Sunday, April 27, 2008

None of the Above

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(Picture courtesy of yours truly)

Seriously, what does one do when one finds no actual or still-possible candidate appealing or even vaguely acceptable? When I have asked a few friends, all said to vote anyhow because if I don't "the other" side will have an easier time getting elected. I feel, however, if I vote, it is to support The System of no real choices.

For the first time in a long time, during the primary season, I found a candidate that I could pretty much fully support (pictured above)! I even contributed some money (something I don't recall ever doing before)! I even worked for my candidate and hoped beyond hope that people would see him as a truly viable candidate who had experience, foresight, and wisdom - "the right stuff." Alas, not enough people agreed, and he withdrew leaving us ultimately with what we have as of this writing (in alphabetical order - Barack, Hillary, and John). FEH! They are Politicians (in the worst sense of the word)! Is this the best we can do? I don't believe I have ever missed voting in an an election. I even ran once for a position because there were no other candidates (turned out so did someone else, so there was a contest). I did no negative campaigning; as a matter of fact, I did no campaigning at all. I lost, but that was okay because I ended up with a respectable showing, which, in itself, was impressive against "a local." As we get closer to November, I may run for a Congressional seat just to give people a choice to vote for someone who is not part of The System. Politics is way complicated, and, IMHO, because of the complexities, has been taken out of the hands of the people. I want to give it back (or take it back).

That said, back to the original question: what do I do about voting? What do you think?

Monday, April 21, 2008

Easy Rider



Today was the day!
With Miss Kim's help, we moved some stuff in the barn and cleared a path for me to get the bike out for the first ride of the season. I was worried as I hadn't taken the battery out or stabilized the gas, but everything went flawlessly. The bike started right up, and I hopped right on. This was one of the three or four days a year when I didn't wear a helmet, which I usually do (I know, all it takes is one time for tragedy to happen, but...). I only went a few miles each way to experience the ride and put in some fresh gas. With prices where they are (and appear to be going), I may be riding the bike a lot this summer. Temps finally reached into the 70s and it was beautifully clear today ("What a day for a daydream!") It was both exhilarating and a bit terrifying to travel at about 60 mph with nothing but the bike between me and the rushing pavement (at least it seemed the pavement was rushing [it was really me]), but it was wonderful! When I get back to work (I'm on my well-deserved vay-k this week), I'd love to ride the bike in, but the mornings have been in the 20s and 30s before warming to a bearable temperature for the ride home.

Anyhow, don't let the grass in the background of the picture fool you - it's a picture from last year (or the year before). We're just now starting to see signs of green (it was a long and deep winter this year); Miss Kim pointed out our one daffodil, but that should soon change. It has been said that New Hampshire has three seasons: winter, mud, and August. This year, there's actually a spring.

Later.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

"There's Muggers and there's jugglers...

...and we are led by clowns." That's a line from a Harry Chapin song ("I Wonder What Would Happen to this World"), and it sums up most politicians. I saw a headline today that drove the point home. On the Drudge Report, the headline and sub-headline read:

No Al Qaeda Policy: Congress Wants Answers

House Committee Plans to Grill Administration on What's Being Done to Get Bin Laden

You know what? I have finally realized they can grill all they want, and nothing will change! You know why it won't change? Because the people who could make the decisions to change things won't! In a Charley Reese column (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18568.htm) he explains it all. You have to read the article to understand. If you have read it, it's hard to argue his points! If you haven't read it, read it now! Congress can have all the hearings it wants, but most of the time, there are no changes because it doesn't want change. Read it, and when you have, let me know what you think!

Later.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Hey, I Gotta a Idea

I have been half-watching one of the "Lord of the Rings" movies as I surf on my computer. It is kind of neat to look up and see those trees ambling through the woods while carrying a couple of whom I presume to be the good guys - pretty good special effects. I remember when the first movie of "The Shining" came out, the scene from the book in which the hedges cut into animal shapes (the topiary) came to life couldn't be done convincing enough to keep them in the movie - they were replaced by the movie's maze (interestingly, the creeping hedges was one of the few scenes in the book I as being really chilling).

