Category: FWIW

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A Kid Again

In 1959, we were a single income family, even though both of my parents were college graduates. My dad was making decent money working in a field not known for particularly good incomes. Still with five children, the budget was sometimes a tad tight. So, when my folks decided to buy a World Book Encyclopedia with all the trimmings, including ten years of “yearbooks” and a large (no, REALLY large, “library-sized”) two-volume dictionary set, our lil family library grew by almost 25% overnight, and I found my backup reading material for the next few years.

Yes, there was always at least one volume of the set under my bed, close enough for a night time “sneak read”. Sometimes, it was just one of the two dictionary volumes (yes, for reading), but most often it was just a volume chosen according to some topic that had caught my fancy, then kept for further reading as one article led to another and another and…

And that’s how I get to be a kid again. For the last 18 years the web has been my go-to reading material for times when I’ve exhausted my stash of new books. It’s also been my substitute for an encyclopedia, since I never run out of things to learn. And thanks to my *cough* encyclopedic reading habits over the years, I have a skill set and basic knowledge base that allows me to filter out most crap.

And the resources–good quality resources–are effectively limitless, now, and not confined to one book case. Heck, I find myself re-reading classics online that are in a book case that’s literally within the reach of my right hand as I type these words.

And on top of being a library with more than enough resources to keep me in learning material for life, the web’s a source of amusement (dumbasses a-plenty to poke fun at! Yipee! *heh*), entertainment (I have a full movie list at Crackle, for example), contemporary information (I’ll not say it’s “news”) and interpersonal interactions.

But most of all, it’s a resource just jam packed with information that’s either new to me or in a new format that makes sense in a different way or old information that’s fun to re-read, review and cogitate over.

Sweet. Kid. In a candy store. Unlimited candy budget.

*sigh* I’ve entered my second childhood.

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Assiti Shard Challenge

So Baen has a “challenge” out to readers. The prizes? Get red-shirted in an upcoming Eric Flint novel and receive a complete set of the 1632 “Ring of Fire” eBook series.

Not bad. Of course, I only lack one of the series, so far, so that’s not a biggie, but getting killed off in an Eric Flint novel might be… novel.

So what’s the challenge? Given a 10-mile diameter “Assiti Shard” that displaces either forward or backward in time from 2011, come up with a story proposal. You know: place transported, people, where transported, conflict, etc.

The problem for me is this: it’d be really interesting if a 10-mile diameter area centered around where I took Son&Heir on a country drive here in America’s third world county were transported back in time just 100 years… to the same place. The interesting thing to me would be the situation: how long would it take the people living in this area to discover they’d traveled back in time 100 years? I’m betting on an average of a year, but some might never find out… No. I’m serious. *heh* (You’d really have to know the area I’m talking about. “Piney woods” just doesn’t capture the flavor… )
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OK, the Assiti Shard books and stories, beginning with 1632, are generally just fun reads. But the more extensively read one is in history, especially European history and particularly the Renaissance, the more fun the tales will be.

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Frying Dinner on the Sidewalk Tonight

Forecast for today said high of 97°F. Dam*ed lying Weatherbuggy. The current report from the high school’s weather station is slightly higher in temp…

Well, now that the actual temp is DOWN from 111°F, the heat index of 115°F seems OK, right? Right?

Oh, dear. Spoke a bit too soon. After burning myself on the table saw out on the deck, I decided to check again:

And "downtown's on fire, man"

Again, if weather forecasts are this inaccurate from one day to the next, even IF the global warmistas’ Cult of Anthropogenic Global Climate Scare-ism models hadn’t already been shot full of holes, I’d still have no reason to place any confidence in them, now would I? At least not confidence enough to further wreck the global economy with their proposed “remedies” for “problems” they’ve not offered anything more than failed computer models to support..

Meanwhile, it’s hot. It’s called “Summer”. I remember it from last year about this time. *heh*

And speaking of heat and summer and all that jazz, as I have been, how can I neglect to link this (via Sister Nicole) and give a hearty and soul felt “AMEN! Preach on brother!”

(One small cavil about The Church of The Blessed Evaporator: w/o AC, Congress wouldn’t meet so often and make so much trouble, and “feddle gummint bureaucraps” wouldn’t have all those nice, air conditioned offices from which to work their deeds of iniquity. Sad that such a boon to humanity can be perverted so… *sigh*)

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“Once more unto the breach, dear friends… “

Maybe this will post. Not holding my breath.

Been having sucky internet service since the Joplin tornado. Understood it’d take some time to repair infrastructure, etc., but it’s more than two months, and the intermittent outages–some lasting, as today, for more than eight hours at a time– and slow “speeds” are beginning to pall. Strike that, are now f’in’ irritating. I “grump” fairly easily in recent years, but I’ve been a pretty patient guy, cutting some slack for the circumstances. No more. Going to gripe ’em out, now. If we’re paying for service (and we are) then they’d better start actually providing what we’re paying for.

Enough’s enough.

