying what I believe.
So, when I start getting these feelings, inner speakings, whatever you want to call it, about something coming down the pike, I tend to pay attention to such things. I'm not even currently going to church - not involved in fellowship with other believers (my bad, long story, not going into that here, still trying to force myself to get into a church and soon) - and I am having these thoughts and things coming before me.
I heard some stuff on the radio yesterday that totally confirmed what I have been thinking and I wasn't listening to a Christian radio station. My ex-wife then sends me all kinds of stuff about terrorist cells being all around us. You see in the news about terrorists being "home grown" - right here in the good ole' U.S.
I do believe there is a lot more to this than the government is telling us. I rather believe, also, that they know full well what is going. I'm not saying the government is involved in any of this, to the contrary. When terrorist cells want to stay invisible, they know how to do it.
And if they decide to do something, how are they going to be stopped? There were also recent reports of Hezbollah coming through or stationed near the Mexico/New Mexico or Texas border. Other reports that terrorists are coming through the basically open border that it is down south (of me, anyway).
The picture starts to come together of why I am feeling what I am feeling. I'm less than 200 miles from the Nogales border entry.
If these cells exist, what are they planning on doing? Usually, modus operandi dictates destruction on mass level versus "just" killing af few people on the streets or something. Such as a giant stadium, or a large event where mass amounts of people are gathered together.
My senses are not failing me. It is a strange thing to suddenly come to all of these conclusions, but the pieces have been coming together for some time now in my mind, I just didn't recognize it.
Fear? The only fear I can have is of God Himself. HE is the one to fear, not man. If I am not ready to go to Him, that is fearful. I cannot stop man, mankind and it's inherent nature to destroy itself by destroying it's own kind. Wars have gone on from the beginning of time. Mankind is, generally, self-destructive.
No, the only preparation I can do is to make sure my heart is right - and I do believe there are areas lacking right now - that terrifies me more than any threat of death at the hands of other men through bombs or shootings or whatever. We are all going to go out of this world one way or the other. Where we end up is of eternal, utmost, grave concern.
Now, I do firmly believe in the right to bear arms and the right to defend your home. This goes without saying. But - against a group of men that are trained in tactical maneuvers and the workings of war? I would be mowed down in a minute. My head would be blown clean off and that would be the end of that. Oh, I might get one of them with a lucky shot, who knows - but reality is I am nothing compared to someone with military training and I am not about to go out somewhere and start learning. I don't really care that much. I believe my life is in God's hands and however I go out of this world, it won't be because some man decided to shoot me, rather, that the Lord allowed such to happen - or didn't. I can tell you (true) stories of when I was on the mission field and the Lord protected me from imminent hard. I could, but won't - not now anyway. First, you would have to believe that God WILL actually intervene in a situation if He does, indeed, choose to do so. Second, you would have to take my word for it. Third - work day approaches and I don't have time to write all of that out.
WHY men/mankind is so hell bent to destroy each other? Not a clue. I mean, I have a clue, it just doesn't make any sense, at all. These people would go out of their way to come into our society, set up camp and devise ways to kill the masses? It's just senseless.
I know, strange way to start a Friday morning entry, but that's what hit me this morning as I started thinking about all of this. No, I am not trying to instill fear into anyone, really, I am speaking to myself. This IS, after all, my internet diary.
Anyway, Sunday morning will come and I will face the same thing I face every Sunday morning: can I force myself to get into church? What will happen if I go? I do know WHY I have such a problem, I have written about it in my blogs for a long time now, it's nothing new or hidden. I feel the need to get back into fellowship, yet I have this inner wall blocking me.
Anyway, very little to do here, at work, today. So far, anyway, that can always change of course. I do believe I am going to seriously start picking back up on my food storage, I stop and start and stop - well, I think it's time to do some other things beyond what I have been doing.
This weekend? No idea. Work on the pond. Whatever is coming down the pike - if indeed anything really is - I am still going to have my little place of solace for however long it lasts. When it's gone, it's gone. All things in this world are temporal anyway.
With that I bid you a great day : )
ben
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Mine
This mine I went into today is up in the mountains. Well, I think they all are. My trip led me through a small town that I have been through many times before - but only on the main street. This time, I was driving on a narrow street lined with small and very old homes. The end of the street was the beginning of the mine.
Guardshack greeted me. I went in. There was a picture of a pickup truck and a notice about safety. Okay, it didn't look anything like a pickup truck, I just read the notice and found out through that that this was once, at one time, a pickup truck. A TV also on a stand. I dreaded having to watch a safety video - I have watched hundreds of them in my trucking career, I am a very safe driver and I don't take unecessary, dangerous actions in a semi-truck. I understand that a dump truck with a bed big enough to hold 20 cars can run me clean over and not even phase the thing.
Don't get in their way. Doing so will have worse consequences than getting hit by a train. Trains run into you and tear vehicles apart, these dump trucks will just drive clean OVER you and the vehicle you are driving in and you will be - stone dead.
I didn't have to watch the video. In fact, I didn't have to sign a bunch of waivers, either. I just had to sign a registration card that is good for a year, just like the other mine I was in not long ago.
Wait in the truck - 40 minutes until the man showed up to escort me in. I hadn't seen this foreman for a long time. I followed him and we immediately proceeded upon what I am estimating to be at least a 9% grade. Up and up. And up. Get to a cross "road" - all roads in the mine are basically dirt roads. Another cross road and then, a cross road with huge dump trucks rolling back and forth. We wait - they have the right of way and rightfully slow. Nobody in their right mind is going to try and beat one of those thing, to do so - well, if you lose the race? Good luck with that.
On and on - up and up. We get to the top. It's the top of a mountain that has been levelled. That's what it was. I had wondered if this mine was also building a lake and yes, I asked. One employee was all too eager to answer all of my questions.
Yes, they are building a lake - another lake to be filled with sulphuric acid. Yes, SULPHRURIC ACID - an entire LAKE'S worth. That is must mind blowing to me.
Then comes the real story of the completely flattened pickup truck. It seems that - only 2 months ago this occured - one of those huge dump trucks had stalled and wouldn't start. The operator of the truck called in mechanics. 2 mechanics showed up in a pickup truck, parking in front of the tires. Yes, I said in front of the tires, the tires on those things are at least 8 feet tall, much taller than any pickup truck. WHY you would park in front of such - no clue. I would never in a lifetime of lifetimes do any such thing, I would fear the thing rolling and crushing me.
Well, unfortunately for the mechanics, the operator of the dump got the thing fired up and started rolling, he had no idea those fellows were under there. The mechanics had violated a safety protocol that was designed for just that purpose: to keep them out of harm's way. They were supposed to announce on their radio to that operator that they were there, under the truck and please don't crush us. The operator, undoubtedly believing that extreme safety measures were being followed as these mines dictate that they are to be followed (infractions are followed up with people getting fired) just drove off.
One of the mechanics was flattened with the truck. The pickup? To see the picture, you have no idea that that used to be a pickup truck. None. It's just a flat piece of metal laying on the ground. The other mechanic apparently tried getting out - he was seriously injured - but he survived. The truck operator? No idea, but I can only guess the torment that must go through a mind and heart when thinking that you killed someone, even if no fault of your own.
The trip into the mine wasn't bad because of that, but it certainly has a sombering effect.
The giant, stainless-steel fittings that I took in there were to be used for piping that is going to be used to move the sulphuric acid. I didn't know stainless steel could withstand the acidic effects of sulphuric acid. I did know that stainless steel can withstand the attempted effect of many other substances - but not this stuff.
It was a great drive - until I started back to town. I caught up with a mobile home being transported down the 2-lane highway - meaning stuck behind this thing as well as a bunch of other vehicles for an entire 7% grade's worth down a mountain pass and many miles beyond that. DPS was escorting the thing because of the fact that it was imposing on oncoming lanes and oncoming traffic had to be stopped and stand off to the side of the road.
After miles and miles of this, we finally came to a 4 lane portion of the highway and I got into the fast lane as everyone else apparently thought that we should just follow behind the thing because Highway Patrol was escorting them. Bunk. Not disrespecting Highway Patrol, but I have passed that kind of stuff forever. I figured to pull up on the Highway Patrol SUV that was in the back and see if he waves me on - which he did - he stuck his hand out the window and started waving traffic to move along, please. I had no qualms with that, as we were going 15 mph below the speed limit. Passed them and left traffic behind.
That was my trip. I wish I could have more like it, but, they come along only once in a while. I was going to take my break time and get some rocks, but, I didn't want to potentially have a conflict with Highway Patrol and the U.S. Forest Service, I figure to call DPS (Highway Patrol) and find out what they say about a person stopping at designated stop points and taking rocks. Not off the side of the road, but well away from the road. The Federal Government is ownership of the Forest Service (who says it's okay), the State of Arizona is ownership of state DPS (of whom I haven't asked yet). Just look at Arizona's SB1070 to try and figure whether there are conflicts between the state and the feds.
Sure, I could win a court case - feds always supersede state, or so they say - but why bother? Just get a stance from them and be done with it. If it's a no, I'll find rocks somewhere else, already have that in mind.
Other stuff? Just a glimpse. Friday lands tomorrow. Kewl. However, tomorrow is Friday the 13th (in case you are superstitious). I fixed the manifold for my dripless system today. I had no choice, certain plants start to whither as they decide they don't have enough water. It was easy and only took a minute. I am going to try and get the hole finished for the pond this weekend - which does not mean the pond will be placed in the ground, I also have to lug home hundreds of pounds of sand to rest the pond bottom on and that may or may not get done. Probably not.
Fish are in good health, dogs are content, kids are kids and I am me.
G'day.
ben
Guardshack greeted me. I went in. There was a picture of a pickup truck and a notice about safety. Okay, it didn't look anything like a pickup truck, I just read the notice and found out through that that this was once, at one time, a pickup truck. A TV also on a stand. I dreaded having to watch a safety video - I have watched hundreds of them in my trucking career, I am a very safe driver and I don't take unecessary, dangerous actions in a semi-truck. I understand that a dump truck with a bed big enough to hold 20 cars can run me clean over and not even phase the thing.
Don't get in their way. Doing so will have worse consequences than getting hit by a train. Trains run into you and tear vehicles apart, these dump trucks will just drive clean OVER you and the vehicle you are driving in and you will be - stone dead.
I didn't have to watch the video. In fact, I didn't have to sign a bunch of waivers, either. I just had to sign a registration card that is good for a year, just like the other mine I was in not long ago.
Wait in the truck - 40 minutes until the man showed up to escort me in. I hadn't seen this foreman for a long time. I followed him and we immediately proceeded upon what I am estimating to be at least a 9% grade. Up and up. And up. Get to a cross "road" - all roads in the mine are basically dirt roads. Another cross road and then, a cross road with huge dump trucks rolling back and forth. We wait - they have the right of way and rightfully slow. Nobody in their right mind is going to try and beat one of those thing, to do so - well, if you lose the race? Good luck with that.
On and on - up and up. We get to the top. It's the top of a mountain that has been levelled. That's what it was. I had wondered if this mine was also building a lake and yes, I asked. One employee was all too eager to answer all of my questions.
Yes, they are building a lake - another lake to be filled with sulphuric acid. Yes, SULPHRURIC ACID - an entire LAKE'S worth. That is must mind blowing to me.
Then comes the real story of the completely flattened pickup truck. It seems that - only 2 months ago this occured - one of those huge dump trucks had stalled and wouldn't start. The operator of the truck called in mechanics. 2 mechanics showed up in a pickup truck, parking in front of the tires. Yes, I said in front of the tires, the tires on those things are at least 8 feet tall, much taller than any pickup truck. WHY you would park in front of such - no clue. I would never in a lifetime of lifetimes do any such thing, I would fear the thing rolling and crushing me.
Well, unfortunately for the mechanics, the operator of the dump got the thing fired up and started rolling, he had no idea those fellows were under there. The mechanics had violated a safety protocol that was designed for just that purpose: to keep them out of harm's way. They were supposed to announce on their radio to that operator that they were there, under the truck and please don't crush us. The operator, undoubtedly believing that extreme safety measures were being followed as these mines dictate that they are to be followed (infractions are followed up with people getting fired) just drove off.
One of the mechanics was flattened with the truck. The pickup? To see the picture, you have no idea that that used to be a pickup truck. None. It's just a flat piece of metal laying on the ground. The other mechanic apparently tried getting out - he was seriously injured - but he survived. The truck operator? No idea, but I can only guess the torment that must go through a mind and heart when thinking that you killed someone, even if no fault of your own.
The trip into the mine wasn't bad because of that, but it certainly has a sombering effect.
The giant, stainless-steel fittings that I took in there were to be used for piping that is going to be used to move the sulphuric acid. I didn't know stainless steel could withstand the acidic effects of sulphuric acid. I did know that stainless steel can withstand the attempted effect of many other substances - but not this stuff.
It was a great drive - until I started back to town. I caught up with a mobile home being transported down the 2-lane highway - meaning stuck behind this thing as well as a bunch of other vehicles for an entire 7% grade's worth down a mountain pass and many miles beyond that. DPS was escorting the thing because of the fact that it was imposing on oncoming lanes and oncoming traffic had to be stopped and stand off to the side of the road.
After miles and miles of this, we finally came to a 4 lane portion of the highway and I got into the fast lane as everyone else apparently thought that we should just follow behind the thing because Highway Patrol was escorting them. Bunk. Not disrespecting Highway Patrol, but I have passed that kind of stuff forever. I figured to pull up on the Highway Patrol SUV that was in the back and see if he waves me on - which he did - he stuck his hand out the window and started waving traffic to move along, please. I had no qualms with that, as we were going 15 mph below the speed limit. Passed them and left traffic behind.
That was my trip. I wish I could have more like it, but, they come along only once in a while. I was going to take my break time and get some rocks, but, I didn't want to potentially have a conflict with Highway Patrol and the U.S. Forest Service, I figure to call DPS (Highway Patrol) and find out what they say about a person stopping at designated stop points and taking rocks. Not off the side of the road, but well away from the road. The Federal Government is ownership of the Forest Service (who says it's okay), the State of Arizona is ownership of state DPS (of whom I haven't asked yet). Just look at Arizona's SB1070 to try and figure whether there are conflicts between the state and the feds.
Sure, I could win a court case - feds always supersede state, or so they say - but why bother? Just get a stance from them and be done with it. If it's a no, I'll find rocks somewhere else, already have that in mind.
Other stuff? Just a glimpse. Friday lands tomorrow. Kewl. However, tomorrow is Friday the 13th (in case you are superstitious). I fixed the manifold for my dripless system today. I had no choice, certain plants start to whither as they decide they don't have enough water. It was easy and only took a minute. I am going to try and get the hole finished for the pond this weekend - which does not mean the pond will be placed in the ground, I also have to lug home hundreds of pounds of sand to rest the pond bottom on and that may or may not get done. Probably not.
Fish are in good health, dogs are content, kids are kids and I am me.
G'day.
ben
Thursday
Thursday
So, the weekend's almost here. In case you hadn't noticed the last times I have gone driving the semi up into the mountains PLUS the prospect of driving down into a mine - well, I am alway psyched about that! Not only that, but I slept pretty good last night so I'm not tired this morning.
Onto other things. This decision of Gates to close the Joint Norfolk Command Center - is just the beginning. Are we going to make ourselves impotent so that we can have massive, government run health care and bail out banks and take over car dealerships because "they can't fail" and all the rest of the bunk that is going on?
I'm all for a big, strong military - a force that few will think to mess with in terms of thinking of ever attacking our country in all out assault and war. Making decisions such as this in the name of bigger government and government run society is ludicrous. I read this kind of nonsense in the news every day and just beg for November to get here and hope to high heaven that a huge change in senate personnel will take place = for the better of course.
Ummm, time is running out for this morning's writing. I got "tied up" on a Craigslist ad. I and a few others take it upon ourselves occasionally to lambast people making ridiculous ads, such as a woman that has 2 kids, has a full-time job for one of the "best fortune 500 companies in the valley" - her words, assuming she is receiving child support for her kids since she says she's single, yet receives $1,200 per month in rental subsidies every single month.
HOW, pray tell, does ANYONE get that kind of money while having a full-time job at a good company?
I dunno.
But, I do know that the work day approaches and I have a run up into the mountains to make : )
G'day.
ben
So, the weekend's almost here. In case you hadn't noticed the last times I have gone driving the semi up into the mountains PLUS the prospect of driving down into a mine - well, I am alway psyched about that! Not only that, but I slept pretty good last night so I'm not tired this morning.
Onto other things. This decision of Gates to close the Joint Norfolk Command Center - is just the beginning. Are we going to make ourselves impotent so that we can have massive, government run health care and bail out banks and take over car dealerships because "they can't fail" and all the rest of the bunk that is going on?
I'm all for a big, strong military - a force that few will think to mess with in terms of thinking of ever attacking our country in all out assault and war. Making decisions such as this in the name of bigger government and government run society is ludicrous. I read this kind of nonsense in the news every day and just beg for November to get here and hope to high heaven that a huge change in senate personnel will take place = for the better of course.
