Hi. You suck. Have a nice day.

But YOU. You over there. I LIKE you. Come here. Lemme scratch your ears. Ok, ok - lay down. Good dog.

And so I suppose today is the day to get the Christmas stuff out. Some people have already done it but I've had other things to do. Things which I can't yet talk about but keep hoping will come to a head soon. But whatever - let it ride.

I repaired my punching bag yesterday. This is a Rawlings 14P punching bag. It was probably made in the 1960's and I've been looking for some sort of antique pricing for this thing. I'm not going to sell it. It was my Dad's. And it is still in very good shape.

But I took out the bladder yesterday to try to find the leak and couldn't. Finally I realized it was coming out of the hole you pump it up with. So I got some Vaseline and shoved some into and around the hole with the pump needle. That seemed to slow the leak some. The rubber piece was really dry and it may have just needed some lube to help it seal better. I put a piece of tape over it and that helped hold the air in. I even rubbed some Vaseline on the leather which seemed to really help with the dryness and look of the leather. I dare not use Armorall on it. It's almost like a new punching bag now. And that's muh punching bag story for today, kids! Yay!

I need to get out Christmas stuff, clean some things up, would like to make some little greenhouse boxes for the garden and plant some cold weather stuff like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.. And I need a haircut...maybe. Or maybe I don't care. It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone.

For that matter, who needs to shower this month? Guess I'll put that off for a couple more months too. I'm sort of kind of working from home and it's not like they can see me or smell me. Ahhhh, the deliciousness of filth. I'm like a Komodo dragon - no venom but if I bite you, you'll die from a nasty bacterial infection. Yeah baby! I only wish I had more moles and warts on my face. Too bad I'm really bald or I could soak my hair in the hog waller for extra attractiveness.

And so then - it's back to the ole grind. Man, my back hurts. I need a vacation.

So, it would seem that Andre Agassi's hair wasn't entirely..... rrrreal. I'm not disappointed really. It made him look like a rockin' crazy tennis player back in the day, which I thought was pretty cool. But it goes to show ya....ehm....what. Well I dunno. Well it goes to show you people do stuff to make themselves stand out and they're not always honest about it but it makes them millions of dollars while the rest of us decide we're no good at tennis because we don't have that kind of hair. Or something. Whatever. More power to him. You might not believe this, but I've other things besides Andre Agassi's hair status to think about.

Like walnuts. Just kidding! It's actually gotten cold and rainy out so what's left of the un-cracked walnuts are stored away to be cracked another day. So I'm not really thinking about walnuts...much.

I am thinking more about the news lately. I mean, Bush Sr. goes to war with a country and doesn't kill it's leader - something I've NEVER understood. Bush Jr. goes BACK to war with the SAME country and um...shouldn't we be looking for someone in Afghanistan?...someone who maybe toppled a couple of towers on our own land? So maybe Barack "Carrrrazy Health Care Guy" Obama will finally send some more guys over there and do what should have been done years ago. But I think his administration will be most known for their force into the healthcare biz which I think is going to send their popularity pretty far down before it's all over. Forcing people to pay for health insurance?

And that's what has got me upset about yet more rights being taken away from us - as in the recent no-smoking ban for the businesses in Virginia. Tennessee already has it (leave it to TN to be the first to rescind our rights in pretty much any matter). I don't understand how government has any right to tell a restaurant how to run their business when it comes to smoking. (Or to force full grown adults to wear seat belts or helmets for that matter.)

I don't smoke so...hooray...right? Well kinda. I don't like being in places where the smoking is so concentrated that it is making me sick. But I always figured that's called free enterprise and places that want smokers AND non-smokers for customers will make their establishment as patronizing as possible for both or lose customers to the next business down the street that does a better job. Guess I was wrong. I guess freedom is something that can be taken from us without a fight according to the $*%&(#*'s who take them away from us. And by the way, I LIKE the faint smell of smoke at a fair or carnival. I mean, what's a fair or carnival without somebody somewhere sucking in some carcinogens? Makes ME happy. Hope smoking doesn't get banned from these places too.

Just like the red light cameras and speed cameras. NO, you CAN'T make your own choices anymore. Technology is now making the decisions here. You're not allowed to be human. You're not allowed to make mistakes. Not even with your own health. I think this would be like a foreign country to our forefathers. It's easy to use black and white. It's easy to use on or off. It's easy to use ones and zeros.

