The (not even close to) Daily Snooze

2011-08-29T07:26:00.001-04:00

Hurricane preparations? No, just another drunken Saturday night.

Why do you ask?

Photo Credit: Maine Warden Service via Bangordailynews.com

2011-08-27T03:52:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday!
Many happy returns of the day to my Cousin Patty ( my "womb mate") and to my second most favorite Southern Belle* in the whole world, Mickey T.

*SWMBO is the #1 Southern Belle in my life, of course.

2011-08-24T17:53:00.001-04:00

Still Snooz'n...Hope Y'all are well.

2011-08-13T16:54:00.001-04:00

This is what Magic Mushrooms grow up to be...

2011-08-13T16:46:00.001-04:00

Ms. Jingle Belle snoozing...

2011-08-13T08:53:00.001-04:00

Hello? Anyone Out There?

We are still in Maine (August at the lake is wonderful) but the first intimation of things to come will be roaring down from Hudson Bay any day now. Thoughts of winter are starting to crowd the brain. There is an old saying up here that posits ... " We have nine months of winter here. And three months of hard sledding."

I know it is hard for many of my acquaintance to understand this fixation with all things frigid. Winter is not some fluffy scene of cottages snug under the shelter of towering pines, smoke curling lazily from a chimney in a romantic Currier & Ives' Christmas card tableau. No, it is a time of death and privation, curtains standing straight out from the pressure of the wind on the pane, temperatures so low that hitting the seat of the truck to answer a neighbor's call for help is like sitting on a frozen stack of 2x4's, only with less give. All things mechanical not coddled and warmed electrically simply refuse to move. Cold so severe that unprotected skin freezes that hard, dirty grey of death you know will never come back. You know, the kind of weather so awful that -10 F. Is celebrated as a "thaw".

Happy Birthday, Abby & Gabby!

2011-07-28T18:50:00.001-04:00

Just snoozing

2011-06-30T18:49:00.000-04:00

Ever See A Trailer For A Novel?

2011-05-02T23:08:00.001-04:00

Join W. Bruce Cameron on Tuesday, May 24th for a discussion on A Dog's Purpose - a live, national, Teleforum event

Mildewing

2011-05-02T22:01:00.001-04:00

How are you doing, Wil?

Glad you asked. I'm mildewing. It has rained a lot here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland since I arrived. Maybe 1 day in 4 is sunny for most of the day. Been far more terrible weather in other places, so I have no right to complain. But I swear I am turning green with mold, my allergies are kicking a storm and there is a least an inch of pollen on the car every morning. So, there.

My days are mostly spent driving my aunt back and forth to the rehab facility my uncle is ensconced in, making meals, doing dishes and shopping. Other small errands and chores occupy my time. Evenings usually involve fighting with Uncle's computer and watching the tube. Otherwise, lather, rinse, repeat.

All of that excitement is coming to an end as I return to Maine and the various issues facing me there the end of this week. I miss my pooch terribly (this is the first time we've been apart any length of time since he joined the family).

In a nutshell, that is my life. I hope you all are healthy and able to pursue happiness with some semblance of gusto, I am...

85° Y'all!

2011-04-21T12:53:00.000-04:00

That's right. It got to 85° yesterday and this being Eastern Shore Maryland, it was muggy, too. This Maine boy was not ready. Only last week I was contemplating the old question of when the ice would be leaving the lake (since devoured by 60+ MPH winds and driving rain). While I was sweltering in a nursing home yesterday, the fine folk of Fort Kent were fighting frozen fluids! (Quick, steal the "F" key cap, would you?)

Things are flowing in this vicinity. My days involve driving the 12 or so miles up to the nursing home late mornings (early afternoons) and returning in the evening, cooking supper, cleaning up, watching a few hours of the tube, communing with my wife via iPhone and then reading on the computer for a while. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Spring is in full force here, along with my allergies and sinus issues. It is very pleasant looking out across hundreds of acres of plowed ground. Living in Maine, you tend to forget the whole world doesn't consist of ground covered by anything but trees.

This is a heavy farming area and will stay that way provided there is no bridge built across from Baltimore. The charm and value in this area is in agriculture, not row houses and exhaust fumes, traffic, and soccer moms. Much as they did when they built the "new bridge" between New Hampshire and Maine, if the proposed bridge across Chesapeake Bay is ever started I trust some true patriots will supply enough C4 to take out the base of each and every pylon...

Anyway, plans remain in flux. Like the folks at AA, I'm taking it 'one day at a time.'

Y'all have a happy Easter.

And So It Goes

Another Weekend Is Upon Us ...

2011-04-16T02:13:00.000-04:00

And I find myself in a new venue. A family medical crisis resulted in relocation to Rock Hall, Maryland. Gee, it's REALLY Spring here! There's tulips and daffodils and forsythias and lilacs and acres and acres of fields being plowed and fertilized for the wheat, corn, oats, soy and barley commonly grown around here. Temperatures in the sixties and vernal rains. Cool beans. It bodes well for Maine if it is this warm next to Chesapeake Bay. There really is hope the ice will go out before the end of the month.

About that relocation. It was done on a Greyhound bus. It has been a very long time since I rode a bus. There have been a few equipment improvements. For instance, some of the buses had 110 volt AC outlets. I was on one that had seatbelts for each seat. The air conditioning worked on each of the 5 buses I rode on Wednesday and Thursday. That is right. Transfers were made in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and Easton, Maryland. A long, boring trip. Scary, too. Parnelli Jones came out of retirement, donned black-face and drove like a bat out of Hell between NYC and DC for four hours ( 1:45 to 5:45 AM ). I'd swear on a whole stack of Bibles that we only hit every third bounce or frost heave we encountered. And I know, as I was stuck next to the bathroom door on the rear bench seat on a full bus for 230 miles.

Then there are the things that haven't changed despite the spin that corporate Greyhound's new motto, "The New Greyhound", would have you believe. For the most part, riders are still poor, young or old, and often non-English speakers. Unlike the last time on a bus, no skis were in evidence. Service men and women were amongst us, usually on their first leave before deployment after training. Bus stations are still not as clean as airports, despite similar people loads and occupancy patterns. Chairs, if any are provided at all, are metal mesh and extremely uncomfortable for spend a six hour layover on. And some buses were atrociously filthy.

The best thing I can say about the state of interstate bus transportation is it is reasonably priced for an individual when compared to travel via a one-ton dualie pick-up. Make it two people and the economy vs. convenience takes a dive. Change the vehicle to something that gets far better gas mileage, like the Scion xBox I've driven for the past day getting over 40 mpg, and there'd be no comparison, even for an individual. Its still a third the cost of airplanes and at least I found the best kept transportation secret in Maryland - MUST. I was able to be picked up at the Greyhound agency stop in Easton, MD (about a half mile from the terminal of the Easton Regional Airport) within 15 minutes of my arrival and transported to within a few blocks of the hospital in Charlestown (thirty road miles or so away) for the staggering sum of a dollar (it'd be two dollars if I wasn't so old). In these days of $4 gas, that's a flipping bargain.

Anyway, I don't know how long I will be here nor when I can get back to Maine to finish the work I set out to do. That's the nature of medical emergencies, now isn't it? I do hope you are all safe and healthy. I will finally be able to catch up with reading some of my blog friends in the evenings. Who knows, I might have skimmed all 2400 entries by the time I leave. Then again, that delete button is looking mighty handy about now.

And So It Goes.

Spring Has Come

2011-04-09T12:27:00.000-04:00

Spring has come to the Northern latitudes and per usual it is a mix of sun, rain, snow, and mud. Oh, my yes, make that MUD. Big letters. Cold and sticky. The bottom is frozen, too.

It's been a moderate year for frost around here. Probably only 3 to 4 feet depth in this vicinity. While cold enough to crack the dangley bits on the brass moose in Rockport, it never got below -24 or so. That is pretty mild, as winters go in these parts. Still cold enough to freeze my feet off in the trailer despite electric and gas heaters and a head high temperature near 75.
I am very thankful for my friends who took me in these past few months. No frozen feet here-- the floor has radiant heat.

The lake is still ice covered. But, with the forecast predicting average highs in the 40-50 degree range and no subfreezing lows over the next week, it should be mid-month or so when the sound of waves lapping the shores is heard once again. That is a week to ten days early ... average ice-out is between April 26 and May 5.

The camp road has been vacillating between rock hard and soup. The little Nissan has found itself violently tossed between frozen ruts or paddling like an old side-wheeler on the Mississippi.

Too soon to bring the "Flying Pig" back as it would sink out of sight. Then there is the flooding issue. Given the amount of water in the snowpack, there's a good chance there will be minor flooding along the lake shore this Spring. When it comes to one's home, no flood is truly 'minor' is it?

I am using my so-called "smart phone" to compose this, so I will attempt to edit the entry to add a photo. My computer is moribund still. So no promises of success.

Mud Season Merriment I

2011-03-05T12:48:00.001-05:00

Facebook event celebrates ‘Little Beard Day’ in light of (Maine Governor) LePage remarks

And the insanity begins…

Photo credit: Bangor Daily News Online original from Facebook

Winter Coyote the Deceiver

2011-03-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

Pretty, isn't it? Pretty deceptive, that is. This is the lunch time view from the front window where I am staying. Don't even think about going out to play in the snow unless you are from the North. It's reached a mighty 13°F at noon. But, winds are out of the Northwest (that's the direction you are looking at), has an pretty unobstructed run for 7 miles and it is blowing a steady 22 MPH with gusts to 35 MPH. That means it feels like -8°F on your cheeks, ears and anything else you leave exposed. Frozen unprotected skin inside of fifteen minutes. Frostbite of inadequately protected extremitis in about twice that amount of time. That's my world. Not a blade of grass nor flower to be seen...

What Natalie Portman Really Should Have Worn To The Oscars

2011-02-28T13:15:00.001-05:00

Cookie Monster Skirt:

Photo as it appeared at The Laughing Squid

A Paraprosdokian

2011-02-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

A paraprosdokian (from Greek "παρα-", meaning "beyond" and "προσδοκία", meaning "expectation") is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax

1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you
with experience.

2. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a
garage makes you a car.

3. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.

4. If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.

5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit
salad.

8. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to
tell you why it isn't.

9. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station.

10. How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole
box to start a campfire?

11. Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train
people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.

12. I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks.

13. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "In an emergency,
notify:" I put "Doctor".

14. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful
man is usually another woman.

16. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive
twice.

17. The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

18. Hospitality: Making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish
they were.

19. I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a
great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.

20. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't
get away.

21. I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot
of tequila.

22. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department
usually uses water.

23. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

24. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the
target.

via an email from a friend

Hard To Believe

2011-02-15T16:17:00.002-05:00

that we have any sane women in Maine:

Dexter woman stabs boyfriend’s car on Valentine’s Day

UPDATE:

Of course, it seems the men are just as crazy, too:

2 arrested in similar Belfast incidents

Snow Tornados

2011-02-15T14:10:00.001-05:00

The low that missed bringing us six inches of snow has roared East towards Saint Pierre and Miquelon while a large high pressure cell is adding it’s strength to the winds from the low. It has been blowing steadily since eight o’clock last night without much of a respite. The soffit vents in this house I am staying in makes the wind sound like a soi-distant Iron Road RR freight train. And that puts me in mind of tornados. What would a snow tornado look like? On rare occasions we have snow thunder resulting from the clash of high and low; imagine a low so large and warm colliding with an icy cold high, producing tornadic circulation. Of course I know that it is the exact opposite of conditions which result in tornados, but still. Imagine a world where it was commonplace…

The Purloined Texting

2011-02-12T15:26:00.002-05:00

Stolen on Facebook from Dave Williams (AKA “Remo”) who stole it from John, who stole it from… hence the title of this entry.

Texting For The Senior Set

ATD: At The Doctor's
BFF: Best Friend Farted
BTW: Bring The Wheelchair
BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM: Covered By Medicare
CRS…A: Can’t Remember Shit … Again
CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center
DWI: Driving While Incontinent
FWB: Friend With Beta Blockers
FWIW: Forgot Where I Was
FYI: Found Your Insulin
GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!
GHA: Got Heartburn Again
HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement
IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out
LOL: Living On Lipitor
LWO: Lawrence Welk's On
OMMR: On My Massage Recliner
OMSG: Oh My! Sorry, Gas.
ROFL... CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up
SGGP: Sorry, Gotta Go Poop
TMI: Too Much Imodium
TTYL: Talk To You Louder
WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?
WAGJ: Want A Gum Job?
WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again

It's Back...

2011-02-11T14:43:00.000-05:00

... the computer, that is. Best Buy's Geek Squad got the job done in pretty fair time, everything considered, particularly the number of days that the airports have been closed to traffic in the Northeast due to inclement weather. Still, it's been a couple of days shy of three weeks without connectivity but once in a while on friends' laptops. This time it was also the motherboard. That makes two replaced in less than 90 days. They even sent the power supply along to make sure that it wasn't the proximate cause of the failure and it was given a clean bill of health. Glad to say nothing happened to the data on the hard drive. A friend lost his HD yesterday and is having serious issues. I guess we aren't quite ready for the paperless world we'd hoped for.

Yes, all that time without Internet access caused some significant withdrawal pains. I missed talking to my wife and reading your blogs -- I have over 1000 entries to read and there was 710 messages unread in my email account. I skimmed for important stuff this morning (while the computer addressed the demands of 20 different programs insisting they needed to be updated) and then deleted the rest (mostly adverts - ironic as I haven't two sou to rub together). I have read a few books -- Cordwainer Smith's classic YA novella "Norstrilia", Alastair Reynolds' premier novel, "Revelation Space" (the first in a trilogy, as it turns out) and re-read Robert A. Heinlein's "Job: A Comedy of Justice" for giggles and grins. Just started in on Ursula Leguin's "The Telling" which I have only read parts of but have never finished.

Iggy and Belle are doing fine, enjoying having a room twice the size of the Airstream to hang out in with warm floors and lots of sunlight.Belle has been a very bad kitty of late, but that story will have to wait. I have to hit the road and there's several stops to make before the closing bell.

With luck and a fair wind, more to come another day.

Just Checkin' In

2011-02-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

I'm alive and well and able to demolish large stacks of pancakes at a single sitting. The weather here has been just as dismal as much of the rest of the country (currently receiving the thirteenth of a projected eighteen inches of snow - payment for missing the brunt of last Wednesday's snowstorm). Temperatures have dallied with the high teens and low twenties with overnight lows around -10*F. We average one day of sun per week. Iggy and Belle and I and ensconced in the dining room of some very generous folks, Dave and Katie. More room than I know what to do with, compared to the trailer. It is wonderful.

The night before I moved over here, the computer took another powder. This time, not even able to spin up the hard drive. No boot sequence at all, so it isn't just the drive, but likely the power regulation IC's, too. Anyway, Best Buy sent it out to be serviced in Kentucky, but there is no telling when it actually left the state nor when it arrived in Berea, Kentucky as the aviation situation in the Eastern half of the USA had been screwed up from weather for weeks now.

As expected, the family member who has provided cell phone coverage for us has found it necessary to shut off the phones, so presently, there is no way to call me and my internet access at the moment is nil, except for this momentarily borrowed laptop so I may update you on my doings. SWMBO is very upset that she can't talk with me every day, but so it goes. We are working on a solution to the communication issues and I am sure, once the laptop is back that I will be writing new entries and checking in on all of your blogs. For now, consider me in hibernation. I will emerge in the Spring, hungry for information and contact with you all.

And So It Goes...

Motty, Here’s Normal: SNAFU

2011-01-22T16:38:00.001-05:00

Well folks, the storm finally blew out to sea this morning. Low temp was 8°F and the high winds forecast must have blown out to sea with the snow. Sun is setting after an afternoon high of 19°- Balmy. Snow amount here was 15" on top of the 9" already on the ground. The driveway is plowed shut by the highway plows to a height about 6" over the Suburban's hood. There is too much snow to pack down with tires as it just "high centers" the truck (the pickup is stuck). No escaping tonight - plow truck driver has to work late so he won't get here until tomorrow. Overnight expecting 0° while tomorrow's overnight low, without factoring in the wind, is -15°F.

While I am sympathetic to Motty and Patti’s issues, I am still chipping the ice with a hammer so I can shut the door that I had to smash open this morning. I last had running water in August. I emptied my last tank in October - it has been dry camping ever since. It is not fun. Survival never is. I hear they got less than 12" of snow for the entire winter last year, here. Not normal.

These conditions are normal, for Maine, in January. It is the primary reason I have spent the last 3 winters in Louisiana. Now, I am moving out to friends’ home just as soon as Mother Nature will allow. The Flying Pig is grounded and I’m flying the coop in the name of survival.

The title? Situation Normal – All Fouled Up.

Twitter Users Beware!

2011-01-20T17:49:00.001-05:00

“If you use Twitter,

like I use Twitter,

Oh, Oh, a Malware

We will goo.gl Go”

Ok, Twits & Tweeters, here’s the twooth from ZDNet:

Twitter worm hits goo.gl, redirects to fake anti-virus

By Ryan Naraine | January 20, 2011, 5:55am PST

Summary

A fast-moving Twitter worm is in circulation, using Google’s goo.gl redirection service to push unsuspecting users to a notorious scareware (fake anti-virus) malware campaign.

Here is the link to the rest of the tale: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/twitter-worm-hits-googl-redirects-to-fake-anti-virus/7938

Sunset

2011-01-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

There is a storm coming, due to arrive tomorrow morning, bringing 5-9 inches of snow and high winds, followed by some serious Arctic cold. You wouldn't know it looking at this sunset, though. That's a natural flare and not an artifact of the lens. I noticed it out the window, tried and failed to get the shot from indoors. Nothing for it but to attempt an outside shot. I wasn't dressed to go out, so hung out the door in my union suit, camera in one hand, the other blocking the flap on my butt from passers-by and ill-fated neighbors. I really hate being sick, y'know?

National Cheese Lovers Day

2011-01-20T15:56:00.001-05:00

Yep, it’s that time again. National Cheese Lovers Day is upon us. I did a quick inventory of cheese on hand:

Extra Sharp New York Cheddar
Sharp Vermont Cheddar
Mild Cheddar Shreddings for cooking
Half a box of Velveeta (Can you really make Mac ‘n’ Cheese without it?)
Danish Bleu Cheese
Asiago grated
Romano wedge
Cottage Cheese, low fat.

Ok, Nellie, your turn, whenever you cn read blogs again. What do you have on hand for cheesey goodness?

And Many Happy Returns of the Day

2011-01-18T01:17:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthdays to Autumn and Lana, and posthumously to my brothers Howard and Richard.

Winter Twilight Musings

2011-01-17T16:40:00.001-05:00

Sunset.

Viewed with admiration for the beauty wrought and no little trepidation – it was -4°F. last night and tonight promises little improvement, judging from the clear skies and steady barometer. I woke to frozen water dish for the animals and a floor so cold it made me hop until I found some socks and slippers. This is the start of Winter as I fear and detest it. For the next few months, huge, deep highs will roll down from the Arctic, only to be shoved out to sea by deep lows from the South, bringing snow and ice and freezing rain, short thermal respites before we once again plunge into the deep freeze of a Maine winter. This is what Snowbirds seek to escape, the mind-numbing, bone-chilling, pop the nails out of the house siding cold. Absolute misery amid glorious sunshine that fails to warm.

The deer are yarded deep in the spruce and fir on the back 40. It’d be a disservice to disturb them now – any expenditure of energy is extremely costly in the winter. Coyotes and dogs wreak havoc in the deer yards in the months to come, even if tooth and claw miss their mark. They merely have to run the deer hard, then come back later to claim the carcass.

Hope you are all snug, safe and warm.

After The Storm

2011-01-13T12:04:00.001-05:00

The Flying Pig Is Grounded!

Senior Synchronized Swimming

2011-01-13T11:28:00.001-05:00

I’m thinking about trying out for the US Olympic Senior Synchronized Swimming Team. Do you think I’ll be able to make it?

It’s Raining … Inside

2011-01-12T23:24:00.001-05:00

So there I was, watching TV while working at the computer this evening. No warning, just a very sudden, very cold stream of water on my head. It is coming from the overhead vent in the living room. The one that needs to be replaced. For which I have a new Fantastic Fan out in the garage, waiting for warm, dry conditions to allow me to install. Sadly, in the meantime, snow is piled about 12 inches high on the vent and the heat inside is melting it. Saturated with melt water, it is coming inside past the gasket.

And so it goes … living inside an aluminum tube in a climate it was never intended to winter humans over in. Unintentional winter full-timing in Maine at it’s best, heheheh.

Here It Is, Kiddo!

2011-01-11T19:35:00.001-05:00

Ms. Nellie, authoress of The Diary of A Mid-life Cruiser, asked all of her readers to show their refrigerators in their blogs. Just because she’s a “Nosy Parker”.

Well, she’s graced me with not one, but two comments on one post recently and I got to feeling guilty. I’ve been meaning to take a pic of the fridge, but therein hangs a tail. You have to have a camera. The batteries to our nifty little Pentax Optio are taking a powder. I’d have to find and then dig out the big camera. The cell phone is almost always tethered to the laptop when I am in the trailer as it’s my only source of internet access these days. So I never got around to it. Until now. I dug out the “big” camera, took the shot, loaded it to the laptop, turned it so it was oriented vertically and then I uploaded it to the blog. All because, on January 3, 2011, an energizer bunny of a jogger named Nellie told me to:

CHALLENGE:

I showed you MINE.

Will you be brave enough to show me YOURS?

BLOG YOUR FRIDGE, BABY!

