Al's Rantings

Tattoos...

2007-12-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

The Wife says that I am impressionable. Whenever I watch one of those tattoo shows on TV, I tell her I want to get a tattoo. I have an interest in tattoos but I do not have one. I’ve told the Wife many times that I want to get one. She just shakes her head.

My first selection for a tattoo is to have the names of the 3 important women in my life tattooed onto my arm. Those three women are my Mom, my Wife, and Little One. Each has had a tremendous influence on my life, and I want to celebrate that fact. I figure that a tattoo is as good a way as any to do that. I went from living at home with my Mom to living in my home with the Wife. Little One came recently, but still has an influence. This would go on my left arm or on my chest…close to my heart.

I hear people say that you should not have names as tattoos because things change and feelings about people change and you may regret having a name on your arm. Input acknowledged. Mind not changed.

My second selection for a tattoo is something colorful, strong, and patriotic on my right arm. I envision an eagle and the US flag. Something like the eagle swooping down with talons exposed and the US flag in the background. No writing would be necessary.

I even put a little bug in the Wife’s ear about her getting a tattoo…a tramp stamp. I have tested my idea with temporary tattoos and liked it. Something small and tasteful for her. Maybe a butterfly, flower, or bird. I could go for Denali Sunset, but I thing that would be a hard sell. The second hard sell is the Wife’s dislike of needles.

I did get some money for Christmas. It may be time to take a little visit to the tattoo parlor.

Outhouses of my youth...

2007-11-16T23:27:00.000-05:00

After reading this post by Buzzardbilly about outhouses, I knew I had to share my experiences on this subject.

Both sets of my grandparents had outhouses when I was youngster in the late 60s and early 70s. This is easy to understand for my Dad’s mom and dad. After all, they lived in the perceived backward land of Wyoming county, West Virginia. They lived on the main road between Mullens and Pineville in a little community of New Richmond. But my Mom’s mom and dad lived in Crab Orchard, West Virginia. In Raleigh county, close to the big city (at least I considered it big) of Beckley. How could they live so close to Beckley and still have an outhouse?

I hated going to the outhouse. I did not know it then, but now I know that spiders, really like hanging out in these cool and dark places. And the smell of an outhouse on a hot summer evening was just awful. No ventilation, no air flow, and sitting on top of pounds and pounds of stewing human waste…almost more than a boy could stand!

The other thing I remember most about the outhouse was the “plop plop” sounds made when taking a dump.

After kicking the sides of the seat a couple of times to see if any spiders crawled out, I would carefully sit on the hole and hurry to get business done. I always held on tightly for fear of falling in! That fate was always on my mind as way the fear of dropping something down the hole. The other past time while taking care of business was to scan the entire insides of the outhouse looking for the creepy crawlies that were omnipresent in the tiny building.

Some observations about my grandparent’s outhouses. Neither had a half-moon cut out in the door. No lights. No heat. No Sears catalogue for reading or as a wiping medium. No padded seat, you sit right down on wood. Nothing fancy, but very functional.

It is strange, but now-a-days, people will use of Port-a-Potty at and not blink an eye. To me this is nothing but a fancy, portable, and colorful Outhouse. The kind of thing that was once made fun of by city folk.

Some Colors in the hills....

2007-10-15T21:30:00.001-04:00

Fall seems to be coming very slow. There is just a touch of color in the mountains across from my house.

A little more color on the New River...

Again on the New River...

This bright red is near Lindside, Monroe county West Virginia.

5 Reasons I will STOP Being a NASCAR Fan

2007-09-18T21:34:00.000-04:00

In the overall scheme of things, I have been a NASCAR fan for a short time...about 12 years. The way things look now, this will be my last year of actively following the sport. This is why...

1. The Car Of Tomorrow - Now all cars must fit the same inspection template, therefore all cars must look the same. This sameness is boring. NO experimentation, NO design changes, NO taking chances, and NO new ideas. Implemented for competition and safety, it reminds me of the IROC races where each driver was given an identical Chevy Camero and then allowed to race.
2. Restricter Plates - Designed to slow the car, they are credited with producing spectacular crashes. If a driver has the skill, ability, nerve, and equipment to go 200+ mph, he should be allowed. Which is less safe, a 1 car crash at 210 mph or a 15 car crash at 195 mph?
3. Nextel drivers in the Busch race - More and more, Nextel driver compete and dominate in the Busch races. These Nextel drivers then complain that rookies do not know how to compete at 200 mph because of the lack of seat time. When the Nextel drivers participate in Busch races, they take a spot away from someone who could benefit from the experience. Nextel drivers to it for fun, money, or as an extended practice. Regardless, new drivers are cheated of being able to learn how to race at high speeds. I suggest that Nextel drivers only drive Nextel races and leave the Busch races open for other drivers.
4. The Chase - The system for choosing a champ does not interest me. I would rather have 2 races at the end of the year for the top 20 in points. Each driver gets 20% of his points and the grid for the first race is set by the points. The grid for the second race is set by the finish of the first. Add the points and determine a winner.
5. Probation - Nextel does not police itself well. Drivers are put on probation - so what? Probation means nothing.

This is why I will stop watching NASCAR and spending Sundays with my family.

April 16 tragedy internal review committees

2007-08-22T22:35:00.000-04:00

The overview of the findings concerning the Virginia Tech murders has been released.

On the Security Infrastructure it was found:

good cooperation and sound agreements between Virginia Tech and local police, fire, and EMS jurisdictions including ongoing training exercises; sound emergency communications; robust communications infrastructure; a sound emergency preparedness plan; engagement of the leadership in campus emergencies; and a nationally accredited campus police department.

Having a nationally accredited campus police department did little to affect the murders that took place.

Recommendations:

The security group recommends enhancements in physical infrastructure, emergency communications, emergency preparedness, and selected protocols.

Nothing about students and staff protecting themselves as far as I can see. Too bad. I will read the entire report just to be sure.

Hok-ohol

2007-08-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

This must be called Hok-ohol (combination of Hokie and alcohol). I found this at the Kroger in Blacksburg, Virginia.

It seems a little strange for a land grant, state university to have an official wine, alcohol, adult beverage. What signal does it send to kids about VT's stand on alcohol. We spend lots of $$$ telling kids not to drink and then put the Hokie bird on this wine....mixed signals.

By the way, isn't there a cheapo wine called Thunder Bird?

Virginia Education Association Meeting

2007-08-08T18:12:00.000-04:00

According to the VEA web site, "Convention Delegates Approve New Business Items in Virginia Beach". Take a look at all the items.

One issue that is constantly brought up is the lack of teachers...cannot find enough teachers...we need teachers...etc. But looks like they do not want to look too hard because they rejected a couple of items that may have made it easier to recruit teachers.

Item #20 - Don't want to recruit instructional employees from state colleges.......

20. COLLEGE FACULTY RECRUITMENT - FAILED
The VEA shall begin the process of actively recruiting instructional employees in state-supported institutions of higher education.
(Moved by Joseph Emerson, York, and seconded by Carol Bauer, York)

Item #21 - Don't want to recruit outsiders...

21. RECRUITMENT OF MARGINALIZED PROFESSIONALS - FAILED
The VEA and local Associations will initiate programs to recruit and support new professionals of all ideological stances and make them members of our professional community. These programs will utilize current research on why new teachers leave the profession and will include comprehensive internal organization with public relations support.
(Moved by Shawn Tickle, Bedford Co., and seconded by Imogene Morris, Bedford Co.)

Item #37 - Don't want to give potential teachers a financial break...

37. FORGIVABLE COLLEGE LOANS FOR EDUCATORS - FAILED
The VEA shall seek legislation to provide forgivable college loans to students who, upon completion of teacher preparation in a Virginia college or university, teach in Virginia public schools for 5 years.
(Moved by Joyce Tyree, Culpeper, and seconded by Michael Weisbrod, SVEA)

I would like to see some of the reasons and discussion behind these decisions.

No wonder there is a teacher shortage.

Marriage

2007-08-07T20:12:00.000-04:00

After reading my friend John’s post about his wedding anniversary, I began to ponder my marital status which began in the Year of our Lord, 1981. I can say with confidence that I am lucky that The Wife has hung around for all these years. We have not made it easy for her.

The Wife has had to live in a house with 3 often smelly, hairy, sometimes ill-mannered, usually forgetful, occasionally gaseous, and now and then rowdy males. Impromptu wrestlin’ matches were common and collateral damage was inevitable.

All these years translate into lots of dirty male underwear to sort and wash, thousands of meals to prepare, countless hours cleaning the kitchen, and untold time consumed with picking up, straightening up, and cleaning. And trying to communicate with males is an issue. My idea and her idea of cleaning the kitchen do not jive. My idea of cleaning is to put my dirty plate and glass in the sink. Her view is a lot more complete and time consuming.

However, in recent times, I have taken pleasure in operating the ole Oreck. Once The Wife told me “nothing turns me on like a man running the vacuum cleaner”, I could not be stopped.

For all her years of suffering, The Wife will finally gain the majority, just like the Democrats in the Senate. She and Little One will gain the majority after Son #2 gets out of college and flees the house for sane accommodations. The score will be females 2, males 1. I’m okay with that. She deserves it.

So soon there will be dresses, frilly clothes, hair spray, make up, pantyhose, and various feminine products about the house. It may look like a sorority house, but who cares? And lastly, there will be boys hanging around calling on Little One. I’ll be ready. They will be no match, they will not be a worthy opponent. I will have my “A” game ready…sittin’ at the kitchen table, cleaning my 12 gauge, and telling horror stories about fighting in the hot and sweaty jungles of Vietnam, or just giving them a stone-cold stare.

With this power shift, I hope The Wife will re-up for at least another 14 years. Now is not the time to cut out because “You have the power!”

Now excuse me while I go run the vacuum cleaner.

Its not what you know, its who you know...

2007-08-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

Remember when Jim Webb's assistant was caught going into the Russell Senate building with a loaded gun and two load magazines. It look like a no-brainer for the prosecution because:

"It was determined that he did not have a license to carry a pistol in the District of Columbia," Schneider said. "He was in possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition. He was subsequently placed under arrest and charged with carrying a pistol without a license, unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition."

But look at the outcome.

"After reviewing and analyzing all of the evidence in the case, we do not believe the essential elements of the crime of carrying a pistol without a license can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt," U.S. Attorney Jeff Taylor, top prosecutor in the District of Columbia, said in a short statement.

The US Attorney could not find the essential elements? The man was arrested with no license, a loaded gun, and two magazines. And there was not enough evidence?

How hard is it to be a US Attorney? If he could not prosecute this case, how in the world will he be able to prosecute difficult cases.

I just shake my head.

Status of VT Memorial

2007-08-06T21:58:00.000-04:00

I was in Blacksburg, VA on business tonight so I decided to check the status on the Virginia Tech Memorial. All photos were across the street from Burress Hall.

Another Reason for School Choice

2007-07-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

Our neighbors to the east are having school employee issues. This adds to my list for private schools. School employees suspended and fired.

Of the 36 employees suspended, 14 were service personnel, 21 were teachers and one was a principal. Those terminations included three service personnel workers and four teachers.

Why these actions?

Of those suspensions, eight were due to the employees having inappropriate physical contact with students. One employee was suspended for possession of child pornography, according to county records. At least one employee was suspended for distributing or using a controlled substance with a student.

But don't be alarmed.

School officials said they consider the number of suspensions and terminations to be somewhat low given the school system's size, and it illustrates their continued efforts to keep students protected.

I'm afraid I would not be too relieved with this explanation.

2007-07-19T19:15:00.000-04:00

I want to move. Move away from Pembroke, Virginia. Pembroke is nice and so is Virginia, but I still want to move. Not just to the next town, say Blacksburg to the east, or Pearisburg or The Narrows of the New River or even into the “Open For Business” state of West Virginia, to the west. No, I am willing and ready to make a big, big move. I have a general are picked out. Its a place that is part of the United States, the state pays you to live there, the electricity is 110/120 volts, guns are in favor, Wyatt Earp live there, and the mosquitoes are huge and so are the fish. Yep, I am ready to move to Alaska. I would settle for Anchorage. Although the locals call is Los Anchorage because living in the big city (population of 250,000) ain’t really like living in Alaska.

I have visited once for a week. That was enough to convince me that I would enjoy it there. I figure, that since I am close to getting my AARP card I may have only 30 +/- 5 years left to enjoy the state. And there is a lot I want to see and do there.

My love of Alaska began when I watched the pilot episode for “Northern Exposure”. It was about a northeast city doctor who was transplanted to rural Alaska in order to pay off medical school debt. His experiences caused me to study up on Alaska and visit the state. Since then, I have read books, drooled over 1000s of Alaska Magazine, and watch lots of Alaska programs on the Travel channel.

I have supporters in the house. Son #2 and his girlfriend are ready. And the conversation with Little One goes like this when I ask her:

Me: Little One are you ready to move to Alaska with me?

Little One: Do they have candy?

Me: Yes

Little One: OK

I ask the Wife at least weekly if she is ready to move to Alaska. “Just give me the word and I’m off to find a job”, I tell her. She smiles at me like she does when she pets the dogs and says “We cannot take Little One that far away from her grandma and grandpa in West Virginia.” Drats, she’s right.

