My Old Friend's Back

I think...


After nearly a week of agony, enduring infinite pop-up's trying to sell me anti-spy software and other crap I don't want or need, it seems that a combination of my Norton software and a security download from Microsoft exorcised the demons from my HP notebook computer.

I guess only time will tell...

I'd Rather...But Not DAN Rather

Part XVIII


In my efforts to catch up with laughing at/criticizing Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather, I found this story this morning about a Judge dismissing a chunk of his lawsuit against his old employer and some of it's executives:

A Manhattan judge has dismissed portions of a lawsuit Dan Rather has filed against CBS and Viacom. Judicial Hearing Officer Ira Gammerman on Thursday allowed the lawsuit to go forward, but struck down the parts of the suit that name Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone, CBS President Leslie Moonves and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward.

A lawyer for the defendants, lead outside counsel James Quinn, said the judge's ruling eliminated Rather's core complaints of fraud and breach of good faith and fair dealing. The lawyer said it was hard to see how the ex-anchor's assertion of a conspiracy between CBS and the Bush administration "will have any traction going forward."

Remember that things haven't been going so good for old Dan since his airing of the fake story about President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service?

Well, apparently things have continued down hill since then.

Now not only does poor old Dan have trouble discerning the difference between his own ass and a hole in the ground, but I've just found some evidence that he can also no longer find his nose when he needs a nice fat juicy Booger...

"Where's my nose...no wait...where's my middle finger...I can't even shoot a bird anymore..."

Resurrecting Brain Cells

Muscles Hopefully to Follow Suit...


Having already spent three or four hours this morning writing formulas for things like "moment of inertia" and calculating the section modulus of thin shelled cylinders, now I'm being coerced to wander back over to my soon to be "former construction job site" with my new contractor Chuck to demonstrate my replacement window installation technique.

I hope my back and legs hold up--I could definitely feel the results last night of a couple months time off laying around on the sofa.

Meanwhile, the contents of my life are starting to disappear into brown cardboard boxes which seem to sprout up each day in various nooks and crannies. I have to ration them out to Pat else she'd have my underwear (and possibly me) packed inside bubble wrap by now.

I HATE moving.

This will make five times in eight years.

Who's idea was this anyway??

Another Blast From My Past

Silly Childhood Memorabilia


Good old E-Bay.

I found this model kit, a copy of which I built and made fly back in the late 1960's, for sale on E-Bay and last night I claimed it as the high bidder for $7.50 plus postage.




It'll be here next week and I'll be standing by the mailbox to receive it.

The Internet Giveth

And Comcast Taketh Away

Everything here electronic that communicated with the outside world (except cell phones) died last night sometime after one AM.

No cable TV.

No Cable Modem.

No VoIP telephone.

I hope no-one was looking for us.

About 6:30 the signal just came back on, and off, and on, and so Onnnnnn and I just now managed to get the Vonage box and the Router and the Cable modem all reset and happy with each other, but now it's time to get dressed and wander over to my construction debacle to meet a couple of contractors and try to get things moving again.

Be back later this afternoon...y'all have a good day...

Feels So Good

I Got It...


With any luck at all, upon receipt of this:




This Guy:


Will be imitating this guy:


(yes y'all...that middle picture's the new skinny me chasing Missy the Turbo Pup around on her leash...and no Mom, I didn't cut my hair it's just pulled back...)

"Broomstick One"

Couldn't Resist

Thanks Rodge...

My Orchestra Grows

Playing Out Of Tune In Multiple Languages Keys


Well folks, I'm happy to report that when I'm not wrestling with my computers or various physical infirmities, buying real estate, or contemplating major lifestyle changes and geographical relocation, I find myself cruising around E-Bay and other nooks and crannies of the Internet looking for weird stuff to add to my collection of musical instruments I can't play try to make noise with occasionally.

Case in point, this lovely Holton Trumpet I managed to be the high bidder on last evening just before my Computer was possessed by supernatural demons.

Here's a photo of my prize, that will soon be resting next to a few dozen Harmonicas, my Ukulele, and the prized Australian made Didgeridoo:

I'm also looking at a Flugelhorn (think Chuck Mangione), some steel drums, and some kind of keyboard to fill out my new basement music studio.

(don't worry, I actually spent about eight or nine years of my life playing the Trumpet back in the 1970's and 1980's, then sold the instrument in a fit of insanity, but with any luck I might be able to reproduce a tolerable tone again by this fall.)

Three Hours Later

Almost Back To Normal...


Damn hackers.

Damn Windows.

Damn Windows Computers.

Damn Microsoft.

Double Damn Bill Gates.

I wish we could all go back to the days when all you needed to do was understand the lines contained in "config.sys" and you were some kind of Genius.

(I've got the laptop back running in a belching and farting mode so I'm writing this posting on it now, but there's obviously still some kind of spirit hiding in the background...anyone know a good Shaman or Witch Doctor?)

This guy...perhaps?

Went To Bed With A Working Computer

Woke Up With A Stranger


I'm about ready to kill somebody this morning.

One bullet to the brain...AFTER I break their typing fingers.

Better yet, I'll get an assortment of household chemicals and slowly dissolve them in a cloud of acrid fumes.

Regardless of the method of revenge, if I could find the moron that managed to hack a bunch of stupid adware and spyware past my Norton 360 programs sometime after about 9:30 last night while the computer was sitting on the coffee table minding it's own business they would regret the day they were born.

Now after "sweeping" the system I find that Task Manager has been "disabled by the administrator" (that is supposed to be me) and when I turn the computer off and do a cold boot I get a foreign Adware warning with an offer to download some solution program, then the keyboard freezes up and the mouse won't do anything either.

I've had to resort to retreating to Pat's office to use her computer just to get my morning fix of news and tell you what's aching my butt this AM.

I got to go get a couple of hammers now and see if I can fine tune the performance of my ailing machine. Somebody send up a flare if you don't hear from me by tonight...

Charlton Heston's Dead

I'm Not Feeling So Young Myself


Here's a link to the press release issued by his family late this evening.

Personally, I think that the most amazing thing about the man was that he was married to the same woman for 64 of his 84 years.

I guess the NRA will be looking for a new spokesman.

RIP Mr. Heston