Ummm, time is running out for this morning's writing. I got "tied up" on a Craigslist ad. I and a few others take it upon ourselves occasionally to lambast people making ridiculous ads, such as a woman that has 2 kids, has a full-time job for one of the "best fortune 500 companies in the valley" - her words, assuming she is receiving child support for her kids since she says she's single, yet receives $1,200 per month in rental subsidies every single month.
HOW, pray tell, does ANYONE get that kind of money while having a full-time job at a good company?
I dunno.
But, I do know that the work day approaches and I have a run up into the mountains to make : )
G'day.
ben
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Food Stamps
So, they raided the Food Stamp fund to pay for the teachers.
Out of control government. November won't get here soon enough. I am not a fan of abusers of food stamps, but I am hardly totally against having them for the situations that warrant them. The raid, however, doesn't go into effect until 2014.
That gives time to fix all of this. However, Obamacare, as some unaffectionately are calling it, needs to go first.
The stuff is getting maddening. I am not going to go into my perspective of how things are going to eventually turn out if we continue on this path, but look at England.
A few weeks ago, I drove the semi down into a huge mine. Tomorrow, I get to drive into yet another mine! And this one is MUCH older than the one I went into the other day, meaning it is undoubtedly even far deeper and vast than the first. Well, as long as the roads are safe.
I have come to find out that mining operations have extensive safety operations going that MUST be adhered to by anyone that is on the property, anywhere on the property. The potential for significant or fatal injury in such places is great. HEAVY equipment moving all over the place. I don't mean pickup trucks, we're talking dump trucks big enough to hold a used car lot's worth of cars in them.
The hazards of the place, however, don't phase me. The mine I'm going into? No clue. The last one had me reading and signing fully 4 different documents. I have heard that some of these mines actually have you watch a video before you can go in. It's all good. I have no problem with it. I don't want to get killed in there and I don't want to see anyone else getting killed in those places, either. All I know is, not everyone gets to go into a huge mining operation, drive a semi truck to the bottom of it and get to take it all in.
Perhaps that doesn't appeal to everyone, either. I get to do something that most people - don't. But it's more than that for me. I am always fascinated by most things new to me. Things that I have read about, seen pictures of, but have not personally experienced. I ask questions, lots of them if the person I am asking is amiable to such. What is this, that and the other thing. If not, I am still quite curious - but I am not going to become a nuisance to someone that obviously doesn't want to be bothered.
If I get the chance, I will take my break time and stop for some rocks for my newest pond. My pond liner came in today. I ordered a liner to put into the preformed thing I have been digging a hole for. Taking no chances, I don't want leaks and I don't want to have to be taking that huge thing out of the ground - which at that point would mean removing plants, fish and water - to find where the leak is. I got a brand new one on eBay for $29. This preformed pond is around $600 new. No, I didn't pay anything NEAR that amount for it. The liner is just insurance.
I have done nothing at home today besides normal kitchen cleaning duties and cooking. The kids did everything else. That includes sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor. Living room. Bedroom. Yup, they did what they said they were going to do and that made me happy.
I'm very tired. I slept 5 hours plus a short stint after waking up at 1:30 am. I went to bed early to deal with my sleeplessness - I am guaranteed, pretty much, at least 5 hours sleep by doing such. I am going to bed early tonight as well, like in about 15 minutes.
Oops, that means getting busy with night-end rituals.
G'day/nite/hasta la vista.
ben
Out of control government. November won't get here soon enough. I am not a fan of abusers of food stamps, but I am hardly totally against having them for the situations that warrant them. The raid, however, doesn't go into effect until 2014.
That gives time to fix all of this. However, Obamacare, as some unaffectionately are calling it, needs to go first.
The stuff is getting maddening. I am not going to go into my perspective of how things are going to eventually turn out if we continue on this path, but look at England.
A few weeks ago, I drove the semi down into a huge mine. Tomorrow, I get to drive into yet another mine! And this one is MUCH older than the one I went into the other day, meaning it is undoubtedly even far deeper and vast than the first. Well, as long as the roads are safe.
I have come to find out that mining operations have extensive safety operations going that MUST be adhered to by anyone that is on the property, anywhere on the property. The potential for significant or fatal injury in such places is great. HEAVY equipment moving all over the place. I don't mean pickup trucks, we're talking dump trucks big enough to hold a used car lot's worth of cars in them.
The hazards of the place, however, don't phase me. The mine I'm going into? No clue. The last one had me reading and signing fully 4 different documents. I have heard that some of these mines actually have you watch a video before you can go in. It's all good. I have no problem with it. I don't want to get killed in there and I don't want to see anyone else getting killed in those places, either. All I know is, not everyone gets to go into a huge mining operation, drive a semi truck to the bottom of it and get to take it all in.
Perhaps that doesn't appeal to everyone, either. I get to do something that most people - don't. But it's more than that for me. I am always fascinated by most things new to me. Things that I have read about, seen pictures of, but have not personally experienced. I ask questions, lots of them if the person I am asking is amiable to such. What is this, that and the other thing. If not, I am still quite curious - but I am not going to become a nuisance to someone that obviously doesn't want to be bothered.
If I get the chance, I will take my break time and stop for some rocks for my newest pond. My pond liner came in today. I ordered a liner to put into the preformed thing I have been digging a hole for. Taking no chances, I don't want leaks and I don't want to have to be taking that huge thing out of the ground - which at that point would mean removing plants, fish and water - to find where the leak is. I got a brand new one on eBay for $29. This preformed pond is around $600 new. No, I didn't pay anything NEAR that amount for it. The liner is just insurance.
I have done nothing at home today besides normal kitchen cleaning duties and cooking. The kids did everything else. That includes sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor. Living room. Bedroom. Yup, they did what they said they were going to do and that made me happy.
I'm very tired. I slept 5 hours plus a short stint after waking up at 1:30 am. I went to bed early to deal with my sleeplessness - I am guaranteed, pretty much, at least 5 hours sleep by doing such. I am going to bed early tonight as well, like in about 15 minutes.
Oops, that means getting busy with night-end rituals.
G'day/nite/hasta la vista.
ben
Wednesday
Wednesday
Unfortunately, my attempt to block the idiot that keeps posting negative comments is going to fail by using the means of eliminating anonymous comments. That’s because I cannot log into any of my blog accounts in the morning and I like to post the day’s message in the comments section – I rather like writing in the morning – and then repost as a regular blog entry when I get home.
The only other recourse is to report the individual to Blogger and hope that they will do something about it, as I am sure they can and have seen in the past that they will if the situation warrants their intervention.
So, GE Money Bank (Chevron Texaco Cards) sends me a letter saying that I have not made my payment. BUNK. I made the payment on the second, due on the 5th. I call. Well, sir, it states you didn’t make the payment LAST month. BUNK again. I am not going to miss a $15 payment so I can rack up a $40 or whatever late fee.
The woman was argumentative – we did NOT receive your payment – she was basically calling me a liar and I called her out on it. We went back and forth for a while and she finally hung up on me: I wanted the number for corporate as I was not going to tolerate a supervisor addressing me in the manner she was, she refused to give me that information. NO problem, I can find the information online. And yes, I went through my bank account and found where I made the payment at the beginning of LAST month as well. They can eat it and take that hefty late fee OFF of the account. The fee is almost as much as the low balance that I am carrying on that account – yes, it was paid down to something like $30 owing.
Now then, the race for the senate seat between J.D. Hayworth and McCain. It’s hilarious. The ads that McCain has been running for months now are the gooiest, sloppiest mud I have ever heard. Accusations run the gamut, one of them where McCain claims Hayworth did a commercial spot for a company that turns out was bilking people out of money and saying it was government backed (I don’t really remember the specifics of it, so that could be off). Whatever it was, it makes Hayworth look BAD. The facts? Hayworth has NOT tried to assert in any way that he didn’t do it, instead, he claims he didn’t know that the company was crooked. This morning, some other issue was brought up on yet another commercial and it sounded worse than the last one. Hayworth was voted out of office here some time ago, Arizonans that remember him then and didn’t like him then are going to vote the same now: NO to Hayworth. But, is McCain any better? Probably not, but I haven’t heard any ads stating that he took corrupt money and didn’t give it back, such as the ad against Hayworth this morning.
The state of current politics is pathetic. Seriously. It isn’t about the issues anymore when it comes to candidates running for office, it’s about making your opponents look bad however you can do it.
But I am not going to waste a lot of time on that. In fact, I can’t really spend too much more time here at all. Last night, however, I did get into it with Michael and the black kids that are constantly at my house. I shut off the internet the Playstation III and they have been off the computer for quite a while now, I was also considering taking the cards out of the Direct TV boxes – effectively shutting off satellite TV as well for each, individual box that you take the card out of.
Issue? Cleaning. I’m at the end of my rope with cleaning up after teenagers. They said they “don’t think it’s dirty in here at all”. I gave a relentless and drawn out factoid on how ANY amount of food, even crumbs, left on counters is prime feeding grounds for cockroaches. I was mad and the internet stayed off to the Playstation. This morning, I found a note from Michael on the bathroom mirror: PLEASE turn on the internet and I will clean up the whole house!
Okay. I turned it back on this morning before leaving for work …….and……..expect my house to be cleaned by the time I get home. Not that it’s dirty – I spend no small amount of time wiping things down, sweeping floors – whatever needs to be done. THAT’S the issue. The tenants don’t even use the living room, but those teenagers certainly can make it a mess in a big hurry. They stated I had told them that I would leave them lists of what to do. I replied that you are 16 years old and I shouldn’t HAVE to leave lists for you to
CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR OWN LITTLE SELF.
Well, I can get rather carried away when a teenager is trying to argue back against me in a situation where that person has NO standing room at all. I ended the conversation, got up, went into my bedroom and went to bed. He must have snuck into my room overnight and got into the bathroom to put up that note. I do have a nice setup on my end of the house with my own master bath and bedroom and walk-in closet.
Well, anyway, I will find out about that little issue later on.
For now?
Time to go to work.
G’day.
ben
Unfortunately, my attempt to block the idiot that keeps posting negative comments is going to fail by using the means of eliminating anonymous comments. That’s because I cannot log into any of my blog accounts in the morning and I like to post the day’s message in the comments section – I rather like writing in the morning – and then repost as a regular blog entry when I get home.
The only other recourse is to report the individual to Blogger and hope that they will do something about it, as I am sure they can and have seen in the past that they will if the situation warrants their intervention.
So, GE Money Bank (Chevron Texaco Cards) sends me a letter saying that I have not made my payment. BUNK. I made the payment on the second, due on the 5th. I call. Well, sir, it states you didn’t make the payment LAST month. BUNK again. I am not going to miss a $15 payment so I can rack up a $40 or whatever late fee.
The woman was argumentative – we did NOT receive your payment – she was basically calling me a liar and I called her out on it. We went back and forth for a while and she finally hung up on me: I wanted the number for corporate as I was not going to tolerate a supervisor addressing me in the manner she was, she refused to give me that information. NO problem, I can find the information online. And yes, I went through my bank account and found where I made the payment at the beginning of LAST month as well. They can eat it and take that hefty late fee OFF of the account. The fee is almost as much as the low balance that I am carrying on that account – yes, it was paid down to something like $30 owing.
Now then, the race for the senate seat between J.D. Hayworth and McCain. It’s hilarious. The ads that McCain has been running for months now are the gooiest, sloppiest mud I have ever heard. Accusations run the gamut, one of them where McCain claims Hayworth did a commercial spot for a company that turns out was bilking people out of money and saying it was government backed (I don’t really remember the specifics of it, so that could be off). Whatever it was, it makes Hayworth look BAD. The facts? Hayworth has NOT tried to assert in any way that he didn’t do it, instead, he claims he didn’t know that the company was crooked. This morning, some other issue was brought up on yet another commercial and it sounded worse than the last one. Hayworth was voted out of office here some time ago, Arizonans that remember him then and didn’t like him then are going to vote the same now: NO to Hayworth. But, is McCain any better? Probably not, but I haven’t heard any ads stating that he took corrupt money and didn’t give it back, such as the ad against Hayworth this morning.
The state of current politics is pathetic. Seriously. It isn’t about the issues anymore when it comes to candidates running for office, it’s about making your opponents look bad however you can do it.
But I am not going to waste a lot of time on that. In fact, I can’t really spend too much more time here at all. Last night, however, I did get into it with Michael and the black kids that are constantly at my house. I shut off the internet the Playstation III and they have been off the computer for quite a while now, I was also considering taking the cards out of the Direct TV boxes – effectively shutting off satellite TV as well for each, individual box that you take the card out of.
Issue? Cleaning. I’m at the end of my rope with cleaning up after teenagers. They said they “don’t think it’s dirty in here at all”. I gave a relentless and drawn out factoid on how ANY amount of food, even crumbs, left on counters is prime feeding grounds for cockroaches. I was mad and the internet stayed off to the Playstation. This morning, I found a note from Michael on the bathroom mirror: PLEASE turn on the internet and I will clean up the whole house!
Okay. I turned it back on this morning before leaving for work …….and……..expect my house to be cleaned by the time I get home. Not that it’s dirty – I spend no small amount of time wiping things down, sweeping floors – whatever needs to be done. THAT’S the issue. The tenants don’t even use the living room, but those teenagers certainly can make it a mess in a big hurry. They stated I had told them that I would leave them lists of what to do. I replied that you are 16 years old and I shouldn’t HAVE to leave lists for you to
CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR OWN LITTLE SELF.
Well, I can get rather carried away when a teenager is trying to argue back against me in a situation where that person has NO standing room at all. I ended the conversation, got up, went into my bedroom and went to bed. He must have snuck into my room overnight and got into the bathroom to put up that note. I do have a nice setup on my end of the house with my own master bath and bedroom and walk-in closet.
Well, anyway, I will find out about that little issue later on.
For now?
Time to go to work.
G’day.
ben
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Comments
I'm simply not going to allow the anonymous commenter to continue on with the BS on my blog. I had allowed anonymous commenting for the ease of commenting if you came here without being signed in and didn't want to have to - leave your comment and hopefully at least identify who you are at the end of the comment.
I have had a regular coming here leaving anonymous, derogatory, sometimes inflammatory and generally unpleasant comments here and there for some time now.
Not anymore. I changed the setting AND deleted the ridiculous comment left today. If you want to comment here now? You're going to have to be signed in at the very least. Trust me, if you leave some S***** comment on my journal, I will be happy to come to YOUR journal and leave the same kind of crap. It gets old the people on the internet who think because you are not sitting together in the same room, you therefore can say whatever comes to mind on someone else's forum to the point of juvenile, childish, irrational and stupid behavior meted out through your words. I have dealt with this on trucking boards for years and years, and other kinds of boards as well, I REFUSE to have to put up with that junk on MY blog.
You could have had the courage of your flapping mouth to simply identify yourself. Hiding makes you a very small person, indeed. Do you have the same issues in real life, in person with people? All these thoughts running through your head but, you don't have the courage ot speak it to them openly, no, instead, you lurk around people's internet blogs and mouth off, vomiting your bile all over the person's blog because - there is no way to identify you.
Well, I am telling you now to go piss off, whoever you are. Take your shitty attitude somewhere else, I have had enough of it. I had thought to report you to Blogger, but instead decided that you can come on here now and identify yourself, cause' you'll have to unless you are going to start a Blogger account just for the purpose of shitting on other's blog and STILL not being able to be identified. I will be happy to come to your blog and give you stupid, relentless, childish remarks. Or not and probably (but not definitely) not. BTW, just because I can't identify you doesn't mean Blogger can't. Undoubtedly, the have your IP address and can trace your actions anywhere on the Blogger site.
Unbelievable. Really, it is. Have you nothing better to do with your life and your time than lurking on other people's blogs, giving them shit for no good reason? So you may not agree with me, heck, you may even hate me! GREAT, how many Blogger blogs are there? Millions? I'm sure in that managerie of blogs, you'll find SOMEONE you agree with somewhere. Somehow, though, I don't believe that you would want to do that. No, instead, I believe you take great pleasure in speaking what you have spoken here. I have 2 people in mind that I know would do that, but I have no proof, so I'll zip it on who my suspicions rest upon.
Regardless, anonymous posting is off - for now anyway.
ben
I have had a regular coming here leaving anonymous, derogatory, sometimes inflammatory and generally unpleasant comments here and there for some time now.
Not anymore. I changed the setting AND deleted the ridiculous comment left today. If you want to comment here now? You're going to have to be signed in at the very least. Trust me, if you leave some S***** comment on my journal, I will be happy to come to YOUR journal and leave the same kind of crap. It gets old the people on the internet who think because you are not sitting together in the same room, you therefore can say whatever comes to mind on someone else's forum to the point of juvenile, childish, irrational and stupid behavior meted out through your words. I have dealt with this on trucking boards for years and years, and other kinds of boards as well, I REFUSE to have to put up with that junk on MY blog.
