Father, Husband, Classic Mini Owner, Libertarian, Japan-living-in guy, Decent Cook, Avid Movie Watcher, Sailboat sailer guy, opinionist, official-sounding-name maker-upper, and a lot of names I can't repeat in decent company. Welcome to my BLOG.
The first of these videos is really for my brother, but I'm sure a few of you out there will get a kick out of it (The rest will think it's Peanuts blasphemy)
The song is "Hey Ya" by Outkast
The second is the same song as the first, but is made by a Navy air squadron while deployed forward... Yeah, this is the "All Powerful" US Navy at its finest. I might have even given the Marines a second thought if the Navy used this as their commercial back then (but not really)
This second video was made by the VAW-116 Hawkeye Squadron... and yes, they've made others.
Simon asked today if someone could help him get a magnetic dart from behind the recycling bin. I asked why he needed help with that and he replied, "because I'd have to move that too."
I smiled and went back to what I was doing.
But it brought up a question... a bit befitting to the day... can someone be taught independence? Sure they can be compelled to it, but isn't it by its very nature a self-discovery?
Now this post might turn into a not-so-quick-question at this point...
So many people are taught about Independence Day as the day we declared that we weren't going to let the man get us down anymore. We were going to break away from the evil British king dude and tell him to 'stuff it'.
The way I see it, there are four basic categories... Independence, dependence, cooperative, and compulsion.
I'm wondering if we're doing enough as a society to explain what Independence really is and how it applies to our lives today?
Did we really only break away from England so we wouldn't have a king anymore?
I was catching up on blog posts today before going to a very important meeting (read that as I've got a 0712 tee time) and saw that my buddy Rob and his wife were having troubles with their house and HOA again.
They're really good people, Rob and Danielle, and I hate it for them that they have to go through all of this after all they've put into it already.
Well, they've had another run in with fate, plumbing, speedy-house-making-during-the-boom, and just plain bad luck as the sprinkler system for their unit sprung a leak behind their wall and they've got damage inside their home.
I wanted so badly to post this video as a response to their post, but as much as I like them, I wanted to save my sarcasm and jack-assery for my limited audience over here so as to not offend their other friends with my particular take on things.
I know I'm posting this the evening before, but that's an issue I'll just have to deal with on my own time.
First off, can I say that I am not a fan of references to
THE4thOFJULY!!!!
The fourth of July is as arbitrary as calling Christmas, "The 25th of December". There's meaning behind why we celebrate this day. We celebrate our forefathers' decision to break away from a tyranny so that they might establish their own country which their followers would try desperately to turn into a tyranny of their own.
I've seen this multiple places on the internet and have heard it in an audiobook as well. None of those places attributes the wording to a particular individual. That being said, it is not mine, but is true nonetheless.
So, July 4th, Independence Day. The day when America declared it's independence from Great Britain. Actually, not so much.
The real reason we celebrate Independence day on July 4th instead on July 2nd is actually a mystery. Contrary to popular belief very little actual events happened on July 4th in Independence Hall other than a swarm of horseflies pushing the Continental Congress to a speedy decision. Enough on that for now, lets get on to what happened on July 2nd.
On June 7th, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, a delegate of the Continental Congress for Virginia made a speech to his fellow delegates of making America a completely free nation from Great Britain. Though many of the delegates present were approving of those words, they did not feel that it was necessary to take such exorbitant actions. Mainly because to vote for a break with England would be considered an act of treason which at the time, was punishable by death. So, they put Lee's proposal on the table for further study.
Throughout the rest of the month tensions rose between the fledgling nation and Britain causing all of the delegates to alter their 1st decision when congress met once again on July 2nd. On that fateful day, all of the delegates voted for the break with England, prompting that the declaration be written. After the vote was taken, John Adams wrote back home to his wife, Abigail, of the event.
The Second of July, 1776 will be the most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the Great Anniversary Celebration.
2 days later on July 4th only a few things happened, one actually, being quite funny. The real reason Congress met on July 4th was to approve the wording of the declaration. Some didn't like the way a sentence was structured others the way the name of the new country was used. So, none the less, they were whining over things of little importance. (Kind of like what our Congress does now.) This heated debated seemed to continue to no end, that is, until a swarm of horseflies from a nearby farm came flying through the windows that were open due to the warm weather. While swatting at the flies, one delegate rose and said that Jefferson's declaration was suitable to him, which many second, causing a motion of approval that was speedily approved of. Soon afterward the founding fathers ran out of the Hall swatting at the horseflies.
So there you go, just a little history tidbit for you. So maybe we should celebrate Independence day on July 2nd, and celebrate the Horsefly on July 4th that helped keep one of the greatest documents in history the way it was and not a load of political blather.