So, my next request will be a two week stint in Alaska sometime in the next couple of years.

NASCAR in Pembroke, VA

2007-07-14T21:51:00.001-04:00

It was not a race or anything super big, but today, the Number 8, Budweiser, Chevy, Monte Carlo, was at Mike's Muffler in Pembroke. I saw no ads, but saw the car on one of my trips into Pearisburg. I came back home, got Little One and made a visit. Dale and Bud will part ways after this year.

Maybe, next time it will be the car of my favorite driver.

Around Giles county....

2007-07-13T23:26:00.002-04:00

This is a close up view of Narrows of Giles county.

An upstream look toward the town of Narrows.

Looking across the face of the Narrows, from the 460 side.

The Narrows can even be seen from 460 East.

Pembroke has at least one train tunnel

A nice view from the new bridge across the New River at Pembroke

River flows from left to right. New bridge (left), Old Bridge (right).

This is bad stuff...

2007-06-15T18:28:00.000-04:00

Two middle school boys were convicted on conspiracy to kill 4 people at their school...MIDDLE SCHOOL! (link).

According to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, a student reported that Collins and McCroskey talked about killing four people: Principal Guylene Wood-Setzer, school resource officer Deputy Kirk Hendricks and at least one student. It is unclear who the fourth person was.

This is scary stuff. With Little One getting close to the age to start school, I am leaning toward private school. This stuff happens too often.

Strange Brew

2007-06-09T22:10:00.000-04:00

Took a trip to the Kroger in Blacksburg today. Boy, do they have a lot of beer and wine. Plus, there is a Virginia ABC across the parking lot. Its like alcohol central.

I picked out some of the more interesting beers in the Kroger.

First, beer for the K9 lover. I understand Labs are very popular dogs.

Next, "How much beer could a woodchuck chug if a woodchuck could chug beer?" brand.

This beer frightens me. I don't know what it means but it looks satanic.

By far, my favorite is Old Leghumper. A man's triple play...legs, dogs, and beer.

Throwin' Rocks

2007-05-22T21:31:00.001-04:00

Sunday, I took Little One to the river bank to do the thing that kids throughout the world love to do...throw rocks in the river. This just happens to be the New River just a little downstream from Narrows, Virginia. She already has asked to go back. It was a good day.

The upstream view.

A Visit to Virginia Tech...

2007-05-20T13:13:00.001-04:00

32 flags as a memorial at a church on Main Street, Blacksburg.

The memorial at the Drill field is a lot quieter than before. But the worn paths indicate a lot of activity.

The Virginia state flag (right) still at half mast.

The front of Norris Hall. The building is now fenced off.

All quiet on the Drill field.

The memorial close up.

...Sacrifice...

Some remember 33, which includes the shooter.

Little hands that love VT.

Busy Saturday

2007-05-05T22:36:00.000-04:00

Today was a fairly busy day at our house. Little One has taken a visit to relatives in good ole West Virginia, so The Wife and I were able to do some things today by ourselves. First was a trip to the furniture tent sale beside Books-A-Millions. Our 25 year old living room suit had seen better days, so we took the jump for another. I hope this one last 25 years.

Next was lunch. We tried the Red Robin. The food was good. The hamburgers were big and juicy. Plus, we had unlimited fries. However, it was a bit pricey. Two hamburger, fries, and water to drink and it cost $ 20 (not including tip). We determined that for $ 20 we could eat at one of the steakhouses. We probably will not go back just because of the price. Those were expensive hamburgers.

Lastly, we took in a movie at the new movie theater beside the New River Valley mall. We did our part to make Spiderman 3 the number one movie of the week. I thought it was good. A little slow in places, but good fight scenes. Overall, I'd give it a 8/10. The stadium seating was excellent and the seats had the ability to rock. After we sit down, I realized I had not seen Spiderman 2. I'll rent it.

Bad news on the NASCAR race at Richmond...a rain out. And I will miss it tomorrow because of a previous engagement...professional rasslin' at the Roanoke Civic Center. GO Cena!!

I Do Not Understand This....

2007-04-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

When I found this information, about a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech I was floor.

I went to Virginia Tech on 4/21/07 and this is what I saw...

2007-04-25T21:48:00.000-04:00

The Drill Field

Norris Hall

Memorial across the street from Burruss Hall

Burruss Hall and the memorial

The "other" side of Norris Hall

Norris Hall...wing where the shooting took place

Memorial and tent where anyone could write a message/sign the cards

Memorial

Hands for Hope

Drill Field/Memorial/Burruss Hall

The Next Big Race...

2007-02-21T20:32:00.000-05:00

The next big race will not be the NASCAR event in California. The next big race will be in a place in a place will never visit, but a few, like me, often dream about. In a place where man and beast work together to re-enact an event that saved thousands of lives. The place is Alaska and the event is The Iditarod. Think about this:

20 volunteer dog-sled drivers relayed the serum non-stop the remaining 674 miles. When the first musher left Nenana, the temperature hovered at 50 below zero. According to legend, the serum was nearly lost when a huge gust of wind toppled the sled of the final musher. The musher frantically dug the serum out of the snow with his bare hands, righted his sled and continued on.

The most famous personalities to emerge from the were Balto and Togo. The lead dogs of the final two mushers, Gunnar Kaasen and Leonhard Seppala.

Togo did the most duty. He lead the way for more that twice as many miles as the second place musher. However, Balto was leading when the serum made it into Nome, Alaska.

Pick a favorite musher and follow this race.

Global Warming in Virginia...

2007-01-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

10 people studied global warming and Virginia. Guess what? They decided it was a problem.

While the group agreed on the main text of the report, there was no consensus on suggestions for dealing with climate change. That's because time ran out before the options could be fully discussed, deFur said.

Ran out of time? A subject this important and they ran out of time? Better get back together soon because.....

"At the rate we're going, Jamestown would be under water in a matter of years" and coastal cities would be flooded, Ebbin said.

Jamestown gone...in a matter of years!

Where does the public get its info? From studying the available scientific literature? Nooooo.

"Twelve months ago there was not the public sentiment that there is today," said John M. Roberts of Richmond, a conservationist. He attributed that interest in part to last year's global-warming movie "An Inconvenient Truth," featuring former Vice President Al Gore.

Uber-scientist Al and his science fiction offering. Oh, boy.

How about the Oregon Petition and its backers. Over 17000 scientist can't all be wrong.

Teacher's Pay in Ole W V

2007-01-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

Teachers in West Virginia are wanting a bigger raise than the 2.5% being offered by Govenor Joe "Open for business" Manchin. Teacher state they are paid less than surrounding states, but it is also true that the cost of living is less.

However, one teacher union leader said cost of living is not considered by the group when it comes to putting together a salary request.

Why not? Shouldn't all things be considered?

Currently, West Virginia ranks 47th in average teacher pay at $38,360 annually, according to the National Education Association.

47th is pretty low...but wait...

A nationwide study conducted by Education Week magazine in 2001 showed that, when adjusted for cost of living, West Virginia educators were the 23rd highest paid in the country.

23rd, now that's better.

I sent a letter to the president of VPI&SU because the professors were wanting a raise to the average of their peer group. The problem was members of the peer group included Cal. Berkely, Cornell, USC, etc. All high cost of living areas.

The morale to the story is that you have to consider all aspects of living in an area.

At the Cascades in Giles county...

2007-01-21T13:13:00.000-05:00

Made it to the falls. Here are some pictures of the falls from a variety of perspectives. This is the first time you are able to see them from the lower trail.
A photo from downstream.

Leaving by the upper trail.
The upper trail is the less stressful way to get to and from the Cascades.
Rocks, rocks everywhere. They are coming from the top of the mountain. One day, I should take a trip to see the rock generator.

The Cascades

2007-01-14T22:38:00.000-05:00

With the temperature easily in the mid-60s, I decided that today would be a great time to take that long overdue trip to The Cascades.

After a stop to get a Mountain Dew and a sausage biscuit...I was off.

There is an option for the hike to The Cascades. One way is more difficult, but offers better scenery. The second is easy, but put you above the creek. So, I chose difficult up...for the pics. And easy down.

Here are some pics from the trip up.

Next time....at the falls.

2007-01-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

I have a pretty good drive to and from work, about 50 minutes, one way. And I can proudly say that in my drive, there is only one traffic light that I go through. Its usually called a "redlight" regardless of the color..."Go down to the red light and make a right to get to the creek."

This drive can be boring and quiet when I am between radio stations and I have no CDs. My most recent CD purchase is one by Van Zant. Its good southern country. The Van Zants brothers were part of the bands .38 Special and Lynard Skynard.

To help me in my time of need, the Wife got me a Sirius radio. I had my sights set on a "Hillbilly Kit"...squirrel tails for the antenna, shag carpet for the dashboard, and a gas pedal that looked like a big, bare foot. But the radio is much better. I was excited about getting it hooked up until I read the part about the antenna installation. The manual simply says " put the antenna where it can get a good reception and route it into the vehicle and to the radio." Sound easy, but I frown on putting a hole in the roof of my truck, so I had to snake it into the passenger door, behind door gaskets, and up to the radio, without it looking too hick.

After being satisfied with my results, I hooked it up, and fired it up. One call to Sirius and I'm ready to rock and roll. Contact...radio on...loud and clear!

This radio will serve to prevent arguments over Artist or Title , cause it tells you this info right on the radio. For a small piece of electrical equipment, this radio is more complicated than the 6 cylinder engine in my first car, 1977, Ford, Mustang II, Mach I, with a 4 speed manual transmission.

Best part...good channel choices and good reception.
Second best part...a little remote control.
Bad part...remote automatically equals channel surfing, just like the tv remote.

But that a "good" bad to have.

And now for something completely different...

2006-12-13T22:50:00.000-05:00

Found this wooly worm crawling around on my deck. Looks like he predicts a winter to be initially cold and snowy and then smooth sailing the rest of the way. Anyone care to "read" this wooly worm?

Caught a glimpse of a few cows grazing at sunset.

I liked the appearance of the clouds in this sunset photo.

Various Pictures...

2006-12-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

The view going up to Mountain Lake was awesome on Saturday.

Their seems to have been some hillbillies at the lake recently. Surely no one from Virginia could have engineered this romantic love seat. No idea if it actually floats.

Taken from the steps of the hotel, all the brown area has been covered in water in the past.

Took this while waiting at a construction site in Monroe county, West Virginia. A pair of temporary traffic lights were set up. They accounted for all the traffic lights in the county.

Some of us remember the ESSO name (now Exxon). I thought ESSO was gone. But this gas pump in Glen Lyn says it is still around.

Mountain Lake

2006-12-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

Took a trip to Mountain Lake on Saturday. Looks like it may soon be called Mountain Pond. This gazebo was once at the edge of the water. Look at it now.

The water has receded so much that it takes a little hike just to reach it.

The dock on the left was the loading area for a boat that took people to the other end of the lake.

Warning! Warning! Danger Will Robinson! (From a flash back of my Lost In Space watching days.)

This is a view that was only available from a boat in the past.

Last of the 70 degree days....

2006-12-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

An wonderful day. We spent most of it in Roanoke and it was at least 70 degree F! So hot we had to run the air conditioner in the van. Amazing for the first day of December. As the sun set on this day, these are some of the scenes around our house.

Pictures of the day....

2006-11-30T22:18:00.000-05:00

These monuments are in Glen Lyn, VA. They are not the dedicated to the Gods of Fire, Wind, Rain, and Sun. Instead, they are reminders of a railroad track that once crossed the New River. Gone, but not forgotten.

Looking downstream from these columns, you can see Route 460 as it crosses the New River near the Glen Lyn power plant.

This is a photo near the New River looking toward Route 460.
The night was cloudy and windy. This combination, along with a half-full moon made this picture.

While taking pictures today at Glen Lyn, I had a little accident. A combination of loose rock, fallen leaves, and a steep creek bank left me a little reminder that blogging is a contact sport...Ouch.

Jump

2006-11-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

"Might as well jump. Jump. Go ahead and jump." Van Halen

Little One is a jumper. First it was little stuff like running through the house jumping into the air and then keep on running. Next, it was standing in my recliner and jumping into the floor. Then it was jumping from the coffee table to the love seat, couch, or floor.

Now she has stepped it up a notch. She stands on the stairs and jumps into the dog' s pillow bed. The dogs are gone of course. But she loves it.

We went to Wal Mart in Christiansburg tonight for one of our many trips to Wal Mart each week. But first we stopped at the Cold Stone Creamery because The Wife wanted to and she had a coupon! Two things caught my eye. One, even though it was 38 degrees, there were still kids in shorts running around. And two, there were also some kids in flip-flop, aka shower shoes. At what temperature do kids wear long britches and real shoes?

I love science

2006-11-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

The headlines read "Smoggy skies 'created life on Earth'.

But take a look at all the weasel words located in the text.

