February 24, 2008

Housewarming Party

Grab a six pack, or a bottle, and follow me.

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Posted by That 1 Guy at 01:16 PM l Meet Fluffy (0)

February 16, 2008

Gifts

I just mailed off a wedding card... had a hell of a time trying to get them a gift. Macy's, Target, Sears... none of them had what I was looking for.

Why don't folks register with a liquor store?

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February 12, 2008

Elsewhere

Comments are back (sometimes), but I'm not...

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February 11, 2008

Fluffy

I'm kinda tired of Fluffy shittin' all over. I'm outta here...

'Course, by that, I mean that I'm going to my old house for awhile.

At least until someone puts that mutt down...

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39

Jen Aniston

Mmmmmmmm.....

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February 10, 2008

Mo's B-Day

Today is the birthday of Mo, sister of Bou. Bou has a great post up for her. Unfortunately, munu comments no longer appear to be available.

So instead, I'll just wish Mo a very Happy Birthday here!

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Faith in Humanity?

It is not wise, to go, on a Sunday afternoon, to the world that Walton built.

Any liking I've developed for folks has been shot to hell.

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February 09, 2008

Shopping

Never go grocery shopping when you're hungry.. Sage avdice. That's cool, but who giveth the advice? A wise man, or the herb? Or was this bit of wisdom the result of ingestion of an herb?

Let me further suggest to you: Never go grocery shopping when you're hungry OR THIRSTY.

Just a handy bit of counsel as I sit here drinking large glasses of gin and grapefruit jice, and chowing down on this, and also this. Yeah, you read that second one right... Cherrry and Chili. Lemme tell you that this shit rocks.

I don't believe I will inteniotnally buy anymore tanqueray. Not that it's bad, but I've experienced something I never did with Sapphire or Stellar. Too much gin in your glass is not a bad thing, with those two beverages. Well, I don't really think it's too bad when you accidentally poir too much tanqueray, either...

I've just never drank a doctor's office before...

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February 07, 2008

Wordishness

For Navy CPO, who, in addition to celebrating his 1000th visitor, is contemplating rehab.

Sweary bits included

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February 04, 2008

HEY!!! Update

Well, the error wasn't an SS issue, or anything interesting like that. I had to go back through all of my check stubs, but I finally found where it occurred.

My company has never paid for moving anyone before. This "error" was a part of that. Basically, they "paid" me an amount that, after taxes, would leave me with my allowance amount... which was originally going to be cash.

It's all straightened out, now, but it cost me a good part of Friday night trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Again, if you don't save your check stubs, you should rethink that...

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February 03, 2008

Delirious?

Didn't sleep much last night. Not sure why, other than my brain never shut off. I'm not saying that it ever actually engaged... it was just stuck in the "ON" position.

Today, they're calling for rain. I type this as the sunlight blasts through my blinds. There are plenty of clouds in the sky, so there's a decent chance that it will happen later... it rained off and on for most of the night. Normally, that's relaxing...

I lay awake for long periods of time last night, just thinking. I'd been over to Eric's site, earlier, and he always seems to make folks think. Well, think and wonder. Whereas, I just tend to make folks wonder. Anyway, I was thinking about a post he had written about his dad and lessons he taught, and I got thinking of my childhood... and then my thoughts really started to wander.

While pondering lessons learned as a youngster, the rain falling steadily, I found myself thinking of the hog barn and the sows farrowing. And then the radio playing softly in the background, to keep the hogs at ease. The radio was set to WMAQ, 670 AM... and this was long before it became talk radio. It was still country at that time. "WMAQ is gonna make me rich!!!" They also played the White Sox games on air.

All night long, someone would be out in that barn, with the Statler Brothers, Dolly Parton, Crystal Gayle, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and other country "greats" sharing the warm smells of fresh straw and newly hatched piglets. The last year we did this, I remember "Every Which Way but Loose" was a hit... Eddie Rabbitt.

Now I'm thinking of the rabbits that we used to raise. Both for meat and show. Ma used to do some serious butchering on some rabbits. She and my pa had fined tuned it, and when Pa passed away, it didn't slow her much. Skinning and butchering were an art form.

Same with ducks and chickens (I thought I'd blogged it before, but I can't find it)... you get her and my (third) cousin's ma together, and they were a force to be reckoned with. (Yeah, that's a preposition hanging there...) They'd have tiles, field tiles (which are round tubes), standing on end... that was to bleed them out. Cut a head off, stuff'em in a tile, cut a head off, stuff'em in a tile. Next thing you know, they'd have'em dunked (in boiling water) and plucked. Then cut and gut... washed out, bagged, and you've got chicken in the freezer. 'Twas an impressive sight...

Ma and a good friend of hers also set up another disassembly line, once those little piglets got older. CASTRATION. One held the little boar wannabe, while the other sliced, stitched, and disinfected. Luckily, there was no saving of the oysters. I remember listening to the squeals of the little bastards, and then, once they were put down to go on their way, the new barrows walking away like nothing had happened.

