Friday, December 14, 2007

We're from the bank and we're here to help you: Now stick 'em up

Bank of America, Wachovia, PNC Report New Loan Losses (Update3)
By David Mildenberg and Hugh Son

Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp., Wachovia Corp. and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. said losses tied to bad debt will be worse than expected, providing fresh evidence that credit markets aren't returning to normal. -original source here

Hmmm, ... wonder whether our Bank Buddies are gonna shrug off their losses with big red faces, admit their unbridled avarice ... and learn a lesson about fiscal responsibility?

Will banks finally wise up n' buckle down ... no longer writing risky loans or issuing "credit cards" to folks who're already over-extended & unable to make minimum monthly payments?

Or, can we expect them to:

1) Raise interest rates & minimum monthly payments for "marginal" borrowers (folks with variable-interest mortgages and debt cards)
2) Mass-mail enticing new offers to "even more marginal" borrowers/debtors
3) Lay off "non-essential personnel" (i.e. bottom-tier bank employees; not the folks responsible for banks' lending practices) "as a response to the disappointing current economic downtrend"?
4) Resort to predatory lending by writing increasingly-risky loans (before their competitors do)
5) Increase fees & service charges; create new ones; offer fewer services
6) Argue that "Stealing isn't stealing when stealing is protected by law"

But isn't that Free Enterprise? Ain't that how Capitalism works?

Banks hire lobbyists and make huge political contributions to manipulate the legislative process and enact laws penned in their corporate board rooms intended to guarantee their profits.

That how we end up with The Best Government Money Can Buy.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

"I saw you at church Sunday"

I've known Ke for at least six months ... but didn't know till tonight that we go to the same church.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

judge as I say, not as I do

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
-Matthew 7:1-2

Something occurred to me yesterday: we tend to remember that passage as Christ's warning against making negative judgments, but does it equally apply to judging things we might like and want- things that seem attractive and totally desirable-- that we just might want for ourselves?

Like, when we make judgments about others, "So-and-so has the total package ... a fairy-tale marriage to the perfect spouse, wonderful kids, great looks, fame, prestige, deep-pocket wealth and every other sign of material success ... exactly all the things I want in my life, too."

Lest others judge you to be superficial, shallow, vain and selfish?

wish in one hand ...

I wish Peter Tosh had done his own cover of "Never My Love."

Wouldn't his reggae version have been cool? Sure, sure it would.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Team Effort

"Ding-A-Ling, make I help you?" Department

As Christmas approaches, The G is slammed sideways with folks anxiously calling in their dinner reservations ... and nothing works better than having a guy manning the desk who can't figure which end of the phone to talk into.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Use A Hoe

As ya'll know, the lake level is down to record lows ... and life here in Marina City ain't always a beach. Especially when it comes to looking out for & taking care of the critters.

Below is a photo of the actual lake bottom (i.e. mud) emerging between Docks 7 & 8

The lake is so shallow, even geese are getting their paddlers stuck in the bottom.


Next, we find an unused backhoe parked on the beach near Dock 12:


Suddenly, a concerned local points to a pending Emergency:


"Uh Oh, oh no! The lake is so shallow, now Hansel and Gretl have their feets stuck in the bottom, too!"

Your faithful servant and host catches a gear, and digs the ducks a way outta the muck

Ducks must swim, and swim free.

For All My Friends Who're CLEMSON FANS ...


I lifted this image from F's blog.

Memory Mayhem

I started thinking about this post the other day, then forgot about it ...

I'm terrified of dropping my phone into the lake because if I do I'm not sure who I'll remember to call (I know it's only a matter of time before it happens, too).

So as a mental exercise to prove a point to myself, I decided to write down the names of the folks whose phone numbers I've actually committed to memory. Thus,

Ken
DJ
New Spring Office
Mike
Anzie
Fran & AB
Dr. Billy
Bruce R.
My folks in Fla

Wow. Eeeeh ... the "D" does stand for "Dummy" after all.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Un-laxing on Saturday with The Blue Book

-just some miscellaneous wanderings & gatherings ...


