I don't know if it was the sudden change in temperature, it was pleasantly cool last night, or the knowledge that I'd be still and comfortable in one place for over a month starting this week, or the really nice mattress in the inn where I'm staying, but it has been months since I had such a good night's sleep.
So, the truck should be finished by the end of business today and I'll leave at 3 a.m. for the drive through the metro area to south Jersey. On Friday morning, I'll be in the surf in time to see the sun come up. I don't even care if there are any waves.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
American Stupid
Some cow decides to buy an expensive handgun and act all girly and white about it. She decides that guns are icky, which is no surprise since she's a board member of the Brady Campaign.
Ms. Magazine Does Guns – Final Installment
From Mark Helprin's novel, In Sunlight and in Shadow:
"Humankind, or at least American-kind, will lose its edge as we produce more and more pipsqueaks and everyone gets nice. Whole generations of pipsqueaks will be so f***ing nice you won’t be able to tell a man from a woman. It will get worse and worse as people mistake nice for good. Hitler was nice, supposedly, most of the time. A lot of good that did. Luxury and prosperity breed pipsqueaks. A century from now the country won’t even be able to defend itself.”
Ms. Magazine Does Guns – Final Installment
From Mark Helprin's novel, In Sunlight and in Shadow:
"Humankind, or at least American-kind, will lose its edge as we produce more and more pipsqueaks and everyone gets nice. Whole generations of pipsqueaks will be so f***ing nice you won’t be able to tell a man from a woman. It will get worse and worse as people mistake nice for good. Hitler was nice, supposedly, most of the time. A lot of good that did. Luxury and prosperity breed pipsqueaks. A century from now the country won’t even be able to defend itself.”
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
I am such a botch at social media that I only just discovered a message on SpacyPage, or whatever, that was from almost six months ago. By now, the person is no doubt miffed at me for my lack of response, which makes me feel rather guilty. Computers really improved life, didn't they?
Well, Sadhu needs a new rear suspension, which is costly and time-consuming, so I'll be around until the 1st of the month. It also means I'm glad I'm getting a small allowance for house sitting; just enough to cover the repair, I think, or close to it. At least what it will cost to stay at a motel for the next two nights.
Lots of running and swimming in the small lake, then, and some reading. Plus the luxury of indoor plumbing and hot, running water. Not bad, even if the final bill for it all will somewhere around $2500. The next pension check comes tomorrow, so "yay". Also, I can go see my dentist this week, too.
Well, Sadhu needs a new rear suspension, which is costly and time-consuming, so I'll be around until the 1st of the month. It also means I'm glad I'm getting a small allowance for house sitting; just enough to cover the repair, I think, or close to it. At least what it will cost to stay at a motel for the next two nights.
Lots of running and swimming in the small lake, then, and some reading. Plus the luxury of indoor plumbing and hot, running water. Not bad, even if the final bill for it all will somewhere around $2500. The next pension check comes tomorrow, so "yay". Also, I can go see my dentist this week, too.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Hahahahahaha:
"OH GOD NO!" - Said no one RT @HuffPostMedia Chaka Khan boycotts Florida
— S.M (@redsteeze) July 29, 2013
And now, the latest chapter of American Stupid:
"Here’s a humdinger: despite everything that’s happened, Detroit is still going ahead with its plan to build a $450 million taxpayer-funded sports arena. One might might think that the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in US history might put Detroit’s leaders into a period of modesty and introspection."
"Here’s a humdinger: despite everything that’s happened, Detroit is still going ahead with its plan to build a $450 million taxpayer-funded sports arena. One might might think that the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in US history might put Detroit’s leaders into a period of modesty and introspection."
This iconic picture of firefighters raising the stars and stripes in the rubble of Ground Zero was nearly excluded from the 9/11 Memorial Museum — because it was “rah-rah” American, a new book says.
So whose idea was it to trust an American cultural center to some clown who gets puckered by...American culture. Rah-rah?
So whose idea was it to trust an American cultural center to some clown who gets puckered by...American culture. Rah-rah?
I was away from the WiFi for the weekend with Saturday being just too good of a fishing/hiking day to bother even spending a second in front of a computer screen. Saturday night I parked overnight in a school parking lot and listened to live music at a small bar on the adjacent, Berkshire town main street. It was perfect.
Sunday was rainy and I was in need of a real bed and several long, hot showers, so I checked into a small motel run by a very nice Paki family, but not until I spent a few hours at a small, but growing, art museum enjoying a retrospective of the works of Winslow Homer. After a rare, carb based meal, I slept for a luxurious eight hours. My exercise program is falling apart some, but I can recover it; I always do.
Today Sadhu the Surf Truck gets its routine maintenance check, I visit my post office box to see what's new, and stop by the storage locker to switch the tent/cot for a bicycle, as I plan on parking the truck in the driveway of my house sitting job and mostly using the bike for trips for errands around town. On Wednesday, I'll need to check into a hotel or motel to make myself look reputable again so I don't scare the home owner, but until then I'll be using a church parking lot, with the permission of the pastor, as my base of operations. It'll be good to be stationary for the next five weeks.
Sunday was rainy and I was in need of a real bed and several long, hot showers, so I checked into a small motel run by a very nice Paki family, but not until I spent a few hours at a small, but growing, art museum enjoying a retrospective of the works of Winslow Homer. After a rare, carb based meal, I slept for a luxurious eight hours. My exercise program is falling apart some, but I can recover it; I always do.
Today Sadhu the Surf Truck gets its routine maintenance check, I visit my post office box to see what's new, and stop by the storage locker to switch the tent/cot for a bicycle, as I plan on parking the truck in the driveway of my house sitting job and mostly using the bike for trips for errands around town. On Wednesday, I'll need to check into a hotel or motel to make myself look reputable again so I don't scare the home owner, but until then I'll be using a church parking lot, with the permission of the pastor, as my base of operations. It'll be good to be stationary for the next five weeks.
Friday, July 26, 2013
A complete dorc [that's the French spelling]
Chris Matthews thoughts: Do we have any evidence women sext, too?
Well, there are the women with whom Carlos Danger was corresponding, you insufferable pillock.
Well, there are the women with whom Carlos Danger was corresponding, you insufferable pillock.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical.
A Columbia University professor has published research this month which claims public smoking bans are not designed for public safety, but rather the laws aim to “denormalize” the habit among Americans in an apparent effort to reduce tobacco-related deaths.
But Ronald Bayer, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said public health officials should be honest with Americans about the regulations; instead of citing unfounded data regarding second-hand smoke and similar claims, just tell the truth – that they’re trying to save people from themselves, the scholar said.
With that, the professor – who teaches in New York, home of the infamous large soda ban – also defended the philosophy behind the so-called Nanny State, saying it protects people from “stupid” behavior.
Like Hollywood morons, professors think that, when they have knowledge enough to be successful in a very specific area, they become the "we" who are called to save the "they".
But Ronald Bayer, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said public health officials should be honest with Americans about the regulations; instead of citing unfounded data regarding second-hand smoke and similar claims, just tell the truth – that they’re trying to save people from themselves, the scholar said.
With that, the professor – who teaches in New York, home of the infamous large soda ban – also defended the philosophy behind the so-called Nanny State, saying it protects people from “stupid” behavior.
Like Hollywood morons, professors think that, when they have knowledge enough to be successful in a very specific area, they become the "we" who are called to save the "they".
Perfect night for sleeping in the cool, quiet Berkshire air. I hope to hear some music this weekend at Tanglewood and then begin the slow march back to the sea in south Jersey. I didn't hydrate enough the other day and gave myself some unusual muscle pain in my ankles and lower calves, so I think I'll not run for a few days, maybe even a week. In part, I run because I don't want to develop an embolism from all of the driving, and in part I don't want to gain back even an ounce of the 40 pounds I lost. There is a light, boardwalk-based 5K run in few weeks and I hope to enter, if just to give myself a goal, so I can build a fitness program around that objective.
Since the Berkshires are filled with aged hippies, and form a kind of "Caucasian protection zone" for those who wish to live apart from people of color and the urban style, while professing a respect for diversity, the local radio is filled with commentary on why any perception of a poor economy is a clear sign of racism towards the current president. In other words, shut up and accept that everything is good. The repetition serves as a kind of hypnogogic mantra and to repeat it often in as many circumstances seems to be the practice among the locals.
For example, at the local market, I heard a patron refer to the vegetables as the "Republican section" of the market, to great guffaws, and at the gas station the guy pumping next to me complained about the high prices by noting that it was because Republicans need their oil money. In a way, it's a Manichean paradise; the locals exist in a bubble of a perpetually enforced world-view and any deviance, or any evidence that they are snobs who prefer the company of white, educated people, is met as an expression of evil. Remarkable.
Anyway, it's time to get going.
Since the Berkshires are filled with aged hippies, and form a kind of "Caucasian protection zone" for those who wish to live apart from people of color and the urban style, while professing a respect for diversity, the local radio is filled with commentary on why any perception of a poor economy is a clear sign of racism towards the current president. In other words, shut up and accept that everything is good. The repetition serves as a kind of hypnogogic mantra and to repeat it often in as many circumstances seems to be the practice among the locals.
For example, at the local market, I heard a patron refer to the vegetables as the "Republican section" of the market, to great guffaws, and at the gas station the guy pumping next to me complained about the high prices by noting that it was because Republicans need their oil money. In a way, it's a Manichean paradise; the locals exist in a bubble of a perpetually enforced world-view and any deviance, or any evidence that they are snobs who prefer the company of white, educated people, is met as an expression of evil. Remarkable.
Anyway, it's time to get going.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
A fine day, overcast and just right for fishing. I caught two smallmouth, one big enough to keep and have for dinner, so the whole Hemingway is possible this evening. I'm tired after the drive and the non-stop action of getting in place, hiking to the spot, and casting through most of the day. It will be reasonable enough to sleep in the truck tonight.
