Chuckles and a few Head Shakes

Today was an interesting day.

Last week they started predicting a winter storm that may dump 6 - 10' of snow. So, the government gave everyone the day off today and the schools closed. In reality, the first flakes didn't show up till mid-morning and we will be lucky to get a few inches. After 6 hours of the storm the roads aren't even white. Just wet.

What does this cost me, Mr. taxpayer, for the government to take a holiday? I know the contractors aren't happy since they are forced into using vacation time or going without pay. The government has no intention of reimbursing them. And what about the few people that could go to work but had to take a day off or pay a babysitter because the schools closed.

Whoever makes these decisions in this area needs a wakeup call to rejoin reality. This year alone they have several times taken this action based on what the weatherman has forecasted and each time looked like a fool when it didn't happen. Just a couple of weeks ago they forecasted 4-6 inches and all we got were a wet road and absolutely no accumulation. But every thing shut down.

With a town that goes bananas when you even mention the possibility of snow, the people responsible should exercise due diligence to make the best call. Grocery stores love it when they predict 2 inches because of the massive run on the food products. The people here act like they are fixing to get snowed in for a week. Then again, maybe the piss poor snow removal plan and equipment has caused this. I just love driving down the road plowing through 4" of snow and pass several plows that are sitting there, drivers standing outside their trucks drinking coffee and smoking. Or worse yet following a stupid plow that is driving along with the blade raised to the point all it will do is give very close haircuts to the pedestrians it narrowly misses. The good old Mayor's plan is to let the bulk fall and cut down on the number of passes the plows have to make. But he still pays those trucks to sit there and idle, wasting even more fuel.

To the Mayor and OMB chief, get a better source of weather forecasts and then don't get in such a rush to call things off so you can sleep late. Get up at 5 a.m. and make the call then instead of 11 p.m. the night before. Governors, get rid of that stupid law or rule that says the plows blade can't be down except for when they are in their assigned area. If there is snow on the road, push it off. If you have too, go to somewhere that does this right .. Like Michigan or North Dakota. Mayor Williams, use the money you take all the boon-doggles on to do something that will really benefit your constituents.

*****

Vindication is sweet. For a long time I have fought against the forced mandate of my employer to use Dell products exclusively. They were sold a bill of goods and are so brainwashed into thinking Dell was the best and they gave our company the best price if we purchased everything from them. The first time I ran into this I got the information for a line by line comparison of prices and then showed them that they were overpaying by as much as 30%. They responded, "Oh no, you must have figured wrong or used cheaper parts, besides, Dell says they are the lowest." Well guess what, Dell has been cited for false advertising, using lesser value parts than advertised, overpricing and bait and switch tactics to overcharge customers. I am happy that my words were true.

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I watched Braveheart last night for the umpteenth time. It was just as good as the first. I still get riled at the brazen treachery and backstabbing each time I see it. I would have sworn a blood oath to kill them nobles or die trying too.

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Saturday night, my better half and I ate out at a small restaurant in Frederick Maryland and tried Tapas for the first time. The menu was a little daunting at first but the food was great after we made our selections. It is something we will definitely try again but I sure wish I could have ordered a burrito and a few tacos.

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Well, the youngest returned from his two-week hiatus in Erie Pa. He finally admitted to us it wasn’t as much fun as he thought it would be. The young lady he met hadn’t been completely honest but that is another story for another day. Yes, just as we thought he would, he did fall asleep during the bus change in D.C. and miss his connection. He claimed he didn’t hear the announcement for his bus. Well, son, with the headphones on, the volume at the level you normally listen too (maximum loud) and your being fast asleep, you will normally miss any external PA call. Needless to say, we got up at 5 a.m. only to have to return home and pick him up later. But he is safe, a little wiser, and completely broke … so all in all, it was a successful adventure.

A quick note spurred by a comment on my blog.

I had a lengthy discussion today with a devout Catholic over my Blog. We agreed to disagree.

They felt I was picking on the Catholic Church since it was such a small percentage of Priests that have caused the problem. Yes, it is a small number as far as percentages go (> 2%). But 756 priests under investigation today alone, plus those already convicted is the problem. To me, 1 is too much. Are we to start classifying sins by the per-centage? Look what 1 homosexual Bishop has done to the Episcopal Church. I am sorry and pray for those priests that have lost their vision and calling. But, I also look at the Catholic Church to quit hiding them, denying it exists and to fix the problem. Something is broke when that many priests fail and subcumb to their desires.