You could have had the courage of your flapping mouth to simply identify yourself. Hiding makes you a very small person, indeed. Do you have the same issues in real life, in person with people? All these thoughts running through your head but, you don't have the courage ot speak it to them openly, no, instead, you lurk around people's internet blogs and mouth off, vomiting your bile all over the person's blog because - there is no way to identify you.
Well, I am telling you now to go piss off, whoever you are. Take your shitty attitude somewhere else, I have had enough of it. I had thought to report you to Blogger, but instead decided that you can come on here now and identify yourself, cause' you'll have to unless you are going to start a Blogger account just for the purpose of shitting on other's blog and STILL not being able to be identified. I will be happy to come to your blog and give you stupid, relentless, childish remarks. Or not and probably (but not definitely) not. BTW, just because I can't identify you doesn't mean Blogger can't. Undoubtedly, the have your IP address and can trace your actions anywhere on the Blogger site.
Unbelievable. Really, it is. Have you nothing better to do with your life and your time than lurking on other people's blogs, giving them shit for no good reason? So you may not agree with me, heck, you may even hate me! GREAT, how many Blogger blogs are there? Millions? I'm sure in that managerie of blogs, you'll find SOMEONE you agree with somewhere. Somehow, though, I don't believe that you would want to do that. No, instead, I believe you take great pleasure in speaking what you have spoken here. I have 2 people in mind that I know would do that, but I have no proof, so I'll zip it on who my suspicions rest upon.
Regardless, anonymous posting is off - for now anyway.
ben
Tuesday
Tuesday
War is coming. I don't mean an Iraqi war, or even an Afghanistan war - but, the Bible does say that wars and rumors of war will always be around.
Alright, it's probably, mostly rhetoric.
Iran claims it is digging mass graves for U.S. Soldiers as, they claim, if there is a strike against Iran, they are going to hit whatever military bases are in the region, which, apparently, there is one that isn't too terribly far away.
The same as North Korea threatening "Sacred War" when the joint forces of the U.S. and South Korea were doing military exercises in the East Sea. I mean, really, if Iran was really digging out mass graves - which would be a pathetic waste of time IMO - why not show the pics of the excavation equipment that is being used to dig them?
In such an operation, you would have a giant trackhoe (excavator) with a giant loader. Trackoe digs up the ground, loader scoops it up as it is dumped into a pile next to the trackhoe's operations and hauls it off. It either builds a mountain somewhere nearby or is dumping the dirt into waiting dumptrucks.
I see these operations at construction sites every single day. However, none of those sites that I have seen are mass graves being dug out.
The fact of the matter is, if we did a pre-emptive strike, I doubt that strike would be aimed at any civilian population. It would, rather, be done by air and would strike the facilities that are allegedly being used to potentially develop nuclear war heads.
The only graves they would need are the ones for whoever might be AT the facilities that are being targeted. Iran has already noted in several different statements over the years that the U.S. and Israel should be annihilated. This is nothing new coming from them.
North Korea, meanwhile, shoots off 110 rounds as some sort of "deterrent" or agressor against South Korea. South Korea is starting to sound like a broken record: there will be serious reprisals if they do it again. They obviously don't want war or it would already be well underway with the sinking of one of ttheir subs by NK. I don't blame them for not wanting war, but where is the line drawn? How much more does NK have to do before they say enough is enough? NK apparently DOES want war, but at the same time, they want to be able to say that SK and the U.S. started it against them so that they can look good, especially to China, instead of looking like the extreme aggressor they really are.
August 10, 2010 6:00 AM
Anonymous said...
Anyway, I copied and pasted the last half of this entry and then - forgot and copied and pasted something else for work. So, the last portion of this entry is gone - forever. No biggies and.......have a great day!
ben
War is coming. I don't mean an Iraqi war, or even an Afghanistan war - but, the Bible does say that wars and rumors of war will always be around.
Alright, it's probably, mostly rhetoric.
Iran claims it is digging mass graves for U.S. Soldiers as, they claim, if there is a strike against Iran, they are going to hit whatever military bases are in the region, which, apparently, there is one that isn't too terribly far away.
The same as North Korea threatening "Sacred War" when the joint forces of the U.S. and South Korea were doing military exercises in the East Sea. I mean, really, if Iran was really digging out mass graves - which would be a pathetic waste of time IMO - why not show the pics of the excavation equipment that is being used to dig them?
In such an operation, you would have a giant trackhoe (excavator) with a giant loader. Trackoe digs up the ground, loader scoops it up as it is dumped into a pile next to the trackhoe's operations and hauls it off. It either builds a mountain somewhere nearby or is dumping the dirt into waiting dumptrucks.
I see these operations at construction sites every single day. However, none of those sites that I have seen are mass graves being dug out.
The fact of the matter is, if we did a pre-emptive strike, I doubt that strike would be aimed at any civilian population. It would, rather, be done by air and would strike the facilities that are allegedly being used to potentially develop nuclear war heads.
The only graves they would need are the ones for whoever might be AT the facilities that are being targeted. Iran has already noted in several different statements over the years that the U.S. and Israel should be annihilated. This is nothing new coming from them.
North Korea, meanwhile, shoots off 110 rounds as some sort of "deterrent" or agressor against South Korea. South Korea is starting to sound like a broken record: there will be serious reprisals if they do it again. They obviously don't want war or it would already be well underway with the sinking of one of ttheir subs by NK. I don't blame them for not wanting war, but where is the line drawn? How much more does NK have to do before they say enough is enough? NK apparently DOES want war, but at the same time, they want to be able to say that SK and the U.S. started it against them so that they can look good, especially to China, instead of looking like the extreme aggressor they really are.
August 10, 2010 6:00 AM
Anonymous said...
Anyway, I copied and pasted the last half of this entry and then - forgot and copied and pasted something else for work. So, the last portion of this entry is gone - forever. No biggies and.......have a great day!
ben
Monday, August 9, 2010
Malware
I couldn't find malware in the directory and files on my computer if you paid me to. That's why I have Avast, to see that stuff before it installs itself on my computer and remove the threat.
Well, my computer has been running extremely slow lately. I don't just mean on the internet, I mean doing anything on the puter'. Which had me suspicious - I know how to clean everything up to make it run faster.
Today, Avast took over my computer, put a screen the size of the monitor screen up telling me that there are "suspcious files" on your computer and that we "think these may be malware" and asking for permission for their techs to take a look. There were at least 50 files and they all had the same beginning letters and numbers.
I clicked okay, Avast sent them into cyberspace and immediately, my computer started running like a lightning strike.
How long will it last? I'm guessing not long. It seems you don't have to do much to get malware - just visit a website and bam, there you go. If my anti-malware service can't even keep up with this stuff, I have no clue. Buying a new computer does nothing - malware doesn't care if your computer is new or old.
Pond.
That hole? Is getting larger and larger and larger and I have hauled a LOT of dirt out of there. I keep thinking I am getting close and then realize I still have quite a lot to go. I had no idea that this large pre-formed pond was THAT large to have to remove that quantity of dirt. I got quite a lot done today on it, but I can hardly say that yes, tommorrow it will be ready. It's taking forever to get this one hole dug is all Ican say and I am also happy that this is the BIGGEST pond, the rest are smaller so much less dirt to dig out.
Diet.
This is the time of day when it gets harder to deal with it. I try not to eat anything after 6:00 pm. My last food was around 5. I'm going to bed early tonight - 8:30 - which is in 15 minutes so that should be relatively easy as today? I'm not really that hungry right now. 2, thin pork chops with some mashed potatoes. This morning was a oven roasted subway sub sandwich, no mayo, no cheese, no dressing. I hit 194 last week but today was up to 197. Not a big deal, that's the way this thing has been going the entire time.
Work. The third, huge return of this month was done today. We do not normally get huge returns, much less 3 of them in a week's time. When the returns hit the books, all the deliveries I have made thus far this month will not add up to enough to equal the amount of the returns, I don't think anyway, and we will be in the negative.
Life in general.
Pretty, petite blonde walking through my kitchen today, a friend of one of the female tenants. Rather flirtatious is how I will put it.
3 ladies there including the tenant, all 3 of them were out looking for work today. Bummer on that, we all know how lovely the job market is right now. It is almost non-existent concerning new positions opening up.
Well, I'm going to bed.
G'nite.
ben
Well, my computer has been running extremely slow lately. I don't just mean on the internet, I mean doing anything on the puter'. Which had me suspicious - I know how to clean everything up to make it run faster.
Today, Avast took over my computer, put a screen the size of the monitor screen up telling me that there are "suspcious files" on your computer and that we "think these may be malware" and asking for permission for their techs to take a look. There were at least 50 files and they all had the same beginning letters and numbers.
I clicked okay, Avast sent them into cyberspace and immediately, my computer started running like a lightning strike.
How long will it last? I'm guessing not long. It seems you don't have to do much to get malware - just visit a website and bam, there you go. If my anti-malware service can't even keep up with this stuff, I have no clue. Buying a new computer does nothing - malware doesn't care if your computer is new or old.
Pond.
That hole? Is getting larger and larger and larger and I have hauled a LOT of dirt out of there. I keep thinking I am getting close and then realize I still have quite a lot to go. I had no idea that this large pre-formed pond was THAT large to have to remove that quantity of dirt. I got quite a lot done today on it, but I can hardly say that yes, tommorrow it will be ready. It's taking forever to get this one hole dug is all Ican say and I am also happy that this is the BIGGEST pond, the rest are smaller so much less dirt to dig out.
Diet.
This is the time of day when it gets harder to deal with it. I try not to eat anything after 6:00 pm. My last food was around 5. I'm going to bed early tonight - 8:30 - which is in 15 minutes so that should be relatively easy as today? I'm not really that hungry right now. 2, thin pork chops with some mashed potatoes. This morning was a oven roasted subway sub sandwich, no mayo, no cheese, no dressing. I hit 194 last week but today was up to 197. Not a big deal, that's the way this thing has been going the entire time.
Work. The third, huge return of this month was done today. We do not normally get huge returns, much less 3 of them in a week's time. When the returns hit the books, all the deliveries I have made thus far this month will not add up to enough to equal the amount of the returns, I don't think anyway, and we will be in the negative.
Life in general.
Pretty, petite blonde walking through my kitchen today, a friend of one of the female tenants. Rather flirtatious is how I will put it.
3 ladies there including the tenant, all 3 of them were out looking for work today. Bummer on that, we all know how lovely the job market is right now. It is almost non-existent concerning new positions opening up.
Well, I'm going to bed.
G'nite.
ben
Monday
Juice shows up late yesterday afternoon, happy go lucky, as if nothing had ever happened. Apparently, he wanted to put that little deal of spending 17 days in Juvi out of mind. I did not let it go that easily, but, I didn't rub it in too much, he's an alright kid with very little parental guidance and even less male role figures in his life. In fact, there are none that I know of.
Sometimes their (the black brothers) grandmother calls over an uncle so that they can have a "talking to", but the effect of it is negligible. I do believe a person has to be a daily part of another person's life to really have any kind of serious impact. Now that I think about it, I am the biggest male role model in any of those boy's lives excepting, perhaps, school teachers and coaches.
Well that's an interesting thought.
School starts today. Which is quite wonderful, really. Food bill will decrease by at least 10% if not more without kids being around all day long eating my food and drinking my drinks. They will, instead, get those meals and drinks at school. Which doesn't mean they won't come over and eat at my place after school, lol.
Caleb's last year of High School - still a scary thought. Scary because of his unreletting push to get into the Marines. Afghanistan comes to mind. This is a war that I have repeatedly opined on on this blog: LET'S GET OUT OF THERE BEFORE ANOTHER U.S. SOLDIER IS KILLED.
But, that message falls on deaf ears, at least to those who can do anything about it. I have no idea why Obama thinks it's a good idea for us to just stay over there. When is it going to be over? 20 years? 30 years? Never? At what cost? How many American lives? How many billions upon billions of dollars?
A 14 year old kid is charged with starting a fire that briefly put 50 homes in harm's way. How? Trying to light a joint (marijuana) or pipe and apparently igniting something around him. Smart, kid, really smart. If you want to make people extremely stupid, just legalize marijuana and then make it available to everyone. You will see a nation of the most unmotivated, klutzy, moronic people in existence.
I know from experience, trust me, I'm slamming myself in this one. I smoked dope every day for 7 years straight, all day long, starting at the age of 13 and ending at 20. Sure, I worked my butt off during those years, but I also got into a LOT of trouble. I took huge risks as well - I had to sell dope to support my rather costly habit.
Bad idea, is all I can say about it. Arguments are that it can be taxed and then what, the government gets rich off of people wasting their minds away? Really nice. In other words, people are going to do it anyway, why not make it legal? Because legalizing it therefore legitimizes it, which is a thing I do not think we should be doing with that or any other mind altering substance excepting those that are already legal (alcohol).
Anyway, the work day is approaching and there is NOTHING in our truck routing system. This, so far, is the worst month I have seen yet. That is true because I had to do two HUGE returns last week that put our numbers into negative territory and from the looks of it, it's going to be a while before we get into the black side of things.
Not good, not good at all.
The worst part of days like this - especially on a Monday - is nothing to do so I have to invent things to do. Well, try doing that for an entire shift, the monotony can start getting to you.
OH, I found more free fish : ) I haven't gone and gotten them yet, but they are Koi, not goldfish. I don't mind having more goldfish - after I get the big pond going. Right now, I just want Koi. I also found out the 2 very large Koi that I got a few weeks ago are worth around $100 each.
No, I am not going to sell them to anyone, it took a long time just to find someone giving them away. But, that was definitely and interesting piece of information that I found out about those 2 lovelies and yes, they are nice looking fishes. One is around 14 inches long and the other is about 12 inches long.
Have a great day : )
ben
Juice shows up late yesterday afternoon, happy go lucky, as if nothing had ever happened. Apparently, he wanted to put that little deal of spending 17 days in Juvi out of mind. I did not let it go that easily, but, I didn't rub it in too much, he's an alright kid with very little parental guidance and even less male role figures in his life. In fact, there are none that I know of.
Sometimes their (the black brothers) grandmother calls over an uncle so that they can have a "talking to", but the effect of it is negligible. I do believe a person has to be a daily part of another person's life to really have any kind of serious impact. Now that I think about it, I am the biggest male role model in any of those boy's lives excepting, perhaps, school teachers and coaches.
Well that's an interesting thought.
School starts today. Which is quite wonderful, really. Food bill will decrease by at least 10% if not more without kids being around all day long eating my food and drinking my drinks. They will, instead, get those meals and drinks at school. Which doesn't mean they won't come over and eat at my place after school, lol.
Caleb's last year of High School - still a scary thought. Scary because of his unreletting push to get into the Marines. Afghanistan comes to mind. This is a war that I have repeatedly opined on on this blog: LET'S GET OUT OF THERE BEFORE ANOTHER U.S. SOLDIER IS KILLED.
But, that message falls on deaf ears, at least to those who can do anything about it. I have no idea why Obama thinks it's a good idea for us to just stay over there. When is it going to be over? 20 years? 30 years? Never? At what cost? How many American lives? How many billions upon billions of dollars?
A 14 year old kid is charged with starting a fire that briefly put 50 homes in harm's way. How? Trying to light a joint (marijuana) or pipe and apparently igniting something around him. Smart, kid, really smart. If you want to make people extremely stupid, just legalize marijuana and then make it available to everyone. You will see a nation of the most unmotivated, klutzy, moronic people in existence.
I know from experience, trust me, I'm slamming myself in this one. I smoked dope every day for 7 years straight, all day long, starting at the age of 13 and ending at 20. Sure, I worked my butt off during those years, but I also got into a LOT of trouble. I took huge risks as well - I had to sell dope to support my rather costly habit.
Bad idea, is all I can say about it. Arguments are that it can be taxed and then what, the government gets rich off of people wasting their minds away? Really nice. In other words, people are going to do it anyway, why not make it legal? Because legalizing it therefore legitimizes it, which is a thing I do not think we should be doing with that or any other mind altering substance excepting those that are already legal (alcohol).
Anyway, the work day is approaching and there is NOTHING in our truck routing system. This, so far, is the worst month I have seen yet. That is true because I had to do two HUGE returns last week that put our numbers into negative territory and from the looks of it, it's going to be a while before we get into the black side of things.
Not good, not good at all.
The worst part of days like this - especially on a Monday - is nothing to do so I have to invent things to do. Well, try doing that for an entire shift, the monotony can start getting to you.
OH, I found more free fish : ) I haven't gone and gotten them yet, but they are Koi, not goldfish. I don't mind having more goldfish - after I get the big pond going. Right now, I just want Koi. I also found out the 2 very large Koi that I got a few weeks ago are worth around $100 each.
No, I am not going to sell them to anyone, it took a long time just to find someone giving them away. But, that was definitely and interesting piece of information that I found out about those 2 lovelies and yes, they are nice looking fishes. One is around 14 inches long and the other is about 12 inches long.