However, I feel myself getting a little depressed, and that is ever a concern. I would spend some time among people, watching baseball on a bar TV, but I would have to give up this really good parking area, so I think I'll simply listen to the radio, read a little by computer light, and get a good night's sleep.
However, I feel myself getting a little depressed, and that is ever a concern. I would spend some time among people, watching baseball on a bar TV, but I would have to give up this really good parking area, so I think I'll simply listen to the radio, read a little by computer light, and get a good night's sleep.
The most famous white Hispanic helped rescue 4 Americans. The most famous black Caucasian refused to rescue 4 Americans! Who's A HATER?
— Kathy in SC (@KBinSC) July 22, 2013
Roading
I'm not sure where I want to go next, so I may leave it to caprice. I haven't gone fishing for awhile, and although it is the less active portion of the season, there are a couple of spots I know in the Berkshires where I can enjoy the day and also park overnight for free.
I also need to get an oil change for the truck and give it a cursory mechanical inspection, and that can be easy or hard depending on what is discovered. It isn't a new vehicle and is in near constant motion, so things can develop. I use one garage for this, the folks who have taken care of my vehicles for the past fifteen years or so. They know me by name and know the truck well enough to anticipate problems. They're expensive, I guess, but since the truck is my home and life, it's a small price to pay to keep it functional.
If it's a simple oil change with no other issues, then I'll spend the night in a church parking lot where the local pastor is good with that. We have some history. If it's more complicated, and I have to leave the truck at the garage overnight, there is a pleasant, privately owned hotel across the road from the garage that has a restaurant/bar and comfortable rooms. It's only $150 or so a night and has a comfortable lounge where I can sit and read. It's also down the road from a state park that has a number of interesting trails that are worth running.
So, the plan is:
1. Get a haircut in town.
2. Drive to the Berkshires and find a "camp"
3. Go fishing/hiking through the weekend.
4. Go back to what used to be home and have truck maintainance done.
5. Head down to the Jersey shore to begin the five weeks of house sitting.
Also, somewhere in there, I need to plan the rest of September and find a house-sitting gig in Orange County, California, where I can spend the winter if I'm lucky. I may stay in south Jersey for September, as that's when the waves are the best, then begin the long cross-country trek to SoCa and surf heaven.
I know one day despair will catch up to me, but it won't be today.
I also need to get an oil change for the truck and give it a cursory mechanical inspection, and that can be easy or hard depending on what is discovered. It isn't a new vehicle and is in near constant motion, so things can develop. I use one garage for this, the folks who have taken care of my vehicles for the past fifteen years or so. They know me by name and know the truck well enough to anticipate problems. They're expensive, I guess, but since the truck is my home and life, it's a small price to pay to keep it functional.
If it's a simple oil change with no other issues, then I'll spend the night in a church parking lot where the local pastor is good with that. We have some history. If it's more complicated, and I have to leave the truck at the garage overnight, there is a pleasant, privately owned hotel across the road from the garage that has a restaurant/bar and comfortable rooms. It's only $150 or so a night and has a comfortable lounge where I can sit and read. It's also down the road from a state park that has a number of interesting trails that are worth running.
So, the plan is:
1. Get a haircut in town.
2. Drive to the Berkshires and find a "camp"
3. Go fishing/hiking through the weekend.
4. Go back to what used to be home and have truck maintainance done.
5. Head down to the Jersey shore to begin the five weeks of house sitting.
Also, somewhere in there, I need to plan the rest of September and find a house-sitting gig in Orange County, California, where I can spend the winter if I'm lucky. I may stay in south Jersey for September, as that's when the waves are the best, then begin the long cross-country trek to SoCa and surf heaven.
I know one day despair will catch up to me, but it won't be today.
This week's VDH
Lying in the Age of Obama
"The media routinely peddles “noble” untruths. ABC manipulated a video to show George Zimmerman without much injury to his head. NBC edited a tape to suggest that he was a racist. The New York Times invented a new journalistic category, “white Hispanic,” to suggest George Zimmerman was not Latino in a way that the paper would never suggest that Barack Obama is not African-American or Bill Richardson was a “white Hispanic.”
"The media routinely peddles “noble” untruths. ABC manipulated a video to show George Zimmerman without much injury to his head. NBC edited a tape to suggest that he was a racist. The New York Times invented a new journalistic category, “white Hispanic,” to suggest George Zimmerman was not Latino in a way that the paper would never suggest that Barack Obama is not African-American or Bill Richardson was a “white Hispanic.”
Monday, July 22, 2013
It may be time for the road again
Although he means to be lighthearted, Paddy thinks I'm looking a little ratty. He's concerned that I'm essentially homeless and my rootlessness a manifestation of potential mental illness. I'm sure I'm suffering from something that resembles mental illness, but somehow I'm not prepared to receive a diagnosis from a guy who lives in a cabin in the woods without electricity. I remind him that everyone where we used to work thinks he's off his rocker and gone completely Walden Pond. Whenever one lives in an uncommon manner, the mainstream judge them as disharmonious and strange.
However, it would probably serve me to settle in one place for a month and not live out of the back of a truck, as free as that is. A woman I know lives in a very charming house on a lane in a south Jersey barrier island. Although her street is surrounded by commercial property and a boardwalk amusement park, her area is all residential, with older homes with old copper beaches planted on the easements. Every August she leaves for a few weeks as she can't take the crowds and heads to her family's other house in coastal Maine. As I taught both of her children, she trusts me also with her house and her cat and plants. And, and she lives just a block from the beach were I learned to surf, it's as close to ideal as I could hope for.
So, as of August 1, that'll be my address through Labor Day weekend. Ah, a bed in a room, a kitchen in which I can cook, legal parking, and access to what normal people would understand as a bathroom. That'll be just the ticket.
Also, I ran four miles today and feel ready for the next adventure.
However, it would probably serve me to settle in one place for a month and not live out of the back of a truck, as free as that is. A woman I know lives in a very charming house on a lane in a south Jersey barrier island. Although her street is surrounded by commercial property and a boardwalk amusement park, her area is all residential, with older homes with old copper beaches planted on the easements. Every August she leaves for a few weeks as she can't take the crowds and heads to her family's other house in coastal Maine. As I taught both of her children, she trusts me also with her house and her cat and plants. And, and she lives just a block from the beach were I learned to surf, it's as close to ideal as I could hope for.
So, as of August 1, that'll be my address through Labor Day weekend. Ah, a bed in a room, a kitchen in which I can cook, legal parking, and access to what normal people would understand as a bathroom. That'll be just the ticket.
Also, I ran four miles today and feel ready for the next adventure.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
andThe only reason people lock their car doors when Obama walks by is they are afraid he'll tax them to death...
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 20, 2013
Just curious. Does the President of the United States have any advice for other teenage boys in America? Wounded warriors, for example...
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 19, 2013
Small country church Mass
Off with Paddy to the very early Mass offered at the small Catholic parish in the village. As long as they don't know I'm not Catholic, everything will go well. I feel like Burton sneaking into Mecca, though.
Later today I have to figure out my next stop. I may have a chance at a house-sitting gig, part of my side income during the year, during the month of August down at the south Jersey shore. I'm hopeful, as I'm in the mood to be stationary for a time. The only thing I have to do is get through the next ten days, although Paddy seems to want company for a time, so who knows?
Later today I have to figure out my next stop. I may have a chance at a house-sitting gig, part of my side income during the year, during the month of August down at the south Jersey shore. I'm hopeful, as I'm in the mood to be stationary for a time. The only thing I have to do is get through the next ten days, although Paddy seems to want company for a time, so who knows?
What the hell is Cleveland's problem?
I suspect everyone knows that the local police are dim and inept, leaving deliberate psycho-criminals the opportunity to indulge themselves.
Three bodies found wrapped in plastic in Cleveland suburb
Three bodies found wrapped in plastic in Cleveland suburb
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Old pickup truck, clear mountain morning
My life is now a Willie Nelson song.
It's still a little warmer than I would like, and the air quality is poor, but it is a beautiful morning and I enjoyed sleeping on the porch in my tent/cot combo. I had a fine mountain run of about 2.5 miles, according to my fussy German pedometer.
One of the pleasures in waiting while Paddy has his advanced yoga class in an art gallery in town, and, yes, I dote on this old man but he was my mentor and the closest thing to a father I ever had, is that I can use the coffee shop's WiFi and actually read news from the arts world. Otherwise, I don't much care for the news anymore, especially when we have yet another contrived "national conversation about race" that is merely a planned distraction from a myriad collection of government scandals and outrageous behavior.
Paddy loves movies, so we may head into the college town to the theater there. As I don't go to movies that feature explosions as plot devices, a disregard for death [sorry, but as a wartime Marine, I saw what effect even one death of even an enemy had on those of his family and friends; so much so that the piles of dead in films tends to disquiet me], leading men who can't grow facial hair or speak in a timbre lower than that of an 8-year-old, or have a running time of over 90 minutes, that leaves me little to watch.
However, I am willing to see the latest version of "Much Ado About Nothing", especially after reading the review that contains the following:
In a few close, soft-lit shots, the film establishes an evening garden party more enchanting by far than those in Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby — those garish, ten-kiloton throw-downs with their CGI fireworks, fantastic costumes, and blistering Auto-tuned soundtrack produced by the current king of faux-intellectual boors, rapper Jay-Z. By contrast, Leonato’s shindig is set to the music of relaxed conversation and one of the play’s original ballads, delivered in a sultry croon by Maurissa Tancharoen (the director’s sister-in-law, accompanied by her husband Jed Whedon in a brief cameo on the piano).
Right on the money about that Jay-Z knucklehead, too.