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Summer Projects

Well, it seemed like it was time for another minor kitchen facelift. Nothing major, but with the nice stainless steel (inside and out) Bosch dishwasher last year and the stainless steel monster fridge this year, the cabinets and counter top were looking a bit tired by comparison, so…

So far:

Counter top sanded down and preliminary prep for a Giani faux granite finish done. But before doing that,

A fresh paint job on the cabinets–1/2 done, now–high, high gloss white with new chrome hardware to please my Wonder Woman. 🙂

Also before the Giani stuff, some small stuff: new light fixture, some wiring (before, because some of the wiring will actually affect the counter top), a few small structural and cosmetic additions and changes (like some plastering/replastering and repainting of some areas of the walls)–nothing big.

And after the counter top is finished, then I can finish up the stove area: sheet, brushed stainless steel backsplash and some stainless steel paint for the oven door–from the same company as the counter top paint.

Yeh, yeh, I know: paint a countertop?!? This will be my second time. The last was 12 years ago, and it lasted well. In fact, I’ve only been able to sand it down not even off (a really good epoxy paint). Besides, it’s not like I, Mr. Tightwad, would actually buy a granite counter top!

Hmmm, now that I think of it, just about the only things that aren’t getting changed in the kitchen are the ceiling and the floor… I ought to reconsider that. Maybe get rid of the nasty “popcornish” ceiling and plaster/paint it…

Oh, forgot. Doing the faux granite to approximate a match to some marble tiles I picked up that are going to make the counter backsplash. And yeh, I’m not removing the tile that’s there. Got some spacers to allow me to tile over the current bqacksplash and reinstall the electrical outlets, have an adhesive that’ll let me adhere the marble to the ceramic. I’m all set there. Again: cheap and less work. (Have you ever removed ceramic tile? Messy, PITA and all the backing has to be replaced before putting anything else up. Not doing that again. Just not.)

*sigh* Also neglected to mention that the peninsula I added to the kitchen about thirteen years ago (20″X40″, hardwood top, 2 large drawers, cutting board drawer, pot rack above) has gotten a renewal as well with a fresh sanding of the top followed by a pickling treatment. Not going to do the same with the kitchen island, though I may change the cabinet to the white the rest of the kitchen cabinets have gone to.

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What Do Barack Obama and Anders Breivik Have in Common?

It seems the P-resident of the (dys)United States and the Norwegian shooter have some substantial things in common:

  • They both apparently claim to be “Christian” (at least for values of “Christian” that the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind recognizes as valid) and
  • They both espouse the values of the Loony Left; The Zero those of the leftist bomb team of Ayers and Dorhn, Breivik those of the equally leftist Unabomber.

Of course, The Zero and Breivik apparently have another thing in common. Since they both reportedly claim to be “Christians” but have behaved in ways that openly, blatantly, flamboyantly contradict the teachings of Christ, then they are both also liars.

Yeh, yeh, I know the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind insists on calling Breivik a “right-winger” but anyone who has one of the Hivemind’s favorite left wingnuts as the PRIMARY source for his own “manifesto” is no right-wing anything, and the fact that that Hivemind insists on the lie says more about the Hivemind than about Breivik.

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Dinner’s Getting Microwaved Tonight

Here’s why:

Yeh, yeh, the house is mostly cool, but I spent some time this afternoon doing some electrical work in some areas w/o AC, and I’m wrung out, so no stoves or ovens for me tonight. 😉

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“Downtown’s On Fire, Man!”

A little blast from the past via memory of George Carlin’s “Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman”…

105° F in Third World County Central’s environs, complete with “Have to wear SCUBA gear when going outside or drown” humidity.

Nice day to stay inside. Did a lil bit of handyman work for Lovely Daughter and her Undaunted Husband (she’s a sometimes daunting person *heh*). Wish I could have done more, but they’ll survive. 🙂

Relaxing, enjoying planning some lil handyman tasks here at home as well. Planning ’em, cos I’m not doing anything BUT relaxing tonight, and planning those tasks (and getting tools and materials lined out) is relaxing. OK, and typing in this low-density post. 😉

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Burying Their Wounded

Michael Flynn has quoted, and commented on, some interesting information about Thomas Disch,

“…part of the reason he quit writing science fiction was that, to deepen it into real art, ‘I would have to be like … Gene Wolfe and return to the Catholicism that I barely got away from when I was young–and I can’t do that, of course.’–Thomas M. Disch, 1940-2008, Joseph Bottum on Thomas M. Disch

In addition to Flynn’s comments on why he thinks Disch might (repeat: might) have felt a return to Catholicism would be necessary in order to deepen his fiction into art, Flynn also offers this speculation,

“As for the second, he may have thought that people suffering from illnesses are not welcome in a hospital.”

I can actually understand that sort of thought process in a person who’s left a church for whatever reason. Many congregations are closer to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day and are more likely to bury those they view as sinners under a heap of condemnation or smarmy false “pity” than welcome them into–or back into–the fold. In such congregations, it seems that The Nazarene’s parables of The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Loving Father (known to those who misplace the emphasis as The Prodigal Son) have been excised from their scriptures, or at least from their hearts.

I can understand if Disch thought going back to Catholicism might entail dealing with such a “welcome”. He might well have been correct. IF this were any part of the mental process that prevented him from returning to the religious roots of his youth. Big “if” as we have no way of asking him, of course.

Still, I have known enough church-going Pharisees to make Flynn’s speculation plausible. “Hospitals” that bury the wounded instead of helping them are really just slaughter houses.