We STILL Have Katrina "Victims" FOUR YEARS Later?

And We're Spending Tax Money Encouraging Them To Move Back...


I hate the fact that the leftist liberal NBC network bought my formerly favorite "The Weather Channel."

I say that today they might as well rename the stupid thing this...

"When Weather Kills Poor Folks Because Conservatives and Republicans Deny Global Warming Climate Change Channel."


Of course that name is hard to print in TV Guide and in online/TV listings...but still...

Seriously...hasn't anyone but me noticed the continuing slide by "The Weather Channel" into being a "Oh My God" there's wildfires and earthquakes and tornadoes and Hurricanes network?

Of course for years they've prided themselves in throwing Jim Cantori and Mike Sidell into the eye of each season's hurricanes but these days, particularly this quite Hurricane Season, they seem to just want to manufacture stories about potential future man made "Superstorms" while harping on past storms and the associated GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGED man made stupidity that caused loss of life and property damage.

For instance, while waiting for my latest dose of "Local on the Eights" I just had to wince my way through a "pseudo-weather story" about the four year anniversary of the liberal, sniveling, booger eating tree hugging pinko commie socialists' favorite storm...

HURRICANE KATRINA!!

Remember Hurricane Katrina?

How could anyone ever forget Hurricane Katrina...the storm conjured up by Karl Rove and George Bush to wipe out people too lazy to watch TV or listen to the Radio while electing stupid Governors and Corrupt Black Mayors and Congress persons.

...taking a big breath here boss...

So any way...I didn't really give a crap about today being the "anniversary" of that storm which legitimately smacked the hell out of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but then they tossed out a bunch of facts that to this very minute continue to make my head spin near orbital rotational velocity and over pressurize at dangerous levels.

For instance, did you know that:

1. To date FEMA has generally wasted some part of over 7.8 BILLION taxpayer dollars in the state of Louisiana under the guise of "Hurricane Recovery Funding?"

2. To date FEMA has spent only 3 BILLION of innocent bystander's dollars in the state of By God Mississippi--while they really did take the brunt of the storm?

Or how about these Apples...

A. There are still about 1,668 "families" living free in FEMA trailers in Louisiana today...down from over 120,000 right after the much maligned inadequate government/BUSH response...

AFTER EVERYONE WAS TOLD TO GET THE HELL OUT BECAUSE THEY WERE MOSTLY LIVING BELOW SEA LEVEL IN 2005.

B. Mississippi has managed to run all but 441 of the government incapacitated dead beats out of FEMA housing after have 48,000 living in linear residential facilities (trailers) right after the storm actually made A DIRECT HIT ON THEIR AREA.

Now...

here is the coup de gras that caused me to start foaming at the mouth and spitting and throwing things at my TV screen...

The new kookie Weather Channel "Bimbo du jour" News Lady proudly reported that the City of New Orleans was recovering and the population was back to 77% of the "Pre-Katrina" levels...although rents were much higher and the Federal and State "authorities" were continuing programs to assist the residents in returning to their homes or home town (I'm paraphrasing of course.)

OK, let me get this straight...

We're paying for people to return to a city which exists below sea level--protected by taxpayer funded pumps and levies--while we also pay for many of these same people to live for free in taxpayer provided trailers while they wait on taxpayer funding to cover their rent so they can move back INTO A FLOOD AND HURRICANE PRONE AREA?

What?

Who?

When?

Where?

You'll have to excuse me because I HAVE TO GO FIND A COOLER FULL OF ICE WATER NOW AND SOAK MY HEAD.

That will be all...for now...dammit

Time To Make The Donuts Build The Walls

Back Cramming Lumber Into A Basement...


Well, I'm spending part of last week of my life under the age of 50 years being reminded that I'm OVER FORTY.

I sure feel like it.

I managed to get about seven hours sleep last night and I feel like I can manage to stagger through another six to eight hours of throwing lumber around our job site today.

I really want to finish the framing so the plumber and electrician can get in this weekend.

To accomplish that superhuman feat I have to have a complete crew on site at 8 AM.

Wish me luck...if you will...

Youth Tops Age And Beauty In The Construction Business

Every Time...


I arrived on site about 7:45 AM to find a big strong twenty year old kid with a face full of metal piercings and a bunch of obvious prison tattoos sweeping the concrete basement floor...

and no other carpenter to be found.

I was panicking as I looked at almost 400 sticks of lumber...nearly half 2"x6" and all of it ten foot or longer...all needing carrying thirty yards around the back of the house, cut to length, nailed together and stood up to form walls for two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small galley kitchen and a living area making up the basement apartment for my client's handicapped father and his live in "caregiver."

I was amazed when my client jumped on the computer, put up an ad on Craigslist, and within a half hour had seven potential carpenters and a big strong thirty-something year old guy that knew his way around a tape measure and framing square better than I did on site by 9:30.

Sawdust proceeded to fly and the tattooed kid drug half the wood pile around back and by 1:30 I was dead tired from trying to keep up with my "crew" and we had near half the boards up in place around the perimeter concrete block walls.

I excused myself shortly thereafter leaving them to work another couple of hours unsupervised on some tasks I had identified, and now after a two hour nap I'm able to hold my head up and have enough strength left over to move my fingers around the keyboard.