It's still a little warmer than I would like, and the air quality is poor, but it is a beautiful morning and I enjoyed sleeping on the porch in my tent/cot combo. I had a fine mountain run of about 2.5 miles, according to my fussy German pedometer.
One of the pleasures in waiting while Paddy has his advanced yoga class in an art gallery in town, and, yes, I dote on this old man but he was my mentor and the closest thing to a father I ever had, is that I can use the coffee shop's WiFi and actually read news from the arts world. Otherwise, I don't much care for the news anymore, especially when we have yet another contrived "national conversation about race" that is merely a planned distraction from a myriad collection of government scandals and outrageous behavior.
Paddy loves movies, so we may head into the college town to the theater there. As I don't go to movies that feature explosions as plot devices, a disregard for death [sorry, but as a wartime Marine, I saw what effect even one death of even an enemy had on those of his family and friends; so much so that the piles of dead in films tends to disquiet me], leading men who can't grow facial hair or speak in a timbre lower than that of an 8-year-old, or have a running time of over 90 minutes, that leaves me little to watch.
However, I am willing to see the latest version of "Much Ado About Nothing", especially after reading the review that contains the following:
In a few close, soft-lit shots, the film establishes an evening garden party more enchanting by far than those in Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby — those garish, ten-kiloton throw-downs with their CGI fireworks, fantastic costumes, and blistering Auto-tuned soundtrack produced by the current king of faux-intellectual boors, rapper Jay-Z. By contrast, Leonato’s shindig is set to the music of relaxed conversation and one of the play’s original ballads, delivered in a sultry croon by Maurissa Tancharoen (the director’s sister-in-law, accompanied by her husband Jed Whedon in a brief cameo on the piano).
Right on the money about that Jay-Z knucklehead, too.
Friday, July 19, 2013
It's even hot in the canopied forest
At first I was happy for the breeze, until I realized that it was blowing the same hot, hot air that we've been swimming in for days now. No waves on the beach, hot air in the mountains, and I'm at a cabin with no electricity. Maybe I should have just gotten a room at that casino, cranked up the air-conditioning, and gone from music venue to music venue.
I'm going to sleep outside in my new cot/tent, but that still won't offer much relief until about 3 or 4 in the morning. By then the bears will be sniffing around me, thinking about breakfast. Still, a good mountain run in the morning may balance things out and it is good to sit with Paddy and talk about books and students and philosophy and our lives, those we knew and those whom we miss.
I'm going to sleep outside in my new cot/tent, but that still won't offer much relief until about 3 or 4 in the morning. By then the bears will be sniffing around me, thinking about breakfast. Still, a good mountain run in the morning may balance things out and it is good to sit with Paddy and talk about books and students and philosophy and our lives, those we knew and those whom we miss.
So, whatcha carryin'?
I could never, ever speak of one of my other hobbies in my years as a university drone, mainly because most of my colleagues were afraid of guns and associated them with those of the lower castes. In a way this was true of me, the lower caste thing, that is, as I grew up in western Pennsylvania where we used to get the first day of deer hunting season off of school, since none of the male students would have come, anyway. This would have left some of my former colleagues stunned, as guns are "icky" and representative of a low level of moral development; certainly lower than those of the uni faculty, who are the most evolved moral agents in history. It would have been hard to explain to them that some of my fondest memories of youth were of hunting trips with my uncles, both of whom were nearly certifiable in many ways, except when it came to rifles and gun safety.
But, once a week, I would go shooting at a nearby range with one of the four rifles I own. I usually did so on the one day each week when I taught only one class and it was over by 10 a.m. I considered it a mid-week treat, although I was always careful to scrub the cordite residue off of my hands before returning to campus.
Since I'm older now and travel alone, and could appear a likely victim to some low villain, I do carry an equalizer with me. Not a handgun, because the registry process is onerous, but a "long gun" that comes in a convenient form.
This is the Henry Repeating Arms version of the Stoner AR-7, which is marketed as a survival rifle. It is designed mostly for backpack carrying. It's bored for .22 and the receiver and barrel detach easily for storage within the watertight, buoyant stock. It's very handy. Usually I put it together at night in case someone decides I look a little too vulnerable, especially when I'm parked in remote places.
It carries a 10-round magazine, but I rarely insert more than seven rounds as the spring is tricky. The action is clunky for an auto-loader but, with good ammo, it is reliable. I know it won't be much good in a gunfight with a weapon of larger caliber and capacity, but I consider it more of a dissuader than persuader.
If you think it looks a little James Bond-y, that's because he carries one in the film version of "From Russian With Love". I think he even shoots down a helicopter with it or something ridiculous.
God help me...
...but Paddy now practices yoga. Every day. I guess because there are so few distractions here. I accepted his offer to join in and now am in severe need of therapeutic massage.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
And now, to the mountains
Some day I'll tell you of Paddy, an Irishman who was my boss in the early days of my career and later, after he was semi-retired, became one of the educators in my department. He has taught all over the world, spending many years in Greece and Seattle, and has now embraced full retirement in a cabin in the mountains of far upstate New York. His road isn't on any GPS system and is impossible to find on Google Maps. In other words, it's perfect.
He has invited me to join him for a few days at his cabin, so rustic that he uses a generator and has no Internet and is far away from any real cell phone network. He does, however, have a land-line telephone, so I can be in touch with him, especially when I get lost again trying to find his house. It seems like a good idea because the beaches are getting crowded, what with the weekend coming and the heat wave and all, and the mountains are cooler. I'm leaving a day earlier than planned to beat the traffic as best I can.
Postings will be sparse for the next few days.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Another question
Q: Don't you ever get lonely?
A: No. I had a job for many years, over three decades, that was very public. Not only did I speak before lecture halls both small and large, but I served as a guest lecturer in some other universities, appeared on a variety of panels in my field throughout the world, was on a uni board, chaired my department, and was that professor that students were afraid to have. I was always "on view" somewhere and had people behave with outrageous obsequiousness in our interactions. It was often hard to tell who was genuine and who wasn't.
This isn't the best way to live, never trusting the people around you. So, some solitary time has helped me re-evaluate my relations with others. Since I have no institutional power or authority, I'm just a nomadic character who happens to be next to your campsite or riding the same wave. It's very different and very welcome.
A: No. I had a job for many years, over three decades, that was very public. Not only did I speak before lecture halls both small and large, but I served as a guest lecturer in some other universities, appeared on a variety of panels in my field throughout the world, was on a uni board, chaired my department, and was that professor that students were afraid to have. I was always "on view" somewhere and had people behave with outrageous obsequiousness in our interactions. It was often hard to tell who was genuine and who wasn't.
This isn't the best way to live, never trusting the people around you. So, some solitary time has helped me re-evaluate my relations with others. Since I have no institutional power or authority, I'm just a nomadic character who happens to be next to your campsite or riding the same wave. It's very different and very welcome.
You are not supposed to say that out loud, marine
‘Do I regret doing it? Hell no!’ Marine who urinated on Taliban dead says he’d do it again
However it is a practice with much cross-cultural history. He was just celebrating diversity.
However it is a practice with much cross-cultural history. He was just celebrating diversity.
I should not have enjoyed this as much as I did
“My child is gifted. He’s also 29, unemployed, and living in my basement”
I cannot tell you how many "gifted" students I've taught over the years. Their parents tell me how special they are, they tell me how special they are, then I read their essays and find not only an ordinary mind, but one that would have been judged that of a common dullard's just a generation ago.
Of course they aren't allowed to be anything other than gifted, because that would mean their parents are ordinary, or perhaps even below-average in parental gifted-ness. It must be a terrible burden to have to be gifted, especially as one ages and begins to suspect you really aren't. There were fellas I knew in the Marines who were great athletes in their high schools only to find a 43-year-old gunnery sergeant could out-run them on the obstacle course without breaking a sweat or losing their breath. In grad school, I was surrounded by the cream of the Ivy League and watched them choke a little when one of our classmates, a surly, heavily bearded guy from some unknown college in Ohio, was able to trounce them exam after exam, paper after paper.
In most of those cases, the recruit/grad student learned something humbling, and that made them better people and, as it turned out, better Marines and better academics. The current generation merely retreats into mom and dad's basement hole and hides. Unfortunately, often with mom and dad's support.
I cannot tell you how many "gifted" students I've taught over the years. Their parents tell me how special they are, they tell me how special they are, then I read their essays and find not only an ordinary mind, but one that would have been judged that of a common dullard's just a generation ago.
Of course they aren't allowed to be anything other than gifted, because that would mean their parents are ordinary, or perhaps even below-average in parental gifted-ness. It must be a terrible burden to have to be gifted, especially as one ages and begins to suspect you really aren't. There were fellas I knew in the Marines who were great athletes in their high schools only to find a 43-year-old gunnery sergeant could out-run them on the obstacle course without breaking a sweat or losing their breath. In grad school, I was surrounded by the cream of the Ivy League and watched them choke a little when one of our classmates, a surly, heavily bearded guy from some unknown college in Ohio, was able to trounce them exam after exam, paper after paper.
In most of those cases, the recruit/grad student learned something humbling, and that made them better people and, as it turned out, better Marines and better academics. The current generation merely retreats into mom and dad's basement hole and hides. Unfortunately, often with mom and dad's support.
Don't know this woman, but I like the cut of her jib
Let me translate: Holder wants relief from the pressure to prosecute Zimmerman, so he's shifting to a topic that has nothing to do with Zimmerman but that low-information people think has to do with Zimmerman. (Zimmerman was pinned down before he decided his life was on the line, and he had no route of escape.)
And, yes, I know Holder is also talking about investigating the Zimmerman matter. But "investigating" is code. As we saw with Benghazi, it means: We're hoping that if enough time passes, you'll forget about it.
And, yes, I know Holder is also talking about investigating the Zimmerman matter. But "investigating" is code. As we saw with Benghazi, it means: We're hoping that if enough time passes, you'll forget about it.