I asked this person would changing the rules about priests being allowed to marry and still perform their duties to the Church. I cringed when they replied, "then we would be just like the Protestants." So? Who cares as long as the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed across the world. Am I any less of a Christian, Teacher, or Minister of God's word because I am married? No, I just have to learn to place Jesus first and my family second. Besides, I feel I do a good job teaching about Jesus and my family is superb in their support of me when times get rough.

Perhaps we should get rid of all the "Churchism's" and get back to what God taught us in the Bible. Quit trying to make it a Catholic, Protestant, or anything else issue. Get rid of the ritualistic ways and just worship God as he outlined in his word. Each Religion has created so many rules and requirements just to be differennt from every one else that they have lost sight of the basic commandments and teachings. Pehaps we are becoming more like the times before Jesus was born where the Laws and how you dealt with the law matters more. I faintly recall that Jesus told us he was the way to salvation and not the laws made by some church leader.

So lest I ramble on, I shall end by saying, the only hoop I intend to jump through to get to heaven is the one made by Jesus' arms.

Excuse me!

Well, I am never surprised anymore at events in life.

Hockey:

Well, our pampered sports jocks and Private Club Owners have done it. Their greed and attempts to wring every last nickel from the fans reached a new low. They would rather strike for more money than to "play the game." When I hear or see any jock stand there and say, "they play for the love of the game", I say hogwash. If the money weren’t there, they would be working somewhere else. The real lovers of the game, fans excluded, have died a couple of generations ago. This is our "Union's" at their finest and in their element as they strive to follow their agenda, "soak the fan." What is sadder is the fans will stream in once again when the doors reopen and dig deeper into their pockets so that the owners and jocks can squabble on who gets the lion share of the dollars.

How would I structure it? First cap all salary's, owners, coaches and jocks, at a realistic level. Yes, include the owner and coaches in the cap; they impact the game as much as the jocks. They would get a salary plus bonuses for performance goals. It boils down to, if you are as good as you think you are, and then the bonuses will make you earn more than the average players. Making it a performance plan eliminates all those Agents who negotiate millions for their pockets based on the jocks name or one good year. Drop all ticket prices to a level that pays the salaries and expenses plus a reasonable rainy day fund. Make the ticket price family friendly so it becomes a family event where they can go without taking out a second mortgage just to do it one time a season. All facilities will be purchased, built and maintained by the Franchise. No more Public tax money to support something that is designed to suck every dollar out of the city and the fan. Where does the facility money come from, well, it comes from the savings you get by not paying exorbitant salaries. $20 - $40 million savings per player goes a long way towards helping with expenses.

Does anyone really need millions a year? In most cases, and there are a few good exceptions, these jocks die broke or almost penniless as they are sucked dry by agents, get-rich schemes, and a horde of lazy relatives seeking a free ride of their relatives legs. If they aren't sucked dry then they drink it, shoot it, snort it or waste it in some pleasure palace. Look at some of these teams, their roster looks like a police station blotter with all the problems they have had. These criminals's, excuse me, jocks are to be the next sports idol? Do I want to pattern my life after them? I personally believe my son or daughter could do better.

Will this happen. I wasn't born yesterday. The greed of the owners, coaches, and jocks will blind them to committing any act of decency or showing the smallest iota of care to the fan. The sports agents, family members who live off the jock, and anyone else along for the free ride will urge the parties to hold their ground and for their perverted version of "for the love of the game" .... NOT TO PLAY in order to get what they want.

DC General Hospital:

Not long ago they bankrupted this hospital and shut it down. This was against the wishes and hopes of the many people who relied upon it for medical care. I won't even address the issue of the missing millions that could have saved it. Hopefully some Grand Jury will find out the truth and square the record. Something about it was losing too much money because of the large share of welfare cases. According to them, welfare doesn't pay enough to make them a profit. Well, DUH ... medicine is a profession of love and caring. If profit is your motive then go to the sports world, they rake the millions in. Anyway, now they are going to tear the place down and rebuild a better, newer hospital that caters to an upscale clientele.. translated ... people with big health plans. Well, excuse me but the area is still at last check populated by those you call "welfare cases." The clientele that has that money don't live there or desire to commute there to get any health care. So you are right back to where you started. Who benefits ... the mayor and all his contractor friends that get paid for building the place? Once they build it, get paid for it, they could care less who gets cared for or how they pay for it. So what should they do ... take part of what they want to invest in the new hospital, reopen DC General, and give it a chance to succeed by not stealing it funds for other pet projects such as sports stadiums or government buildings.

