Chunkin’ tha Deuce…
After 16 years with HP (formerly Compaq), Ms. Rooster is ‘chunkin’ tha deuce’…Audi 5000…Makin’ like a Banana and split’n….all of that…just walking out the door. I bet that is a good feeling. Her last day coincides with the last day of school, so in effect, she is trading working with a bunch of clowns (kidding) to clowning with a bunch of work. Trading office cubes for range cubes and the daily grind for a grinding day.
The boys are as happy as they can be about this. Ryan will be in Texas for a few weeks before he starts at FSU in the Fall. Zach won’t make it this summer as he has taken a job as a counselor for a summer camp, which will be good experience for him as he is well on his way to being a teacher. Nisha has already lined Jake up for a weeklong football camp hosted by Brad Franchione and a weekend Longhorn camp at a ranch in Midlothian. I did mention to her that there are plenty of fences to clear and grapevines to pull down out of the pecan trees in the back pasture. I still haven’t figured out what she was laughing at after I said it. It will be great to get all of those cleared this summer, I think I will go today and buy her and the boys some really nice leather gloves.
It will be a new experience but rewarding experience for her and all of us as well. Life has been so hurried and rushed, sometimes it is hard to tell what direction we are all heading at any given time. We have made some really great friends in Brenham and they are all tremendously supportive and can’t wait to involve us all in activities this summer.
That’s about it for the happs around Cottonwood. HP lost an employee but we gained a Farm Marm…their loss, our gain.
Conoco exec says high oil prices not a ‘friend’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24624265/
HOUSTON - Despite contributing to massive, multibillion profits in recent quarters, record crude prices are not helping the world’s big oil companies on many fronts, including some efforts to find more fossil fuel, the chief of ConocoPhillips said Wednesday.
Jim Mulva, speaking at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, said the spike in crude prices to historic highs has raised the tab to do business in the oil field dramatically, both for equipment and personnel.
For example, Mulva said, a barrel of oil that might have cost $20 or $30 a barrel to find, produce and transport in the past may now cost the company $70 or $80 barrel.
Another 2-Faced baby in India!!!
Another two-faced baby born in India!!! Unfortunately this child has not been received as a god…
“Icing in the Middle” - Kathy Beck Goodman
http://www.lulu.com/content/2240963
by Kathy Beck Goodman
Illustrated by Cameron Singleton
When I first read Kathy’s ”Icing in the Middle”…I thought “Wow! This is a great story!” My reaction wasn’t just a courtesy (she is my sister-in-law) but my natural response to what I think is a perfect story for anyone whether they are the first, middle or even the baby of the family. Cameron’s illustrations are wonderfully balanced between analogy and metaphor painting the picture of the true story of Riley and her being the “Icing in the Middle”. (Note: Riley and Cameron are high school sweethearts….awwwww)
Being the last born from a family where our age differences render any birth order issues moot, “Icing in the Middle” made me WANT to be the middle child just so I could have this story for my very own. This book would be the perfect birthday or Christmas present for friends or family expecting their own middle child or for a big brother or sister wanting to say “I’m sorry” and “I love you” for any transgressions toward their younger siblings. “Icing in the Middle” says all of that and more…a perfect gift for your Icing or your oreo’s…all that is left to do now is open the bag: LULU details: http://www.lulu.com/content/2240963
Paperback book $7.49 or Download $2.49
Printed: 26 pages, 9″ x 7″, saddle-stitch binding, black and white interior ink
Download: 1 documents, 8038 KB
Description:
A true story about a little girl’s struggle to find her worth as a middle child.
Lebanese Style First Person Shooter: “Doomed”
Israel doesn’t stand a chance with these guys…
…..”aaaaahhhhhhhhrrrhh C’mon GUYS…Let’s go get ‘em….FOLLOW MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!”
“…uhhh…guys…hey guys….heeeellllooooo….YIKES!” pop pop pop
(No respawn)
Winehouse arrested for alleged drug possession…
LONDON - Amy Winehouse was arrested on suspicion of drug offences on Wednesday, police sources said.
….and why would you suspect drug abuse? That’s just profiling….
I think I have seen it all now…
http://medicaladoptions.com/index.php
You know when you watch a science fiction movie and it depicts a future that seems so bizarre you wouldn’t ever think it possible? Well…HELLO FUTURE!
Exerpts from this website:
Everyone Can Benefit from a Medical Organ Adoption Solution.
Finding high-quality organs in a timely fashion can often be a problem. You can’t buy them for any price legally, and attempts to do so often end in the disasters only afforded by the underground, black market of illicit organs. If you need a lifesaving organ transplant, you have to meet strict, often unfair criteria, and then wait for your turn to come up on the list, regardless of urgency. You might get the pound of flesh you need to continue your life, and you might not.
The Chance to Give Back as Much as You Get
We are a domestic and international adoption agency where parents are free to adopt a child who is a perfect match (up to 18 yrs) for the transplant of one or -more “non-essential” organs to be donated to one of the adopting parents or your own children. Your new son or daughter would give you their heart, if it was possible, but a lung, eye or three feet of intestine might be enough to prove that love. Your new child will give of themselves the same love you will give unto them, only in your case it will be citizenship, food & shelter, education, clothes, a good life with a loving, healthy parent, a college trust fund, and a guaranteed equal share in the family estate as per our standard Medical Adoption Child Trust Agreement.
Testimonials (This is where you run out of the room with your hair on fire…these are actually on their website)…and to think it was traumatic enough when your adoptive parents finally tell you that you were actually adopted…now adopted kids have to deal with the additional trauma of just being a skin sack full of spare parts….sheesh…what a screwed up world we live in.
What our Clients Have To Say
“I couldn’t get to the top of the donor list because of medical situations I live with, so I went through these guys instead, and in less than a month I had a beautiful, new daughter, and the exact intestines I needed to live out the rest of my life. We’re the best of friends now, and she’s attending community college here in town.”
David G.
Palm Beach, Florida.
“Even though I’m in good health, I have a number of health risks and can’t face the risks of long donor lists. My young son from Uzbekistan is smart, ambitious, loving, and young enough that I’m sure to be safe until he turns 18 in 2022.”
Micah J.
Medina, Washington
“My husband and I can’t have a child of our own any more than he could grow a new gal bladder, but since his spleen was already gone, our options were limited. A friend recommended this company, and within just two months we had a loving baby to fix our lives forever.”
Dory J.
Aspen, Colorado.
Sex Offender Lists…how about Murderer Lists / Armed Robbery Lists….
Sex Offender Lists and Websites. I am all for them. I think it is a great idea to know if they reside near my family. But let’s take it a step farther, I think it is equally important to know where every guy/gal lives that have been tried/convicted/released that committed MURDER/MANSLAUGHTER/ARMED ROBBERY! How about that? Let me know where THOSE people are too…
It does seem that this is a form of discrimination against the SO’s…they need to come out of their lairs and fight for the right of all dirtbags to be singled out and splashed on websites across the nation. We all need to know who lives around our neighborhood…all of the good, the bad and the ugly.