Are there any non-lazy-ass people out there left who use the more thought intensive actions like discretion, good judgment and reason anymore? Has the intent of the law gone out the window while we are beat over the head with the letter of the law? Are we now cowering to minorities because it's become unfashionable to ignore minorities so that more rights can be given to the most people?

Has the spelling of the word "judgment" changed because I used to think it was "judgement" but spell check is telling me it's not and...oh nevereminde.

"It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. That's what a ship needs. But what a ship is... what the Black Pearl really is... is freedom."

And so I go forth to face a cold, rainy day with enthusiasm, joy and happiness while......awwww shut up. Think I'll go pinch off a mole or something.

*ouch*

~w0s~

Well hello there. Back for more walnuts? I thought so! Actually, I just posted a big write-up about it with pictures at the wornoutshoes site so here ya go - http://www.wornoutshoes.com/walnuts2009.htm

Now maybe I'll shut up about them, right? Oh no, no my friend. If I'M going through something, YOU get to go through it with me. That's your job. Shut up and be happy about it. Yes, YOU. You sitting there with your teeth in your mouth.

So yesterday I pulled down a tree. It was about a 30 or 40 footer. But it was a pine tree that was dead and had been dead for awhile. It had finally broken near the base and fell over on the fence row. So I tied a rope to it, then tied the other end toward myself and pulled it off the fence. Dead trees are heavier than I thought. But got it and cut off most of the limbs, cut it in half and tried to "neaten" up the area. If it's not one thing getting in the way of my nuts, it's another. HA!

Speaking of which, I still got a wheelbarrow full sitting out there begging for muh attention. So la ti da for now.

Pickled Whale,

~w0s~

*sniiiiiiifff!!!*  Urgh.  I feel like my head is swimming in some highly viscous snot or something.  My eyeballs hurt and itch.  My ears are stopped up.  And I am somewhat congested.  I just downed some tomato juice mixed with some Texas Pete sauce, garlic and cayenne.  That'll cure me or kill me.

I still can't get over the huge amount of walnuts I've harvested.  In all the years we've lived here I don't think I've bothered with them.  But now I see them as little nuggets of gold.  They are so delicious and not so complicated to harvest as I once thought.  Oh they ARE time consuming....pretty much like any gardening task.  But worth it to me.  You can hull them while they're still green, after they've fallen to the ground.  But it's a little easier to hull them when the hull has turned slimy and black.  The thing is, you want don't want to wait until they've all turned slimy and black or you simply won't get them all done.

I wear a pair of rubber gloves with a leather glove over my left hand to avoid cutting the rubber glove underneath.  In my right hand, I use a box cutter to cut around the hull and then scrape it off with the box cutter and toss the nuts in a bucket.  After I do a bucket, I wash them off with a water hose (probably unnecessary) and hang them in netted onion or potato bags to dry for a couple of weeks.  Then use a heavy hammer to crack them open. 

I also use a pair of cutting pliers to cut and crack parts of the shell to get to parts of the nut that might otherwise be smashed by hitting them further with the hammer.  I get pretty large pieces that way.  Then it's off to the crisper with them.  Or into my mouth.  It's messy and time consuming, but delicious.  So there.  Walnuts.  I think we'll use them to make walnut pumpkin pie this year - something we've never tried.  And of course, brownies.

So yeah, feeling sickly.  A few weeks ago, I got to the point of lying on the couch all day with my entire body in pain but later started getting much better.  Now it seems to be coming back although it feels like more of a severe sinus problem.  Still feel pretty crappy and it's gotten worse in the past few days.

Anythickheadedness, I am off to....do.....something.  I dunno.  It's hard to think.  I feel like a zombie.  URRRRRR!!!

Ok then.

Mashed potato peas to ya.

~w0s~

Today marks the completion of detailing mom's vehicle.  Couldn't get it all finished yesterday.  I didn't realize how many freaking surfaces there are to vacuum, clean, scrub, shine and wax on an SUV.  But I figure everyone should do this for their widowed mum at least once a year. 

After that, it's off to the dump, bank and back to cracking more walnuts.  Then editing a website.  Perhaps I should rearrange my priorities to working on the things that actually make me money first.  Meh, whatever. 

Oh yeah - Logan got a job!!!  Woohoo!!!