Sigh
This really bothers me, and it apparently bothers Mead, too.
Ultra-wealthy Southern California residents have just won a victory in the battle to impose their social preferences on the poor. The neo-puritan landowners of Newport Beach, worried about their “asthma and allergies,” have convinced air-quality regulators to make it impossibly hard for the public to use the beach fire-pits that have lined California’s coast for half a century. Sixty fire pits in Newport will be removed, and local officials can now ban them entirely if they decide “that the fires are causing a nuisance.”
Ultra-wealthy Southern California residents have just won a victory in the battle to impose their social preferences on the poor. The neo-puritan landowners of Newport Beach, worried about their “asthma and allergies,” have convinced air-quality regulators to make it impossibly hard for the public to use the beach fire-pits that have lined California’s coast for half a century. Sixty fire pits in Newport will be removed, and local officials can now ban them entirely if they decide “that the fires are causing a nuisance.”
All in all, sleeping in a parking garage is not all it's cracked up to be
But so is driving after four Longboards and two margaritas, even though the latter seemed a little light on tequila. Actually, I didn't really sleep as much as nap for a few hours, until I felt like I could drive without endangering others.
The AL won, though, with a great farewell to Rivera, which is one of those moments that makes baseball the most lyrical of pro sports. For all of the spiritual guff that is decoupaged over surfing, baseball actually seems to have earned it. That, and even kids in the landlocked portions of the country can play baseball and know its special-ness.
I'm torn about running today as the heat is already becoming oppressive and, even though I deny it often, I'm not as young as I used to be. However that cheeseburger was about 900 calories and the fries another 300 or so, that plus four beers [about 500 calories] and two margaritas [maybe another 500, I don't know] means I went way over my daily allotment of 2020 calories, even with the 500 or so I burned through running and swimming. So, a run it shall be.
We've moved into the doldrums of summer now, with little wave activity and only a slight wind, so surfing opportunities are less likely. This means a shift in strategy until after Labor Day weekend, so today I need to concentrate on finalizing the plans for August, which is one of the months when I head either to NYC to stay with a friend for a week or, more likely, into the upstate mountains to visit another friend. It may be both, but if the mountains, writing for this medium would subside as there is no wireless system in my buddy's cabin.
Yeah, I'm a mooch, but that's part of the definition of a wandering non-holy man. Besides, when visiting, I cook, clean, do light carpentry and plumbing, and even paint if they want. They also have free use of Sadhu for whatever reason. They never seem to take me up on that one, though.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Wasting away again
I selected the Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant at Mohegan Sun, where I'm enjoying a "cheeseburger in paradise" and some Longboard beer. Enjoying it rather a bit, as a matter of fact. I'm at the bar in front of a massive TV watching the pre-game show with a growing number of affable folk. This should be a pleasant evening, even if the American League loses. Did I mention that there is a man-sized blender behind me, apparently filled with a Brobdingnagian amount of margarita mix.
I may want to book a room, though. Or sleep in the truck in the parking garage....
I may want to book a room, though. Or sleep in the truck in the parking garage....
Adversity
Flat waves this morning and not much worth riding. I was thinking about just going for a swim, but I may go the other direction and check out the aquarium in Mystic, instead. The seaport was great, I even became a member, so I should be able to spend some time at the aquarium with the same joy.
I rarely miss television, as I seem to have aged past the target demographic. As I worked with young adults for a living, I still understand most of the cultural references and recognize some of the music, but reality shows are more than tedious and "comedies" aren't really funny. But I want to watch the All-Star Game, which means a drive into Providence. Maybe.
I was a guest lecturer at Brown University for a semester once upon a time and hosted an evening seminar on Thursdays. As my wife was back home, I slaked my loneliness having one non-university centered experience each week; a late dinner at a place on Thayer Street called Max's Upstairs. It's nothing to write home about, but they had some tasty ribs and, best of all, Labatt's Blue on tap, and it was great to sit at the bar and watch the Red Sox with the regulars. As it was in a walk-up, you could look down on the street if the game were dull and watch the Thayer nightlife.
I better make sure it's still there, though, as Providence is a good 45 minutes or so from here and I don't want to make the trip without reason.
Update: Yeah, it's gone. So is the "organic" place that replaced it. My campsite neighbor suggested one of the casinos, either Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun, which I thought was brilliant of him, as they are just 20-25 minutes away from here.
I rarely miss television, as I seem to have aged past the target demographic. As I worked with young adults for a living, I still understand most of the cultural references and recognize some of the music, but reality shows are more than tedious and "comedies" aren't really funny. But I want to watch the All-Star Game, which means a drive into Providence. Maybe.
I was a guest lecturer at Brown University for a semester once upon a time and hosted an evening seminar on Thursdays. As my wife was back home, I slaked my loneliness having one non-university centered experience each week; a late dinner at a place on Thayer Street called Max's Upstairs. It's nothing to write home about, but they had some tasty ribs and, best of all, Labatt's Blue on tap, and it was great to sit at the bar and watch the Red Sox with the regulars. As it was in a walk-up, you could look down on the street if the game were dull and watch the Thayer nightlife.
I better make sure it's still there, though, as Providence is a good 45 minutes or so from here and I don't want to make the trip without reason.
Update: Yeah, it's gone. So is the "organic" place that replaced it. My campsite neighbor suggested one of the casinos, either Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun, which I thought was brilliant of him, as they are just 20-25 minutes away from here.
Remarkable
Having worked for a massive educational institution, one that generates tens of millions in donations, employs thousands, and holds investment capital of well over a billion dollars, I know how coddled these places can be by the state in which they're located. Not only do they generate a large revenue, and provide for a perpetual recycling of the labor force, but the events hosted by universities from small poetry readings to major sporting events provide a notable boost to local merchants.
So, when it looks like something might queer the deal, like a child molestation scandal [as in Penn State], no one wants to be the one to throw a wrench into the money-generating machine. In other words, bend over, kids, and take one for Connecticut:
Another institution has found itself embroiled in a sex scandal involving children, this time the University of Connecticut. A music professor has been put on administrative leave pending further investigation, but preliminary details about the case raise questions of who knew what when, and if allegations brought to the attention of university employees in 2006 were ignored.
So, when it looks like something might queer the deal, like a child molestation scandal [as in Penn State], no one wants to be the one to throw a wrench into the money-generating machine. In other words, bend over, kids, and take one for Connecticut:
Another institution has found itself embroiled in a sex scandal involving children, this time the University of Connecticut. A music professor has been put on administrative leave pending further investigation, but preliminary details about the case raise questions of who knew what when, and if allegations brought to the attention of university employees in 2006 were ignored.
Monday, July 15, 2013
I broke down and bought this at a Wal-Mart. It folds into a 40x8 inch tube and weighs about 26 lbs, but I can store it in the cab at night when I'm sleeping in the truck bed.
Also, it comes with it's own cot, so that does make it a bit more comfortable.
"Yep, it's hot."
So said my new neighbor by way of a greeting, an older gentleman and his wife who have replaced the nice family with the hot dogs who went back to Shelton, Connecticut last night. The new folks are in their mid-70's and like to go camping during the week in order to avoid the crowds. They had good insight into campgrounds to visit and those to avoid. They're from some place in western Massachusetts.
It is hot, but the humidity is manageable. I suppose I need to think about where to go next and I'm tempted to head for Maine where it's cooler, except the surfing there is horrible. Well, I have until Friday morning, so I can spend a couple of days deciding. I'm wondering about going to a big box store or mall and look for a tent. I should say an "air-conditioned" store or mall.
It is hot, but the humidity is manageable. I suppose I need to think about where to go next and I'm tempted to head for Maine where it's cooler, except the surfing there is horrible. Well, I have until Friday morning, so I can spend a couple of days deciding. I'm wondering about going to a big box store or mall and look for a tent. I should say an "air-conditioned" store or mall.
This week's plan
It's going to be hot this week; too hot to sleep in the truck at night even with the electric fan running. I've been tempted to buy a tent, but it's another unplanned expense and, importantly, a possession that I don't want to add to my simplified life. All that I have besides the truck and two surfboards is a collection of clothing, a dozen books, a small, six-pack-sized cooler and an ancient Thermos. Maybe a pup tent?
Anyway, into the water early today as the heat this week will bring gobs of beachers, not to mention that I don't have a Rhode Island beach pass, so I can't linger much past 8:30 a.m. without getting some sort of parking ticket. Fortunately, and especially on hot days, the guys who check such things finish their day before 4:30 p.m., which leaves plenty of time to ride the late afternoon waves.
Anyway, into the water early today as the heat this week will bring gobs of beachers, not to mention that I don't have a Rhode Island beach pass, so I can't linger much past 8:30 a.m. without getting some sort of parking ticket. Fortunately, and especially on hot days, the guys who check such things finish their day before 4:30 p.m., which leaves plenty of time to ride the late afternoon waves.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
A question
Q: What about your mail?
A: I have very few bills, which means I have very little mail. I have no mortgage or utility payments. Other than food, occasional motel/hotel rooms, gasoline, surf wax, and laundromat quarters, I have few extraordinary travel costs. I also have a storage bay in which some of my leftovers from the sale of the house are kept and a safe deposit box at a bank for my wife's jewelry and important papers. I pay for those annually. I have truck insurance, which is paid annually, and health insurance that is paid quarterly, and a monthly credit card bill. For those, I maintain a post office box in the town where I used to live. At least once a month I stop by and toss out the standard [aka junk] mail and see what else is in there. I always use the occasion to put flowers on my wife's grave, even in winter.