Tomorrow's going to be a long day but if everyone shows up at 8 AM as agreed we should have 99% of the framing in place and "Grandmas favorite tree"--a giant 20" diameter log holding a steel beam holding the house up--sliced into manageable chunks and replaced with walls and two 6"x6" pressure treated wooden columns.

I hate to admit it, but I'm getting too old to get anywhere near a construction site without a suit and a white hard hat...it's time to leave the hammering and nailing to the younger men and settle for reading drawings and waiving my arms and pointing...

and saying "good job fellers..."

Getting Hammered

With An Air Compressor...


Well, I have to go out and meet my new construction crew at 8 AM this morning.

I hope it's not a freak show but you never know in the construction business and some people might consider me a freak when they see me at first but any way...

I just hope the two guys are on time and reasonably capable but the owner hired them and all I have to do is get the lumber nailed together and in place reasonably square/plumb and I can almost do that by myself if it wasn't for the 10' ceiling height.

I have a few thousand dollars of tools loaded up in the Chrysler (the Suburban's not really road ready right now due to inactivity and neglect and besides the mileage sucks) and a big stack of wall panel drawings and we're gonna see if we can frame out this basement in TWO days instead of THREE.

Assuming the personalities aren't a problem I really love doing stuff like this..sort of like playing with a giant set of Tinker Toys and getting paid a modest sum for my efforts.

Doing the math this is somewhere around my tenth major residential construction effort including some stuff I've done for myself and friends and family and of course the Habitat for Humanity houses I built down in Georgia back in the late 1990's.

It's so much easier pushing nails into wood using pneumatics and based on my creaking, ever ageing knees and back I hope to come through the process only slightly worse for the wear.

Time now to do a little reading, smoke a cigar, and catch a couple hours nap before heading out.

Y'all have a lovely day and try to have at least half as much fun as I'm gonna have now...if you will...

Ted Kennedy R.I.P.

I Didn't Agree With The Man...But At Least He Stood For Something




I just can't be mean and celebrate someone's death or suffering. I hope my peers on the center/right side of the Bloggosphere are equally respectful.

Vista Crashed THREE TIMES SINCE NOON YESTERDAY

I Want To Send Bill Gates An Invoice...


Dammit...I'm Trying to do some CAD drawings of wall panel framing and I just lost a couple hours worth of work...

The computer monitor is covered with spit and I think that it's time to go outside and read "Atlas Shrugged" and maybe smoke a Cigar.

I swear techhology is goin' to kill me before it's all over with...

The New Phone Books Are Here Wire's Here

Wierd Steve Martin Movie References...


I'm still right behind Mr. Martin for the title role in the his early 1980's film"The Jerk"...but all you Bankers and Lawyers are safe for now....

(or maybe not...don't test me)

Hearding Herding Cats

Bankers & Lawyers Will Be The Death Of Me...


Today's bitching and complaining has to do with my bankers and other people's Lawyers.

Ready?

I almost went back to school to be a Patent Attorney some years ago, but then I decided it would be a bad idea because I'd be forced to commit suicide after killing all of the other lawyers within range of a 30-06 rifle once I finally went insane dealing with stupid "non-standard standards" and rules and "traditions."

I've just spent the past week and one half trying to expedite losing my ass in a real estate deal which was supposed to close last Thursday.

By closing one would generally expect to have all of the paperwork completed and more importantly...

FUNDS WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED.

As it sits right now I've handled making all of the copies of materials on my end, paying to overnight them to the Georgia coast on Wednesday, only to find myself...the OWNER OF THE PROPERTY...as the only person which hasn't been paid as of 1:25 PM four calendar days after closing.

The buyer's Lawyer has been paid.

The buyers real estate agent has picked up their check.

My friend Bruce...my Agent/Broker called to say he had his check...

But I...

THE SO CALLED OWNER?

I'm still waiting for a stupid wire transfer which is costing me $5 to receive a five figure balance and my bankers say they don't have it and that if it doesn't show up by 3 PM it won't be credited to my account until tomorrow.

Five days late.

What kind of crap is it that I can deposit a potentially rubber check and the funds are available immediately, but I PAY to have funds electronically, securely transferred from a law firm that had the money last Friday to my account, and the bankers get away acting like they have to decipher the da Vinci code to get the money into my account?

Are they hauling stone coins from Easter Island or Gold Bullion from Spain and Central America?

All I know is that it's a good thing all of my guns are in the next state in a closet or you might see me on CNN slobbering on myself as the "authorities" describe the scene...

dammit...

Monday Musings

I Don't Know Nuthin New....


I'm happy to report that I didn't do a damn thing this weekend...

unless you count sitting and drinking and cooking to entertain family guests in town for the weekend and the Bristol NASCAR race.

I did produce a load of ham and asparagus crepes for breakfast yesterday morning, and followed that up with a giant cast iron skillet full of marinated skirt steak and chicken at dinner time--served up with tortillas to make Fajitas (along with colored bells and onions) which everyone including the Turbo Pup chowed down on.

I'm so far behind on my Internet reading and news watching that I'll probably spend 'til noon today catching up on what's going on out there in the rest of the world.

Until then..y'all have a nice day...if you will...