I thought I heard thunder, but I can't tell if that's a train, or if it really is one of the gods whimpering. (The gods aren't nearly as vocal, out here, as they are back home.) But the thunder gets me jamming on one of my all time favorite tunes. I've been listening to this album alot, lately. It's a great way to jumpstart your day.

Now Eddie Rabbit is back... and I'm stuck with his tune. It's not a bad song, but c'mon... jumping between Slayer and Rabbitt? Raining Rabbits...

What the hell was the point of this yammering??? Oh yeah, I didn't sleep much. Perhaps I'm a little delirious. I don't know.

Eddie Rabbitt. Slayer. My Ma... the Rabbit Slayer.


Thank you for attending this morning's services. Don't forget to pay me your tithes and offerings.

Cookies will do, too...

Second thought: Maybe the message of this post was, "Don't jack with my ma. You'll be cut up and in the freezer before you know you're dead."

And maybe not...

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February 02, 2008

Saturday

It's Saturday. That's pretty much like any other day, except that it's got Satur. That's usually a good thing, and it has proven so today.

I should be out and about, but I'm not. I'm cleaning... by typing.

Anna sent me an article about the Berkeley bullshit, that had me trying to find words to put together a post. As Tammi pointed out, Mike the Marine says it best... so much for my description of Code Pink slapfights driving back our enemies.

Damn... I'm seriously craving some molasses cookies. I ran over to the store, and bought some Pepperidge Farms Soft Molasses cookies. They're good, but not my great grandma's cookies. I'm seriously jonesing for some that are just like Grandma's...

Meantime, I'll just eat what's left of the bag. Just so they don't go to waste. Ditto the bag of Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies that have somehow made their way here. (I saw "Dark Chocolate," and I blacked out.)

Ah, suppose I better go back to cleaning... and drinking beer. And eating cookies. And reading blogs.

Gott, I'm a lazy bastard...

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February 01, 2008

Stink

Whoa!!!

I just found a container, in my lunch box, that had held tuna helper. It's been in there for a little over a week. I knew it was going to be nasty, but I had no idea what to expect. Criminy...

As I popped the lid (it smelled like a frickin' litterbox, just after Toonces had dropped a duece), I had a revelation: cat shit reeks the way it does because of fish... especially tuna.

'Course, then I realized that I was overthinking it, and that cat shit stinks because it's shit...

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January 31, 2008

HEY!!!

Here's a tip that is actually useful... rather than the other "tips" I post.

Do you keep your paycheck stubs, as you should? You may want to check something out. And if you don't save your stubs, for Gott's sake, do it!!!

Paychecks in our company are administered through ADP, so they are nice and tidy, no confusion. You've got earnings, and deductions, giving you your net pay. I check mine each week to make sure they're correct. However, I don't usually check the YTD amounts... something that is changing.

I had started to fill out my 1040 today, when I realized, I haven't gotten my W-2, yet. I got someone else's, but not mine. That's not a problem. However, once I got started, I wanted to figure out roughly what I would get back, so I grabbed my last pay stub of '07.

Looking at the YTD amount, I knew something was wrong. I added up all of the YTD earnings for Regular, Overtime, Bonus, Double Time, and Holiday, and discovered a minor error. 10g's, in error. And HIGH...

Sooo... that means that had I not noticed this, and if the amount is the same on my W-2 (which I'm sure it is), I would end up paying in nearly 2 grand for taxes... when I should be getting that much back... as they only took taxes out for what the earnings actually are.

I guess I could have saved you the time that it took to read all of that, to say this:
Save your check stubs, and check your last check of the year against your W-2's. Do some math, and possibly, save some cash.

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January 28, 2008

My GPS

Just before my house finding trip out here, my Ma picked up a Garmin c330 Street Pilot. That thing was sweet! I wasn't stuck driving 'til it looks right (which is more exhausting than you can know), and we got here with no problems. Finding gas stations, restaurants or hotels was a breeze.

My Ma has been traveling up to Madison quite a bit, and I told her that this would be a great way to learn the area. She agreed. And, of course, I was right. She thought it such a great idea, that she bought me one so that I could learn my way around here. And it's come in handy.

When I got the thing, I just followed the quick start up, and got it running. I never really explored the thing until I was downloading updates for it, and I saw "voice update." So I did a quick check, and sure enough, there was a selection of languages, both vocal and text. I noticed one that said, "British English." I chose that, and I've been driving around with the damn thing on, everywhere I go.

To the bank, 2 miles away. To the store, just around the corner. Even to work. I can't hope to get lost going to these places, but I take it anyway. I hear and obey...

Read More "My GPS" آ»

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Design

I'm liking this new job. The people are cool, the company is successful, and the owner and management take care of you. They're real folks, and they really do care. But they've got a different way of getting things done...

I've jokingly referred to it as "building a house to fit a door." They are trying to incorporate new ideas, and add new products, but their order in setting things up has been... strange, to say the least. It works out, but, as the pirate with the steering wheel in his pants says, "Yaaarrrrr... It's driving me nuts." Though I meant the "house" comment figuratively, today it became quite literal.