Have a great day : )
ben
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sunday
Quiet morning. Michael went to a friend's house and Caleb is sleeping.
Caleb is going to be in for an interesting year in attempting to juggle working; going to school and JROTC. It will be a good experfience for him. He is saving most of his money and I still have yet to get him over to a bank and get an account started for him. I don't know how that works anymore for a minor and having a bank account. I assume he can get a savings account with a card to be able to withdraw money? No idea, but I will be looking online today to see what is available.
Forgot to add that school starts Monday.
Today's agenda has already been started. Clean the high traffic carpet areas. In fact, I'm almost done with that and it's not even 8:30am : )
Clean house. Well, someone FINALLY cleaned the main bathroom (other than the normal person that does it, who would be me) so I don't need to do anything in there and I made Michael clean the living room yesterday which leaves only to sweep and mop the kitchen floor and clean my bathroom.
So, as far as house cleaning duties, not really a lot I have to do.
As for outside stuff, yesterday I just sprayed and sprayed the Dawn dishwashing liquid mixture on the plants that have those white flies. Those little buggers are hard to get rid of. I want them gone. I will be out there again today, spraying it again, letting it dry, spray it until I don't see any of them. Actually, I think I just about got all of them yesterday. The remaining problem out there are ants. Thousands of them - at least. My property is infested with them. The problem is, they aren't housing themselves on my property, they have their ant hills in the neighbor's s*** filled property behind me. Regardless, I am going to go get ant killer today and spray the fence area where they're coming through and follow their trail on my property and kill as many of them as I can. There is no-one ligving on that property, there isn't even aq house, I amy jump the fence and get the ant hills.
If you can't tell, I am taking a break from pond digging activities. It has been hot andmuggy outside and I just haven't felt like it. I have a lot of dirt to haul. I will probably do a little today on it since I will be out there anyway. I have also been trimming back shrubs and trees. That is an on-going process.
Meanwhile, Juice - one of the black brothers that is always coming over here and I do mean always - gets out of Juvenile Detention today. This time he has been in there for 17 days. Second round for him. Everyone is making fun of him because he brought it upon himself. The first time was for attempting to shoplift, the second was for crashing into a UPS van while riding a mini-bike on the street. He seriously injured himself, indeed. But, the payment in pain for several weeks wasn't enough to swsay the judge for time in pain spent, Juice definitely does not like Juvi and I am thinking maybe this time he will attempt to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble. The funniest part is that he spent the last days of his summer break from school in Juvi, as he comes home today and then goes to school tomorrow. Undoubtedly, he will be coming over here sometime this afternoon which is when I will gived him no small amount of hard time for getting himself into trouble again.
Dinner. What's for dinner? I'm thinking something with chicken. Dunno yet. Probably thinking about this early cause' I am quite hungry right now. A bit of left over from last night will do the trick for now.
G'day.
ben
Caleb is going to be in for an interesting year in attempting to juggle working; going to school and JROTC. It will be a good experfience for him. He is saving most of his money and I still have yet to get him over to a bank and get an account started for him. I don't know how that works anymore for a minor and having a bank account. I assume he can get a savings account with a card to be able to withdraw money? No idea, but I will be looking online today to see what is available.
Forgot to add that school starts Monday.
Today's agenda has already been started. Clean the high traffic carpet areas. In fact, I'm almost done with that and it's not even 8:30am : )
Clean house. Well, someone FINALLY cleaned the main bathroom (other than the normal person that does it, who would be me) so I don't need to do anything in there and I made Michael clean the living room yesterday which leaves only to sweep and mop the kitchen floor and clean my bathroom.
So, as far as house cleaning duties, not really a lot I have to do.
As for outside stuff, yesterday I just sprayed and sprayed the Dawn dishwashing liquid mixture on the plants that have those white flies. Those little buggers are hard to get rid of. I want them gone. I will be out there again today, spraying it again, letting it dry, spray it until I don't see any of them. Actually, I think I just about got all of them yesterday. The remaining problem out there are ants. Thousands of them - at least. My property is infested with them. The problem is, they aren't housing themselves on my property, they have their ant hills in the neighbor's s*** filled property behind me. Regardless, I am going to go get ant killer today and spray the fence area where they're coming through and follow their trail on my property and kill as many of them as I can. There is no-one ligving on that property, there isn't even aq house, I amy jump the fence and get the ant hills.
If you can't tell, I am taking a break from pond digging activities. It has been hot andmuggy outside and I just haven't felt like it. I have a lot of dirt to haul. I will probably do a little today on it since I will be out there anyway. I have also been trimming back shrubs and trees. That is an on-going process.
Meanwhile, Juice - one of the black brothers that is always coming over here and I do mean always - gets out of Juvenile Detention today. This time he has been in there for 17 days. Second round for him. Everyone is making fun of him because he brought it upon himself. The first time was for attempting to shoplift, the second was for crashing into a UPS van while riding a mini-bike on the street. He seriously injured himself, indeed. But, the payment in pain for several weeks wasn't enough to swsay the judge for time in pain spent, Juice definitely does not like Juvi and I am thinking maybe this time he will attempt to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble. The funniest part is that he spent the last days of his summer break from school in Juvi, as he comes home today and then goes to school tomorrow. Undoubtedly, he will be coming over here sometime this afternoon which is when I will gived him no small amount of hard time for getting himself into trouble again.
Dinner. What's for dinner? I'm thinking something with chicken. Dunno yet. Probably thinking about this early cause' I am quite hungry right now. A bit of left over from last night will do the trick for now.
G'day.
ben
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Saturday
Sky to the west is dark, sky to the east? The sun is shining. I'm hoping the dark comes over and dumps rain all over my property so I don't have to water my plants.
A few thoughts. Everyone thinks Kagan is the "best" option for the Supreme Court. Just wait and mark my words: this woman is a clusterf*** waiting to happen. You are going to hear about bizarre stuff going on with the U.S. Supreme Court after this woman starts trying her stuff.
BP wants to drill in the same well again. They're going to drill somewhere, anyway, I have nothing against it. From my perspective, they have a clue now how to fix something like this disaster. They should have several of those caps built and nearby in case something like this ever happens again. They will be prepared for a disaster now, as, obviously, in the past they weren't ready for anything. Definitely believe stringent regulations should be imposed upon that industry since, just as obviously and after reading hundreds of news reports about it, they aren't exactly apt to regulate themselves. There is too much at stake with this kind of situation, a 3rd party MUST oversee it.
There should also be automatic safeguards to shut the whole operation down when the clues come forth that something isn't right down at the bottom. The same news reports I have been reading for months revealed that they knew something wasn't right down there but they didn't do anything about it. Obviously, their "fail safe" valve/s didn't work, either. But then again, did they even try to use that valve BEFORE the explosion? I don't think they did.
I was looking at pictures of these 2 school buses and semi that crashed. UNBELIEVABLE. There was a pickup truck smashed underneath the front bus, but from the picks, you can't even SEE a pickup truck under there. I hope the guy's death was at least painless if nothing else, ie: instant death. I wouldn't want to be stuck underneath a school bus in a mangled pickup truck, lying there just waiting for death to arrive. Instant death would be FAR better, I think.
That is a good example of what happens if you are distracted even for a short period of time while driving. What seemed okay one minute can change in a flash of second and if you aren't paying attention, this is what happens. Or can happen. I am at the point - or have been fora while now, that texting while driving (I'm not saying the bus driver was texting) should be treated the same as DUI in terms of jail time, fines, etc.
I have my slow cooker out. I cooked a roast the other day in it - wonderful stuff. Carrots, onions and potatoes along with some good ole', hot, horseradish sauce. YUM.
I just put a HUGE pork roast in there maybe an hour ago. Hoping it's done by this evening. I am going to cook it until it pulls apart with a fork, pick the fat out of it, pull it all apart and dump some good BBQ sauce into it. Pulled pork sandwiches, absolutely delicious. Making myself hungry just thinking about it. Dunno how much I can have on a diet, guess I'll have to look at the sauce label and see what kind of calories are packed into it.
No grand plans for today. Looking to continue digging out that hole. It's getting easier now that I am close to getting to the bottom portion of the setup. Okay, I shouldn't say easier, more like less difficult, still hitting into lots of rocks but right now I am shovelling up and hauling off the stuff I had already dug up - I just piled it into the middle of the hole while doing the much hard work of excavating the sides. Still plenty to do even after the hole is dug. Gotta put enough water into the pond to fill it up partially and make sure there are no leaks on the bottom of it. Another reason a good rain would be helpful right now. I should have done it the last rain, I didn't think about it.
Anyway, not going to go too much into that. School starts next week, it's scary, but it's Caleb's last year of high school. My one and only is almost grown up. I wouldn't mind having more, but skip the baby and toddler part. Lol. I don't know that I could handle screaming babies all night long and toddlers getting into everything. No, give me about a 7 or 8 year old. Of course, I am finding out, you adopt a kid that age and you are probably inheriting someone else's problem. Meaning the parents were probably flakes and the kid is probably got some "issues" and extreme luggage to deal with. I don't think I could adopt with all of these tenants living in here, anyway. Officials want to interview everyone that lives in a home, I doubt they would see it a good arrangement with all kinds of "strangers" living here.
Well enough of this, I am surfing the internet and getting myself motivated to go out there and do some more digging and hauling. Temp is like 79 degrees because of the weather that is moving in and probably also cause' the sun is hiding behind clouds. Beautiful day!
ben
A few thoughts. Everyone thinks Kagan is the "best" option for the Supreme Court. Just wait and mark my words: this woman is a clusterf*** waiting to happen. You are going to hear about bizarre stuff going on with the U.S. Supreme Court after this woman starts trying her stuff.
BP wants to drill in the same well again. They're going to drill somewhere, anyway, I have nothing against it. From my perspective, they have a clue now how to fix something like this disaster. They should have several of those caps built and nearby in case something like this ever happens again. They will be prepared for a disaster now, as, obviously, in the past they weren't ready for anything. Definitely believe stringent regulations should be imposed upon that industry since, just as obviously and after reading hundreds of news reports about it, they aren't exactly apt to regulate themselves. There is too much at stake with this kind of situation, a 3rd party MUST oversee it.
There should also be automatic safeguards to shut the whole operation down when the clues come forth that something isn't right down at the bottom. The same news reports I have been reading for months revealed that they knew something wasn't right down there but they didn't do anything about it. Obviously, their "fail safe" valve/s didn't work, either. But then again, did they even try to use that valve BEFORE the explosion? I don't think they did.
I was looking at pictures of these 2 school buses and semi that crashed. UNBELIEVABLE. There was a pickup truck smashed underneath the front bus, but from the picks, you can't even SEE a pickup truck under there. I hope the guy's death was at least painless if nothing else, ie: instant death. I wouldn't want to be stuck underneath a school bus in a mangled pickup truck, lying there just waiting for death to arrive. Instant death would be FAR better, I think.
That is a good example of what happens if you are distracted even for a short period of time while driving. What seemed okay one minute can change in a flash of second and if you aren't paying attention, this is what happens. Or can happen. I am at the point - or have been fora while now, that texting while driving (I'm not saying the bus driver was texting) should be treated the same as DUI in terms of jail time, fines, etc.
I have my slow cooker out. I cooked a roast the other day in it - wonderful stuff. Carrots, onions and potatoes along with some good ole', hot, horseradish sauce. YUM.
I just put a HUGE pork roast in there maybe an hour ago. Hoping it's done by this evening. I am going to cook it until it pulls apart with a fork, pick the fat out of it, pull it all apart and dump some good BBQ sauce into it. Pulled pork sandwiches, absolutely delicious. Making myself hungry just thinking about it. Dunno how much I can have on a diet, guess I'll have to look at the sauce label and see what kind of calories are packed into it.
No grand plans for today. Looking to continue digging out that hole. It's getting easier now that I am close to getting to the bottom portion of the setup. Okay, I shouldn't say easier, more like less difficult, still hitting into lots of rocks but right now I am shovelling up and hauling off the stuff I had already dug up - I just piled it into the middle of the hole while doing the much hard work of excavating the sides. Still plenty to do even after the hole is dug. Gotta put enough water into the pond to fill it up partially and make sure there are no leaks on the bottom of it. Another reason a good rain would be helpful right now. I should have done it the last rain, I didn't think about it.
Anyway, not going to go too much into that. School starts next week, it's scary, but it's Caleb's last year of high school. My one and only is almost grown up. I wouldn't mind having more, but skip the baby and toddler part. Lol. I don't know that I could handle screaming babies all night long and toddlers getting into everything. No, give me about a 7 or 8 year old. Of course, I am finding out, you adopt a kid that age and you are probably inheriting someone else's problem. Meaning the parents were probably flakes and the kid is probably got some "issues" and extreme luggage to deal with. I don't think I could adopt with all of these tenants living in here, anyway. Officials want to interview everyone that lives in a home, I doubt they would see it a good arrangement with all kinds of "strangers" living here.
Well enough of this, I am surfing the internet and getting myself motivated to go out there and do some more digging and hauling. Temp is like 79 degrees because of the weather that is moving in and probably also cause' the sun is hiding behind clouds. Beautiful day!
ben
Friday
The now-unemployed tenant finally showed up last night - well after I went to bed of course. She obviously doesn't want to face me - she owes me money. Not a LOT, but enough. She stuffed $30 in an envelope, wrote a note saying she would be spending today trying to find a new job.
She SHOULD have been doing that since the day she got fired. I had NO idea she was going to be gone this long, I figured if she skipped a weekend for a free vacation, no big deal, she's been gone almost an entire week.
Do you ever see people walking through the grocery store with one or even two carts just STUFFED with all kinds of food? You're looking at 2 or 3 hundred worth of food, at least. I'm always curious how these people are going to pay for that stuff, and sure enough, 99% of the time, a Qwest card comes out. That's the modern-day way to use food stamps, like a debit card, it swipes through the reader and automatically deducts that much from your account.
I'm not necessarily slamming people on food stamps, as a temporary buffer against being totally broke (ie: you got laid off from your job) and a way to keep food on your table, great.
As a permanent, life-long ideal of living off the government and really having no great reason to get off your @$$ and go find a job (ie: they also get rental subsidies through HUD so they aren't paying for their place to live, no, instead, WE are paying for their place to live).
August 6, 2010 6:00 AM
Anonymous said...
This is the problem I have with food stamps. The news reports that a record number of people are on food stamps right now. Well duhhhh, the economy is flat, now they're talking potential deflation, people are broke and yes, they are still hungry. I can understand the temporary use of food stamps, I get it.
But, how many billions of dollars are being given out freely to people who aren't going to work whether the economy is good or bad? Just like unemployment benefits, people should NOT be able to just live on them forever unless there is a good reason for it - someone that CAN'T work because of some physical limitation, stuff like that.
Rental subsidies the same thing. Give them for 6 months, a year at most and then push them out.
There isn't anything more motivating that I know of than facing living on the streets to force your lazy, sorry @$$ to get up and go out and find a job. I don't care if it IS a minimum wage job, do SOMETHING and be a productive citizen in our society instead of a LIFELONG DRAIN on it.
I don't need to hear about how these people are uneducated, either. If they really want education, they can get grants or at worst case, student loans. Go into the military and get the deal where they pay all of your schooling expenses once you get out. Heck, you can find some great career opportunities through some of the things you can learn IN the military, I know that for a fact: my oldest brother learned skills in the Navy that landed him a job building Apache helicopters, he has been at the same company for something like 25 years and is making GREAT money.
The point is, the opportunity is there. I debate back and forth with myself whether to go back to school - but the costs of going to school far outweigh any great benefit from it. I am 46 years old, paying off student loans for the rest of my life isn't exactly an appealing thought. But I'll tell you right now, if I lose my job in the trucking industry because of the VERY strict regulations that are coming out (look folks, with these new regulations, your CDL license could be suspended if you simply haven't filled out enough of your paperwork correctly!), then yes, I would go back to school.
August 6, 2010 6:02 AM
Anonymous said...
I know what I would do, too. But, I am not a lazy @$$ and I don't have to make excuses for why I am not working: I have BEEN working since I was 10 years old and before that I was doing jobs around the neighborhood for folks, usually yard work. I did the lemonade stand thing every summer for years: our street was THE street to take to get to the public pool and it was a LONG walk for most folks. I did great business sellin lemonade! I'm sure mother wasn't too happy me taking all of her lemonade all the time ((hey, I was a kid, that stuff was up in the cupboard, it must be free, right? lol), but, I learned early about money. Not that I have EVER had enough of it to do much of anything, but I'm not complaining about it, either.
Whatever. I saw that food stamp article and that got me going, I am so ever-loving sick of this lifelong cycle of families living in poverty and want and using the system to continue the cycle seemingly endlessly.
