Adults blamed for toddler’s tub death in Deming
BELLINGHAM — The Whatcom County medical examiner says a toddler drowned in a bathtub at a Deming home because of inadequate adult supervision.
Medical Examiner Gary Goldfogel says 2-year-old Garret A. Charlie drowned accidentally Friday while bathing with cousins — ages 3 and 5.
The sheriff’s office is investigating whether negligence or abuse charges should be brought against the boy’s aunt and uncle.
The Bellingham Herald reports state child welfare workers placed the boy in the home in August because his mother was in rehab for drug abuse.
A prayer service for Garret was scheduled at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Nooksack Tribe Community Building.
Just a quick sad story....but what hit me was the 'duh' factor...I mean, who else are you going to hold responsible if a 2-year old dies in the tub than the adults that are supposed to be caring for him?
The Sheriff's Department shouldn't be investigating 'whether' negligence or abuse charges should be fired...they should be trying to find out who to hang a murder charge on...
Thumbs up for Peoples Bank!
A feel good story...this place is actually starting to feel all warm and fuzzy!
Bank saves Mill Creek couple from ‘grandparent scam’
Well now...that's nice. People acting like people, and treating other people like human beings, instead of account numbers.
The only negative part from this story is that the weren't able to somehow catch the sorry bastard that tried rooking these folks out of their $2,000. Would love to see him strung up by his thumbs(or his winkie) in the town square. Instead, he could be calling your parents/grand parents right now, trying again.
Bank saves Mill Creek couple from ‘grandparent scam’
Well now...that's nice. People acting like people, and treating other people like human beings, instead of account numbers.
The only negative part from this story is that the weren't able to somehow catch the sorry bastard that tried rooking these folks out of their $2,000. Would love to see him strung up by his thumbs(or his winkie) in the town square. Instead, he could be calling your parents/grand parents right now, trying again.
2.28.2012
Not as bad as it could have been.
I've been living in a state of pending self-pity ever since my wife headed out yesterday, just waiting to find out what is wrong with the plumbing at my house, and how much it's going to cost to fix it.
Things started to look better this morning. My wife called at about 7:30 to let me know her first sweep through the house found no water...even in the crawl space under the house. The only thing amiss was the handle on the toilet in the main bathroom...it was in the flush postion. I had her look in the tank, and it was bone dry, and she said the flapper valve looked rough.
I started to get my hopes up...was it possible to lose 1100 Cubic Feet of water through a toilet in a week?
When the water guy showed up, and turned on the water, the meter commenced to spinning. My wife shut the valve to the toilet, and the spinning of the meter stopped. Yay! Problem half solved. The point of the problem was identified...but it still needed to be fixed.
I had a quick talk with my wife about the flapper valve, but we kind of decided that armed with just a Leatherman Squirt, and trying to keep two kids entertained in an empty house, this probably wasn't the time for her to learn how to fix a toilet. Instead, she called a local plumbing company, and three hours later, it was all good.
The price for the fix was $189($150 just for showing up at our house), much better than all the DOOM and HORROR scenario's that were running through my head.
Before she left the house, she checked the meter one last time, and it looked like everything was holding good. I also had her look at the front yard...7000 gallons flushed through the septic tank in a week is quite the workout...no sink holes in the yard, so that's good too.
While this is a relatively happy ending, I am more than a little frustrated with the water company. Their man in the field did right shutting off the water...but them not calling me to let me know is LAME. I am also a little cheesed at having to pay for the $600 worth of water that flushed down my toilet....but...TANSTAAFL.
Things started to look better this morning. My wife called at about 7:30 to let me know her first sweep through the house found no water...even in the crawl space under the house. The only thing amiss was the handle on the toilet in the main bathroom...it was in the flush postion. I had her look in the tank, and it was bone dry, and she said the flapper valve looked rough.
I started to get my hopes up...was it possible to lose 1100 Cubic Feet of water through a toilet in a week?
When the water guy showed up, and turned on the water, the meter commenced to spinning. My wife shut the valve to the toilet, and the spinning of the meter stopped. Yay! Problem half solved. The point of the problem was identified...but it still needed to be fixed.
I had a quick talk with my wife about the flapper valve, but we kind of decided that armed with just a Leatherman Squirt, and trying to keep two kids entertained in an empty house, this probably wasn't the time for her to learn how to fix a toilet. Instead, she called a local plumbing company, and three hours later, it was all good.
The price for the fix was $189($150 just for showing up at our house), much better than all the DOOM and HORROR scenario's that were running through my head.
Before she left the house, she checked the meter one last time, and it looked like everything was holding good. I also had her look at the front yard...7000 gallons flushed through the septic tank in a week is quite the workout...no sink holes in the yard, so that's good too.
While this is a relatively happy ending, I am more than a little frustrated with the water company. Their man in the field did right shutting off the water...but them not calling me to let me know is LAME. I am also a little cheesed at having to pay for the $600 worth of water that flushed down my toilet....but...TANSTAAFL.
2.27.2012
Because she is amazing, that's why...
On Friday, my wife and recieved something distressing in the mail...a bill! Not just any bill though...the water bill for the house we have on the market in Belfair.
You might think that the water bill for a house your not living in shouldn't be too distressing, and you would usually be right. This months water bill was a tad bit higher than usual though.
How high? Well, our normal bill, which is pretty steady since there is not usage, is about $50 a month...heck, the company charges $35 a month just to have the water hooked up. Add in a feee or two, and there you go. The bill for February was $600 higher than that...
Whatever...I figured I would call them on Monday to work out the accounting error.
According to the lady in the front office, it was no accounting error. She said that the when the technician showed up to read out meter, it was spinning at a high rate of speed. Since the house was unoccupied, he figured the only thing that would make the meter spin that fast was a leak somewhere in the system.
Yay.
First, I appreciate the technician shutting the water off...that's nice. Boo on the front office folks for not calling me when this was reported on the 16th of February. Letting me wait until I get the $600+ water bill to find out is poor customer service indeed.
So...the question is, what is wrong with my house? My wife was there a week before the problem was noted, and the weather wasn't that bad since then. Frozen pipes under the house aren't likely, but are possible. Another possibilty is someone who looked at the house(or even my wife when she was there) left some water running, or a toilet valve had a horrible failure.
The worst case would be some spontaneous, horrible failure of piping inside the house. According the water meter, there was 7000 cubic feet of water missing from the system. If all that water ended up somewhere in the house, well...it could make the whole 'walking away' decision easier.
My wife and I talked things over...my plan was to have one her friends that has a key do a walkthrough...look for obvious damage, and then check all the faucets...elimate the easy stuff first. However, my amazing wife stepped up to the plate. She offered to throw the girls in the car, and head to my mom's house. From there, she would hook up with the water company Tuesday morning, so they could turn the water back on, and she could look for the problem.
It made sense...any repair would require she/I be there anyway...might as well get on it now instead of waiting for the weekend. It was just a heroic decision to make, taking to the road with kids...the type of decision only the worlds most amazing woman would make.
Unless I am tougher to live with than I think I am.
The only negative, well...no wife and kids tonight, and possibly tomorrow night.
Well, and the negative that the leak might have happend upstairs in the master bath, and destroyed half the house.
You might think that the water bill for a house your not living in shouldn't be too distressing, and you would usually be right. This months water bill was a tad bit higher than usual though.
How high? Well, our normal bill, which is pretty steady since there is not usage, is about $50 a month...heck, the company charges $35 a month just to have the water hooked up. Add in a feee or two, and there you go. The bill for February was $600 higher than that...
Whatever...I figured I would call them on Monday to work out the accounting error.
According to the lady in the front office, it was no accounting error. She said that the when the technician showed up to read out meter, it was spinning at a high rate of speed. Since the house was unoccupied, he figured the only thing that would make the meter spin that fast was a leak somewhere in the system.
Yay.
First, I appreciate the technician shutting the water off...that's nice. Boo on the front office folks for not calling me when this was reported on the 16th of February. Letting me wait until I get the $600+ water bill to find out is poor customer service indeed.
So...the question is, what is wrong with my house? My wife was there a week before the problem was noted, and the weather wasn't that bad since then. Frozen pipes under the house aren't likely, but are possible. Another possibilty is someone who looked at the house(or even my wife when she was there) left some water running, or a toilet valve had a horrible failure.
The worst case would be some spontaneous, horrible failure of piping inside the house. According the water meter, there was 7000 cubic feet of water missing from the system. If all that water ended up somewhere in the house, well...it could make the whole 'walking away' decision easier.
My wife and I talked things over...my plan was to have one her friends that has a key do a walkthrough...look for obvious damage, and then check all the faucets...elimate the easy stuff first. However, my amazing wife stepped up to the plate. She offered to throw the girls in the car, and head to my mom's house. From there, she would hook up with the water company Tuesday morning, so they could turn the water back on, and she could look for the problem.
It made sense...any repair would require she/I be there anyway...might as well get on it now instead of waiting for the weekend. It was just a heroic decision to make, taking to the road with kids...the type of decision only the worlds most amazing woman would make.
Unless I am tougher to live with than I think I am.
The only negative, well...no wife and kids tonight, and possibly tomorrow night.
Well, and the negative that the leak might have happend upstairs in the master bath, and destroyed half the house.
No, no, no.
Not too happy about this plan.
State may become first to require insurance to cover abortion.
Making the attempt to keep the whole 'abortion is right/wrong' thing out of the conversation(and I'm not sure HOW you do that), I am pro-choice. I'm still 100% against this proposed change, and mostly, it's because of my opinion of the purpose of 'insurance'.
Insurance should be protection against the expenses caused by emergencies. If this law was worded that it had to cover abortions where the mom's life was in danger if she carried a pregnancy to term(bad preeclampsia, under going cancer treatments, blood clotting disorderes), I would be okay with it. That is a justifiable medical procedure that is preventing an emergency from occuring.
But to narrow it down to it's purest, coldest terms, as a medical procedure, I feel an 'I don't want the baby' abortion is no more an emergency than a breast augmentation or a nose job....and NONE of those should be covered by medical 'insurance'.
State may become first to require insurance to cover abortion.
Making the attempt to keep the whole 'abortion is right/wrong' thing out of the conversation(and I'm not sure HOW you do that), I am pro-choice. I'm still 100% against this proposed change, and mostly, it's because of my opinion of the purpose of 'insurance'.
Insurance should be protection against the expenses caused by emergencies. If this law was worded that it had to cover abortions where the mom's life was in danger if she carried a pregnancy to term(bad preeclampsia, under going cancer treatments, blood clotting disorderes), I would be okay with it. That is a justifiable medical procedure that is preventing an emergency from occuring.
But to narrow it down to it's purest, coldest terms, as a medical procedure, I feel an 'I don't want the baby' abortion is no more an emergency than a breast augmentation or a nose job....and NONE of those should be covered by medical 'insurance'.
2.26.2012
Couldn't get any cooler!
Maybe a full/more full Oscar post to follow, but just when you thought Morgan Freeman couldn't get any cooler, in the montage with folks talking about the most entertaing movie they have ever seen, Morgan said 'The Outlaw Josie Wales'.
Hell to the yeah.
Hell to the yeah.
Planning
Slow Sunday. There isn't much new in the news, and the Daytona 500 is currently in a three hour rain delay. My wife is out having lunch and doing some antiquing with one of our friends who is moving back to Wisconsin in about a month. The girls are up in their bedroom, leaving me alone with the laptop.
I supposed I could be bettering myself, but it's more fun to start doing some planning for a few trips we are going to take over the next few months.
In May, we are going to swing up to the town of Republic, located in North-central Washington. There is a place up there called the Stonerose Interpretative Center, where you can dig for your own fossils. The kids really enjoyed that down in Oregon last year, so we are using that as an excuse to run to Republic. Instead of staying in town, I think we will be renting a cabin at one of the resorts north of Republic, on Lake Curlew, which will put us about 10 miles from the Canadian Border.
I think we will stay there about 2 or 3 nights. There is a lot of potential vacation/get away land for sale in that vicinity, and some really good mule deer hunting. Gotta dig having kids to use an excuse for doing something you want to do anyway!
The other trip I'm starting to plan is an adventure into Montana. Well, calling it an 'adventure' might be a bit melodramatic, but any time you head for multiple days in a car with your wife and kids, well, there could be adventure.
In Montana, our destination is going to be The Museum of the Rockies, in Bozeman. The Museum of the Rockies is routinely ranked in the top 5 or 6 dinosaur museums in the Nation, and is the closest of the big ones. Bozeman is just under 9 hours from here taking I-90, but I don't think we will just drive there and back...
Instead, I'm thinking the first night in Coeur d'Alene, and do some 'resorting', then spend a night in Missoula, before getting to Bozeman. The big decision, and I will need my wife's input on it, is whether we come back on 90, or we take a more scenic route home on US-12, through central Idaho, and the Clearwater National Forest.
Might be another good excuse to look at land for sale.
Either way...we are talking 2.5 and 4 months out....and some of you are thinking...planning already?!?!!??! Obsess much?
Yeah, I do. It will take me three days just to compare/contrast the 3 resorts on Lake Curlew.
I mean, I haven't even started trying to match up brew pubs to hotel locations...can I really swing through Missoula without stopping at Big Sky Brewing? But what if that means not being able visit the Kettlehouse Brewing Company, which gets really good reviews on yelp?
So, yeah...that's why I need to start early...
I supposed I could be bettering myself, but it's more fun to start doing some planning for a few trips we are going to take over the next few months.
In May, we are going to swing up to the town of Republic, located in North-central Washington. There is a place up there called the Stonerose Interpretative Center, where you can dig for your own fossils. The kids really enjoyed that down in Oregon last year, so we are using that as an excuse to run to Republic. Instead of staying in town, I think we will be renting a cabin at one of the resorts north of Republic, on Lake Curlew, which will put us about 10 miles from the Canadian Border.
I think we will stay there about 2 or 3 nights. There is a lot of potential vacation/get away land for sale in that vicinity, and some really good mule deer hunting. Gotta dig having kids to use an excuse for doing something you want to do anyway!
The other trip I'm starting to plan is an adventure into Montana. Well, calling it an 'adventure' might be a bit melodramatic, but any time you head for multiple days in a car with your wife and kids, well, there could be adventure.
In Montana, our destination is going to be The Museum of the Rockies, in Bozeman. The Museum of the Rockies is routinely ranked in the top 5 or 6 dinosaur museums in the Nation, and is the closest of the big ones. Bozeman is just under 9 hours from here taking I-90, but I don't think we will just drive there and back...
