Random Comments/Stream of Consciousness Thread

[Bad Penny]

Awesome Krystle, thanks for posting the UTD set - jumped right on Amazon and pre-ordered mine (with a 20% discount)

Re smoking - I've been on and off that particular wagon more times than I can count over the last 38 years (currently on) and it's a bastard habit to kick

Kudos to the former smokers! My mom tried for years to quit and eventually needed medication to help her. My cousin has spent the past five years trying to kick the habit and has yet to be successful. I totally admire anyone who makes the effort to live a healthier life. And to the smokers out there... why not quit now? You'll thank me later, in the event a large dome mysteriously appears over your general area and you need to conserve clean air.

Speaking of, has this been posted anywhere on here already? Because when I saw it, I considered some crazy ways to save money so I could afford it. It looks awesome!

[herbertwest]

Today is my brother's wedding and tomorrow will be the christening of their daughter.

So yesterday we prepared the place and from what ive seen, there was like:
- about 200 bottles of wine n champagne (including about 15 magnum bottles)
- about 80 liters of beers
- about 100 liters of punch and cocktails
- countless water, soda n fruit juice

I guess that the next weeks will be sporty to burn all of that shite

[ChristineB]

Sorry to hear it's not going as well as we would want for your sister TN, also sorry I brought up a soar subject for you, keep the faith hun, know all will come out as it should.
And we here all love you dearly, even Bill who can fall over his tongue every now and then, although I choose to believe he still means well when he does.

[TwistedNadine]

Thanks Christine. Can always count on you to give me a warm tummy fuzzy.

Changing subjects, I just got an interesting letter from our US Post Office and thot I would share parts of it. The letter explains why they are proposing to close the largest post office in our area:

"The reason behind this proposal is the realignment of USPS infrastructure to a 20-percent drop in total mail volume over the past three years, brought about by the diversion to electronic communication and business transactions.
"USPS does not receive tax dollars for its operations or facilities, but covers costs solely through the revenue received from the sale of its products and services.
"The Postal Service is in a very serious financial situation and is facing insolvency. Every opportunity to reduce expenses and generate revenue is being considered in order to maintain universal service to our customers."

[Scoogs]

And the Fools on the Hill keep telling them no when they say they want to stop Saturday delivery.
It's not even a full Saturday stop, IIRC, packages would still be delivered.

Go figure, a semi-governmental agency tries to be financially responsible and the politicians prevent them from doing so.

[WeDealInLead]

Interesting read on GWB and US Post: http://www.stableytimes.com/featured...-w-bush-edict/

There is more if you look up Postal Accountability Enhancement Act 2007

[WeDealInLead]

So. My wife is in Chicago for six days and my daughter at my mom's. I have a few minutes to kill and because I'm bored and petty, I looked up pictures, reviews, videos etc. of one of my old bands and found this:



That's everything we ever released with every colour variant and special record covers. There's even the framed set-list of our last show, ltd. print, discography tape and the most obscure item-the demo tape. We made six, maybe five. I dubbed them myself at work when I did nights. There's also the test press (in book-collecting terms, that's like a proof) and some variants I haven't personally seen. I don't think five of us in the band have all this stuff among all of us.

It's weird seeing this stuff...we weren't even supposed to be a real, full-time band. I tracked down this Gibson Les Paul an hour away and asked my buddy to tag along. I wasn't collecting books then, I was collecting Gibson guitars. Collecting King is a financial step down from that. Anyways, I bought the guitar and got to talking about maybe playing music again, I had some riffs, was bored etc. He was terrible at drums but we still wrote eleven songs, picked five for the demo and recorded them. People actually dug the songs so we enlisted some good friends of ours, wrote another record, played N. America a few times (around 80 gigs I think) and that picture up there is our little drop in the r'n'r bucket.

[Scoogs]

Very cool, WDiL.
I like the vinyl.

[jhanic]

I just had a weird happening. I had just forwarded an email and all of a sudden I got this message that my computer had been infected with a virus and that I should buy this virus protection software. I already have MacAfee but this "ad" for software protection wouldn't let me use it. It also knocked me out of Firefox and I couldn't get back in. It also wouldn't let me use Google Chrome. I was able to use Internet Explorer. I called Geek Squad and they fixed it somehow. They're not sure just what they did, though.

John

[cit74]

Aargh back spasms - laid up in bed with ice on back and leg. Can barely move - had to work this morning - took forever hobbling around. I'm on call and can't take the only medicine that can quickly relieve my pain. It's going to be a long 5 days.

[tippy4]

Apparently I am a magnet for crazy people this week.

