I Hope Their DSL Works...
Well, we're off on the road again in the next hour headed back to central Florida for a long weekend visit with Family.
First I'll get to see if Lake City was singed by the recent forest fires, then we'll get to enjoy the masses of summer overflow Disney tourists lounging around in St. Cloud.
My little six month old "turbo pup" Missy, the miniature Dachshund, will get to visit with her cousins Olive and Otis (also mini Dachs). I'm sure hilarity will ensue with three dogs with a total weight of less than thirty pounds proceed to rumble and romp around the house like wild Indians.
If the weather holds up we also hope to see Friday evening's Space Shuttle launch from a pretty good vantage point there in St. Cloud.
As usual, I've taking my computer along, but this time I have a load of file folders (the manila kind--full of paper) because I have to get some actual work done instead of just sitting around being useless for a change.
In addition to my residential construction project and the California smokestack job, I also have to finish editing my entry for a Photo competition to be held next month here on the island and I'm doing preliminary design sketches for "Egyptian" themed set pieces for the Brunswick High School Marching Band's 2007 halftime shows.
Just in case I'm delinquent in posting, let me say that I hope y'all have a nice weekend.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Stuck On My Roof With My Calculator
Paralyzed With Indecision...
Yesterday morning I climbed onto the roof of my Duplex for the first time. I was scared to death because I was working by myself and the structure was built the same year I was born.
A 47 year old man lurking around on a 47 year old slab of plywood, shingles, and God knows what else. It was the "God knows what else" part under my feet that made me nervous, because I couldn't see most of what I was walking on for the 2" thick layer of leaves and other debris that was covering the surface.
I'm embarrassed to report that in addition to finding a few bricks, a hubcap, and a football, I also have vines growing on my roof!
VINES...
ON MY ROOF...
I wasn't sure if I needed a lawnmower or could just use the rake I had in my hand to clear things off. Regardless, I was tired after clearing only about a quarter of the surface area, and soon found other things to occupy my time like trimming off low hanging tree limbs and building a Volkswagen sized pile of same on the curb.
After about five hours of spinning in circles on the roof and adjacent surfaces of dirt and concrete
in the near 90 degree heat, I was ready to come home, shower, and collapse on the sofa--thus the lack of posting last evening.
Today, in addition to thrashing around working on my drawings to go with my building permit application, I have to prepare to leave town headed for Florida for a long weekend.
Feel free to entertain yourselves in my absence...
Yesterday morning I climbed onto the roof of my Duplex for the first time. I was scared to death because I was working by myself and the structure was built the same year I was born.
A 47 year old man lurking around on a 47 year old slab of plywood, shingles, and God knows what else. It was the "God knows what else" part under my feet that made me nervous, because I couldn't see most of what I was walking on for the 2" thick layer of leaves and other debris that was covering the surface.
I'm embarrassed to report that in addition to finding a few bricks, a hubcap, and a football, I also have vines growing on my roof!
VINES...
ON MY ROOF...
I wasn't sure if I needed a lawnmower or could just use the rake I had in my hand to clear things off. Regardless, I was tired after clearing only about a quarter of the surface area, and soon found other things to occupy my time like trimming off low hanging tree limbs and building a Volkswagen sized pile of same on the curb.
After about five hours of spinning in circles on the roof and adjacent surfaces of dirt and concrete
in the near 90 degree heat, I was ready to come home, shower, and collapse on the sofa--thus the lack of posting last evening.
Today, in addition to thrashing around working on my drawings to go with my building permit application, I have to prepare to leave town headed for Florida for a long weekend.
Feel free to entertain yourselves in my absence...
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
I'm Mentally Challenged
Somebody Wake Me Up...
So let me see here, what the heck is going on in the world that's worth my time commenting on?
It's tough finding things that everybody doesn't already know or that I have some unique opinion worth mentioning these days.
I admit that hasn't always been true here on my blog, but I guess that I'm on the verge of giving up and dieing a lazy old capitalistic, libertarian who used his last quarters in a pay phone trying to call somebody ease that gave a damn about anything.