[Once I had a notice for jury duty, which I honored, but I was dismissed rather quickly. Too bad, as I thought I was perfect, given that I rarely read newspapers or watch the TV news, which meant I had no prior knowledge of the case. Unfortunately, I have a Ph.D., so that meant I might have an original thought or two, which is the last thing attorneys want in a jury. It also means they don't know how narrow-minded and conventional people with doctorates are with their thinking.]
I rely on free wi-fi for much of what I do online, either from hospitable coffee shops, fast food restaurants, or the motels and campgrounds at which I stay. I use my university e-mail address, which I am allowed to keep, for electronic correspondence. That's paid for as part of my retirement plan.
It works rather well, especially since all of my bills save for health insurance I can pay online. It's also remarkable how cheaply one may live. One of my former students asked me if I was one of those "off the grid" people and I'm beginning to wonder.
A: I have very few bills, which means I have very little mail. I have no mortgage or utility payments. Other than food, occasional motel/hotel rooms, gasoline, surf wax, and laundromat quarters, I have few extraordinary travel costs. I also have a storage bay in which some of my leftovers from the sale of the house are kept and a safe deposit box at a bank for my wife's jewelry and important papers. I pay for those annually. I have truck insurance, which is paid annually, and health insurance that is paid quarterly, and a monthly credit card bill. For those, I maintain a post office box in the town where I used to live. At least once a month I stop by and toss out the standard [aka junk] mail and see what else is in there. I always use the occasion to put flowers on my wife's grave, even in winter.
[Once I had a notice for jury duty, which I honored, but I was dismissed rather quickly. Too bad, as I thought I was perfect, given that I rarely read newspapers or watch the TV news, which meant I had no prior knowledge of the case. Unfortunately, I have a Ph.D., so that meant I might have an original thought or two, which is the last thing attorneys want in a jury. It also means they don't know how narrow-minded and conventional people with doctorates are with their thinking.]
I rely on free wi-fi for much of what I do online, either from hospitable coffee shops, fast food restaurants, or the motels and campgrounds at which I stay. I use my university e-mail address, which I am allowed to keep, for electronic correspondence. That's paid for as part of my retirement plan.
It works rather well, especially since all of my bills save for health insurance I can pay online. It's also remarkable how cheaply one may live. One of my former students asked me if I was one of those "off the grid" people and I'm beginning to wonder.
What clobbers Christianity?
I found a church this morning. It was pleasant; light and air-conditioned. There was no music at the early service, but I'm tone-deaf anyway, so I didn't mind. The sermon was brief, but intelligent and informative and I found myself thinking about it still, which is a good sign for sermons, lectures, speeches, etc.
My only issue, and the thing that has probably killed off more congregations than anything else, is that I had to listen to the two older women behind me murmur during most of the service about how more than one person was permitted to donate flowers, apparently this is a new policy, and it made it less special than if one person were giving flowers. Yeah, that was more important than the prayers and the message. I hope they didn't mind sharing the worship space with me, a stranger.
My only issue, and the thing that has probably killed off more congregations than anything else, is that I had to listen to the two older women behind me murmur during most of the service about how more than one person was permitted to donate flowers, apparently this is a new policy, and it made it less special than if one person were giving flowers. Yeah, that was more important than the prayers and the message. I hope they didn't mind sharing the worship space with me, a stranger.
I'm sure this will improve the state higher education system
Report: Napolitano to Resign
California used to have some really gifted academics, but the recent generation of professors are rather conventional thinkers who seek a path to comfort through social promotion and the convenient support of the "right" causes. Actually, in that light, she's a perfect choice.
Looks like the government is continuing to destroy secondary and primary education, too:
According to Alabama’s new education standards, black students will not be expected to do as well as white ones in public schools.
California used to have some really gifted academics, but the recent generation of professors are rather conventional thinkers who seek a path to comfort through social promotion and the convenient support of the "right" causes. Actually, in that light, she's a perfect choice.
Looks like the government is continuing to destroy secondary and primary education, too:
According to Alabama’s new education standards, black students will not be expected to do as well as white ones in public schools.
The Sunday Quest
Trying to find a church that has an early morning service is always a little difficult in New England, since so many congregations shrink in their attendance during the summers they tend to combine the services. I prefer to go to church no later than 8 a.m. when it's usually a short, pithy liturgy. Even 9 is too late for me, as I want to be in the surf by then. It may be a nature-worship day if I have no luck.
I'm guessing this won't work out well
@instapundit So a Hispanic shoots a black and is acquitted by women, but it's still white men's fault.
— Robert Wargas (@RobertWargas) July 14, 2013
Two young men, one playing cop and one playing robber [or thug], go out looking for trouble. They both find it. Now, the rest of the country has to get caught in their drama.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
American Ugly
Staying aloof from the news, I'm only just realizing that the media are really, really trying to whoop up a riot and some vandalism and murder if the verdict in some court case doesn't go the way they want. I gleaned this from the radio and from a conversation with the really nice folks in the campsite next to mine. I'm staggered that professionals don't seem to realize that their words will get innocent people injured or killed. As the Brits say, I'm gobsmacked.
It's another reason I'm glad I'm mobile. I was never one predicting societal doom, but I'm sure glad I don't abide anywhere near an area of racial volatility, especially when the political/media beast wants someone to kill someone else. Still, I think I'll put together the survival rifle and make sure a loaded magazine is in it.
On a brighter note, the neighbors have invited me over for hot dogs and beans tonight and I have accepted and let them know I'll bring a case of Narragansett Beer. Suddenly, I'm very popular.
It's another reason I'm glad I'm mobile. I was never one predicting societal doom, but I'm sure glad I don't abide anywhere near an area of racial volatility, especially when the political/media beast wants someone to kill someone else. Still, I think I'll put together the survival rifle and make sure a loaded magazine is in it.
On a brighter note, the neighbors have invited me over for hot dogs and beans tonight and I have accepted and let them know I'll bring a case of Narragansett Beer. Suddenly, I'm very popular.
Rain. Of Course.
Everything I hoped to do today was outside, so I may be reading a lot in the makeshift camper. Fortunately, I got in a beautiful, sweaty five mile run before the first drops and the campsite has a clean communal shower, so I'm as endorphined as I need to be to get that post-surf mellow.
Also, I can watch re-runs of Endless Summer on the computer. Although is now looks as if the rain is winding down.
Also, I can watch re-runs of Endless Summer on the computer. Although is now looks as if the rain is winding down.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Hey, the KOA has wi-fi
Starting next year, graduate students teaching introductory-level courses in philosophy at Georgia State, who teach about half of all such sections offered, will use syllabuses that include at least 20 percent women philosophers. That's at least double the number included on most syllabuses for the course at the university. The effort is an extension of preliminary research by Eddy Nahmias, professor of philosophy, and several of his graduate students, Toni Adleberg and Morgan Thompson, into why male and female students enroll in introductory-level courses in similar numbers but women drop out of the discipline in much greater numbers.
I've never really understood why a female student can't take a class with a male professor. It is rare that a male student blames female faculty for their lack of interest in a subject area; not so with women students. It just seems like an excuse to cover up a lack of scholarship or intelligence. Yes, I know one can't say that on a campus, but that's part of the freedom of being a surf bum.
Ditto the representation of a percentage of women scholars in the curriculum. That isn't a magic formula that reverses the gross disappointment felt by a college co-ed when she discovers that she isn't as special as her high school teachers told her. That, too, always seems more horrific to women students than male.
Exclusive: Criminal charges against Solyndra founder are unlikely - sources
Gosh, it's like he knows someone in the government, isn't it?
PeekAnalytics Uses Twitter Data To Map America’s Favorite Burger Chains
Yet another tool for finding road food. When I need a 900 calorie meal, and I'm on the West Coast, In-and-Out Burger is place to go. On the East Coast, it's Five Guys.
Indiana school district loses $300K because students refuse to buy first lady’s healthy meals
I guess no one in government realized that school meals are the way they are because that's what students eat. There is not one professional educator who didn't realize that forcing "healthy" food on students would not make them like it, eat it, or spend money on it. It was really just about political posturing for the First Lady.
When I first heard of this plan, I joked with my fellow professors that this would be the time to get into black market alternatives to the new school menu, as I knew there was now a niche for it.
Butler Co. man accused of having sex with pool float
There's a law about this? Here's the understatement of the week: "After Tobergta's 2011 arrest, a family member said Tobergta has mental issues and needed help. It's not known if he has undergone treatment."
Ex-Chancellor 'hoards 38,000 cigarettes'
This makes me want to start smoking; right after I throw out all of my fish oil.
I've never really understood why a female student can't take a class with a male professor. It is rare that a male student blames female faculty for their lack of interest in a subject area; not so with women students. It just seems like an excuse to cover up a lack of scholarship or intelligence. Yes, I know one can't say that on a campus, but that's part of the freedom of being a surf bum.
Ditto the representation of a percentage of women scholars in the curriculum. That isn't a magic formula that reverses the gross disappointment felt by a college co-ed when she discovers that she isn't as special as her high school teachers told her. That, too, always seems more horrific to women students than male.
Exclusive: Criminal charges against Solyndra founder are unlikely - sources
Gosh, it's like he knows someone in the government, isn't it?
PeekAnalytics Uses Twitter Data To Map America’s Favorite Burger Chains
Yet another tool for finding road food. When I need a 900 calorie meal, and I'm on the West Coast, In-and-Out Burger is place to go. On the East Coast, it's Five Guys.
Indiana school district loses $300K because students refuse to buy first lady’s healthy meals
I guess no one in government realized that school meals are the way they are because that's what students eat. There is not one professional educator who didn't realize that forcing "healthy" food on students would not make them like it, eat it, or spend money on it. It was really just about political posturing for the First Lady.
When I first heard of this plan, I joked with my fellow professors that this would be the time to get into black market alternatives to the new school menu, as I knew there was now a niche for it.