Instead, I'm thinking the first night in Coeur d'Alene, and do some 'resorting', then spend a night in Missoula, before getting to Bozeman. The big decision, and I will need my wife's input on it, is whether we come back on 90, or we take a more scenic route home on US-12, through central Idaho, and the Clearwater National Forest.
Might be another good excuse to look at land for sale.
Either way...we are talking 2.5 and 4 months out....and some of you are thinking...planning already?!?!!??! Obsess much?
Yeah, I do. It will take me three days just to compare/contrast the 3 resorts on Lake Curlew.
I mean, I haven't even started trying to match up brew pubs to hotel locations...can I really swing through Missoula without stopping at Big Sky Brewing? But what if that means not being able visit the Kettlehouse Brewing Company, which gets really good reviews on yelp?
So, yeah...that's why I need to start early...
Danger, Will Robinson...
I was flipping through the channels this morning, cursing the lack of football and the rain-delayed start of the Daytona 500, when I came across a college cheerleading comptetition on ESPN 2.
I'm not going to pretend that it wasn't the pretty young ladies on cute outfit's that initially caught my attention...but what held my attention HOLY CRAP, THEY ARE THROWING HER LIKE 20 FEET IN THE AIR!!!!!
Back in high school, I paid minimal attention to the cheerleaders...we had a typical group of high school cheerleaders...cute girls, but it wasn't a competetion style squad. I was really fairly ignorant of how much air these girls were catching until a little bit ago. It's not just the height though...there were several times when these girls where plumetting head first back down...talk about trust in your team mates...
As a father of two girls...I'm truely terrfied. Both of my girls are likely to be short and petite...the types of girls who would be selected to be tossed up in the air, ending up at the top of the pyramid.
I think, even with all the recent concussion talk, I'd rather have them running around on a football field instead of getting tossed up on that pyramid.
At least they would have a helmet on...
I'm not going to pretend that it wasn't the pretty young ladies on cute outfit's that initially caught my attention...but what held my attention HOLY CRAP, THEY ARE THROWING HER LIKE 20 FEET IN THE AIR!!!!!
Back in high school, I paid minimal attention to the cheerleaders...we had a typical group of high school cheerleaders...cute girls, but it wasn't a competetion style squad. I was really fairly ignorant of how much air these girls were catching until a little bit ago. It's not just the height though...there were several times when these girls where plumetting head first back down...talk about trust in your team mates...
As a father of two girls...I'm truely terrfied. Both of my girls are likely to be short and petite...the types of girls who would be selected to be tossed up in the air, ending up at the top of the pyramid.
I think, even with all the recent concussion talk, I'd rather have them running around on a football field instead of getting tossed up on that pyramid.
At least they would have a helmet on...
2.25.2012
The Human Effect
Last November, voters here in Washington passed Initiative 1183, which gets the State out of the liquor sales and liquor and spirits distributing business. It is expected to drop the prices of liquor somewhat, by letting Costco sell me stock-up size bottles of Black Velvet, while also saving the state money(40 million ish), because they won't be running individual liquor stores anymore.
I voted yes for it, because I'm all for cheaper, bigger liquor and saving the State money.
Yesterday though, I had a moment of doubt. I was swinging through the liquor store for some more free packing boxes, when I overheard a conversation between one of the checkers, and one of the 'regulars'. When asked how he was doing, the check responded he was doing okay, but the job hunt was not going so well.
The 'regular' was surprised, since he hadn't followed I-1183. I'm not sure how he hadn't heard of this...Costco spent more money on this Initiative(22 MILLION) than has ever been spent on one before.Some Many people make me sad.
The clerk followed up, with yeah...as of May 31st, everyone at the state liquor store in Richland was getting a pink slip, and so far early searching for a job was not going good.
I just minded my own business, figuring that wasn't a good time to point out I had voted FOR the initiative. It's possible I felt a little bad. $40 Million looks like good savings on paper for the State...but then you realize that it IS going to effect individual peoples and families on some level.
It was only for a few minutes though...sooner rather than later I came back to center, realizing that for YEARS this guy has been earning a pretty decent income with state employee benefits and a pension for being, well, essentially, a cashier. I'm not trying to go all elitist because I am a highly trained and employable nuclear type...but, when your job skill is sliding a bottle over a scanner, and matching the right bottle to the empty spot on a shelf...well, I'm sure you can find something with those same skills at the going market rate at Wal-Mart.
I voted yes for it, because I'm all for cheaper, bigger liquor and saving the State money.
Yesterday though, I had a moment of doubt. I was swinging through the liquor store for some more free packing boxes, when I overheard a conversation between one of the checkers, and one of the 'regulars'. When asked how he was doing, the check responded he was doing okay, but the job hunt was not going so well.
The 'regular' was surprised, since he hadn't followed I-1183. I'm not sure how he hadn't heard of this...Costco spent more money on this Initiative(22 MILLION) than has ever been spent on one before.
The clerk followed up, with yeah...as of May 31st, everyone at the state liquor store in Richland was getting a pink slip, and so far early searching for a job was not going good.
I just minded my own business, figuring that wasn't a good time to point out I had voted FOR the initiative. It's possible I felt a little bad. $40 Million looks like good savings on paper for the State...but then you realize that it IS going to effect individual peoples and families on some level.
It was only for a few minutes though...sooner rather than later I came back to center, realizing that for YEARS this guy has been earning a pretty decent income with state employee benefits and a pension for being, well, essentially, a cashier. I'm not trying to go all elitist because I am a highly trained and employable nuclear type...but, when your job skill is sliding a bottle over a scanner, and matching the right bottle to the empty spot on a shelf...well, I'm sure you can find something with those same skills at the going market rate at Wal-Mart.
And I'm fine with that.
It was a rough past week on the Kitsap Pennisula. Wednesday, a 8-year old girl was shot in school, when a gun that a 9-year old boy took from his mom's house 'went off'. She is alive, and in critical but improving condition. The next day, a state trooper was gunned down by a guy who, in my opinion, already should have been in the ground, or least locked up with the key thrown away.
In the State Trooper shooting, the guy shot himself, so, while one can't call that 'justice'(because it shouldn't have happened) at least it's over.
In the case of the school shooting...what is 'justice'?
While there are certain automatic punishments(kid is expelled for the year for just having a gun at school) and the several charges have been filed against the 9-year old, (unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault). The system will do two weeks worth of evaluation to determine if he knew what he was doing was wrong, and whether he will actually face those charges.
Should this kid be punished? Yes. Should he have known what he was doing was wrong? Yes! The question is...did he? At any point, did someone in his life cover the basics of gun safety with him? That basic question should determine his punishement. If he had had some very basic lessons, then some probation would be appropriate. If he was never taught anything by anyone...well, he knows he almost killed a class mate...a few stern, tear inducing lectures, and a few weeks with no TV is probably punishment enough.
At age 5ish, we started covering the basics with my kids...if you find a gun out, don't touch it...tell mommy or daddy. If you are at a friends house, tell their parents...tell an adult...you don't touch a gun without an adult present. We had to do this, because I realize I am not a perfect gun owner. Often times, I will come home and a pistol or two will stay in my relatively unsecure range bag for a day or two before getting cleaned and put away. Granted, they are in my closet, and on a shelf, but I would be willing to concede that that is not secure....
It sounds like the Kitsap County Prosecuter's office realizes this, and they are wanting to look more into how this kid found a gun at his mom's house. They will then decide if there are charges that can be filled there, and I am 100% okay with this.
I realize, using words like 'reasonable' sometimes involved walking a fine line...what is reasonable for one person might not be for another, but since I don't want to see something trigger lock usage made mandatory, you have to tread on the thin ice of a jury of your peers, by saying that someone who doesn't take 'reasonable precautions to keep the guns away from kids' should face charges.
If it turns out that this mom and her boyfriend kept a pistol in the couch cushions, or in a drawer in the bedroom, then by all means, nail them to the wall.
In the State Trooper shooting, the guy shot himself, so, while one can't call that 'justice'(because it shouldn't have happened) at least it's over.
In the case of the school shooting...what is 'justice'?
While there are certain automatic punishments(kid is expelled for the year for just having a gun at school) and the several charges have been filed against the 9-year old, (unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault). The system will do two weeks worth of evaluation to determine if he knew what he was doing was wrong, and whether he will actually face those charges.
Should this kid be punished? Yes. Should he have known what he was doing was wrong? Yes! The question is...did he? At any point, did someone in his life cover the basics of gun safety with him? That basic question should determine his punishement. If he had had some very basic lessons, then some probation would be appropriate. If he was never taught anything by anyone...well, he knows he almost killed a class mate...a few stern, tear inducing lectures, and a few weeks with no TV is probably punishment enough.
At age 5ish, we started covering the basics with my kids...if you find a gun out, don't touch it...tell mommy or daddy. If you are at a friends house, tell their parents...tell an adult...you don't touch a gun without an adult present. We had to do this, because I realize I am not a perfect gun owner. Often times, I will come home and a pistol or two will stay in my relatively unsecure range bag for a day or two before getting cleaned and put away. Granted, they are in my closet, and on a shelf, but I would be willing to concede that that is not secure....
It sounds like the Kitsap County Prosecuter's office realizes this, and they are wanting to look more into how this kid found a gun at his mom's house. They will then decide if there are charges that can be filled there, and I am 100% okay with this.
I realize, using words like 'reasonable' sometimes involved walking a fine line...what is reasonable for one person might not be for another, but since I don't want to see something trigger lock usage made mandatory, you have to tread on the thin ice of a jury of your peers, by saying that someone who doesn't take 'reasonable precautions to keep the guns away from kids' should face charges.
If it turns out that this mom and her boyfriend kept a pistol in the couch cushions, or in a drawer in the bedroom, then by all means, nail them to the wall.
2.24.2012
Neat Budget Calculator...
I was playing around on the Tri-Cities Herald website today, and I found this interesting Budget Calculator, that let's you go through and cut program by program to try to balance Washington's Budget for the next two-year period. Once you've done all your cutting, you can then look at new revenue streams to try to help balance things out.
I spent a while playing with it...and, I'm gonna tell you, it kind of confirmed what I already thought...the problem IS too big to solve by cuts alone.
Looking at cuts, I was pretty merciless my first time through the list. Some things are easy: Save $127 Million by increasing class sizes from 27 to 29? Sure...we home school. Change eligibility requirements for disabled and elderly assistance to save $207 Million...yup. Set-up a list of preferred Generic Drugs for Medicare...save $37 Million.
Then, some decisions are tough, because I am a human being: I kind of look at any kind of health care for children as being sacred...it's not the child's fault they were born into bad situations. You can save money by cutting probation short for criminals, or letting them out of jail early...but there is no option for 'PUTTING THEM IN THE GROUND' to save money.
In the end, after cutting everything I could justify, I still came up with a $600 Million deficit. Poop.
The first new revenue was easy...gain $150 Million dollars by legalizing and taxing Mary Jane. Yup Yup.
That left me with three big options left to raise money...a 5% Capital Gains tax(+500 Million) an additional 1 cent per dollar sales tax(1 BILLION Dollars) or and option to lower property, while implementing an income tax on couples that make over 400k a year(1.9 BILLION).
Of those choices, I felt the best choice was going with the Capital Gains tax, and then split the difference on the sales tax, and raise it half a penny, not a full penny. That brings in a combined 1 Billion dollars, meaning I could back off on a few of my cuts(police officers and fire fighter pensions, health insurance costs for teachers) while actually showing a $200 Million surplus.
I doubt anyone will be voting anytime soon, but it does make you appreciate some of the tough decisions our State Legislature's are facing.
I spent a while playing with it...and, I'm gonna tell you, it kind of confirmed what I already thought...the problem IS too big to solve by cuts alone.
Looking at cuts, I was pretty merciless my first time through the list. Some things are easy: Save $127 Million by increasing class sizes from 27 to 29? Sure...we home school. Change eligibility requirements for disabled and elderly assistance to save $207 Million...yup. Set-up a list of preferred Generic Drugs for Medicare...save $37 Million.
Then, some decisions are tough, because I am a human being: I kind of look at any kind of health care for children as being sacred...it's not the child's fault they were born into bad situations. You can save money by cutting probation short for criminals, or letting them out of jail early...but there is no option for 'PUTTING THEM IN THE GROUND' to save money.
In the end, after cutting everything I could justify, I still came up with a $600 Million deficit. Poop.
The first new revenue was easy...gain $150 Million dollars by legalizing and taxing Mary Jane. Yup Yup.
That left me with three big options left to raise money...a 5% Capital Gains tax(+500 Million) an additional 1 cent per dollar sales tax(1 BILLION Dollars) or and option to lower property, while implementing an income tax on couples that make over 400k a year(1.9 BILLION).
Of those choices, I felt the best choice was going with the Capital Gains tax, and then split the difference on the sales tax, and raise it half a penny, not a full penny. That brings in a combined 1 Billion dollars, meaning I could back off on a few of my cuts(police officers and fire fighter pensions, health insurance costs for teachers) while actually showing a $200 Million surplus.
I doubt anyone will be voting anytime soon, but it does make you appreciate some of the tough decisions our State Legislature's are facing.
And HOW much could they have made?
WOLVES: 14 shot by federal agents in ID
LEWISTON (AP) — Federal wildlife agents shot and killed 14 wolves from helicopters in northern Idaho as part of an effort to help increase the elk population in the Lolo zone.
The three-day operation earlier this month cost $22,500 and was carried out by USDA Wildlife Services and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Through Wednesday, hunters and trappers had taken 22 wolves from the Lolo zone, while another six were shot from helicopters last spring, bringing the total known wolf kills to 42.
In recent years, wolves have been identified as the primary cause of death in female elk and calves over 6 months old.
Before the start of the hunting season, the Lolo zone wolf population was estimated at 75 to 100, with additional animals crossing back and forth between Idaho and Montana.
$22,500 for a three days of having Federal Employees fly around in a helicopter and shoot wolves(I'm willing to bet that wasn't a tough job to find someone to do...), which actually doesn't sound like a totally out to lunch amount of money when one is discussing helicopters and the federal government.
But, there are a few outfit's down in Texas that will fly around in a helicopter to shoot feral hogs for $500 dollars an hour(minimum of 3 hours). I figure folks would be willing to pay at least 5 times that amount to shoot a wolf out of a helicopter. Heck, my boss is going on a bear/wolf hunt in the Selkirk's in May, and his hunt is over $4500...I guarantee he would be willing to pay that to shoot a wolf out of a helicopter.