So last Friday I was checking my email at work and saw there was a rib cooking contest this Wednesday on Hansen. I, being the guy who appreciates spending a work day before a long weekend hanging out in front of a grill, threw my hat in the ring.
(I haven't cooked ribs before)
I pulled up a recipe that Friday and gave it a dry run on Saturday with the family... horrible. Simply, horrible. They ate it, said they enjoyed it... they must have eaten different ribs. The truth was in the full plates and the fact there are leftovers still in the fridge.
Too late. I was entered. I figured at least the judges were the ones eating it and at least I could get a good laugh from watching them choke it down.
So last night (Tuesday) I Skype a buddy of mine whose wife is an executive chef here on the island and asked the best way to trim pork spareribs. She pointed me to THIS SITE which does a marvelous job. Thanks, Heather.
I trimmed them down, applied the dry rub, and loaded my tiny tiny car with two grills and a cooler... somehow I fit as well with just enough room to drive.
I started setting up at about 8:30, started to smoke the ribs at about 9:30/10 for a 1:00 judging. I took them off the smoker grill, tossed them on the regular grill for the sauce to congeal, made a platter presentation, crossed my fingers and went in front of the judges.
I was the middle recipe. You remember the first, you remember the last... I drew the wrong straw.
This was one of those where you have to explain everything you did working up to the day, during your cooking, how you came about it... but before I was done, there wasn't a bit of meat on anyone's bone.
Good sign....I think... maybe they were just hungry.
I waited, watched a few others go up... there were some good ribs out there and guys who entered and won this thing with regularity.
Is "a shoe-out" a term?
The Colonel who headed the judging panel got up, said the first place was an easy pick... most judges had the same #1 and the others had it as their #2. The complicated part was the #2 and #3 from the group. I heard as they called the #3 and #2 and started to pack my things when I heard my name.
Holy bat poop.
I didn't even get to taste them.
$100 of groceries, a big propane grill thing, 5 cases of gatorade, some other prizes...
I was looking at it all when a co-worker came up and said, "Don't worry, I'll toss it in my truck and take it to my house and you can pick it up when you want."
Thanks, Brian.
So... as a side effect of my winning, I get to host the team (my co-workers) to an Independence Day cook-out at my place.
Maybe I'll get to taste them this time.
For those who'd like the recipe, here it is... for 16 lbs of ribs... adjust accordingly
Dry Rub: 1/4 c kosher salt (I used sea salt) 1/4 c packed brown sugar (I used dark) 1/4 c paprika 3 Tbsp ground black pepper 1 Tbsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp onion powder 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp celery seed
let it sit in the fridge overnight
Get the grill smoky with your charcoal and mesquite all smushed over to one side.
Over the coals, on the grill, put a pan or two with 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 apple, and 1 onion. Fill up the pan with merlot and a little water. This is going to steam and mix with the smoke from the wood chips and infuse in the meat.
On the other side of the grill, not over the fire, lay out the rack to cook.
I kept an eye on the temp and tried to adjust it to stay around 250F It'd bounce a bit from 210-300, but pretty consistent.
Turn about every 30 min and check on the smoke and liquid levels to make sure both stay high.
When they're done (when the meat is retracting from the bone tips... check the internal temp along the bone with a thermometer) remove from the smoking grill and lay on a "grilling" grill for the sauce, which is:
1/2c ketchup 1/4c lime juice 1/4c soy sauce 1/4c merlot
lather this on and flip it 2-3 times coating it about twice on each side well and it should congeal up to a semi-sticky "finger licking" consistency.
serve it up.
I placed it on the platter surrounded by the onions and fruit which were cooked in the merlot and it looked and smelled marvelous.
Use it, don't use it, it was good enough to impress those guys.
I was listening to someone talk about their instrument practice today and about how all they could think of was the chocolate milkshake after... I tried to listen... really I did... but all that would go through my head was this:
But if we tax the everloving cow poop out of corporations who produce goods... all in the name of faulty science... then we can indirectly increase the tax burden on each and EVERY American and they'll LOVE ME FOR IT!!!
Where do you get your energy?
If it is from coal, would you be able to switch tomorrow?
What is that coal plant going to do about those cap and trade taxes?
Simply pay them without increasing their prices?
How would they avoid the increased cost of the tax?
Would they switch to renewable resources to supply you energy?
How do you propose they fund that?
Increase costs?
On top of the cap and trade increase?
For those who support this bill, please explain to me how forking even more money over to the government is going to make the earth cooler.
What if you use Nuclear...