Butler Co. man accused of having sex with pool float
There's a law about this? Here's the understatement of the week: "After Tobergta's 2011 arrest, a family member said Tobergta has mental issues and needed help. It's not known if he has undergone treatment."
Ex-Chancellor 'hoards 38,000 cigarettes'
This makes me want to start smoking; right after I throw out all of my fish oil.
Again, I'm really glad that I'm mobile, live on four wheels, and haven't access to a TV
Apparently, there's some kind of trial going on that has the people on the beach and bars worked up some. As it appears to involve race, I've heard a staggering number of stupid comments; and that's just on NPR.
Ah, water, surf, spray, salt, and that stupid castle thing
Shredding in Narragansett and napping on a side street on a nice cool day. Man, the water is freezing, though, like it was in south Jersey. I've never worn a full wetsuit in July before.
I don't know. Maybe Cheesequake.
When asked by a reader about my favorite rest stop on the GSP, I figured it had to be the oddly named Cheesequake. Not only does it mark the point in the journey when I need a men's room, I once got into a great conversation with a bunch of limo drivers at the Burger King there at 4 in the morning. They had all just taken fares from NYC to Atlantic City and back and were a little worse for wear. Turns out it's hard to keep up with a yuppie coke-head when you're a driver who has to stay drug-free.
Anyway, just three hours from the next beach.
Garden State Parkway in the middle of the night
Not too many drunks on the GSP tonight; clear skies and little traffic. It's the perfect time to drive through north Jersey, NYC, and suburban Connecticut. The best part is listening to American Coast to Coast on the radio. Tonight they're discussing oracles.
In Narragansett and the water by 8 a.m.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wow, he really is the dumbest senator
The Gun Control Lobbyist Zombie, by contrast, is a generic figure, and as generic figures go, lobbyists are not the most sympathetic. Murphy makes quite a leap in equating gun-control lobbyists with "victims of gun violence." Furthermore, although the Gun Control Lobbyist Zombie is depicted as a victim of violence, our understanding is that zombies kill people not with guns but by eating their brains.
This is all good fun, but there's also a serious First Amendment question here. The Gun Control Lobbyist Zombie is manifestly a piece of political commentary, and there is something unseemly about a member of the United States Congress--somebody with lawmaking power--effectively demanding that a U.S. citizen shut up.
This is all good fun, but there's also a serious First Amendment question here. The Gun Control Lobbyist Zombie is manifestly a piece of political commentary, and there is something unseemly about a member of the United States Congress--somebody with lawmaking power--effectively demanding that a U.S. citizen shut up.
Man, what a weird world. I'm glad I dropped out.
Girl Talk: I Don’t Masturbate (But That Doesn’t Make Me A Bad Feminist)
Please, rain, stop soon. I'm reading feminist websites now.
Please, rain, stop soon. I'm reading feminist websites now.
What a wonderfully quiet day
It stopped thunder-storming for a bit and, while the waves aren't much, there is almost no one on the beach, which gives a sense of space that's rare for south Jersey in July. I'll miss it down here, but the waves in Narragansett are particularly uniform and early in the morning and late in the afternoon the surf traffic quiets down nicely. Besides, there's the Mystic and Newport areas to explore.
I also managed to pick up a bunch of John D. MacDonald thrillers at the local used paperback store, so I've got something to keep me amused for the week of camping. So, a nice dinner at the bar where I first went when I returned to the US from overseas almost forty years ago, still there and better than ever, and a couple of pleasant beers and it's bedtime around 6 or 7 so that I can make the middle-of-the-night drive all the way up the Garden State Parkway.
I could really use the bi-monthly allotment from my retirement, though. Two nights in a resort motel in July weren't really in the budget. Thank God for direct deposit. It would be hard to be a surf bum without it.
I also managed to pick up a bunch of John D. MacDonald thrillers at the local used paperback store, so I've got something to keep me amused for the week of camping. So, a nice dinner at the bar where I first went when I returned to the US from overseas almost forty years ago, still there and better than ever, and a couple of pleasant beers and it's bedtime around 6 or 7 so that I can make the middle-of-the-night drive all the way up the Garden State Parkway.
I could really use the bi-monthly allotment from my retirement, though. Two nights in a resort motel in July weren't really in the budget. Thank God for direct deposit. It would be hard to be a surf bum without it.
Today's plan B
Narragansett it is, but instead of staying on the streets patrolled by an increasingly hostile and suspicious constabulary, it's the KOA in Mystic, Conn. So, I'll check out the local aquarium and the historic seaport and take advantage of the fire ring and wi-fi. All this for the same price as one night in a shore motel.
One more motel day and then the 5 hour trip up the coast and through New York City. Ugh, metro traffic. I'll leave here at 3 a.m. to avoid it.
One more motel day and then the 5 hour trip up the coast and through New York City. Ugh, metro traffic. I'll leave here at 3 a.m. to avoid it.
Dumb dad commercial
Feel free to boycott Hotels.com for using the tired trope of the dumb husband/father.
Today's plan
A good run with low pain and no moments where I was out of breath. The air is heavy, though, and there is no wind. I'm glad I did it this morning rather than later in the day.
So, since it looks like it's thunderstorms all day, I'll get to the laundromat when it opens at 6 a.m., buy several more gallons of fresh water for the truck/home, take the room for one more night, and get out of town before the weekend crowds and subsequent increase in prices. Also, all of the rooms here are booked from Friday to Monday.
The only question is "Which way to go?" I want out of the storm zone but where there is a good surf beach with a place I can safely park the truck and sleep during the night. It's times like this that I wish I had a dartboard.
Hmm, maybe Narragansett, Rhode Island?
So, since it looks like it's thunderstorms all day, I'll get to the laundromat when it opens at 6 a.m., buy several more gallons of fresh water for the truck/home, take the room for one more night, and get out of town before the weekend crowds and subsequent increase in prices. Also, all of the rooms here are booked from Friday to Monday.
The only question is "Which way to go?" I want out of the storm zone but where there is a good surf beach with a place I can safely park the truck and sleep during the night. It's times like this that I wish I had a dartboard.
Hmm, maybe Narragansett, Rhode Island?
Up too early
One of the problems with not having a late afternoon/early evening surf session is that I have too much energy in the morning. Yeah, I know, some problem. I'm also hungry. Since it's a little after 3 on the East Coast, there isn't much to do. The bars are closed; the diner is open. However, the last thing I want is a high-carb and calorie diner breakfast before dawn, so it's time for a nice three mile run. All I have to do is dodge the drunks on their way home after closing time.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Okay, I give up
One thunderstorm after another today and I don't feel like spending any more time in the back of the truck hoping that it will stop. I know a nice little motel that's inland from here where I can sleep late tomorrow, store the surfboards indoors, recharge stuff, and watch a television [big deal, but still].
Also, it's walking distance from a small bar with a dartboard and live music and a diner that's open all night. I hate to spend the money, especially during the tourist season, but with storms tonight and in the morning, there's no surf to be had and no way to sleep on the beach.
Besides, three or four nice, long hot showers would be good. Yes, it's the high life.
See you all tomorrow.
Ironic, ain't it?
Peaceful, clean, organized Tea Party are called terrorists, but DOJ sends secret agents to help organize Trayvon protests.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) July 10, 2013
It's been awhile since I read Lileks' Bleat; I'm glad I saved this bit from a few months ago, though
I'm not a Catholic, but I don't care for ridiculing anyone for a spiritual belief. Even someone with a marginal knowledge of history knows that religoius people have made a positive difference in the world. For those who would now holler "Crusades" or "pedophilia", I'd point out the record of government atrocity is still far, far greater. Yet, the same people who mock religion seem more than willing to trust implicity a government to take care of them.
From today's posting:
The Onion tweeted this bio of Pope Francis, and I shrugged and unfollowed. Now: does the person who wrote that think he is a better person than the Pope? I guarantee it. The writer, I’d bet, holds certain ideological positions which are the mark of a Proper Person, and whose possession insulates the holder from all sorts of criticism. The Pope, for example, does not believe in changing marriage, which means one can safely put him in the “hater” or “-phobe” category that frees one from additional intellectual expenditures. There’s the story going around about his visit to an AIDS clinic, where he washed and kissed the feet of sufferers, which the author of the Onion piece would dismiss as a PR stunt without any regard for the meaning of the act, and then also make a face and say “really, seriously? Ick.”
Oh, there's more and you should go to the link and read it all.
From today's posting:
The Onion tweeted this bio of Pope Francis, and I shrugged and unfollowed. Now: does the person who wrote that think he is a better person than the Pope? I guarantee it. The writer, I’d bet, holds certain ideological positions which are the mark of a Proper Person, and whose possession insulates the holder from all sorts of criticism. The Pope, for example, does not believe in changing marriage, which means one can safely put him in the “hater” or “-phobe” category that frees one from additional intellectual expenditures. There’s the story going around about his visit to an AIDS clinic, where he washed and kissed the feet of sufferers, which the author of the Onion piece would dismiss as a PR stunt without any regard for the meaning of the act, and then also make a face and say “really, seriously? Ick.”
Oh, there's more and you should go to the link and read it all.
The NSSF just piddled on the palace steps
Because of where I used to teach and the political connections of former students who have since gone on to prominent positions in government and media, I get a lot of inside information as to personalities and such. Before the election that brought us the current administration, I heard from a "former" about John McCain's constant tantrums and Barack Obama's casual duplicity. These were observations, not criticisms, as my "former", a lobbyist, was well-entrenched in power structure.
About a year ago, in one of my infrequent visits to my university club, I met with him at lunch and listened to his take on what he assumed would be the incoming senators. He was especially gleeful about then-Congressman from Connecticut.
"He's a dope", he said, rather easily.
"Oh?"