We aren't talking a huge amount of cash...but even based off the price of a pig hunt, 14 wolves times $1500 bucks....is $21,000...IF everyone is successful. Figure in a 50% success rate, and you are looking at a 60K swing in the tax payers favor...
Of course, if I was one of these Federal Wildlife Officials, the last thing I'm going to do is let someone else fly around in one of MY helicopters shooting MY wolves...
At least they didn't do it on overtime...
The three-day operation earlier this month cost $22,500 and was carried out by USDA Wildlife Services and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Through Wednesday, hunters and trappers had taken 22 wolves from the Lolo zone, while another six were shot from helicopters last spring, bringing the total known wolf kills to 42.
In recent years, wolves have been identified as the primary cause of death in female elk and calves over 6 months old.
Before the start of the hunting season, the Lolo zone wolf population was estimated at 75 to 100, with additional animals crossing back and forth between Idaho and Montana.
$22,500 for a three days of having Federal Employees fly around in a helicopter and shoot wolves(I'm willing to bet that wasn't a tough job to find someone to do...), which actually doesn't sound like a totally out to lunch amount of money when one is discussing helicopters and the federal government.
But, there are a few outfit's down in Texas that will fly around in a helicopter to shoot feral hogs for $500 dollars an hour(minimum of 3 hours). I figure folks would be willing to pay at least 5 times that amount to shoot a wolf out of a helicopter. Heck, my boss is going on a bear/wolf hunt in the Selkirk's in May, and his hunt is over $4500...I guarantee he would be willing to pay that to shoot a wolf out of a helicopter.
We aren't talking a huge amount of cash...but even based off the price of a pig hunt, 14 wolves times $1500 bucks....is $21,000...IF everyone is successful. Figure in a 50% success rate, and you are looking at a 60K swing in the tax payers favor...
Of course, if I was one of these Federal Wildlife Officials, the last thing I'm going to do is let someone else fly around in one of MY helicopters shooting MY wolves...
At least they didn't do it on overtime...
2.23.2012
And Denny's was the best he could do?
Entertaining story out of Wisonsin, where a gentleman walked into a Denny's, introduced himself as the new General Manager, and proceeded to cook himself a burger and some fries.
I'm not giving away any kind of surprise ending by telling you that he WASN'T the new manager, and yes, he did get to talk to the police. Oh, and it seems like drugs might have been involved, since the guy was found with a crack pipe in his briefcase.
You have to admire the chutzpah this guy had...go big or go home.
I just think, if you've got a suit and tie, and a brief case...why settle for Denny's? Wasn't there a Shari's, or an Appleby's or a Chili's he could try this scam with? Hi...I'm from the Inspectors Office...I need to examine a slab of Baby Back Ribs...
At least he won't need to worry about his next few weeks worth of meals are coming from.
I'm not giving away any kind of surprise ending by telling you that he WASN'T the new manager, and yes, he did get to talk to the police. Oh, and it seems like drugs might have been involved, since the guy was found with a crack pipe in his briefcase.
You have to admire the chutzpah this guy had...go big or go home.
I just think, if you've got a suit and tie, and a brief case...why settle for Denny's? Wasn't there a Shari's, or an Appleby's or a Chili's he could try this scam with? Hi...I'm from the Inspectors Office...I need to examine a slab of Baby Back Ribs...
At least he won't need to worry about his next few weeks worth of meals are coming from.
Large Mouth > Small Mouth
Nope, not talking about bass fishing...I've had a much more 'domestic epiphany.
Sometimes, the best way I can help my wife is to stay out of her way, and that has been true for most of the packing that she has accomplished, other than a few times she has waved at something and said 'you can take care of putting that into a box.
Last night, I was graced with getting to round up all the empty, used mason jars we've been stashing around the apartment. I'm sure veteran canners have a system for storing empty jars once they've been used, but we really haven't gotten there yet. A few of the jars that I found looked like they needed cleaning before I packed them away, and that is where I made the large mouth/small mouth discovery.
The wide mouth jars are about 13 times easier to clean effectively than the 'regular' mouth jars. They were so much easier, I almost 'accidently' knocked the half-dozen regular jars I found onto the floor, so I would just have an excuse to get rid of them.
And no, it hasn't escaped my attention that a wide mouth makes it easier to get the last of some canned goody OUT of the jar either.
Sometimes, the best way I can help my wife is to stay out of her way, and that has been true for most of the packing that she has accomplished, other than a few times she has waved at something and said 'you can take care of putting that into a box.
Last night, I was graced with getting to round up all the empty, used mason jars we've been stashing around the apartment. I'm sure veteran canners have a system for storing empty jars once they've been used, but we really haven't gotten there yet. A few of the jars that I found looked like they needed cleaning before I packed them away, and that is where I made the large mouth/small mouth discovery.
The wide mouth jars are about 13 times easier to clean effectively than the 'regular' mouth jars. They were so much easier, I almost 'accidently' knocked the half-dozen regular jars I found onto the floor, so I would just have an excuse to get rid of them.
And no, it hasn't escaped my attention that a wide mouth makes it easier to get the last of some canned goody OUT of the jar either.
2.22.2012
Plan B
U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton struck a blow for freedom and individual rights today when he upheld his previous decision(which had been over ruled by the 9th Circuit Appeals Court) stating that Washington State couldn't require a retailer to carry merchandise they don't want to carry.
In this case, the merchandise in question is the 'Plan B' contraceptive pill.
Now...I'm a freedom loving libertarian type, so I am totally okay with a judge ruling the State can't force a store to sell ANYTHING. Capitalisim baby.
What I am less okay with is the fact that this has been kicking around our court system for over FOUR YEARS!!!!
Okay...my frustration stems from my opinion that Plan B is not an abortion pill, which is not an opinion shared by everyone. With the Plan B pill, there is the possibility that the egg is fertilized...Plan B just prevents the egg from attaching an developing if it IS fertilized. I guess it comes back to the old 'when does life begin' argument. I'm not in the 'at the moment of conception' camp...pressed for an exact moment, I would say when the heart starts beating.
So...given that opinion, the first and ONLY thing that should have been looked at in this case is what other materials the pharmacies in question sell. If they are selling condoms or any other form of birth control, I feel their objections are bunk.
Either way...it shouldn't be floating around in our legal system almost 5 years later...
Guess our courts feel they need the job security...
In this case, the merchandise in question is the 'Plan B' contraceptive pill.
Now...I'm a freedom loving libertarian type, so I am totally okay with a judge ruling the State can't force a store to sell ANYTHING. Capitalisim baby.
What I am less okay with is the fact that this has been kicking around our court system for over FOUR YEARS!!!!
Okay...my frustration stems from my opinion that Plan B is not an abortion pill, which is not an opinion shared by everyone. With the Plan B pill, there is the possibility that the egg is fertilized...Plan B just prevents the egg from attaching an developing if it IS fertilized. I guess it comes back to the old 'when does life begin' argument. I'm not in the 'at the moment of conception' camp...pressed for an exact moment, I would say when the heart starts beating.
So...given that opinion, the first and ONLY thing that should have been looked at in this case is what other materials the pharmacies in question sell. If they are selling condoms or any other form of birth control, I feel their objections are bunk.
Either way...it shouldn't be floating around in our legal system almost 5 years later...
Guess our courts feel they need the job security...
Calling a spade a spade...
Washington State, like most of the nation, has been dealing with budget shortfalls for years, and has an anticipated shortfall for the next two year period of between 1 and 1.5 BILLION dollars.
Today, the Democrats who control the Legislature put forward their plan...the biggest part of which calls for $400 Million worth of school funding to be pushed into the 2013 budget cycle.
When even the Seattle Times calls your plan a gimmick, the time might be coming to actually SOLVE the problem instead of just pushing it onto the next guys.
The plan also does SOME cutting...10 million here from the Department of Correction, 5 Million from the State Patrol over 'assumed' staffing reductions, and $26 Million from Mental Health Programs.
Finally, it bypasses the will of the people again. Because many of the cuts are expected to be felt on a local level, the new budget plan allows large counties(>250,000) to increase the sales tax rate by .1%, and small counties to increase the sales tax rate by .2%. Since this increase would be taking place at the county level, it doesn't violate Initiative 1053, which requires that taxes can only be raised at the state level by a 2/3rds vote of the Legislature, or a majority vote by the People.
Be interesting to see what they blow off in two years. Part of me wants to say Vote the Bums out, but the other part of me wants to see them all have to come back and take care of their problems.
Today, the Democrats who control the Legislature put forward their plan...the biggest part of which calls for $400 Million worth of school funding to be pushed into the 2013 budget cycle.
When even the Seattle Times calls your plan a gimmick, the time might be coming to actually SOLVE the problem instead of just pushing it onto the next guys.
The plan also does SOME cutting...10 million here from the Department of Correction, 5 Million from the State Patrol over 'assumed' staffing reductions, and $26 Million from Mental Health Programs.
Finally, it bypasses the will of the people again. Because many of the cuts are expected to be felt on a local level, the new budget plan allows large counties(>250,000) to increase the sales tax rate by .1%, and small counties to increase the sales tax rate by .2%. Since this increase would be taking place at the county level, it doesn't violate Initiative 1053, which requires that taxes can only be raised at the state level by a 2/3rds vote of the Legislature, or a majority vote by the People.
Be interesting to see what they blow off in two years. Part of me wants to say Vote the Bums out, but the other part of me wants to see them all have to come back and take care of their problems.
2.21.2012
We're almost important!!!!!!
It was announced today that Newt Gingrich will be stopping at the Red Lion in Kennewick on Thursday for an 11am rally, less than a week after Ron Paul hit the Tri-cities.
With Washington not holding it's primary(and now caucuses) until March, we here in the Evergreen State are not typically a target audience of Presidential Candidates.
Heck...as solidly Left-Leaning as this state is, it's not like we are even a popular place to visit during the general election season.
Kind of short notice...maybe I should make some cookies tonight to offer up to my boss before I ask for Thursday off...won't take the kids this time if I go.
With Washington not holding it's primary(and now caucuses) until March, we here in the Evergreen State are not typically a target audience of Presidential Candidates.
Heck...as solidly Left-Leaning as this state is, it's not like we are even a popular place to visit during the general election season.
Kind of short notice...maybe I should make some cookies tonight to offer up to my boss before I ask for Thursday off...won't take the kids this time if I go.
2.20.2012
Distracting Book.
As my wife(and occasionally I) continue to pack what we can for our impending move, occasionally something is uncovered that you haven't seen in a while.
A few days ago, it was my beat up copy of Lucifer's Hammer, by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven.
I've refered to this book before on my blog, but never really given it the attention I feel it deserves. As a work of hard science-fiction, Lucifer's Hammer falls squarly in my list of the Top 5 Science Fiction novels of all time, competing with The Foundation Trilogy and a few things by Heinlein for the top spot.
If you haven't read it, Lucifer's Hammer follows the story of the Hamner-Brown comet, from it's discovery, through it's impact with planet Earth, and then the beggining of the recovery.
The first third of the book does a great job of capturing 'Hammer Fever', after the comet is mispronounced on the Tonight Show. You can really see the different groups that folks fall into prepping wise, with the vast majority of folks making some preperations, but worried about looking silly if the commet does miss the Earth.
I'm sure I would fall into that category...even now, with just a general feeling that sooner or later something is going to break, I wonder what people would think if they ever see my 72 cans of tuna, and thousands of rounds of ammo.
Luck also plays a big part in the first part of the book, and it drives home a good point. If you are one of those folks who's plans include having to Bug Out to some predetermind point...you better be among the first to jump, and have many ways to get there. Finally...GET THERE FIRST. Possession is 9/10ths of the law...
The middle, and smallest section of the book, is the partial comet strike. Once again, being lucky is better than being good.
Recovery is covered in the last half of the book, as people come together in the high and dry places. Once again, things feel realistic, with a few good discussions among the charecters about survival morals. What can you AFFORD to do? Sure, it would be nice to take care of everyone...but do you let your kids starve to feed someone else's kids? No...you go drop that bridge across the river, or blast out a section of mountain road if it will keep the Golden Horde away.
Obviously, I like the book. Part of me wishes some ambitious Hollywood type would tackle the task of turning it into a movie, or a mini-series, but a bigger part of me hopes noone ever tries. I'm not sure they could succeed. Oh...they could make an entertaining movie(Deep Impact comes close to capturing some of the feel of parts of Lucifer's Hammer...and no...Armageddon didn't come close at all)...but it wouldn't(couldn't) be good enough.
Of course, people thought that about Lord of the Rings for decades...
All I really know is that I had to have read this book cover to cover at least 20 times...and it is still cutting into my productive time this weekend.
A few days ago, it was my beat up copy of Lucifer's Hammer, by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven.
I've refered to this book before on my blog, but never really given it the attention I feel it deserves. As a work of hard science-fiction, Lucifer's Hammer falls squarly in my list of the Top 5 Science Fiction novels of all time, competing with The Foundation Trilogy and a few things by Heinlein for the top spot.
If you haven't read it, Lucifer's Hammer follows the story of the Hamner-Brown comet, from it's discovery, through it's impact with planet Earth, and then the beggining of the recovery.
The first third of the book does a great job of capturing 'Hammer Fever', after the comet is mispronounced on the Tonight Show. You can really see the different groups that folks fall into prepping wise, with the vast majority of folks making some preperations, but worried about looking silly if the commet does miss the Earth.
I'm sure I would fall into that category...even now, with just a general feeling that sooner or later something is going to break, I wonder what people would think if they ever see my 72 cans of tuna, and thousands of rounds of ammo.
Luck also plays a big part in the first part of the book, and it drives home a good point. If you are one of those folks who's plans include having to Bug Out to some predetermind point...you better be among the first to jump, and have many ways to get there. Finally...GET THERE FIRST. Possession is 9/10ths of the law...
The middle, and smallest section of the book, is the partial comet strike. Once again, being lucky is better than being good.
Recovery is covered in the last half of the book, as people come together in the high and dry places. Once again, things feel realistic, with a few good discussions among the charecters about survival morals. What can you AFFORD to do? Sure, it would be nice to take care of everyone...but do you let your kids starve to feed someone else's kids? No...you go drop that bridge across the river, or blast out a section of mountain road if it will keep the Golden Horde away.