Today DJ is getting married:
Playing under the lights in Clemson's own Death Valley, my friend JJ's Ladies Tag Football Team won the Clemson Championship . JJ (who I know from The G and from NewSpring) plays running back:

How Low Can It Go? Department
I heard the lake is down 19 feet, and the drought might bottom out at 35-feet below Full Capacity by February.

Here's a photo (above) I took next to Dock 12, where the old Portman Road is making a surprise appearance after a nearly 50-year absence.

What direction does The Golden Compass point to? Department
Huh?

Friday, December 07, 2007

Have A Very Mastodon Christmas


(this post is from the Whimsy & Imagination Department, c.1880)

M.K. Owen 4 Bore "Mastodon"

  • Cal./Gauge: 4 Bore Rifled Barrel (.995" Bore Diameter)!!
  • Chamber(s): 4", 4 1/2" COL
  • Barrel(s): 22 1/2"
  • Weight: 29 Lbs.
  • Sights/Scope: 2 Leaf rear, Ramped white bead front
  • Trigger(s): Double Triggers
  • Stock: Classic comb, with cheekpiece, checkering
  • Stock Dimensions: 14 1/4" LOP
  • Fore End: Splinter, with checkering
  • Butt/Pad: Red rubber recoil pad
  • Metal Condition: Excellent
  • Wood Condition: Excellent
  • Bore Condition: As new
  • Manufacture Date: 2005
  • Extras: Fitted Aluminum hard case
  • First of all, this gun is MASSIVE! The scale of the 4 bore is truly amazing,
    and yet, it breaks opens and locks up like a fine English shotgun.
    Second, it mounts and balances like a fine shotgun. (That weighs
    29 pounds).

    The barrels are 22 1/2", with a bore diameter of .995". The cartidge
    case is 4" tall, and the Cartridge overall length is 4 1/2". This M.K. Owen
    built gun is regulated for a 2000 grain bullet travelling at 1400 fps,
    and is on at 50 yards. It is patterned after the only H&H built 4 bore
    proofed for smokeless powder, and features a back action sidelock
    action, and Purdey style lugs with a Greener crossbolt for the third
    bite. The firing pins are bushed.

    The receiver and metalwork is fully engraved by A.B. Bradshaw,
    and features a Mastodon, sabre tooth tigers, and assorted
    dinosaurs. It is our understanding that Owen built only five of
    these, and that he will make no more.

    Sunsets Redux




    I don't like shooting in color; I don't like "pretty" pictures; most of all I look past pictures of sunsets. So then what do I do?

    I turn right around and indulge in a sunset binge :-)

    Thursday, December 06, 2007

    Hope's Sunset

    My friend Hope a/k/a Hopie, The Hopester, took this photo with her phone.


    Thursday's Hope, You ROCK! Sunset Playlist:
    Tomorrow Never Knows - Phil Collins

    skip it

    Yep, I was up at 3 AM this morning. It sounded like a giant metal spider was walking back and forth over the dock.

    Of course I coulda got outta bed, gone outside and checked to find out, but two things prevented me:

    (1) If I'd spotted a 40-ft tall metal spider walking across Lake Hartwell at 3 AM, you wouldn't believe me

    (2) If a 40-ft tall metal spider is content to mind his own business and keep on moving, then that's perfectly fine with me


    ps. I'm pretty sure it was just the wind ...

    Wednesday, December 05, 2007

    Blog Lite:The Story of a Haircut (told in pictures)

    Ever wondered what yer face looks like while you're getting yer hair shampooed?

    Ever wondered if everybody becomes Papa Bear at some point, and their water is either "too hot" or "too cold"? {Bear with me; I'm not good on my fairy tales}


    Here's where Mel reminds me the future is a place about 70 miles east of here ... after talking me through traffic on the drive over. Are we cool? We cool.


    Afterwards I get lost again on the drive home and simply wave at people peering into the truck, explaining "Excuse me, but Thank You Very Much."