Then come back and tell us all where we can see your stash!

Here it is, Kiddo. Just for you (the rest of you can look away, now.

Yes’m, that’s meat in the freezer. And Ben ‘n’ Jerry’s Ice Cream. Coffee in the lock box on the right, spinach, shrimp, and salmon complete the freezer. Also plenty of frost.

Yes, the refrigerator section is jammed full – I went grocery shopping on Friday evening. Nothing terribly unusual there. It was given a lick and a promise with the washrag before I loaded the groceries in, but it isn’t what I’d call “clean”, either.

You asked, I delivered. Now go oogle Kate’s beautiful cold box and leave this little Dometic Classic alone, please.

Give A Listen & 5 Miutes of Your Time

2011-01-11T14:11:00.006-05:00

Photo by Ron Nordin, Source was AmandaPalmer.net Press Resources

Imagine, if you will, RADIOHEAD performed on a ukulele. With vocals by a clearly articulating woman, Amanda Palmer, the frontwoman for Dresden Dolls, rather than the depressed slurring of Thom Yorke. Add surprisingly beautiful resampling techniques. Four strings and clarity render Radiohead's "Idioteque" a pleasure to listen to. Not a description I would apply to the original.

And it is FREE. To stream, that is. Over a National Public Radio's Song of the Day:

Amanda Palmer: Radiohead For Four Strings

More Strange News From The Home Front

2011-01-11T13:59:00.003-05:00

This appeared in this morning's paper. WTF? Sort of like breaking IN to jail:

Three Maine animal shelters report dog thefts

Sounds like organized theft, to me. Anyone else amongst my readers experiencing anything similar in their neck of the woods?

UPDATE:

Stolen dogs returned to Bangor, Augusta shelters

“Cabin Fever” Season Has Begun

2011-01-08T13:27:00.001-05:00

This jolly headline appeared in this weekend’s newspaper today

Woman reportedly told police she stabbed husband ‘because he drives me nuts’

I suspect that they have been unhappy with each other for more than a little while. Is that entropy I smell?

Email Worm Targets M$ Customers

2011-01-07T15:01:00.009-05:00

This was in my in-box just a moment ago. You'd do well to be alert to this threat:

Email Worm Poses As Microsoft Update, Warns MS

by John Lister on 20110107 @ 12:11AM EST

Microsoft is today warning users of fake security alerts arriving via email. Microsoft is reminding users that it never sends out security alerts with attachments via email and that you should never open such an email if it arrives in your inbox.

Microsoft Email Security Updates Are a Scam

Cyber-criminals have been sending a so-called Microsoft updates that are actually viruses.

This scam in particular takes advantage of Microsoft's well-established Patch Tuesday schedule for monthly email updates. Potential victims receive an email purporting to be from Microsoft's Director of Security Assurance, Steve Lipner (who in fact does hold that role).

The recipient is then told to install the attached file, KB453396-ENU.exe (or a similar name), which is supposed to be the security update.

Worm, Virus Replicates Itself, Sends to Contact List

The email attachment (.EXE file) is actually a worm / virus, meaning that once it is installed on a users' PC, it will attempt to replicate itself by sending a copy of the infected attachment to all users on the host PC's contact list (address book).

The idea is to get the worm / virus on as many machines as possible in order to become part of a botnet. The botnet is then used to attack websites, corporate structures, and is even sold to other online criminals for their evil-doing."

The above is a partial extraction of an article appearing in today's InfoPackets technology newsletter. Sign up today to get your own daily copy.

Week One 2011

2011-01-05T16:53:00.000-05:00

A new day, a new year, and it’s cold and snowy at one point and now there’s a high dominating for a bit and the sun is out (still cool, though – maybe 25° for high today). The weather weenies are already talking up a big storm for week’s end – I take a wait and see attitude. They are only even close to right half the time up here.

January is traditionally the start of ice fishing season. This is an obscure sport, only practiced in the North Country. It really isn’t about the fish around here (high mercury levels, amongst other nasties). It often involves elaborate preparations, palatial huts about the size of my trailer, “The Flying Pig”, large quantities of liquid fire (whiskey), snowmobiles, ATV’s and old trucks driven by mad men on the frozen surfaces of lakes and rivers. Not this year. The warm-up last week coupled with the miniscule quantity of ice made before snow covered it and insulated it from the outside air, allowing the ice to weaken from contact with liquid water from below means there is an extremely dangerous ice cover this year … less than 4 inches, in the case of Pushaw Lake. So much for freezing my ass off in pursuit of “too much fun” as my friend Barney of “Old Fat Man Adventures” is so fond of saying. At least for a while until there is enough ice to support this old fat man.

Started up the tow truck the other day. Everything seems to be hunky-dory, but I didn’t take it out (no registration). Just ran her back and forth in the dooryard, let the battery charge up and circulated the vital fluids a mite.

I have a really serious case of “hitch itch” not improved by reading all the blogs of fulltime and snowbirds in the South. Combine that with the loneliness engendered by a spouse tending one of her fledglings in a period of health crisis. Add extreme economic stress. Mix and savor in your lawn chair at –5°. Repeat as the weather permits. Don’t forget the chronic cold feet from contact with the floor of a trailer never intended for winter use in a Northern climate…

Enough. I’ll survive, despite the “Urge for going”.

Joni is the author of this, one of my favorite songs.

This Sucks

2011-01-05T14:22:00.001-05:00

In Nevada: Famous ‘shoe tree’ chopped down by dastardly vandals.

This shoe tree, located alongside of U.S. Route 50, “the loneliest road in America”, has been a stopping point and landmark (about 125 miles from Reno, Nevada) for hundreds of thousands of travelers over the years.

The bastard(s) that did this should be made to walk the full length of US 50 BAREFOOT. The hell with the U.S. Constitutional prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment”. That would fit the crime, now wouldn’t it? I hope they find the perpetrator and throw the key away.

Gerry Rafferty, Dead at 63

2011-01-04T23:40:00.002-05:00

Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) pictured in concert in Dublin, Ireland at Dublin's National Stadium on 6 September 1980 – Happier Days. (Image Source: Wikipedia )

According to The Guardian, singer and satiric song writer Gerry Rafferty (known for such hits as Stuck in the Middle with You, Baker Street and Get it Right Next Time), whose music was part of my soundtrack in the 1970s, has died at age 63 of liver failure after a long illness, at home this morning.

I can’t speak for you, but he was part of my pantheon of musical influences and his death marks another avalanche on the slippery slope to my own demise.

His was another one of those seminal talents which emerged from the fog of the end of the heyday of folk music. Unlike so many, Gerry found the move to popular, centrist rock easy. His strong lyrical sense and wicked good humor made his music a treat to listen to and true pleasure to watch in person. I first saw him in New York City in 1967 and remember his humor and range to this day.

In light of Gerry’s premature demise, these lyrics from his tune "Days Gone Down" are prophetic:

"You still got that light in your eye," Rafferty sings. "Our day is coming by and by. I travel this long road here with you. We've still got a long way, we've still got a long way to go."

Sorry you had to leave us so soon, Gerry. A bloody shame, that.

Rhino Mystery

2011-01-04T18:16:00.001-05:00

Video supplied by researchers at Bock Labs’ Institute of Molecular Virology

Rhinovirus, that is.

Riddle me this. Just how long do viable, infective cold germs last on surfaces? Inquiring minds want to know.

I haven’t been near another human for almost 10 days, but I’m in the process of coming down with a doozy of a cold. Sneezing, a nose in desperate need of a spigot, actually, the whole gamut of Rhinovirus symptoms. My last proximate interaction with another human being was Christmas day. It’s just me, Ignatz McGraw -- Schipperke Extraordinaire, and Ms. Jingle Belle, Resident Mouser-in-Training. So I ask you, how in hell do I come down with a cold 9 days after any human contact? Yes, I know that folklore posits cold exposure and variable temperatures as a possible cause, but really, unless you are superstitious, do you think that rhinoviri are floating around in the outdoor air? Not bloody likely. So, I return to the original question. I suspect exposure from an infected mail person. That is the only contact I have had with the outside world – I picked up the mail on Saturday and symptoms have hit today – well within the likely time frame for infection.

Fracking USPS…

Image credit: Youtube and Bock Labs’s Institute of Molecular Virology, University of Wisconsin. Limited rights granted for display of individual images in educational settings and seminars prevents the use on this blog. However, the images are fascinating and well worth the visit to Virus World to view.

Ignoble Beginnings

2011-01-02T17:57:00.003-05:00

A new year is upon us all in the Western Hemisphere. Welcome, 2011. Did you have to start by waking up ol' man Murphy? Went out after dark last night to fire up the Burb in anticipation of a grocery trip. Inserted key in ignition and ... nada. Not even a click. Oh, man.

So I went out this afternoon and inserted the key and it turned right over. What the heck?

Well, I don't know if it is me or Murphy, but I am glad it started. Let it run a while as I flattened the snow in hopes it also charged up the battery.

And that is how I started my new year. I do hope yours was better. And I hope this isn't an indication of how things are going to go this year for me. No indeed.

New Year Catz

2010-12-31T21:26:00.000-05:00

If the preceding wasn't cheery enough, perhaps this will put a smile on your face and a rumble in the tummy...

Happy 2011, Y'all ...

2010-12-31T06:15:00.001-05:00

and many happy returns of new years in your lifetime. For those able, have a "pop" for me. I truly hope 2011 is better for us all than 2010 has been. Here's a little something from Ogden Nash:

Good Riddance, but Now What?

by Ogden Nash

Come, children, gather round my knee;

Something is about to be.

Tonight's December Thirty-First,

Something is about to burst.

The clock is crouching, dark and small,

Like a time bomb in the hall.

Hark! It's midnight, children dear.

Duck! Here comes another year.

Food Porn II

2010-12-29T16:13:00.001-05:00

Was I a Bad Boy last night or what?

Home alone can be fun, so long as SWMBO can’t beat me for straying so far from my diet. Heheheh.

Food Porn

2010-12-27T18:59:00.001-05:00

Snowed in?

Nothing to do?

Here’s the solution.

Make Venison Stew.

Post-Christmas Pick-Me-Up

2010-12-26T01:14:00.000-05:00

Many people in the Northern Hemisphere suffer with a malady which has been dubbed SAD - an acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is not your clinical depression, rather a seasonal depression thought to be triggered by the decreasing length of daylight in Autumn and early Winter. Amongst non-pharmaceutical treatments, intensive light therapy within the daylight spectrum and an involvement with music and dance seem to be the most efficacious. Then there is the after-Christmas let down. It just the blues that come from unfulfilled expectations, excessive hype and hyperbole in support of the commercial feeding frenzy.

Well, here's my hair-of-the-dog remedy for what ails you -- little Celtic trance music from my favorite Celtic trancers, Skilda. Take two viewings and call me Ishmael.