At Cottonwood, we don’t really need a list, we already know the good, the bad and the ugly. We have a close neighbor (close meaning about a mile away) who is a retired Brenham police officer. We all call him “Scary Larry”, despite the moniker, he isn’t really that scary, it just rhymes with Larry. He has a son that is just short of being Forrest Gump’s cousin without the charm and luck in life. They are both relentless alcoholics and can’t usually manage to drive faster than 8 mph on our dirt road. They sometimes dump all of their beer cans on the roads around us and occassionally will offload pig or fish carcasses in the deep ditch on the Backward 5 Ranch. Recently, my other neighbor Jim caught Borest Gump dumping his beer cans in broad daylight and confronted Borest and Scary Larry at their home. Borest, being the intellectual hero that he is, admitted to his trespass and vowed to not do it any more. He must have been drunk because he is still doing it. I have been tempted to gather them all up and decorate his yard with them. Or…I will just wait and let the alcohol take care of them over time. I think that will be the best approach…”nature always takes care of the weak and the foolish.” Neighbors are like a box of chocolates…some are sweet, some are disgusting, and you never know what you are going to get. ;-) At least until Big Brother has its way and puts us all on our own appropriate list for all to see.
Lawnmower Surfing / Ethan 2.0
Lawn Mower Surfing at Cottonwood Farm
Ethan’s expressions are priceless. Enjoy!
Verizon Wireless “We Never Stop Working For You”
sigh….
oh really…you so crazy…
Every 74 seconds, my wireless UM150 disconnects itself and presents me with a popup box from my Verizon Wireless Manager software telling me that I am now disconnected and below that a tagline proclaiming: “We Never Stop Working For You”.
Wow…you know what…you actually DID stop working for me. And when I wrote Verizon customer service about it, I provided you my error logs and detailed the problems I was having, you were nice enough to send me an email telling me the steps that I should take to fix my COMPUTER…not your product. Ok, I thought…they are working for me and wouldn’t let me down. So I moved my framed MCSE and MCSA certifications off my desk so that I had room to work on my computer. I knew this could be a detailed operation as I had some experience troubleshooting things like this when I worked for Compaq and HP as a TestSoftware/Systems Engineer for 5 years. As I prepared to follow their instructions…I thought to myself…you know…this is happening on not only my laptop, but my wife’s laptop and my OTHER laptop as well. Being a somewhat bright kinda guy…I thought that it would be almost statistically impossible for 3 different laptops to have the same corrupted network connection at the same time. Something tells me it might be the Verizon Wireless product, the UM150! hmmmm But Wait!!!!!!!! What’s that outside????
It was at that moment I remembered that Verizon Never Stops Working For Me and I instantly bolted out the door looking for that Dork guy and the whole Verizon army that would be waiting to help me at a moments notice. What awaited outside for me was not a helicopter laden with network techs rappeling down a zip line or Mr. Goober Verizon Pitchman asking me if I could “Hear Him Now?” (yo fool…I could probably hear ya…I just can’t email ya)…nope…nothing…nobody…just a few outside cats and a Longhorn or two looking at me like a was good and crazy. -sigh-
I hope that I can post this lovely gem of despair…thanks Verizon…I am glad you Never Stop Working For Me…I am going to keep looking for King Verizon Man and his army of cellular Knights of the Round Table…
Who should doctors let die in a pandemic?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24454529/
CHICAGO - Doctors know some patients needing lifesaving care won’t get it in a flu pandemic or other disaster. The gut-wrenching dilemma will be deciding who to let die.
Now, an influential group of physicians has drafted a grimly specific list of recommendations for which patients wouldn’t be treated. They include the very elderly, seriously hurt trauma victims, severely burned patients and those with severe dementia.
You can go ahead and click on the link and read their version. I have a few suggestion I would like to see added:
1. Telemarketers…even those that think they are getting around the NO CALL LIST restrictions by conducting surveys, gathering money for the State Troopers, Vets etc.
2. Health insurance representatives.
3. Oil industry executives and their financial advisors (Bush/Cheney)
4. Gary Coleman
5. The ShamWow guy
6. The Nigerian guy that keeps telling me I have 240 million dollars waiting for me.
7. Roger Clemens
8. Andrew Zimmern (if ain’t dead yet from the stuff he eats, a pandemic might just do the trick)
9. George Clooney (you have been too handsome for way too long…outta the way fool)
10. Paris Hilton (this might be tricky…she might be already sick with some devasating disease)
11. Hugh Hefner (out of pure jealousy)
12. Customer service agents
13. Customer service managers
14. That guy right over there.
15. Houston, TX
Can you think of any more? Any suggestions?
The Master’s Wages
THE OLD MASTER’S WAGES
BY NEIL NEDDERMEYER-1979
I meet a dear old man today, who wore a Masonic pin.
It was old and faded, like the man, its edges were worn quite thin.
I approached the park bench where he sat, to give the old brother his due.
I said, “I see you’ve traveled east”, He said, “I have, have you?”
I said, “I have and in my day, before the all seeing sun, I played in the rubble with Jubala, Jubilo, and Jubalum.
He shouted, don’t laugh at the work my son, it’s good and sweet and true,
And if you’ve traveled as you said, you should give these things a due.
The word, the sign, the token, the sweet Masonic prayer,
The vow, that all have taken, who climbed the inner stair.
The wages of a Mason, are never paid in gold,
But the gain comes from contentment, when you’re weak and growing old.
You see, I’ve carried my obligation, for almost eighty years,
It has helped me through the hardships, and the failures full of tears.
Now, I’m losing my mind and my body, death is near but I don’t despair,
I’ve lived my life upon the level, and I’m dying upon the square.
Sometimes the greatest lessons are those that are learned anew,
And the old man in the park today, has changed my point of view.
To all Masonic brothers, the only secret is to care,
May you live upon the level, and part upon the square.
Brenham Ice Cream Festival (Country Flavors) TODAY!!!
Wooohoooo! All you can eat Blue Bell Ice Cream today for SIX BUCKS!!! The festival is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m….
Brenham is such a vibrant town…intensely alive and growing by the minute. Tonight we have tickets to a fish fry at the Lutheran Church located just down our dirt road. There are graves in its cemetary dating back to the 1870’s with most of the epitaphs written in German. Next week is the Maifest celebration that dates back to the late 1800’s. Tomorrow, the Rooster is heading out to the Homan’s deer lease to help Jerry with deer stands and clearing brush and what not.
It is good to be a Brenhamite…we will eat some ice cream for ya….
Final episodes PBS Carrier
I understand that the purpose of “Carrier” was to document life aboard a modern day carrier specifically targeting the majority of the population that has never walked up a brow of a flattop or any other ship in the US Navy. In the course of the Rooster’s blog, I have made fun and poked fun at a few of the folks highlighted on the series and made light of the modern amenities today’s sailors enjoy at sea. But you know…whether it was today or 200 years ago, a day at sea is a day at sea. Each day that passes is another one crossed off the calendar that hangs either in your rack or in your shop. Each X marks a day not spent with your family or friends, a day never to be recaptured but rather remains in a pool of sacrificed days that we exchange for a moment of freedom. Sailors are always there, always at sea, somewhere out there where the horizon meets the water, a ship capturing the reflection of the sunset.
Whether you support the war or not, you have to think about this…every day of the year, every hour of the day….there are sailors on every ocean…keeping the sea lanes open and ensuring all nations open access to the world. As you lay down tonight, a sailor is awake…on watch. As you go to work, a sailor is on watch and every four hours another is waiting to assume his duties. Remember the sailors and the soldiers, at sea and on land…this all volunteer force of men and women that have answered the call more than once in most cases are there for us when we need them. You can hate the war and what it stands for but never hate the men and women that fill the ranks of our military. We have asked so much of them all and I hope that our gratitude is paid back to them when they return. I hope that a GI Bill Law, similar to the benefits given to the WWII veterans, is passed in Congress so that when our Iraqi Freedom soldiers and sailors return from their 1st or 2nd and even 3rd and 4th tours of duty, this generation will have the opportunities available to them to become a “greatest generation” as well.