    Tuesday, December 04, 2007

    Chewbacca-row Baptists


    -See: The Chewbacca Defense; wherein "The aim of the argument is to deliberately confuse."

    I gotta tell ya up front, I been feeling ill (for non-Southerners, that means angry) for about a week following the latest telephone conversation (previously mentioned) in what feels like a long, pointed but pointless series of telephone calls.

    Look, it's not honorable, funny, amusing, insightful, beneficial, righteous, pious, illuminating or in any way impressive or Christ-like to attack, criticize or ridicule another believer's church with double-talk and word puzzles, or condescend to any part of their worship service just because it's not the
    style of worship you're familiar with.









    Monday, December 03, 2007

    Jabba the Baptist

    "Send us another fresh pastor, that the flock may consume and devour him."

    "More from you because how great are our needs!"

    Man Up; Mac Out


    You cannot have a Mac/Apple and a Man Card: They are mutually exclusive ... and Mac has gobs of exciting new designer colors just dying to make this point for me.

    Period. There. End of discussion.

    Maxed Out

    See Maxed Out before charging another penny on a charge card.

    It might make your blood boil; it might make you think LONG & HARD about gumming up your life, your relationships and your future with plastic glue.

    Friday, November 30, 2007

    More words ...

    than I can pre-type in one sitting (before finally getting on-line with an upload).

    Really, what I'm trying to say is the posts I woulda posted are too long to post ... so I'm posting just the titles for the un-posted posts from the past few days because the posts were too long to finish writing.

    Nov. 27 2007
    "A Different Kind of Burden"
    I'm rich because I'm righteous ... and God thinks so, too.

    Nov 28 2007
    "Well Done, Good and Faithful Colleague"
    Being a Christian doesn't make me better than you - I was already better than you.

    Nov 28 2007
    "The Sons of Heaven Lodge and Social Club"
    Where church is what we say church should be - and that means Sunday School and Wednesday Night Prayer Meetings, mister.

    Nov 29 2007
    "Is A Blessing the same thing as a Reward?"
    No, I deserve everything God's given me ... and gots lots more comin' my way.

    Wednesday, November 28, 2007

    Will there be Dinosaurs in Heaven?

    Had a discussion recently with an out-of-town friend about some serious scriptural ideology ... namely, How much does your pastor make? and Will our pets be with us in Heaven?

    See, it was budget-making time at his church, and the debate was already shaping up to be lively (as usual). My friend sighed and remarked, "Well, everybody's entitled to speak up with their opinion when it comes to spending the church's money. After all, it's our money."

    My brain-brake wasn't fully engaged and I blurted, Your money?

    "Sure," my friend answered. "Where else do you think it comes from?" Once the condescension gets started it's hard to stop: "Doesn't the congregation have a right to know what the pastor's getting paid?"

    I asked why the pastor's take-home was important, except to hold as a lever-under-the table, and got a snicker for my trouble.

    "There's always stories on the news about pastors stealing from churches, and it's the members' responsibility to closely monitor where their tithes are going! Membership comes with its privileges."

    So I said, Then doesn't the congregation have the same right to know what every member makes?

    I could practically feel his gasp hit my cheek. "WHAT on earth for? What sense does that make?"

    I said, To make sure all the members are tithing, and that GOD isn't being robbed. Because it seems to me like the members could steal more from God than a pastor could steal from a church.

    "Well," my friend continued, "did you know that a preacher only has one job? And that's to feed the flock."

    I closed my eyes and wondered, Then why aren't they called Feed-ers, instead of Preach-ers?

    But I wasn't fast enough to respond, so the subject tore off in a new direction.

    My friend had been reading a book (I forget the name) that tries to draw a picture of what Heaven will be like, based on glimmpses and references from scripture.

    The author claimed that since scripture mentions a "New Jerusalem" in Heaven, and the "old" Jerusalem's specific dimensions are referenced in the Bible; and since Heaven's streets be paved with gold, then Heaven must be a physical place ... meaning we'll have legs to walk from one place to another in Heaven.