And oh yeah, I need to post those pictures and for that matter, I need to get alot of video off the tapes and edited onto DVDs so I can erase the tapes and reuse them.  And so the family can enjoy viewing our most intensely entertaining activities.

Sometime this weekend, I guess I shall mow the leaves.  That's supposed to help the grass as well since the small bits of chopped leaves add nutrients to the soil.  Ah - and I keep forgetting, I need to chop up all the dead stuff in the garden and work toward getting it ready for next year.  Actually, there are some cold weather things you can grow now.  Like I still have carrots and onions in the ground.  If you mulch them over they can endure some frost and actually taste better.  You can build a simple wooden frame and attach plastic to it as well, opening it up during the day so the plants can breathe, and that will protect and allow them to grow nicely.  But I just haven't had time to build a frame.

One day I will record a song again.  I think I've given up on some dreams in recent times.  Life's circumstances that continually beg for my attention has left me short on time to do anything else.  There seems to be constant responsibilities that I just have to take care of.  I have this sense that I'm catching up on doing necessary things and that I'm getting closer to being able to do unnecessary things again.  But that's the hanging carrot that keeps this jackass moving along isn't it?  Life's conveyor belt.  Move along folks - nothing here to see.

I feel like to took a flying leap when I left my last job.  It's always scary (and/or exciting) making decisions like that.  I won't know whether my judgement has served me well until I land again.  And this year's unfortunate events seem to have given me a huge nitrous boost further out of the atmosphere and I've pretty much been just orbiting ever since.  But my orbit has been decaying and I'm on my way back down now. 

Things get rearranged when you make those decisions.  Like I doubt I would have discovered our tasty walnuts if I hadn't taken this leap.  And there are alot of other things that I have been able to give attention to that probably have long needed my attention but wouldn't have gotten it otherwise.  Only time will tell how the things I have discovered during this time will affect the rest of my life.  Hope I land on better ground.  Perhaps my fat (phat?) butt will cause an earthquake.  =P

Well it's supposed to be VERY nice weather this weekend anyway.  Temperatures in the 70's.  I did rediscover a neat game lately (hey I do have small holes of unnecessariness here and there).  It's Unreal.  Not the new versions.  Not the multiplayer versions.  The original one.  The graphics are not so great compared to today's games.  But it's still really fun and has a very well thought out story line.  I wish there was some company that specialized in reprogramming old games with modern graphics resolution.  That game would be sweet.

Ah - and I did go to the club last weekend.  The original WornOutShoes crew - me, Jon, Jack and Jason R..  There was some girl who hugged me and Jason R. and we had no idea who it was.  She was wearing Halloween makeup so who knows.  Just someone having a good time I guess.  Last year, some random person gave me a  fist bump too and it could have been the same person but I dunno.  We danced and later Jason R. left with some girl he knows. 

And even later Jon returned me home where I found that no one had vandalized the place.  !!!  Guess Halloween was too obvious.  But I've been watching.  We have had a few problems in recent years and the jim-dandy new camera system will hopefully record any further turds out there.

Oh yeah, I got crap to do.

Scratch one for me!

~w0s~

Hi.  We are the shoes.  You will be assimilated.  Pestilence is fertile.  Well I was thinking about typing something but people keep talking to me and interrupting my thought process.  Think I'll go finish detailing mom's car instead.

Roasted some pumpkin seeds.  They taste kind of like popcorn.  They're supposed to have pretty good nutritional value as well.  Might crack some walnuts later. 

Oh I remember what I was wanting to do - post some pictures.  Me, mom, muh sister and muh nephew went on a train ride in North Carolina a few days ago.  Got some good piccaroonies.  But that's not going to happen just now.  I've already input the algorithm into my brain for the next few hours of activities of muh life.  Sooooo, pictures later.

Anyboogersmashers, for now, I'm off.

Sideburns to ya,

~w0s~

I don't know.  I don't know how this goes.  I just make it up as I go along.

Halloween is Saturday but I am very seriously thinking of not going to any clubs.  I don't have a vehicle and that means someone will have to take me home afterwards.  And I do want to go home.  Got to fend off them vandals.

I keep having things getting in my way of collecting more walnuts.  SOMEBODY got new tires and it wasn't me.  But I had to go along and help.  I've also begun work on a new horse catalog - just editing price lists at the moment.  I need to clean up Mom's car.  I need to exercise again one day.  I need to buy shoes.  I need to mow leaves.  I need to work in the garden.