It must have been a monumental task to try to capture what life on a carrier is like in just 10 hours of film. I applaud the filmmakers now that I have seen the entire series. I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars for its honesty and allowing the stories and characters develop on their own. Who didn’t want to know more about the Marine that was abandoned at the circus at 3 years old and subsequently is now the leader of men and a father and husband as well? The military is full of folks like that…men and women who have found the intestinal fortitude to be bigger than their circumstances, to adapt and overcome and to find their way despite the obstacles in their paths. It doesn’t necessarily works for everyone, there are some bad apples that just stay bad apples and are dealt with accordingly. I have a very good friend that could quote some of those same life experiences and although I don’t think the Marines made him the man he is…the Marines gave him the structure in which that man could discover himself. “Carrier” provided many examples of folks pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and moving forward despite hardships. “Carrier” also did a wonderful job portraying the sacrifices that are made by military families. Each soldier and sailor represents a host of people that are affected by their absence. We must not forget them as well…they have crossed out the days on their calendar too.
As I write this blog, their are sailors on watch…Ordie Team Leaders screaming “Ready Nose, Ready Tail”….FSA’s cranking…Hull Tech’s clearing CHT clogs…drills being called away and real-life emergencies unfolding as I type…our freedom depends on it…whether in a time of peace or time of war. Fair winds and following seas folks…hope you enjoyed “Carrier” as much as me…(it was fun…)
The Navy Hymn
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea! Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked’st on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea! O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe’er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea
A-6E Intruder comments…
I have received some disparaging comments about the A-6E community…too bad. Must have been from someone from a FAG or Tomcat squadron…or even worse…EGAD! a Black Shoe Snipe.
Here are the facts: There are two kinds of people: 1) Those that were A-6 bubbas 2) and everyone else.
(p.s. If you leave me a negative comment. I won’t post it. 
It’s my blog! niener niener niener)
Carrier Episodes 7 & 8
They are on a roll now. Is there any way I can just buy the last 4 episodes? That pitching deck really brought back some memories of rock’n and roll’n in high seas.
When they said the Indian Ocean is hot…it is hot and the sea state almost never changes. Smooth as glass, no clouds in the sky and the sun beating down. We had guys in the shop that just couldn’t drink enough water back in ‘94 off the coast of Somalia. They would have to go on a routine visit to medical for an IV to replenish their fluids. We didn’t have Camelbaks in those days so we had to run to the nearest water fountain on the flight deck as often as we could. When we finally got off the deck at the end of our shift, our red shirts would have salt stains that looked like white rivers from front to back. It was 108 degrees in the early morning BEFORE the birds starting turning…brutal. I would have killed for a Camelbak.
OK…I have to talk about PC. Political Correctness. Somebody has gone and ruined tradition. PC don’t got no business when it comes to crossing the line. To me…those folks are still WOGS! I didn’t see a Royal Baby…I didn’t see any Shillelaghs no old food…no tubes of hair saved up from the barber shop. LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME
When I crossed the line on the America, we weren’t allowed to walk anywhere…we had to crawl! The event started about 0430 and we started by crawling out of our coop toward the mess decks. The passageways were covered in old food and lined by shellbacks barking orders to us WOGS. As we made our way to the hangar bay, that is when the fun really started. Many a padeye had to be cleaned out by us WOGS in order to gain entry onto the deckedge elevator and onto the flight deck. I can’t remember everything that we did up there except for these highlights: a) crawling through long cloth tubes filled with a weeks worth of hair saved up from the barber shop. b) toilets set up on the flight deck filled with water, dye packs and hamburgers and hotdogs..which we had to fish out with our teeth c) the Royal Baby….his belly covered in peanut butter with a cherry in his belly button…which you had to fish out…again with your teeth. d) and finally, being immersed as a WOG and raised as a SHELLBACK! At the end of the ceremony the entire back portion of the flight deck was covered with boots and scraps of clothes that were just pushed over the side…nothing was salvageable. What I saw last night was LAME LAME LAME LAME….I hope you PC folks are proud of yourselves…you ruined another fine Naval tradition.
I was wondering if they edited all of the bolters together from more than one flight ops cycle? I don’t think I have ever seen such chronic bolters happen in one landing evolution. I have seen it happen to one guy but not like that to so many pilots. Hmmmm….and we spent how much money to train these guys to fly? Pitching decks are just a part of the game. These guys wouldn’t fair very well in the North Atlantic if that was the case.
Hey AOAN (red shirt with the $500.00 SAT phone bill)…dude…gotta tell ya…Tanya has other plans. I haven’t seen the rest of the episodes yet, but I can tell by my sailors intuition that it ain’t going to end well for ya. Go ahead and set up the allotment and write this one up to a learning experience.
My wife has always wondering why me and my Navy (and even my Jarhead) buddies often grab each others booty (as seen last night between VFA-41’s CO & XO). I say, if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with… just joking. It all has to do with the circle of trust…I wouldn’t do that with any of my buddies that I work with now at HP…we haven’t been to THAT place yet. THAT place meaning they haven’t been through a trial by fire yet. JP, Delvin and Jacques…they have. They are some of my best friends in the world. I could not see them for 20 years and reconnect with them in an instant because of that bond that we share. We have all been there. They are deep into my circle of trust as only people can be who have powered through experiences that have tested intestinal fortitude. The military builds bonds that can’t be replicated from any other life experiences. Bonds that go deeper than family even in some cases. I know that these guys have my back and I have no doubt that if I asked for help, they would be there for me and I for them. A true Band of Brothers…so what if I think JP has a firmer booty than Delvin? Is that so wrong?
So far so good on Carrier. It has me hooked. I can admit it.
Tennis Channel Sweepstakes to the 2009 Roland Garros (French Open)
http://www.tennischannel.com/passport/
Hey you people! As you may well know, the Rooster and his #1 Hen won the Tennis Channel’s Aussie Mania Sweepstakes in 2007. We took the trip in January 08 to Sydney and Melborne, Australia to attend the Australian Open. They now have the sweepstakes open for the 2009 French Open! Here are the details of the Grand Prize:
5. PRIZE. One (1) Grand Prize which includes: (i) winner and one (1) guest will have an opportunity to gain admission for two (2) of the first three (3) days of the 2009 Roland Garros (a/k/a the French Open) tennis championships at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France; (ii) round trip coach-class air transportation for the winner and one (1) guest from/to a major commercial gateway airport near winner’s residence (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to/from a major commercial airport in Paris, France; (iii) hotel accommodations for winner and (1) guest (single room/double occupancy, room and tax only) for five (5) nights at a Sofitel Hotel in the greater Paris, France vicinity, to be selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion; and (iv) one (1) Eurostar Leisure Select railway round trip day excursion for winner and one (1) guest from Paris, France to London, England, departing and returning on the same day.
You can enter each once per day until June 8th, 2008. Good Luck!
…maybe there was another reason to call him “Rocket”?
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/20607408/
Clemens flew other women to him in his jet
Country star Mindy McCready apparently wasn’t the only other woman that family man Roger Clemens was getting busy with while his wife was getting injected with steroids in order to look better in a swimsuit. Word is that the Rocket had at least three other women, including a former Manhattan bartender, flown around the country in his private jet to meet up with him in various cities and that he bought at least one of them extremely expensive jewelry. (New York Daily News)
Pete…if this guy can get to Cooperstown…so can you….maybe he can fly you there???