    The author also claims our pets will join us in Heaven, because animals were part of God's original perfect creation in the Garden of Eden, so why wouldn't He include the same perfect creatures in Paradise?

    Especially since Heaven in always described in fun, happy terms (isn't that what Joy means?), who could be totally 100% happy in Heaven for ever and ever without their favorite dog (cats and pet reptiles, not so much).



    Uh, you want fries with that order? I'm not mocking or ridiculing, I'm pleading: Won't being in Christ's presence be enough to answer every question and satisfy every need?

    Tuesday, November 27, 2007

    Lights! Laser!! Action!!!

    Yesterday afternoon I had the PRK laser surgery on my right eye. This is me in the waiting area, waiting.


    Then the nurse applied disinfectant.


    Then, moments before the procedure was to begin, they said they wanted to videotape my PRK procedure, to use on the local cable channel. My excited enthusiasm was obvious.


    I only asked for 2 conditions: that I be allowed to light and direct the action.


    Then, it was showtime. The laser only zapped my eye for about 5 seconds before I yelled "Cut! That's a wrap!"


    This is me back in the waiting area, Post-Op. Lasers make me happy, gee.


    With a few minutes to kill before my ride arrived, I started wondering what I'd look like framed in a photo on the wall. Eeeh, I just don't have that "distinguished" thang goin' on.


    Hey no kidding, the fact that doctors can use lasers to fix vision problems is a total MIRACLE imho ... and I'm grateful for not only the surgeon's skill but also for the nurses who went way outta their way to make sure I felt at-ease and non-hysterical.

    They're some of the best folks I've met (and believers, too!) ... Thank Ya'll again for putting up with me.

    Monday, November 26, 2007

    Stuff happens



    Especially when you keep one eye clamped open.

    You won't believe it. Heck, I was there and didn't hardly believe it. But the good news is,

    There's pictures and video to prove it!

    Hint:
    "I'm still big. It was the laser that got small" and "Sweetheart that was PERFECT! Now let's do it again, and this time give me 17% more energy!"

    Should Believers Celebrate Christmas?

    I mean really ... some folks are on the airwaves asking, Should we?

    Does Christmas really have anything to do with celebrating Christ's birth, or is Christmas actually just the centuries-old "appropriation" of what was originally a pagan holiday?

    And besides, isn't the "true spirit" of Christmas lost in the rush to rack-up massive debt buying bigger and better gifts this year ... as a substitute for the genuine affection that's been lacking throughout the year?

    I mean, the word Christmas isn't mentioned anywhere in scripture, nor are we instructed to observe or celebrate Christ's birth (assuming it was anywhere near December 25 in the first place) or set it aside as a holiday.

    And what about Halloween? Or Easter? Or St. Patrick's Day?



    See, growing up in Florida, Gasparilla was my favorite holiday, when we celebrated the looting, rapine and murderous antics of the pirate Jose Gaspar (who turned out to be an entirely fictional character- ooops).

    Should believers celebrate Gasparilla? What about the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Labor Day? What about it?

    On the other hand, are any of these controversies real issues ... or merely straw men stuffed into Pharisaical robes by Holy Joes?

    Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

    "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

    Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

    -Matthew 22:34-40

    I got my hands full paying attention to the two greatest commandments without worrying about tacking on private sticky-rules of my own creation ... much less expecting others to honor my home-made opinions and traditions.

    Or lack thereof.

    Where there's a Will, there's a key

    Shout-Out to Will Rodes for his utterly unselfish time and help yesterday afternoon following the 11:15.

    Seems I lost my truck key ... he found it wedged in my truck's front passenger seat (where I'd dropped it).

    Sunday, November 25, 2007

    the old blog coach

    I Feel Bad for Clemson fans. There, I said it.

    While they might be celebrating an apparent "win" over USC last night, in their exuberance the Orange-Bleeders miss seeing the Big Picture ... namely that Steve Spurrier in the greatest college football coach of all time ... and Clemson's apparent "victory" last night was a master-stroke delivered straight from Spurrier's genius.