Obviously, I like the book. Part of me wishes some ambitious Hollywood type would tackle the task of turning it into a movie, or a mini-series, but a bigger part of me hopes noone ever tries. I'm not sure they could succeed. Oh...they could make an entertaining movie(Deep Impact comes close to capturing some of the feel of parts of Lucifer's Hammer...and no...Armageddon didn't come close at all)...but it wouldn't(couldn't) be good enough.
Of course, people thought that about Lord of the Rings for decades...
All I really know is that I had to have read this book cover to cover at least 20 times...and it is still cutting into my productive time this weekend.
Out right theft...
I try not to make a living at the blog thing by just linking to other folks, but in the case, Guffaw posted something that needs to be shared. I even posted a copy of it on facebook(yes, it's that serious).
I don't watch many(as in any) of the 'opinion disguised as news' shows on TV. I can barely stand the stuff that I think of as real news. I never really gave Judge Napolitano a chance, lumping him in with all the other bad apples.
Well, his show is cancelled now, in what could be revenge by the folks at Fox, for pointing out the Emperor has no clothes, but since they cancelled the show after him also, is probably just standard line-up tinkering. I didn't even know Fox had a business channel.
This rant, from back in January, is one of the best I have ever seen...and while it doesn't answer anything, it asks the kind of questions that need to be shared.
I don't watch many(as in any) of the 'opinion disguised as news' shows on TV. I can barely stand the stuff that I think of as real news. I never really gave Judge Napolitano a chance, lumping him in with all the other bad apples.
Well, his show is cancelled now, in what could be revenge by the folks at Fox, for pointing out the Emperor has no clothes, but since they cancelled the show after him also, is probably just standard line-up tinkering. I didn't even know Fox had a business channel.
This rant, from back in January, is one of the best I have ever seen...and while it doesn't answer anything, it asks the kind of questions that need to be shared.
2.19.2012
Hope springs eternal...
Yes, this is going to be more bragging on my part. My older daughter came down stairs a few minutes ago with rigged up collection of tinker toys, a not unusual occurance around here. For a long time, it was different animals...like this Archaeopteryx. Then she went through a helicopter stage. Now it's been ground vehicles.
She said 'Daddy...it's got a rack and pinion steering.'
Now, as far as I know, the only time she had ever heard of 'rack and pinion steering' was a few weeks ago when she asked me how the steering wheel made the tires turn. I ended up trying to confuse her by explaining the difference between power steering and 'rack and pinion' steering.
She didn't get it 100% right...I mean, the seat turns with the wheels....how inconvienent would THAT be...but the limiting factor was her tools and equipment, not her mind.
There is sooooo much potential there...and I am terrified that I am going to do something to ruin it.
She isn't unique...I refuse to believe my sperm was that special. There is a whole generation out there with the power to turn things around...if we can just direct them on the right path.
It's entirely possible I'm broken....
My wife put me onto this story pointing it out to me as I was giving her a sinus-pressure reducing massage last evening, because I'm that kind of guy.
Like most news blurbs, there aren't a whole lot of details to this one, and 95% of them out there say the same thing...thanks AP!
Bakersfield-area man accused of cooking, eating cats
Maybe it's just the 'contrary stay out of our private lives libertarian' in me...but I really don't have a problem with this. And I'm a Cat Guy! My family has had cat's for pets since I was 7 years old...the only time I didn't have a cat in my house was the 2-year period I was in Navy training and lived in the barracks.
With the caveat that this guy isn't killing and eating his neighbors pets(and the few articles with any details specify no neighborhood pets are missing) then I really don't see a difference between what this guy is doing, and what I would like to do someday with a few rabbits in my back yard.
It's not a choice I would personally make, just because I have never heard anything positive about cats from people I know who have tried it overseas, AND rabbits are supposed to be much more efficient while also still being at least marginally socially acceptable.
So...the charge they have this guy on is 598b(a) of the California Penal Code, which addresses possession/eating 'any animal traditionally or commonly kept as a pet or companion' with an exception for 'production, marketing, or disposal of any livestock, poultry, fish, shellfish, or any other agricultural commodity produced in this state'
Well, that's perfectly clear...
Okay...the guy was breaking a law that was on the books, just like smoking marijuana is still technically against the law. He did 15 days in jail after pleading Nolo Contendere.
I worry about two things from this story though. First there is the nature of creeping incrementalism...how long until you are persecuted/prosecuted for having rabbits in your back yard? Second is the number of folks SCREAMING that this should be a felony.
Once again...maybe I'm broken, with some messed up morals...but a felony? For using a protein source? If there weren't MILLIONS of unwanted cats being put down each year, I might be okay with it being a misdemeanor like it is right now...but in the end, these are animals...while MY cat is special to ME....your cat isn't, and what YOU want to do with it is YOUR right....
Like most news blurbs, there aren't a whole lot of details to this one, and 95% of them out there say the same thing...thanks AP!
Bakersfield-area man accused of cooking, eating cats
Okay...
Maybe it's just the 'contrary stay out of our private lives libertarian' in me...but I really don't have a problem with this. And I'm a Cat Guy! My family has had cat's for pets since I was 7 years old...the only time I didn't have a cat in my house was the 2-year period I was in Navy training and lived in the barracks.
With the caveat that this guy isn't killing and eating his neighbors pets(and the few articles with any details specify no neighborhood pets are missing) then I really don't see a difference between what this guy is doing, and what I would like to do someday with a few rabbits in my back yard.
It's not a choice I would personally make, just because I have never heard anything positive about cats from people I know who have tried it overseas, AND rabbits are supposed to be much more efficient while also still being at least marginally socially acceptable.
So...the charge they have this guy on is 598b(a) of the California Penal Code, which addresses possession/eating 'any animal traditionally or commonly kept as a pet or companion' with an exception for 'production, marketing, or disposal of any livestock, poultry, fish, shellfish, or any other agricultural commodity produced in this state'
Well, that's perfectly clear...
Okay...the guy was breaking a law that was on the books, just like smoking marijuana is still technically against the law. He did 15 days in jail after pleading Nolo Contendere.
I worry about two things from this story though. First there is the nature of creeping incrementalism...how long until you are persecuted/prosecuted for having rabbits in your back yard? Second is the number of folks SCREAMING that this should be a felony.
Once again...maybe I'm broken, with some messed up morals...but a felony? For using a protein source? If there weren't MILLIONS of unwanted cats being put down each year, I might be okay with it being a misdemeanor like it is right now...but in the end, these are animals...while MY cat is special to ME....your cat isn't, and what YOU want to do with it is YOUR right....
2.18.2012
Someone should be fired...
Looks like there is quite the investigation firing up in the Puger Sound area, about some fine folks in the Marine Enforcement Division of NOAA. It appears that somewhere along the line, someone in the Seattle Bureau of the National Marine Fisheries Service became convinced that the what they really needed to catch more people hooking salmon out of season, and tour boats bothering killer whales was an undercover boat.
Rather than something that might look remotely working class, like a used Arima, Trophy or Alumaweld, all of which would be perfectly at home on Puget Sound, the NMFS purchased a 35-Foot Boston Whaler Conquest, valued at over $300,000 dollars. The initial request had been to spend $146,000 on a boat...but the final price tag on this Conquest, with hardwood floors, granite counter tops, and capable of sleeping 6, was twice that amount.
I know, we can't expect our government agencies to play around on Craigslist, but are you telling me something like this 30-foot Grady White, or this 24 Foot Trophy, or even this 33-foot Maxum wouldn't have worked? Anyone of them would have looked perfectly at home shadowing fishermen or whale watching boats, for under 70K, which is still excessive, since a $20,000 used 20-foot Arima would have done just as well...
Let's not even talk about how this falls into the Department of Government Redundancy and Repetitiveness, since the Coast Guard is already doing this same job...
The money is spent, and you can't cry over spilt milk.
You can punish the guilty though...and in this story, there is one person who keeps coming up as GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY. The middle part of the article focuses on one person...the first Fisheries Agent to use the boat after it was purchased, and his uses of the boat read like a perfect example of not just abuse, but also incompetance.
First time in the boat(with his wife for some reason), he runs out of gas. After a tow, he has dinner at a dock side restaraunt in Ballard. Next time out, it's lunch in Poulsbo, followed by dinner at the Tide Tavern in Gig Harbor(at least he has good taste...the Tide Tavern is excellent). Finally, the dude get's stranded on the way to Everett with his wife, no doubt trying to visit another tasty water-side restaraunt.
This guy needs to be fired. When I worked for the shipyard, and now here at Hanford, where I also get to drive GSA paid for vehicles, you were made well aware...get caught using a government vehicle for personal use, and you were going to face disipline. And yes, that included hitting a drive through in Silverdale, even though it's on the way between Bremerton and the Sub Base at Bangor...and that's a lot less heinous than burning marine gas to get from Seattle, to Poulsbo, to Gig Harbor, then back to Seattle...I mean, that's at least 6 hours of cruising time....
Guess I picked the wrong career path...
Rather than something that might look remotely working class, like a used Arima, Trophy or Alumaweld, all of which would be perfectly at home on Puget Sound, the NMFS purchased a 35-Foot Boston Whaler Conquest, valued at over $300,000 dollars. The initial request had been to spend $146,000 on a boat...but the final price tag on this Conquest, with hardwood floors, granite counter tops, and capable of sleeping 6, was twice that amount.
I know, we can't expect our government agencies to play around on Craigslist, but are you telling me something like this 30-foot Grady White, or this 24 Foot Trophy, or even this 33-foot Maxum wouldn't have worked? Anyone of them would have looked perfectly at home shadowing fishermen or whale watching boats, for under 70K, which is still excessive, since a $20,000 used 20-foot Arima would have done just as well...
Let's not even talk about how this falls into the Department of Government Redundancy and Repetitiveness, since the Coast Guard is already doing this same job...
The money is spent, and you can't cry over spilt milk.
You can punish the guilty though...and in this story, there is one person who keeps coming up as GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY. The middle part of the article focuses on one person...the first Fisheries Agent to use the boat after it was purchased, and his uses of the boat read like a perfect example of not just abuse, but also incompetance.
First time in the boat(with his wife for some reason), he runs out of gas. After a tow, he has dinner at a dock side restaraunt in Ballard. Next time out, it's lunch in Poulsbo, followed by dinner at the Tide Tavern in Gig Harbor(at least he has good taste...the Tide Tavern is excellent). Finally, the dude get's stranded on the way to Everett with his wife, no doubt trying to visit another tasty water-side restaraunt.
This guy needs to be fired. When I worked for the shipyard, and now here at Hanford, where I also get to drive GSA paid for vehicles, you were made well aware...get caught using a government vehicle for personal use, and you were going to face disipline. And yes, that included hitting a drive through in Silverdale, even though it's on the way between Bremerton and the Sub Base at Bangor...and that's a lot less heinous than burning marine gas to get from Seattle, to Poulsbo, to Gig Harbor, then back to Seattle...I mean, that's at least 6 hours of cruising time....
Guess I picked the wrong career path...
Not that I'm bragging...
Okay...I am bragging. Last night was the WRPS Winter Party, and I got to attend with this glorious creature.
Hubba Hubba. She's down 48 pounds since last June...and, I like it. It's one of those swords that cut both ways...trying to tell someone she is more beautiful than she has ever been, without implying she wasn't beautiful before.
Part of it is confidence...11 years ago I'm not sure she had the confidence to fully rock and own a look like this. Now she does.
I've got some work to do myself now...
Part of it is confidence...11 years ago I'm not sure she had the confidence to fully rock and own a look like this. Now she does.
I've got some work to do myself now...
2.17.2012
Next time, maybe a bigger room?
Went to the Ron Paul Town Meeting/Rally with the girls today. Whoever did the estimating for how many folks might show up was WAY off. Packed to the gills doesn't even begin to describe it.
When you are hosting a rally that you expect to be attended by largely anti-government interference types, quoting the Fire Marshall when you want the crowd to back up and shift a bit is probably not the right way to get a good response.
The kids were great duing the 70 minute wait for Dr. Paul to show up, and it was almost predictable that 10 minutes into his speach that my youngest would have to use the bathroom.
We didn't stick around for the whole thing. But, we did see about 2/3rds of the speach, which went for about 45 minutes. He then repeated a shortened version of the speach for the oveflow folks out in the parking lot, which was a nice touch.
I was more interested in seeing how the man worked a crowd than in anything he had to say. There is nothing he could have said that would convince me not to back him in the caucuses in a few weeks, just like there was nothing he could say that would convince me he has a real chance to be our next President.
It would be nice to see some of his ideas on the platform though...
Aim just a little more to the left next time...
A 'feel good' story to start the day...
Columbia City homeowner shoots burglar
The only thing that would make the story better is if the 66-year old gentleman had put the burgler down for the count, instead of just winging him...
Hopefully the police finish their investigation 'soon' like they promised, so the gentleman can have his shotgun back...
Columbia City homeowner shoots burglar
The only thing that would make the story better is if the 66-year old gentleman had put the burgler down for the count, instead of just winging him...
Hopefully the police finish their investigation 'soon' like they promised, so the gentleman can have his shotgun back...
Gonna give it a go...
I'm not a big 'crowd' guy. The pushing, the shuffling, the general rudeness and stupidity I am forced to observe by fellow members of the human race usually leave me in a foul mood. It's one of the big reasons I end up disappointing my wife every year around the 4th of July...I just can't stand dealing with all the big crowds long enough to watch one of the big sponsored fireworks displays. Curmudgeon in training, that's me.
This morning though, I might voluntarily go into that lions den of crowds. It was announced earlier this week that Dr. Ron Paul would be making a 3 stop swing through Washington, and one of his stops is at the Red Lion Inn right here in Richland...not even 15 minutes away. I'm not sure I can resist the opportunity to go to the rally/town hall meeting. Realistically, how many chances do you get to see a Presidential Candidate in person(even if he really doesn't have a chance to win?).
I'm not going alone, either. Before this visit was announced, my wife had made an appointment to get her hair did, since we have my annual company party this evening. That means I will be running herd over my youngin's...heck, it might qualify as a Homeschooling Field Trip.
With the girls, it might mean I am a little less...bull headed than I would have been otherwise. The Dr. is supposed to start talking at Noon, with doors opening at 11am. Normally, that means if I was flying solo, I would be there waiting for the doors to open...my girls probably won't tolerate that, as great as they are. I'll show up about 11ish...and if things look too over the top, then, I'll punt. I'm in this more for the experience than any chance that it's going to change my mind. Acknowledging Ron Paul isn't perfect, he's still my guy until he's not in the race anymore.