I keep looking to buy a truck.  I liked Toyota at one time and still may get a used one.  But it seems like almost all manufacturers of trucks are on an upsizing kick.  As in, the new Tacomas are still six cylinder but the body is as big as one you would expect on an eight cylinder.  And six and eight cylinders both seem to have this four door thing going on.  Unless you actually have a crew of workers you need to drive around along with a bunch of crap that only a truck could haul...that also needs hauling over 4x4 terrain - WHY!!!!?  WHY do people buy these things??!  Aren't we supposed to be getting more environmentally friendly these days?

I even know someone who's got a four door, four wheel drive, eight cylinder Silverado.  Just one person.  He has no family or coworkers to haul around.  Just an individual.  I looked under the hood of that thing and you could easily hide two bodies - one on either side of the engine.  Yes, it's an eight cylinder.  But the thing is the size of a traveling hotel.  It's got 17" wheels on it but they look tiny on that thing.  It's ridiculous. 

But anyway, it is a pretty Fall day.  And it's about time for supper.  I may try to gather some walnuts, de-husk, spray with a hose and toss them in a netted potato bag for drying first.  Don't let me forget to watch "How It's Made" at nine o'clock on Friday.  They're supposed to show how walnuts are commercially processed.  That should be interesting. 

Thanks.

Osmosis to ya.

~w0s~

My Mom sent this to me in an email.  Yay me!

Here's to US!

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, WE ARE AWESOME!  OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF!

To those of us born 1930 - 1979 - all the kids who survived the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's.
 
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
 
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
 
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
 
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle..

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.
 
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.  And, we weren't overweight.  WHY?

Because we were always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on...
 
No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.  After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem

We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
 
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
 
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
 
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.  Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.  Imagine that!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.  They actually sided with the law!
 
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
 
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
 
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

 If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.  (Can you say red light cameras and required health insurance?)
 
While you are at it, send this to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
 
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
 
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

And there ya go.  So it's Friday.  Guess I'll go cash a check.  Too bad it ain't mine.

~w0s~

*Poke, stab, poke*
*runs away*
It's sloppy joes
and tater tots day!

Beep beep beep
Feeling keen
At last my stocks
Are in the green

The first time
Since last year
The stock market
Was kinda queer

Take these words
I'm going to stow 'em
I'm done writing
This stupid poem

So yeah.  I started seriously gathering up our walnuts this year.  Could have had alot done with them by now but it's been raining and raining and raining and raining.  But know what?  I went jogging anyway.  Oh, so walnuts - I followed some exact procedure for husking them and drying them.  A few days ago I finally cracked one open and - DElicious!  Years ago I attempted gathering a few walnuts but I just opened them up right off the ground and tried to eat one.  It was pretty bad  from what I remember.  You really need to dry them suckers out.  I collected a few more this week in between rains and hope to get some more yet.  So there ya go.

Apparently I'm going hiking this weekend with some friends up to Buckeye Falls.  Never been there before.  This should be interesting.

Ok, it's time to eat.  I'm starving!

~w0s~

I had forgotten some of these:

The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.  ~Gore Vidal

The idea is to die young, as late as possible. ~Unknown

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.  ~Anaïs Nin

Everything is okay in the end. And if it's not okay, then it's not the end. ~Unknown

God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.  ~William Shakespeare

Every great oak tree was once a nut that stood its ground. ~Unknown

Never be bullied into silence.  Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.  ~Harvey Fierstein

MAKE YOURSELF! ~Incubus

You have feared that unless you were perfect, you would not be loved... now you will understand that unless you are imperfect, you are unable to love. ~Unknown

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.  ~Dr. Seuss

To love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart, and sing it to them when they have forgotten. ~Unknown

There's a period of life when we swallow a knowledge of ourselves and it becomes either good or sour inside.  ~Pearl Bailey

If you can't giggle, tickle, scream, laugh, run around the room naked, pour liqueur on each other and lick it off, tie each other down, have whipped cream fights, dance and sing with each other, then you are having sex with the person too soon. ~Unknown

It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.  ~Lucille Ball

When you blame others you give up your power to change. ~Unknown

For most, life is a search for the proper manila envelope in which to get themselves filed.  ~Clifton Fadiman