...could have provided the chemical building blocks ...
...likely had a layer of atmospheric haze...
...may have served as the principal reservoir...
...hazy conditions could have been present for many millions or even a billion years on Earth...
...Earth could have produced more than100 million tons of aerosols each year...
...the haze could have served as the primary ingredients for primitive life...
...haze layer over Earth could have shielded living organisms from harmful UV rays...
...haze may have contributed to the geological record on Earth...
...total mass of organics derived photochemically could have been comparable...

And the winner is "We found that you can make a lot of organic material virtually out of thin air."

How about that making stuff from thin air. Ain't science wonderful!

Little fact, but plenty of guesses. Try my theory...a flying monkey for Mars could have ate a cashew that may have been present on the planet. Then this monkey may have come to earth in a Yellow Submarine. Then it could have crapped out the seed an maybe started life on earth. Then the monkey might have died.

Luck

2006-11-08T21:48:00.000-05:00

Gloom, dispair, and agony on me
Deep dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
Gloom, dispair, and agony on me...........Hee Haw

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it.
Thomas Jefferson

Diligence is the mother of good luck. Bemjamin Franklin

Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya? Dirty Harry

Are some people lucky? Are some unlucky? Can you do things to have good luck like carry a rabbits foot, four-leave clover, or lucky stuffed animal? Are some clothes lucky? Are luck and being superstitious related?

I do not believe in luck. I believe in coincidence. Statistically, something may be a long shot, but not impossible. To paraphrase Ben and Tom, you create your own good luck.

This brings me to a show I sometimes watch...Deal or No Deal. You start with 26 cases containing 1 cent to 1 million dollars. A contestant selects one case that he hopes contains 1 million dollars. He then opens the remaining cases. Based on the amounts uncovered, a BANKER makes a money offer to the contestants for his case. Deal, and get $$$, No Deal, and keep opening cases. More big amounts left unopened means a bigger offer.

Everytime I watch this show, I find myself pulling for the Banker. I want to see the contestant get the shaft. I find most of the contestants unlikeable. Their greed will almost always show through. Either in body language, such as wringing their hands, or in their speech, "I need that million dollars!"

In pushing their luck, a lot of times a big offer is made, but they just cannot take the money because there happens to be a bigger amount available. Just got to get that big money. Then, they uncover the big amount, their offer plumments, and I just laugh. This is the Aesops fable of the dog with a bone, standing on the bridge, looking into the water, seeing himself, thinking its another dog with a bone, wants the second bone too, barks, and looses his bone. Greed does that to you. People cannot be happy with $250,000 if there is a chance that they may get $1,000,000.

I remember one show where the contestant was a female church pastor. Boy did this make me think. Was she coventing something (money) that was not hers? Was this gambling? If it was coventing or gambling would it be OK since she would presumeably tithe 10%? If she prayed for the million dollars and did not get it would it indicate she was ineffective as a pastor? If she did not get the million dollars would it be because she had bad intentions or bad motives? I did not have answers, but I had lots of questions.

I do not recall the outcome, I will see it on reruns I'm sure, if I am LUCKY.

Hodge Podge Pics

2006-11-06T22:28:00.000-05:00

Sunday was a nice day. Honey bees were working the flowers that had not died yet. And the sky was blue.

A full moon on Monday night led to some interesting pictures.

It is Halloween.

2006-11-01T22:50:00.000-05:00

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my! Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz.

Panhandling 101.

For Halloween, the Wife and I took Little One to the New River Valley mall in Christiansburg to do her "Trick or Treating". Little One was again a good witch, just like Glinda the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz. Here she was taught to go from door to door and request candy. Not much different than Panhandling. Other parents and grand parents were there to teach children this useful skill.

The mall was very crowded. We saw all sorts of interesting characters. Lions and tigers and bears, of course. Plus, Raggedy Anne, Elvis, other witches, the Incredible Hulk, angels, football players, cheerleaders, and hookers. I could not tell if thehighs school aged girls were real hookers, but they sure dressed like they were...short skirts and little bitty tops. These hookers were gathering candy, just like the little kids. This could have only been a Halloween costume. The Wife assured me it was. We were both surprised at this sight.

The scariest costume I saw was a life-like, small sized, correctly made up, clown. I am scared of clowns. Ever since I saw IT by Stephen King, I have been scared of clowns. Keep those clowns away from me. My worst nightmare is to be stuck with a clown on the top of a large ferris wheel.....arrrggggg!

I did go by Victoria's Secret to see if they just might be giving away something interesting for the Wife. I was disappointed. Only cheap suckers. I did notice the car in the middle of the mall. I learned to be observant by wathcing CSI. Seems like Victoria's Secret has a drive through window for its most preferred customers, for those who need to get their lingerie in a hurry. Victoria's Secret is on the cutting edge of customer service.

It' beginning to look a lot like..........Halloween

2006-10-28T22:54:00.000-04:00

In Giles county, there is still a lot of color on the mountains.

But, a grass level view of the setting sun show a complete lack of leaves on some of the trees.

Little One had a "thing" tonight. A pre-Halloween party at the church our neighbors attend. She went as a witch, but she was a good witch.

Pumpkin carving time on Al's hill. I am responsible for the "old school" design. Kids were responsible for the two new designs of "raccoon and pumpkin" and "Dora the Explorer". This Dora is new to me. I seen the cartoon and read some books. In each case, Spanish words are introduced. Seem the idea is to get kids to be bilingual instead of teaching everyone English (or my preference of hillbilly). But I will rant about this another time.

Time On Creek Bank

2006-10-20T19:23:00.000-04:00

Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river..... Proud Mary by CCR

Here is a little of the color on the New River in Giles county. Pictures are either from Pembroke of just below the Celanese Plant.

Takin' A Trip

2006-10-12T22:23:00.000-04:00

I saw this contraption setting on the bed in our bedroom. Being a southern, redneck, hillbilly, my mind went straight to the gutter. "Wow momma talk to daddy!" Come to find out that this will be used at a bridal shower this weekend. Boy was I disappointed.

Speaking of baby shower, we get to make a 6 hour trip to Ohio this weekend. Ohio, the reason Denali is named McKinley. Ohio is pretty flat and all the roads seem to be perpendicular to one another. We always have a good time when we visits the Wife's kin folk. This should be no exception. My goal is to do a little fishing...and make use of the fancy chocolate fondue fountain. Abundant, flowing chocoalte...can anything be better?

I finally traded off the 97 green, 4x4, GMC truck that was costing us a fortune in mechanics bills. We bought a 06 Dodge Dakota, Club Cab. Pretty nice. I like it. But it needs a tilt steering wheel. I will be named SOP, for Son Of Pongo. Pongo was the 90 Chevy 4x4 I had before Green Satan came into our life. Pongo was a good truck, but had a bad paint job. It had lots of spots causing it to look like a Dalmation, therefore Pongo from 101 Dalmations.

This is Little One jumping "without a net".

Party At Al's House

2006-09-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

I want to Rock and Roll all night, and party every day....Kiss

Party time at my house. This means that Little One and I were being evicted for the night, actually only a couple of hours. There is nothing like having a bunch of women come into your house, into your living room, that makes a guy happy to leave. Just imagine all the "honey do" jobs a mob of women can conjure up. I left because of the woman invasion. Little One left because, she is little, has quick hands and can move those hands erraticly at dizzying speeds when she picks up something she is not suppose to have and I am trying to get it back. Little One would grap all the products if possible. And since there is a universal "you break it...you bought it" law, it was better for her to leave peacefully instead of running the rish of buying a bunch of broken or lost stuff.

Since being married, my house has been the location for many parties. My only parties have been an occasional Super Bowl party. The wife has hosted lots of parties for Longaberger baskets, some for Tupperware, maybe a few for Home Interior, and my favorite a few lingerie parties...yes lingerie! (Sadly I was not invited to stay for these...sigh).

Tonights party was...jewerly. Little pieces of metal that could be expensive. Good idea to have Little One wisked away. The Wife and her friends, spent 2 hours at this thing, bless their hearts. Jewerly is boring. That is why Lowes does not have a jewerly department, unless pocket knives count.

First came the eating. I am not complaining because I got a bowl of chili and a piece of chocolate cake before the festivities began. Sorta like the official taste tester. They eat because we live in the Bible belt and the official Baptist motto is "we don't eat, then we don't meet". This applies to any social get-together.

Next came the shopping. I try to imagine what this party would look like, but I cannot do it. On the other hand, I am able to imagine the goings-on at the lingerie party though.

Little One and I were taken in from the cold by my friend. His daughter babysit for Little One so that he and I could do a little male bonding around the XBOX by dishing out death and destruction to one another in a game called Halo. It was a good night.

If women want men to stay for a home party they should check into a party for Craftsman, NAPA, Probass, Lowes, or Victoria's Secret, etc

2006-09-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

Some times I just sit and think, and some times I just sit. Author Unknown, but could have been Al Bundy, Married With Children, or Homer Simpson.

The other night, after dinner supper, I had the opportunity to sit and think while enjoying my after dinner cup of Raven's Brew coffee. Actually it was unsweetened decaf iced tea, but that's just details. Quiet time at my house is minimal. It last about as long as Rosie O'Donnel can keep from talking. Little One had finished her mangle job on her food and was ready to get down and go into the living room so she could play, aka, cover the entire floor with toys. In order to complete her mission, she require energy, so she was also interested in doing her Cookie Monster impression, "ME WANT COOKIE!..."

This left me and the Wife some valuable "alone" time. I decided this was a perfect time to snuggle up to her and get romantic.

Me: Know what I'm gonna do when we move to Alaska?
Her: What? (This"what" was not an answer to my question but more a "what" that was universally understood to mean "what the heck are you talking about?")
Me: When I move to Alaska, you know what I'm gonna do?
Her: What? (This time an answer to my question)
Me: I'm gonna rent an apartment in the city, say Anchorage, and then buy a cabin with some land in the country.
Her: Why?
Me: This way, after working in the city all week, we can go to the cabin on weekends and enjoy solitude, quietness, wildlife, hiking, fishing, gun shooting, and wood cutting. John says wood cutting is a big thing in Alaska.
Her: Who's John?...Nevermind. Why not buy a house in the city and then buy a tent for your weekend excursions?

Note...some how this had went from a cabin where we all could stay to a tent for me to stay in...I'm OK with that.

Me: (Surprised that she no longer laughs at my Alaska dreams but has actually given some thought to this situation) I'm not ready for the cold weather. I need to ease into it like easing into a hot tub. Besides I'll need to buy some more stuff, cold weather, and a gun.
Her: OK... (loosing interest in the converstation)
Me: Maybe buy a small house in the city, a small cabin on some land, and a gun.
Her: Hmmmmmm (means we are done)

The End

I believe I am slowly buy surely wearing away at her defenses, like a beaver trying to down a giant Redwood tree. I can see signs of her weakening. Maybe this beaver needs to get a good chain saw!

Chocolate

2006-09-12T21:29:00.000-04:00

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands -- and then eat just one of the pieces." - Judith Viorst

I don't know who Judith Viorst is, but I believe she is right about chocolate and strength. Who, I wonder, can stop eating chocolate after one bite. Surely not I. Speaking of chocolate, my favorite chocolate is not milk chocolate (I will eat it if in a pinch), but rather dark chocolate, and, expecially, the semi-sweet chocolate chips as seen above. I can sit and eat those by the handfuls. Or, I can put a few between my cheek and gum and just let them dissolve. Either way, they are very, very, good.

I started on the Adkins diet on Monday. I have been on this Adkins Diet a couple of other times. And the first couple of days are always the same. When I cease my intake of caffiene and sugar, I get a headache. This time, my eyes even ached. My goal on this diet is to loose 10% of my body weight, and I have until December 15 to get it done.

This really changes my life style. Gone are the sweets that I crave after a meal, or sometimes for no apparent reason. Chips and Cheetos are gone. Mountain Dew and Pepsi are out...diet 7Up, caffiene-free/unsweetened tea, and Diet Rite pop are now in. And no more of my recent favorite...barbaque Corn Nuts! No more pizza or hot dogs, but plenty of meat, cheese, and eggs. Adkins is low carbs, not low fat. Sure would like to have one of those reindeer sausages that I had on my trip to Anchorage

I am thinking of the perfect reward for reaching my goal. Maybe some special meal...like a reindeer sausage in downtown Anchorage. Or, maybe even a handgun!

"Hello Dr. Fleischman, mooseburger or caribou dog?" - Ed to Joel, Northern Exposure

Diet Time

2006-09-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

This is a sure sign that Fall is right around the corner.

It is time for me to get serious about a diet. I have tinkered with diets for a few years now. Now it must take center stage, like Eddie van Halen during his guitar sole in a Van Halen concert. The reason is that my britches are beginning to tighten. That is not a good thing. Recently, my food groups consisted of Little Debbies, chips, and sugar. Time to go on the Adkins special for a couple of weeks. During that time, my food groups will be eggs, cheese, and fat.

Loosing weight should be simple. Eat less and exercise more. The only problem with that scenario is that it is no fun. After supper, I need to get that greasy taste out of my mouth. Now better way that with Rocky Road ice cream. Now that will stop. Maybe a packet of Splenda will do the trick...probably not.