Early in the week I received a very nasty email by some nutjob because he took issue with something I was selling. Went into a loooong story about his dead brother who killed himself and more. I was soo pissed, but smart enough not to respond and have not heard back from the guy.

Today, a friend and I were mountain biking on a trail we are technically not supposed to ride a bike on (I have been riding it for almost 20 years with no issues) when I came upon an older couple (55-70 years old I would say) hiking. I stopped my bike 20 feet away from them, so they could pass me safely. The guy in the couple was one of these people that feels the need to quote the rules to me and my friend. We pretend to listen to him, and pretend we were ignorant of the rule, and as soon as he passes us, we mount our bikes and take off down the trail. We hear the guy shout at us, and I mostly ignore him so I can concentrate on the steep downhill.

We get to the bottom about two city blocks away, and take a breather. Here comes the guy...he chased us on foot...leaving his wife by herself behind on the trail. He catches up with us and just goes berserk at us...shouting and asking us why we rode the trail after he told us we were not allowed like he was our father. I figured anybody who would chase two strangers was either crazy, had a gun, or two balls the size of cantaloupes. Either way...he was stupid. I told him that nobody was in jeopardy, and as I had demonstrated, we always yielded the right of way to people on foot. It was a very tense situation, and he finally went his way, and we went ours.

I could not help but think about the Martin / Zimmerman case later.......thinking here I was minding my own business (ok I was breaking a trail law of a regional park)....when this guy who felt he was an authority figure confronted me, pursued me, and then confronted me again. I actually felt threatened, and upon reflection, feel I would have been within my rights to take a swing at him. But if I had....what would have happened next? Maybe nothing. Maybe one of us would be dead or in the hospital. Maybe one or both of us would be in jail.

Had I hit this guy or his wife with my bike....or even if he had witnessed me hitting a complete stranger with my bike, I could have understood his anger, confrontations, and pursuit. But none of that happened. I don't care if he has been hit by a bike before, or what his problem was. I was respectful and courteous with him up until the time he started lecturing me. I was minding my business, he should have minded his. I was riding a bike....not racing my car up and down the street in a school zone.

I am not saying the Zimmerman verdict was right or wrong (I was not there, nor was I on the jury)....but before today I was leaning one way...and now I am leaning the other.

[jhanic]

Too bad there are nuts everywhere! I'm glad you kept your cool.

John

[Pasiuk57]

John I second that...there are crazies everywhere...
Tippy-good thing it ended so good!

[Randall Flagg]

tippy, I am surprised you didn't tell the guy to FOAD.

[tippy4]

The problem with that...is that there was a little kid with her dad at the place the 2nd confrontation took place.

I think things may have gone a little differently if they had not been there.

I am not saying it would have goptten physical...but it probably would have gotten a lot nastier verbally, and as such would have lasted longer.

[carlosdetweiller]

Dude sounds like a badass. Guy in his 60s chasing down two guys probably 20 years younger than him. They are on bikes and stop to rest. Badass is on foot and runs down the same incline and is ready to mix it up when he gets there. Sounds like a mean mofo.

[Sir_Boomme]

Apparently I am a magnet for crazy people this week.

Early in the week I received a very nasty email by some nutjob because he took issue with something I was selling. Went into a loooong story about his dead brother who killed himself and more. I was soo pissed, but smart enough not to respond and have not heard back from the guy.

Today, a friend and I were mountain biking on a trail we are technically not supposed to ride a bike on (I have been riding it for almost 20 years with no issues) when I came upon an older couple (55-70 years old I would say) hiking. I stopped my bike 20 feet away from them, so they could pass me safely. The guy in the couple was one of these people that feels the need to quote the rules to me and my friend. We pretend to listen to him, and pretend we were ignorant of the rule, and as soon as he passes us, we mount our bikes and take off down the trail. We hear the guy shout at us, and I mostly ignore him so I can concentrate on the steep downhill.

We get to the bottom about two city blocks away, and take a breather. Here comes the guy...he chased us on foot...leaving his wife by herself behind on the trail. He catches up with us and just goes berserk at us...shouting and asking us why we rode the trail after he told us we were not allowed like he was our father. I figured anybody who would chase two strangers was either crazy, had a gun, or two balls the size of cantaloupes. Either way...he was stupid. I told him that nobody was in jeopardy, and as I had demonstrated, we always yielded the right of way to people on foot. It was a very tense situation, and he finally went his way, and we went ours.

I could not help but think about the Martin / Zimmerman case later.......thinking here I was minding my own business (ok I was breaking a trail law of a regional park)....when this guy who felt he was an authority figure confronted me, pursued me, and then confronted me again. I actually felt threatened, and upon reflection, feel I would have been within my rights to take a swing at him. But if I had....what would have happened next? Maybe nothing. Maybe one of us would be dead or in the hospital. Maybe one or both of us would be in jail.