A life filled with love must have some thorns, but a life empty of love will have no roses. ~Unknown

To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? Remember, you must use it, as it is given only once. Once wasted you cannot get it back. ~Unknown

Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down His life for his friends. ~John 15:13

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. ~Unknown

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ~Proverbs 18:24

Friends help you move. Real friends help you move dead bodies. ~Unknown

You must have courage, whatever the test, however many times you fall, stand up just once more. ~Unknown

The saddest moment in a person's life comes but once. ~Unknown

Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time. ~Unknown

Everybody laughs in the same language. ~Unknown

The best revenge is a good life. ~Unknown

One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody of everything every night before you go to bed. ~Unknown

A ship is safe in the port, but that is not what a ship is for. ~Unknown

If you will laugh about it later, why not laugh about it now? ~Unknown

Many people are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges. ~Unknown

Being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility. ~Unknown

Everyone hears what you have to say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say. ~Unknown

I'm wearing a new pair of shoes. I'll probably wear these out, too. =) ~TatteredBipedalFootwear

-w0s

Well hello. 

So it's you again. 

Come back for more, have you? 

I knewww you liked it.

*eyes you up and down*

Ok then.  I've been paying more attention to this yhere journal for some reason.  Not sure why.  Perhaps it's the weather.  Or maybe my brain is finally healing.  I've been going to bed earlier and getting up earlier.  Just trying to get more done with my day.

I wish the stupid guy who has the vehicle for sale that I want would lower his price.  Nobody's showing any interest in it at all for that price.  Unless I get filthy rich, I'm never buying a new vehicle again.  Somebody will just come along and slam into you and take it away from you.  No, I'm going to get some cheap vehicle that will serve my purposes and invest any and every red cent I can.

Did you know that if you invested $100 at 10% interest, that would translate into $75,000 in twenty years?  Makes ya think don't it?  Now, it's almost a pain when I spend $100 on something because I think I didn't just spend $100, I spent at least $75,000 of my future money.  Wow.  But you do have to live in the present.  I just wish I studied investing much earlier in life.  But seriously, how many kids say, "YEAH - I want to be an INVESTOR when I grow up!"?

Still, if someone could have pointed me in that direction, perhaps I would have foregone getting that private pilot license and.....nah, I probably wouldn't have.  That was freaking cool.  But I certainly would have sacrificed that college education in favor of gaining investment knowledge and investing the money I saved for college.  I think.  I dunno.  Well, probably not.  You want to invest money early though so you can accomplish the things in life you want to accomplish...like becoming an astronaut.

But still, I could have saved much more than $100 and plugged it into the stock market and I would be sitting rather pretty about now.  I worked pretty hard shoveling horse shit (no, really, I cleaned stalls down at the local show horse farm, among other things) to pay for college and the pilots license and everything else at the time.  I guess the next trick would be to avoid touching that money, as great a temptation that would be (have been).

Life is in limbo at the moment.  2009 has pretty much sucked the big one for me.  But things are gradually improving I think.  Life's not perfect and I like it that way.  When I'm 90, I will look back on this time and it will look beautiful.  But I'm not 90.  And life is happening right now.  Soooo...what am I doing in front of this computer?!

Gotta go....to the back 40....to trim some bushes. 

Yeah. 

THIS is living.

-w0s

And so it is the October.  Since Halloween falls on a Saturday night, I am contemplating the annual club thing again this year.  Don' t think I'll dress up this time.  Instead I'll just be muh purty ole self...with the big SCAR on my forehead.  Oh well.  I'm not supposed to talk about it.

Haven't paid too much attention to Myspace in awhile, but as I've looked around, the same people seem to still be there.  Almost kind of comforting in these times of constant change.  I don't know many of these people.  Just people I admire.  And I wonder if any of them admire me at all.  Then I laugh to myself.

Yes, it's been a rather sucky year.  Time is precious so I refuse to hate any moment of it if at all possible.  But I do wonder if 2010 will be better.  Well of course it will be.

Of course it will be.

-w0s

That's right.  Muh salsa's tricked out.  Freash chopped 'maters, onion, garlic, cayenne, lemon pepper, lemon juice, black pepper, basil, rosemary, red and green peppers, chili peppers, and last but not least - cilantro.  I knooooow what you're thinking...cilantro is an Italian herb.  Well, that's what makes it tricked out, man.  Cilantro.  It's all about the cilantro.  It just gives it that fresh, gardeny taste you won't find in any salsa, anywhere.