"I mean, we all know that there's no intelligence test for electability; that, and the "party guys" will get promoted as long as they say what's in front of them and vote the way their handlers want them to. Free thinking is frowned upon. Connecticut's Democratic machine likes him because he's too stupid to ever excrete an original thought. That's also why lobbyists like him."
Well, I was used to harsh statements like that. I don't know the man, so I'm not one to judge. Besides, in my current non-resident status of "have surfboard, will travel", I feel as if I have no representation at all. That isn't necessarily a complaint, either.
So, I was amused at the reaction of Connecticut's synoptic reps when I read this article, especially the reaction of one of their senators:
"It's pretty funny that the NSSF actually believes that their position on Coltsville matters to anyone,'' Murphy said. "I can tell you that Chairman [Ron] Wyden was not waiting to hear some gun lobbyist's position on Coltsville before proceeding on our bill to revitalize the South End and downtown of Hartford. The NSSF should go back to their bread and butter — scaring people into believing that the only way to stop gun violence in our schools is to put more guns in our schools."
What a foul and hostile representation this was; and what a condescending expression. I wonder whose words he's reading?
About a year ago, in one of my infrequent visits to my university club, I met with him at lunch and listened to his take on what he assumed would be the incoming senators. He was especially gleeful about then-Congressman from Connecticut.
"He's a dope", he said, rather easily.
"Oh?"
"I mean, we all know that there's no intelligence test for electability; that, and the "party guys" will get promoted as long as they say what's in front of them and vote the way their handlers want them to. Free thinking is frowned upon. Connecticut's Democratic machine likes him because he's too stupid to ever excrete an original thought. That's also why lobbyists like him."
Well, I was used to harsh statements like that. I don't know the man, so I'm not one to judge. Besides, in my current non-resident status of "have surfboard, will travel", I feel as if I have no representation at all. That isn't necessarily a complaint, either.
So, I was amused at the reaction of Connecticut's synoptic reps when I read this article, especially the reaction of one of their senators:
"It's pretty funny that the NSSF actually believes that their position on Coltsville matters to anyone,'' Murphy said. "I can tell you that Chairman [Ron] Wyden was not waiting to hear some gun lobbyist's position on Coltsville before proceeding on our bill to revitalize the South End and downtown of Hartford. The NSSF should go back to their bread and butter — scaring people into believing that the only way to stop gun violence in our schools is to put more guns in our schools."
What a foul and hostile representation this was; and what a condescending expression. I wonder whose words he's reading?
You always remember your first one
It had more of a recoil than I was expecting; my arm felt like I had just smacked a rock with a cracked, wooden bat. Fortunately, we were taught to shoot one-handed in those days, with an extended arm, relaxed at the elbow, so only one arm was numb when my 100 rounds had been spent. My first time, actually my first few times, I wouldn't have even qualified. It took numerous sessions with a very patient gunnery sergeant to get me to the Expert badge.
It was a Colt 1911 semi-auto in .45 calibre, the standard USMC version that had been, by the 1970's, in service for over 60 years. Although it appeared complicated, the mechanism was easy to break down, clean, and reassemble, even during live fire training in the field. Rain, mud, that nasty red clay of Southeast Asia, nothing could gum it up so badly that it wouldn't work.
I became so comfortable with its use that, when I bought my first civilian semi-auto handgun, I made sure it was in the 1911 design.
It takes real genius and vision to chase away 900 jobs from a community desperate for them
Sigh: D.C. Council poised to chase off 900 jobs because they don’t like Wal-Mart, so there
The old contra-argument used to be that Wal-Mart would chase away the "Mom and Pop" stores. Now that those have been eradicated by the poor economy and the onerousl small business regulations and taxes, the argument is that they don't pay enough.
Only to an American politician, held in the grimy paw of a union, would $0.00 per hour be more worthwhile than $8.25.
The old contra-argument used to be that Wal-Mart would chase away the "Mom and Pop" stores. Now that those have been eradicated by the poor economy and the onerousl small business regulations and taxes, the argument is that they don't pay enough.
Only to an American politician, held in the grimy paw of a union, would $0.00 per hour be more worthwhile than $8.25.
When paranoia becomes the norm
Federal employees and contractors are asked to pay particular attention to the lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors – like financial troubles, odd working hours or unexplained travel – of co-workers as a way to predict whether they might do “harm to the United States.” Managers of special insider threat offices will have “regular, timely, and, if possible, electronic, access” to employees’ personnel, payroll, disciplinary and “personal contact” files, as well as records of their use of classified and unclassified computer networks, polygraph results, travel reports and financial disclosure forms.
Over the years, numerous studies of public and private workers who’ve been caught spying, leaking classified information, stealing corporate secrets or engaging in sabotage have identified psychological profiles that could offer clues to possible threats. Administration officials want government workers trained to look for such indicators and report them so the next violation can be stopped before it happens.
Over the years, numerous studies of public and private workers who’ve been caught spying, leaking classified information, stealing corporate secrets or engaging in sabotage have identified psychological profiles that could offer clues to possible threats. Administration officials want government workers trained to look for such indicators and report them so the next violation can be stopped before it happens.
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Brazil is seriously fouchez
The World Cup riots: One million Brazilians protest at government spending £18billion on tournament
and
Brazilian Soccer Fans Decapitate Ref After He Stabs, Kills Player
and
Daniel Pellegrine Dead: Brazilian Rapper MC Daleste Dies After Being Shot During Live Concert
I'd like to go party in Brazil. They have some serious energy there.
and
Brazilian Soccer Fans Decapitate Ref After He Stabs, Kills Player
and
Daniel Pellegrine Dead: Brazilian Rapper MC Daleste Dies After Being Shot During Live Concert
I'd like to go party in Brazil. They have some serious energy there.
Because people ask
My home.
I wanted to remain anonymous with this blog; I don't know why. I have no job that's threatened by what I write anymore. I won't embarrass anyone, as there isn't anyone to embarrass. I live in a pickup truck's bed, kitted out with a comfortable cap, liner, and mattress. There is a small bookshelf I fashioned behind the cab. I have two surfboards locked on the roof, a knapsack with a collection of worn khakis, t-shirts, and sweatshirts from the university that employed me. Some rain gear, too.
Often I park in a hotel parking lot near the beach, a side street, or in the driveway of a vacant condo. Restaurants are good, too. When I really need some sleep and some long, hot showers, which is about every three days or so, I check into a clean, cheap place. I have picked up some favorite motels over the years where I'm now recognized and welcome. It can be cold at night, or brutally humid, but I've found ways to be comfortable.
In the late spring, summer, and early fall I roam from Cape Cod to south Jersey. I know the swells and the tides; where to find the good waves early in the morning and late until just before sunset. In October, I travel to Orange County, California and hang out mostly between Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. I have to be careful of the police in these areas, and of the drug-addled street meat. I spend more time in motels there and, when winter comes, at a couple of different RV parks.
It wasn't always this way. I once had a respectable job, a small, pleasant house, a yard I mowed, a wife who tended her lush and wonderful garden, and a golden retriever with whom I walked and played Frisbee. In the space of thirty months, I lost the dog to old age and then my beloved wife to a brain aneurysm. As we were childless, and I an orphan with no siblings, my life, which was once quite full, emptied with a dramatic suddenness.
My job didn't matter much, anymore. I didn't mow my lawn. The people at the university were kind, but always seemed to see my emptiness as an opportunity to explain to me how God didn't exist. I really didn't care one way or another at that point, I just know I wasn't all that interested in their world view.
The other problem was with my students. They were nice enough, and patient with me after my return to the classroom when I would either be overly enthusiastic about the subject matter or dourly staring out the window while they discussed a point with one another, but they were becoming more and more bland to me, though. It was the biggest change that I'd noticed with my students and with myself over the two decades of teaching. It wasn't their fault and I couldn't get frustrated with them. Their background preparation and expectation for the university experience were different now, and becoming further removed from what I knew.
Then I started to fall apart. I drank myself to sleep each night, moped my way through the day, and produced nothing. In what was my penultimate yearbook photo, I didn't recognize myself. I had become such a physical wreck in recent years that I was carrying too much weight, not exercising at all, eating dinner out of cans over the sink, and had abandoned surfing, the source of much of my happiness when I was younger. I was too much of a load to get on a surfboard. I finally got tired of it and decided it was time for a radical change of everything.
So, I used the free gym access on campus and lost 40 pounds, ran a half marathon, grew a beard, and now look like a slimmer Hemingway. Then, I retired early, taking what I could from TIAA/CREF. I sold the house, at a loss, along with my late wife's car. Those things together would enable me to live simply for the next few years, although I may have to work as a greeter at a Wal-Mart soon.
Now I live nowhere and own almost nothing save for an old Ford, the boards, and the odds and ends I mentioned; plus a newish computer that was a gift from the uni, which is how I can write this drivel. I use a pre-paid phone I bought at a drugstore.
This blog is my therapy and an odd sort of chart of my recovery, or re-birth, or whatever label I'll adhese to it later. My politics were suppressed for a long time and I was too much of an introvert in too many ways to have expressed them. Also, I was never religious, but some interesting things happened in the wake of my wife's death and that will be worth talking about at some time, too.
Well, it shrivels my bowels to talk about myself, but this, I hope, answers some questions. If not, what the hell do I care?
I stand by my "she found the key to the rum locker" theory. Either that, or this was the old "distraction" ploy. John can stay on his yacht and not have to soil himself with his job, now.
Heart Attack, Stroke, Brain Tumor Ruled Out For John Kerry's Wife... http://t.co/4zPfHiztED
— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) July 9, 2013
David Brooks should never write about religion; this is the second time this summer he's goofed up
No, people do not "believe in faith." People who *have* faith *believe* in God. column at http://t.co/uhKjgp34hl
— Anna Sutherland (@annams59) July 9, 2013
I don't really care about this clown, as I don't live in New York, but he's a creepy little nerd, isn't he?