Tonight I'm tempted to write about Paris Hilton, but since I just really couldn't care less about the silly little bitch, and since nothing that she does or says surprises me, I'll just leave things at that.
It looks like that Louisiana will possibly be short one more elected dumbass here in the next few months as William "cold cash" Jefferson is indited and soon to be tap dancing in front of some kind of judicial proceeding.
I say that the race baiters aka Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, et. al. will cry foul and the process will implode on itself into a Marion Barry/Washington DC style fiasco because the stupid people that elected Congressman Jefferson in the first place already knew they were putting a black crook into office else they didn't care one way or the other.
Maybe we could give Miss Hilton, in return for a further reduced sentence, a Crack Pipe and a few rocks in order to see if she could help a sting operation add drug usage to his pending charges.
In local news, absolutely nothing happened here today worth mentioning. I'm working 6 to 8 hours a day and it's making me dull and boring and lazy and unwilling to move off of the sofa when I'm finished except to eat and chase the dog around the living room.
Be advised that I've only been to the pool FOUR times this season.
Would somebody please call someone and see if we can't remedy that situation?
So let me see here, what the heck is going on in the world that's worth my time commenting on?
It's tough finding things that everybody doesn't already know or that I have some unique opinion worth mentioning these days.
I admit that hasn't always been true here on my blog, but I guess that I'm on the verge of giving up and dieing a lazy old capitalistic, libertarian who used his last quarters in a pay phone trying to call somebody ease that gave a damn about anything.
Tonight I'm tempted to write about Paris Hilton, but since I just really couldn't care less about the silly little bitch, and since nothing that she does or says surprises me, I'll just leave things at that.
It looks like that Louisiana will possibly be short one more elected dumbass here in the next few months as William "cold cash" Jefferson is indited and soon to be tap dancing in front of some kind of judicial proceeding.
I say that the race baiters aka Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, et. al. will cry foul and the process will implode on itself into a Marion Barry/Washington DC style fiasco because the stupid people that elected Congressman Jefferson in the first place already knew they were putting a black crook into office else they didn't care one way or the other.
Maybe we could give Miss Hilton, in return for a further reduced sentence, a Crack Pipe and a few rocks in order to see if she could help a sting operation add drug usage to his pending charges.
In local news, absolutely nothing happened here today worth mentioning. I'm working 6 to 8 hours a day and it's making me dull and boring and lazy and unwilling to move off of the sofa when I'm finished except to eat and chase the dog around the living room.
Be advised that I've only been to the pool FOUR times this season.
Would somebody please call someone and see if we can't remedy that situation?
Monday, June 04, 2007
Words For The Wise
From Oscar Wilde...
Did I ever mention here on the blog that a LOT of people would consider me to NOT be very "well read"--at least not by traditional cultural and academic standards?
Well then, I would say that I would have to agree with that assessment...particularly if being considered "well read" has anything to do with the amount of time I've forced my eyeballs and ever greying, ever balding, ever diminishing brain cells to stare at the sometimes roaming, possibly boring, always extended phrases of ancient (and not so ancient) written drivelling.
Go ahead and crack out a copy of the NY Times bestseller list and, just like the titles at the local movie theater, most of the time I couldn't even manage an educated guess as the the meaning of the plot and subplots let alone name a leading lady in the "magnificent work" found within.
That said, I did happen to take a little time out recently to read an old well worn copy of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
All I can say is DAAAAAaaaaaaaMMMMMmmmmmmNNnnnnnn...
that Wild(e) sucker could W-R-I-T-E.
Where was this kind of stuff when I was in high school and in my freshman year of college at Georgia Tech when I had to takeboth each all of of my English and Literature classes?
I think that I'm going to have these memorable quotes tattooed on my forehead for your enjoyment in the future:
"Nowadays people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing..."
(chapter IV)
and finally:
"We live in an age that reads too much to be wise, and that thinks too much to be beautiful..."
(Chapter VIII)
I'll shut up for now and let you think about those thoughts.
