Winter Twilight Musings

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

 

The Flying Pig Is Grounded!

Senior Synchronized Swimming

 

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

 

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!

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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 ...

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

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

 

Snowed in?

Nothing to do?

Here’s the solution.

Make Venison Stew.

 

Post-Christmas Pick-Me-Up

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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


Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Grandma Got Molested At The Airport

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

 

“‘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

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

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

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.

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…

 

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...

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...

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 ...

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

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:

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

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...

"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...

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!

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

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

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

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

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.