Had I hit this guy or his wife with my bike....or even if he had witnessed me hitting a complete stranger with my bike, I could have understood his anger, confrontations, and pursuit. But none of that happened. I don't care if he has been hit by a bike before, or what his problem was. I was respectful and courteous with him up until the time he started lecturing me. I was minding my business, he should have minded his. I was riding a bike....not racing my car up and down the street in a school zone.

I am not saying the Zimmerman verdict was right or wrong (I was not there, nor was I on the jury)....but before today I was leaning one way...and now I am leaning the other.

ha ha... about 12 years ago... about 2:30 am - I caught two 17/18 year olds breaking into the cars on my apartment lot. I had called police...but the cops were taking forever... so I went out to stop the punks. I chased them 7 blocks carrying a pool skimer pole. Finally one runs out of steam and runs up on a porch to a house- acting like he lived there. I told him to sit his ass down or I was going to put that 8 foot pole right up his ass. He kept mouthing off... but he actually sat down.

I yelled out for someone to call the cops... finally the people in the house came out and told me that the cops were on the way... 3-4 minutes later the police showed up and took the kid into custody.
When the cops drove me back to the apartment complex, I found out these young thugs had hit 4 other complexes, broken into over 25 cars, had two pillowcases full of stolen goods and were about 30 seconds away from stealing the car I had chased them out of. Before the punk was carted off to jail... I tapped on the cop car window and told the kid to be sure to tell all his thug buddies that a 42 year old fat man chased down his ass.

I am greatful that the kid didn't run 8 blocks... I would have dropped from a heart attack.
got a few stories like that from that old neighborhood - almost shot a couple of punks who were dumping off a vandalized stolen car behind my apartment... one of them pulled a 7 inch screwdriver on my next door neighbor then turned on me- it got ugly really quick.


I'll give you one guess which way I lean in the Zimmerman case.

[Ben Staad]

Nothing for 3,600! Really?

[Bad Penny]

an overdue, but heartfelt, round of applause, perhaps?

Nothing for 3,600! Really?

[Iwritecode]

And the Fools on the Hill keep telling them no when they say they want to stop Saturday delivery.
It's not even a full Saturday stop, IIRC, packages would still be delivered.

Go figure, a semi-governmental agency tries to be financially responsible and the politicians prevent them from doing so.

The USPS is losing money like crazy because they are forced to fund a retirement account for their employees for 75 years out. They are literally funding retirement for employees that haven't even been born yet.

[TwistedNadine]

Ahh stories of Manly Men Being Macho
More of that...

Ben I have to quote WeDealInLead from another thread: "Time Well Wasted"
Congrats on the 3600

[Scoogs]

And the Fools on the Hill keep telling them no when they say they want to stop Saturday delivery.
It's not even a full Saturday stop, IIRC, packages would still be delivered.

Go figure, a semi-governmental agency tries to be financially responsible and the politicians prevent them from doing so.

The USPS is losing money like crazy because they are forced to fund a retirement account for their employees for 75 years out. They are literally funding retirement for employees that haven't even been born yet.

I know. What I meant was the USPS is trying to take the financially responsible steps needed to meet the financial burden imposed on them. However, in many cases Congress has been fighting against, and in some cases rejecting, many of the steps need to meet that requirement that they created. (postage rate increases, ending Saturday delivery, closing facilities, etc.) I find that very frustrating.

The basic idea of making them fund the retirement accounts is sound, it's the 75 year portion of it that is ridiculous. Do the politicians think that everyone can fund programs with money they don't actually have?

Congress can't even fund the budget for 2013 and they're telling the USPS to fund a 2088 budget. Way to redefine hypocrisy.

[Iwritecode]

I know. What I meant was the USPS is trying to take the financially responsible steps needed to meet the financial burden imposed on them. However, in many cases Congress has been fighting against, and in some cases rejecting, many of the steps need to meet that requirement that they created. (postage rate increases, ending Saturday delivery, closing facilities, etc.) I find that very frustrating.

The basic idea of making them fund the retirement accounts is sound, it's the 75 year portion of it that is ridiculous. Do the politicians think that everyone can fund programs with money they don't actually have?

Congress can't even fund the budget for 2013 and they're telling the USPS to fund a 2088 budget. Way to redefine hypocrisy.

[Ben Staad]

Germany is over. This experience has been awful and we were treated awful. We are looking for representation.

[carlosdetweiller]

Germany is over. This experience has been awful and we were treated awful. We are looking for representation.

So sorry to hear this. I hope things get better for you and your family going forward.