Did I ever mention here on the blog that a LOT of people would consider me to NOT be very "well read"--at least not by traditional cultural and academic standards?
Well then, I would say that I would have to agree with that assessment...particularly if being considered "well read" has anything to do with the amount of time I've forced my eyeballs and ever greying, ever balding, ever diminishing brain cells to stare at the sometimes roaming, possibly boring, always extended phrases of ancient (and not so ancient) written drivelling.
Go ahead and crack out a copy of the NY Times bestseller list and, just like the titles at the local movie theater, most of the time I couldn't even manage an educated guess as the the meaning of the plot and subplots let alone name a leading lady in the "magnificent work" found within.
That said, I did happen to take a little time out recently to read an old well worn copy of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
All I can say is DAAAAAaaaaaaaMMMMMmmmmmmNNnnnnnn...
that Wild(e) sucker could W-R-I-T-E.
Where was this kind of stuff when I was in high school and in my freshman year of college at Georgia Tech when I had to take
I think that I'm going to have these memorable quotes tattooed on my forehead for your enjoyment in the future:
"Nowadays people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing..."
(chapter IV)
and finally:
"We live in an age that reads too much to be wise, and that thinks too much to be beautiful..."
(Chapter VIII)
I'll shut up for now and let you think about those thoughts.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Barry Was A Bust
Who's Next?
Well, so much for going over to the mainland today.
Instead we just sat at home and watched the wind blow the rain at about a 45 degree angle.
The extra moisture was quite welcome here, and we got about 3" worth so the lawns are floating and the parking lots are overflowing and our little dog is quite confused about the situation when she goes outside.
Isn't it funny how self important, supposedly highly educated men waste their breath and TV airtime talking about average temperatures, average rainfall, average this and average that...blaa...blaa...blaa...
...and then God just waves his hand causing the forrest fires go out, my Mom to get dry weather for her new roof installation, and the rainfall totals to move ever constantly back toward normal?
Well, so much for going over to the mainland today.
Instead we just sat at home and watched the wind blow the rain at about a 45 degree angle.
The extra moisture was quite welcome here, and we got about 3" worth so the lawns are floating and the parking lots are overflowing and our little dog is quite confused about the situation when she goes outside.
Isn't it funny how self important, supposedly highly educated men waste their breath and TV airtime talking about average temperatures, average rainfall, average this and average that...blaa...blaa...blaa...
...and then God just waves his hand causing the forrest fires go out, my Mom to get dry weather for her new roof installation, and the rainfall totals to move ever constantly back toward normal?
Fire & Rain
Ode To The Okefenokee Fires...
"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again."
If you ever get to meet me in person, you just might get to hear me sing Mr. James Taylor's words to his hit song "Fire & Rain"
Personally, I recommend that you try to make it over to Chastain Park in Atlanta or some other nice outdoor venue and see James in person when he's in town.
UPDATE:
It's raining nicely here outside, but it looks like that our little dog "Missy" is going to have a long weekend of terror trying to do her "business." I can fix a toilet, maybe I can come up with a way to make a dry square yard of grass in a rainstorm.
Anyone wanna bet me?
"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again."
If you ever get to meet me in person, you just might get to hear me sing Mr. James Taylor's words to his hit song "Fire & Rain"
Personally, I recommend that you try to make it over to Chastain Park in Atlanta or some other nice outdoor venue and see James in person when he's in town.
UPDATE:
It's raining nicely here outside, but it looks like that our little dog "Missy" is going to have a long weekend of terror trying to do her "business." I can fix a toilet, maybe I can come up with a way to make a dry square yard of grass in a rainstorm.
Anyone wanna bet me?
Opening Night In The "Cone Of Death"
It's June 2nd--Would Somebody Please Call FEMA for us???