Besides...it's possible my girls might be my secret weapon. The older one will be wearing the kids size Ron Paul for President shirt I bought, and there are worse things you can do than show up at a political rally with a few photogenic kids...
This morning though, I might voluntarily go into that lions den of crowds. It was announced earlier this week that Dr. Ron Paul would be making a 3 stop swing through Washington, and one of his stops is at the Red Lion Inn right here in Richland...not even 15 minutes away. I'm not sure I can resist the opportunity to go to the rally/town hall meeting. Realistically, how many chances do you get to see a Presidential Candidate in person(even if he really doesn't have a chance to win?).
I'm not going alone, either. Before this visit was announced, my wife had made an appointment to get her hair did, since we have my annual company party this evening. That means I will be running herd over my youngin's...heck, it might qualify as a Homeschooling Field Trip.
With the girls, it might mean I am a little less...bull headed than I would have been otherwise. The Dr. is supposed to start talking at Noon, with doors opening at 11am. Normally, that means if I was flying solo, I would be there waiting for the doors to open...my girls probably won't tolerate that, as great as they are. I'll show up about 11ish...and if things look too over the top, then, I'll punt. I'm in this more for the experience than any chance that it's going to change my mind. Acknowledging Ron Paul isn't perfect, he's still my guy until he's not in the race anymore.
Besides...it's possible my girls might be my secret weapon. The older one will be wearing the kids size Ron Paul for President shirt I bought, and there are worse things you can do than show up at a political rally with a few photogenic kids...
2.16.2012
How neat...a Baby Cabela's!
This could mean bad things for my monthly budget at some point...Cabela's announced today that they are going to be building a 'Cabela's Outpost Store' in Union Gap, a small town east of Yakima. That would put it at just over an hour from my house...with is over three hours closer than the one in Lacey, Washington or Post Falls, Idaho.
Yes, it's only going to be a quarter of the size of the one in Lacey, but for a quarter of the drive, I think I'll be satisfied. Truth be told, I have been to the one in Lacey a few times, and I find it almost overwhelming. It's cool if you are searching for something in particular, but too much to just wander around in...especially if you are escorting your wife and kids...
It's supposed to open this fall, and since it lies directly astride the path I take up into the hills West of Naches for elk hunting, I am sure I will visit it shortly after it opens...
Yes, it's only going to be a quarter of the size of the one in Lacey, but for a quarter of the drive, I think I'll be satisfied. Truth be told, I have been to the one in Lacey a few times, and I find it almost overwhelming. It's cool if you are searching for something in particular, but too much to just wander around in...especially if you are escorting your wife and kids...
It's supposed to open this fall, and since it lies directly astride the path I take up into the hills West of Naches for elk hunting, I am sure I will visit it shortly after it opens...
2.15.2012
Someone loved it once upon a time...
One of my buddies is quiting his job at Hanford, and moving back to Wisconsin to be a RADCON Manager at the Point Beach Nuclear Plant. I'm somewhat jealous of property in Wisconsin...he's shown me a constant stream of decent looking 2000SF houses on 3-5 acres in the 200-220K range within 20 minutes of the power plant.
Today, he showed me this one...and it's kind of like that face that only a mother could love...
Even then...even with that 'unique' house...I would be tempted. Under 200K for a 2500SF home, on almost 12.5 Acres...4 acres of which is a cute little pond. If I was moving, I would at least have to take a look at the place...in fact, I am sure my wife would insist upon it.
The crazy thing is...this place isn't THAT old...it says it was built in 2001, so, it's not like it's the product of the 60's or 70's...
Today, he showed me this one...and it's kind of like that face that only a mother could love...
Even then...even with that 'unique' house...I would be tempted. Under 200K for a 2500SF home, on almost 12.5 Acres...4 acres of which is a cute little pond. If I was moving, I would at least have to take a look at the place...in fact, I am sure my wife would insist upon it.
The crazy thing is...this place isn't THAT old...it says it was built in 2001, so, it's not like it's the product of the 60's or 70's...
Might be an excuse to buy a new book...
I blame it on being a Taurus, but the fact is, I am sometimes late to embrace new concepts. While I have greatly enjoyed the Monster Hunter Series, and Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, I haven't given the vast majority of supernatural fiction a 2nd glance.
One book I have looked at more than once, but never got around to buying, is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I mean....really?
Now, after seeing the first trailer for the movie version, set to be released in June, it's more like 'Oh...Really!?!?!?!
Quite interesting...and if I am even barely thinking about seeing the movie, I'm going to need to read the book first.
One book I have looked at more than once, but never got around to buying, is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I mean....really?
Now, after seeing the first trailer for the movie version, set to be released in June, it's more like 'Oh...Really!?!?!?!
Quite interesting...and if I am even barely thinking about seeing the movie, I'm going to need to read the book first.
2.14.2012
Landing is harder than taking off...
A buddy of mine at work sent me a link to this video, and I was pretty blown away.
I had zero idea that remote control model airplanes were built on this size scale. In particular, I didn't know they made little mini jet engines so you could build scale model F-15 and A-10 Warthogs.
Very, Very Cool.
If I had won the Powerball this weekend, I would have hired someone to build some of these, so I could practice engaging airborne targets...
I had zero idea that remote control model airplanes were built on this size scale. In particular, I didn't know they made little mini jet engines so you could build scale model F-15 and A-10 Warthogs.
Very, Very Cool.
If I had won the Powerball this weekend, I would have hired someone to build some of these, so I could practice engaging airborne targets...
2.13.2012
Now it's a law!
Today, Governor Christine Gregoire signed a bill, making Washington the 7th State to allow gay marriages, which is strange, because I figured you were always allowed to have a happy marriage.
Oh....it's not that gay.
Well, that's still fine by me. Lacking an religious objection, I really don't have a problem with 'same sex' marriages. I certainly don't think it's going to erode the sanctity of marriage any more than it already is(something like a 30-40% divorce rate) and I don't see this leading down a slippery slope to where guys are going to be wanting to marry sheep, or their bass boats.
It's simply opening the way for more people to be able to share their lives with people they love, and maybe eek a little more happiness out of this too short, and frequently unhappy thing we call life.
Who am I to begrudge ANYONE a chance at happiness?
Oh....it's not that gay.
Well, that's still fine by me. Lacking an religious objection, I really don't have a problem with 'same sex' marriages. I certainly don't think it's going to erode the sanctity of marriage any more than it already is(something like a 30-40% divorce rate) and I don't see this leading down a slippery slope to where guys are going to be wanting to marry sheep, or their bass boats.
It's simply opening the way for more people to be able to share their lives with people they love, and maybe eek a little more happiness out of this too short, and frequently unhappy thing we call life.
Who am I to begrudge ANYONE a chance at happiness?
One thing to do...
When my wife headed out for the weekend, I asked if there was anything I could do while she was gone, other than catch up on laundry. With us moving the first week of March, she has already started boxing things up, and so she put me in charge of getting the liquor organized and packed, as well as seeing if I can get started on some dry goods we won't need in the next month. We probably won't need 12 boxes of macaroni and cheese, so putting 8 of them in a box now will give us less to deal with in a few weeks.
It only seems right that the liquor is going back in boxes from the liquor store. I'm proud of myself for being able to make three stops at the liquor store for boxes, and walking out without buying more alcohol. Which is good, because we don't really need more alcohol.
A few years ago, the State of Washington announced that they were going raise both taxes, AND the mark-up on liquor in the state run stores, with the end result being a price increase of roughly 20% overnight. Since unopened hard alcohol has a fairly long shelf-life when kept in a dark, climate control space, I did the right thing, and stocked up before the price increase went into effect.
How much stocking up? I'm not rightly sure...after discussing this course of action with my wife, I'd say I bought about $600 worth of hard stuff in the weeks before the increase went effect. Volume wise...maybe 7 gallons of whisky, rum, vodka and gin, which we still have about 2/3rds of. It's possible I overestimated our consumption rate. I packed up 5 boxes worth this weekend, and I haven't even started on the wine yet.
The only positive news, provided to prove me aren't just total derelicts, is that there are twice that many boxes of books packed already.
It only seems right that the liquor is going back in boxes from the liquor store. I'm proud of myself for being able to make three stops at the liquor store for boxes, and walking out without buying more alcohol. Which is good, because we don't really need more alcohol.
A few years ago, the State of Washington announced that they were going raise both taxes, AND the mark-up on liquor in the state run stores, with the end result being a price increase of roughly 20% overnight. Since unopened hard alcohol has a fairly long shelf-life when kept in a dark, climate control space, I did the right thing, and stocked up before the price increase went into effect.
How much stocking up? I'm not rightly sure...after discussing this course of action with my wife, I'd say I bought about $600 worth of hard stuff in the weeks before the increase went effect. Volume wise...maybe 7 gallons of whisky, rum, vodka and gin, which we still have about 2/3rds of. It's possible I overestimated our consumption rate. I packed up 5 boxes worth this weekend, and I haven't even started on the wine yet.
The only positive news, provided to prove me aren't just total derelicts, is that there are twice that many boxes of books packed already.
2.12.2012
Going to the range can get expensive...
Went to the range today. I brought 5 guns, and forced myself to leave my two favorite ones, my CZ and my lever-action .357 at home.
I didn't do any serious long range stuff...I set a target up at about 50-yards, so I could try out my muzzle-loader for the first time in a long time. I'm a bad gun owner...I haven't treated that gun very well. I purchased it a few year ago, used it one season, and then it sat in my gun cabinet. I cleaned it pretty good last night, because boy it needed it. Other than to move, I really haven't touched it in three years. That's not good...
The gun still shoots really good...it just doesn't shoot every time. I didn't have one percussion cap go 'bang' the first time I hit it. There is a good chance that there might be some 'gunk' somewhere in the bolt that is keeping the firing pin from going forward as strongly as it was designed to. Well, never mind 'good chance'...there is gunk there, and it's my fault...
Hi I'm Greg...and I'm a gun abuser. 'Hi Greg!'
So...I will have to decide whether it is something I can disassemble and clean, or look at ordering a new bolt.
Other than that...it was a good range trip. While there, one of my buddies called and said he was done in the practical shooting bays if I wanted to come visit. Last time I did that, I left quite humbled, and more than a little jealous of some of his toys.
Today was no better. My buddy had another one of his friends up from Oregon, and they were testing some new loads and setups for an 'Outlaw' 3-gun Match they have coming up. Being kind gentlemen, they let me try a few of their guns, and, once again, I got quite jealous. One of them was a fully auto 9mm AR, with a Handy little 9-inch barrel. Not exactly something you are gonna get a chance to use every day...I could see that being useful in many different situations.
Because of all the legal hoops one would have to jump through to own something like that though...while it was neat, I don't yearn for it the way I yearn for the pistol I got to try. Built as an open class gun, it's got a STI 1911 in 9mm as it's base, with a compensator, a 'Big Mouth' Magwell, and a slick Leupold Deltapoint Reflex Sight mounted on it. Plus, I'm sure there had been a ton of non-visible work done to this pistol to turn it into a dedicated race gun.
The end result is a pistol that is a kick in the ass to play with. Plinking at an 8-inch swinger at 100 yards isn't something I thought I would do with a 9mm pistol...but, I hit on 2 out of 20 shots...I know...that's only 10%...but it's not even something I would think to try with my beloved CZ...
I'm certain, from looking at similar complete guns online, that the pistol I held in my hand cost upwards of $4,000...which means if my house ever does sell, I can start saving what I've been losing on mortgage and buy one in like 4 months!
I've just got to get my wife to the range to try this one...it's not something you can justify with words...but if I she got a chance to shoot this, she wouldn't want to go back to her Firestorm...
I didn't do any serious long range stuff...I set a target up at about 50-yards, so I could try out my muzzle-loader for the first time in a long time. I'm a bad gun owner...I haven't treated that gun very well. I purchased it a few year ago, used it one season, and then it sat in my gun cabinet. I cleaned it pretty good last night, because boy it needed it. Other than to move, I really haven't touched it in three years. That's not good...
The gun still shoots really good...it just doesn't shoot every time. I didn't have one percussion cap go 'bang' the first time I hit it. There is a good chance that there might be some 'gunk' somewhere in the bolt that is keeping the firing pin from going forward as strongly as it was designed to. Well, never mind 'good chance'...there is gunk there, and it's my fault...
Hi I'm Greg...and I'm a gun abuser. 'Hi Greg!'
So...I will have to decide whether it is something I can disassemble and clean, or look at ordering a new bolt.
Other than that...it was a good range trip. While there, one of my buddies called and said he was done in the practical shooting bays if I wanted to come visit. Last time I did that, I left quite humbled, and more than a little jealous of some of his toys.
Today was no better. My buddy had another one of his friends up from Oregon, and they were testing some new loads and setups for an 'Outlaw' 3-gun Match they have coming up. Being kind gentlemen, they let me try a few of their guns, and, once again, I got quite jealous. One of them was a fully auto 9mm AR, with a Handy little 9-inch barrel. Not exactly something you are gonna get a chance to use every day...I could see that being useful in many different situations.
Because of all the legal hoops one would have to jump through to own something like that though...while it was neat, I don't yearn for it the way I yearn for the pistol I got to try. Built as an open class gun, it's got a STI 1911 in 9mm as it's base, with a compensator, a 'Big Mouth' Magwell, and a slick Leupold Deltapoint Reflex Sight mounted on it. Plus, I'm sure there had been a ton of non-visible work done to this pistol to turn it into a dedicated race gun.
The end result is a pistol that is a kick in the ass to play with. Plinking at an 8-inch swinger at 100 yards isn't something I thought I would do with a 9mm pistol...but, I hit on 2 out of 20 shots...I know...that's only 10%...but it's not even something I would think to try with my beloved CZ...
I'm certain, from looking at similar complete guns online, that the pistol I held in my hand cost upwards of $4,000...which means if my house ever does sell, I can start saving what I've been losing on mortgage and buy one in like 4 months!
I've just got to get my wife to the range to try this one...it's not something you can justify with words...but if I she got a chance to shoot this, she wouldn't want to go back to her Firestorm...
Housing update.
Had a long talk with our real estate agent earlier this week. Our house in Belfair has now been on the market for over 15 months. 7 years ago, we bought it for 179K. We started on the market at $189K, which was 10,000 less than our agent thought we could get away with asking, looking for a quick sale. We actually had an offer after being on the market less than 3 months, but the buyers funding fell apart due to student loan issues.