DC Voting:

I, for one, would vote against you getting voting rights. From what I have seen since 1990, it would be like giving a kid a loaded gun. Oops, you do that anyway .. no wonder the murder rate is so high in the DC area. The Government has to keep bailing the city out before it goes bankrupt, so it shouldn't surprise me they bankrupted DC general. Why the mayor can't even stay home and do his job. It is more important for him to gallivant all over the world even in times of crisis. Not to mention the thousands of dollars wasted on his "vacations." You would rather be run by mafia wannabes than people with a true love for the city. You have a penchant to fire and slander those who speak up against the fraud, waste, and abuse in your city. So wake up DC.

Catholic Church:

How much longer until you wake up and admit you are infested with child abusers? Change the church laws or something, but quit playing osterich and denying this fact. It seems like every night there is some newscast telling of a priest's conviction. You point your fingers at others for sinning and breaking God's commandments. Well, what do YOU think you are doing? Please, God, have mercy on your soul is all I can say.

Mormon Church:

I was really surprised after watching the History Channel's presentation of the "Mountain Meadow Massacre of 1857." I see your TV ads now and can only wonder who you are luring to a similar fate. My channel will change when your ads come on.

Chuckles

Not much to report on the home front. I guess because I haven't been home much the last few days. It has been one of those weeks where everything breaks. But I am finally seeing daylight at the end of the tunnel ... hope it isn't the freight train.

One problem this week has been the Computer Virus's. Why would anyone buy Antivirus Software, install it and then never update it? This one computer had virus definition that were 3 years old. They paid $35.00 for the original software and approximately $70.00 for two subscriptions ... and never used it ... hey dense one .. you gave Norton $105.00 for nothing. Some CEO is living it high because of the people that have a virus in their head. I finally got AVG software to identify the virus .... Trojan/Worm Numbskulless.AA It effects those computers where the operator has their head in absolute darkness deep in their anal cavity. Corrective action is to pull the head out and trash the computer .. then go find something you can do that your limited mental faculty will support. Or .. keep paying me $75.00 an hour to fix your Virus problems while you grope in the darkness. Watch your kidney's here they come.

The youngest son heads for Pittsburgh this week to work and be with his girl friend. Who would ever go to Pittsburgh in the winter unless you were being dragged there by a team of horses. It will be his first time to leave the nest. Needless to say, momma is dreading it and the thoughts of the nest getting empty. So most of my weekend will be spent in damage control.

Please, someone explain to me the work ethic of the 18 - 25 year group. So far I haven't seen any and wonder what it is. Different language ... and "No" means what? Week of paid vacation now? We still haven't got the employment paperwork done. You don't own a single collared shirt and slacks? You want rap instead of muszac?

Well, I hear bonnie Prince Charles is going to make to make an honest woman out of Camilla now. About time, but you don't want to hear my person feelings about the bloke and his way of life.

What did get my attention was the Church of England ( I am not real sure of the correct name of the Church) that Prince Charles is head of is "making no statement about the marriage." Interesting that he is breaking the rules of the Church and nothing is said. Sounds just like the Churches in America and their silent acquiescence of broken Commandments. Break God's laws and Commandments and just turn your head as if nothing happened. Why have a Church at all if we twist the Commandments and Laws to conform to our idea of what is right? We are in no way ready to manage our morality and that of others. Perhaps it is time all the Leaders of All Church's, both in England and America, read their Bibles and do what God wants them to do and to forget about editing what God said so that it fits our lifestyle. Well one thing this does point out is that the English people are more like their American neighbors than they like to think about and vice versa, America is more English than they wish to admit.

Well, Virginia is really making a name for itself as it tried to get a "Droopy Drawers law." While I don't like the baggy pants look with your underwear showing through, I think the law is dumb. What's next Virginia? "Crack law?" Send those who expose their rear end to jail .. bet you the convicts there now are drooling over the potential new blood to come to them.

Well, I should go and leave something for next time. That is unless Blogspot is run by a 25 year old and my site will disappear!