Uh oh…
My preacher brother(in-law) has linked to my site (my comments on the PBS show “Carrier”)
I am nervous now. Sweating just a bit…yikes!
http://getanchored.blogspot.com/2008/04/links-to-your-world-tuesday-april-29.html
Carrier Episodes 5 & 6
Carrier redeemed itself last night by minimizing the high school drama and drilling down to the core facets of life on a carrier and the battle group. I really feel for the BM that was lost off the Princeton, going overboard was always in the back of your mind and I always kept an overboard plan in my head when out on deck. My biggest concern was staying conscious upon impact and hoping someone saw me go over the side. The worst case scenario would to be blown off at night by a jet turning on you and hitting your head on the way down or being knocked out after falling 90 feet to the water. I could only imagine what the ship would look like as it steamed away from me at 30 knots while I bobbed in the water like a lost cork. That is all kinds of bad right there.
I haven’t heard anyone speak of how fast the Nimitz can steam yet. From my own personal experience on the USS Enterprise (she has 8 reactors…Nimitz has two)…we steamed at a speed of over 50 knots during sea trials after a 4 year yard period. FIFTY…my buddy Woody Hill told me of a time on the Enterprise (when she was in the Pacific) when they did much faster than that. I believe it…the best I ever saw on the Kennedy was just over 30 knots to make enough wind for flight ops. Ya see..if there isn’t enough wind to fly, carriers can make wind by going really fast. The reason for this is that the catapults can only get the planes going X knots and there has to be wind over the deck to provide the lift necessary for the birds not to nosedive into the water off the cat. No wind….no flying. If you need 25 knots of wind to fly, you steam at 25 knots to make it happen.
All in all, a good show last night. Not cheesy like an episode of “Saved By The Bell”….it was good…I wonder if it will continue as such tonight.
Ordie Navy Traditions (Hazing to you people)
Pinkbelly = A time honored tradition…basically a welcome package presented to a new member of your shop. Usually performed during General Quarters when there is no means of escape. The preferred location of the pinkbelly would be in the magazine where the screams could not be heard by anyone but us Magrats. The best stategy if you are the unfortunate recipient is to just give in and take it like a man. Those who stuggle sometimes gets the CATSHOT.
Catshot = A special form of pinkbelly. Someone holds your arm in tension before delivering the blow to the (about to be pink) belly.
Molly B / 20MM = Reserved for those SHIPMATES that have warranted wrath. I cannot describe what goes on here. Many careers have been ruined due to an errant Molly B episode. You don’t want to know.
Ordie Tape: Usually involves some OTHER Rate talking trash and making the unfortunate mistake of actually walking INTO the Ordie shop. Not wise to do if it is an A-6 Intruder shop. The offending member finds himself quickly overtaken and Ordie-taped to the bulkhead, a chair, the deck or to the overhead. A Molly B or Pinkbelly is the natural progression in this instance. Or if the Div O shows up and he needs the space for a meeting, which usually means you just stay taped up until we get back.
Tacking the Crow: My personal favorite. I have my own style. It leaves you with nice YELLOW bruised banana type bruises. Only senior to junior tacking allowed. Innovations: AO1 Bedwell used to drape your arm over a fuel tank. He was as stupid as they come but he gets extra credit for that one. You only get one shot when tacking on the crow, you miss and that’s it. Caveat: You better make sure that the owner of the crow you just blasted doesn’t pass you in advancement. Payback is swift and cruel.
Shellback Initiation: Not just an Ordie thing. Dates back FOREVER. The transition from WOG to Shellback is magical. The Rooster crossed at Longitude 046 degrees 01.65 on 1st day of December 1993. Man…the Royal Baby had a deep bellybutton…
Carrier (PBS) Episodes 3 & 4
Huh? Was Mel Gibson still drunk when he produced this? I have to say that I am disappointed that the view of true life on a carrier is being presented by the most junior and juvenile members of the crew. To me, it would be no different than doing a story on the school system in our town and only interviewing the 1st and 2nd graders for their opinion on the entire system. The show would have you believe that Mast happens every day and that gangs of pre-20 somethings run the ship.
It was also a bit hilarious when the guy alluded to that he had not only the one locker that was assigned to him….but (shhhhh) …get this…another one as well. Hey shipmate (I will touch on this term later)…that ain’t nuthin’ new. You think you thought of that? HA hahahahaha! C’mon…Carrier…show me something I don’t know. A sailor’s initiative has no bounds, we have been figuring out ways to make our life easier since the first ship set sail. I remember on one particular deployment, we figured out a way to battle the night shift hunger when we discovered that the galley personnel secured a food storage space witha chain around the ladder above it (ladder = stairs). All we had to do was remove the two pins at the bottom of the ladder and the chain would slide right off. We then helped ourselves to ample quantities of bread, cans of ham and blocks of cheese each night for almost the entire cruise. I think they discovered the loss but didn’t know how it was being taken…so they just moved our savory snacks elsewhere.
The feeling that I am left with at the end of the first four episodes is the overwhelming relief that I was off the ships andout of the Navy before I had to serve on a “love boat”. I can only imagine the kind of supervisory nightmare of not only having immature men in your charge but immature women as well. I am trying not to sound sexist here but I don’t think that there is room on a combat ship for them…period. It’s not that I don’t think that they can do the job…it most respects they can…but a ship’s ability to meet the mission goals is directly linked to the crew’s high level of good order and discipline. ”Carrier” does a good job of showing the small percentage of the dirtbags that plague each service and I think did the Navy a disservice by highlighting the ‘racist’ (alcoholic) and showing his subsequent ‘booting’ from the ship and the service. It happens though…back in the ‘old’ days…a good sailor had a least one NJPin his record…but all of that changed in the early 90’s when any mark in your record was a death sentence to your career. I think it shows some a sign of character..the ability to overcome obstacles and rise above adversity. I have been there and I have done that. Trust me.
I was an Ordie. I was a hellraiser and a hard worker. I loved working on the flight deck and I hated working on the flight deck. I love the A-6E Intruder and I hated the A-6E Intruder. Love and Hate. It is just part of the DNA of the Red Shirt. If You Ain’t Ordnance You Ain’t S&&# IYAOYAS. You loved being an AO and you hated being an AO. Yin and Yang….BOHICA and DILIGAF. Everyone’s job on a carrier is important. But to the Ordie…ours is just the only one that counts. If it wasn’t for the BB Stackers…the carriers would be just another cruiseship and the squadrons just another scheduled airline. Through our efforts, we allow the pilots to execute the operations of making things that were once there go away. Peace through superior firepower.
It was a bit disheartening to see the deck of the Nimitz populated with so many F-18’s (FAGS)…I can’t believe the Tomcat and Intruder are no longer going to sea. I think that is so symbolic of the state of the nation in a sense…they removed the symbols of power andreplaced it with what is basically a Toyota Prius. There is nothing like being on the deck being showered by the jet wash of a Tomcat in tension on CAT 1…wow. Or at night when they open the turkey-feathers and the burners light up like roman candles…now THAT is POWER baby. I am sure that none of the non-rates featured on ‘Carrier’ have experienced any of that. Fortunately, they still have the opportunity to have their fillings rattled out by an EA-6B. That is the only plane on the flight deck that can make you lose all of your bodily functions if you are unfortunately trapped by CAT 1 during a launch. There isn’t anything like it in the world that equals that sensation.