SKILDA / I SEE THE ISLE - CLACH MHIC LEOID from SKILDA on Vimeo.

And for those who like their lives and their trance music a bit more, shall we say, frantic.

SKILDA / GLENAN BLUE rmx from SKILDA on Vimeo.

Why We Track Santa

2010-12-25T12:34:00.001-05:00

Just in case you missed your daily dose of Boing-Boing because of all of the Christmas distractions today, I refer you to a nicely researched and illustrated story found by Maggie Koerth-Baker, “Why NORAD Tracks Santa” by Retired General Victor Renaurt, Jr. I learned a few things by reading it. For instance, did you know (remember) that before there was the North American Aerospace Defense Command, CONAD tracked Santa because of a wrong number in a print advertisement? (Image above shows the adv.)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T01:59:00.001-05:00

And a Happy Boxing Day, too. Especially to my friends in South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand and Australia. It’s Monday this year, I do believe.

Just remember, folks, don’t let your guard down. Weird Willy is on the loose!

Winter Solstice Musings

2010-12-21T16:20:00.007-05:00

The overcast on Winter Solstice Night was so thick one couldn't see a hint of the moon in the sky, let alone a lunar eclipse. I went outside at 2:20 AM or so and couldn't tell if the sky was any darker then, than earlier. I do know that there were no shadows cast as I danced naked in the snow, so I suspect we are in for three more months of winter at the very least. Thanks to neighbors and passers-by for not calling in the local gendarme - while exposed, I was facing the back fields, not likely to affront anyone's line-of-sight. The God of Winter is appeased for another year ... even if I had to revel Saturnalia all alone.

It's snowed and rained and sleeted and hailed today. Outside temps have hovered right at the freezing mark. I suppose now that the sun has rolled past the horizon the temps will droop ever so slightly, making locak roads the equivalent of the fresh ice on the hockey rink just after the Zamboni has cleaned the ice.

I discovered a stupid mistake I made when I went out to the truck in search of the twelve-pack of Diet Coke I purchased a while ago at the grocery store -- they'd all frozen. Then exploded. All over the back of the Suburban. Horrendous mess and it is all my fault. Will I ever learn?

Merry Cthulu

2010-12-18T22:04:00.000-05:00

And, while I'm in the sick webcomix mood, take a look at this gem by David Morgan-Mar. dmm@irregularwebcomic.net No. 2159 2008-12-24

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license.

My Warped Sense of Humor Finds This Hilarious

2010-12-17T21:53:00.002-05:00

It's sad how mentally ill I am...

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Grandma Got Molested At The Airport

2010-12-16T22:48:00.006-05:00

I stumbled upon this at "Travels With George" this evening. Like George, I find it is thought-provoking and amusing little ditty. There are no pictures, just the song and the lyrics on the screen. Definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK. While the language isn't all that bad, resist the impulse - do not play this at work or you will most likely lose your job!

Snow is coming ... all weekend.

2010-12-16T15:31:00.004-05:00

It was cold again this morning, about 15°F cold. The trailer floor is bloody miserable, but at head height everything is a copacetic 72°. Looked at the weather forecast and what do I see? Yep, snow. With the exception of Saturday, it is "chance of snow" in the forecast through Monday. Nothing like the localized "snowmageddon" that has befallen Southern Ontario, where 237 had to be rescued from their stranded vehicles along a 140 mile stretch of the Queen's Highway (and, sadly, one motorist froze to death before being found). Still and all, this doesn't give me the warm fuzzies. And it is only going to get much, much worse.

And so it goes, buckaroos...

I’ve survived another one!

2010-12-13T15:36:00.001-05:00

While the trailer was rocking and the wind a-howling, I went out about midnight and tightened down the outriggers to reduce the motion from the 30 MPH winds broadside to us with gusts around 38 MPH. Not near as bad as forecast, but we got a couple of inches of rain and all of the snow is gone. Haven’t gone down to camp as I don’t feel like tackling the mud, so I don’t know if the lake has come over it’s banks. The air temp hit a high of 57°F this morning and is well on its way back to the freezing point. Still, it was nice, albeit damp, walking the dog this morning. All the more reason to bemoan spending this winter in Maine…

Iggy contemplates a leaden sky, remembering all the fun he had playing in the snow only a day ago.

Walked down to the beaver dam – run-off is a good 18” over the lip of the dam and running strong. Not enough light to enable sight of the top of the dam through the water. I tried to photograph it,, but all I managed was to get wet to my pockets from the bull rushes and bracken next to the stream. I think that I’ll just hunker down and wait out the rain – once I find some dry clothing to put on. I’m still trying to catch up with my blog reading. I’m down to only 545 entries to read from somewhere in the 10 thousands (not that I read all of them, mind you—who needs two week old weather information?).

Feeling The Season

2010-12-13T13:40:00.001-05:00

The holiday season, that is. Not really feeling it, myself. Hannukah ended a couple of days ago, the Winter Solstice will be upon us next week, along with the Wiccan festivals of Saturnalia and Yule. Festivus, Christmas, Boxing Day -- they are all coming. Are you feeling festive this year? It’s a little tough for many here and abroad with no income nor hope of any in the New Year.

Well, help is on the way via the Boston.com’s The Big Picture. An entry this week, “Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” has 37 photos of holiday preparations from around the globe. A sample that caught the editor’s eye as well as mine from a Reuters photo is cropped and shown below to entice you to go see all of the images for yourself. Enjoy.

Image copyright © 2010 Reuters – I only can wish I was that good. Hats off to Christian Charisius – great photo, bro. (Do click to see the uncropped version and view all of these great photos. If you are on a slow connection, go make yourself a meal, empty the trash and walk the dog, they take a while to download).

Hope it doesn't get this bad

2010-12-11T15:13:00.007-05:00

There is a flooding watch and a high winds watch posted here for late Sunday through mid-day Tuesday. In addition to the very real liklihood of floods from the rain melting the snowpack, they are now forecasting winds from the southeast at 40 to 50 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH. I just hope it doesn't flip the trailer over - I am broadside to the southeast and there is no way that can change. Here's what I think I might be looking at:

Special Thanks go to Candy Minx, from whose blog I swiped the duck video. You go girl!

Bugged Out

2010-12-06T22:05:00.001-05:00

According to the Free Online Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

“Definition of BUG OUT -- intransitive verb

1: to retreat during a military action; especially : to flee in panic

2: to depart especially in a hurry …”

--***--

So there I was, sipping coffee and perusing email on my newly restored laptop on Sunday morning around 9:30. Outside, snow flurries danced on the Northeast wind, the temps in the low thirties and the air faintly smelling of the pulp mills to the North. I finished the mail and clicked on the NOAA weather forecast for my area. Holy Fortune Cookies, Mai Tai! They were forecasting a significant Winter Storm, with snow accumulations of 5 to 10 inches. Ouch. I thought the forecast was for flurries Sunday and just an inch or two of the white stuff on Monday. Damn my luck.

View out the LR window on Sunday morning

Where we are (were) parked is all of 35 feet to the water. As I have mentioned in the past, the water has come up quite high this fall. If the area receives a significant volume of snow this winter, flooding of annoying, if not dangerous proportions can be expected. Unlike my brother, I am not up to wading around in near-freezing water. Then there is the whole issue of water damage to our trailer and the lack of flood insurance thereon (only available for permanent and semi-permanent structures on improved sites.) Plus the whole ‘mud season’ scenario where nothing short of a helicopter is able to extract you from wherever you have been too stupid to escape. So a quick conference with myself concluded with two words: “bug out”.

And so I did. From ten in the morning I broke camp until well past dark. I was extremely fortunate that I was only going to be hauling out to high ground a few miles away. So, I didn’t trouble about the niceties (and necessities) when seriously traveling. Breakables and the like went down low on the foor. The external shower was taken down and draped in the shed to dry out (we’ve had a lot of rain and things were soaked from that and the melting snow flurries. It took a while, but I worked ceaselessly until it was as done as it was going to get.

I loaded both vehicles and am fortunate to have a neighbor willing to drop everything to follow me over to the farm and bring me back so I could then drive the Suburban and trailer over. Thank you Katy. They were so nice, they even took pity on my bedraggled state and offered me dinner! Thanks again, folks. Sorry I didn’t have the presence of mind to photograph the standing rib Pork Roast Davey served – it was a work of art.

So here I sit, cooling my heels and other parts of my anatomy in front of the farmhouse we used to live in. The wind’s out of the West around 20 MPH and the 12” of snow that has fallen so far is starting to drift. Two space heaters barely hold the interior at 60°. I suppose I will have to attempt a heart attack tomorrow, shoveling open the drive, before firing up the ‘Burb’ and going to town for some bread and water. And fuel ... mustn’t forget the need to stay warm. Iggy barely keeps his ears above the snow. Forget about the rest of him. Like a good dad, I smush down a section when he starts to circling and that allows him to keep his butt clear of the snow when doing what comes naturally.

And that, my friends, is all for tonight.

No Prima Donnas, Please

2010-12-06T21:16:00.001-05:00

“‘Publishers really don’t want a difficult writer who writes brilliant books. Publishers really like a good writer who writes good books and doesn’t have any problem with being a prima donna. That’s part of the unwritten credo: ‘Don’t be a dick.’”¹

What Mercedes Lackey posits as the ideal author, from a publisher and editor’s perspective, holds too true in daily life. In the USA, there is a significant portion of the population who expect, no, demand that we all are good little boys and girls, alike in a die cut sameness of mind, body and belief. From an early age we overtly instruct our offspring to conform and then recoil in horror when they trot out the timeworn phrase, “everybody else does it.” Of course, “it” is something that (usually) only a minority actually do. Sort of like writers, no?

It isn’t my place in the grand scheme of things to attack or rebut one of my heroes. Mercedes Lackey is an eminently qualified writer and, from all reports, anything but a prima donna. I can only wish to be a tenth as good as she has proven herself to be.

But (there’s always a but, isn’t there?). I do believe that those who write truly brilliant books that sell thousands or, even better, hundreds of thousands of copies, have earned the right to be difficult, demanding, cantankerous and otherwise odious prima donnas.

Just get out from behind the customer service window at Walmart and the Post Office, would you?

1 Locus Online Perspectives, Mercedes Lackey: Making Fun — posted Wednesday 10 November 2010 @ 10:55 am PST

Autumn Ending

2010-12-02T02:40:00.001-05:00

It’s raining outside, a fact one is extremely aware of when living inside an aluminum can. The weather wonks are predicting something between an inch and 3 inches in the next twenty-four hours or so. So much for the ice on the lake – it is gone as of 20 minutes ago when I took the dog out to empty his bladder. Snow is pretty much gone already, too. In it’s place is little pathways of ice, compacted then frozen over the past week or so as autumn turned gray and nasty.

Snowy Autumn – Last Weeks of November, 2010.