    He wants the Tigers to be over-confident when the Gamecocks crow ... and "wake up" Death Valley next year.

    Saturday, November 24, 2007

    I'm Most Thankful for ...

    (satire)

    This is the season when folks are given to reflecting about the things they're most thankful for, so it seems appropriate to share mine.

    I'm most thankful for being ME. And here's the reasons why:

    -I looked at all the poverty, disease and malnutrition that plagues most of the people living in the world, so I thoughtfully chose to be born here in the US

    -Lots of folks whine and blame their present circumstances on their childhoods, so I looked at all the possible alternative and then picked my parents very carefully

    -Even before I was born good health and longevity seemed important, to I chose to give myself those things. And also the general ability to keep everything in my life under control, too

    -One little thing I did overlook was picking which college football teams will win every game, but no biggie

    Other that that, anybody can read back over the blessings I choose for myself and see I did a pretty good job picking my life.

    The only BIG thing I forgot to give myself before I was born was eternal life ... but with my long record of perfection and success, I figure there's no reason I can't negotiate my hereafter with The Almighty ... because I get to pick whether he exists, too (which makes me a VIP in His eyes)

    When I get to Heaven He might even look forward to hearing a few ideas I got about hell and fairness, and making Himself clearer in scripture about what's sinful. And what stuff I can get away with when He's not looking

    Heck, look at me jumping the gun. Maybe I'll just worship a god of my own creation till I die ... like sex, money or material success. Since I decided before I was born that they're all equally important with God anyway.

    I mean, I musta given myself plenty of time to change my mind if I'm wrong.

    Didn't I?

    "He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." - 1 Samuel 15:29


    Hey, enjoy today's games ... and hope your teams win!

    Friday, November 23, 2007

    Black Friday?

    You can't save money by spending money!

    Period.

    PS. ... and Christmas rolls around on December 25 most ever year, so using a charge card is NO EXCUSE.

    But somebody always wins!

    Heard this on the radio yesterday:

    Let's say you spend $5 a week playing the lottery. Let's say you play for 30 years.

    How much would you have in the bank if you save the money instead?




    $70,000

    About Last Night

    Last night B and L had me over to their house for Thanksgiving and it was awesome. B has great friends and I enjoyed being around them very much.

    B can cook like nobody's business: turkey, mashed taters, home-made gravy, green beans, apple salad and ... and two dessert: Pecan-Chocolate Pie and Peanutbutter Pie!

    B is too good to me ... and let me abscond with half the PB pie all to myself!


    ps. Ax made a spicy bread-spread based on a recipe she got from Disney World (but I thought it tasted kinda Mickey Mouse, har-har).

    friday's football forecasts

    First, hope you all had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.

    Second, tomorrow is THE BIGGEST, MOST HOTLY CONTESTED FOOTBALL GAME OF THE YEAR.

    Naturally, I'm going with Florida over FSU ... by one million points.



    Another game tomorrow is Clemson vs USC.

    I'm forecasting that the team in Columbia will lose, and lose big, in heroic fashion. And that the game will be played with the same result next year, only in a different stadium.

    Thursday, November 22, 2007

    don't ask


    ... but yesterday I was thankful for black electrical tape.

    Otherwise my clumsiness woulda caused that wrench to light up my world.

    I was also thankful that I got to see & have lunch with F again:

    Indeed.

    Wednesday, November 21, 2007

    Who?

    Why keep working for a boss who isn't (nor is the least bit concerned with) earning your respect?

    All in favor say: Money, opportunity, stability, status, familiarity, fear; Nobody's Perfect

    All opposed keep quiet: Familiarity, deceit, simplicity, duplicity, money, fear, The Status Quo; Uh oh.



    ps. Intimidation ain't Respect. INTIMIDATION blinds honesty & swallows truth whole.

    Self-deception is a hole under the heel that, left unchecked, opens wide enough to devour its creator.