And then there were the propjobs…they showed a few flight decks scenes in between the highlights of the “airman” love triangles andthe stupidity of the racist guy. The E-2C’s were my own personal nightmare, especially at night. With the noise of the flight deck coming at you from so many different directions, it is almost impossible to tell which direction an E-2C or any other bird is approaching you. Because of this, our rule was to consider every bird as being turned up and to treat every intake and exhaust as having the ability to suck you up and spit you out. As they pointed out in the first episode, the arresting wire is a potentially quick ticket to the morgue…but there are so many other dangers that exist on the flight deck. Keeping your head on a swivel is paramount in keeping all of your body parts connected…an even greater safety element on the flight deck is the fact that everyone looks out for the other guy. There have been many times when I have felt a hand on my shoulder keeping me from walking into something potentially ‘harmful’. I remember one time there were a bunch of us between the Six Pack and the Corral…a Tomcat was moving toward the shuttle on CAT 1…the ship’s bow rose out of the water due to the sea state and the pilot needed to boost the power in order to keep moving forward. When he did this, he opened up the turkey-feathers and people were literally sent flying. I was standing in the Corral at the nose of one of our birds and I saw everyone get picked up andsent hurtling down toward the area in front of the island. Not so much with their bodies in the air but mostly being pushed along with their feet barely touching the ground…no way to stop. I saw this one Yellow Shirt on his way to being slammed into a huffer parked just past where I was standing. On his way by I caught him in a bear hug andwas able to twirl him around andsteer him clear of his imminent collision with El Huffer. You have to understand…there ain’t no love lost between Yellow Shirts and Red Shirts. But in this instance, all of that was set aside and it was just one shipmate helping out another in the time of need. Weeks after that I would pass him in the hallway and he would reach out to shake my hand in a gesture of gratitude.
Speaking of the word: “SHIPMATE”…it is never said from one sailor to another in a friendly manner. Any sailor below the rank of Chief considers this word to be the same as someone calling our momma fat and saying that her job is to suck farts out of used car seats. It is the single most abrasive term in the the Naval Lexicon. There ain’t no dirtier word spoken on the ship than being called …”shipmate”. It was usually followed by a one-way counselling session, a dressing down or an impromptu “training” session from the Chief or Gunner. There was one person in my career that used this word as skillfully as any surgeon and that was AOCS Bourne. He could hit you with a ‘Shipmate’ that instantly caused paralysis and partial blindness. Judging by the conduct on the Carrier series, I am not sure of the leadership abilities of the Chiefs, Mustangs and Warrants onboard the Nimitz. It appears to be that they could use a dose of Senior Chief Bourne to keep everyone on the straight and narrow. Back in my day (am I old enough to say that?) there were no wrath greater than the power of the Master Chief. I wonder if that is still true today? Or have they been morphed into the PC, touchy-feely, good feeling type leadership that permeates our culture today? Everyone gets a trophy and you get an award just for trying…
I have to say that after last nights episodes, I turned to my wife and warned her to not buy this series for me. It doesn’t appear to have any resemblance to my 10 years in the Navy and my 7 years at sea. I like to call my tenure in the Navy, the B.C. years….(Before Clinton) although he was my CINC from 1992-1995. My EAOS came and I was gone as soon as I could…July 28th, 1995. The service was already feeling liberalized and was no place for a knuckledragging, crow-tacking, pink-belly giving, red shirted old school Ordie.
I think if the any of the guys that I used to work for and with could be transported through time and cast as crewmembers on the “Carrier” show…they would be sent home on the H53 along with guy being kicked out on an OTH discharge. I am not sure if the kids on the Nimitz could handle “shipmates” like that. I giggle when I think about it…if any of my old Navy buddies read this…you KNOW what I am talking about.
Attack Squadron 85 (Black Falcons)
Last Deployment before Decommission 1994
Indian Ocean
“Carrier” on PBS …The Rooster’s Take
http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-carrierreview26apr26,0,2374269.story
I caught the first two epidoses of PBS’s “Carrier” last night. It documents a wartime Persian Gulf deployment on the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), highlighting the day-to-day ops andthe crew life onboard one of the most powerful warships in history.
There were much of it that I could relate to as I have had similar deployments on the USS John F. Kennedy CV-67 (Ships Company / Weps/AOCC) and USS America CV-66 (Attack Squadron 85 - Intruders BABY!). I also went to sea with the USS Enterprise CVN-65. In total, I made four deployments with a total of seven years “sea time” and two years shore duty at AIMD Oceana.
Fortunately (don’t get me wrong here) there were no women aboard the ships that I sailed…I was in the Navy when women could not permanently deploy in forward locations or on combat ships. They were mostly residing in the choicest shore and Type 3 sea (Type 3 counted as sea duty but was actually on a shore base or in an arduous location) billets that limited the availability of these to the male seagoing sailors.
Being an ordie (YES! THERE IS AN ORDIE MAFIA…IYAOYAS) and having served in an A-6E Intruder squadron, I personally think that a woman would not be an integral member of the load team as we hand load almost all munitions weighing 1000 lbs. or less. Having said that, we had some guys in our shop that were relegated to installing fuzes etc. because they were a liability on the hernia bar. To be fair though, the A-6’s bomb racks were much higher off of the deck than the F-18 and depending on how the fuel settled in the wing tanks, the MERcould be at five feet or greater from the deck. The F-18 load crews have about half that distance to cover and is probably the reason F-18’s were called “FAG” squadrons (I didn’t make it up…it is what it is…)
So back to the show…there were portions that were so accurate I could literally taste and smell the JP-5 and DFM…it permeates your entire life onboard a carrier, both in the air and in the water. Every cup of coffee had that shiny rainbow like film of fuel on top. It always helped keep us ‘regular’ and kept our skin nice and soft. lol When I was on sea duty, our only line of communication was snail mail and the occasional phone call from a port overseas during liberty call. The sailors today have an open line of communication with the folks back home with email and from what I saw on “Carrier”, a host of satellite phones at their disposal. When we pulled out to sea, that was it…you said goodbye to your family and it would be a week or more until the first mail call. I want to say that we wouldn’t have a mail call until we transited through Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean. Whatever happened back home just happened and you were none the wiser…for better or for worse. There was the ability to utilize the Chaplain’s phone if there were a dire emergency or a death back home during a deployment. Other than that…you had to wait for the mail or wait for liberty call. When the skipper called away the sea and anchor detail, you did the same thing for your family at home. You were now at sea and your priorities shifted to the mission at hand.