We’ve been fighting serious condensation in the Airstream. It is inevitable, aluminum conducting heat so well, poor insulation and all of the Thanksgiving cooking I have been doing. Seems folks took pity on our financial plight this year. Personal friends provided a 29 lb turkey and a bag of veggies, along with a bottle of propane. The Food and Medicine Coalition gave us a very nice bag of Thanksgiving goodies, including apple cider, pumpkin pie, squash, beets, onions, potatoes, bread. And, we had dinner with our neighbors, Dave and Katy and their house guest Lauri on T-Day, too. That required the contribution of some homemade cornbread dressing and southwest Ancho Chile candied yams. So yours truly has been a very busy bee at the stove of late. In fact, I’m still cooking the last of the big bird … she was too big to cook whole in our oven.

Iggy is being a little porker, socking down every scrap and morsel that comes his way or within even close proximity. He’s even mastered climbing up onto a plastic storage bin on the dining table to reach the cat’s bowl. Meanwhile, Jingle Belle is so confident she sees no problem with reaching out and swiping her claws across Iggy’s tail stump in passing. That leads to much chasing and caterwauling and barking within the confines of the trailer. Remind me why I consented to my wife keeping a kitten again, please.

We’re getting ready to move the trailer over to the house at the farm. Not much point in staying once the ice is in--- a seven mile fetch to the Northwest can be mighty chilly without the resistance of the water to slow down the wind a little bit.

All in all, we are doing OK. Haven’t had any luck finding work but I am confident something will turn up (it better – heating is expensive here). I have no desire to imitate a “Pops-cicle” anytime soon, either.

absence is unbecoming

2010-11-14T23:11:00.003-05:00

My laptop threw a shoe Friday. The Geek Squad says the motherboard is the cause and the solution is replacement. Good thing I bought the extended warrantyI will return in six to eight weeks.

Pulling Teeth and Deer Hunting for Dummies

2010-11-04T13:33:00.005-04:00

I survived the visit to the dentist this morning. No extensive bleeding and the post-procedure pain is tolerable. No solid food for 24, then mush for a week. The Doc took out two teeth and thinks the bone infection is under control. We'll see.

It's been pretty cold in the morning lately. Water buckets have an inch of ice and I find it necessary to break skim ice with one of the frozen buckets to get water from the lake. Winter is on its way (Boo~ Hiss!)

Ran into my neighbor (Hi, Katey) this morning at o'dark thirty - we were both putting our trash barrels out for pick-up at 7:00. The changeover to standard time next week will give a whole new meaning to 'being in the dark'. Instead of a gray dawning it'll be strictly starlight to load the barrels by.

Deer hunters are out in full force. What the heck is with these folks that they feel the need to shoot their buck or doe two, three, even four times? Some asshat tried to kill a deer in the middle of a game preserve (Marsh Island - all of UMO and most of Orono and Old Town) field behind the new Old Town Elementary School yesterday. This brilliant ex-con hadn't a sufficient clue as to where they were and what was downrange. Like the University of Maine biking/jogging trail, a housing development and the aforementioned school. I used to work the Radio Shack that was in the strip mall in front of this field. What a maroon!

And So It Goes...

Ouch, darn it.

2010-10-25T21:23:00.005-04:00

I gritted my teeth and lifted the 6 gallon water jug out of the back of the truck. The pain was sudden, immediate, and in my mouth? WTF?

I split a molar. Lengthwise, upper jaw, left side. Clenched the jaw a bit to hard, I guess. Falling apart, for sure.

Hark! Is that the Grim Reaper's scythe I hear?

UPDATE:
The dentist I saw today (Thursday) says I have an infection in the spongiform tissue in the maxilla. So onto penicillin for a week and then they will yank the damaged tooth out as it cannot be retained without leaving a significant path for infection to my bloodstream. With a compromised circulatory system and pump, that is considered a "bad idea" according to the tooth doc.

And So It Goes...

Brrrr…

2010-10-23T16:52:00.001-04:00

There’s no question in my mind that winter is around the corner. Although, “they” say it will warm up next week with a chance to see 60° F. for a high next week. Today, it is a different story. A clear, cold night with a full moon allowed the mercury to plunge to 33° by the time my bladder insisted I either get up or soak the bed. “They” had said today would be breezy. No kidding – the wind was out of the North upon rising and blowing a steady 25 MPH with considerably higher gusts. The white caps out in the middle of the lake were more reminiscent of Lake Champlain than a little pond in Maine with a six mile fetch. As of this writing (an experiment in off-line composition with Windows Live Writer – I know, I know –late to the party per usual-) it’s 46° and the wind has moved into the West at about 20 MPH. That will be our high for the day. “They” are forecasting a hard freeze for overnight.

I sure hope “they” are terribly wrong.

Looking Northwest … inside the cove. Note the whitecaps out in the passage (Double-click to embiggen).

“They” are the weather wookies at local TV and radio stations…

Things I Don't HAVE To Think About...

2010-10-18T17:55:00.002-04:00

Things I Don’t Have to Think About Today

Today I don’t have to think about those who hear “terrorist” when I speak my faith.
Today I don’t have to think about men who don’t believe no means no.
Today I don’t have to think about how the world is made for people who move differently than I do.
Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m married, depending on what state I’m in.
Today I don’t have to think about how I’m going to hail a cab past midnight.

Today I don’t have to think about whether store security is tailing me.
Today I don’t have to think about the look on the face of the person about to sit next to me on a plane.
Today I don’t have to think about eyes going to my chest first.
Today I don’t have to think about what people might think if they knew the medicines I took.
Today I don’t have to think about getting kicked out of a mall when I kiss my beloved hello.

Today I don’t have to think about if it’s safe to hold my beloved’s hand.
Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m being pulled over for anything other than speeding.
Today I don’t have to think about being classified as one of “those people.”
Today I don’t have to think about making less than someone else for the same job at the same place.
Today I don’t have to think about the people who stare, or the people who pretend I don’t exist.

Today I don’t have to think about managing pain that never goes away.
Today I don’t have to think about whether a stranger’s opinion of me would change if I showed them a picture of who I love.
Today I don’t have to think about the chance a store salesmen will ignore me to help someone else.
Today I don’t have to think about the people who’d consider torching my house of prayer a patriotic act.
Today I don’t have to think about a pharmacist telling me his conscience keeps him from filling my prescription.

Today I don’t have to think about being asked if I’m bleeding when I’m just having a bad day.
Today I don’t have to think about whether the one drug that lets me live my life will be taken off the market.
Today I don’t have to think about the odds of getting jumped at the bar I like to go to.
Today I don’t have to think about “vote fraud” theater showing up at my poll station.
Today I don’t have to think about turning on the news to see people planning to burn my holy book.

Today I don’t have to think about others demanding I apologize for hateful people who have nothing to do with me.
Today I don’t have to think about my child being seen as a detriment to my career.
Today I don’t have to think about the irony of people thinking I’m lucky because I can park close to the door.
Today I don’t have to think about memories of being bullied in high school.
Today I don’t have to think about being told to relax, it was just a joke.

Today I don’t have to think about whether someone thinks I’m in this country illegally.
Today I don’t have to think about those who believe that freedom of religion ends with mine.
Today I don’t have to think about how a half-starved 23-year-old being a cultural ideal affects my life.
Today I don’t have to think about how much my life is circumscribed by my body.
Today I don’t have to think about people wanting me cured of loving who I love.

Today I don’t have to think about those who view me an unfit parent because of who I love.
Today I don’t have to think about being told my kind don’t assimilate.
Today I don’t have to think about people blind to the intolerance of their belief lecturing me about my own.
Today I don’t have to think about my body as a political football.
Today I don’t have to think about how much my own needs wear on those I love.

Today I don’t have to think about explaining to others “what happened to me.”
Today I don’t have to think about politicians saying bigoted things about me to win votes.
Today I don’t have to think about those worried that one day people like me will be the majority.
Today I don’t have to think about someone using the name of my religion as a slur.
Today I don’t have to think about so many of the words for me controlling my own life being negatives.

Today I don’t have to think about still not being equal.
Today I don’t have to think about what it takes to keep going.
Today I don’t have to think about how much I still have to hide.
Today I don’t have to think about how much prejudice keeps hold.
Today I don’t have to think about how I’m meant to be grateful that people tolerate my kind.

Today I don’t have to think about all the things I don’t have to think about.
But today I will.

The preceeding appeared on John Scalzi's blog, Whatever, this morning. As there are several of you who don't read his blog on a regular basis, I thought I would share. All credit goes to John. And, as of this writing, there are already 205 comments pertaining to this entry at his site. They're entertaining and educational in their own right. I suggest you give them a read.

Leaves and grass...

2010-10-17T17:49:00.003-04:00

We survived the "1st N'oreaster" of the season, although Iggy and I were busy this morning hauling fallen limbs off the road so we are able to drive in and out the camp road without (hopefully) puncturing our tires. The leaves took a major hit from all the rain and wind. We are definitely 'past peak' around here now. Still pretty, though. Except, now I will have to mulch the newly downed leaves with the lawnmower. Again.

Been trying to catch up on my blog reading and have come to a conclusion -- it is time to thin out again. It's the recurring story of my life -- my eyes are bigger than my stomach and that is massive ;-). There simply isn't enough time available in my day to read them all. So, apologies in advance to all that receive the cut. Information overload has struck again.

I've had no luck finding work so far. This area is hurting, big time. There seems to be six to ten applicants for every shitty opening and hundreds for good ones.

Going to be moving to the house soon as nightly temperatures are headed for below freezing this week and the wind comes whistling down from Canada with next to nothing to stop it. This aluminum beer can we call home loses the heat faster than we generate it.

That is all for tonight. Keep the greasy side down, all you Snobirds as you head South. Wish we were also leaving but the wallet is bare still.

And so it goes...

From our neighbors to the North ...

2010-10-17T03:43:00.002-04:00

The Newfie War

The American President was in the Oval Office when his telephone rang.

"Hallo, Mr. President " a heavily accented voice said. This is Archie, up'ere at the Harp Seal Pub in Badger's Cove, Newfoundland, Canada eh? I am callin' to tells ya dat we are officially declaring war on you eh!"

"Well Archie," The President replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Archie, after a moments calculation "there is me, me cousin Harold, me next-door-neighbor Mick, and the whole dart team from the pub. That makes eight!"

The President paused. "I must tell you Archie, that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Holy jeez," said Archie. "I'll have ta call ya back!"

Sure enough, the next day, Archie called again. "Mr. President, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be Archie?", the President asked.

"Well sir, we have two combines, a bulldozer, and Harry's farm tractor."

The President sighed. "I must tell you Archie, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my army to one and a half million since we last spoke."

"Lard T'underin' Jaysus, bye", said Archie, "I'll be getting back to ya"

Sure enough, Archie rang again the next day. "Mr. President, the war is still on! We have managed to git ourselves airborne! We up an' modified Harrigan's ultra-light wit a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four byes from the Legion have joined us as well!"