I do have a support group from work to help. There is a group who put up some money to start a Weight Loss competition. Set a goal, reach it, and be eligible for some cold hard cash. My goal is 20 pounds...the maximum allowed in the contest. Most people choose 20 pounds.

Good news and bad news. Bad news...we have a boat load of junk food in the house right now.

This stuff for example....

Good new...I start my diet on Monday. So I have this weekend to enjoy food and try not to eat like a bear getting ready for winter. Contest will end about 15 weeks from now.

Who knows, maybe Little Debbie will not be my mistress after 15 weeks.

The First Day is coming

2006-08-24T21:49:00.000-04:00

This is Little One after an intense body building session. No steroids were used to get this Incredible Hulk appearance.

The First Day...

The First Day is coming. It is not the first day of football season, not the first day of hunting season, not the first day of trout season, not even the first day of fall. What's coming is a day that makes you realize that age is creeping up on you like like a bulldozer stuck in low gear headed your way...like the first day of work and you understand that this will be your life for the next 40 years.

The day I'm talking about is the first day of school. This year will be our third experience with the first day of school. Little One will be 3 years old on Monday, 8/28. And after Labor Day, she will start in a preschool program. Its only 3 hours a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but it will be a great big step for our family. Now, hopefully the Wife will be able to get a little time off from the stresses of parenthood.

Little One and The Wife have been together almost constantly for Little One's entire life! Sure Little One can be demanding, but on those few occasions she was away, she was missed, sorely missed.

For me this is the start of the long winding up hill road to teenagerland. And my very first experience with a teenage girl.

I often remind The Wife of when we were first married...living in Bristol, Tennessee...in a 2 bedroom apartment...no responsibilies...no mortgage...nothing but time on our hands after working all day at the Sperry Univac plant...being able to go to the mall on a moments notice!

Times changed.

Chow Time....

2006-08-20T22:44:00.000-04:00

Can you smeeeelllll what The Rock is cookin'. The Rock, Action Movie Star and former WWE champion.

One of my favorite meals...hot dogs. I like hot dogs. I've tried a lot. Oscar Mayer, Ballpark, Nathan's, Valleydale, and even dogs at local high school sporting events. I believe it is very hard to screw up a hot dog. Most times I load em up....mustard, onion, chili, cole slaw, and sometimes shredded cheese. Or I've eat em plain...just a bun and dog.

What I have not done is eat them Yankee style, which is with sour kraut. Grilled bun or a bun right out of the pack. Its all good.

The other day I saw the hot dog eating contest at Coney Island. These folks would dip the bun in water to make it easier to eat....yuck. Soggy buns are a definite no-no.

We took a trip to Blacksburg Sunday evening. We grabbed a sub at Quiznoe's. We wanted to stop at Wal Mart to pick up a few items...bad idea. It looked like the post office at the first of the month when all the checks are delivered. In case you have not experienced it...that means it was crowded, very crowded. Left there and stopped at Kroger then onto TCBY. Yummy. Dutch Chocolate.

The summer happy time of no crowds is gone from Blacksburg. The kids have invaded like a swarm of locust. The take all the tables at the steak house, talk on their cell phones, step into the street without looking, and generally cause havoc and destruction. Trips will have to be highly coordinated until the spring. It was fun while it lasted.

Little One did want to be photographed touching a Hokie Bird. These things have sprung up like Pam Anderson honeymoon videos...they are everywhere. What your step, they may leave a big mess.

New Format...

2006-08-16T22:16:00.000-04:00

I like the format of John and Glenn & Dianne so much that I decided to ~~copy~~ ~~mimic~~ ~~impersonate~~ IMITATE their writings.

We made another trip to West "by Gawd" Virginia this weekend. No one in West Virginia ever says that. I have no idea how it got started.

There were horses

And one pot-belly pig.

The horses were all very friendly. Little One got to ride 2 and even turned down another. The pig was kinda cool. Its belly drug the ground and it snorted made all sorts of strange noise. But it did let Little One and the Wife pet it. I did not pet it. I did think out loud about "man, that sure would make a lot of pork rinds." I was informed that these pigs do not taste good and do not make for good eatin'.

Gotta go...the still needs attention and I need to put in a wad of REDMAM.

Visit to West Virginia

2006-08-12T21:09:00.000-04:00

Where have I been? My priorities were shifted for a while so I was unable to update my blog.

Most recently, I have been to West Virginia to visit family. I noticed that West Virginia has a new state slogan. Instead of "Wild Wonderful West Virginia", it is now "West Virginia Open For Business". That makes no sense. Does this mean that in the past, WV was closed for business...did not seek business...did not care about business? Now that the state is officially open, just watch the business roll in.

The brown horse (Champ) use to live near us in Pembroke. Little One enjoyed feeding him carrots regularly. But now he is shacking up with a new woman (Beauty) and her colt (Country). This could be a Jerry Springer show...Beauty was pregnant when she moved here. Champ is not the daddy. Champ moved in with Beauty so she would not be a single mother.

As you can see, this is probably half of the flat land in West Virginia, every where else is mountains. Actually they are hills, according to the state song, "West Virginia Hills", which goes like this:

Oh, the West Virginia hills! How majestic and how grand,
With their summits bathed in glory, Like our Prince Immanuel's Land!
Is it any wonder then, That my heart with rapture thrills,
As I stand once more with loved ones On those West Virginia hills?

Chorus

Oh, the hills, beautiful hills, How I love those West Virginia hills!
If o'er sea o'er land I roam, Still I'll think of happy home,
And my friends among the West Virginia hills.

Real mountains are found in Denali (aka McKinley)!

While visiting WV, Little One made good use of the pool. Photos of the bass boat, extra large tv dish, cars on cider blocks in the front yard, out house, squirrel tails on the car antenna, and sleeping coon dogs were off limits. Besides, I would not want to do anything to propogate the West Virginia stereotype. I gotta run now. I need to put in a dip and check the still.

Visit to Chic-Fil-A

2006-07-18T22:21:00.000-04:00

We made a visit to Chic-Fil-A over the weekend. I think their signature chicken sandwiches are pretty good. The Wife does not like the pickles. They usually to to Little One. But not today and the change set off a very interesting result.

I became the proud owner of The Wife's pickles. Most times I would just eat them like some maniac contestent on Fear Factor. But today was different. I decided to put them on my chicken sandwich. Usually, I raise the top bun to ad mayo. But this time, I was adding extra pickle, so I decided to lift off the lower bun. That's when I saw it. Laying on my chicken like teenager laying on the couch during summer break. It did not move...it just laid there...and I bet my eyes bugged out like Marty Feldman's as he played Igor in Young Frankenstien. It was a WHITE HAIR about 2 inches long! Heck, feathers I may could understand, but a hair of unknown origin...nasty. Did I make someone mad?

If I'm at home, I pluck the hair and go one eating. Heck, I eaten stuff that has been dropped on the floor. I even lick a sucker that Little One had dropped on the floor...did I mention we have two dogs that are shedding?

But, at a national eatery, I did what every man in my situation would do. I sent The Wife back to the counter to complain. And it worked. The manager said I could have a free dessert. Music to my ears. I spent lunch thing about dessert.

Time for the big decision and I went with a hand spun chocolate milkshake. And a fine choice it was. We, it was a community shake of course, liked it so much that we had another a couple of days later. I believe the manager thought I would go for pie or a brownie, something cheap. But their ad campaign worked and I went for the $2.79 delight.

Did you know?

2006-07-18T22:10:00.000-04:00

Did you know this about the New River>

On a rainy day looking up the New River.

What looks like a rock outcropping is really a left over stump from a tree that the wind blew down a couple of years ago.

Catching Up

2006-07-06T22:24:00.000-04:00

What a weekend. I had 4 days off! Yea! But it was too hot, upper 80s to low 90s, to do much work outside. So, the Wife and I scheduled a babysitter and decided to spend the evening on the town. Actually it was only 3 hours, but who is complaining.

We looked for a movie that both of us wanted to see. Her choice was "The Lake House", a chick flick. But she had mercy on me and did not make me go see it. My choice was "Pirates of the Caribbean", but it was not playing yet.

Instead, we had dinner at Logan's Roadhouse and then did the thing every couple does when they get a few hours of spare time. We shopped for a refrigerator. It took 2 trips to Sears, but we did purchase a new fridge. It cost as much as a Heckler & Koch USP 9mm. But everyone benefits from a fridge while only I would get excited about a handgun.

I have made a break through on my objective to convince the Wife to move to Alaska. Usually, when I ask she rolls her eyes or shakes her head or says "No" or some combination of these. This time the conversation went like:

"When can we move to Alaska?"
"When Little One becomes a Teenager."
"Whoa! Good! When she turns 13, right?"
"No, maybe 16."
"Why then?"
"That will be a good time to dress her in a parka and some mukluks."

She actually said "mukluks". She must be reading Alaska blogs or my Alaska Magazine while I'm not home.

Let me sipher some. Little One is almost 3...so in about 13 years I'll be in my 50s...I'll have to wait a long time. But I'll take it! Maybe she is warming up to the ideal. I'll keep working on her.

2006-06-28T22:07:00.000-04:00

Why is seven degrees in Alaska colder than seven degrees anywhere else? Joel, Northern Exposure

I'll have to defer to John or Tundra PA for answer to Joel's question. My SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) is that it has something to do with humidity. Example, Phoenix is 120 degrees Farhenheit in the shade. But its not that bad because there is no humidity, its a dry heat.

One the way home from work the other night, I stopped to pick up a couple of $6 pizzas from Pizza Hut. They had an employee standing in the parking lot with a stack of pepperoni pizzas in one of those "keep em hot" bags. No need to even go into the store. As my breakfast partner would say, "Grrrrrreeeaaattt!"

The transaction was pretty simple...2 pizzas at $6 each...no tax to calculate...hand the guy a $20...and get back my change...one $5 and five $1s...Hmmmm, I say, looks like a good deal for me.

I confirmed that the price was $6 per pizza just to be sure. And it was. I counted my change and informed the guy that he owed me $8 not $10. I returned the extra $2.

In his defense, he said something along the lines of "I was confused. No one had given me that combination before..." I don't even know what that means. But now I worry about the future of the United States.

Kids today need a cash register or a calculator to determine the amount of change to give a customer. Gone are the days when the vendor would count your money as he put it in your hand. Plus, now the kids either put the bills in your hand and then place the coins on top, or they hand you your change in one big gob of paper and metal. Either way, I do not like it. I would rather have my coins first followed by the paper...like the old days.

One thing leads to another...

2006-06-23T22:27:00.000-04:00

These clouds appeared right before sunset. They were a predictor of things to come.

They lead to these around 10 pm.

Dessert Time!

2006-06-23T22:16:00.000-04:00

At my house we always have dessert after a meal. Every night after supper, I ask the Wife "What's for dessert?" If there is nothing store bought, then we will make something. Tonight's dessert is pictured above.

We call these things Preacher cookies. I don't know why. But we also call them Marco turds, and I know why.

When I attended Marshall University I always ate in the campus cafeteria. Some nights the meat was unrecognizable. The meat was named Marco turds. Marco was a buffalo and was the mascot of the Marshall University Thundering Herd.

Therefore, these little dessert jewels are akin to moist turds that drop and flatten out. Silly name but good sweets.

Time to mow...

2006-06-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

Yessir, at Haney's Farm Mindin' Service, for a nom-yew-nal fee we will move into yer house, eat yer food, drink yer likker, and turn away any unwanted relatives that might show up at yer door. Mr. Haney, Green Acres

That sure is some service Mr. Haney offers. Wonder where I could get a job like that?

This is the mower I use to mow my yard. It looks kind of strange at first. It resembles a street sweeper or a garbage truck or a dump truck. And it sure will not pass for one of those glamorous John Deere mowers. But it does do a good job. Plus, it does not belong to me, my neighbor lets me borrow it.

With no steering wheel, initially it was tricky to drive. I have accumulated plenty of 360s in my yard. The speed is tricky too. Try to start out on a hill too quickly and the wheels spin. Thus tearing up the grass. Even now, there are certain spots in my yard that are as bare as Dixie Chicks songs on a country radio station's play list. I rationalize that in certain places in a yard, having grass is over rated.

Two things were important in learning to operate this equipment on hills. First, don't spin the tires because you loose traction and tear up the yard. And second, under no condition, never, ever let this flip over with me on it! This could cause me to have a very bad day. Luckily, #1 has decrease (not eliminated yet) and #2 has not happened.

This mower has a grass catcher. That is good and bad. Its good because I do not need to rake grass/leaves and the lawn looks nice. This is bad because I have to stop periodically and dump the grass AND I need somewhere to dump it.

My first choice is to use the grass as a mulch around all the trees in my yard. I am about to run out of trees to mulch, so this stuff may end up in a pile over the hill somewhere.

This mower does allow me to mow faster than when I had a Yanmar 155D 4 wheel drive tractor with a 48" pull behind mowing deck . But I don't get the same feeling of pride and power while sitting low in this Exmark as I did while riding high in the saddle in the Yanmar. While on the Yanmar, I considered myself to be just like Oliver Douglas in Green Acres.