My beef with the series at this point is that they are mostly focusing their attention on non-rates and junior PO’sthat really don’t paint an accurate picture of the life at sea for the “average” sailor. Although the show keeps saying the average age of the crew is 19, the average intelligence is not indicative of the people they have chosen to highlight so far. I am not saying that you have to find the saltiest sailor on the boat…the CMC is also not a good choice as he is wayyyyy too Joe Navy to accurately depict the senior enlisted onboard. Maybe in the coming episodes they will find a 2nd or 1st Class PO…one that has had a few deployments under his belt for their point of view. I will wait and see where the show goes from here…
I enjoyed the squadron portions that were focused on VFA-41 (used to be an F-14 squadron at Oceana)…the CO/XO seemed to be two guys that I wouldn’t mind hanging bombs for a deployment. I also liked seeing the ordies on deck and as they said on the show…everyone else just wants to be one. IYAOYAS
The man overboad scenario really brought back some memories…we had a guy (Treadway) go over the side of the Kennedy. He was on the fantail swinging a bag of trash over the side when the momentum carried him and the bag over the rail into the water. You never want to hear those whistles piped for a real man overboard. Fortunately for Treadway, he went into the water during the day and the SH-3’s were already in the air. He was picked up almost immediately and back onboard without any injuries (except for his pride.) I don’t think I have ever heard an XO speak as tersely as this one on the show did on the 1MC. I felt sorry for the guy that didn’t make it to muster in time. Welcome to the carpet pal…
Carrier deployments are serious business. Life and death experiences that not all carriers come back with the same people they left with. My first deployment was no exception and we suffered a loss of nine crewmen due to aircraft accidents/crashes. One incident in particular was a combination of disasters: an aircraft struck another aircraft that was on the deck. In an instant we had a fire on the flight deck, man overboard (the pilots ejected) and general quarters (GQ). GQ was called so that the ship could handle all of the incidents as a homogenous unit and with all hands on deck. Not only do we have to handle emergencies onboard our own ship, but we have to react to emergencies for other units afloat. We were called away to assist with the USS Bonefish explosion and rescue the crew that had abandoned ship and the subsequent recovery of the crew that were killed. I am curious if the series will show any of the ‘not so glorious’ aspects of the dangers of the flight deck or the engineering spaces? I don’t know if I can take any more scenes of the crew eating or field-daying their spaces. Boring then and it is boring now.
The surprising thing is that they are surprised…
Bear trainer distraught after deadly attack
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24266564/
I gotta go over this line by line and provide a cluck or two in italics…
BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. - The owner of a wild animal training center where a grizzly bear killed a handler says the animal is a “loving, affectionate, friendly, safe bear,” but he is at a loss to explain how a “simple routine” turned tragic.
1st Keyword: Bear 2nd Keyword: Grizzly
Fact: Not found at Petsmart
Miller, who witnessed the attack, would not talk in detail about what happened, but said the bear, a 5-year-old male named Rocky, was trained to wrestle with experienced handlers. “It’s a playful behavior brought out on cue,” he said
Training vs. Nature
Verdict just in…Nature wins every time
The state Department of Fish and Game investigated the attack but will not decide whether the bear will be euthanized because the attack occurred outside its jurisdiction on a private site, department spokesman Harry Morse said.
..and because the bear was just being a bear. Why should HE die for being a bear?
“Stephan was my best friend. Anybody who killed him I would want to kill, but I don’t believe the bear meant to hurt him,” said Palumbo, adding that he was torn about what should happen to Rocky. “Stephan loved the bear. He and his cousin raised it,” Palumbo said.
Bears don’t really love back I suppose. Maybe they aren’t meant to star in movies or perform tricks? Maybe…just maybe…leave the wild animals alone…just as Roy Horn…he loved the Tiger…but the Tiger gave him some tough love instead. Nature takes care of the WEAK and the FOOLISH.
…Slap Ya Momma…
This has been a good week at Cottonwood Farm. We moved all the Longhorns from the BP (big pasture) to the LP (little pasture) to enjoy all of the coastal grass that has been growing unabated since the first of spring. The grass was so high that our December bullcalf was hardly visible standing up. Those were some really happy cows kinda like a senior outing to the Luby’s with all-you-can-eat soft food. It took them roughly five days to eat it all down and we moved them from the LP to the BP last night after returning home from Jake’s baseball game.
We finished worming all of them this week and that is a good feeling to know that we don’t have to do that again for another 6 months. They are all set to go for another Texas summer which the Texas Longhorn tolerates without any problems.
We are also excited that our Agricultural Exemption will activate this year as well! Our property taxes will go down to practically NOTHING! It has taken five years to qualify for the exemption and it is right around the corner. I believe our goal is to convert the Ag to a Wildlife exemption as we have kept the open pastures open and the wooded areas wooded so that an equal balance of wildlife thrive in their respective habitat.
Our BP had an abundance of blackberries that are ripe now and we enjoyed a ’slap ya momma’ cobbler last Friday. Our peach trees are loaded with fruit which should be ready in June or so…I can’t wait for that…Nisha makes an awesome ’slap ya momma’ peach cobbler too. That woman can cook some desserts…yum yum….fat man happy.
2007 Crop
Speaking of cooking…she has perfected the biscuit as well. I love her biscuits…’slap ya momma’ biscuits that require no jelly or butter. Indeed…fat man happy fo’ sho’. You couple those homemade biscuits with some grits and scrambled eggs (fresh from our henhouse)…SLAP YA MOMMA!
The farm is really looking great…this is our favorite time of the year. Our cottonwood trees that line our entrance are really getting big. I estimate that they are around 30-40′ tall now and if the Cottonwood Borer doesn’t return this year, we shouldn’t lose any more trees (we lost two). I am still fighting the battle with the Leafcutter ants but due to my sheer genius, have figured out a way to keep them off of the Cottonwoods and Crepe Myrtles. I discovered my anti-Leafcutter Ant system about two years ago and they haven’t engineered a way around it yet. If you take all-weather heavyduty ordie tape (duct tape) and wrap it in one foot sections (sticky side out) around each tree (or branch section for the Crepe Myrtles) the ants will be stopped or slowed to the point that they give up on harvesting leafs from that particular tree in lieu of easier pickings, usually some leafy weed in the pasture. It works every time without fail! No chemicals…no pesticides…nothing…just duct tape. You heard it here first.
Last weekend I strung up all of the christmas lights (the white ones…no blinking) around our side garden and in the trees. It makes for some good sitting at night and on the weekends…our very own biergarten. My next project is to build a few adirondack chaise lounges for the garden area and back by the clubhouse. I just finished sanding and painting the front porch which was a monumental task for a weekend warrior as myself. I wish I had more time for projects like that but with my commute each day, I have no other extra time other than the weekends. I have designated Saturday as ‘rockin’ day as I plan on doing some time in the rocking chair on my newly refurbished porch. Going to grill some dogs and burgers…have the Patton’s drop by and enjoy the outside under the Texas stars. Slap Ya Momma!
Cuba vs. China vs. India
I don’t understand our long standing embargo of Cuba. Can someone help me out here? We won’t trade with Communist (oh no! Communists!) Cuba, but will import every known product from the true empire of evil, China? We will send every job available in the United States to India, where the Dalits and Devadasis face class discrimination and tolerated brutality, the likes of which anyone in this country has ever experienced. And yet, our government still sings the same old song about how the regime in Cuba is oppressing its people, surpressing and eliminating political rivals to keep any system of democracy from taking root.
I have heard stories about my dad travelling to Cuba in the 1950’s with a Dr. Blakely (who later died in a fire) from my Uncle Billie. I wonder what it was like then? I have seen articles in National Geographic about Cuba, it appears that the same vehicles that could have been on the roads when my dad was there are still in use today. Cuba has its own socialized medicine and its research scientists are making incredible breakthroughs in medicine and science. What can we say about China in that realm? Tainted Heparin? Lead in our children’s toys? Food for our pets that destroys their renal systems? Give me a break Big Brother! Stop dealing with China! Stop dealing with India! You just don’t make good sense….
Really? Seriously? Smoking can kill me? ..and get me a big check?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24242819/
Fla. smokers to split $600 million tobacco fund
Cigarette manufacturers had set up fund to be paid if appeal failed
MIAMI - Tens of thousands of ill Florida smokers and families of those who died are lining up for a share of a $600 million fund created by major tobacco companies as part of a 14-year-old lawsuit against cigarette manufacturers. The Florida Supreme Court in 2006 threw out a massive $145 billion damage award in the case, but the tobacco companies had previously set up the fund to be paid out even if the appeal failed. Last week, a Miami judge ordered the money divided equally among all Florida smokers who became ill before Nov. 21, 1996. “It applies to people across the state of Florida,” said attorney Bob Kelley, who added Monday his firm will represent about 1,000 smokers or family members.
