Well global warming struck again last night and the global warming fairie dropped an inch and a half on my place. Talk about slick. The last snowfall dropped about 10 or 11 inches and the road out front was snow packed for a couple of days. It froze into a lumpy mass of ice. At least it was navigable but then came the city. They decided that for the first time since I have lived here they should send a plow down my road. We came out to find two foot masses of ice frozen in place in front of the driveways and around the cars parked along the road making it impossible to move most of the vehicles here without a great deal of backbreaking work. Brilliant! The funniest part of it is the surface they left behind. Where we had a rough but drivable surface there was now a nice smooth inch or two thick layer of ice. The sound of shovels chipping away down the block bore testimony to the work left behind. I of course was not about to shovel out. We had anticipated what was to come.We had moved the Buick up to the top of our driveway. Our driveway has a top. Both houses on either side have a flat driveway but our house sits on a hill in between. So to enter you have to turn in a rather narrow two lane street and aim up this five foot rise. A terror in the snow and ice. But I have "Jolly Green". My old green Dodge pickup "Jolly Green" has a small lift and 30" mud tires on 4x4 axles with limited slip diffs. It goes up and down the drive when not much else will make it. Even the delightful mass of ice the city left behind that stops my neighbors cars is nothing more than a bump. It's sad to watch them fight over the lump left in their driveway then slidding sideways down the street. Not really!
If you're going to talk about Topeka streets dept. you have to be prepared to talk stupid. We had a big discusion last year about increasing taxes so that the potholes from the global warming of the last winter could be fixed. They eventually got the tax they so fervently desired. And we got temporary patches. Before I became an Electronic tech I made asphalt highways so I know temporary when I see it. We also got more obstacles on the street. They call them islands and roundabouts. Supposedly we wanted these things. But if you look at them this summer and check out the amount of rubber on them you'll see that there is no way those people who ran into them enjoyed it. I also have two friends who laid down bikes by running into these stupid things at night. The roundabouts have an apron that looks just like a wide sidewalk around them and no reflective curbs so they are very hard to see in low light hence all the rubber and the bike crashes. Also most people don't know how to navigate them. I just avoid them.
Well we have some holes developing that give my old truck a pretty good bump. It will be interesting to see what sort of song and dance the city does to get more money out of us "to fix the potholes". It'll also be fun to watch and see what new obstacles they build with the money instead of really fixing holes.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
The ultimate Deterent.
Okay so some idiot from Nigeria who was living in a million dollar apartment in London went and tried to set off a bunch of explosives on a plane coming into Detroit. I predicted it. "Herb you're not going to say that you knew there would be an attack!" Well yes I am, we all knew it, we just didn't know that attack would be so lame. Thank God it was. And let's hear it for that Dutch guy!!
We knew there would be an attack during the Christmas Holiday. As much as we do to disguise the fact that the Holidays we are celebrating during the end of the year are Hanukkah and Christmas the Islamics still know what they are. Look at how they attack each other during Islamic holidays from other sects. A bunch of Sunnis just set off a bomb during a Shiite celebration in Pakistan. So why would we think that no one would try something during Christmas.
Our Commander in Chief took time out from his Hawaiian Holiday to appear and quell our terror and assure us that he and Janet Nepolitano are on the job. Be still and calm we all should rest easy knowing that Barak Hussein Obama and Janet Nepolitano are guarding the country. I listened to our Pres talk about what was being done to see to it that this doesn't happen again. All things that I would expect. Yeah sure they are going to check and see how the explosives got through They are also going to check and see how a Nigerian fellow can go from a London mosque to Yemen and become a disciple of a radical Mullah and be so radicalized that his father called the authorities and plead with them to keep an eye on his jihadist son made it onto a plane with those explosives. I'm sure that there will be more Sky Marshall's out there on planes. But the fact is that this fellow did get through and he did bring explosives and when he did try to blow up a plane the FBI wasn't there, the CIA was not there, neither Homeland security nor Janet Nepolitano nor Barak Obama were there. It took an on the ball Dutch guy to defend the plane from the terrorist.
When the events of 9/11/01 took place my wife and I went to St. Josephs church here in Topeka and spent a couple of hours in the Adoration Chapel before Our Lord. Shortly thereafter we went to a convention in Chicago. We flew. While we were there the Sears tower was closed but I found the next tallest building. It had a bar at the top so I went up. I sat down and ordered a Goose Island beer all just to, in my own way, give all terrorists a single finger salute. I, being the gregarious fellow I am given to easy discourse with any friendly soul in the vicinity, found a couple nearby doing the same thing. The bar was nearly empty but here we were a small group, in our own way flipping off, Al Queda.
I still fly a St James Moorslayer flag on my flagpole.