We got in a shiny new ladder on Friday, of the type that is usually attached to walkways, platforms and catwalks. Today, I was asked to check out the ladder, and then take a look at the machine where it was to be mounted. I was talking with a maintenance man, and it soon became apparent that there is nothing to attach it to. Not that we would have to install brackets and mounts that were on the way... I mean, we were asked to design a catwalk and platforms to go with the ladder.

What the fuck, over???

Maintenance guy looks at me and asks, "What do you think?" And before I could stop myself, I told him that it was the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Luckily, he laughed and agreed.

I've heard of building to suit, but this is frickin' nuts...

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January 27, 2008

103, Feverish

My last remaining blog faddah, Harvey, has torn himself away from his other blog long enough to tag me with another stupid meme... one that claims you have no life if you've seen 85 of these movies.

I've seen it before, and ignored it, but being the outstanding blogson that I am, I decided that I'd do it for the old bastard.

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GPS

Tammi, who is directionally challenged... severely, was gifted with a Garmin. While she's ecstatic, she's also a bit concerned that she'll run a bit low on blog fodder, now. I don't think she needs to worry...

Hopefully, she doesn't blindly follow its directions...

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January 26, 2008

Jealous

It's a beautiful day here in central California. Local warming has brought the temps into the mid sixties, and there's a nice breeze blowing. 'Tis a good day to get out and about, or if not, at least have the windows open. I've done both.

Other folks have had the same thoughts as myself... all day long I've been hearing the pleasant roar of motorcycles going by, most of them heading down Herndon Avenue, a mile away. And while I was running errands, I got to see a couple of large groups

Head east on any east/west street in this town, and you'll see some decent shots of the mountains. Currently, their peaks are covered in snow, and there is a dusting of snow down into the foothills. From what I've heard, the snow doesn't usually come down this far. I'm appreciating the fact that it has.

As I said, east/west streets have some great views, but my favorites are Gates and Herndon. One of these days, I'll remember to take my camera with me to get a shot or two for you folks... maybe even roll some video, Eric-style. You'll be envious.

Envious... that kinda brings me back to the whole point of this post.

So I'm listening to these bikes, and I can't help but feel a little covetous. After all, my bike is back in 'sconsin. And it will be awhile afore it makes its way out here. (Not to mention, the whole deal with those bastards at the DMV. Nyah, nyah, to them... I've still got my Illinois license, which is good 'til July.) Damn, I miss that thing...

It's been on weighing on my mind lately. I've seriously thought of selling the beauty and using the money to help buy a house. But the more I think on it, the less I feel I can do it. I feel... actual pain.

That bike has been with me for damn nigh onto 12 years. I got it in July of '96 (a couple of pics below the fold), and have put about 52k on it, and most of that was in the first 8 years. These last few, I've not had a chance to ride it much.

That bike has been out to Sturgis a few times, and has been on some incredible rides. Heheheh... you may remember one of them down to Tennessee. It's been ridden through Wisconsin winters, and Midwestern deluges, Illinois hailstorms and western deserts. I remember parking it so that I could check in to a hotel, and looking out to see it rolling backwards, blown by the gusting winds that had forced me to stop for the day. I've never hit the thousand mile day, but it's been close many times.

When it comes down to it, I don't think that it's possible for me to get rid of that bike. I think I'd be getting rid of a piece of me. And, while I can't say that I remember the first time, any time I've lost part of me, it's not felt good. I'm not about to embrace masochism.

Ride on, those of you who are lucky enough to be out there. I'll be joining you in a couple of months.

Until then, I'll be insanely jealous...

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January 25, 2008

My Way

There are many ways to skin a cat. The important thing to remember is that you end up with a worthless pelt and a dead cat, no matter how it's done.

I could stand to remember that.

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January 24, 2008

Fiery

Reviews like the one for this Absinthe bring a smile to my face...

And a bit of daring, to my heart. Now, to get it here... (not to mention, have someone pay for it.)

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January 23, 2008

Super Power

Stolen from Richmond, my super power:






























Bet you didn't see that coming! Gott, I crack myself up...

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January 21, 2008

A Review

It's been awhile since I've posted a review on beer or an alcoholic nectar. Well, I've got a couple of minutes, so I thought I'd hook you up. A beer drinker's wine review.

Tonight's beverage of choice is Blackstone Pinot Noir, and it comes in a bottle that seems to empty rather quickly. 'Course, most folks don't drink wine by the pint glass.

I'll skip the stupid aroma and taste shit, and just tell you this: This is good shit, Maynard.

Buy it, or die...

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January 20, 2008

Fleece

One of things that I hate about a shared laundry room is having to empty the lint traps of the dryers. Not that I hate emptying them after I use them, but before I use them. Especially when you find what looks like a small pet residing there. As I did this morning.

Seriously, not every week, but almost every other week, I find a trap packed with hair. It skeeves me out. I try to imagine that whoever used it just washed a dog blanket (from a severely shedding poodle), and didn't throw in the towel that they used while dethatching nether regions.

I may have an over active imagination, though. Seems that there's a perfectly good explanation for the woolen remains... actual clothing made from hair.

I feel a lot better now...

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