And that's why the world comes here for Jason's Downhome, Gitcha Gotcha, Wiggity Wiggity, Totally Tricked Out Salsa.....giggity giggity goo.  And for the best method of consuming Jason's Downhome, Gitcha Gotcha, Wiggity Wiggity, Totally Tricked Out Salsa (giggity giggity goo), I suggest not showering or changing clothes for a few days, letting your facial hair grow out, donning your best, not-quite-white wife beater, and dripping a few globs of salsa on it just for effect. 

Let those stains set in for another several days as you consume the rest of your batch of Jason's Downhome, Gitcha Gotcha, Wiggity Wiggity, Totally Tricked Out Salsa (giggity giggity goo) so that the salsa and your sweaty smell combine to form one, big, gaseous green glob of white trash to let the world know you ain't faking your heritage and now...well, NOW you're eatin' salsa.  Is that dandruff I see floatin' in there?  Mmm.  I just can't stop eatin' it.  Hey, it's nice not to have to impress nobody but yourself.  And lemme tell ya, *sniff sniff sniiiiiiiiiiff*, I'm impressed.  *burp!*

Right - enough about the salsa (but it IS good).

-w0s

It was a cold, not-so-dark and windy day.  The chimes cheerfully chattered with the breeze, contrasting ever so ironically with the threatening cloud layer that breathed life in the gloom which was the day.  It was......TUESDAY! 

*dunt dunt dunnnnnn!*

Holding down the floor, Amber the dog lay quietly, thinking thoughts only a dog could appreciate with any interest or wonder.  Over by the fireplace, the clock ticked solemnly, almost prophetically emphasizing the course of events that lie ahead on this day's length of life's trail.  Somewhere in the distance, someone had the fortitude to begin mowing, as a tart dog fart tip-toed past my nose.  A grand total of one bird seemed to be laughing at my disdain for nauseous canine gaseous smellings.

And though the large ViewSonic LCD monitor comforted me with the monotone buzz at all of 60 hertz, I felt as if...no - I knew...someone, or something was in that closet over there.  No, the other one.  Yeah, that one.  As I sat listening to my own fingers push severely memorized buttons labeled with letters, numbers and symbols on a piece of plastic engorged with electronic technology, Amber awoke, ears alert. 

It seemed she too knew something was over there.  In the closet.  Or perhaps she was just hungry.  But I think she knew something was in there.  No, I really believe she did.  In the distance, a single overly-enthusiastic dog barked as a vehicle with an unnecessarily loud exhaust rolled by on the little traveled back road that has led so many to their plight in zip code 37857. 

The clock spoke with the menacing and tall sober sound of 3:30 as the one hair on the back of my neck rose in anticipation of...something.  The air was thick with the almost expected encroachment of certain doom, soon to beleaguer the lives of me and Amber, indeed our very home.  Suddenly, the wind picked up with a howl that so shivered the timbers of the bat-driven roof like that of a drunken UFC champion shaking a table of freshly built card castles.  (Yes, bats are driving on the roof.  I don't judge.  Just observe.)

And with a very low rumble which I simply cannot locate nor describe, the closet door.......remained shut.  But then, it opened.  So shrill was the creaking of the slowly opening door that my heart jumped out of my mouth, onto the keyboard, danced a boogie, then jumped back into my chest.  After for what seemed like hours, the closet door settled halfway open.  Just halfway.  The wind had stopped.  Yet the sky darkened as if evil itself was eating away at what was left of the lemon colored (and flavored) daylight which had earlier so merrily penetrated the cotton like cloud layer.

A sound.  From the floor of the exceptionally dark closet.  As if something had dragged itself to the edge of the door.  No birds now.  Just the clock.  Ticking as if counting the last moments of my existence typing an incredibly verbose story on Livejournal filled with adjectives whose spelling I often need to check.  (At least that's what it sounds like to me.  What.)

Prying my red eyes from the 60 hertz monitor which was mocking my efforts at a literaturary genius work, I forced them to look upon whatever hideousness they were bound to find by observing the edge of the closet door to get a glimpse of what could be there. 