And here we go again with extreme heat in places that people are not used to such. I can't help you, I am IN that heat every day for several months out of the year, I have a very good idea what it is like to have to endure high temperatures and try to stay cool enough to continue working. It's NO fun. August will soon be over (I'm thinking that way, anyway, even if it IS only the beginning of the month) and then it will gradually start to cool down here.
I guess what gets me are all of these areas where houses are not built with central AC systems. My gosh, people, if you don't have cental AC, you DO at least have a window unit or 2, don't you? A nice window unit will keep whatever room it is installed in VERY cool. If it's a newer unit and you don't get carried away with it, the energy consumption won't be too terribly bad. That's what I used to do in previous houses I had that had only evaporative cooling.
Try living in a house that has only evaporative cooling when it's 117 degrees outside - it will be around 95 to 100 inside the house.
Well, freight truck showed up early, ate into my pre-login hours, now I have worked even more for free : )
G'day
ben
She SHOULD have been doing that since the day she got fired. I had NO idea she was going to be gone this long, I figured if she skipped a weekend for a free vacation, no big deal, she's been gone almost an entire week.
Do you ever see people walking through the grocery store with one or even two carts just STUFFED with all kinds of food? You're looking at 2 or 3 hundred worth of food, at least. I'm always curious how these people are going to pay for that stuff, and sure enough, 99% of the time, a Qwest card comes out. That's the modern-day way to use food stamps, like a debit card, it swipes through the reader and automatically deducts that much from your account.
I'm not necessarily slamming people on food stamps, as a temporary buffer against being totally broke (ie: you got laid off from your job) and a way to keep food on your table, great.
As a permanent, life-long ideal of living off the government and really having no great reason to get off your @$$ and go find a job (ie: they also get rental subsidies through HUD so they aren't paying for their place to live, no, instead, WE are paying for their place to live).
August 6, 2010 6:00 AM
Anonymous said...
This is the problem I have with food stamps. The news reports that a record number of people are on food stamps right now. Well duhhhh, the economy is flat, now they're talking potential deflation, people are broke and yes, they are still hungry. I can understand the temporary use of food stamps, I get it.
But, how many billions of dollars are being given out freely to people who aren't going to work whether the economy is good or bad? Just like unemployment benefits, people should NOT be able to just live on them forever unless there is a good reason for it - someone that CAN'T work because of some physical limitation, stuff like that.
Rental subsidies the same thing. Give them for 6 months, a year at most and then push them out.
There isn't anything more motivating that I know of than facing living on the streets to force your lazy, sorry @$$ to get up and go out and find a job. I don't care if it IS a minimum wage job, do SOMETHING and be a productive citizen in our society instead of a LIFELONG DRAIN on it.
I don't need to hear about how these people are uneducated, either. If they really want education, they can get grants or at worst case, student loans. Go into the military and get the deal where they pay all of your schooling expenses once you get out. Heck, you can find some great career opportunities through some of the things you can learn IN the military, I know that for a fact: my oldest brother learned skills in the Navy that landed him a job building Apache helicopters, he has been at the same company for something like 25 years and is making GREAT money.
The point is, the opportunity is there. I debate back and forth with myself whether to go back to school - but the costs of going to school far outweigh any great benefit from it. I am 46 years old, paying off student loans for the rest of my life isn't exactly an appealing thought. But I'll tell you right now, if I lose my job in the trucking industry because of the VERY strict regulations that are coming out (look folks, with these new regulations, your CDL license could be suspended if you simply haven't filled out enough of your paperwork correctly!), then yes, I would go back to school.
August 6, 2010 6:02 AM
Anonymous said...
I know what I would do, too. But, I am not a lazy @$$ and I don't have to make excuses for why I am not working: I have BEEN working since I was 10 years old and before that I was doing jobs around the neighborhood for folks, usually yard work. I did the lemonade stand thing every summer for years: our street was THE street to take to get to the public pool and it was a LONG walk for most folks. I did great business sellin lemonade! I'm sure mother wasn't too happy me taking all of her lemonade all the time ((hey, I was a kid, that stuff was up in the cupboard, it must be free, right? lol), but, I learned early about money. Not that I have EVER had enough of it to do much of anything, but I'm not complaining about it, either.
Whatever. I saw that food stamp article and that got me going, I am so ever-loving sick of this lifelong cycle of families living in poverty and want and using the system to continue the cycle seemingly endlessly.
And here we go again with extreme heat in places that people are not used to such. I can't help you, I am IN that heat every day for several months out of the year, I have a very good idea what it is like to have to endure high temperatures and try to stay cool enough to continue working. It's NO fun. August will soon be over (I'm thinking that way, anyway, even if it IS only the beginning of the month) and then it will gradually start to cool down here.
I guess what gets me are all of these areas where houses are not built with central AC systems. My gosh, people, if you don't have cental AC, you DO at least have a window unit or 2, don't you? A nice window unit will keep whatever room it is installed in VERY cool. If it's a newer unit and you don't get carried away with it, the energy consumption won't be too terribly bad. That's what I used to do in previous houses I had that had only evaporative cooling.
Try living in a house that has only evaporative cooling when it's 117 degrees outside - it will be around 95 to 100 inside the house.
Well, freight truck showed up early, ate into my pre-login hours, now I have worked even more for free : )
G'day
ben
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Really?
Kagan, an individual has absolutely no experience, whatsoever, in actually sitting on the judicial seat doling out judgments as a real judge - is now a Supreme Court Justice. Scary. This Obama administration won't go away soon enough. The long-term effects of this man's race to have the federal government control every aspect of our lives will be seen in the short term, the medium term and even more-so the long term. Democrats are taking advantage of the hopefully short time they have left in having almost total control.
Hot days. I have been out in the heat every day this week, hours at a time, sweating like a pig. My work shirt has salt stains in it from sweating so much after today's endeavors outside. It takes me a while after getting home to even think about going outside and getting things done out there. Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday and I can do whatever this weekend. Yes, I am working on the pond, yes, it is getting very close to being done for digging's sake anyway.
For the record, digging out the rather large hole for this pond is not just digging. It's ground that is FULL of rocks. You cannot just get on your boots, put the spade on the ground, jump up on it and poof, it disappears into the ground and out comes the dirt. NOT EVEN CLOSE. No, you put the spade on the ground after watering it to help loosen it up, and the first thing you hit is a rock, or even a boulder. You have to spend a great deal of time in digging out the rocks so you can - dig out more rocks. The dirt and rocks are shovelled directly into a wheelbarrow, as the place I have for dumping the dirt is about 75 feet away from where the hole is being excavated. So, yes, then you have to haul the dirt to it's resting point. Well, there are plants in the way of the entire place where the dirt is spread out, so I heap it up in one area to the side of the plants and then -have to shovel even MORE in spreading out the dirt.
I could have had this done already if it weren't for the heat and the fact that I spend a great deal of time of time in the heat at work - meaning no real desire to spend even MORE time out in it at home.
Yes, I am about to go out there and do a little - maybe 15 - 30 minutes worth. Again, I was in the heat and direct sunlight (112 in the shade) today much of the time I was working, I was busting @$$ and the only reason I am going to do anything out there is to give me - whatever it is in me that needs to get this portion of this project done.
Interruption. Qwest showed up. They did whatever they needed to do to the line at the pedestal and my internet connection is back up to what it's supposed to be. They did not, however, bury the line as promised. I already knew they wouldn't but still. It's a totally different department of the company that sends out a crew to bury lines. Just that I have been going through this with them for 2-1/2 years - them committing to bury the line, them never showing up. At this point, if it doesn't happen, I will be going to Cox for internet service, see if the grass is any greener on the other side of the fence. Pricing is about the same, allegedly as long as everyone on the block doesn't also have Cox, the speeds should be very good.
Another long interlude and now do not have time to finish this.
G'nite.
ben
Hot days. I have been out in the heat every day this week, hours at a time, sweating like a pig. My work shirt has salt stains in it from sweating so much after today's endeavors outside. It takes me a while after getting home to even think about going outside and getting things done out there. Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday and I can do whatever this weekend. Yes, I am working on the pond, yes, it is getting very close to being done for digging's sake anyway.
For the record, digging out the rather large hole for this pond is not just digging. It's ground that is FULL of rocks. You cannot just get on your boots, put the spade on the ground, jump up on it and poof, it disappears into the ground and out comes the dirt. NOT EVEN CLOSE. No, you put the spade on the ground after watering it to help loosen it up, and the first thing you hit is a rock, or even a boulder. You have to spend a great deal of time in digging out the rocks so you can - dig out more rocks. The dirt and rocks are shovelled directly into a wheelbarrow, as the place I have for dumping the dirt is about 75 feet away from where the hole is being excavated. So, yes, then you have to haul the dirt to it's resting point. Well, there are plants in the way of the entire place where the dirt is spread out, so I heap it up in one area to the side of the plants and then -have to shovel even MORE in spreading out the dirt.
I could have had this done already if it weren't for the heat and the fact that I spend a great deal of time of time in the heat at work - meaning no real desire to spend even MORE time out in it at home.
Yes, I am about to go out there and do a little - maybe 15 - 30 minutes worth. Again, I was in the heat and direct sunlight (112 in the shade) today much of the time I was working, I was busting @$$ and the only reason I am going to do anything out there is to give me - whatever it is in me that needs to get this portion of this project done.
Interruption. Qwest showed up. They did whatever they needed to do to the line at the pedestal and my internet connection is back up to what it's supposed to be. They did not, however, bury the line as promised. I already knew they wouldn't but still. It's a totally different department of the company that sends out a crew to bury lines. Just that I have been going through this with them for 2-1/2 years - them committing to bury the line, them never showing up. At this point, if it doesn't happen, I will be going to Cox for internet service, see if the grass is any greener on the other side of the fence. Pricing is about the same, allegedly as long as everyone on the block doesn't also have Cox, the speeds should be very good.
Another long interlude and now do not have time to finish this.
G'nite.
ben
Thursday
Thursday
So, though the Iranian government denies it ever occured, a bomb of some sort, or a grenade (several different stories about what, exactly, it was) was thrown at or set off while that president's entourage was driving through. Obviously it missed. Too bad, really........
So, yesterday I decided to get on the phone. I hate calling these large corporations. It takes forever, it just sucks. The first phone call to Qwest communications which is supplying me internet service. Phillipines (I don't want to talk to you, please put me on with an American call-center)(also said that unless they were going to board a plane to Phoenix, AZ, they pretty much need to deal me back to America); to Utah, there I asked to speak to a manager and refused to give the operator any information, 15 more minute wait, a woman gets on the phone. I can hear kids screaming in the background. ???Daycare IN the office? She calls me back - the line was going from here to Philippines back to Salt Lake. Turns out she was at home and had received a call to deal with me since I had been waiting so long.
Great. Long story. My internet is not working as fast as the amount that I am paying for, fix it. She was nice, didn't give her a hard time, gave me her personal cell number - I have been debating quitting the service for a while now - they still haven't buried the temporary line that has been replaced several times by Qwest techs. The line has been promised to be buried at least half a dozen times now.
Done with that call, I get a call from McDonald's. The smug woman, so-called manager, who thought she was going to get away with treating me like s*** at the drive-thru window got a taste of her own medicine. That's because I both wrote and called corporate to complain about this woman's extremely rude behavior. She ATE it and had to apologize. The store's general manager offered a free meal. Well, I'm on a diet and I only go there for coffee, but what the hey, I'll take that free meal and give it to one of the boys.
I then called Dish Network, the satellite company that I am haphazardly thinking about switching to. I asked them specific questions about costs - the cost of a DVR, the recording fee price and the amount I will be charged per month for each box. No answer, instead, going into the plans they have. NO, thank you, I didn't ask you that. I was connected to someone else who also couldn't, apparently, understand clear, concise english and was eventually transferred to a manager. This guy was professional, polite and courteous. He explained everything and the cost in great detail. I said thank you for your time and the info and hung up, immediately calling Direct TV.
Another unwanted trip to the Philippine islands and having to "force" my way back to the U.S. and yes, I bypassed the operator that answered because I know they can and will do nothing for me. TOO much experience on the phone with this company.
Another professional and courteous manager got on the phone, so I frankly told him what I was thinking of doing - switching - and I was comparing costs. He broke down my costs as the stand right now - I have fully 5 different discounts going because of the numerous phone calls I have made asking for such, plus free movie channels. He replied that it was a "breath of fresh air" to get someone on the phone that wasn't trying to hide the obvious fact that you are considering switching to another company. I said what is there to hide? This is the free market.
My cost? $72 per month, right now. That is a smoking deal for 6 receivers, DVR plus package and movie channels. But, it is not going to stay that way forever, obviously, and I will either have to keep calling and demanding the same discounts be reapplied or - switch. I told him that I would consider signing another 2 year contract if my rate would be kept at that price AND I get new equipment. He replied that when these deals are gone, that is the time to write to corporate and tell them that I am going to switch unless they do something.
Okay, good advice, I haven't tried that before, I usually just make as many phone calls as it takes. Any way about it, I do want NEW equipment, all of it replaced. That stuff doesn't last forever and when it goes bad, their stuff isn't exactly free.
Well, I've burned up another pre-work morning's worth of time.
G'day.
So, though the Iranian government denies it ever occured, a bomb of some sort, or a grenade (several different stories about what, exactly, it was) was thrown at or set off while that president's entourage was driving through. Obviously it missed. Too bad, really........
So, yesterday I decided to get on the phone. I hate calling these large corporations. It takes forever, it just sucks. The first phone call to Qwest communications which is supplying me internet service. Phillipines (I don't want to talk to you, please put me on with an American call-center)(also said that unless they were going to board a plane to Phoenix, AZ, they pretty much need to deal me back to America); to Utah, there I asked to speak to a manager and refused to give the operator any information, 15 more minute wait, a woman gets on the phone. I can hear kids screaming in the background. ???Daycare IN the office? She calls me back - the line was going from here to Philippines back to Salt Lake. Turns out she was at home and had received a call to deal with me since I had been waiting so long.
Great. Long story. My internet is not working as fast as the amount that I am paying for, fix it. She was nice, didn't give her a hard time, gave me her personal cell number - I have been debating quitting the service for a while now - they still haven't buried the temporary line that has been replaced several times by Qwest techs. The line has been promised to be buried at least half a dozen times now.
Done with that call, I get a call from McDonald's. The smug woman, so-called manager, who thought she was going to get away with treating me like s*** at the drive-thru window got a taste of her own medicine. That's because I both wrote and called corporate to complain about this woman's extremely rude behavior. She ATE it and had to apologize. The store's general manager offered a free meal. Well, I'm on a diet and I only go there for coffee, but what the hey, I'll take that free meal and give it to one of the boys.
I then called Dish Network, the satellite company that I am haphazardly thinking about switching to. I asked them specific questions about costs - the cost of a DVR, the recording fee price and the amount I will be charged per month for each box. No answer, instead, going into the plans they have. NO, thank you, I didn't ask you that. I was connected to someone else who also couldn't, apparently, understand clear, concise english and was eventually transferred to a manager. This guy was professional, polite and courteous. He explained everything and the cost in great detail. I said thank you for your time and the info and hung up, immediately calling Direct TV.
Another unwanted trip to the Philippine islands and having to "force" my way back to the U.S. and yes, I bypassed the operator that answered because I know they can and will do nothing for me. TOO much experience on the phone with this company.
Another professional and courteous manager got on the phone, so I frankly told him what I was thinking of doing - switching - and I was comparing costs. He broke down my costs as the stand right now - I have fully 5 different discounts going because of the numerous phone calls I have made asking for such, plus free movie channels. He replied that it was a "breath of fresh air" to get someone on the phone that wasn't trying to hide the obvious fact that you are considering switching to another company. I said what is there to hide? This is the free market.
My cost? $72 per month, right now. That is a smoking deal for 6 receivers, DVR plus package and movie channels. But, it is not going to stay that way forever, obviously, and I will either have to keep calling and demanding the same discounts be reapplied or - switch. I told him that I would consider signing another 2 year contract if my rate would be kept at that price AND I get new equipment. He replied that when these deals are gone, that is the time to write to corporate and tell them that I am going to switch unless they do something.
Okay, good advice, I haven't tried that before, I usually just make as many phone calls as it takes. Any way about it, I do want NEW equipment, all of it replaced. That stuff doesn't last forever and when it goes bad, their stuff isn't exactly free.
Well, I've burned up another pre-work morning's worth of time.
G'day.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wednesday
Well, somehow I totally forgot to do anything with entries yesterday.
Umm, take that back: after getting done with that ordeal yesterday morning and feeling sick for the rest of the day from heat exhaustion (I'm guessing, anyway), that's what messed me up.
It was a large return, it was very hot and humid outside, I worked nonstop sweating like a pig and - well it just took it's toll on me. I'm not a 20-something anymore. I was drinking a lot of water but I still ended up with a "heat headache" is what I call them and once I get one, it can take the rest of the day and a good night's sleep to get beyond it.
Today was slated for an even LARGER return. Fortunately, it has been put off until tomorrow as I am still not feeling quite right from yesterday's event in a pool of hellish heat.