    Tuesday, November 20, 2007

    Tech Shout Out;

    Thanks to Ken over at AVCLUB for helping me migrate/integrate my gmail boxes with Thunderbird.

    Now I can download my emails in one swoop & get back around to reading (and writing a response) without having to be online at the time... oops, look like there's just 685 Unread Messages left before I'm caught up.

    Remember, patience is a virtue (I think).

    The Faith of Least Resistance

    7:53 AM Tuesday

    (con't from yesterday's "ACT Like me!")

    The past week I’d been wondering (and noticing) whether folks tend to choose the Religion that suits a preconceived notion or need to become infinitely empowered ... by getting God on their side (Gott Mit Uns) … and end up putting the heart before God's course.

    Who am I talking about?

    Men who embrace a faith that allows them to subordinate women and treat them as inferiors; cite scripture as permission to whup hail outta their kids; condescend to the poor; sneer (especially at folks with more money) and expect God to settle their jealousies & grievances on Judgment Day; ridicule unbelievers; treat other believers with sarcasm and suspicion; argue that Christ would've been a card-carrying member of their political party; who tells others that God has rewarded them materially because of their piety and righteousness; who know the right and only way to do church is the traditional 19th century way; who wouldn't be caught dead in church without a coat n' tie.

    Women whose faith empowers them to label more attractive women “sluts;” gossip; interfere with their children's marriages; slander their husbands behind his back; overlook their own vanity and preoccupation with appearances; trust in social status and materialism; subordinate their marriages to indulge the whims of their children; who wouldn't be caught dead in church without make-up.

    In general, believers who treat scripture as though it was written as God's personal permission slip for them to keep right on acting and treating others exactly the same way they did before they were saved; Believers who act like they own the team ... instead of belonging to and living for the team's owner.

    Writer's Strike?

    8 :00 AM Monday

    I got stuck behind a utility van doing 30 miles an hour on King’s Road this morning … the driver was lollygagging along, blissfully unaware that I had another appointment with the eye doctor at 9 AM.

    He wasn’t in any hurry to get where he was going- even though I was- and he clearly didn’t care how his pace interfered with my mine. The frustratingly slow drive during rush hour, and the inability to pass him or do anything to fix the situation got me to thinking: Can this small annoyance possibly be part of God’s plan for my life?

    Why can’t the other guy simply speed up or get out of the way and let me get where I’m going?

    I mean, does God want me to show up late for my appointment? Did the author of the universe write an Appointment Late Fee into today’s script? What sense does that make ... especially since it wasn't my fault?

    Was the Author of the Universe on a writer's strike?

    This sounds trite n' silly but I started wondering: if God allows small trials (like slow-poke drivers and long waiting lines) to show up in today’s pages, then what about when more “difficult” stuff happens? Like the time when …

    -Thieves stole all the cameras and video gear I was planning on taking to Africa

    -The drunk shows up at night banging on my truck, demanding to know if I’m a “private investigator” and “Who’re you watching?” … for the fifth time

    -The guy in the restaurant booth points his finger at me and announces, “I’m gonna cut you open and leave your guts on your shoes”

    Were those incidents part of God's plan? Was I being tested ... or being presented with difficulties that were actually opportunities for my faith to bring me closer to Him?

    Then something else occurred to me: Why is it important to know? Is my trust dependent on knowing all the reasons, or in knowing Him?

    Was I on the King's Road, moving toward my destination, or not?



    Monday, November 19, 2007

    “Hey You, Stop Sinning … and ACT like me!”

    9:02 AM

    Why on earth do so many Christians adopt that attitude … and show the world an ugly face filled with judgment, indignation, self-righteous reverence and false piety?

    Does the Pharisaical trap have to be even one-tenth the size of our own egos before we stumble and fall into it?

    It is an act, after all: None of us died on the cross. None of us died for the sins of the world and none of us was ever physically resurrected and ascended into Heaven … so why judge others ahead of ourselves?

    Why not simply “Hate sin and live like Christ” … and let the whole world see Him in us?