We drifted the price down. In August, when we were asking 172K we had an offer at 160K. I had to turn it down, because I wasn't going to be able to come up with 25K to close. My company has relocation assistance, but it is reimbursement, nothing up front. Sigh. Drift down some more...change real estate companies, do drastic things like close out my Shipyard 401K. This now allows me to cover 25-30K at closing.
I am now priced at the 160K I was offered...and I don't have much further I can go. I could probably say yes to an offer in the 156 range...but that's it. For that, I would need to write a check for 28 thousand at closing...then get about 16,000 of it back for relocation...a loss of 12 after living in the house 7 years...
What are our options? Well...we could try to refinance, lowering my mortgage each month to the point where it might allow me to break even renting it. That option would mean I am renting until/if the market ever rebounds high enough to make a sale practical without relocation assistance.
I could look at talking to the bank about a short sale. Technically, I am already in a short sale, I'm just eating it instead of the bank. Truth be though, I am in the position where I might make just enough that the bank will tell me NO. I know...that's not exactly a woe is me situation, but trust me...the bleeding is there, even if it is slow.
Finally...we could walk. Go limp. That evil dreaded word...Foreclosure. We wouldn't be alone. My wife was playing bunko a friends house the other night, and they had a new lady. She moved to Richland 7 months ago, and let their house go after 6 months. A guy on Survival Blog is talking about doing it after an offer on his place fell through.
Heck...I've read stats saying in the last two years, there have been over 3 MILLION foreclosures, and in the next year, there could be another 1.5 MILLION. Foreclosure doesn't have the same 'low class/down on your luck' connotation that it did when I was growing up in the 80's.
None of that makes it right though. You aren't supposed to walk away from your responsibilities. I struggled mightily yesterday adjusting to the fact that I couldn't prove how many page visits other people sites got before giving them an imaginary award. How do you think breaking a contract with a bank sticks in my craw?
At some point though, it may be needed.
For now...hope springs eternal. My agent says there is a person who is REALLY interested in my house. Funding, as always, is the issue now. My agent says he is seeing a 25-30% approval rating for loans. This new potential buyers problem is lack of credit history...he is 24, and just doesn't have enough established history. He is on some crash course in establishing some credit...but that tree won't bear fruit until March.
It isn't an offer...but it's better than a stick in the eye. One of the wonderful things better authors than I point out it how little hope we humans really need to keep on doing what we're doing.
In Richland, we are moving on up. At the beginning of March, we are moving out of our apartment/townhouse in an actual stand alone rental house. With three bedrooms, a living room and family room, it's bigger and better laid out that we are now. There is a back yard for the girls, and a two car garage means I can get rid of the storage unit, meaning the price point per month is within $10 of where we are now. I can sacrifice a few scratch tickets to cover that.
It's the kind of place we can see ourselves renting 'for a while'. Our goal was to find a place we think we can be happy with for at least 2 years(and possibly forever). Three moves in 18 months is lame.
This time, we are settling in for a while...and there is a huge part of me that never wants to be stuck owning a house again.
We drifted the price down. In August, when we were asking 172K we had an offer at 160K. I had to turn it down, because I wasn't going to be able to come up with 25K to close. My company has relocation assistance, but it is reimbursement, nothing up front. Sigh. Drift down some more...change real estate companies, do drastic things like close out my Shipyard 401K. This now allows me to cover 25-30K at closing.
I am now priced at the 160K I was offered...and I don't have much further I can go. I could probably say yes to an offer in the 156 range...but that's it. For that, I would need to write a check for 28 thousand at closing...then get about 16,000 of it back for relocation...a loss of 12 after living in the house 7 years...
What are our options? Well...we could try to refinance, lowering my mortgage each month to the point where it might allow me to break even renting it. That option would mean I am renting until/if the market ever rebounds high enough to make a sale practical without relocation assistance.
I could look at talking to the bank about a short sale. Technically, I am already in a short sale, I'm just eating it instead of the bank. Truth be though, I am in the position where I might make just enough that the bank will tell me NO. I know...that's not exactly a woe is me situation, but trust me...the bleeding is there, even if it is slow.
Finally...we could walk. Go limp. That evil dreaded word...Foreclosure. We wouldn't be alone. My wife was playing bunko a friends house the other night, and they had a new lady. She moved to Richland 7 months ago, and let their house go after 6 months. A guy on Survival Blog is talking about doing it after an offer on his place fell through.
Heck...I've read stats saying in the last two years, there have been over 3 MILLION foreclosures, and in the next year, there could be another 1.5 MILLION. Foreclosure doesn't have the same 'low class/down on your luck' connotation that it did when I was growing up in the 80's.
None of that makes it right though. You aren't supposed to walk away from your responsibilities. I struggled mightily yesterday adjusting to the fact that I couldn't prove how many page visits other people sites got before giving them an imaginary award. How do you think breaking a contract with a bank sticks in my craw?
At some point though, it may be needed.
For now...hope springs eternal. My agent says there is a person who is REALLY interested in my house. Funding, as always, is the issue now. My agent says he is seeing a 25-30% approval rating for loans. This new potential buyers problem is lack of credit history...he is 24, and just doesn't have enough established history. He is on some crash course in establishing some credit...but that tree won't bear fruit until March.
It isn't an offer...but it's better than a stick in the eye. One of the wonderful things better authors than I point out it how little hope we humans really need to keep on doing what we're doing.
In Richland, we are moving on up. At the beginning of March, we are moving out of our apartment/townhouse in an actual stand alone rental house. With three bedrooms, a living room and family room, it's bigger and better laid out that we are now. There is a back yard for the girls, and a two car garage means I can get rid of the storage unit, meaning the price point per month is within $10 of where we are now. I can sacrifice a few scratch tickets to cover that.
It's the kind of place we can see ourselves renting 'for a while'. Our goal was to find a place we think we can be happy with for at least 2 years(and possibly forever). Three moves in 18 months is lame.
This time, we are settling in for a while...and there is a huge part of me that never wants to be stuck owning a house again.
2.11.2012
Taking the hit for the team...
A couple of weeks ago, I addressed the horrible/fascinating fact that Taco Bell was entering the breakfast business. Since the wife is out of town, and I had some errands to run and then some fun to have, one of my first stops this morning was the drive through at the local Taco Bell for a little First Meal.
Now, since my wife reads this, I would like to clear one things up right away...since this trip was for curiosity, and not satisfying post/during hangover munchies, I did not finish what I purchased. Now...if it had tasted good enough, I would have finished it...but flat out, the flavor did not justify the calorie/other nasty stuff intake.
I ordered two separate items...a bacon and eggs burrito(one of the cheaper items on the menu), and a sausage and egg crunch wrap.
The bacon and egg burrito was not pleasing. It's made with their 'bacon topping' and if I ever bought bacon that tasted like this home from the store, I would become a vegetarian on the spot(well, at least I would give up bacon...no reason to let the cows off the hook). I had two bites, just because I wanted to make sure I tasted what I tasted.
The sausage and egg crunch wrap was not as bad. Essentially, they take a thin sausage patty, set in the middle of a tortilla, then put some egg and cheese on top of it, and fold the tortilla over the top in a star pattern. The whole thing is then cooked so it stay a nice little pocket of food. The sausage, advertised and being made by Johnsonville, was not bad, but the eggs were flavorless. I ate about half of this one before deciding I would find something tastier to eat than the 300 calories of crunch wrap I had left.
All in all, I would give it a 1.5 out of 5...the burrito was one star, the wrap 2, so it evens out. The only reason the burrito even gets a star is that it was nice and hot.
Like we used to say back in the Navy when we had to contend with a particularly unappetizing meal...'It'll make a turd'. And since this is Taco Bell, it will probably do it in less time that you expect it too....
Now, since my wife reads this, I would like to clear one things up right away...since this trip was for curiosity, and not satisfying post/during hangover munchies, I did not finish what I purchased. Now...if it had tasted good enough, I would have finished it...but flat out, the flavor did not justify the calorie/other nasty stuff intake.
I ordered two separate items...a bacon and eggs burrito(one of the cheaper items on the menu), and a sausage and egg crunch wrap.
The bacon and egg burrito was not pleasing. It's made with their 'bacon topping' and if I ever bought bacon that tasted like this home from the store, I would become a vegetarian on the spot(well, at least I would give up bacon...no reason to let the cows off the hook). I had two bites, just because I wanted to make sure I tasted what I tasted.
The sausage and egg crunch wrap was not as bad. Essentially, they take a thin sausage patty, set in the middle of a tortilla, then put some egg and cheese on top of it, and fold the tortilla over the top in a star pattern. The whole thing is then cooked so it stay a nice little pocket of food. The sausage, advertised and being made by Johnsonville, was not bad, but the eggs were flavorless. I ate about half of this one before deciding I would find something tastier to eat than the 300 calories of crunch wrap I had left.
All in all, I would give it a 1.5 out of 5...the burrito was one star, the wrap 2, so it evens out. The only reason the burrito even gets a star is that it was nice and hot.
Like we used to say back in the Navy when we had to contend with a particularly unappetizing meal...'It'll make a turd'. And since this is Taco Bell, it will probably do it in less time that you expect it too....
'Liebstered'
Early this week, I was 'Leibstered' by Quizikle. Because my daddy taught me not to use words I didn't know the meaning off, I did a quick bit of research and found out that this a positive thing. Leibster is German for 'favorite/dearest' and the Liebster Award is something making the rounds on the Internet...a way for us small guys(less than 200 visits a day) to do some internal promotion. It's also a way for me to put out a post without having to come up with an original idea.
So...first off, Quizikle, thank you for the honor.
Now, a confession. Many times before, I have admitted to not being 'technical savy' so, ummm...one of the things I don't really know how to do is determine how many site visits someone gets a day. I mean, it's easy to guess by the number of comments on some folks blogs that they don't need my help.
I tried a program called statbrain, but it took a REALLY long time. I was able to take a shower waiting for results when I plugged in my own site for an accuracy test. I then tried webtraffic24, and while it was fast, I not pleased with the results. It said I only get 16 visits a day, and that Tam only gets 168, and that Oleg Volk get 210. I find those numbers hard to believe.
I'm flustered. I like to follow the rules...even if they are arbitray rules for an award that really doesn't mean anything. If I was a D&D Character, I would probably by Lawful Neutral.
Okay....I want to finish this today, so, I am just going to pick 5 sites that I like, and from comment numbers, look like they are not getting huge traffic. If I pick someone that is already getting more traffic than the 200 visits a day threshhold, I hope they won't be offended. If anyone IS offended, then, I guess they can have their money back.
The Girls Guide to Guns and Butter. This is one where I would be surprised if she wasn't over 200 visits a day, but screw it. I tried doing right, now I'm just doing. Good recipes, and if you click on her 'Homesteading' menu, she has THE BEST explanations for butchering various animals I have ever seen.
Scary Yankee Chick. Oh wait...she just got one of these a week ago.
How is this not like a chain letter? And this is tough, just because I don't go to that many blogs...
Alright...not going to agonize over it. I mostly wanted to acknowledge and say thanks to Quizikle sending me the award.
The Broken Patriot.
Shining Pearls of Something
Finally, because I'm a happily married man, and I wish to stay that way, we'll give me wife's site a boost...even though she only posts every 2 weeks, who know's when she'll realize I gave her this award...Mumsy Musings.
Man...that was way tougher than it should be been. Now, I still have to post on their blogs to let them know about the honor...
So...first off, Quizikle, thank you for the honor.
Now, a confession. Many times before, I have admitted to not being 'technical savy' so, ummm...one of the things I don't really know how to do is determine how many site visits someone gets a day. I mean, it's easy to guess by the number of comments on some folks blogs that they don't need my help.
I tried a program called statbrain, but it took a REALLY long time. I was able to take a shower waiting for results when I plugged in my own site for an accuracy test. I then tried webtraffic24, and while it was fast, I not pleased with the results. It said I only get 16 visits a day, and that Tam only gets 168, and that Oleg Volk get 210. I find those numbers hard to believe.
I'm flustered. I like to follow the rules...even if they are arbitray rules for an award that really doesn't mean anything. If I was a D&D Character, I would probably by Lawful Neutral.
Okay....I want to finish this today, so, I am just going to pick 5 sites that I like, and from comment numbers, look like they are not getting huge traffic. If I pick someone that is already getting more traffic than the 200 visits a day threshhold, I hope they won't be offended. If anyone IS offended, then, I guess they can have their money back.
The Girls Guide to Guns and Butter. This is one where I would be surprised if she wasn't over 200 visits a day, but screw it. I tried doing right, now I'm just doing. Good recipes, and if you click on her 'Homesteading' menu, she has THE BEST explanations for butchering various animals I have ever seen.
Scary Yankee Chick. Oh wait...she just got one of these a week ago.
How is this not like a chain letter? And this is tough, just because I don't go to that many blogs...
Alright...not going to agonize over it. I mostly wanted to acknowledge and say thanks to Quizikle sending me the award.
The Broken Patriot.
Shining Pearls of Something
Finally, because I'm a happily married man, and I wish to stay that way, we'll give me wife's site a boost...even though she only posts every 2 weeks, who know's when she'll realize I gave her this award...Mumsy Musings.
Man...that was way tougher than it should be been. Now, I still have to post on their blogs to let them know about the honor...
2.10.2012
Batching it.
Yesterday, my wife packed up the girls, and took off for a long weekend at my moms(The World's Greatest Nana). I can not say enough prayers of thanks for the way my wife and my mom get along. She won't be back until sometime Monday afternoon, which gives me 4 glorious nights, and TWO weekend days to myself.
I think an occasional break is good for married couples, and families(just as important is the occasional dedicated 'date night' where you force yourself to get away from your kids). My plans for that time period include eating unhealthy, sleeping in(more correctly, going to bed early), playing in a poker tournament or two at the local bowling alley casino, a trip the gun range, and maybe even a trip out for some karaoke Saturday night.
The funny part is, my wife was home she would not begrudge me doing any of those things(well, maybe the Dairy Queen for dinner last night). It's just when my wife and kids are home, there are times I choose to stay home with them. I'm sure a big part of that stems from the 8 years I worked in the Shipyard...when you work 800 hours of OT a year it's tough to think about wasting any of your free time on yourself. Last year at Hanford, I only worked about 56 hours of OT...I'm surprised my wife hasn't chased me out of the house more often.
All of that being said, there is one big negative to my wife and kids not being here...coming home to an empty apartment after a bad day is pretty lame. It is impossible to overestimate the healing effect of hugs and kisses from you wife, and the cheers of 'Daddy!' from your girls when they hear the door open. Today was a bad day, and walking in the door to a meowing cat and some Sailor's Jerry's and Diet Coke isn't the same.