The President was silent for a minute then cleared his throat. "I must tell you, Archie, that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

"Jeysus, Mary and Joseph," said Archie,"I'll have ta call youse back."

Sure enough, Archie called again the next day.

"Mr President! I am sorry to have to tell you dat we have had to call off dis 'ere war."

"I'm sorry to hear that" said the American President. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, sir," said Archie, "we've all sat ourselves down and had a long chat over a bunch of pints, and come to realize dat dere's no way we can feed two million prisoners."

The tale above is taken from the “Groaners Corner” at Al and Kelly's Travel With The Bayfield Bunch blog. I sure hope my theft is treated by Al as the sincerest form of flattery, as I'm pretty sure most of my 45 or so readers probably don't read his marvelous missives. He's a man for whom the phrase “cantankerous codger” may have been invented. And, I am addicted to puns and Newfie jokes. It's a sickness, I know. They say that misery loves company. Welcome, company.

Oops a daisy

2010-10-13T10:39:00.006-04:00

So Tuesday after I was discharged from jury duty because the defendant copped a plea in the court room, something the judge claims happens in fewer than one in ten cases on the day of trial, I drove home, marveling at what a beautiful autumn day it was. Once home, I decided I'd go for a paddle about the lake. It'd be the first paddle of the year as I only got the canoe out of storage a week ago and it has been either raining or simply too windy for safe paddling by myself.

After getting launched, I remembered my wife's admonition against dying by drowning (she claims it is her right to kill me) and my promise to put a PFD (personal flotation device, aka "life jacket") on as I was going alone. So, I struggled into the fool thing, zipped it up, took no more than 25 strokes with my paddle when I got stuck on a stump submerged in the cove to the west of our place and promptly proceeded to lose my balance and dumped me and the canoe over.

Damn that water was cold. Did I mention that it has been raining and windy and generally downright unpleasant for a while? It has also been cold, too - in the thirties and low forties at night with highs in the fifties during the day.

Fortunately, I was in shallow, albeit soft-bottomed water and able to partially empty the water in the canoe. That made dragging it to shore where I drained it dry before paddling home much easier. While I was cold, I wasn't hypothermic due to the continued activity and the fact I was wearing a thick wool shirt as proof against the wind. Wool is still warm, even when wet, unlike most synthetic fabrics.

My wife found my bedraggled appearance quite amusing. Truly, so did I, although I wasn't about to let my wife know. Have to maintain some semblance of dignity, don'tcha know.

So that was my unplanned swim. Just glad to be able to report the circumstances in person.

And So It Goes...

Consumer Beware:

2010-10-07T08:05:00.005-04:00

If you have an iTunes account, take note -- from the daily Tech Republic "infopackets" newsletter comes this nasty bit of news:

Fake iTunes Bill Delivers Bank-Draining Trojan

by Carlo Orlando on 20101006 @ 11:51AM EST | google it | send to friends
Filed under Security | (related terms: fake, bill, malware, itunes, clicking)

Hackers have developed a new and clever scam that targets legitimate Apple iTunes subscribers, then drains their bank account.

Fake Bill Traps Customers into Clicking Malware Link

Victims of the scam receive fake "iTunes receipt" that appear completely authentic, with none of the spelling errors or image source code issues that have become synonymous with spam and malware messages.

The only real problem with the would-be receipt is that the total for the bill was said to be completely outrageous. And that's part of the trap.

Clicking "Report a Problem" Is a Big Mistake

Researchers say that the fake and outrageously high bill is enough to raise the ire of legitimate iTunes subscribers. The reason for this is that most people are likely to take action when seeing an "incorrect amount" appear on their bill.

Since the next step for most people in this situation would be to click the "report a problem" tab, this is where hackers have decided to plant the Trojan.

Fake Adobe PDF Reader Delivers Payload

The attack vector uses Adobe Flash, which is a technology that Apple refuses to use for its alleged security weaknesses. Panda Labs released a statement explaining the infection process:

"After clicking the link, the victim is asked to download a fake PDF reader. Once installation is complete, the user is redirected to an infected web page containing the Zeus Trojan, which is specifically designed to steal personal data." (Source: yahoo.com)

Phishing Schemes Increasingly Popular

Phishing has become a major problem for security companies in recent weeks, with users of the popular social network LinkedIn being the targets of a similar attack these past few weeks. (Source: scmagazineus.com)

According to Luis Corrons, technical director of Panda Labs, the variation in the methods of attack is what has been keeping security companies on edge.

"Phishing is nothing new. What never ceases to surprise us is that the techniques used to trick victims continue to be so simple, but the design and content is so very well-orchestrated. It's very easy to fall into the trap."

While some of the addresses that the malware uses is blocked by the Anti-Phishing Working Group, uncovering and restricting all addresses is an uphill battle that seems more and more improbable with each passing day.

This a really vicious bit of coding. It will hurt you badly and I suspect most banks will find some way to weasel out of their so-called "Security Guarantees" to avoid paying for the resulting damages. There is no choice but to be hyper-vigilant. After my bout with a bit of malware that mimicked my own virus scanner in March I have become very sensitive to these threats. Fixing the problem was both expensive and very time-consuming, something I wish on no one but the malefactors themselves.

By the way, I highly recommend subscribing to the infopackets newsletter. It is free, scrolling down past the adverts is pretty simple, the links work and the information is timely. What more could you ask from a tech newsletter?

Sunny Side of Life

2010-10-02T12:31:00.003-04:00

Well, we survived the big blow. In fact, sheltered from the South as we are here at the camp, it was a 36 hour period of rain and falling leaves, accompanied by a very fine mist (virga) between the raindrops. We were very fortunate, compared to the mid-Atlantic states. Just some minor flooding, downed trees and scattered power outages. With the exception of far Northern Maine and Quebec, south of the mouth of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the rain is gone, the Southern winds are now from the Northwest and we are rapidly drying out in the partly sunny, sixty degree breezes. Just checked the road in and we escaped without even having any limbs down! We were sure lucky, no question.

So those of you suffering with floods and closed roads have my sympathy. Things will get better.

We're watching "Misery" on TNT this afternoon. There's the reason I shudder everytime I see Kathy Bates in a movie...

More manana. Have a good Saturday.

Dodged THAT Bullet...

2010-09-23T23:21:00.006-04:00

"Showed up for jury pool yesterday along with nearly 200 other Penobscot County residents. The usual fun and games. Hurry up and wait ..."

Guess the Fates weren't happy with my entry about the jury selection process. All 10 paragraphs are lost in the bit bucket. And, of course, it was all polished, witty, erudite commentary on the Maine Judicial Systems kinks and foibles (not to mention the hot menage a trois between the Baliff, the hot blonde and yours truly).

Short version -- voir dire for a major murder trial now being conducted took almost 9 hours and I discovered butt muscles can actually cramp in a 'Charley Horse'. Missed serving by "that much, Boss". Last lottery draw for 15 out of 37 spared me. Free until next week, when I must show up and go through the process all over again.

And So It Goes.

We're all hunkered down for some really nasty weather. Four inches of rain is predicted along with high winds. I find myself eyeing the trees, trying to guess if that limb or this stem will give way at 50, 60, 70 MPH?
The joy of living in a glorified beer can.

The leaves around the lake are turning colors rapidly. I suspect that the best of the color will be gone from North of here before Columbus Day weekend. Around Bangor and Downeast, west across US Route 2 through Rumford into the White Mountain National Forest, the Mount Washington Valley and across to Burlington, Vermont, all should reach peak for the holiday weekend. Southern New Hampshire and Vermont, Northern Massachusetts should all peak 10 days before Halloween.

Visited my doctor last week. He seems to think, barring accidents, that I'll live to see another day or two. He suggested I lose a few pounds, but I told him I loved my wife and didn't think I could handle a divorce. Har-de-har-har. Back again yesterday for a blood draw after 12 hour fast. I didn't realize they use the hour from 8 to 9 to get their s%&* together. The Doc's dog was happy to see me.

Hope y'all are safe and sound. Back to court on Monday. Then it time to emulate the Ant and quit the Grasshoppering. Winter is just around the corner.

Bah Humbug.

Drivel...

2010-09-14T19:17:00.003-04:00

Well, as previously noted, I will have to report for jury duty next week. It will be the Superior Court "Traverse Jury" and, if chosen for a trial, could take up anything from a few days to six weeks of my time. Won't know anything until next Thursday. If chosen for a jury, ethics dictates that I won't be posting any particulars until after a decision is rendered. The procedures employed in the choosing the jury are not subject to such limitations unless the judge so orders, so I see no problem letting you in on them. I'll keep you posted.

Autumn has arrived in fact, if not by calendar. The weather is now typically fallish, with rain every day or two, breezy cool days in the 50's and 60's in between. Nights are in the mid- to low 40's now, with freezing temps in the works by the end of the month. The leaves of the swamp maples are starting to turn. Upland areas are still green, but there's a dryness to leaves on the trees that is starting to become noticeable. A localized drought has been an issue for the last few years in this county, so colors in Bangor aren't going to be anything to write or photo about, but up towards Moosehead Lake, Baxter State Park or over in Western Maine and New Hampshire, such is not the case and quite a brilliant leafy show is about to be staged by Mother Nature.

Don't forget - this Sunday, September 19th, is "International Talk Like A Pirate Day" So get your "Arrrr, Matey" in gear and join the fun. Screws with the local TV reporters whole bunches if all you do is pirate stuff all day long. Try keelhauling your local Weather Vixen.

That's about all. No joy on the job-hunting front, so likely we'll be stuck here this winter. That sucks, really bad.

Damn You, Facebook and Twitter. Damn You To Hell!

2010-09-11T18:05:00.003-04:00

Bad news greeted me this afternoon when I opened up Bloglines this afternoon. Sad news. The passing of an era:

“September 10, 2010

Bloglines Update

Today, Ask.com let our users know that we will shut down Bloglines on October 1. Not an easy decision, especially considering our loyal and supportive (not to mention patient) user base, but, ultimately, the right one given business reasons simply too hard to ignore.”   (ASK.com Official Blog – Bloglines Update)

It seems that ASK.com thinks that Twitter and Facebook are going to be the dominant method of conveying information for the foreseeable future, that RSS and blogs are a passe method of conveying information ... and by extension, anything worth saying can be said in 140 characters or less.

So now I have to find a new feed reader program (ed.: Done – Great News is an offline reader that will import ALL of your Bloglines feeds and allows you to read on or offline) and watch all the blogs in the world close their doors or admit they are antiquated. Yes, another sign that I am 'over the hill and twice as moldy'.

Are you ready for the coming apocalypse of the blogverse? Friend ShellyS tweeted her discovery of the news on one of her blogging blogs. She cites the loss of her Blog Roll as one of the major downsides for her. I hadn't even thought of it. Maintaining a blog roll is a royal pain in the ass, one I learned first hand when using the AOL Journals editor. There's no way I am going back to a line-by-line blog roll. No Sireee. Not me. Guess the blog roll is a goner, too. Then again, the coming demise of the blogverse will simply be hastened when no one can find my favorite reads.