Early Father's Day...

2006-06-15T20:53:00.000-04:00

This was my early Father's Day present. A 32 cc, Craftsman Weed Wacker. Nothing like getting destructive devices for gifts! Unless it is a .45 semiautomatic, any of various brands will do.

My old weed eater had bitten the dust. I used it a couple of weeks back. Although it was hard to start, after many yanks and some swearing, it fired up. Used it all day. Not long after that, the Wife wanted some weeds cut and I was the man for the job. I gather all the needed supplies: weed eater...check, gloves...check, earplugs...check, work boots...check, safety glasses...check, hat...check, and gas/oil...check. All ready to go.

Except, the blasted weed eater was being contrary. I primed it and pulled the cord. Once, twice, 5 times, 25 times...dang it. If I was in a NASCAR event, I would have to pull behind the wall for repairs.

Ok, time to regroup and try again. This time, make sure the "Stop" switch is set to "Start" (It was by the way). All systems go. Prime and pull and pull and pull. All the thing did was growl a little then become silent. It was beyond me.

Finally, I had the younger boy take it to the shop. Diagnosis - carborator problems. The cure would cost $100 bucks! Plus, I was denied some valuable need to know information from the boy. The shop would charge $15 to tell me what was wrong! Arrrgggg!

Weed eaters have become cheaper to replace than repair. So old faithless made a one way trip to the green boxed (garbage pick up).

Later that week, while talking to the Wife on the phone, I asked about dinner. She said we could go out to eat and stop at Sears to check out the weed eaters. I said "Alright!!!"

Get 'Er Dun...

2006-06-10T22:52:00.000-04:00

...I'm just...I'm a little...I'm homesick. Must be all this clean air, the bright stars. I can't sleep without bus fumes, the din of traffic, the crazy people in the street." Joel Fleischman, Norther Exposure.

Joel was home sick for the hustle and bustle of New York. I have never been there I will have to get the low down about the city from Ms. E.

Wifey and I finished her little project.

It started like this......

And ended like this. Here is Little One standing beside her hand-made, custom-designed, one-of-a-kind, CD and DVD Storage Unit...
Yesterday was a good day for me. First, it was Friday, second, my copy of Alaska Magazine arrived. I cannot wait to get the chance to read it from cover to cover. May see my friend John, because it has an article about Fairbanks.

Also, today, Little One had here first official Tea Party. She got a hat for this special occasion.

Our Goal...

2006-06-08T21:30:00.000-04:00

I don't don't like it - I hate it! And I demand to leave! ... Well that is
because you are not the one who is supposed to spend the next 4 years of his
life in this Godforsaken hole in the wall, pigsty with a bunch of dirty,
psychotic rednecks! - Joel Fleischman, Northern Exposure

Joel did not like Alaska. This is what he thought about it. I, on the other hand, would be right at home with a bunch of dirty, psychotic rednecks. Reason 26 to move to Alaska...Rednecks!

The goal of me and Wifey was to make something very specific out ot the gathered material. Wifey had a plan, and idea. In her plan, I was the cheap hired labor.

First, get material. A 3/4" piece of 4'x8' plywood was too thick. So, a second trip was needed to Lowes. This trip resulted in the correct piece of plywood and the return of the wrong piece. Hint to Lowes: please start a plan where we can get a card punched so that after 10 visits we get something, anything!

Second, get the elderly neighbor with lots of woodworking power tools to do the final design and cut the plywood into pieces.

Thirdly., this is where I enter the picture, put this 3-D puzzle together...build it! Building, as I told Wifey, is the hardest part. This allowed her to lower her expectations. Building don't come cheap...I get the big bucks! Using Wifey's keen sense of memory we began to build. Little One was not involved in the building. Her job was to run around like a chicken with its head cut off. By the way, I actually saw this one time. When I was young, Dad bought home some live chickens for eatin'. To kill them, he rang their necks. When the headless chicken was thrown to the ground, the thing ran around for a few minutes before it finally keeled over - dead.

Building consisted of measuring (multiple times before each critical nail placement), applying wood glue, drilling pilot holes, nailing, and swearing. I proved Al's Law of Nailing...nothing is so small that it cannot be screwed up. I did it on the third nail! Said nail had to be removed, parts repositioned, new hole drilled, and nail reinserted. Swearing was added free of charge.

Step 4 is to attach doors and touch up paint.

I wanted to "hillbilly it up" by adding a gun rack, deer head, or rebel flag. Something to give it character. But since it will be Little Ones, Wifey over ruled my ideas. It needs to look a little dainty for Little One.

To...be...ccontinued.

Got A List?

2006-06-04T22:27:00.000-04:00

Looking south, Up the New River near Pembroke.

I will under no condition, NO condition, spend the best years of my life in the worst place on Earth! Joel Flesichman - Northern Exposure.

This quote comes from one of my favorite tv shows...Northern Exposure. It ranks up there with my all-time favorite, The Andy Griffith Show (blalck and white edition) and my current, can't-get-enough show, The Deadliest Catch.

In the quote, the "worst place on Earth" happens to be in Alaska. Joel had to work there in order to repay his medical school loans. It just so happened that he worked in rural Alaska. Working in rural Alaska is something that Tundra PA is doing. She get to see and do things the rest of us only get to thing about. Plus, she gets to experience things we have never, ever thought about. Consider eating jellied moose nose. Yep, read about it...but could not stop thinking about Bullwinkle. Take a look.

Another think I can only read about is cold temperatures. John in Fairbanks talks about -50 F. Now that is pretty cold. I have never felt it but I would like to experience it at least once. John has a humor-filled look at life in the Last Frontier.

Speaking of things I want to do...I have a mental list of things I want to do before I died. The other night, I asked Wifey if she had such a list. She just looked at me and nodded "No" and asked "Why?" And being the good husband that I am I said "Because I wanted to know if I could help you complete any of your goals". (The crowd goes wild as Hubby says the right thing for once.)

The second part of my plan was for her to ask me if I had a "Things I wanted to do before I die list", knowing that she may volunteer to help me complete some of my goals. But, alas, I have to admit she knows what I am thinking and did not ask me. She just looked at me and shook her head. She knew it would involve Alaska.

I felt like Charlie Brown as he goes to kick the football that Lucy is holding. I had my eye on the prize only to be DE-NIED. Rats! But, as they say in the cat-skinning business, "there's more than one way to skin a cat". So I will keep working to get her to my side. Maybe someday I will get to live in Alaska with Tundra PA and John.

Its a Mad World

2006-06-01T22:51:00.000-04:00

Consider this, a person is..

scheduled to go to trial on July 10. He had faced a maximum of 46 years in prison if convicted on three aggravated assault charges and one misdemeanor charge stemming from a confrontation last June after his all-terrain vehicles were taken.

Instead he gets a deal...

The deal calls for Taylor to be placed on 18 months' probation, talk about the importance of education at 10 Miami-Dade County schools and contribute $1,000 for scholarships to each of those schools. He must also pay $429 in court costs.

Taylor is a Washington Redskin. He has a 7 year, $18 million deal with the team. And he is by no means a model player.

Taylor has been fined seven times during his professional career for late hits and other infractions, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a January playoff game.

Nice plea from 46 years to 10 months probation!

Celebration Time in Pearisburg

2006-05-30T22:25:00.000-04:00

Pearisburg was established 200 years ago. The Bicentennial Celebration was this weekend on the courthouse lawn.

One of the interesting things to see was this Civil War ambulance. According to the re-inactors, all ambulances looked the same...they were square.There is a Civil War memorial on the lawn. It was erected July 3, 1909.
The courthouse was built in 1836. When the top was taken off to be refurbished, they found bullets from the Civil War.
Dedicated to Civil War heroes.

How To Make American Idol Better

2006-05-26T21:52:00.000-04:00

Well, American Idol (aka AI) is done for the year...good. I didn't watch a single show. For my time and money, there are better reality tv shows out there. Good shows are the ones that have fast cars, car crashes, fight scenes, guns, explosions, death-cheating situations, pain, women, or some/all of the above. Since AI is so popular, I believe it would benefit the show to combine it with some of my favorite shows. Listed below are ideas 10-1 on how to improve AI.

10. Buffalo Chip toss with AI - Simply toss a buffalo chip as far as you can by hand, no gloves allowed. The AI tosser mus sing during the toss. Points awarded for distance, accuracy, and chip hang time.

9. AI Arm Wrestling - Divided into men's and women's divisions, its a double elimination arm wreslting tournement. Singing loudly into your oppenents ears during the match is required.

8. Woodworking with AI - Put the contestents in a woodworking shop complete with lots of power tools. The goal is to be the first to build a CD storage unit. Sing mandotary while tools are running.
7. AI Mud Rasslin' - Target audience in the hillbilly and redneck populations. Two contestents will rassle in pure Georgia clay. Sing required during the entire match. As an added bonus, style points will be awarded if you sling mud into your opponents mouth and cause him to stop singing. Finals to include a competition of crushing beer cans on each others forehead.

6. AI Dodgeball - Randomly selected team captians will pick their teams. Regular dodgeball rules apply plus, each team must sing a pre-selected sond during the contest. After one team is eliminated, the winning team will have a no-rules melee to determine the last person standing. Constant singing required. Finals to include a skeet shooting contest

5. AI Gladiators - Pits contenders against muscular gladiators in a series of events, contests, and races. Contestents must sing throughout the competition AND beat the gladiator to win. There will be a free style "cannonball" competiton in the finals.

4. Lumberjack Competition with AI - High performance chainsaws, climbing 40 foot tall poles, long rolling, manual sawing competition, log racing...whats not to like. Lumberjack songs will be the special music for this competition.

3. AI Hunting with Ted Nugent - AI contestents are taken to Ted's ranch and given a foot long Bowie knife and told to go kill something for supper. Songs must be sung to announce the kill. The animal must be brought back to Ted, gutted, skinned, cooked, and eaten. Contestents must sing only Ted Nugent songs. Finals to include appearance by Ozzie Ozborne.

2. AI Raw - This WWE style event will be a series of wresting matches...one-on-one, tag team, and mixed tag team. All teams will be determined by Cactus Jack. Contestents must sing during the match. The goal is to stop your oppenent from singing through any means possible. No holds barred, musical instruments allow in the ring for protection. Special guest referee will be Hulk Hogan.

And the show I would like to see most is..............

1. Deadliest Catch, AI Edition - Crabbers need intertainment too. Competitors are put on crab boats headed for the Bering Sea of Alaska and must work on the deck while singing requests from the crew. Points deducted for not knowing the song. Boat success will be considered in the final score. Finals to include a hot dog eating contest and a complete version of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall."

Stuff Goin' On At My House...

2006-05-24T22:12:00.000-04:00

OK, Ms DumBum ain't your teacher today, I am, and I have a headache and the runs. So I say, time for recess! -----Dewey Finn, School Of Rock

"I see sick people..." That is what I can say now. The boy came home from school and promptly contracted strep throat. He has spent the past couple of days squirreled away in his bedroom. Says he is hurting everywhere. Well, I came home today and he was on his laptop computer (I don't have a laptop). He is too sick to clean his room but even though he is sick, he is well enough for his girlfriend to come visit...sounds fishy to me.

Recently, Little One has had a hard time sleeping. She wakes at least a couple of times each night. Yesterday the doctor said she had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. I said "What the heck is that? Never heard of it before." I find out is is fairly common among little kids. Still, it was new to me. Since Little One has been getting up, Wifey has been getting up too. Needless to say, after getting up at night and being with a whiney "almost" 3 year old, Wifey desreves a break. I do what I can, but it ain't enough. Wifey is a saint when it comes to Little One.

Speaking of sleep, some one told me that once you have kids, you never get a good night's sleep ever again. For us, the last really good night's sleep was in 1983, just prior to #1 son making his appearance. Hello kids...good bye sleep.

Recently Ms. E. gave a poor review of "King Kong" (link). Well some one at my house rented it and we watched in on Sunday. I am here to say Ms. E. was right. After seeing Jack Black as the likeable guy in "School of Rock", it was difficult to buy him as the greedy, bad guy in this movie. Kong took too long to get to the monkey business and that darn monkey was too human...I think he had the hots for Ann Darrow. It reminded me of another epic remake I did not like...Titanic. This movie took to long to get to the iecberg. Remakes keep getting worse and worse. I should have took Ms. E's advice and done something productive instead of sitting through "King Kong". Maybe that is why people are sick at my house....hmmmm.

Some Photos in Giles County

2006-05-22T22:57:00.000-04:00

Pembroke may be small but there are few interesting things to see.

This is the very small Pemborke Public Library. It is my understanding that it once served as a stagecoach stop in the county.

The steeple of an interesting church on the back street.

Here's the church for the steeple.

Looking toward the mountains that contain the Cascades, you call tell that the green has not made it to the top of the mountain.

If all else fails over the weekend, there is always BINGO...

The Boy Returns...

2006-05-22T22:37:00.000-04:00

Classes are over, finals are done, and the boy has returned home from Virginia Tech for the summer. This is not a surprise. He left for VT in the fall, came home on breaks, and/or certain weekends to sweet talk his mother, aka Wifey, into doing his laundry. He would actually start, but never got finished. His attention span is as short as a Tom Cruise romantic fling. Now he is home for the summer.