Nuclear is considered a good thing according to the brainiacs in the Global Goodness crowd since it burns no fossil fuels and is essentially carbon neutral, right?
What is all that stuff you can see billowing out of the top of the reactor? Smoke? Nope... It's steam. (well, condensed water vapor, really. steam is invisible.) It gets pretty hot splitting atoms all day so water is used to cool the place down and it creates a big cloud for the heating/cooling which comes out of the top there.
Riddle me this, what is BY FAR the largest green house gas?
If you answered water vapor, you're right!
Water vapor comprises 95% of green house gasses.
CO2?
Imagine a stadium filled with 10,000 people. Tell 4 of them to stand up.
Imagine you had to find these four people randomly seated throughout the stadium and didn't have copies of their ticket stub.
Good luck.
We're calling CO2 the enemy. The gas which plants need, we're calling the enemy. The gas we exhale with every breath, we're calling the enemy.
In the 70's NASA scientists said the particles we emit from the burning of fossil fuels would blanket the sky and block the sun causing a global cooling.
Now those same scientists say the exact same thing will cause the exact opposite effect. Both [effects are] alarming, both deadly, both against evil fossil fuels and those who want to use them.
Go ahead and support the bill.
Plastics, gas, electricity, ... the prices will rise. The Washington money will flow. The alarmists will call for even more action. "We're all going to die!"
Looking at my clock here, it is 6:34AM on Monday, but I believe that makes it 5:34PM Sunday East Coast USA... quick math check... Yup. Everything seems to be in order there.
Happy Father's Day!
Wow...it's like being in a time machine. I wonder if I said something like "Sell Google" if people would believe me because I'm in tomorrow already.
You know when you're a kid and you get in trouble for jumping on the bed, having office chair spinning contests, running with scissors, juggling chainsaws, teaching the cat to swim... and you reply,
"When I'm a grownup, I'm going to let my kids ________!"
Well, tonight my daughter referred to her porkchops as chicken and I'm proud to announce that she did NOT get sent to her room.
A bunch of political posts... let's do one about the family, shall we?
teacup asked me the other night if mommy would come in for lamp time so she (girlie britches) could read The Time Machine by H G Wells to her (the mom-meister). reports say miaface had troubles with "experiment" and "psychologist", but nailed the rest and was enjoying the story as she read it.
monster is... well... he's turning into a little me. He's been on this kick for the longest time that he does not like to be called anything but Simon and anything else hurts his feelings. I finally convinced him the other day that the names we throw around (like monster) are out of love and not malice. He's really proud of turning 7 next week and must feel like he's ill prepared because he's doing everything he can to make sure he's perceived as an older kid. He said the other day that he didn't eat candy anymore because, "I want to be strong when I grow up, not fat." Well, his dentist will approve.
Spaz is getting bigger. He's almost out of the 8YO annoying phase and is transitioning into the semi-annoying but semi-cooperative older 9YO brother. He's getting more physical and is maturing in so many social and intellectual areas, it's getting harder and harder to play the innocent annoyance anymore as it now comes off as "I need attention, please" He's reading like it is going to be outlawed tomorrow. I don't think we own a book this boy has not read. He's ravenous. I love it. He wants to read and learn and grow. The best part is it is rubbing off on his brother and sister.
Can I just say that two things I'm very proud of for our family is the love our kids have for reading and learning, and the fact that though they like candy, they're just as likely to pick up a bell pepper or an apple. I've actually seen princess pea walk away from more candy, cake and sweets than I've ever seen her walk away from healthy foods.
I love those little people.
I so look forward to the day when I can be my own boss and spend more time with my family. As it is now, I'm just not used to it for more than a few hours at a time. I get up before they are and I get home in time for dinner and bed. Longer than that, I've just not adapted. I wish I were. I have trouble with patience sometimes. Other times I like to think I'm pretty good. Luckily, I've got this great lady who was willing to not only put up with me, but with my offspring as well. I have no idea how she does it, but I couldn't fo it without her. Boy am I glad she's healthy (and shall I say, not bad to sit next to either.)
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Some Michigan counties have turned a few once-paved rural roads back to gravel to save money.
More than 20 of the state's 83 counties have reverted deteriorating paved roads to gravel in the last few years, according to the County Road Association of Michigan. The counties are struggling with their budgets because tax revenues have declined in the lingering recession.
Montcalm County converted nearly 10 miles of primary road to gravel this spring.
The county estimates it takes about $10,000 to grind up a mile of pavement and put down gravel. It takes more than $100,000 to repave a mile of road.
Reverting to gravel has happened in a few other states but it is most typical in Michigan. At least 50 miles have been reverted in the state in the past three years.