Anyhow, the scene now on that caught my attention was a (THE?) battle scene where these really ugly dark creatures are storming a castle - the scene strikes me as one of the true epic battle scenes of the big screen (now smaller as I am watching it on TV). Among the weapons are swords, spears, battle axes, arrows, rock, and the like. The whole thing takes place in the darkness of rain, night and is massive. The juxtaposing of the warriors, the men guarding the castle, and the women and children waiting it out somewhere in the castle is powerful.

So, at the start of the battle, it's all hitting the fan! Thousands of these disgusting creatures are storming the castle, putting these crude ladders up against the walls and the defenders are pushing them over almost as fast. It's all quite intense, and just as I'm getting into it and one more ladder gets pushed over... there's a commercial... right in the middle of this incredible battle. That got me thinking (uh-oh). As you must already know, the current Iraqi war is costing us a pretty penny (http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home [now I know why they're called "red states"; they have helped support pushing us so far into the red....). Why can't the military take on sponsors! Instead of the private contractors making all the big money over there, we can spread it around, help corporate America, and cut costs at the same time. Combat boots can have logos, uniforms can all have all the hottest brand names (all still made in and imported from China, of course... and don't let me see any Army soldiers wearing Old Navy), and the food! Instead of swapping canned peaches for cigarettes, people can swap McDonald's fries for a Subway foot-long or a bag of Fritos. You get the idea.

Another thought I have (no, it isn't lonely) is in any war to get both sides (or in the case of Iraq, all five or six or more sides) to agree to have crews around who periodically (like every twelve minutes or so) call a halt to whatever action is happening and show commercials. Large screens could either be wheeled in or already set up on street corners, and a series of ads could run - several minutes worth. There could even be a requirement for one or two "feel-good" ads in every set, and maybe fighters might rethink the error of their ways (not us, of course, because we're there to, uh, well, uh, well, not us because we have a mission [though I am not sure anyone knows what it is and how we'll know when the next mission is accomplished {the first already was - our president said so}]). With enough pauses, there might be no momentum, and the whole war thing might fall apart. That might make a lot of people pretty happy... and make a lot of money for corporate America. I mean, isn't that ultimately what we're really fighting for?

Later.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

A Horse is a Horse (of course)!

(From left to right: me, Dixie, Jessie, and Kim)

Picture getting in your car and starting it up. In virtually every instance, when you step on the gas, the car moves forward. When you brake, it slows and stops. When you turn the wheel to the right, the car turns right, and, of course, when you turn left, the car goes left. Unless something breaks or goes terribly wrong, the car does what you direct it to do probably 100 percent of the time. Now, suppose you expect the car to do what you direct it to, but there are no guarantees. When you step on the accelerator, it may move forward... or not. When you turn it to the left, it might go left, but, as I mentioned above, there are no guarantees. In the past, the car always responded as you expected, but the next time it might not. That, my friends, is what a horse show is all about. As my wife and now I often say, "Horse showing is a sport in which the ball has a mind of its own."

From 8:00 this morning (up at 6) until about 7:30 this evening, I was at a horse show; that's a long day. I am the "adviser" for my high school's equestrian team, which is new this year. I put the word "adviser" in quotes, as I don't have much advice to give. Horses are not my strong point even though we own three and my daughter rides. If you are not a horse person, I may know more than you do, but if you are, I am severely lacking. What I decided I can do is give you, the non-horse people, a look at what I know and what it's like to attend a horse show.