Maybe it is time to join the mindless horde, ignore my privacy rights and issues about Twitter, MySpace and Facebook and join the rest of the one-line-lemmings.

What do you think? Is it time to close the doors here at The Daily Snooze? Are blogs truly moribund? Or is there a “market” for something more than one liners and mindless “tweets” about the quality of toilet tissue recently acquired? Can one actually maintain a blog with only a public library internet feed once a week? Truly, I am serious when I ask all fourteen or so of you faithful readers. It is only for you and my gynormous ego that I do this, after all.

Storm Detritus

2010-09-04T19:45:00.004-04:00

Well, survived Earl. A couple of inches of rain in about 14 hours with just a little gusty wind. Slept through most of it. Had to go out to refuel the genny during the worst of it. Pretty much soaked to the skin, but needed to keep the big fans running to stand the heat. Mid to high 80's outside translates into a freaking oven inside the aluminum tube. Too much blowing rain to leave the windows open so fans are the answer. Too bad we don't have power - it definitely was an air conditioner night.

They're forecasting real sleeping weather for tonight - low 50's. Yum!

Unwelcome Visitor

2010-09-02T19:19:00.005-04:00

One Forecaster's projected eye path - Image via AccuWeather.com.
We're inside the blue path projection :(

Overheard at the grocery store:

Woman 1: "Have you got clean panties on?"

Woman 2: "Of course."

Woman 1: "Good thing ... Earl's coming."

We've been hanging on every update to the track and intensity of Hurricane Earl over the past few days. As of this writing, looks like he'll miss us, except for anywheres from 2 to 6 inches of rain. Our fear, here amongst the swamp oaks. birches, alders, old pines and firs, is the potential for severe winds downing trees and tree limbs. Just another of the fears when living in an aluminum tube. So forecasts of heavy rains with relatively easy winds is a true pleasure, given the alternative. Still, vigilance will be maintained until Earl and Gaston have blown by.

Book of Odds - My Everyday Life: Wednesday - Letter From Afghanistan: Shaken to the Core

2010-09-01T12:14:00.001-04:00

A young Vermont Lieutenant's exposition on a far-from-routine patrol in Afghanistan. Powerful writing. Gut-wrenching reading.

Book of Odds - My Everyday Life: Wednesday - Letter From Afghanistan: Shaken to the Core

2010-08-24T12:02:00.003-04:00

Home a week now. Weather has been wonderful, for the most part. Daytime highs in the 70's or low 89's and nighttime low's in the 50's. It is scary, how nice it has been. Somehow, I suspect we will pay.

No luck finding any temp work, but haven't been looking as hard as I might.

The light pole in the camp dooryard has snapped off at its base from years of little buggies boring their little teeth off. This poses a problem as the transformer on the powerline is also off. Can't very well ask the faceless bureaicrats at Bangor Hydro-Electric Company to replace the busted transformer when it'll just short out again from the lines coming in contact with the trees the yard pole is leaning against. Need over a grand to replace the pole. THAT isn't going to happen any time soon. That's like a weeks wages around here, assuming one can find a job that pays anything close to $25 an hour. And So It Goes.

Juris Impudence

2010-08-16T21:49:00.004-04:00

A long slog got us to The Uncle's in Maryland on Monday. Tuesday spent working on projects which had accumulated since November. Had a really nice crab feed on Tuesday night at Ford's Restaurant in Rock Hall. The service left a lot to be desired, but the food was tasty and the quantity was good. Four adults, no booze, two crab meals, one 3 pound lobster and a liver and onions plate came to a total of $80. Not bad, everything considered. Wednesday I collapsed - accumulated fatigue from the hard driving and anticipation of the final legs home. Thursday we awoke to a loud thunderclap about 5AM followed by a spectacular lightning storm. I rolled over and went back to sleep. Friday morning finished up the last of the projects and loaded up the truck and made ready for departure. Waited out the weekend get-away traffic and set out towards Maine at 2AM Saturday. Made good time, having taken my wife straight through the middle of New York City -- a first for her. Cross-Bronx Expressway hasn't improved one bit during my 25 year absence from the city. Skyline is so sad without the Twin Towers. Drove as far as Southern Connecticut on the old standby, I-95, by late morning.

We ate lunch and then napped for a couple of hours in the heat of the day as the Saturday beach traffic had been bugging me no end -- it was supposed to be easy driving on a Saturday, not bumper-to-bumper white knuckling nonsense. The nap delay did the trick. Easy sailing Northward. Had to detour on I-297 due to a bridge out in Pawtucket, RI so didn't have the fun of driving through Providence or Boston. We pulled into Bangor, Maine at dusk, about 8:00PM, making for a very LONG DAY. Parked in the dooryard at the house and went straight to bed after a meal of our favorite Chinese take-out. Sunday dawned clear and crisp at 67° at 8:00 AM, so we pulled out and headed straight to camp. Discovered some miscreants had broken in the front door during our sojourn in the Southland. Not a lot of things missing, but the place was pretty trashed. Bah Humbug. To add insult to injury, the power doesn't seem to be working, but I can't find my voltmeter to check the wires coming in to the camp to see if power is being delivered to the building. Note to self: Tomorrow - must find my meter.

Went through the 3 month accumulation of mail and discovered to my horror that I'd be summonsed to serve on the Traverse Jury for Superior Court. For August. Starting with a mandatory appearance on Monday, 2 August 2010. Tried calling first thing this morning, but all I got was voicemail. Went in this afternoon and ascertained that a bench warrant had NOT been issued for my failure to appear. However, they promptly signed me up for the October session, which begins in September and runs into November?

Phooey - I was hoping to make enough money to make it back down South for the winter. Hard to do when you have to be in court for 6 weeks...

And So It Goes.

Neuse To Me...

2010-08-08T21:53:00.005-04:00

We're tucked in amongst the Loblolly Pines and Gum Trees of the Croatan National Forest campground at the Neuse Rive (AKA Flanners Beach). That's about 12 miles southeast of the town of New Bern, North Carolina. It has about 35 wooded RV sites with electricity (water available to carry and there is a sewage dump site). The bathroom is clean and the price is right - $17US. We arrived late this afternoon (early evening, really). So, I will try for a photo of the waterfront for you in the morning as it is too dark to be banging around an unlit riverbank (no moon at all). Met a fellow from New Hampshire who was admiring our whisper-quiet air conditioner. He's in a tent in this 95° heat. He and his wife are on the way to Charleston, S.C. They had the misfortune of having a sparkplug blow out of the engine Friday night in Virginia while waiting to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel. About $500 and two days later, they are on the way again. He was sort of glad that they'd opted to only bring a tent for this quick trip to South Carolina. He figures the towing cost of both the truck and trailer, plus the repairs, would have left them stranded. Times are tough, folks. No doubt about it.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, we will head to Uncle's in Maryland. It is a solid 400 miles of secondary roads, more than I usually choose to drive in a day, but we'll give it the old college try.

Holed Up

2010-08-06T23:43:00.001-04:00

We made it all the way to the Buck Horn Recreation Area in the Francis Marion National Forest at Mcclenndon, South Carolina. This 14 lot campground is basically a convenience for fishermen. Lots have electric (30&50 amp) and water. There is a bath house and sewer dump for self-contained units.

Did I mention it is right on the Inter-coastal Waterway, less than 30 miles north of Charleston, South Carolina? Yep. Every other facility near the water might be full, but this one has a few openings so long as it isn't the middle of shrimping or sea bass (striper) season...

So, we will stay here through the weekend to avoid the crowds.

Valdosta?

2010-08-06T00:44:00.004-04:00

Yes, indeedy. Valdosta, Georgia is where we landed tonight, after a quiet day and a half at the Mystic Springs Cove, Inc., an Airstream Park about 25 miles north of Pensacola on the Escambia River and site of our close call last November when flood waters covered the road one early morning.

We got a middling late start after breakfast and then poked along on Interstate 10 for a bit before turning the nose of the Ford northward for Georgia. It will come as no surprise to anyone between Key West and Boston that it was a hot day, in the upper 90's for the most part, so there was no sense of urgency. Just walking from the truck to a rest room was enough to soak my clothing. Actually working in these temperatures and humidity levels can be excruciating. I was so heat sick on Monday before I quit that I contemplated hospitalization!

We did manage to score some fresh tomatoes, Vidalia onions, peaches and the best boiled peanuts I've ever had, hands down, from a little stand at the junction of a couple of secondary roads in Georgia. Drove through Havana, Florida, named after Havana, Cuba as the town took up cigar production for a thirty year period (1940's through the late 1960's). Also Cairo, Georgia, the birthplace of Jackie Robinson, and got to admire the range of architecture in that fair burg after a wrong turn (darn GPS) forced me to travel over several residential and downtown streets to get where I wanted to go. Almost had a cute blonde officer as an escort vehicle, but she circled the block and made sure we left town without causing too much mischief. Damn Yankees! Hrumph!

No pictures today - too busy driving, I guess.

Arrived in Valdosta just before sundown. I hate setting up in the dark as I always seem to injure or break something, so I was unwarrantedly PO'd when my dear wife's navigational skills had us retracing our path multiple times trying to locate the campground entrance. After doubling back yet another time we hit upon the magic combination of chicken bones and tea leaves and found the place, right where they said they'd be. Funny, that.

That's about all for tonight. No excitement. Cooked a mean mess of sauteed onions and Chicken-Spinach and roasted garlic sausages (the last of our stash of Sam's Club tube steaks) along with a [late of fresh tomato wedges and pickled beets for supper. Finished up with a still warm, juicy Georgia Peach. Yum!

Well, off to sleep. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?

We're Off

2010-08-03T13:29:00.000-04:00

After a teary-eyed departure, we have hit the road. Here is a view of the Kiln, Mississippi picnic area. A "BAYFIELD BUNCH LUNCH" (PB&J) has just been consumed. Much pleasure derived by all. Ignatz has annointed all tree trunks and other vertical objects in sight so he's happy, too. Off to Pensacola...

WX Delay

2010-08-02T16:16:00.001-04:00

The heat has defeated me. It is 95* in the shade. In the direct sun it is much worse. Typical Louisiana humidity, i.e. wringing wet. In fact, someone ran me through the wringer and left me for dead. No more truck loading until sun down. Sucks to get old. Maybe we'll leave in the morning.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Finally!

2010-08-01T17:34:00.002-04:00

Getting ready to pull out of Baton Rouge for Maine in the morning. First stop will be in the Pensacola, Florida area.

We expect to be turning North at Jacksonville. Then next stop somewhere around Charlotte, S.C.

More as we actually hit the road.

Update: Corrected a misspelling & deleted the gratuitous line about my cell phone service. It hit 103°F. this afternoon - not much packing done. Can't imagine why...

Not all spills get International responses...