Luckily, it's now the weekend...and when I come home after my next workday on Monday, there will be hugs and kisses waiting for me.
I think an occasional break is good for married couples, and families(just as important is the occasional dedicated 'date night' where you force yourself to get away from your kids). My plans for that time period include eating unhealthy, sleeping in(more correctly, going to bed early), playing in a poker tournament or two at the local bowling alley casino, a trip the gun range, and maybe even a trip out for some karaoke Saturday night.
The funny part is, my wife was home she would not begrudge me doing any of those things(well, maybe the Dairy Queen for dinner last night). It's just when my wife and kids are home, there are times I choose to stay home with them. I'm sure a big part of that stems from the 8 years I worked in the Shipyard...when you work 800 hours of OT a year it's tough to think about wasting any of your free time on yourself. Last year at Hanford, I only worked about 56 hours of OT...I'm surprised my wife hasn't chased me out of the house more often.
All of that being said, there is one big negative to my wife and kids not being here...coming home to an empty apartment after a bad day is pretty lame. It is impossible to overestimate the healing effect of hugs and kisses from you wife, and the cheers of 'Daddy!' from your girls when they hear the door open. Today was a bad day, and walking in the door to a meowing cat and some Sailor's Jerry's and Diet Coke isn't the same.
Luckily, it's now the weekend...and when I come home after my next workday on Monday, there will be hugs and kisses waiting for me.
And how did I lose that!!?!?!
Given my lack of success hunting the last few years, I am seriously considering going black powder hunting this year. With the weekend approaching, and the wife and kids out of town, I figured I would go shooting this weekend, and that this would be as good a time as any to blow the dust off my black powder rifle.
Because I haven't actually used it in more than...oh, 3 years maybe, it had worked it's way to the back of the gun cabinet. Everything looked pretty good, but something was just 'off' a bit. It took me about 5 seconds to realize that the ram rod was missing, and I have no memory I what might have happened to it.
It's not like one of these things is any good without the other...I'm curious...did the ram rod end up in the land of mis-matched socks?
Anyway...it's a good excuse to go visit Ranch and Home tonight after work.
Because I haven't actually used it in more than...oh, 3 years maybe, it had worked it's way to the back of the gun cabinet. Everything looked pretty good, but something was just 'off' a bit. It took me about 5 seconds to realize that the ram rod was missing, and I have no memory I what might have happened to it.
It's not like one of these things is any good without the other...I'm curious...did the ram rod end up in the land of mis-matched socks?
Anyway...it's a good excuse to go visit Ranch and Home tonight after work.
2.09.2012
Happy day!
Thanks to The Commander, we now have word that his amazing wife, Kit, is back in the blogging business.
Now...I was rather late to the on-line world...like, I really didn't get into forums and blogs until about 7 years ago, and Kit's was one of the first ones I got hooked on. No...it didn't hurt that she was an early favorite of Oleg Volk, but her blog was also a fascinating look into another person's life. Prior to that time frame, I was unaware that people shared themselves in this manner.
And now look at me!
And look at her site...very fancy. As is her shooting. I'm fairly jealous of her weak hand technique...I don't have nearly that much control left handed.
Now...I was rather late to the on-line world...like, I really didn't get into forums and blogs until about 7 years ago, and Kit's was one of the first ones I got hooked on. No...it didn't hurt that she was an early favorite of Oleg Volk, but her blog was also a fascinating look into another person's life. Prior to that time frame, I was unaware that people shared themselves in this manner.
And now look at me!
And look at her site...very fancy. As is her shooting. I'm fairly jealous of her weak hand technique...I don't have nearly that much control left handed.
I hate to base my political decisions off Wikipedia, but...
I've never been one to shy from my shortcomings. I'm not perfect, and I know it. This was once again driven home to me Wednesday morning, when I saw that Rick Santorum had won all three of the 'nominating contests' on Tuesday.
I probably know more about the Dark Side of the moon than I know about Rick Santorum. He's what I knew...he hasn't yet been labled 'crazy', like my preferred candidate, Ron Paul, and his last name isn't Romney. Those are both pluses for me in a general election against Obama. With Washington's caucuses approaching, and actually looking like they might be legitamate effect on national politics, is Rick Santorum somone I can get behind?
Not having huge amounts of free time, I took to Wikipedia for a quick spot of research. I know that one must take what you find on Wikipedia with a grain of salt, but it's a good place to start...and for me, it was enough to convince myself that I don't think I can get behind Rick Santorum.
Just this one quote from a 2011 interview with NPR turned me off:
"they have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do. Government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulation low and that we shouldn't get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn't get involved in cultural issues, you know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world, and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can't go it alone..."
He also doesn't appear to believe in a 'Right to Privacy', and thinks that contraception is "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be,"
So....yeah...for right now it doesn't look like I'm going to be getting a Christmas Card from Rick Santorum next year.
I probably know more about the Dark Side of the moon than I know about Rick Santorum. He's what I knew...he hasn't yet been labled 'crazy', like my preferred candidate, Ron Paul, and his last name isn't Romney. Those are both pluses for me in a general election against Obama. With Washington's caucuses approaching, and actually looking like they might be legitamate effect on national politics, is Rick Santorum somone I can get behind?
Not having huge amounts of free time, I took to Wikipedia for a quick spot of research. I know that one must take what you find on Wikipedia with a grain of salt, but it's a good place to start...and for me, it was enough to convince myself that I don't think I can get behind Rick Santorum.
Just this one quote from a 2011 interview with NPR turned me off:
"they have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do. Government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulation low and that we shouldn't get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn't get involved in cultural issues, you know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world, and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can't go it alone..."
He also doesn't appear to believe in a 'Right to Privacy', and thinks that contraception is "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be,"
So....yeah...for right now it doesn't look like I'm going to be getting a Christmas Card from Rick Santorum next year.
2.08.2012
Lower than low...
Low and slow burn over this one...
Lakewood officer accused of stealing from fund for fallen colleagues' families
So, back in November of 2009, four police offices were shot and killed at a coffee shop as they were starting their shift. By all accounts the shooting was unprovoked. The shooter was later identified as Maurice Clemmons, an ex-convict who had been arrested and released several times. I was not blogging at the time, but rest assured that if I was, the fact that someone with his record was walking the streets would have been the focus of my rage for weeks. Clemmons received his final justice at the hands of the Seattle Police Department 2 days later...a fine sentence, but it shouldn't have cost 4 police officers their lives.
As you might expect, there was an outpouring of public sympathy for the families of the 4 officers, and a fund was started. Eventually, over 3.2 Million dollars was donated to that fund, which, along with the fact that Clemmons is Dead, Dead, Dead, is the only other redeeming fact in this story.
A short 7 weeks after the police officers was murdered, one of their fellow officers who was helping to run the fund, Skeeter Timothy Manos, set up another, less public account. Eventually, Manos would channel over $120,000 into his separate account, which he used to pay for things like snowboarding gear, home improvement stuff, and a trip to Las Vegas!
Scum. He was caught, and he is going to be punished...but is it going to be enough? I mean...I am one of the first to complain we have too many laws on the books...but, I would be okay with establishing a special class of felonies, to make sure stealing money from things like trust funds for fallen officers, or cancer charities is punished more harshly than stealing an expensive painting from a museum. There has to be a way to figure the victim into the equation, and not just the magnitude of the cime.
I'm not sure this guy deserves the death penalty, or life in prison, but I wouldn't mind seeing one of his snowboarding boots implanted where the sun don't shine...
Lakewood officer accused of stealing from fund for fallen colleagues' families
So, back in November of 2009, four police offices were shot and killed at a coffee shop as they were starting their shift. By all accounts the shooting was unprovoked. The shooter was later identified as Maurice Clemmons, an ex-convict who had been arrested and released several times. I was not blogging at the time, but rest assured that if I was, the fact that someone with his record was walking the streets would have been the focus of my rage for weeks. Clemmons received his final justice at the hands of the Seattle Police Department 2 days later...a fine sentence, but it shouldn't have cost 4 police officers their lives.
As you might expect, there was an outpouring of public sympathy for the families of the 4 officers, and a fund was started. Eventually, over 3.2 Million dollars was donated to that fund, which, along with the fact that Clemmons is Dead, Dead, Dead, is the only other redeeming fact in this story.
A short 7 weeks after the police officers was murdered, one of their fellow officers who was helping to run the fund, Skeeter Timothy Manos, set up another, less public account. Eventually, Manos would channel over $120,000 into his separate account, which he used to pay for things like snowboarding gear, home improvement stuff, and a trip to Las Vegas!
Scum. He was caught, and he is going to be punished...but is it going to be enough? I mean...I am one of the first to complain we have too many laws on the books...but, I would be okay with establishing a special class of felonies, to make sure stealing money from things like trust funds for fallen officers, or cancer charities is punished more harshly than stealing an expensive painting from a museum. There has to be a way to figure the victim into the equation, and not just the magnitude of the cime.
I'm not sure this guy deserves the death penalty, or life in prison, but I wouldn't mind seeing one of his snowboarding boots implanted where the sun don't shine...
2.07.2012
I've got my pen ready...
One of my caring co-workers, who has seen my headboard, took time off from making fun of me for being a Patriots fan to make fun of me for being a 'prepper'. He asked if I was going to watch the new show debuting tonight, 'Doomsday Preppers'.
I told him I wasn't just going to watch it, I fully intended to take notes.
I'm interested in this show...not just at seeing what, and how, some folks are prepping...but also how they are going to be portrayed on the show. I expect that the producers are going to allow at least a little bit of crazy to bleed through for entertainments purpose, but is it going to be 100% nudge, nudge, wink, wink...or will the folks come across as being prudent planners?
My curiosity is aroused...I just hope that I don't feel too inadequate after the show...
I told him I wasn't just going to watch it, I fully intended to take notes.
I'm interested in this show...not just at seeing what, and how, some folks are prepping...but also how they are going to be portrayed on the show. I expect that the producers are going to allow at least a little bit of crazy to bleed through for entertainments purpose, but is it going to be 100% nudge, nudge, wink, wink...or will the folks come across as being prudent planners?
My curiosity is aroused...I just hope that I don't feel too inadequate after the show...
Can't believe that happened...
Last night, I was typing up my post about Josh Powell, and the horrible, horrible thing he did with his children. My post was hauntingly beautiful, while at the same time, I wished that if there really is a Heaven, then there must really be a hell...and in that case I hope that Josh Powell will burn eternally in a lake of fire.
I set it to post this morning, and went about my business...until I got home and saw that 95% of my post disappeared, and I'm not emotionally stable enough to re-type it.
I set it to post this morning, and went about my business...until I got home and saw that 95% of my post disappeared, and I'm not emotionally stable enough to re-type it.
That's one way to put it...
Something horrible occured in Graham, Washington this weekend...so horrible that the Pierce County Sherrif flat out called it 'An Act of Evil'.
A recap:
A recap:
2.06.2012
I was wrong...I'm not ready yet.
As a father of two girls, I have been well aware that at some point, I am going to need to have conversations of an...'uncomfortable nature' with my girls at some point. My older daughter is 9 now, and has been forced to wear 'undershirts' for about 9 months now, so I have known that time is drawing nigh.
I didn't think it would happen quite so soon, or such a strange topic would be to blame, though.
Recently, my daughter discovered an Animal Planet show on netflix called Weird, True and Freaky. While dinosaurs are her specialty, animals of all sorts fascinate her, which I am very proud of. This show is a little out there though...it's a countdown show with a different topic on each episode...most poisonous snake, biggest animals of a species, Mutants(that one freaked me out...2 headed snakes, three eyed pigs), and today episode...Bizarre Births.
So. I was doing fine while it was talking about Sea Horses, cuckoo birds, and the toad that grinds it's eggs into the back of the female(Surinam Toad).
Strangely, it was the hyenas that got me in trouble. I mean...it's a dog...how could that be a freaky birth?
Well...since you asked, it seems that hyenas don't have vagina's. They deliver their baby's through their engorged 7-inch clitoris.
HORROR. They must have used the word clitoris about 5 times, before comparing it in size to the penis of the species. Within a 30-second period, daddy was trying to address the vagina, the penis, AND the clitoris.
I did a better job last week when she asked me how turning the steering wheel makes the tires pivot. Then, I just had to explain the difference between power steering and rack-and-pinion steering.(she got the concept behind rack and pinion much more clearly)
I tried coping out. 'Why honey, those are just fancy terms for the male and female external sexual organs.'
She didn't find that answer acceptable, so, I'm not proud of this, but I punted. My wife has headed out shopping for a bit, so I told my daughter to ask her in the morning.
Now I just need to decide if I am going to warn her that the question might be coming...
I didn't think it would happen quite so soon, or such a strange topic would be to blame, though.
Recently, my daughter discovered an Animal Planet show on netflix called Weird, True and Freaky. While dinosaurs are her specialty, animals of all sorts fascinate her, which I am very proud of. This show is a little out there though...it's a countdown show with a different topic on each episode...most poisonous snake, biggest animals of a species, Mutants(that one freaked me out...2 headed snakes, three eyed pigs), and today episode...Bizarre Births.
So. I was doing fine while it was talking about Sea Horses, cuckoo birds, and the toad that grinds it's eggs into the back of the female(Surinam Toad).
Strangely, it was the hyenas that got me in trouble. I mean...it's a dog...how could that be a freaky birth?
Well...since you asked, it seems that hyenas don't have vagina's. They deliver their baby's through their engorged 7-inch clitoris.
HORROR. They must have used the word clitoris about 5 times, before comparing it in size to the penis of the species. Within a 30-second period, daddy was trying to address the vagina, the penis, AND the clitoris.
I did a better job last week when she asked me how turning the steering wheel makes the tires pivot. Then, I just had to explain the difference between power steering and rack-and-pinion steering.(she got the concept behind rack and pinion much more clearly)
I tried coping out. 'Why honey, those are just fancy terms for the male and female external sexual organs.'
She didn't find that answer acceptable, so, I'm not proud of this, but I punted. My wife has headed out shopping for a bit, so I told my daughter to ask her in the morning.
Now I just need to decide if I am going to warn her that the question might be coming...
Playing the Blame Game.
A quick confession on my part, in that I was very prepared to dislike the Half Time Show at the Super Bowl this year. While I can admit that Madonna has been one of the most influential names in pop music(and I will never forgive her for spawning Lady Gaga) I have never really been a big Madonna fan. I have enjoyed some of her songs, but I have never really missed her, like I have missed, say…Garth Brooks.