My first impression was "Where did he get so much stuff?!" He has more stuff than I did after I got married! Nowadays, kids cannot sleep in old-fashioned bunk beds. Now they take lumber and construct lofts in their dorm rooms (see above). Now wonder Lowes and Home Depot are doing so well finanically. Also included in his stuff is a fridge, microwave, TV, lap top computer (better than my desk top computer), XBOX, and clothes. Lots of clothes. Seems like mounds of clothes. This mound would make the Moundbuilders of West Virginia feel ashamed. Doesn't anyone travel light anymore? Not only were there clothes brought home from school, there are still clothes in his closet and dresser.

I ask "Why does the boy not come home? Afterall, its not that far." Seems like he might like a home cooked meal. I remember that college food was not that good and I was always happy to get a home cooked meal from Momma. Well, the boy needs not home cooked meal because the food at VT is great. Just look at the awards...link.

Kids have got it made.

One the positive side, the boy will be working at a local pool and also some at VT.

Seeing all these comforts gives me the urge to go back to school because it would be like living on easy street.

Time At VT

2006-05-17T22:54:00.000-04:00

This week I am spending time at Virginia Tech. Its a week long technical class. This one has been odd because Monday and Tuesday nights was has lecture from 7 pm to 9 pm after being there from 8 - 5!

The class is at the new Inn at Virginia Tech. It is very nice. Lunch there has been first rate. At lunch I have been walking around and checking out the campus. It too is very nice. We spend part of today working in a lab in a brand new building.

I may be beginning to like the school. While there this week, there were several class reunions going on. Alumni seem to come back, they seem to like the school, there seems to be a connection with the school. College for me was a chore...I did not like it and was glad to get out. Maybe if I would have graduated from VT, I would feel different. If I do start liking the school, it will be for the acedemics, and not the athelitics.

"Here's Your Sign" Time

2006-05-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, I was finally able to pick up my pick up for the GMC dealer in Christiansburg. After about 4 weeks in and out of the shop, it was finally blessed and considered by the GMC dealer to be fixed. I swear I will never own another GMC truck. This thing has been a pain in the butt.

When we arrived to get the truck, the first thing I notice was that the right, back tire looked like the air pressure was low. For Pete's Sake! They just took it out of the garage that day...shouldn't someone have notice? Fine, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Later, I did find the air pressure low.

So, I climb in and crank her up (affectionately called Christine after the Steven King car). Crank once, twice, thrice...she does not start! I know she is out of gas. The gas gage says "F" but I know it does not work. I told the mechanic about this...I guess he figured there was enough gas for him.

After a trip to Wal Mart, for a 5 gallon gas can, and Sheetz for gas, I return to try again.

Picture this: I'm standing by the gas tank, driver side door open, gas cap open, holding a red and yellow plastic can, can nozzle in the truck gas tank, gas can tipped up, liquid flowing, and me looking mad and mumbling to myself.

A man comes out of the dealership, looks at me, looks at the truck, looks at the 5 gallon gas can, and processes all this information. Then walks up to me and asks "Run out of gas?"

I wanted to say "Nope, I'm just checking to see if this can will work when I do run out of gas." OR "Nope, I'm practicing for a NASCAR job."

But I finally said "Yep, sure did" and thought to myself HERE'S YOUR SIGN.

If you can think of a good answer for this "Here's Your Sign" question, I would like to hear it.

Phobia

2006-05-10T22:44:00.000-04:00

This is a view a squirrel would see as it runs up on of the walnut trees near my house.

I found out here, that China has a world record ferris wheel. That reminds me that I absolutely hate riding a ferris wheel. I do have a phobia. A ferris wheel is a couch being rotated around a wheel. All that holds you in is a flimsy metal bar. My worst fear is that the seat will become stuck and as the wheel rotates, I will be tossed out...at the top. My only hope is to hold on tigher than K-Fed is holding on to Britney. Another thing just as bad is swinging the seat when stopped at the top!

Back in the day, the travelling carnival would come to town and set up some very unsafe rides. Some of the more exciting rides were called "The Silver Bullet" and the "Rocko Planes". For me these rides were safe because you were strapped into your seat and in a metal cage. The worst that could happen would be the ride fall apart. But heck, I was in a metal cage so I was protected. The most scary ride was the rickety of ferris wheel. Did not ride it then, won't ride one now, and most definitely will not trek to China to ride the monster.

Here are some views I see between Pembroke, VA, and Union, WV.

Paul Bunyon Day

2006-05-07T21:59:00.000-04:00

Saturday, being a nice, sunny day, was a day to get outside, and cut down some dead scrubbery in the yard. At first, I thought I could do this with a manual pruning saw, but after reaching in to cut limbs, getting poked with dead branches, and working up a good sweat on the first bush, I said "what the heck...time to go after something with more power!" It was time to add some fuel, add some oil, and crank up the Stihl.

There is nothing quite like feeling the power of the saw when you pull the trigger, the smell of the burning wood, and the sight of wood chips flying by your head. I am sure my friend John, in Alaska, who cuts a lot of wood, will agree!

In the picture above, there was on dead scrub to the left and 4 to the right of the brown, dead that I left standing. All came out with no problems. Sawed down and hauled away for future burning.

But for some reason, I noticed a bunch of dead ornimental grasses in this scrub. I thought that was odd. I stopped and began investigating and to my surprise, I found a bird nest with a single chick in it. The chick did not even have its eyes open.

Even I have a soft spot for animals, so I left this dead scrub standing. Hopefully, momma will stay on the nest and baby will soon fly away. Whatever happens, I tried to give this baby a chance.

As nice as Saturday was, Sunday was just as dreary.

Just Wondering...

2006-05-06T22:38:00.000-04:00

When I look at the Diversity page for Virginia Tech, I see programs whose focus is " traditionally underserved populations". Included are studies in Africana, American Indian, Asian, Women, and Judiac.

More interesting is Appalachian Studies. Now here is what I am wondering. I was born, raised, and lived in Applachia most of my life. According to the web site, people from Applachia are an underserved population. Does this make me a minority in Tech's eyes and give me an advantage (hillbilly affirmative action) if I were to apply for a job? My employment would have a positive affect because I would add to the diversity of the university.

If yes, I will gladly help them reach there diversity goals and become part of the university administration.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Bridges

2006-05-03T22:12:00.000-04:00

These are not "The Bridges of Madison County", which was a horrible Clint Eastwood movie. Second in poorness only to "Every Which Way But Loose" movies with Clyde the orangutan. Eastwood is best as Dirty Harry and the unshaven cowboy in the spagetti westerns.

These bridges are in Monroe county, West Virginia (top) and Giles county (bottom). Neither has car traffic, but you can walk to each.

Things are back to normal at my house. Wifey and Little One returned on Sunday after a weekend trip into Ohio. I did have a fairly productive couple of days. Got the grass mowed, cleaned the guns, oil changed in the car, watched 4 episodes of "Northern Exposure", and got some sleep.

Northern Exposure captured my attention because it was something I would like to do. A New York doctor has to work in Alaska to repay his med school bill. He lives in the boonies and meets some real interesting people. I more I thought about it, the more I would have like to live it. In my case, the closest I have come to this fantasy is 1 week going from Anchorage, to Homer, to Seward, and back to Anchorage. I am certain a longer stay is in my future. I am trying to convince Wifey of a long term commitment to The Last Frontier.

Weekend Plans...

2006-04-28T18:11:00.000-04:00

An interesting weekend is shaping up at Al's abode. Wifey and Little One left this morning, with Wifey's friend and her friends little one, for a road trip to Ohio to visit family. She plan to return on Sunday.

First let me declare that Wifey is strong and brave. She has made this 6 hour trip alone and she has made it with Little One. Today's trip will have 2 adults and a pair of 3 year old girls. This seems like a mismatch to me. To travel with wee ones, I believe you need a ratio of 5 adults to 1 wee one. That way there can be a driver, a navigator, a sleeper, and 2 to occupy the baby. Wifey is strong, brave, and determined...bless her heart. She goes places with Little One almost every day. I, on the other hand, shiver when asked to take Little One to the Wal Mart in Pearisburg, about 10 minutes away, by myself. However as a consolation, I donate blood and Wifey does not.

With Wifey out of town, its up to me and the two dogs to hold down the fort. There are basically two instances that cause me to spend my time on idle pursuits...1) weekends and 2) when Wifey is out of town. So this is a perfect storm for me.

So, I have set low expectations for myself for the next couple of days. They could (not will) include and oil change for the car, unloading the dishwasher, mowing grass, and feeding the dogs. It will include junk food, watching the NASCAR Talladega race on Sunday, computer time, and hopefully, XBOX face time. And if I sacrifice sleep, maybe I can squeeze in a couple episodes of Northern Exposure, gun cleaning, and listening to some old albums really loud. Yes, albums that are played on a turn table.

So much to do...so little time...gotta go and get started.

Price Gouging

2006-04-26T22:25:00.000-04:00

When you say price gouging, we normally think about gasoline since it has been in the news so much. Under Virginia law (link):

Under a stronger state law that takes effect July 1, the governor and state can move against suppliers who charge "such an unconscionable price" that it creates panic and threatens public welfare.

Well heck, this is so vague anyone could apply it to anything. Who determines if the price is unconscionable? How many people does it take to cause a public panic? I guess the all-knowing government know the answers.

What about a couple of instances I consider price gouging.

1. Soda pop, aka pop. I have noticed that the price of a 20 ounce bottle of pop runs about $1.29. This is a little over half a liter. And a 2 liter bottle runs about $1.49. In my opinion, I am being gouged on the 20 ounce bottle because it is convenient. Plus, companies are switching from 20 ounces to 1/2 liter bottles. Since 1/2 liter is less than 20 ounces, the price should be lower...WRONG...the price stays the same. Therefore, I see an increase in the unit price. This is pretty slick of the pop companies. Same price, less product. Is it Gouging? I my opinion...YES! Is it unconscionable to change the package size and keep the price the same? In my opinion...YES!

2. Potato chips. Since a 50 pound bag of potatoes cost about $5, why does a big bag of Ruffles cost around $5? And I know they can sell for less, because sometimes they go on sale. Slice the potatoes, fry them in oil, and package. It ain't rocket science. But they sure are expensive.

Everyone want to jump on the gas price gouging band wagon. Some make statements for the shock value. People in Congress should know better. Instead of profit, they should talk about profit margin. Plus, I read that gas companies make about 9 cents per gallon. The government takes 20-30 cents per gallon depending on where you live. If the gas companies are gouging the public, just what is the government doing to us?

Competition for tourists...

2006-04-25T22:36:00.000-04:00

Twin Falls State Park near Pineville, West Virginia, looks to bring more tourist traffic to southern West Virginia. Maybe they will stop there and not travel I-77 into southwest Virginia.

Among those developments are a new federal prison in McDowell County, the increasingly popular Hatfield-McCoy Trails system, and construction of the Coalfields Expressway — all indications Twin Falls Resort State Park needs to be prepared for a growing client base among both state residents and out-of-state tourists, officials believe.

It seems there are a finite amount of tourist travelling the area. But everyone is expecting to attract them.

Time will tell.

Wind Farm for Greenbrier county, WV

2006-04-25T22:24:00.000-04:00

There is discussion about a $300 million project to put 124 wind turbines in rural Greenbrier county, West Virginia.

The main sticking point is the killing of bats.

“Some people say that you may be risking a big increase in West Nile Virus if you kill off enough bats,” Schoenfeld told The Register-Herald Monday. “Bats live for a long time and it doesn’t take much to wipe out a whole population.”

Compounding this problem is the fact two endangered species of bats protected by federal laws — the Indiana bat and the Virginia big-eared bat — either reside in Greenbrier County during the summer or potentially could pass through during migration.

Two big concerns: West Nile Virus and Endangered Species. This ain't over yet.

Fire is our friend...

2006-04-23T22:19:00.000-04:00

Most of the time, fire is our friend. We cook and heat with it and it keeps the animals away from our camping sites. However, this is an example of what happens when the fire is too big and too close to the evergreen tree...selective brown-ness.

Between the evergreen trees and a pole barn is my spot for burning the wood and ornamental grasses that I collect through the year. Ornamental grasses are awesome...they burn like a match...hot and fast. After cutting down the grasses, they get hauled to the burn spot. A couple of loads is all that it takes to create a big blaze. The plan is to use the grass to get the remainder of the pile on fire. It works too...kind of like the guy running the 100 yard dash handing the baton off to the 2 mile guy (note that English units were used because its cooler that saying 100 meters and 3000 meters).

The most recent burn was interesting...no wind. The little ashes that take flight and are carried up by the heat were coming back down on my head.

Little One sure enjoys the swing set. It did not take her very long to figure out that going up can be just as fun as going down.