Cigarettes/Cigars/Pipes/Chewing Tobacco = A dead you
Pissing on the 3rd rail of the subway train = A dead you
Taunting the tigers at the zoo without noticing that one of them is actually loose = A dead you
Cleaning a loaded gun with your finger on the trigger = A dead you
Flying Jihad Airlines with a USA 2 RAGHEADS 0 T-shirt = A dead you
Crossing or having any dirt on the Clintons (Urban Legend…get it?) = A dead you
Man…who knew? I will be glad when the government finally tells me that cheeseburgers will make me fat. Until then…nom nom nom nom nom….(waiting for my fat check from McDonald’s) nom nom nom
Where is my Shutdown button?
I need to reboot.
Remember when…
…life was just this simple?
If you are wondering why the Rooster doesn’t bust so much on McCain…
John is a fellow squid and brown shoe. I bet he is a shellback too, just like me. A carrier sailor.
Having watched “Trial by Fire” (the US Navy’s USS Forrestal fire training film) probably a hundred times and knowing John McCain was in the middle of that conflagration and barely escaped from his A-4….surviving that and then his subsequent capture after being shot down. Another “Trial by Fire”…
His decision to stay at the Hanoi Hilton despite being offered a ticket out…and enduring the torture over those years along with the other POW’s displays his ability to stick it out through tough times and to never give up and to never take quarter. Some have an issue with his temper, I do not…we need a President that will get mad and take action or to tell someone to go fly a kite if need be.
He has a son at the Naval Academy and another serving in Iraq in the Marines. Any other candidate can say they have a “dog in the fight” so to speak?
I am not saying that I am going to vote for him. I am also not saying that I am not going to vote for him. I am just saying that neither Obama or Clinton are bringing anything “real” to the race for the Presidency. They aren’t common people…what do they have in common with me?
I have lots in common with John.
Presidential Fatigue
They say that being President of the United States is the most mentally and physically demanding job in the world. The stress and fatigue of having the burden of being the chief of the world’s only surviving superpower is undeniably taxing on one’s humanity and physical being.
A picture is worth a thousand words, just take a look at the picture of Bill and Hillary together in 2010, the wear and tear readily apparent after only a few short years in office. Ya know…she is fairing much better than Bill…
Bruce Springsteen endorses Obama…we can all relax now.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24159465/
WASHINGTON - Rock star Bruce Springsteen endorsed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president Wednesday, saying “he speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years.”
The Boss and the new O-Street Band
Whew…just in time. I couldn’t wait another second. Maybe he could buy me a pack of gum and show me how to chew it.
Bush reflectionates with the Pope
“heh, heh, heh…see your Popeness…Tom, is a cat that, you know
chases Jerry, that’s the mouse see…and chasifys each other sorta
like that roadrunner and that coyote. heh heh heh. Man, I love
this stuff…heh heh heh. Hey Condi…Can I gets some chips here?”
“uhhh…Mr. Pope your Elvis suit makes me sit all funny”
“Like I don’t know where to put my hands or my feet or my
hands and my feet at the same time.”
Update to Keyspiracy Theory post….
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24143040/
NEW YORK - Alicia Keys says she’s not a conspiracy theorist.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Keys said she was clarifying “comments that were made during my recent Blender magazine interview since they have been misrepresented.” According to an interview in the magazine’s May issue, the 27-year-old singer says: “‘Gangsta rap’ was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. ‘Gangsta rap’ didn’t exist.” She also is quoted as saying that she wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck “to symbolize strength, power and killing ’em dead.”
“We stand by our story,” Blender spokeswoman Kate Cafaro told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “My comments about ‘gangsta rap’ were in no way trying to suggest that the government is responsible for creating this genre of rap music,” Keys said in a statement issued by J Records. “The point that I was trying to make was that the term was oversloganized by some of the media causing reactions that were not always positive. Many of the ‘gangsta rap’ lyrics articulate the problems of the artists’ experiences and I think all of us, including our leaders, could be doing more to address these problems including drugs, gang violence, crime, and other related social issues.” As for the AK-47 remark, Keys said Tuesday that AK-47 is a nickname given to her by friends “as an acronym for Alicia Keys and a metaphor for wowing people with my music and performances, ‘killing ’em dead’ on stage. The reference was in no way meant to have a literal, political or negative connotation.”
Brenham Maifest May 9-10, 2008
http://www.maifest.org/
The Brenham Maifest, one of the oldest spring German festivals in the South, will hold its 118th celebration on May 9-10, 2008 at Fireman’s Park in Brenham, Texas. The Maifest is a community-wide festival celebrating local German heritage through the youth of the community in light of the joys of springtime. Highlights of the Brenham Maifest include extravagant parades, elegant coronations, a children’s carnival and culminates with the Maifestival. The “German Village” promotes the German Heritage of Brenham and Washington County.
This year, we have added a “Kinder Village.” Children will enjoy making a craft item, washing clothes, coloring, etc. The celebrations begin both days at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Brenham with a parade. The 3rd Annual Brenham Maifest Golf Tournament will be held Friday at the beautiful Brenham Country Club with shot gun at 1:00 pm. The Maifestival is held Friday and Saturday at Firemen’s Park. Beginning Friday evening at 6:00 pm with German music, children’s carnival, festival food and drinks. The Junior Coronation will be held Friday evening with young children participating in an elaborate outdoor ceremony, which provides entertainment and the presentation of the Junior King and Queen. On Saturday the Maifestival will begin at 11:00 am at Fireman’s Park with German Village and Kinder Village activities, along with German Music, Arts & Crafts, and the Children’s Carnival. The Senior Coronation will be held Saturday evening with former royalty and high school students providing entertainment for this outdoor event, the culmination of the Maifest Celebration is highlighted by the presentation of the Senior King and Queen.
Come and enjoy a day of fun-packed Washington County German Heritage, while in Brenham enjoy the beautiful springtime sites of Brenham and Washington Country. Also plan to stay at one of our many fine motels or Bed and Breakfasts. There is no admission charge to the grounds for the festival. Tickets are required for the Junior and Senior Coronations and Children’s Carnival rides.
The Kanzius Machine: A Cancer Cure? 60 Minutes Report
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/10/60minutes/main4006951.shtml
Inventor Tells 60 Minutes He Hopes To Live Long Enough To See Machine Cure Humans
What if we told you that a guy with no background in science or medicine-not even a college degree-has come up with what may be one of the most promising breakthroughs in cancer research in years?
Well it’s true, and if you think it sounds improbable, consider this: he did it with his wife’s pie pans and hot dogs. His name is John Kanzius, and he’s a former businessman and radio technician who built a radio wave machine that has cancer researchers so enthusiastic about its potential they’re pouring money and effort into testing it out. Here’s the important part: if clinical trials pan out-and there’s still a long way to go-the Kanzius machine will zap cancer cells all through your body without the need for drugs or surgery and without side effects. None at all. At least that’s the idea. The last thing John Kanzius thought he’d ever do was try to cure cancer. THE REST OF THE STORY: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/10/60minutes/main4006951.shtml
Brenham Bluebonnet Terrorists (Tourists)….