2010-07-29T11:40:00.006-04:00

I realize that the flood of news these days combined with the hectic pace we all seem to maintain is an easy excuse for overlooking serious events elsewhere. Like the woman who allegedly (admittedly) killed eight babies she has born since 1989 (Dunai - Nord, France). And so much punditry, hot air and national exhibitions of know-nothingness have been expended on the disastrous oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that this little story on CNN may have escaped your attention:
Photo Credit: CNN

"(CNN) -- Rising waters from flooding in northeastern China hit a chemical plant and washed thousands of containers filled with explosive chemicals into a river, state media said Thursday."

Read the rest of the tale, here.

From the frying pan and into the fire...

2010-07-27T10:38:00.006-04:00

Photo credit: First seen at Dark Roasted Blend but they got it from 4Gifs.com (NSFW)

Why I Hate Doctors...

2010-07-25T07:48:00.001-04:00

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Guess that means there's no shooting team, huh?

2010-07-25T00:33:00.005-04:00

Do you remember when it wasn't a "sanitary landfill"? It was "the dump" and we used to go out when I was a teenager on a Saturday evening before it got dark enough to go to the drive-in and shoot rats at "the dump". There were thousands (so it seemed; more like hundreds, in actuality) and you could shoot a "brick" of .22LR ammo easily with just a bolt-action 22 rifle or six-shot pistol - no sense eating up more of your allowance on more expensive loads - leave that to the young bucks with paying jobs in construction or fishing or cutting timber. They could afford the .357 or .45 caliber loads -- too rich for my blood.

It wasn't something frowned upon by the elders, either. The town fathers considered it a service, particularly as the dump attendant was a heavy drinker and likely in town, tying one on, if you know what I mean. The local police didn't even bother to respond to reports of gunfire at the dump -- they just figured we were out shooting rats.

Somehow, in the intervening years between sneaking into drive-ins in the trunk of a car and getting busy in the backseat with Cindy-Lou or Bettyjo, they changed the rules. Now, the mere possession of a rifle in your trunk is enough to send the police off the deep end. Any attempt at shooting vermin at the "Sanitary Landfill" would likely get me, at minimum, a night in jail and a court summons for trespassing on municipal property.

I was reminded of all of this because I saw (sorry, no phone or camera with me to take a picture) that they'd repainted the sign at the local high school in anticipation of a new school year. What sign, you ask? The one that warns it is a felony to bring a weapon onto school property by anyone, other than an on-duty police officer, responding to a disturbance at the school. Heck, when I was a kid, the rule was you could bring your hunting rifle in your truck to school provided it remained locked in your truck. If you were riding the bus and going hunting after school, you were allowed to bring your rifle or shotgun direct to the office and leave it in the principal's office until closing bell. Now, you'd go to prison if you tried that.

The times, they have changed. And not for the better...

What the ...?

2010-07-21T01:35:00.004-04:00

Still cooking over a fire of toasted crawfish in Louisiana, again ungainfully unemployed. Hoping to leave for Maine soon as we straighten out some bureaucratic snafus here in the Sportsman's Oil Mecca of the USA. Night breezes often are redolent with wafted Mexican Crude.

Found this Fionavar Tapestry Character Test over on Paul's blog, Aurora Walking Vacation. So, what the heck, I took the "personality test" and this is what appeared. Me, stubborn? Do pigs fly on Sundays?

I'm Aileron!
Take The Fionavar Tapestry Character Test today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.

You are Aileron, High King of Brennin. Taciturn and stubborn, you are skilled in many areas and find yourself taking a leadership role. You are a hard worker and hold fast to your beliefs, only rarely allowing your humour and feelings to show forth.

BP's "Wide, Wide, River"

2010-07-14T05:26:00.004-04:00

With no apologies for the use of The Fugs' song "Wide, Wide, River" comes this visual critique of the mess the BP busted oil well has made of the Gulf of Mexico:

Here's

Here's the original:

Ramses The Second Is Dead, My Love...

2010-07-14T04:59:00.006-04:00

And so, too, is one of the most formative influences of my twisted psyche, from the Beats of my Generation -- Tuli Kupferberg. Read his New York Times obituary here. Yes, Tuli, I, too, 'like boobs alot.' May your heaven be full of them...

The Fugs -- "Boobs A Lot" from the First Album* - 1965

Appropriately titled, “The Village Fugs Sing Ballads of Contemporary Protest, Points of View and General Dissatisfaction.”

"Always A Rebel" - Vinnie Morris (YouTube)

2010-07-09T04:02:00.003-04:00

A talented singer-songwriter applies his talents to immortalizing the crab fishing industry on the Bering Sea off Alaska.

Rain, rain, go away...

2010-07-06T18:57:00.003-04:00

Had a good, uneventful run to Fort Worth on Sunday night - Monday morning. A thousand miles in 18 hours, with a lunch stop and three fuelings. No photos to share as when I wasn't driving, I was sleeping. Here, today, we got rained out with over an inch this morning and many more to follow. The PTB's at the FEMA yard are saying it will likely be next week before anymore trailers can come out -- they've shut the yard down for the week due to the flooding. That pretty much means the end of it for us -- time to head North. Just in time for that heat wave y'all are having. It only managed to get to 81° here while up home it got to 90°! Something is wrong with that...

Leaving out for our last trip to Texas (there aren't any more trailers ready to go) in a few hours, then we'll see.

Stay cool and hydrated, my friends. This (heat wave) shall pass.

Early in the Morning (Buddy Holly Cover)

2010-07-03T14:20:00.001-04:00

Now here's a young woman with a wicked load of raw talent, Samatha Smith. Her rendition of "Early In The Morning," a cover of the Buddy Holly tune, has a haunting quality to the vocalization, despite the limitations of the venue's acoustics. Below that is the eerily beautiful rendition of her own song, "Ventriloquism."

If Samantha ever gets a record contract, look out world ... this chick is going places.

Seven Years Old

2010-07-03T05:19:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, dear Daily Snooze, happy birthday 2U.

This is the third incarnation of this blog -- the second on Blogger. It started back in April, 2003, but that version was mostly unread and certainly unremarked upon. I don't even recall getting anything but spam comments! I erased that one after discovering that AOL was starting a blog service with no archive. What did I know about posterity?

I alpha- and then beta-tested the AOL Journals product from July 1 through the 27th of July when it was declared "ready for prime time" or some such. Lost the first few entries when the entire AOL Journals edifice collapsed after 2 days. But, you will find everything in the archives from July 30th, 2003 onward in the archives, if you care to look.

"Daily" is a misnomer, I know now. Hell, I'm lucky to produce an entry once a week, most of the time. No real excuse -- I'm just not as chatty. Some flack for posts over the years resulted in a severe curtailment of anything pertaining to family members and I have never spoken about business colleagues or acquaintances on the "Snooze." Thus, sources for material have died up almost as fast as my libido. I mean, just how much interest is there in the quality of my bowel movements, anyhow?

Alright, I know. TMI. But that's just the thing -- I find I must walk a fine line between telling too much, thus adversely affecting my chances for some super job I want in future, and saying so little that you stop visiting to read what I have to share.

Oh well, fuck it. I have been sweating in the 95° heat with humidity to match, driving ugly FEMA trailers (not safe for habitation) from one lot to another. Made some pocket change, a few enemies and sunburned my nose and ears. Managed to avoid the wasp bites that others haven't (a good thing, given the anaphylactic shock I am likely to enter if they do get me) but not the spiders -- I have had two bites, one on each hand. I'm so tired by the time I get back I can barely breathe. Sleep -- that's what I want these days. Blogging doesn't even appear on the radar.

I'm getting older, too, and it sucks. But you don't care. Time is taking its toll upon you just as fast as me. You have your own problems, I'm sure. So, you take care of you and I will try to do the same. Catch you again, real soon now.

Cutest Photo? Zombie Toddler Eats Kitten!

2010-06-23T23:39:00.005-04:00

"After you've finished sucking out the brain, start on the eyes, dear."

photo credit: Huffington Post

For The Fathers

2010-06-20T02:30:00.004-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there. My own father and I had a tempestuous relationship. My stepson, Matt, and I repeated the same sort of cycle. All too cliched for words.

But someone did capture those cliches and put them to good use. Harry Chapin was one of my favorite balladeers, may he rest in peace. He wrote this song for his son Josh. It sums up the lives and feelings of millions of us.

Cats Cradle

Damned Fool Yankee

2010-06-18T15:47:00.005-04:00

As I type this it's momentarily cloudy and the inside temp. has just dropped 2°F. in 10 minutes to 73°. The roof-top air conditioner has run steadily for three weeks now. Outside it's currently 95° and 53% humidity. Temperatures have only dropped below 75° once for any length of time in the past 10 days or so. It may be Spring on the calendar for another few days, but it has been in full summer mode in Baton Rouge since before Memorial Day.

What in heck am I doing here when it's a cool, wet, rainy 58 - 68° in Maine? About to go to work hauling FEMA trailers to Dallas. Texas. Where it will be even hotter next week. And for the foreseeable future.

Damned fool Yankee!

Look out, Steph -- here we come.

Maine - where Men are men and the sheep are afraid ...

2010-06-13T19:12:00.004-04:00

Very afraid.

I came across the above on one of the RVing forums I read regularly. You know me -- perverted. And I just had to share...

BBC - The Big Read

2010-06-11T08:30:00.006-04:00

After reading the comments posted on the entry below, I got curious. What IS the story with the BBC in relation to the list. After a quick Google search on 'BBC reading book list' I hit paydirt. Lo and behold, it is a very different list of reads than the 'BBC Reading List Meme' portrayed. Gone is the ultra-heavy reliance on British Classics. Many modern authors and many more genre are represented.

"In April 2003 the BBC's Big Read began the search for the nation's best-loved novel, and we asked you to nominate your favourite books.

Below and on the next page are all the results from number 1 to 100 in numerical order!"

That is a very different kettle of (silver)fish, I think you will agree. And yes, Nellie, it's still a mess of typing, for sure. So feast your eyes on the "original" list that started the meme and then look again at the metamorphosis it has undergone. Sure be some hate for modern novels out there somewhere...

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce (not that I understood it, mind you. It helped that I was drinking heavily back then)
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Those on the original list which I've read are, appropriately, in red. So, from the original list, I've read 64 (I think, if I counted correctly). Still a lot of reading in this day and age, yet there are obviously some I ought to get on to and there's plenty I've read that would never appear on such an august list. What about you? Did you do more of less than in the entry 67 ways to waste your time and counting?

Fun Map

2010-06-08T20:01:00.002-04:00

(image credit: Keith Thompson)

Found at Dark Roasted Blend in my web wanderings this evening as I listened to my LAST.FM station, Pearls Before Swine (probably my most favorite psychedelic band of the 60's). Click the image to enbiggen it. Better yet, learn the history of the image by reading the entry about the map at DRB's
Unusual and Marvelous Maps, Part 2