Honestly? If they are doing this in your area, I'd complain. The inconvenience of these machines blocking your road is one thing, but the unnecessary cost when roads turn to gravel anyway... it's inexcusable.
I posted yesterday about my former local government fighting the spending monster, but with this story I'm reminded of a bit from Robert Fulghum's book, "Maybe, (Maybe Not)"
"One January evening the board shifted to an even more fascinating problem. On the entrance side of the church, the driveway had developed potholes. Patching had not helped, so it seemed the driveway would have to be repaved. An expensive proposition. However, on the exit side, nearest the church school, the driveway was smooth, encouraging a level of speed thought dangerous to children. Speed bumps would have to be built there and signs posted. More expense.
"Three hours had drained away while every possible dimension of this driveway problem had been considered. No solution in sight, the meeting fumbled on.
"From his seat outside the board circle, Dugan raised his hand to make a proposal. “Leave the potholes on the entrance side and dig potholes on the exit side. Spray a little tar in them. Call them “speedholes.” He could do it with a shovel and a couple of cans of hot tar in a couple of hours. Free."
Occam's Razor states, "entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily" or that the explanation of any phenomena should make as few assumptions as possible. This is most often stated as, "Of several acceptable explanations for a phenomenon, the simplest is preferable."
Tim's Razor states, "government spending should not be multiplied unnecessarily" or that, "Of several acceptable solutions for a problem, the simplest is preferable."
I just received(and really, I just received it, read it, and opened this posting window) a letter from Philip Cherry, the director of Onslow County Public Libraries.
The residents of Onslow County do not want a tax increase. Well, who does? So the Board of Commissioners came up with a list of cuts they can make in an effort to reduce the need for a tax increase.
Closing of the Richlands, Swansboro and Sneads Ferry branch libraries
Reduction of Main Library hours to four days per week
Closing of the Onslow County Museum
Reduction of employee health insurance benefits(employee cost sharing)
Elimination of 20 full time Sheriff’s Deputies
Sale of the Home Health/Hospice agency
Elimination of all Recreation programs
Closing of all parks, except on weekends
Elimination of senior citizen nutrition sites
Elimination of mosquito control
Elimination of proposed EMS basic life support ambulance service
Elimination of the Capital Improvement Program reserve fund
36 hour, 4 day workweeks for all County employees, not including public safety
Elimination of Board of Education capital improvement funding
Reduction in Board of Education current expense funding
The letter goes on to say, "Approximately 80% of County government spending is on programs dictated by the State and Federal governments. Therefore, only “quality of life” type services can be controlled by the Board of Commissioners."
I don't want to see libraries closed and I think closed parks are a haven for mischief. I'm a fan of parks and libraries and see them as one of the few legitimate expenses of local government under our current system, though I'd like to see more push toward private interest (individuals or individual businesses) in keeping these places running. (Of course if we were allowed to keep what we earn, then we'd be more able to invest individually into parks and libraries.)
Unfortunately, Onslow county has been under some very very poor management and is now reaping what they sowed.
Maybe... just maybe... people and corporations will take a vested interest in their communities and will supply the vacuum with substitutes. If the county stops their youth services, organize. Create your own. If the county wants to close the parks during the week (I'm not even sure how this saves money... it's basically grass and trees), take your mower to your neighborhood park and mow. Keep it clean. Pick up where the county left off. If you don't want to pay for it, you've got to pick up the slack. If you don't, these will turn into vandal/vagrant hang-out spots. Your parks will be distorted to the point where you won't want to go on the weekends.
Nobody wants to pay higher taxes. I agree that there are cuts which can be made. I'm pretty sure there are other cuts than the libraries and parks, but I don't have their budget and mandates in front of me right now, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.
Look, in all fairness, as much as I like parks and libraries, they are not a necessity of the government. They are a "nice to have". The government needs to focus on the basics. Law, law enforcement, sanitation, roads...
An easy test on government spending is to ask yourself, "Could someone else do it?" If the answer is yes, then it can be cut. In the case of the libraries, yeah, someone else could do it. I don't think there's anyone in Onslow County who will... but that's a post for another day.
For now, Mr Cherry, I feel your pain. I understand the need for a library in that town and we were common visitors to the Doris (Main) Branch. I hope you don't close... I know that community needs a library (though a lot of people don't even know you're there). You've got my sympathy. I appreciate what you do for the community. I don't live there, so you can't get my tax money. Once this blows over and we see where you are (your longevity) we'll check to see what we can do from out here.
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If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater the effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders - what would you tell him to do?
![\World According to tim\](http://static.toondoo.com/public/c/s/m/csmdad/toons/cool-cartoon-835101.png "\World According to tim\")
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