As all of what follows is equally important, all items are labeled #1. (#1) Always watch where you step. Horses don't excuse themselves and then wander off to some isolated corner to, uh, relieve themselves; no, where they stand or happen to be passing through at any moment is where it happens. If people did the same, their workday would be oh, so much more productive with no bathroom breaks. (#1) When passing behind a horse, give it a wide berth. At any given moment, a horse may (and often does) release prodigious piles of, uh, horse, uh, "puckey" (no dictionary meaning captures what I really mean there, but I am sure you can figure it out). You don't want to be standing there when it happens. Also, some horse can kick out or step on you - something else you don't want to experience. (#1) Be prepared to stand around or sit around a lot. In a typical show of perhaps up to nine or ten hours, the actual riding time of the rider you go to see may be measured in minutes. (#1) The judge is the judge, and what happens happens. If a rider makes a mistake or does a perfect job, the judge may see the former but not the latter (or vice-versa). If the former, get over it or, if the latter, enjoy the moment. The opposite may happen the next time. (#1) Be prepared for "weather." Today was a miserable 39 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like zero. There are other days in which one bakes. Rain and mud (mixed with horse puckey) are the worst IMHO, although today was no prizewinner. (#1) If you think owning a house is expensive, when you get into horses, the house looks cheap. (on the other hand, and in all fairness, someone once said the best place to raise a child is in the horse ring. There is much truth there [see #1 that follows]. The money we spend is truly an investment in responsibility and character. So far, our investment has paid off dearly!) Finally, (#1) Horse people are often among the best people in the world - they are friendly, comfortable, and generous. In one personal case, a person we had never seen before let my daughter ride her horse to compete when we had problems with ours. (Of course, in any large group of people, there are bound to be a few spoiled brats, so keep your eyes open - you can usually tell who they are pretty quickly.) I am sure there are more things to offer, but I need to unwind before bed. Today really was a long day... but worth every second.

Later.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Objectophilia

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If I understand the word correctly, "objectophilia" is when one's true love is an inanimate object. I am not sure if that's like my wife's comment that she loves her truck or if there's something deeper and more troubling.

Anyhow, last week I got a promotional mailing that told me of a special offer that would pay off up to three car lease payments (I lease my cars) and give me a bonus of $500 toward another vehicle. The only problem was that the offer was good for three days, and I had five payments left on my Dodge Caliber. I stopped by the dealer in a panic wondering if this was an offer I could or should take advantage of (the dealer [Autoserv of Plymouth NH] and my family have "a relationship." At least twelve [or more] of our last vehicles bought and leased have come from there - they have always treated us "right." Like any business, some people do quite well there while others do not - I suspect having a relationship helps immensely! Any people I have sent in "under my wing" have been pleased). Short story shorter, they told me to wait - there was always a Lease Loyalty incentive, and they would take care of me. I left feeling better, but I was told they'd run numbers anyhow. Late Monday, I called them and left a message that I would wait for a few months. Tuesday afternoon, I went in for an inspection on the Caliber; they gave me numbers. Wednesday afternoon, I picked up my new vehicle - a Jeep Liberty. (I don't know if I should reveal this, but to make things happen, the dealer paid off my last several lease payments, a $495 turn-in fee, and told me my mileage was okay. I think they like me.)

The Caliber was okay - it was a fun car to drive, but I always had a problem getting in and out, and I didn't put winter tires on - as a result, with this record-setting winter (snowiest in a hundred years), I wasn't always fully comfortable in it (I got stuck in my flat, ice-packed driveway twice). Now that I have the Jeep, I am comfortable again as it has four-wheel drive. My getting the Jeep virtually guarantees no more snow this year, but it's something I can accept (especially after 117.1 inches so far).

The first day I drove it, I liked it. The second day, I really liked it. Although it's still early (today is the third day), dare I say it? I may even shortly love it (I'm on the verge). By the way, if you are in the area and looking for a car, let me know first. I will call them, put you under my wing, and see if you can be taken care of the right way. I suspect if everyone was treated as I have been, the dealer would have to put a Take-a-Number machine at the door.

Later.

BACK IN THE DAY....

I remember when I was growing up (as much as I did), there were a few career choices that I considered. The bottom line is that I was never ...