Living on a hill

2006-04-20T21:22:00.000-04:00

The land where I live is not level. Any appearance of levelness has been man-made. This causes 2 problems: 1) mowing the grass is tricky and a chore and 2) there is no flat place to put the playing equipment for Little One. So, we either play on hills or make a flat spot. For our trampoline, we went with the "make a flat spot" option. Because, even with the attached safety net on the trampoline, jumping at an angle would be a bit awkward, not to mention slightly dangerous.

Lucky for me, my neighbor has a BIG, manly toy. Its a John Deere tractor with a front bucket...WOW! He let me borrow it to make my level spot by using brute strength, horsepower, and ingenuity to overcome the clay that had hardened by months of dry, hot weather. Basically, I created a 20 foot square flat place, one tablespoon of dirt at a time, using a bucket that was big enough to hold a small car. But I did not care...I got to play with a BIG John Deere tractor.

The swing set, on the other hand sets in a down sloping area. It has outriggers that make it almost impossible to turn over. I did find out one thing this past summer. Those inflatable pools that are seen almost everywhere and stand about 3 feet high, most definitely need to be on a flat surface. Gravity does still work and pulls all the water downhill to the lowest point.

Fantasy job

2006-04-19T21:32:00.000-04:00

Imagine your fantasy job. What would it be? Try this one.

1. You work for a major auto company, Ford for example.
2. You make good wages, because of the UAW.
3. Suddenly you get laid off
4. Now comes the fantasy part...you keep getting paid and keep your benefits.
5. You can turn down a job with Ford, as an example, if it is over 50 miles away, and keep your pay and benefits.
6. You get paid to read or even learn to deal blackjack
7. There is no limit to the time you can stay in this status
8. What a job!

Guess what? This is a true story. Ford has 1,100 doing this. GM has 14,700!

One provision that may be in Ford’s sights is the Guaranteed Employment Number program, or the Jobs Bank. It is a two-decade-old program that pays workers their full wages and benefits when they are laid off, even if they do not transfer to other plants. Workers have the right to refuse work at plants more than 50 miles from their home base.

The Jobs Bank has paid workers to idle away hours reading or to attend classes on subjects such as dealing blackjack. There is no limit on how long a worker can stay in the program, which includes an estimated 1,100 Ford employees and could cost U.S. auto companies up to $2 billion this year.

“The fact that they can stay in a room and play checkers for the rest of their life is an unbearable burden,” said Peter Morici, a professor of international business at the University of Maryland.

Dimming of the Sun

2006-04-18T22:59:00.000-04:00

This may be the next big scare...the dimming of the sun. As I was channel surfing tonight, I saw this show. All one sided with not rebuttal. Now we cannot win because

Climate researcher James Hansen estimates that "global dimming" is cooling our planet by more than a degree Celsius (1.8°F) and fears that as we cut back on pollution, global warming may escalate to a point of no return.

What? Pollution causes dimming of the sun and causes cooling? Stop pollution and global warming escalates! What the heck is going on?

The Swing Set

2006-04-18T22:21:00.000-04:00

This apple tree is in bloom. Looks like a good year for apples. If the deer do not get them all, maybe some will find their way into fried apple pies...yummy.

We went to Roanoke, Toys-R-Us to get Little One a swing set. I knew I was in trouble when it took 2 fit, young men to load two large boxes into my truck. Needless to say, some assembley was required.

After mowing grass on Saturday, we hit the swing set constuction like Ali -vs- Frazier in the "Thrilla in Manilla". This Thriller has nothing to do with Michael Jackson. There were 2 boxes full of wood planks, screws, bolts, washers, lock nuts, and assorted swings and one slide. I noticed the slide right away and was glad that it was ready. Too bad for me, it was one of the last things to attach. Plus, 24 pages of instructions!

Saturday went fairly well. Wifey helped. We checked and double-checked the directions like a space shuttle launch. It was coming together quite well. Construction had to cease due to darkness and fatigue. Total man and woman hours on day one: 8.

Day two, Sunday, started with me alone. What else was I going to do since there was no NASCAR race to occupy my time. The going was rough, no help meant I had to gather supplies and do the construction. Luck for me I has a cordless drill with an extra battery...no manual insertion of screws!

The final assemble took place in the yard at the chosen site. After the last bolt was tighened, Wifey and I watched as Little One took the maiden voyage down the newly installed slide. She was happy to slide, I was happy it was done. Total man hours day two: 4.

Two days work, 12 hours, and a few curse words later, it was all done. Should be a good summer for all.

Toyota Fever

2006-04-18T22:05:00.000-04:00

The prospects of a Toyota plant near Roanoke has been all the rage for the past couple of day. There is a lot of speculation on where it might go. According to reports, four states are in the running: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Arkansas.

One delegate, Steve Landes make this news to be negative by saying

"The other thing about the automobile industry is it's a very volatile business right now," Landes said. "We're losing the Ford plant in Norfolk. I would think from a business standpoint, localities would be a little bit skittish about the industry in general being that stable. Obviously some of the international companies have done better in the marketplace, but it's not as stable as it used to be."

Volatile business...what business is not volatile. Communities should be skittish because the industry is unstable...there are no guarantees with any business. He harps on stability...what a buzz killer he is.

The Roanoke Times did not get to talk to anyone at Toyota, but the Greensboro News-Record sure did. They say a plant like this would be"economic windfall to the region, bringing high manufacturing wages for hundreds of workers here and attracting dozens of suppliers that would also employ local workers." They are not skittish about this plant.

According to a Toyota spokesman this news is putting the cart ahead of the horse.

"The real key is that we haven't made the decision whether we are definitely going to expand at this time yet," said Dan Sieger, a company spokesman from its Kentucky offices. "We're not even getting into where it would happen if we were to expand. We are looking at sites in a wide variety of states but as a matter of business practice we don't disclose where we're looking."

Toyota is not sure it will be built...don't disclose where they are looking.

Looks like the state is getting all excited about nothing.

Place I Hate To Go

2006-04-14T22:24:00.000-04:00

Wifey, Little One, and I made a trip to Roanoke to get Little One a swing set. Looks like my honey-do list just a little longer for this weekend. My truck, which was in the shop yesterday ran fine on the way to work. But on the way home, that darn "Check Engine Light" came on again. We took it to Roanoke, and it did OK. But I fear something just ain't right.

First stop in Roanoke was Sams. I believe we stop there every time. Second stop was Toys-R-Us, the home of the friendly giraffe. We got the swing set and we were off.

Then came the question from Wifey, "Can we stop at Jo Anne Fabrics, I have to run in and get one thing? You and Little One can stay in the truck." Sounded like it would be quick enough, so I agreed. We stopped, she went in, and Little One and I ate some Fritos.

After she came back with three (NOT ONE) items, I asked for some clarification. I asked: "When you say you need to get one thing, does that mean you know exactly what it is and where it is? Or does that mean you know a general item, say fabric, but you still have to hunt it and then decide which fabric you want?" The answer was that she knew exactly and the other 2 items were found better the check out line and the primary item. Hmmmm, I don't know if I am buying that explanation.

Which bring me to my point. There are some places I hate to go into.

1. Michael's
2. Jo Anne Fabric
3. Baby Clothes stores
4. Wacamaw Pottery (when it was still in Roanoke) or Dixie Pottery (around Bristol, TN)
5. Kohl's

There is nothing to keep me occupied in any of these store!
5.

Truck troubles

2006-04-12T21:12:00.000-04:00

Truck trouble today, but at least it was a cool blue night, with a full moon.

My truck has been in the repair shop a lot this winter. It was there today. The "Check Engine" light was on and the truck had no power. The mechanic said it needed a larger catalytic converter. The current one was a restriction to the exhaust flow.

All fixed, new converter, new converter, and peace of mind...NOT.

We headed for Roanoke about 6 pm. Little One needed a swing set. We were headed for Toys-R-Us, happy as can be. The first mountain between Pembroke and Christiansburg went ok. I thought I noticed something on the second mountain. But it couldn't be. Afterall, I just got the truck out of the shop. Then I saw it...sticking out like a sore thumb...the "Check Engine" light was on AGAIN!

Maybe we could get to Roanoke and back. At least we might try. A stop a Wendy's changed my mind. The truck was now idling rough. Better head back to Pembroke. So we turned back with one very sad little girl.

The truck did horrible on the way back. No power, missing bad, down right poor engine performace.

I dropped Wifey off to get her van while I hobbled to the mechanic. I had to leave it again.

This truck, GMC, has been a lot of trouble.

Off to see the cow...

2006-04-09T22:40:00.000-04:00

Michaels must be the arch enemy of Lowe's. Here women can find all they need for the crafts that they do. In a cruel irony, the Home Improvement store can be seen from this parking lot leaving men to think of what could have been. If you look closely at the Home Improvement when the moon is full, you can see Tony Stewart rear ending an unsuspecting driver.

Saturday was a special day. This was the day that there would be an Easter egg hunt at the local (meaning Christiansburg) Chic-Fil-A. And since Little One had not been to a single egg hunt yet, it was our duty to take her. Off we went seeking fame, fortune, and eggs. Sadly, all we found was eggs.

Starting time was 0930 zulu. We arrive in plenty of time to register. Little One signed up for the 3 and under crowd. I looked, but there was no over 40 group...drats! Lucky for us, the 3 and under group went first. Upon the announcement to commence, the rush of people looked like an immigration demonstration in Los Angles, but I counted and it was closer to 10 kids plus assorted parents. Little kids are deceptive...crowds of them look bigger due to the hyper-activity.

Little One had fun and Wifey and I got to eat before we left, so everyone got something. I did come to understand what a strange place we live in. Little One was hunting plactic (maybe recycled) eggs, at a chicken fast food place, that has a cow for a mascot. No wonder our kids are confused!

Of course our trip would not have been complete without a couple more stops. Today we chose Target, Michaels, and Wal Mart. The only place I went in was Target. There I spotted Northern Exposure, Season 4 still for $40. I will continue to wait and pounce when the time is right just like a duck on a June bug.

While cruising around parking lots, I notice the pedistrians and formulated Al's Rules of Pedistrians.

Rule 1: When crossing a busy highway, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line and the goal is to spend a little time as possible on the highway.

Rule 2: When going from car to store door, or vice versa, the shortest distance is a straight line and the goal is to take that straight line even if you must walk in the road for 1/2 mile. Getting out of the road is not permitted and will result in disqualification.

Rule 3: When in doubt, use rule 2.

It makes me believe people may have a phobia about side walks. However, since you are reading this I know you do not have logizomechanophobia (1). Me, I have automatonophobia (2).

1. fear of computers
2. fear of ventriloquist dummies

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

2006-04-05T22:03:00.007-04:00

According to two recently released reports, Roanoke is a tough place to live.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/59536

In fact, it is the second most dangerous city with a population over 75,000. Richmond was #1.

The mayor does not believe it. He believe the city is safe and the stats are flawed. He says

"It's disturbing that criminal statistics are being reported as reality," Harris said. "Any criminal justice 101 textbook will tell you that criminal statistics are flawed."

AND

"... adding to the confusion and complexity surrounding the issue, he said that some crime statistics for Roanoke are inaccurate and there is a "glitch" in the crime reporting system."

So crime stats are flawed, inaccurate, and there is a glitch in the system. He does not know where the flaw is, but it is there.

Forget the facts and stats, the mayor has a feeling that Roanoke is safe.

I would like to hear Ms. Elenaeous' take on this information.

What's the big deal?

2006-04-05T21:47:00.000-04:00

What's the big deal? Everywhere I looked today, the major news story was that Katie Couric was going from NBC's Today Show to the CBS Evening News. Forgive my lack of concern, but "Who cares?" I certainly don't. In fact, I could not care less.

The evening news anchors are readers of the news...that is it. The news outlets are treating this like its a big deal. Its only a big deal to them.

If I wanted to hear someone read the news...I would pick...James Earl Jones or Martina McBride.

An Amazing Thing Happened

2006-04-04T21:57:00.000-04:00

I did not get to see the eclipse the other day. I best I could manage was this picture of the sun as it passed behind a small cloud. If you look closely, you can see the sun.

Something amazing, according to Wifey, happened at my house tonight. She was truely impressed. We feed out two dogs in the lower level of the house. That is also the place where Little One takes her bath. Since I was not involved in the bath detail, my job was to feed the two mutts. There was a problem. After searching the entire down stairs area, I could only find one of the dog's feeding bowls. Being a male, I had decided that only one dog would eat. And I would get to pick. Sorta like going "thumbs down" on one of the dogs. As a last resort, I asked Wifey. To my surprise, she could not give me the exact location. And she always knows the location of stamps, tape, tools, food, etc. So I knew the bowl was good and lost.

However, she said "Look around. It has to be there." Well, I had looked. But since I was not involved in the bathing of a 2.5 year old and in order not to get involved with the bath while she looked for the bowl, I agreed.

If you saw me looking for something, you would swear I was only walking around looking straight ahead. No scanning left or right, or up and down. Kinda like a Frankenstien's monster imitation. But this time was different. Something shiney caught my eye. And, lo and behold, upon further investigation, it turned out to be the missing bowl. It was sitting on a chair. Little One had put it there earlier in the day.

I announced my find. And Wifey said "I'm amazed." Her tone did not sound amazed, but I took the compliment anyway. Both the dogs got to eat and the whole house was happy. At least for a little while.