I see Eliot Spitzer's "Let me remind you why you hate Eliot Spitzer" Tour is going well
— S.M (@redsteeze) July 9, 2013
Monday, July 08, 2013
Oh, shove off, Ears. I heard enough of this nonsense during my years as a faculty lounge lizard
The nice thing about being my age is that I don't have to do anything; especially not at your imperial command.
And it’s a reminder that in this democracy, we the people recognize that this government belongs to us, and it’s up to each of us and every one of us to make it work better. We can’t just stand on the sidelines. We can’t take comfort in just being cynical. We all have a stake in government success — because the government is us.
Gee, Dave, you mean openly mocking and hating over half of America doesn't result in high ratings?
NBC’s Rising Leno Dominates Kimmel and Letterman
Why watch the sour old man who was once David Letterman when he doesn't allow himself to make fun of the greatest source of humor thus far this century?
Why watch the sour old man who was once David Letterman when he doesn't allow himself to make fun of the greatest source of humor thus far this century?
Oh, shove off, creeps
Bravo's ‘The Princesses: Long Island’ dishonors 9/11 hero's statue
Best quotation:
Right, because a memorial statue, by definition, would have no "sentimental" value. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you today's example of American Stupid.
Best quotation:
“I would especially like to extend my sincerest apologies to the family of Jonathan Ielpi,” Bertoncini said in a statement, noting that she was unaware of the statue’s “sentimental value.
A Mysterious Ailment Demands That The Secretary Of State Spend More Days On His Yacht
She's both critical and stable at the same time. She's critically stable? Or is it stably critical?
Perhaps she merely found the key to the skipper's rum locker.
Perhaps she merely found the key to the skipper's rum locker.
Something Tells Me That The Students Didn't Realize This Meant Weed, Too
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BANS SMOKING ON CAMPUS
Thank God college is just for girls, now. What man would want to be in such an environment of coercive obedience.
Thank God college is just for girls, now. What man would want to be in such an environment of coercive obedience.
That'll Teach 'Em
No more of this planting-flowers-and-making-our-ugly-train-station-look-less-Soviet-without-our-permission business.
Metro rips out Phantom Planter’s flowers at Dupont Circle station
Metro rips out Phantom Planter’s flowers at Dupont Circle station
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Saturday, July 06, 2013
Some Strong Words From A Black Brother
Is it just me, or are people speaking difficult truths these days? I mean not like that weirdo Al Gore, but real, inconvenient truth.
Essay by a teacher in a black high school
Essay by a teacher in a black high school
Funny How That Happens
10 Devastating Facts About Today's Unemployment Numbers (That Will Be Curiously Ignored by the Media)
So much for that whole "war on women" thing.
So much for that whole "war on women" thing.
Some Strong, Sound Words From A Gay Brother
The simple fact is that gay marriage IS going to happen in the United States.
It’s not going to happen because it is good or rational. It’s going to happen because it really doesn’t matter, and it makes people feel good. Gay marriage is a good distraction, something silly and fun that Americans can agree to agree on even as social fractures widen over issues that do matter – like gun control, immigration, foreign policy and what to do about widespread economic and political corruption. It’s an issue that the progressive puppet media can congratulate Americans for coming ‘round on – as Time recently did. Americans want to feel like their opinion matters, and siding with a change that seems to be inevitable empowers them. Americans want to be on “the winning side of history,” a desire as cynical as it sounds.
Sure, average Americans have finally decided they are “OK” with gay marriage, but at least 12 million average Americans have watched Two and a Half Men every year for the past decade. The fact that Americans have decided something is “good enough” doesn’t actually make it ”good.”
While drones fill the skies and the police state expands, millions of TV tray head-nodders can congratulate themselves for being “forward thinking.”
It’s not going to happen because it is good or rational. It’s going to happen because it really doesn’t matter, and it makes people feel good. Gay marriage is a good distraction, something silly and fun that Americans can agree to agree on even as social fractures widen over issues that do matter – like gun control, immigration, foreign policy and what to do about widespread economic and political corruption. It’s an issue that the progressive puppet media can congratulate Americans for coming ‘round on – as Time recently did. Americans want to feel like their opinion matters, and siding with a change that seems to be inevitable empowers them. Americans want to be on “the winning side of history,” a desire as cynical as it sounds.
Sure, average Americans have finally decided they are “OK” with gay marriage, but at least 12 million average Americans have watched Two and a Half Men every year for the past decade. The fact that Americans have decided something is “good enough” doesn’t actually make it ”good.”
While drones fill the skies and the police state expands, millions of TV tray head-nodders can congratulate themselves for being “forward thinking.”
Before Some Gun-Phobe Wets Himself, The Guns Were Stolen
Yeah, and that's against the law and all. There should be a law that states one has to follow the law. This is why gun control laws are a pacifier for Mr. and Mrs. American Stupid.
Bail set at $2M for armed man arrested in Seattle
Bail set at $2M for armed man arrested in Seattle
Gosh, Government Programs Are Just Dandy
Police chief killed with rifle lost in ATF gun-tracking program
There were a number of people whom I know, who are not conspiracy crackpots, who thought that an important feature of this program was to convince Mr. and Mrs. American Stupid that US guns were getting to violent criminals and WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING NOW! In other words, enact more absurd gun "control" laws.
I've become one of those non-crackpot crackpots.
There were a number of people whom I know, who are not conspiracy crackpots, who thought that an important feature of this program was to convince Mr. and Mrs. American Stupid that US guns were getting to violent criminals and WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING NOW! In other words, enact more absurd gun "control" laws.
I've become one of those non-crackpot crackpots.
I Actually Miss Jimmy Carter
Photo courtesy of EdDriscoll.com
I mean, he was weird and all, and a little dithering, but the Carter administration's foreign policy and employment numbers were better. No, really.
In June, the household survey reported that part-time jobs soared by 360,000 to 28,059,000 – an all time record high. Full time jobs? Down 240,000. And looking back at the entire year, so far in 2013, just 130K Full-Time Jobs have been added, offset by a whopping 557K Part-Time jobs. And there is your jobs “quality” leading to today’s market euphoria (if only for now).
Friday, July 05, 2013
We Used To Call This Type Of Officer A "Chicken Hawk"
Marine Corps Col. George Bristol was in a key position in the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) chain of command the night of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. As such, he's high on the list of people that some Republican members of Congress want to interview. But they don't know where he is and the Pentagon isn't telling.
C'mon, colonel. Don't get lectured by this old lance corporal. I recall you rear echelon types were full of bluster and bravado, but tended to disappear when the rubber met the road.
C'mon, colonel. Don't get lectured by this old lance corporal. I recall you rear echelon types were full of bluster and bravado, but tended to disappear when the rubber met the road.
Thursday, July 04, 2013
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Wow, She's Like A Combination Of Superman And Jesus
Maybe the above could have been talking point #34.
White House Memo Shows Obama Administration’s Painful Efforts To Defend Valerie Jarrett
White House Memo Shows Obama Administration’s Painful Efforts To Defend Valerie Jarrett
Today's Non-Surprises
Pew: Obama less 'honest,' more 'incompetent' than Bush
and
What was a genuine shock to many was the finding that in the vast majority of instances, it was female staff members who were targeting and exploiting the male teens in their custody.
These are only a surprise to those who are ignoramuses pre-programmed by the NYT/NPR hive.
and
What was a genuine shock to many was the finding that in the vast majority of instances, it was female staff members who were targeting and exploiting the male teens in their custody.
These are only a surprise to those who are ignoramuses pre-programmed by the NYT/NPR hive.
Perhaps When He's Finished With His "Law" And "Economics" Homework
Our President Needs a Science Lesson
Although, like many, I think he simply reads the words put in front of him. He leaves the hard work to the invisibles in the government. It's not a bad deal, really. He plays golf and gets the adulation, they mess up the country but can retreat back into the obscurity of the back rooms. The gravy is that he can do what he has always done: By not publishing in his own law review and by voting "present" on a controversial bill, he can claim credit for what works and deny involvement for what doesn't.
The press would call this "brilliant". But, the press more and more reminds me of a decadent and tubercular European from a Thomas Mann novel.
Although, like many, I think he simply reads the words put in front of him. He leaves the hard work to the invisibles in the government. It's not a bad deal, really. He plays golf and gets the adulation, they mess up the country but can retreat back into the obscurity of the back rooms. The gravy is that he can do what he has always done: By not publishing in his own law review and by voting "present" on a controversial bill, he can claim credit for what works and deny involvement for what doesn't.
The press would call this "brilliant". But, the press more and more reminds me of a decadent and tubercular European from a Thomas Mann novel.
Contrary Opinions Are Not Permitted; This Is The United States
State senator Donna Campbell, who issued the third point of order against Davis’s filibuster (which ended it), has also been the target of extensive verbal abuse from pro-choice protesters, according to her spokesman Jon Oliver. They’ve received Facebook messages and e-mails saying, “I hope you’re raped” and “I hope your daughter’s raped,” Oliver tells me. “Lots of language — ‘You’re an effin’ blank,’ ‘You are a traitor to women’ — those kind of things,” Oliver says. “I wouldn’t say anything’s necessarily a direct threat, but they’re the kind of e-mails that make you a little nervous, especially when you start talking about family members: ‘I hope your family members are raped.’”
It should be noted that Senator Campbell is also a medical doctor. The nerve she has.
It should be noted that Senator Campbell is also a medical doctor. The nerve she has.
Tuesday, July 02, 2013
It's 'Tommy This' And 'Tommy That' And 'Chuck Him Out, The Brute...'
...But it's "Hero of the Empire" when the guns begin to shoot.
Study shows veterans must navigate hundreds of forms, more than a dozen agencies for services
Study shows veterans must navigate hundreds of forms, more than a dozen agencies for services
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