    Sunday, November 18, 2007

    a "dirty" joke

    2 PM Saturday

    Saturday is laundry day and today somebody left this in the dryer with my clothes:

    Thing is, it's in my size.

    Saturday, November 17, 2007

    Welcome

    Hamburger face

    8:00 AM (A personal note from behind The Blue Book)

    A few days ago something went wrong, even worse than usual, with the loose flap of flesh on the front of my head that’s what I’ve got for a face.

    First my forehead turned red, then my cheeks went splotchy and crusty. The itching got constant that by yesterday I was convinced my visage was either peeling off … or I’m molting. The same way some reptiles outgrow and shed their skin.

    Yesterday morning I went to the doctor and presented the symptoms. My worst fears screamed up from my subconscious as he looked my mug over and frowned. I knew it … what I had was not only bad … but contagious & incurable, a disease that would leave me looking like a crocodile’s uncle.

    But then, hmmm ... learning I’d contracted a foul fungus that would turn my face into a toadstool didn’t seem so awful, not compared to hearing him tell me the spores of a flesh-eating bacteria had colonized my pores and were hungrily devouring my face.

    Finally he shrugged and said, “It’s dry skin. Try using a moisturizer.”

    Moisturizer? You mean lotion … a skin care product, for crying out loud? I’ve never even pushed a grocery cart down that aisle … and won’t, not ever.

    Not until somebody like Robbie MacAllister starts marketing their own brand of testosterone-laced face balm (and does the infomercials on Spike TV).

    -- --

    OK it’s been like four irritable, scratchy days now and the front of my head has turned me into a walking snow storm. But I’m resolved to quietly endure my hide’s tantrums because I’d rather be miserable & hideous than seek relief from any sweet-smelling, gummy product - or otherwise do anything to jeopardize the health of my Man Card.

    So what did I do--- instead of doing the smart thing & following the doctor’s orders?

    I bought a Dirt Devil Extreme Power vacuum instead.

    Because a new tool is MANLY … and always good for what ails ya.

    Friday, November 16, 2007

    Whachawachinthiswknd from Netflix?

    1Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
    2.5 Stars
    11/16/0711/17/07Report Problem

    2Guns at Batasi
    Click to rate the movie "Hated It"
    11/16/0711/17/07Report Problem

    328 Weeks Later
    Click to rate the movie "Really Liked It"
    11/16/0711/17/07Report Problem

    4Jeeves and Wooster: Season 2: Disc 1
    Click to rate the movie "Hated It"
    11/05/0711/06/07Report Problem

    5The Fog of War
    4.6 Stars
    11/05/0711/06/07Report Problem

    6Jeeves and Wooster: Season 2: Disc 211/05/0711/06/07Report Problem

    On stagnation, spinning wheels, running in place, falling short, etc

    6 of The Pilot's 10 Commandments:


    6. Thou shalt be ever mindful of thy fuel lest there be nothing
    in thy tank to sustain thee upon the air and thy days be made short.

    7. Trust not thine eyes to lead thee through the cloud
    lest the Archangel Gabriel await thee therein.

    8. Thou shalt not trespass into the thunderstorm
    lest the tempest rend the wings from thy chariot
    and cast thee naked into the firmament.

    9. Put not thy trust in weather prophets,
    for when the truth is not in, then they shall not
    accompany thee among thy ancestors.

    10. Often shalt thou confirm thine airspeed on final
    lest the earth rise up and smite thee.


    Other flying wisdom & some adages:


    No matter what else happens, fly the airplane.

    It's better to be down here wishing you were up there,
    than up there wishing you were down here.

    If you're ever faced with a forced landing at night,
    turn on the landing lights to see the landing area.
    If you don't like what you see, turn' em back off.

    Speed is life, altitude is life insurance.

    No one has ever collided with the sky.

    Always remember you fly an airplane with your head, not your hands.

    Never let an airplane take you somewhere
    your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.

    Don't drop the aircraft in order to fly the microphone.

    "Unskilled" pilots are always found in the wreckage
    with their hand around the microphone.