My dad sent me another letter yesterday - he has been helping me out with a tidy sum of money every month to help me through this financial chaos and the money has been MUCH appreciated. He wants me to come down for another Thanksgiving visit. Last year, mother graciously made Thanksgiving plans around my plan to visit dad - I hadn't seen him in a long time and I hadn't visited him on a holiday in - I don't even remember how long ago - it was definitely time. The problem is his wife's families are going to be there again and frankly, it was very uncomfortable around those people last year. When you're around a man that is so full of himself that he wants to do all the talking and listen to nothing anyone else has to say, well, I really am not into that at all. In fact, people like that REALLY turn me off, having to sit there and listen to it for hours on end is ridiculous. If it goes on long enough, I start to get mad. I know, I can be juvenile at times, but I don't WANT to be subjected to another person's BS for THAT length of time.
I'm gonna have to think about that one, that's all I can say about it. I think I would rather spend a few days at Christmas instead.
Meanwhile, the vacation, unemployed, behind on rent tenant is still gone. I was going to write up a 5-day notice the other day here, but I forgot and got busy with work. I was going to write one up at home, but my printer is out of ink and I'm not sure that buying ink is of such great importance right now, especially considering I can print stuff at work for free.
If I am facing another $500 month for electicity - which I SINCERELY hope I am not - money will be tight yet again. Especially if this woman doesn't pay up, I have to get rid of her and lose that money I would otherwise have had with a paying tenant.
Pond work has come to a standstill and may not be taken up again until this weekend. Just don't have it in me to do all this stuff at work and then come home and start digging away as if I'm a 5 year old with limitless energy. I have plenty of energy, yes, but when the sun is helping zap it out of me, that makes things a bit different.
2 days in a row now my weight on the scale has shown 194! I've been coming in here - work that is - and seeing it all over the place. 198,195, 196, but NOT 194 - at all. I ate a foot long subway sandwich yesterday with all the veggies, mustard and vinegar - no cheese, no mayo, no creamy dressings. I got home and ate 2 hamburger patties. Patties only, nothing else on them. I then consumed - because I was still hungry and it was early - a 280 calorie diet dinner thing. Whatever it is, it's those frozen dinners that are supposed to be good for people on diets. They are low in fat but I forgot to look at sodium content. Usually it's higher in sodium content which is also a dieter's enemy. Still, just the fact that the weight is down a little more is very encouraging.
My goal is the low 180's, but I'd take 185 and be happy with it - I'm 6'2" which makes 185 a good weight range for my size.
Again, when dieting and especially when on one for so long, the temptations come from all sides. Donuts here, ice cream there - anything you want is right in your face. At other times, of course, that stuff is nowhere to be seen.
The news.
I always love the news in the morning.
Apparently ANOTHER kid is lost in the woods and has been since Monday night. What is with all these kids disappearing in the woods? Is there some sicko or sickos out there looking for young boys to take advantage of? I don't quite understand why I'm seeing so much of this in the news, I do hope they find the kid alive and in good condition.
Apparently the mud being pumped down the well on the BP disaster is working. Calling it in "static condition". Well, whatever they want to call it, get the damned thing plugged permanently and then they better not start disappearing JUST when the REAL cleanup efforts should be getting started - after the well is permanently closed.
Certainly, they must have a blueprint of sorts at this point to be able to deal with any future s*** like this that may occur without it having to take MONTHS to figure out how to stop it.
So, Missouri is setting it's own tone and voted - by 71% - to reject federally mandated health care. I'm on that boat, I've been on it since this government controlled healthcare crap came to the surface. It seems states are taking their own stances against things that this out-of-control Obama administration is trying to shove down all of our throats - Virginia being another. Fun to watch all of this, the democratic process might actually work in November!
A congressman is advocating to kill the person that leaked the information to Wikileaks if he is found guilty. There is substantial room here to create a stance that the man committed treason. It IS the law of our land. Dunno about that one, another watch as it plays out situation.
White House: Afghan war is not lost. Well, it isn't won, either, and I don't see it EVER getting won, meanwhile our boys and gals are getting killed over there on a daily basis.......forrrrrrrr.....what? I'm all for getting the bleep out of there, it's never going to change, there is no point in us trying to change people that have lived they they are for centuries.
They wanna kill each other, let them have at it, why should we interfere?
That's it, cause' time is up, I'm outta here.
For those that don't know, I'm writing my morning entries on a previous day's comments section because I can no longer access my account at work.
No biggies.
Later.
ben
Umm, take that back: after getting done with that ordeal yesterday morning and feeling sick for the rest of the day from heat exhaustion (I'm guessing, anyway), that's what messed me up.
It was a large return, it was very hot and humid outside, I worked nonstop sweating like a pig and - well it just took it's toll on me. I'm not a 20-something anymore. I was drinking a lot of water but I still ended up with a "heat headache" is what I call them and once I get one, it can take the rest of the day and a good night's sleep to get beyond it.
Today was slated for an even LARGER return. Fortunately, it has been put off until tomorrow as I am still not feeling quite right from yesterday's event in a pool of hellish heat.
My dad sent me another letter yesterday - he has been helping me out with a tidy sum of money every month to help me through this financial chaos and the money has been MUCH appreciated. He wants me to come down for another Thanksgiving visit. Last year, mother graciously made Thanksgiving plans around my plan to visit dad - I hadn't seen him in a long time and I hadn't visited him on a holiday in - I don't even remember how long ago - it was definitely time. The problem is his wife's families are going to be there again and frankly, it was very uncomfortable around those people last year. When you're around a man that is so full of himself that he wants to do all the talking and listen to nothing anyone else has to say, well, I really am not into that at all. In fact, people like that REALLY turn me off, having to sit there and listen to it for hours on end is ridiculous. If it goes on long enough, I start to get mad. I know, I can be juvenile at times, but I don't WANT to be subjected to another person's BS for THAT length of time.
I'm gonna have to think about that one, that's all I can say about it. I think I would rather spend a few days at Christmas instead.
Meanwhile, the vacation, unemployed, behind on rent tenant is still gone. I was going to write up a 5-day notice the other day here, but I forgot and got busy with work. I was going to write one up at home, but my printer is out of ink and I'm not sure that buying ink is of such great importance right now, especially considering I can print stuff at work for free.
If I am facing another $500 month for electicity - which I SINCERELY hope I am not - money will be tight yet again. Especially if this woman doesn't pay up, I have to get rid of her and lose that money I would otherwise have had with a paying tenant.
Pond work has come to a standstill and may not be taken up again until this weekend. Just don't have it in me to do all this stuff at work and then come home and start digging away as if I'm a 5 year old with limitless energy. I have plenty of energy, yes, but when the sun is helping zap it out of me, that makes things a bit different.
2 days in a row now my weight on the scale has shown 194! I've been coming in here - work that is - and seeing it all over the place. 198,195, 196, but NOT 194 - at all. I ate a foot long subway sandwich yesterday with all the veggies, mustard and vinegar - no cheese, no mayo, no creamy dressings. I got home and ate 2 hamburger patties. Patties only, nothing else on them. I then consumed - because I was still hungry and it was early - a 280 calorie diet dinner thing. Whatever it is, it's those frozen dinners that are supposed to be good for people on diets. They are low in fat but I forgot to look at sodium content. Usually it's higher in sodium content which is also a dieter's enemy. Still, just the fact that the weight is down a little more is very encouraging.
My goal is the low 180's, but I'd take 185 and be happy with it - I'm 6'2" which makes 185 a good weight range for my size.
Again, when dieting and especially when on one for so long, the temptations come from all sides. Donuts here, ice cream there - anything you want is right in your face. At other times, of course, that stuff is nowhere to be seen.
The news.
I always love the news in the morning.
Apparently ANOTHER kid is lost in the woods and has been since Monday night. What is with all these kids disappearing in the woods? Is there some sicko or sickos out there looking for young boys to take advantage of? I don't quite understand why I'm seeing so much of this in the news, I do hope they find the kid alive and in good condition.
Apparently the mud being pumped down the well on the BP disaster is working. Calling it in "static condition". Well, whatever they want to call it, get the damned thing plugged permanently and then they better not start disappearing JUST when the REAL cleanup efforts should be getting started - after the well is permanently closed.
Certainly, they must have a blueprint of sorts at this point to be able to deal with any future s*** like this that may occur without it having to take MONTHS to figure out how to stop it.
So, Missouri is setting it's own tone and voted - by 71% - to reject federally mandated health care. I'm on that boat, I've been on it since this government controlled healthcare crap came to the surface. It seems states are taking their own stances against things that this out-of-control Obama administration is trying to shove down all of our throats - Virginia being another. Fun to watch all of this, the democratic process might actually work in November!
A congressman is advocating to kill the person that leaked the information to Wikileaks if he is found guilty. There is substantial room here to create a stance that the man committed treason. It IS the law of our land. Dunno about that one, another watch as it plays out situation.
White House: Afghan war is not lost. Well, it isn't won, either, and I don't see it EVER getting won, meanwhile our boys and gals are getting killed over there on a daily basis.......forrrrrrrr.....what? I'm all for getting the bleep out of there, it's never going to change, there is no point in us trying to change people that have lived they they are for centuries.
They wanna kill each other, let them have at it, why should we interfere?
That's it, cause' time is up, I'm outta here.
For those that don't know, I'm writing my morning entries on a previous day's comments section because I can no longer access my account at work.
No biggies.
Later.
ben
Tuesday
So, I'm reading the news. A crock of S***, most of the stuff going on, especially these ethics charges against 2 democrats in "high profile" cases, they're calling it. Pelosi takes the stand that it doesn't matter, look what the Republicans did.
I see, so because the Republicans did similar type of things, that therefore excuses Democrats for doing the same types of thing? This is why I am not in love with either party - they take rsponsibility for nothing, shift blame, point fingers, do whatever to keep the limelight off of them - excepting when they have won some sort of victory, then their faces are plastered all over the place with their pathetic voices squeaking out their BS. They can ALL go bug off.
The tragedy, however, this morning with 3 teenaged brothers from one family and a sister and 2 teenaged brothers from another - drowning in a river.......leaves me scratching my head.
I'm just curious how you can go through life without even learning how to swim? Further, if you don't know how to swim, why would you be playing in a river? I first started reading the story thinking that river must have some swift, powerful undercurrents to be able to pull under and kill 6 teenagers, but getting further into the story, it was proclaimed that none of them knew how to swim. I can't imagine the grief those parents must be going through right now. Losing one child is too much, losing 3 in the same day?
There's some really strange stuff going on in this world - I am not going to comment on everything I have seen in the news this morning, there is too much of it.
Unfortunately, the only thing in our truck routing system today is a return - and from what I am hearing, it is a large return. Another return at another contractor tomorrow. Not a fan of returns, burning up in the sun is not my idea of fun while doing this stuff. I will, undoubtedly, be getting off early today since I went 2 hours over yesterday on that trip to that mine. Another trip to that mine tomorrow. We didn't have some of the materials and they want it delivered. I suppose the bigger bummer of the deal is that it will be in a pickup truck, not the semi.
Anyway, work day approaches and I have a few more things I wanna look at online before signing in.
g'day
ben
I see, so because the Republicans did similar type of things, that therefore excuses Democrats for doing the same types of thing? This is why I am not in love with either party - they take rsponsibility for nothing, shift blame, point fingers, do whatever to keep the limelight off of them - excepting when they have won some sort of victory, then their faces are plastered all over the place with their pathetic voices squeaking out their BS. They can ALL go bug off.
The tragedy, however, this morning with 3 teenaged brothers from one family and a sister and 2 teenaged brothers from another - drowning in a river.......leaves me scratching my head.
I'm just curious how you can go through life without even learning how to swim? Further, if you don't know how to swim, why would you be playing in a river? I first started reading the story thinking that river must have some swift, powerful undercurrents to be able to pull under and kill 6 teenagers, but getting further into the story, it was proclaimed that none of them knew how to swim. I can't imagine the grief those parents must be going through right now. Losing one child is too much, losing 3 in the same day?
There's some really strange stuff going on in this world - I am not going to comment on everything I have seen in the news this morning, there is too much of it.
Unfortunately, the only thing in our truck routing system today is a return - and from what I am hearing, it is a large return. Another return at another contractor tomorrow. Not a fan of returns, burning up in the sun is not my idea of fun while doing this stuff. I will, undoubtedly, be getting off early today since I went 2 hours over yesterday on that trip to that mine. Another trip to that mine tomorrow. We didn't have some of the materials and they want it delivered. I suppose the bigger bummer of the deal is that it will be in a pickup truck, not the semi.
Anyway, work day approaches and I have a few more things I wanna look at online before signing in.
g'day
ben
Monday, August 2, 2010
Trip To The Copper Mine
A fascinating day for me.
I had a load of pipe and fittings for a copper mine up in the mountains near Miami, AZ.
I have viewed the vast expanses of copper mines that they are from "scenic viewpoints", I have never been IN a copper mine.
Well, today, I definitely went in.
First was the guardhouse. Back your truck up and park over there. I hand the man the information to call the person who is supposed to come and guide me in there. He says he'll call the man "after you park over there", as if, for someone reason, I wouldn't do so.
I then just wait in the truck. I have had plenty of experience with guard shack guards - they want you to do things their way or they are simply going to make life miserable. I waited about 15 minutes - they fnally come out and wave me in.
I only go into all of this because of the rather massive amount of paperwork I had to read and sign before going in there. 1st document was a rather lengthy disclaimer - you are going in at your own risk, you assume all liability for any injuries or (whatever) that may occur. Yada, yada, yada. On and on. These people insisted I read the whole thing, so I did. And then I signed it.
Next, rules. LOTS of rules. I read all of that. Signed it.
Next, equipment. They have a huge list of things you must have and how much you will pay when you leave if you lose or break any of it. Well, I had a hardhat; steel-toed shoes; safety vest; safety glasses - all of it except a flag on a 10 foot pole that everyone that goes in there must have waving around for every one to see. $40 for that if you break or lose it. Wasn't very keen on signing paperwork for it, but I did anyway and kept my mouth shut.
Next - an ID card. I would like to say here that it is easier to get into the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Plant - of which I have been in many times - than it is to get into this mine. It was worth it, though. I sign the ID card, they tell me it's good for a full year. They hand me a flag and yes, they give me tie-wraps to attach it to the passenger side mirror on my truck.
I then wait. In fact, I fell asleep waiting so long. There is some 6th sense in me that wakes me up - every time - I did so 2 seconds before a pickup comes pulling up, waving me to follow him.
Now comes the fascinating part - driving down what I guessed was a 7% grade on a dirt roads, driving on the wrong side of the road because that's what they want, all lights on, extreme switch backs and all. Down and down and down. At the bottom, we cross over a small divide and head back up. We go on a major haul road - GIANT dump trucks - the tires on those things were about 8 FEET tall . We got stuck behind one that was trying to pull a hill with at least 100 tons (I'm guessing) of dirt and rock in it. There must have been 50 of those things in there.
It was at least 20 minutes of driving on these roads before we got to the destination. They are building a lake. Not any ole' lake, either, it's an ACID lake. A little shocking to hear them say that considering from the looks of this lake, it is going to be millions and millions of gallons of fluid, if not MUCH more than that. The lake? Will be used to leach the copper, I guess and however that works. I am very inquisitive about such things, the man was not really giving up any real amounts of information.
We get the load off the truck, spend 20 minutes going over the paperwork and justifying it against the quantities there, time to leave. I have seen safety being put to the nth degree at many places, this one takes the cake. And why not, there are thousands of tons of heavy equipment - very heavy equipment - running around all over the place. People can easily get killed without stringent safety measures in place, I am totally FOR all of that, trust me, I am.
No surprise, either, that most of the men working there were at least in their 30's, if not 40's and up. 20 somethings simply don't have the life experience of older individuals who have experienced dramatic situations at work places and have learned wisdom from it. I'm guessing these boys are getting paid very well.
Really, an experience of a lifetime, at least from my perspective. You do not just get to drive in to a copper mining operation. Good luck trying to. You can pull of the side of the road at the scenic view stops they have all you want, but driving down into one? Don't think so.
Well, that took more than a day's work - meaning I will get off early tomorrow - cause' - we aren't allowed any overtime at all unless it finally ends that way at the end of any given week. Tomorrow is going to not be so wonderful, either. A HUGE return, I am gathering, why is it the big returns are always in the middle of a very hot summer? You just die out there in the heat and now humidity, gag. I'm thinking of buying one of those huge convenience store chiller mugs, loading it with ice and taking a gallon of water with me,I am not into dehyration while working my @$$ off.
Not unexpectedly, I have done nothing at home. I got home, plopped down into this chair - remembered the fishies and fed them - those Koi are RAVENOUS eaters, they eat FAR more food than those goldfish do. No biggies, it's not like it's hundreds of dollars worth, I'm just saying. Probably 4 times the amount that any goldfish in there will eat.
Regardless, I am trashed and I'm outta here.