I believe that no matter what we ask our federal government to do they cannot assure our safety. Frankly life is not safe, in the end you WILL die. When we look to the government to ensure our personal safety we turn over a considerable amount of freedom for that safety. This is the sole reason why I will no longer fly. When you step into the cabin of that airplane you turn over your safety almost entirely to the stewardess, assuming that there are no marshalls aboard. Once upon a time I was allowed to carry my big ol swiss army knife with all the tools on it. Now an Irish Catholic with a swiss army knife seems to be an enemy of the state. I am one of those who believes that all people have the right to provide for their own safety. Having been through five typhoons, two tidal waves a couple of earthquakes a bunch of bar fights several bike and car crashes, a big north sea storm and being used as bait for the Red Brigade and the Bulgarian Secret Police among other things I tend to keep several things in my pocket. Among these are a Rosary, some meds, an inhaler and a leatherman or a swiss army knife. And when I'm out and around usually a .22Lr or .380Acp pistol. Of course I don't intend to take my .357 mag or my .380 Acp on any plane but for heavens sake what is wrong with my leatherman?
But getting back to my point I will have a hard time taking over anyplace with my leatherman if there are a couple of others there with the same equipment who say I can't. How did we the proud free people we once were descend into the place where we now look to the likes of Obama and Nepolitano to protect us from harm and provide us with security.
No matter what Those fine people who work so hard for our safety do we are never safe. It's a fact. Only God can give life and God says when it ends. In the mean time God expects us to take care of ourselves if possible and to watch over our neighbors. With all the provisions taken and all the sfety measures in place ther will always be the unexpected. I for one intend to maintain my ability to expect and provide for the unexpected. It's my responsibility.
Viva Christo Rey!
We knew there would be an attack during the Christmas Holiday. As much as we do to disguise the fact that the Holidays we are celebrating during the end of the year are Hanukkah and Christmas the Islamics still know what they are. Look at how they attack each other during Islamic holidays from other sects. A bunch of Sunnis just set off a bomb during a Shiite celebration in Pakistan. So why would we think that no one would try something during Christmas.
Our Commander in Chief took time out from his Hawaiian Holiday to appear and quell our terror and assure us that he and Janet Nepolitano are on the job. Be still and calm we all should rest easy knowing that Barak Hussein Obama and Janet Nepolitano are guarding the country. I listened to our Pres talk about what was being done to see to it that this doesn't happen again. All things that I would expect. Yeah sure they are going to check and see how the explosives got through They are also going to check and see how a Nigerian fellow can go from a London mosque to Yemen and become a disciple of a radical Mullah and be so radicalized that his father called the authorities and plead with them to keep an eye on his jihadist son made it onto a plane with those explosives. I'm sure that there will be more Sky Marshall's out there on planes. But the fact is that this fellow did get through and he did bring explosives and when he did try to blow up a plane the FBI wasn't there, the CIA was not there, neither Homeland security nor Janet Nepolitano nor Barak Obama were there. It took an on the ball Dutch guy to defend the plane from the terrorist.
When the events of 9/11/01 took place my wife and I went to St. Josephs church here in Topeka and spent a couple of hours in the Adoration Chapel before Our Lord. Shortly thereafter we went to a convention in Chicago. We flew. While we were there the Sears tower was closed but I found the next tallest building. It had a bar at the top so I went up. I sat down and ordered a Goose Island beer all just to, in my own way, give all terrorists a single finger salute. I, being the gregarious fellow I am given to easy discourse with any friendly soul in the vicinity, found a couple nearby doing the same thing. The bar was nearly empty but here we were a small group, in our own way flipping off, Al Queda.
I still fly a St James Moorslayer flag on my flagpole.
I believe that no matter what we ask our federal government to do they cannot assure our safety. Frankly life is not safe, in the end you WILL die. When we look to the government to ensure our personal safety we turn over a considerable amount of freedom for that safety. This is the sole reason why I will no longer fly. When you step into the cabin of that airplane you turn over your safety almost entirely to the stewardess, assuming that there are no marshalls aboard. Once upon a time I was allowed to carry my big ol swiss army knife with all the tools on it. Now an Irish Catholic with a swiss army knife seems to be an enemy of the state. I am one of those who believes that all people have the right to provide for their own safety. Having been through five typhoons, two tidal waves a couple of earthquakes a bunch of bar fights several bike and car crashes, a big north sea storm and being used as bait for the Red Brigade and the Bulgarian Secret Police among other things I tend to keep several things in my pocket. Among these are a Rosary, some meds, an inhaler and a leatherman or a swiss army knife. And when I'm out and around usually a .22Lr or .380Acp pistol. Of course I don't intend to take my .357 mag or my .380 Acp on any plane but for heavens sake what is wrong with my leatherman?
But getting back to my point I will have a hard time taking over anyplace with my leatherman if there are a couple of others there with the same equipment who say I can't. How did we the proud free people we once were descend into the place where we now look to the likes of Obama and Nepolitano to protect us from harm and provide us with security.