OK everyone, take a look at the 2 AM storm track forecast that I just pulled off of the NOAA web site:
OK everyone, take a look at the 2 AM storm track forecast that I just pulled off of the NOAA web site:
( I would be the guy sitting there yawning somewhere in between the third and fourth "black dots" with the "S" in the middle)
I guess that we can forget using our pool this weekend, but on the other hand everyone can also celebrate the resulting tropical rain filling up their rain gauges and the media can possibly shut up talking about the so called "wild fires" that have been burning over the past few months burning the past million years on a seasonal basis based on lightning strikes and cyclic rain patterns.
We only had a little over 6 inches of rain in the Month of May here in South Georgia, so it was inevitable that a few tropical systems filled in the gaps in order for us to all enjoy something know as rainfall on an...
AVERAGE BASIS.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Now Broadcasting Live From My Toilet
Don't Worry, The Seat & Lid Is Down And My Pants Are Up...
As of this evening, everything is apparently back to normal in our own little waste removal department here on St. Simons Island.
In addition to getting the guest bath toilet back in service, over the past couple of days I've managed to install a new bookcase, rummage through two closets and four filing cabinets--tossing out old bills and files and other crap that tends to accumulate in and around your life while you're not paying attention.
I suspect that our trash guys are going to hate me and/or the results of this domestic progress (five or six big plastic bags worth), but I don't care because Pat and I love the overall improvement in our quality of life.
Time to do a little reading, a little writing, and possibly some arithmetic before taking an early evening nap.
Have a nice Friday night...
As of this evening, everything is apparently back to normal in our own little waste removal department here on St. Simons Island.
In addition to getting the guest bath toilet back in service, over the past couple of days I've managed to install a new bookcase, rummage through two closets and four filing cabinets--tossing out old bills and files and other crap that tends to accumulate in and around your life while you're not paying attention.
I suspect that our trash guys are going to hate me and/or the results of this domestic progress (five or six big plastic bags worth), but I don't care because Pat and I love the overall improvement in our quality of life.
Time to do a little reading, a little writing, and possibly some arithmetic before taking an early evening nap.
Have a nice Friday night...
Here...Look At This Crap
My Technical Writings...
1. All weld preparation, weld techniques, weld operator qualification, weld procedure specification, and weld workmanship shall be conducted in accordance with the ANSI/AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code and ASME BPVC Section IX, as applicable.
2. All vertical and horizontal welds in the stack shell plates shall be completed with the fully automated submerged arc welding (SMAW) process.
3. All welds shall be full penetration. Partial penetration welding is not allowed.
Yes, I actually wrote that stuff, along with a couple of more pages of similar mind-numbing ramblings this morning.
My head was going to explode if I didn't reach down inside and drag it out onto paper, and apparently right now there is a paying market for such gibberish, so I thought... what the heck, I used to do that kind of stuff anyway and had some left over that might be trying to leak out of mouth when the occasion presented itself.
I didn't want to scare anybody, but I made an exception for you today.
Now I ask that you find something else to do while I go a take a nap.
1. All weld preparation, weld techniques, weld operator qualification, weld procedure specification, and weld workmanship shall be conducted in accordance with the ANSI/AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code and ASME BPVC Section IX, as applicable.
2. All vertical and horizontal welds in the stack shell plates shall be completed with the fully automated submerged arc welding (SMAW) process.
3. All welds shall be full penetration. Partial penetration welding is not allowed.
Yes, I actually wrote that stuff, along with a couple of more pages of similar mind-numbing ramblings this morning.
My head was going to explode if I didn't reach down inside and drag it out onto paper, and apparently right now there is a paying market for such gibberish, so I thought... what the heck, I used to do that kind of stuff anyway and had some left over that might be trying to leak out of mouth when the occasion presented itself.
I didn't want to scare anybody, but I made an exception for you today.
Now I ask that you find something else to do while I go a take a nap.
I've Got My Own Bad Case Of TB
So Quarantine Me Here At Home If You Feel That You Need To
My TB is what I call "Total Boredom" with most everything happening in the news right now.
I've got to go now and write some technical specifications, see y'all later.
.
My TB is what I call "Total Boredom" with most everything happening in the news right now.
I've got to go now and write some technical specifications, see y'all later.
.