G'day/nite.
ben
I had a load of pipe and fittings for a copper mine up in the mountains near Miami, AZ.
I have viewed the vast expanses of copper mines that they are from "scenic viewpoints", I have never been IN a copper mine.
Well, today, I definitely went in.
First was the guardhouse. Back your truck up and park over there. I hand the man the information to call the person who is supposed to come and guide me in there. He says he'll call the man "after you park over there", as if, for someone reason, I wouldn't do so.
I then just wait in the truck. I have had plenty of experience with guard shack guards - they want you to do things their way or they are simply going to make life miserable. I waited about 15 minutes - they fnally come out and wave me in.
I only go into all of this because of the rather massive amount of paperwork I had to read and sign before going in there. 1st document was a rather lengthy disclaimer - you are going in at your own risk, you assume all liability for any injuries or (whatever) that may occur. Yada, yada, yada. On and on. These people insisted I read the whole thing, so I did. And then I signed it.
Next, rules. LOTS of rules. I read all of that. Signed it.
Next, equipment. They have a huge list of things you must have and how much you will pay when you leave if you lose or break any of it. Well, I had a hardhat; steel-toed shoes; safety vest; safety glasses - all of it except a flag on a 10 foot pole that everyone that goes in there must have waving around for every one to see. $40 for that if you break or lose it. Wasn't very keen on signing paperwork for it, but I did anyway and kept my mouth shut.
Next - an ID card. I would like to say here that it is easier to get into the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Plant - of which I have been in many times - than it is to get into this mine. It was worth it, though. I sign the ID card, they tell me it's good for a full year. They hand me a flag and yes, they give me tie-wraps to attach it to the passenger side mirror on my truck.
I then wait. In fact, I fell asleep waiting so long. There is some 6th sense in me that wakes me up - every time - I did so 2 seconds before a pickup comes pulling up, waving me to follow him.
Now comes the fascinating part - driving down what I guessed was a 7% grade on a dirt roads, driving on the wrong side of the road because that's what they want, all lights on, extreme switch backs and all. Down and down and down. At the bottom, we cross over a small divide and head back up. We go on a major haul road - GIANT dump trucks - the tires on those things were about 8 FEET tall . We got stuck behind one that was trying to pull a hill with at least 100 tons (I'm guessing) of dirt and rock in it. There must have been 50 of those things in there.
It was at least 20 minutes of driving on these roads before we got to the destination. They are building a lake. Not any ole' lake, either, it's an ACID lake. A little shocking to hear them say that considering from the looks of this lake, it is going to be millions and millions of gallons of fluid, if not MUCH more than that. The lake? Will be used to leach the copper, I guess and however that works. I am very inquisitive about such things, the man was not really giving up any real amounts of information.
We get the load off the truck, spend 20 minutes going over the paperwork and justifying it against the quantities there, time to leave. I have seen safety being put to the nth degree at many places, this one takes the cake. And why not, there are thousands of tons of heavy equipment - very heavy equipment - running around all over the place. People can easily get killed without stringent safety measures in place, I am totally FOR all of that, trust me, I am.
No surprise, either, that most of the men working there were at least in their 30's, if not 40's and up. 20 somethings simply don't have the life experience of older individuals who have experienced dramatic situations at work places and have learned wisdom from it. I'm guessing these boys are getting paid very well.
Really, an experience of a lifetime, at least from my perspective. You do not just get to drive in to a copper mining operation. Good luck trying to. You can pull of the side of the road at the scenic view stops they have all you want, but driving down into one? Don't think so.
Well, that took more than a day's work - meaning I will get off early tomorrow - cause' - we aren't allowed any overtime at all unless it finally ends that way at the end of any given week. Tomorrow is going to not be so wonderful, either. A HUGE return, I am gathering, why is it the big returns are always in the middle of a very hot summer? You just die out there in the heat and now humidity, gag. I'm thinking of buying one of those huge convenience store chiller mugs, loading it with ice and taking a gallon of water with me,I am not into dehyration while working my @$$ off.
Not unexpectedly, I have done nothing at home. I got home, plopped down into this chair - remembered the fishies and fed them - those Koi are RAVENOUS eaters, they eat FAR more food than those goldfish do. No biggies, it's not like it's hundreds of dollars worth, I'm just saying. Probably 4 times the amount that any goldfish in there will eat.
Regardless, I am trashed and I'm outta here.
G'day/nite.
ben
Monday
Monday
Come into work with trepidation: will the run to Miami still be in the system?
Things almost always change overnight/over the weekend. Yes, it's still there! Plus a trip to Coolidge thrown in there, good luck with that. Apparently the salesman forgot to put that in there on the run to Coolidge on Friday.......
Okay, I like going out of town on road trips, especially when the company is paying for it and even more so in the semi. Don't ask why, I just love it.
The high yesterday was in the 90's. The electric use reflected that: $10 day versus up to $20 less than a month ago. Still have to run the AC to get the humidity out of the air and yes, 90's is still a bit too warm to say goodbye to AC.
Today's high slated at 98. Then back up in the 100's for the rest of the week - BUT - less than 110. That will also help keep cooling costs down. These overcast skies for the last week or however long have been fabulous. Pond digging has gotten a lot further simply for the better weather.
Weekends are always roughest on the dieting situation: at 197.5 this morning. I have not been able to get below 195. I'm sure I COULD by - doing something different I guess, just not there yet. I would have like to break into the 180's range by now, oh well.
News. Always some interesting reads on Monday morning. Apparently, big news is Palin's changing their lifestyle to avoid the writer who moved in next door. Who cares?
Good big news is they are going to try and plug the well. Fingers crossed isn't enough, praying and believing are much better alternatives!
I can also say that I could care less what press corps sit on the front row of the briefing room in the white house - THIS is news?
Ahhh, here's an interesting one: drunken bulldozer operator kills 11. Well, at least it wasn't an American incident, that's a lot of people and destruction for one machine and operator.
Regardless, I see nothing of great interest in there this morning. Same old hype about November elections - I am not sure who I am going to vote FOR in November, I am positive about who I am NOT going to be voting for.........anyway, I want to write up a 5-day eviction notice before I have to start in on work today, so I must be offa here. For the tenant that is now 2 weeks behind on rent and went on a vacation to California instead of - looking for a new job. Apparently she thinks I am going to wait until she starts receiving unemployment benefits which can and usually does take weeks before you get your first check. I dun thin' so, in the words of the infamous Ricky Ricardo......
G'day.
ben
Come into work with trepidation: will the run to Miami still be in the system?
Things almost always change overnight/over the weekend. Yes, it's still there! Plus a trip to Coolidge thrown in there, good luck with that. Apparently the salesman forgot to put that in there on the run to Coolidge on Friday.......
Okay, I like going out of town on road trips, especially when the company is paying for it and even more so in the semi. Don't ask why, I just love it.
The high yesterday was in the 90's. The electric use reflected that: $10 day versus up to $20 less than a month ago. Still have to run the AC to get the humidity out of the air and yes, 90's is still a bit too warm to say goodbye to AC.
Today's high slated at 98. Then back up in the 100's for the rest of the week - BUT - less than 110. That will also help keep cooling costs down. These overcast skies for the last week or however long have been fabulous. Pond digging has gotten a lot further simply for the better weather.
Weekends are always roughest on the dieting situation: at 197.5 this morning. I have not been able to get below 195. I'm sure I COULD by - doing something different I guess, just not there yet. I would have like to break into the 180's range by now, oh well.
News. Always some interesting reads on Monday morning. Apparently, big news is Palin's changing their lifestyle to avoid the writer who moved in next door. Who cares?
Good big news is they are going to try and plug the well. Fingers crossed isn't enough, praying and believing are much better alternatives!
I can also say that I could care less what press corps sit on the front row of the briefing room in the white house - THIS is news?
Ahhh, here's an interesting one: drunken bulldozer operator kills 11. Well, at least it wasn't an American incident, that's a lot of people and destruction for one machine and operator.
Regardless, I see nothing of great interest in there this morning. Same old hype about November elections - I am not sure who I am going to vote FOR in November, I am positive about who I am NOT going to be voting for.........anyway, I want to write up a 5-day eviction notice before I have to start in on work today, so I must be offa here. For the tenant that is now 2 weeks behind on rent and went on a vacation to California instead of - looking for a new job. Apparently she thinks I am going to wait until she starts receiving unemployment benefits which can and usually does take weeks before you get your first check. I dun thin' so, in the words of the infamous Ricky Ricardo......
G'day.
ben
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday
First day of August (and rent is due, lol). Electric use last month at an all time high of: $503.02. I could rent a dive 2-bedroom apartment with utilities included for that much money. No, I'm not moving into any apartment, not if I can help it. You can't have Great Danes, but, you can have a pond at some of those places if they allow you to have "stuff" on your front porch.
I only know this because one lady has such a setup - a preformed pond sitting out in front of her apartment, fish and plants and all.
Oh, well one tenant has paid, the Army reservist I am expecting to pay - there is no reason why she couldn't or wouldn't that I know of since she has a job - the tenant that just lost her job? Went on vacation. Someone brought up a good point yesterday: this woman is going on vacation when she should be looking for a job. Allegedly it's an all expenses paid excursion, that isn't the point. The point is that she is behind in rent. She is unemployed. Prudence would suggest hitting the streets and filling out applications all over the place, not taking off when she already is behind with her rent.
Doesn't matter, if I don't see enough money for her to get paid through the previous week, she's getting the 5-day, please get out and take your stuff with you - notice.
Regardless, the sky is overcast, the temps are still down, the new Koi seem to be doing well - which had me a bit worried but, so far, so good. I was worried because of all of those small Koi I bought for a 20 spot a while back that all died within 24 hours of acquiring them. But, I racked that up to this guy bringing them in from North Carolina, the shipper not putting enough ice in and the water getting hot, killing off hundreds of them in-transit. Live and learn, I should have told him I would come back after several days to make sure they are going to survive. They had ALREADY been in extreme shock, moving them from his place to mine only added to that load.
Trip to Walmart today. I hate that place- I hate the customer service at that place, but Istill go, just much more infrequently. I need a new kitchen trash can. It is falling apart. The cheapest place I have found for such is, yes, at Walmart and I am all about price right now. That's my big deal for outings today. And then, the normal house-cleaning rituals.
Okayyyyyy......large amount of time elapsed as I went up to Home Depot to get some materials to fix leaky plumbing underneath the kitchen sink. I couldn't find the same setup and standing in the store, looking at it, I didn't see anywhere where it would be leaking from. I bought some putty and decided perhaps the connection was just loose. Got a new kitchen wastebasket - a nice one too - there instead of hoofing it all the way over to Walmart. On the way home, I stop at McDonald's for a coffee.
Drive-thru. No-one in front of me, no-one behind me. Make my order, go up to the window to pay. Lady standing there takes my money. I am not sure a single person there speaks English as a first language. Their accents are so thick, it is obvious that that must be a pre-requisite to getting a job there, speaking Spanish over English. I wait. And wait. This lady disappears and a guy comes up to the window. I have just been sitting there, saying nothing, waiting for some sort of explanation. A shift change, apparently, they started doing that AFTER I came up through the drive-thru. They could have waited, especially seeing no-one else was in line there.
I wait another 2 minutes. Sorry, a cup of coffee isn't worth a 10 minute wait in a McDonald's drive thru JUST for the fact of them not being able to make change. Kid gets testy with me after I ask for my $5 back. I drove up to the second window - I heard a noise, sounded like that kid had spit on my car. I ask for a manager. Rosa, their apparent version of a manager, comes up to the window. Her speech is mostly spanish and none english. I always love this pandering to the Mexican society that lives here that refuses to learn English so businesses hire employees who can speak Spanish fluently, yes, but they leave out the little part about being able to speak ENGLISH fluently as well.
I ask her bluntly why it was taking SO long to change out a simple $5? I didn't even get to the point of waiting until current customers were taking care of, as she got an attitude with me. In speech that was VERY accented, she says: "What you can't wait 2 minutes for change?" NO, I said and didn't bother to add that I had been there longer than 2 minutes. Rude and in my face, I demanded the phone number for the owners of this McDonald's. She prints out a ticket that has THAT McDonald's phone number on it!
So, if I call that number, SHE is going to answer the phone!! ROFL!!! Her last comment to me was: "You can call that number and say annnnnnnything you want to". VERY rude. Of course I could say whatever about their service that day, SHE would be handling the call!
I have already called McDonald's and registered a complaint and no, it wasn't to that store, it was to their 800 number. They ask you all kinds of questions and the interview is recorded, allegedly the recording is sent to the owners of the store.
Putting that out of my mind - yes I will go to the trouble to complain, no I won't be dwelling on it all day long - I start examining the components of the plumbing on the kitchen sink. I'm shaking pipes to see if there is anything loose.
Unbelievably, BOTH drain connections at the bottom of the sinks are loose, one of them very loose. THere's my leak. I tightened it up as much as I could to see if that will do the job. If not, I will end up having to take the entire assembly apart, cleaning the connections, putting fresh putty on all of it and reassembling.
I would rather NOT have to do that, so I'm waiting to see if my container under the sink has any more water in it after running water through there. But, I realize, that isn't good enough, I am going to have to fill both sinks up with water and that will tell me if it is good or not.
So, that is sort of eating up my morning. That and checking on my Koi - beautiful fish indeed. Also very hungry. I haven't even gotten started on my cleaning stuff as this sink thing takes precedence, who wants a leaking plumbing array underneath their kitchen sink? Hello cockroaches, they love the dark, wet atmosphere that such an arrangement provides for them.
More time passed: I believe the connections are holding, no water anywhere, yoo-hoo!
Back to the regularly scheduled program: cleaning time.
G'day.
ben
I only know this because one lady has such a setup - a preformed pond sitting out in front of her apartment, fish and plants and all.
Oh, well one tenant has paid, the Army reservist I am expecting to pay - there is no reason why she couldn't or wouldn't that I know of since she has a job - the tenant that just lost her job? Went on vacation. Someone brought up a good point yesterday: this woman is going on vacation when she should be looking for a job. Allegedly it's an all expenses paid excursion, that isn't the point. The point is that she is behind in rent. She is unemployed. Prudence would suggest hitting the streets and filling out applications all over the place, not taking off when she already is behind with her rent.
Doesn't matter, if I don't see enough money for her to get paid through the previous week, she's getting the 5-day, please get out and take your stuff with you - notice.
Regardless, the sky is overcast, the temps are still down, the new Koi seem to be doing well - which had me a bit worried but, so far, so good. I was worried because of all of those small Koi I bought for a 20 spot a while back that all died within 24 hours of acquiring them. But, I racked that up to this guy bringing them in from North Carolina, the shipper not putting enough ice in and the water getting hot, killing off hundreds of them in-transit. Live and learn, I should have told him I would come back after several days to make sure they are going to survive. They had ALREADY been in extreme shock, moving them from his place to mine only added to that load.
Trip to Walmart today. I hate that place- I hate the customer service at that place, but Istill go, just much more infrequently. I need a new kitchen trash can. It is falling apart. The cheapest place I have found for such is, yes, at Walmart and I am all about price right now. That's my big deal for outings today. And then, the normal house-cleaning rituals.
Okayyyyyy......large amount of time elapsed as I went up to Home Depot to get some materials to fix leaky plumbing underneath the kitchen sink. I couldn't find the same setup and standing in the store, looking at it, I didn't see anywhere where it would be leaking from. I bought some putty and decided perhaps the connection was just loose. Got a new kitchen wastebasket - a nice one too - there instead of hoofing it all the way over to Walmart. On the way home, I stop at McDonald's for a coffee.
Drive-thru. No-one in front of me, no-one behind me. Make my order, go up to the window to pay. Lady standing there takes my money. I am not sure a single person there speaks English as a first language. Their accents are so thick, it is obvious that that must be a pre-requisite to getting a job there, speaking Spanish over English. I wait. And wait. This lady disappears and a guy comes up to the window. I have just been sitting there, saying nothing, waiting for some sort of explanation. A shift change, apparently, they started doing that AFTER I came up through the drive-thru. They could have waited, especially seeing no-one else was in line there.
I wait another 2 minutes. Sorry, a cup of coffee isn't worth a 10 minute wait in a McDonald's drive thru JUST for the fact of them not being able to make change. Kid gets testy with me after I ask for my $5 back. I drove up to the second window - I heard a noise, sounded like that kid had spit on my car. I ask for a manager. Rosa, their apparent version of a manager, comes up to the window. Her speech is mostly spanish and none english. I always love this pandering to the Mexican society that lives here that refuses to learn English so businesses hire employees who can speak Spanish fluently, yes, but they leave out the little part about being able to speak ENGLISH fluently as well.
I ask her bluntly why it was taking SO long to change out a simple $5? I didn't even get to the point of waiting until current customers were taking care of, as she got an attitude with me. In speech that was VERY accented, she says: "What you can't wait 2 minutes for change?" NO, I said and didn't bother to add that I had been there longer than 2 minutes. Rude and in my face, I demanded the phone number for the owners of this McDonald's. She prints out a ticket that has THAT McDonald's phone number on it!