Me and Olan

2006-04-03T21:54:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, Wifey, Little One, and I went to see our friend Olan. You may know him. I believe he had the famous quote "A thousand words a worth one picture, and the picture will cost you $9.99 per sheet." Of course our friend is Olan Mills. Maybe he is your friend too.

The appointment was at 4 to take a picture of Little One for Easter. So we let the house at 3:30 (I had to miss the race, but I did manage to listen now and then). Onward to my favorite place - Blacksburg/Christiansburg, aka the Burgs. To my surprise, traffic was very light. It was almost a pleasure driving to K-Mart.

The actual picture taking went fast. I watched the first few then left to get us a drink. I also spent a little time watching the race on a 13" set in the store. Then came the wait. We were waiting to see the pictures. One couple ahead of us. But the signs were bad. The dad was waiting with 2 kids, about 4 and 1 while the Mom picked the pictures.

We waited for what seemed like hours. It is very difficult to occupy a 2.5 year old. Especially when you have to wait in the childrens clothing section...no toys...no hunting/fishing supplies...no power tools...just clothes. I'm sure Wifey thought I was being worse than Little One.

Finally, time to pick the pictures. My job was to watch Little One and make a pick after the non-contender photos had been deleted. I was ready and made my decision without hesitation.

All done, time to go...to Fazolies. Now letting Little One eat spaghetti while wearing a white dress seemed to be a fine idea with me. But I don't buy the clothes for Little One and I don't do the laundry. Wifey was prepared. She changed Little One into something more spaghetti friendly. She is good at these things. It was good she changed, the dress would have been in bad shape.

Finally a run by Target looking for videos. Supposedly, childrens videos were on sale. Buy 2 and get 1 free. Selection was poor. We came out with nothing. However, I did scope out my next video purchase. Season 4 of Northern Exposure. Its about Alaska of course.

Oh, I did manage to hear the final laps of the race. Jeff Gordon was second so it was a pretty good day.

Out of touch inside the Beltway

2006-04-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

I have began to shy away from political comments, especially on the national level. But this one was too good to remain silent on.

It seems a congresswoman from Georgia got into a scuffle with some Capital Hill police.

Members of Congress wear identifying lapel pins and routinely are waved into buildings without undergoing security checks. McKinney was not wearing her pin at the time, and the officer apparently did not recognize her, she has said.

This bothers me a bit. Congress people cannot take the time to go through security! It is part of that "Do what I say, not what I do" attitude.

Anyway, the police stopped her and she struck him.

So who is the victim? The congresswoman of course!

Her lawyer, James W. Myart Jr., said, "Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, like thousands of average Americans across this country, is, too, a victim of the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials because of how she looks and the color of her skin."

Give me a break. Excessive force! She only got a hand on the shoulder. This was not Rodney King treatment. Don't you think the police would stop everyone who by-passed the security check and then would not stop when ordered by the police? I sure hope they would!

Lastly,

"Ms. McKinney is just a victim of being in Congress while black," Myart said. "Congresswoman McKinney will be exonerated."

This is laughable. She is in one of the more elitist clubs in the world and she want me to see her as a victim? Not gonna happen.

She should thank that officer for stopping her and proving that the security works.

Congress people are really out of touch.

Islam Awareness Week at Virginia Tech

2006-03-28T22:14:00.000-05:00

Virginia Tech is having an Islam Awareness Week. Complete with an Awareness Week tent, a presentation entitled "What Would Mohammed Do?" (I wonder where they got the idea for this presentation?). What will the resident Islamic scholar address:

The main areas he will be addressing are oppression, terrorism, women's rights, human rights, violence, and discrimination.

This is the same religion that was planning to execute a man because he converted to Christianity!

Plus, if you are interested, you can attend the local Mosque.

I understand that the Muslims are allowed to do this because it is their right. However, I look forward to reading about "Southern Baptist Awareness Week" in the near future.

Dennis Prager has an interesting take on this religion.

Anyone else sees the contemporary reality -- the genocidal Islamic regime in Sudan; the widespread Muslim theological and emotional support for the killing of a Muslim who converts to another religion; the absence of freedom in Muslim-majority countries; the widespread support for Palestinians who randomly murder Israelis; the primitive state in which women are kept in many Muslim countries; the celebration of death; the "honor killings" of daughters; and so much else that is terrible in significant parts of the Muslim world -- knows that civilized humanity has a new evil to fight.

I'd like to hear the explanations for these issues.

Termination Dust

2006-03-28T22:05:00.000-05:00

Termination dust means different things to different people. My friend John, in Fairbanks, Alaska, will tell you that termination dust is the first snowfall of the season and it is a sign that winter is just around the corner.

However, here in Virginia, when I see termination dust on Angel's Rest, in Giles county, I consider it to be the final snow fall of the season and that Spring is just around the corner.

Bad Part of Town

2006-03-28T21:42:00.000-05:00

This is the bridge that crosses the New River at Ripplemead, just east of Pearisburg. It is a very nice 4-lane bridge. However, there is a problem. This area can be used as a hang out for some people. And most of us know that where ever kids are you have the potential for a couple of things. Drinking and grafetti.

It seems that Giles county has a group of people that believe any large vertical surface is fair game for messages...aka grafetti. As you can see below, some are not very nice. I am sure we have our share of trouble making kids in Giles county, but it is a shame to see this bridge used for hateful messages and stupid drawings.

Just Desserts

2006-03-26T13:37:00.001-05:00

Mom did not go to college, but she was an expert in nutrition, metabolism, and psychology. I still carry most of what she taught me. Especially my craving for desserts after a supper.

Mom was a stay-at-home-mom. This meant that supper was home-cooked and regular. Plates were filled from the pots and pans on the stove. Occasionally, mainly for Sunday dinners, food was set on the table. But the majority of time, Mom did the food gettin'. This is where her knowledge became valuable.

Mom knew which combination of foods to cook for the daily nutrition of growing boys. Pork chops/apple sauce/corn, Buzz-buttered steaks/fried potatoes/rolls, spaghetti/salad/rolls, hot dogs/fries/cole slaw, brown bean/corn bread/fried squash, etc. Each was a great combination.

Mom also knew how much of each food a growing boy's stomach could hold. She prepared each plate. Sometimes, seconds were requested, but most times she got the amounts just right.

And for the times I did not feel like finishing my meal (very few times), she used the following psychological technique, "Clean your plate if you want dessert." Dessert? Of course I wanted dessert. It didn't matter what it was. I wanted it. However, even this technique failed to work on liver. Yuck...liver. Could not eat it then, will not touch it now.

Desserts could be store bought cookies, jello with marshmallow, homemake candy (rice crispy candy, corn flake candy, or preacher cookies), homemade pie or cake, etc. It was all good!

Today we joke about have an RC and a Moonpie. But my choice would be a Little Debbie and a Mountain Dew.

Thanks to Mom, I enjoy, maybe even crave, desserts after supper.

Road Trip, Again...

2006-03-19T22:04:00.000-05:00

Time again for our regular weekend trip to Blacksburg/Christiansburg. But, to my surprise it was enjoyable. Probably for a couple of reasons: 1) no crowds, 2) I knew the agenda before we left, and 3) no shopping! Not even a Wal Mart visit!

The main purpose was to eat. With that in mind, Wifey told me to eat light because we were going to have something special. After my mind got out of the gutter, she said it was ice cream and the place was "Cold Stone Creamery". After a light supper at Fazoli's (no crowd there) it was on to get ice cream.

Cold Stone Creamery was good! I had this. It was mixed right in front of me. The portion was big and the price the same. I will not go there every time I go to the BURGS, but I will definitely visit again.

2006-03-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

I like things Alaskan. I want to live there some day. While on a trip to San Diego (a nice place to visit, but I would not want to live there), we ate at a place called "Claim Jumpers". The food was good and they had this beer. I wanted to take it out of the place unopened, but the waitress said they did not have the proper license. So she had to open it. I tried it but did not like it. I did like the bottle so I kept it. If I get the chance, I will buy a six pack.

On The Road Again...

2006-03-17T22:05:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a business trip. I left on Tuesday and got back on Friday.

Take a look at some of the places I visited. The photo at the bottom of this post will tell you exactly where I was.

I made some observations during my cross country trip. First, it seems to me that people care little about their appearace. Especially young people. This comes from a boy who use to wear polyester. I saw kids in beat up jeans and wrinkled t-shirts who were wearing old flip-flops. They looked like they should be lined up outside begging. Instead they were making airline flights. Sweat pants were seen often, blue jeans were on 95% on the people in the airport, young and old. What really caused me to shake my head is disbelief were business men wearing nice shirts and sport coats AND faded blue jeans and tennis shoes. Is this the new style for business men?

I think you should be comfortable when travelling. BUT...have some pride in appearance!

Second is the techno-revolution. Many people walking through the airport on their cell phone. Some with the new phone the attaches to your ear. Also common were PDAs and i-pods. The guy sitting next to me on one flight had it all...cell phone, PDA, and i-pod. How did we survive without all this stuff?

Travel...got to have the gadgets if you want to look cool.

Here is where I went.

Mountain Justice at VT

2006-03-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Living in southwest Virginia (and southern West Virginia), we are aware that coal is our friend. We should all we can to promote it as an energy source. Sure its a dangerous job. Yes its a dirty job. But for now, that is how we must get it out of the ground. Driving on the road is dangerous too. Coal put me through school. I appreciate all that coal miners do for us.

All this being said, I was surprised to see a sight called Mountain Justice at Virginia Tech. Part of their mission is

is to educate ourselves and our community on the effect the coal industry has on Appalachia and the world, particularly with regards to Mountain Top Removal;

and

and to stand in solidarity with those most directly affected by the coal industry.

I recoginze their right to gather and voice their opinion about mining and mountain top removal. But to do it in the heart of the coal fields seems anti productive. My guess is that the members are kids who grew up far away from Blacksburg, have not seen a piece of coal, have not seen a coal mine, do not know any miners, and are unaware of coal's importance to the two Virginias.

They are welcome to protest as much as they please, but I, for one, would like to hear some alternatives. Because, a good engineer never takes a problem to his superior unless he has at least one solution. Same goes for Mountain Justice at VT.

Congressional Manners

2006-03-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

I read this editorial in the Roanoke Times and had to chuckle. They are against Line Item Veto because:

The constitution places taxing and spending decisions in the legislative branch, where careful consideration of priorities and negotiation between competing interests lead to compromise. A president who could revive surgically chosen parts of a bill for reconsideration would undermine that intent and the trust necessary for good-faith negotiations between lawmakers.

Two things strike me. One, my understanding of a veto is to take out items not revive them as is suggested. And two, does any one believe Congress uses careful consideration and negotiation to reach a compromise? My perception is that they use back room deals, threats, knock down drag out fights, back stabbing, bribs, scratch-my-back-and-I'll-scratch-yours, cheating, etc in order to get money for their district and could care not care less if the money is better spent in a different district. Its every man for himself with an eye cast toward the next election. Careful consideration my foot!

Sunrise and Glasses

2006-03-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

This was a colorful sunrise on Wednesday. It was the same sunrise seen over at View from the Mountain. Looks similar, but the vantage points are probably 50 miles apart.

Wifey and I recently had eye exams. New prescription glasses were in our future. She opted for reading glasses. I chose a set of glasses and a set of sunglasses. I like to think the sunglass are Richard Petty-ish. I can still read without my glasses without total arm extension.

Due to my vanity, my previous set of glasses were no line bifocals. I could not have that bifocal circle alerting everyone that I was falling apart, eyes first. I did not like those glasses at all. The sweet spot for the bifocal was still a small circle. I would have to nod my head from side-to-side and up-and-down to be sure I was looking through the sweet spot. This drove me wacky. My next bifocals will have the noticeable spot. My new motto: function over style.

I decided that eye exams should be done at night and not on a sunny day with snow on the ground. We I went outside after being dilated (in a manly manner), my eyes hurt. Those plastic sunglass the doctor furnished only made me look like a dork.

If dilated at night, I would not need those dorky glasses. Plus, I would have the vision of a cat! I will try to get my next appointment at night.

Glasses are no that bad. I told Wifey not to worry because "Boys DO make passes at girls who wear glasses!"

Night Moon and Dogs

2006-03-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

A full moon and a cloudy night made for an interesting photo as the moon rose over the mountain across from my home. The streaks near the bottom are cars on Route 460.

These are the two dogs that live at my house. Each is about 80 pounds. The black dog is lucky to be alive. When we lived in Edinburg, VA, we had a long driveway. Every evening when I would come home from work, the dogs would run beside the truck and bark. Wifey told me to "slow down, you are going to hit them." My response was "they will move." Well...one day they were chasing the truck like normal, then the brown dog nipped at the back legs of the black dog...black dog shot out in front of the truck...I was maybe going 30 mph...then thump...thump...I ran over him with both tires!

He got up and ran to the porch. After a visit to the vet, it was determined there was nothing broken but he would be sore for a few weeks...Ya Think! He healed fine, but I believe is out to get me. Black dog was a lucky dog that day.