I watched with equal amounts of surprise and amazement at the Bluebonnet Terrorists (Tourists) invading pastures around Brenham this weekend. They were out in force searching for the perfect patch to nestle little Cindylou into for her annual photo with the wildflowers. I observed little regard for private property and fencing…a concept these terrorists obviously know little about (especially the cost…figure about 2 bucks a foot for just a barbed wire fence)…
I was surprised as I watched these people jumping fences onto private property, in the middle of herds of cattle…fortunately these were not of the Brahma variety. Lucky terrorists. I have heard reports that the flowers were “light” this year, that may be true in the usual places the terrorists frequent, but we have a nearby location that is swamped with flowers and just by luck, you can’t see them from the road. We are taking our pictures this weekend as our bluebonnet “places” bloom a little later than those seeded by the state.
We have frontage on Highway 36 that has been graced with a new Austin-stone Welcome sign for Washington County…if you add a backdrop of our Texas Longhorns in with the sign and a field of bluebonnets…you can only imagine how many terrorists, err I mean Tourists we would have jumping the fence at Cottonwood. At least, that is, until our big bull, Blue Reflection saunters up to check them for range cubes. Such is the life at Cottonwood Farm.
aaahhhhh….. Cottonwood…..Cottonwood is such a beautiful place. I don’t think we could ever leave here…our peach trees are full with this years growing crop, our garden has been planted and the flowers are full of butterflies. This year’s crop of Longhorn calves will be on the ground soon and it will be like Easter all over again. Longhorns babies are like a box of chocolates…you never know what you are going to get! Speaking of Longhorns…Cottonwood Farm will be featured in Hobby Farms Magazine’s Reader’s Resumes in the Sept./Oct. issue (I believe those dates are correct.)
Soon the bluebonnets will fade as they go to seed… the terrorists will go back home with the photos of Cindylou (who accidently was placed in a fireant bed) until it is time for Brenham’s annual Maifest and the oldest State Fair in Texas….these Terrorists….they just won’t go away…
Alicia Keys…”I have read a book or two”
NEW YORK — There’s another side to Alicia Keys: conspiracy theorist.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter tells Blender magazine: “‘Gangsta rap’ was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. ‘Gangsta rap’ didn’t exist.” Keys, 27, said she’s read several Black Panther autobiographies and wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck “to symbolize strength, power and killing ‘em dead,” according to an interview in the magazine’s May issue, on newsstands Tuesday. Another of her theories: The bicoastal feud between slain rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. was fueled “by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing.” Keys’ AK-47 jewelry came as a surprise to her mother, who is quoted as telling Blender: “She wears what? That doesn’t sound like Alicia.” Keys’ publicist, Theola Borden, said Keys was on vacation and unavailable for comment.
So…let me get this straight…the government that can’t pull off the invasion of another country, provide for the health and welfare of its people, secure its borders, etc. …. actually orchestrated the flawless “Gangsta Rap” operation? Wow…how did I not see that!?!
In related news, Keys was recently involved in an incident at a local car dealership when attempting to purchase a vehicle she saw advertised in the L.A. Times as having “$8000.00 Off the MSRP!” Apparently…Reading is Believing…
Scoop: Dr. Phil Done? New Role to follow???
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24096960/
“Burt…we need to discuss the “Rubber Ducky” fixation issues….”
A new chapter in Dr. Phil’s publicity crisis was written over the weekend, and some sources close to the show wonder whether he’ll survive his latest stunt. The host and his show is under scrutiny for posting $30,000 bail for Mercades Nichols, one of the eight teens arrested for severely beating another teenager in Florida. The “Dr. Phil” show issued a statement saying “certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re: the bail being paid),” but a source close to the production fears that this incident could be the final straw for the show. “It’s getting desperate behind the scenes. Dr. Phil is so demanding, and there’s a feeling anyone will do anything for the get. But it creates chaos. I don’t know how much longer everyone can take it,” said the source. (The talk-show host earlier this year came under fire for spreading word that he’d visited Britney Spears at Cedar-Sinai at the request of the family, and was going to be the one to save the troubled pop star.) Does that mean Dr. Phil’s days with the show are numbered? Rumors about Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo productions cutting ties with Dr. Phil have been circulating for months, but even if Harpo did pull out, it’s still CBS TV Distribution that does the day-to-day production of the show. Credibility concerns seem to be front and center at the moment. “People don’t trust him like they used to,” another source revealed. “The Britney incident was beyond embarrassing for the entire show. How do you bounce back from this?”
In an effort to rebuild America’s trust, Dr. Phil is rumored to have signed on with Children’s Television Workshop to replace the aged character Burt in the beloved Burt & Ernie duo. In an apparent shift from the character’s OC disorder, Dr. Phil would be on set to provide counseling services to such characters as Oscar the Grouch (Anger Management), Cookie Monster (Bulemia) and Big Bird (Self Esteem). Both CTW and McGraw declined further comment.
Organs for Fuel!! Wow…coming soon!
I can now afford my drive to and from Austin every day!!!!!
http://allowmetoexplain.wordpress.com
I have an update on Queen Elizabeth’s eggs. Unfortunately it does not have a happy ending. I love brownies. I love cookies. I love all things sweet. And there is no better stress relief for me than to bake up a batch of sweet things. That is, until last Thursday.
My son went out to get the eggs. I gave him explicit directions NOT to get any eggs that Queen Elizabeth was sitting on. Well he got a little confused in the process. See, Queen Elizabeth must have gotten up to get a drink, a bite to eat, maybe flap her wings for a bit before returning to her warm eggs. Another buff rock must have got the idea that she too wanted to be queen and starting sitting on the eggs in the nesting box right next to Queen Elizabeth’s nesting box.
Read the rest here: Posted from http://allowmetoexplain.wordpress.com
A New Treat Boys & Girls!
Coming soon to your neigborhood candy store! WULLAH! Buy them in individual suicide-bomber packs or in the Family Size “Death to America” bundle!
Florida lawmakers pass “take your guns to work” law.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080409/pl_nm/usa_florida_guns_dc
“Guns don’t kill people..people who piss off people with guns get shot.” -The Rooster
By Michael Peltier Wed Apr 9, 3:49 PM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Most Florida residents would be allowed to take guns to work under a measure passed by Florida lawmakers on Wednesday. The bill, allowing workers to keep guns in their cars for self-protection, was approved by the Florida Senate by a vote of 26-13. It now goes to Republican Gov. Charlie Crist to sign into law. Backed by the National Rifle Association and some labor unions, the so-called “take-your-guns-to-work” measure would prohibit business owners from banning guns kept locked in motor vehicles on their private property. The measure applies to employees, customers and those invited to the business establishment as long as they have a permit to carry the weapon. Backers say the measure upholds the vision of the authors of the U.S. Constitution, who made the right to bear arms part of the Bill of Rights. “The second thing they wrote about in that constitution was the right to bear arms,” said Sen. Durell Peaden, a Republican from Crestview, Florida. “It was what was dear in their hearts.” The measure exempts a number of workplaces including nuclear power plants, prisons, schools and companies whose business involves homeland security. Critics say the measure usurps business owners’ rights to determine what happens on their property and puts workers and managers at risk from disgruntled employees. Dozens of workplace shootings occur every year in the United States and studies have shown that job sites where guns are permitted are more likely to suffer workplace homicides than those where guns are prohibited.
“Hey Tom…Bill is outside, you know, your network tech, says he needs to talk to you about his review…”
(Note: The Rooster has his CHL in Texas and fully supports the
availability of guns for self defense…so..you feel lucky punk? …well…do ya?)