I was pretty impressed with her half-time show though. While never more than a ‘decent’ singer in my book, with a knack for picking great songs(although she did help write Vogue, and Like a Prayer), she is a great PERFORMER. The choreography in her shows is second to none, and by all accounts, she is responsible for much of that herself. Finally, at age 53, she has had some great work done, and the lady quite clearly still has ‘it’.
As much as I was watching and admittedly enjoying the half-time show, I must admit, I didn’t catch The Controversy. I guess at one point, one of the singers assisting Madonna(I guess she is British Hip-Hop singer M.I.A ) flipped the camera The Bird. You know…the Finger. One can guess that it wasn’t international relations.
It was on screen less than 1 second before the folks at NBC caught it and blurred it out. I’m not really aware of anyone being offended, but just in case, the NFL AND NBC have issued apologies…and assigned blame.
"The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show," NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey said. "Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers."
Oh, come off it…this isn’t a ‘wardrobe malfunction’…this was a conscious act by what one must assume was a conscious human being. There is only one person to blame here, and that is the person who owns the finger. Any fines/punishment can start, and end, with her.
Cutting off the offending finger will probably take care of the problem.
I was pretty impressed with her half-time show though. While never more than a ‘decent’ singer in my book, with a knack for picking great songs(although she did help write Vogue, and Like a Prayer), she is a great PERFORMER. The choreography in her shows is second to none, and by all accounts, she is responsible for much of that herself. Finally, at age 53, she has had some great work done, and the lady quite clearly still has ‘it’.
As much as I was watching and admittedly enjoying the half-time show, I must admit, I didn’t catch The Controversy. I guess at one point, one of the singers assisting Madonna(I guess she is British Hip-Hop singer M.I.A ) flipped the camera The Bird. You know…the Finger. One can guess that it wasn’t international relations.
It was on screen less than 1 second before the folks at NBC caught it and blurred it out. I’m not really aware of anyone being offended, but just in case, the NFL AND NBC have issued apologies…and assigned blame.
"The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show," NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey said. "Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers."
Oh, come off it…this isn’t a ‘wardrobe malfunction’…this was a conscious act by what one must assume was a conscious human being. There is only one person to blame here, and that is the person who owns the finger. Any fines/punishment can start, and end, with her.
Cutting off the offending finger will probably take care of the problem.
Things haven't always been this way.
One of the exhibits that my kids got a kick out of at the Fort Walla Walla Museum was a display of all the different American flags that had flown over the fort since it was established in the late 1850's (32 stars right up to the 50 we have today).
Most of them were display replica's, but one of them blew me away...an actual 38-star flag that flew over the fort in the 1880's.
Or I could go cynical. With no more football to distract me, I suppose at some point I must focus on politics.
Where things always this hopeless? I was only 6 years old when Reagan beat Carter, and so I can't even pretend to know how things felt back then. I just know that none of this current crop of Republicans feels like Ronald Reagan. Then again, given today's media, Ronald Reagan probably wouldn't feel like Ronald Reagan.
I'm also worried that maybe four more years of things getting worse is four years too many.
Just 130 years ago though, there were only 38 stars on the American Flag.
130 years from now, there could be 38 again, or there could be 70 stars. It's a safe bet that there won't be exactly 50.
Or, it could be that there won't be an American Flag.
Most of them were display replica's, but one of them blew me away...an actual 38-star flag that flew over the fort in the 1880's.
Unlike the display flags, you can tell, Walla Walla being the Wild West frontier, that they just added the two most recent stars(Nebraska and Colorado), and kept going. Very flexible and very practical folks back then.
There is an important lesson for me there. Things haven't always been this way, and they won't always be this way. I could go sappy with this, thinking about how my girls are growing up. I wasn't always there for them...oh, I was working FOR them, but I wasn't THERE.
Or I could go cynical. With no more football to distract me, I suppose at some point I must focus on politics.
Where things always this hopeless? I was only 6 years old when Reagan beat Carter, and so I can't even pretend to know how things felt back then. I just know that none of this current crop of Republicans feels like Ronald Reagan. Then again, given today's media, Ronald Reagan probably wouldn't feel like Ronald Reagan.
I'm also worried that maybe four more years of things getting worse is four years too many.
Just 130 years ago though, there were only 38 stars on the American Flag.
130 years from now, there could be 38 again, or there could be 70 stars. It's a safe bet that there won't be exactly 50.
Or, it could be that there won't be an American Flag.
2.05.2012
Well, poop.
When Wes Welker dropped a very catchable pass at the 25 yard line with just over 4 minutes left, I knew the game was over, even though the Patriots were still winning. Their bend don't break defence was their weak point all year, and in the end, they couldn't get the stop they needed. Not having Gronkowski at his best didn't help either, but that's all just excuses. In the end, the Giants played better, and won.
I'm bummed. Football is about the only sport I am 'into'. I will watch some baseball, and some basketball, but I don't make time in my schedule for it. I do for football. I don't watch every game, every weekend, but I try to catch the Seahawks and Patriots, the Patriots being the more important of the two to me.
Once upon a time I would have blamed my wife and kids for their 'lack of faith', like Darth Vader. My wife was gone for half the game attending an herbal tea class with a local artisan tea blender. My girls were home, but they just passed through the living room eating my treats.
They were there to give me hugs after the game though, which was nice.
Not as nice as the Patriots winning would have been, which I am sure would have happened if my wife had just worn the Patriots Cheerleader outfit that I asked her to.
On the positive side, there was a Miranda Lambert sighting before the name, and Kelly Clarkson nailed the national anthem. Both of those ladies are very nice indeed, and any day with both of them(and my own girls at home) is a worthwhile one.
The worst part of the loss is going to be having to deal with my buddies at work tomorrow. There is an often used saying, '2nd Place is first loser' which is truer in football(and sports in general) than most other things. Instead of this being a happy time in New England, the story line will be about how the Giants have beaten the Patriots two Super Bowls in a row...
Bah. Here in the inland Northwest, the winter is just about over. Now that football is done, I see more range trips on Sunday's in my future.
I'm bummed. Football is about the only sport I am 'into'. I will watch some baseball, and some basketball, but I don't make time in my schedule for it. I do for football. I don't watch every game, every weekend, but I try to catch the Seahawks and Patriots, the Patriots being the more important of the two to me.
Once upon a time I would have blamed my wife and kids for their 'lack of faith', like Darth Vader. My wife was gone for half the game attending an herbal tea class with a local artisan tea blender. My girls were home, but they just passed through the living room eating my treats.
They were there to give me hugs after the game though, which was nice.
Not as nice as the Patriots winning would have been, which I am sure would have happened if my wife had just worn the Patriots Cheerleader outfit that I asked her to.
On the positive side, there was a Miranda Lambert sighting before the name, and Kelly Clarkson nailed the national anthem. Both of those ladies are very nice indeed, and any day with both of them(and my own girls at home) is a worthwhile one.
The worst part of the loss is going to be having to deal with my buddies at work tomorrow. There is an often used saying, '2nd Place is first loser' which is truer in football(and sports in general) than most other things. Instead of this being a happy time in New England, the story line will be about how the Giants have beaten the Patriots two Super Bowls in a row...
Bah. Here in the inland Northwest, the winter is just about over. Now that football is done, I see more range trips on Sunday's in my future.
Settling in.
Getting ready to watch the Superbowl here in a bit. At one point, it looked like we might be going to one of our friends houses to watch the game, so I picked up an 9 pound pork shoulder at Win-co, and rubbed that bad boy up yesterday. I then threw it in the oven when we went to bed, and let it go for 9 hours at 225 degrees.
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| Could you get out on the pulpit, I need something in the foreground to give some scale. |
The hardest part about shredding pork like this is being patient enough to wait for it to be cool enough to handle, and making sure you don't eat too much. With an 8 pound shoulder, no one should be able to notice a nibble or two missing. All shredded up, it makes about 10 cups of pork, which means there will be plenty to go in the freezer, since plans with my friends fell through.
That's okay...having been born in Massachusetts, and then living in Rhode Island for 4 years, and then stationed in Connecticut for 5 years, I have three legitimate reasons to be a Patriots fan. If the Patriots are winning, I would LOVE to be around people to celebrate. If they aren't winning...well, I don't need to be around my buddies(who are Green Bay Packers fans) when they rub it in.
I think this is going to be a really close game, and as much as Tam likes talking about how neat Broad Ripple and it's environs are, I'm glad I don't live close enough that I was tempted to drop $4k for tickets to the game.
Finally, due to my New Years Resolution, which I have maintained for over a month, there will be no beer drank in my house during the Superbowl today. If I caved, and the Patriots ended up losing, I am superstitious enough that I would blame myself for the loss. If through my sacrifice, I can help the Patriots win, it's worth it.
Chronicle
Movie night with the wife last night. After one of my co-workers gave The Grey a so-so review, we decided to go see the new 'found footage' movie, 'Chronicle'.
Boy, am I glad we did. My wife called it 'entertaining', but I was much more impressed than that. While it's not literally a 'comic book movie' since it's not based on a comic book, it is a movie about a few high-school kids being exposed to something mysterious, and finding out that they have developed telekinesis, so it plays out as a 'super hero origin' story.
My only complaint about the movie is that the 3 main characters are stereotypes....but they are well played and well casted stereotypes. You have Andrew, the uber-shy geek, with a dying mom and an alcoholic dad, Matt, his cousin, popular despite his slightly geeky psycho babble, and Steve, the Class President. Andrew is the driving force in the movie, having acquired a video camera to help him view his life remotely. He happens to have his camera handy when the other two boys want to investigate something strange they have found.
The movie progresses from them learning they have the powers, taping what they have found they can do. They start with moving rocks, and baseball, and progress to using their powers to perform practical jokes, before learning that if they move themselves, they can even fly.
Of course, things must get dark. Andrew, with his downtrodden life at home, is no longer helpless. There are no 'with great power comes great responsibility' speeches, but Matt does want to talk about rules. And then, there are fights. The final confrontation in down-town Seattle reminds me of the battle in Metropolis, from Superman 2....but better.
Like I said, I was more impressed than my wife. If The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises are even 90% as good as this movie, it's going to be a great year for Comic Book Action movies. It's a very short movie too...run time about 85 minutes...
I say you give it a 9 out of 10.
Boy, am I glad we did. My wife called it 'entertaining', but I was much more impressed than that. While it's not literally a 'comic book movie' since it's not based on a comic book, it is a movie about a few high-school kids being exposed to something mysterious, and finding out that they have developed telekinesis, so it plays out as a 'super hero origin' story.
My only complaint about the movie is that the 3 main characters are stereotypes....but they are well played and well casted stereotypes. You have Andrew, the uber-shy geek, with a dying mom and an alcoholic dad, Matt, his cousin, popular despite his slightly geeky psycho babble, and Steve, the Class President. Andrew is the driving force in the movie, having acquired a video camera to help him view his life remotely. He happens to have his camera handy when the other two boys want to investigate something strange they have found.
The movie progresses from them learning they have the powers, taping what they have found they can do. They start with moving rocks, and baseball, and progress to using their powers to perform practical jokes, before learning that if they move themselves, they can even fly.
Of course, things must get dark. Andrew, with his downtrodden life at home, is no longer helpless. There are no 'with great power comes great responsibility' speeches, but Matt does want to talk about rules. And then, there are fights. The final confrontation in down-town Seattle reminds me of the battle in Metropolis, from Superman 2....but better.
Like I said, I was more impressed than my wife. If The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises are even 90% as good as this movie, it's going to be a great year for Comic Book Action movies. It's a very short movie too...run time about 85 minutes...
I say you give it a 9 out of 10.
2.04.2012
Hoist with on my own petard.
So, I make no secret of the fact that I am pretty big Robert Heinlein fan. It's not just his writing I enjoy, but also his ideas. If I had been around back in the 60's, doubtless I would have joined some 'Groking' commune or something. Call me easily led.
Earlier in the week, after winning the Florida Primary, Mitt Romney went and stepped in it again, serving up a sound bite where he gave the impression that he is not worried about the very poor, because they have programs and safety nets to support them. He's worried about the 'middle class' needing help. Plus, the middle class votes more.
This is a very similar notion to a quote that Mr. Heinlein put in The Notebooks of Lazarus Long:
People who go broke in a big way never miss any meals. It is the poor jerk who is shy a half slug who must tighten his belt.
Poop...so, Mitt has hit on an idea put forward by my hero. Guess that means I need to vote for him
The hell it does. To use a saying my daughter may never understand, even a broke clock it right twice a day.
I see very few circumstances under which I will vote for Mitt. On March 3rd, I fully intend to participate in Washington's Republican Caucus, where I will do my best to lobby for Ron Paul. I have said before that I don't think he can win, and I'm not entirely sure I want him to win...but I am hoping he can use whatever delegates he has to effect...I don't know something. ANYTHING.
Any little glimmer that the Republican Party gets it.
One of the great things about human beings is that it doesn't take much to keep us going. People have been known to endure great hardship's on very slim chances of success. It's part of the reason that if the Republicans don't show that they are getting it, I have no problem 'throwing my vote away' in the General Election voting for whomever the Libertarian Party trots out there.
Earlier in the week, after winning the Florida Primary, Mitt Romney went and stepped in it again, serving up a sound bite where he gave the impression that he is not worried about the very poor, because they have programs and safety nets to support them. He's worried about the 'middle class' needing help. Plus, the middle class votes more.
This is a very similar notion to a quote that Mr. Heinlein put in The Notebooks of Lazarus Long:
People who go broke in a big way never miss any meals. It is the poor jerk who is shy a half slug who must tighten his belt.
Poop...so, Mitt has hit on an idea put forward by my hero. Guess that means I need to vote for him
The hell it does. To use a saying my daughter may never understand, even a broke clock it right twice a day.
I see very few circumstances under which I will vote for Mitt. On March 3rd, I fully intend to participate in Washington's Republican Caucus, where I will do my best to lobby for Ron Paul. I have said before that I don't think he can win, and I'm not entirely sure I want him to win...but I am hoping he can use whatever delegates he has to effect...I don't know something. ANYTHING.
Any little glimmer that the Republican Party gets it.
One of the great things about human beings is that it doesn't take much to keep us going. People have been known to endure great hardship's on very slim chances of success. It's part of the reason that if the Republicans don't show that they are getting it, I have no problem 'throwing my vote away' in the General Election voting for whomever the Libertarian Party trots out there.