So, if I call that number, SHE is going to answer the phone!! ROFL!!! Her last comment to me was: "You can call that number and say annnnnnnything you want to". VERY rude. Of course I could say whatever about their service that day, SHE would be handling the call!
I have already called McDonald's and registered a complaint and no, it wasn't to that store, it was to their 800 number. They ask you all kinds of questions and the interview is recorded, allegedly the recording is sent to the owners of the store.
Putting that out of my mind - yes I will go to the trouble to complain, no I won't be dwelling on it all day long - I start examining the components of the plumbing on the kitchen sink. I'm shaking pipes to see if there is anything loose.
Unbelievably, BOTH drain connections at the bottom of the sinks are loose, one of them very loose. THere's my leak. I tightened it up as much as I could to see if that will do the job. If not, I will end up having to take the entire assembly apart, cleaning the connections, putting fresh putty on all of it and reassembling.
I would rather NOT have to do that, so I'm waiting to see if my container under the sink has any more water in it after running water through there. But, I realize, that isn't good enough, I am going to have to fill both sinks up with water and that will tell me if it is good or not.
So, that is sort of eating up my morning. That and checking on my Koi - beautiful fish indeed. Also very hungry. I haven't even gotten started on my cleaning stuff as this sink thing takes precedence, who wants a leaking plumbing array underneath their kitchen sink? Hello cockroaches, they love the dark, wet atmosphere that such an arrangement provides for them.
More time passed: I believe the connections are holding, no water anywhere, yoo-hoo!
Back to the regularly scheduled program: cleaning time.
G'day.
ben
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday
A short entry.
I'm headed out soon for the Koi - foot longers - another pond being shut down. 2 of them. Fortunately, pond fish food is cheap. A huge can of it for $5 that lasts - well about 3 weeks now.
It rained again last night : ) I could do that every day and I wouldn't complain. It SHOULD do that everyday that the humidity is ridiculous out there. After getting the fish today, I intend on going out there and pulling grass and any weeds I might find. The expected high today is supposed to be in the low 90's.
I can't imagine what the humidity must be, but I'll take low 90's with humidity over 115 and no humidity ANY day of the week. My AC system loves it too. $13 used yesterday, compared to $20 on those days when it was 115.
I have been "barely" watering anything/everything for the last several weeks in hopes that the rains would come, drench the ground and I wouldn't have to spend hardly anything on watering plants this month. Mother Nature finally came through. So, not only does my electric usage go down, my water usage is already way down. If I get another high water bill then it can only mean one thing: there is a leak somewhere in my fresh water system - between the street and everyone on the property where the lines are running.
And I am thanking God that two of the 3 worst months of summer are done and gone. August - let's get through August!
Well, I'm going to leave early and get a coffee from somewhere - maybe McDonald's, it's the only thing at that restaurant that I can consume that doesn't have a kajillion fat calories in it : )
G'day.
ben
I'm headed out soon for the Koi - foot longers - another pond being shut down. 2 of them. Fortunately, pond fish food is cheap. A huge can of it for $5 that lasts - well about 3 weeks now.
It rained again last night : ) I could do that every day and I wouldn't complain. It SHOULD do that everyday that the humidity is ridiculous out there. After getting the fish today, I intend on going out there and pulling grass and any weeds I might find. The expected high today is supposed to be in the low 90's.
I can't imagine what the humidity must be, but I'll take low 90's with humidity over 115 and no humidity ANY day of the week. My AC system loves it too. $13 used yesterday, compared to $20 on those days when it was 115.
I have been "barely" watering anything/everything for the last several weeks in hopes that the rains would come, drench the ground and I wouldn't have to spend hardly anything on watering plants this month. Mother Nature finally came through. So, not only does my electric usage go down, my water usage is already way down. If I get another high water bill then it can only mean one thing: there is a leak somewhere in my fresh water system - between the street and everyone on the property where the lines are running.
And I am thanking God that two of the 3 worst months of summer are done and gone. August - let's get through August!
Well, I'm going to leave early and get a coffee from somewhere - maybe McDonald's, it's the only thing at that restaurant that I can consume that doesn't have a kajillion fat calories in it : )
G'day.
ben
Friday, July 30, 2010
So, My Electric Use This Month...........
.........it's the 30th, 1 full day left to go and my assumption was correct: a $500 month in electricity. I have never, personally, had an electric bill that high, ever. It's stunning to see such numbers posted on the reader. Right now at $486.00, but the end of tomorrow, definitely $500.
The humidity here right now is atrocious. If I'm going to live in a DESERT, with high heat, at least give me the occasion for being able to live in a "dry heat", as EVERYONE from around the country continually reminds us.
No, my friends, it is NOT a dry heat. This morning it was 80 degrees at 86% humidity. I don't know what that feels like to people that always live in high humidity, I can say that it felt cool this morning. Yes, it really felt quite nice out in that.
However, as the day wore one, the sun popped out of the cloud cover and the temperature increased, it became quite uncomfortable. Now? The humidity going down: 95 degrees at 36% humidity. Getting better. However, the AC at the temp I have it set at - isn't enough. It does not come on enough an then, you have humidity in the house. Well, I don't LIKE humidity and I'm not going to sit here feeling like I'm sitting in the middle of a swamp. Yup, turned it down a couple of degrees and it feels much better in here.
Monday, I am finally getting a trip to Miami again. Arizona,that is, not Florida. Why does this excite me? Because I can use my 30 minute break time to pick up more rocks. And now, I know that it's legal to do so up to a certain amount. Well, I am not trying to bring back 10 tons of the stuff, just more for my ponds. Plus I love the out of town trips up into the mountains, ESPECIALLY during the summer.
Weight still in the 195 to 196 area. I am not concerned about it. It is WELL down from what it was. People continue to tell me I don't need to lose more weight. Yes, I do, but at the same time, I also need to start working out again and start building a little muscle mass again. Pushups are the only thing I am going to do. I am not going to join a gym - I have no extra finances for that, and I am not going to use my weight set outside, I just don't have the motivation to do so in the sweltering heat. But, just to say I am still off the cheese; creamy dressings; watching fat content on most everything; denying the impulses. Today, I DEARLY wanted to stop at a Dairy Queen that was RIGHT there where I was at at a delivery. A large, German Chocolate Blizzard. Yummm. NOPE, it took everything within me, but I got in the truck and drove.
Interestingly, later on, a man that OWNS a DQ right down the road from our shop came INTO our shop looking for plumbing parts. Unbelievable. Not the man, the idea that whatever it is you are trying to avoid on a diet, it seems to come plant itself, uninvitedly, on your doorstep.
Donuts. Get back to the shop and there are a dozen Entenmann's donuts sitting in the break room. Are you serious? I'm looking at that stuff just shaking my head. Again, when you are dieting, this stuff comes at you from all sides. When you are not, you never see this kind of thing around. Crazy stuff. I ended up cutting less than a one inch sliver off a donut just because.
Home. The ex-Marine who is going to chef school starting next month has cooked a HUGE thing of lasagna. I LOVE lasagna. Cheese? Diets hate cheese.
However, I did not resist this time. I ate a chunk of that stuff and didn't feel bad about it. Not near as calorie laden as a German Chocolate Blizzard, yet full of calories anyway. OH well, after an entire day of resisting, I gave in. My breakfast and lunch were a Subway ham sub - no cheese, no fat filled dressings. Just vinegar and honey mustard - which may have some calories, but no fat calories.
It's a battle, that's all that I can say about it, it's a huge battle.
The trailer tenants got their SS check today. They are welcomed to stay as long as they need to, but it seems to me that spending money on all kinds of stuff is going to inhibit their ability to get out of that trailer and into an apartment. Okay, so the stuff they are spending it on are necessities, still. He came in and handed me $40 to help me out. Great, I'm not turning it down, above and beyond the normal rent of a grand total of $25 per week. I'm guessing I'm losing money on the deal, frankly. That Mastercool is running 24 hours a day and there is small refrigerator in there plus DirectTV box and TV, microwave, whatever else. I hoped I was breaking even but I'm not sure about that at this point and also probably what is pushing my electric bill over the top.
That and SRP getting a 5% increase approval earlier this year, obviously dumped onto it's customers, one of which happens to be me.
No biggies. July is almost over, the 3rd month of earthly, Arizona hell to come and then, it starts to slowly cool down. 100's. 90's. 80's and then - paradise.
I have other things I would love to write about, but I have yet to replace this keyboard and it is getting VERY annoying. The c and d tabs are not working properly and it just isn't a good keypad. It sucks, frankly and (I just punched that and that and that several times to get the d to work) I am at the point that I MUST replace it if I'm going to keep writing anything.
I'm done (2 tries on that d).
G'nite.
ben
The humidity here right now is atrocious. If I'm going to live in a DESERT, with high heat, at least give me the occasion for being able to live in a "dry heat", as EVERYONE from around the country continually reminds us.
No, my friends, it is NOT a dry heat. This morning it was 80 degrees at 86% humidity. I don't know what that feels like to people that always live in high humidity, I can say that it felt cool this morning. Yes, it really felt quite nice out in that.
However, as the day wore one, the sun popped out of the cloud cover and the temperature increased, it became quite uncomfortable. Now? The humidity going down: 95 degrees at 36% humidity. Getting better. However, the AC at the temp I have it set at - isn't enough. It does not come on enough an then, you have humidity in the house. Well, I don't LIKE humidity and I'm not going to sit here feeling like I'm sitting in the middle of a swamp. Yup, turned it down a couple of degrees and it feels much better in here.
Monday, I am finally getting a trip to Miami again. Arizona,that is, not Florida. Why does this excite me? Because I can use my 30 minute break time to pick up more rocks. And now, I know that it's legal to do so up to a certain amount. Well, I am not trying to bring back 10 tons of the stuff, just more for my ponds. Plus I love the out of town trips up into the mountains, ESPECIALLY during the summer.
Weight still in the 195 to 196 area. I am not concerned about it. It is WELL down from what it was. People continue to tell me I don't need to lose more weight. Yes, I do, but at the same time, I also need to start working out again and start building a little muscle mass again. Pushups are the only thing I am going to do. I am not going to join a gym - I have no extra finances for that, and I am not going to use my weight set outside, I just don't have the motivation to do so in the sweltering heat. But, just to say I am still off the cheese; creamy dressings; watching fat content on most everything; denying the impulses. Today, I DEARLY wanted to stop at a Dairy Queen that was RIGHT there where I was at at a delivery. A large, German Chocolate Blizzard. Yummm. NOPE, it took everything within me, but I got in the truck and drove.
Interestingly, later on, a man that OWNS a DQ right down the road from our shop came INTO our shop looking for plumbing parts. Unbelievable. Not the man, the idea that whatever it is you are trying to avoid on a diet, it seems to come plant itself, uninvitedly, on your doorstep.
Donuts. Get back to the shop and there are a dozen Entenmann's donuts sitting in the break room. Are you serious? I'm looking at that stuff just shaking my head. Again, when you are dieting, this stuff comes at you from all sides. When you are not, you never see this kind of thing around. Crazy stuff. I ended up cutting less than a one inch sliver off a donut just because.
Home. The ex-Marine who is going to chef school starting next month has cooked a HUGE thing of lasagna. I LOVE lasagna. Cheese? Diets hate cheese.
However, I did not resist this time. I ate a chunk of that stuff and didn't feel bad about it. Not near as calorie laden as a German Chocolate Blizzard, yet full of calories anyway. OH well, after an entire day of resisting, I gave in. My breakfast and lunch were a Subway ham sub - no cheese, no fat filled dressings. Just vinegar and honey mustard - which may have some calories, but no fat calories.
It's a battle, that's all that I can say about it, it's a huge battle.
The trailer tenants got their SS check today. They are welcomed to stay as long as they need to, but it seems to me that spending money on all kinds of stuff is going to inhibit their ability to get out of that trailer and into an apartment. Okay, so the stuff they are spending it on are necessities, still. He came in and handed me $40 to help me out. Great, I'm not turning it down, above and beyond the normal rent of a grand total of $25 per week. I'm guessing I'm losing money on the deal, frankly. That Mastercool is running 24 hours a day and there is small refrigerator in there plus DirectTV box and TV, microwave, whatever else. I hoped I was breaking even but I'm not sure about that at this point and also probably what is pushing my electric bill over the top.
That and SRP getting a 5% increase approval earlier this year, obviously dumped onto it's customers, one of which happens to be me.
No biggies. July is almost over, the 3rd month of earthly, Arizona hell to come and then, it starts to slowly cool down. 100's. 90's. 80's and then - paradise.
I have other things I would love to write about, but I have yet to replace this keyboard and it is getting VERY annoying. The c and d tabs are not working properly and it just isn't a good keypad. It sucks, frankly and (I just punched that and that and that several times to get the d to work) I am at the point that I MUST replace it if I'm going to keep writing anything.
I'm done (2 tries on that d).
G'nite.
ben
Friday
Friday.
Appears to have poured rain again last night, very nice. Yes, I checked the ponds this morning to ensure the circuit breaker wasn't popped, still in good shape.
I was also - pleasantly - surprised to come into work this morning and find a lot of stuff to do in the truck routing system. Mostly pickups and 1 delivery in Coolidge.
So, the big news? "Hundreds protest as Arizona's immigration law takes effect".
Hundreds? ROFL!!! That's all these mouthy people could muster, 500 or so protestors? If so many people, as they claim, are against this law, then how is it they couldn't even must a thousand people? When the government is taking some eggregious action that "most" people don't like, thousands of people show up to protests, not hundreds.
A bunch of those people were arrested yesterday, they were warned in advance that they would be arrested, good riddance to them. That law's teeth were taken out of it and they are STILL complaining about it.
The funny part about all of this is Sheriff Joe. Love him or hate him, he is STILL out there conducting his sweeps to find illegal "immigrants", basing his activities on 2 state laws. I neither love him or hate him. I love what he's doing with illegal immigration, I hate the fact that he has been sued so many times and lost millions of dollars in damages against him/the county, which, of course, the county has had to pay out. Still, anti-immigration law people hate him and apparently a drug cartel or smuggling cartel lord has placed a huge bounty on his head to kill him.
It's just beginning, there is no end to this nonsense. So, I sit back and find entertainment in it, somehow, though I certainly don't want to see our Sheriff killed by some crackpots - it would still be nice if Mexico, it's president and some of it's politicians would SHUT THE BLEEP UP and deal with THEIR issues instead of wasting time coming over here attempting to influence the inner workings of OUR country.
ENOUGH. Work day approaches. Weekend almost here. A full day's work (which is awesome, I HATE slow days) ahead, no clue what I'm doing this weekend, but I am sure pulling weeds and grass will be in that picture since the ground is saturated and makes for pulling that stuff out much easier.
Perhaps I'll force the boys out there to help me : )
Oh, and, of course, continue on with digging the pond.
G'day.
ben
Appears to have poured rain again last night, very nice. Yes, I checked the ponds this morning to ensure the circuit breaker wasn't popped, still in good shape.
I was also - pleasantly - surprised to come into work this morning and find a lot of stuff to do in the truck routing system. Mostly pickups and 1 delivery in Coolidge.
So, the big news? "Hundreds protest as Arizona's immigration law takes effect".
Hundreds? ROFL!!! That's all these mouthy people could muster, 500 or so protestors? If so many people, as they claim, are against this law, then how is it they couldn't even must a thousand people? When the government is taking some eggregious action that "most" people don't like, thousands of people show up to protests, not hundreds.
A bunch of those people were arrested yesterday, they were warned in advance that they would be arrested, good riddance to them. That law's teeth were taken out of it and they are STILL complaining about it.
The funny part about all of this is Sheriff Joe. Love him or hate him, he is STILL out there conducting his sweeps to find illegal "immigrants", basing his activities on 2 state laws. I neither love him or hate him. I love what he's doing with illegal immigration, I hate the fact that he has been sued so many times and lost millions of dollars in damages against him/the county, which, of course, the county has had to pay out. Still, anti-immigration law people hate him and apparently a drug cartel or smuggling cartel lord has placed a huge bounty on his head to kill him.
It's just beginning, there is no end to this nonsense. So, I sit back and find entertainment in it, somehow, though I certainly don't want to see our Sheriff killed by some crackpots - it would still be nice if Mexico, it's president and some of it's politicians would SHUT THE BLEEP UP and deal with THEIR issues instead of wasting time coming over here attempting to influence the inner workings of OUR country.
ENOUGH. Work day approaches. Weekend almost here. A full day's work (which is awesome, I HATE slow days) ahead, no clue what I'm doing this weekend, but I am sure pulling weeds and grass will be in that picture since the ground is saturated and makes for pulling that stuff out much easier.
Perhaps I'll force the boys out there to help me : )
Oh, and, of course, continue on with digging the pond.
G'day.
ben
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