No matter what Those fine people who work so hard for our safety do we are never safe. It's a fact. Only God can give life and God says when it ends. In the mean time God expects us to take care of ourselves if possible and to watch over our neighbors. With all the provisions taken and all the sfety measures in place ther will always be the unexpected. I for one intend to maintain my ability to expect and provide for the unexpected. It's my responsibility.
Viva Christo Rey!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Here I am.
So here I am again. I started a blog some time ago but I never did keep up with it. My friends say I should continue to write. Since I've been writing all of my thoughts and sending them to my friends in their email who knows if any of them get saved. I'm sure that the world will go on as it has without any great tragedy if my thoughts go happily off into the ether. However it has been said that I can be thought provoking and who knows what could happen? I might inspire someone. Anyway now I can post my thoughts once again and keep them on file.
We never know what we really are doing in the scheme of things. One story I like to relate is this one. Once upon a time there was an itinerant revival preacher traveling the U.S. He made stops here and there and set up his tent and would preach to whatever crowd would gather. this particular preachers name is lost to all, except to those who were more closely associated with him. However one evening he preached a fateful sermon in a town to a particular crowd of little note. But sitting in that crowd was a young man who was very impressed with the preachers message. That young man decided to become a preacher himself. The young mans name was William Graham. Who hasn't heard of the famous evangelist Billy Graham?
I hope to eventually reach someone with my messages and help even if it is only to help someone become better at making a good pot of Gumbo.
I guess it is customary to introduce oneself. I'm a 50 something Navy brat and disabled Army veteran. I am nearly straight Celt. I have Irish, Scots, Briton, Welsh and Alsatian heritage. Even though my extended family contains Italian, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Hebrew and other elements my blood is pretty much straight Celt. I claim the Irish most often for two reasons. My wife is the product of Irish Canadians from County Cork. Plus I'm Catholic. I've lived in a few foreign countries and in the Marianas Islands. But I was born in the southeastern U.S. and identify with southern "Rednecks". If you've ever heard Hank Williams Jr.'s song "A country boy can survive" well that's me. I'm very traditional in many ways. I'm kinda eclectic though. I'm a southern Redneck who lives in Kansas. I go to a Latin Mass on a customized V twin bike. I'm a chaplain in a motorcycle club who can do the Rosary in latin. I love to listen to latin chant, Bach, Albinoni, Shirelles and Steppenwolf. As far as my position in the scheme of things, I am a "rocker" but I'm so conservative on most things that I would have to take a two day train ride to the left and rent a very big telescope just to see Rush Limbaugh. My hobbies are Cooking especially saucier or Creole and cajun cooking. I love making jewelry, I wear allot of silver. I do leather work. I make knives, shoot my guns, Customize my bike and ride hard. I also write. So check back and I'll either make you laugh think cheer or cuss.
We never know what we really are doing in the scheme of things. One story I like to relate is this one. Once upon a time there was an itinerant revival preacher traveling the U.S. He made stops here and there and set up his tent and would preach to whatever crowd would gather. this particular preachers name is lost to all, except to those who were more closely associated with him. However one evening he preached a fateful sermon in a town to a particular crowd of little note. But sitting in that crowd was a young man who was very impressed with the preachers message. That young man decided to become a preacher himself. The young mans name was William Graham. Who hasn't heard of the famous evangelist Billy Graham?
I hope to eventually reach someone with my messages and help even if it is only to help someone become better at making a good pot of Gumbo.
I guess it is customary to introduce oneself. I'm a 50 something Navy brat and disabled Army veteran. I am nearly straight Celt. I have Irish, Scots, Briton, Welsh and Alsatian heritage. Even though my extended family contains Italian, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Hebrew and other elements my blood is pretty much straight Celt. I claim the Irish most often for two reasons. My wife is the product of Irish Canadians from County Cork. Plus I'm Catholic. I've lived in a few foreign countries and in the Marianas Islands. But I was born in the southeastern U.S. and identify with southern "Rednecks". If you've ever heard Hank Williams Jr.'s song "A country boy can survive" well that's me. I'm very traditional in many ways. I'm kinda eclectic though. I'm a southern Redneck who lives in Kansas. I go to a Latin Mass on a customized V twin bike. I'm a chaplain in a motorcycle club who can do the Rosary in latin. I love to listen to latin chant, Bach, Albinoni, Shirelles and Steppenwolf. As far as my position in the scheme of things, I am a "rocker" but I'm so conservative on most things that I would have to take a two day train ride to the left and rent a very big telescope just to see Rush Limbaugh. My hobbies are Cooking especially saucier or Creole and cajun cooking. I love making jewelry, I wear allot of silver. I do leather work. I make knives, shoot my guns, Customize my bike and ride hard. I also write. So check back and I'll either make you laugh think cheer or cuss.
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