Then Logan came up the stairs and gave me his discertation on the warming qualities of his dog's coat to be followed by asking me if he could close some windows since it is ever so slightly chilly.  And then, the worst - he said he was bored.  Then he sighed and turned on the tv to the comedy channel where some irritating stand-up comic's voice emanated nicely down the hallway, interrupting my story-type novel writing and causing me to question whether or not I might be craving a turkey sandwich...or perhaps a pizza would be nice.  There's radishes in the crisper.  Is it too early for supper?

Anyway, the closet.  So I looked at it and nothing was there.  Well, to be honest, we don't have closets on hinges anyway.  Our closets slide open.  So this story was partly fictional anyway.  Sorry.  My imagination has been interrupted by....hey did I mention I de-husked some walnuts yesterday?  Yeah, see you have to remove the husk, then let them dry out for two to three weeks.  Then you can cook them for a few minutes and store them for a long time.  The chestnuts were good this year too.

Oh that reminds me, we still have a few red chili peppers down in the garden which I might go pick and mix with some tomatoes, onions, celery, cilantro and some other stuff to make some salsa.  I bought some over-priced "restaurant style" salsa during a weak moment at the grocery store the other day and now I could kick myself for doing so.  I can make that stuff.  I'm not a big fan of chunky salsa.  I like for there to be littler bits of stuff in there while not being too runny.

I'm sorry - is this less entertaining than the story I was writing?  Ha!  Why do I ask?  Of course it's not.  My life is sooooo entertaining, I know.  I mean, who wouldn't want to read about how I unclogged the sink the other day.  Yeah - I had to remove the U-trap part of the sink and clean it all out.  There was some sort of electric toothbrush part in there along with the plastic cover for a razor.  Oh, and some hair.  Upon reassembling the thing, I twisted the nut so hard that it ruptured part of the pipe so I had to go buy another piece and replace it.  It's working fine now but I need to put a stopper in there to keep stuff from falling in (there wasn't one before...dont' know where it went).

See?  Now wasn't that interesting?  Ok kids.  That's all for today.  Now go play.  See you next time on "My Intensely Interesting Life!"!

-w0s

I have learned two wise things today:

1. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.  

2. (And probably most important of all) Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.

And there ya go.

I have continued my journey of Pine-Soling the dungeon.  And a long journey it is.  But that's ok.  Because it's raining - as it has been for pretty much the entire day - so not much else to do just yet.  Just stay inside.  I wanna stay inside for good.  I wanna stay inside.  I wanna stay inside for....woah - broke into some Incubus lyrics there for a moment.

Are we really just a bunch of apes with ego trips?

And so I go for to get ready to transportate some more of my carbon footprint to the dump.  I was hoping to get a jog in but I've been sick and though I think jogging in the rain is fun, it's probably not a good idea at the moment.  I'll probably come home, take a shower, then plug my head in an Xbox for awhile.  Probably followed by plugging my head in a guitar for awhile. 

Well probably the acoustic one so technically, I won't be plugged in at all.  And yet, philosophically speaking...ok I'll end that thought process before it begins.  Just more complication than I care for at the moment...("ctrl, alt, del...processes..."Plugged In Philosophical Comparisation Thoughtillation"....End Process...X"

Ah - there.  Now I have much more memory freed up to

A problem has been detected and linux has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

The problem seems to be caused by the following file: thoughtillation.sys.

PAGE-FAULT_DETECTED IN_NONPAGED_NONAREA_FAULT_PAGE_FAULT

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your philosophy.  If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

1....*SLAP*

Oh...that's better.  Think I better shut down for awhile and evaluate my systems for inconsistent computational capabilities in the autonomous protomorphosis sector of my positronic rendering quadrant for quantifying idiosyncrasies in the gitchaw.

So there.

-w0s

And so...it is the Wednesday.  I'm still feeling rather snotty but not as bad as I did a week ago.  Summer is over.  *sigh*  But Fall is also a pretty time of year.  So is Spring.  Winter is nice when it snows.  Ah heck, I just like life all the way around.  Go me.

Well this was an interesting post, wasn't it?

~w0s~

Teaching Math Through The Years...

1950's...
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

1960's...
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

1970's...
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80.  Did he make a profit?

1980's...
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

1990's...
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?  Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok. )

2009...
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

Mom sent that to me in an email.  Pretty funny and probably true.  I've been very sick the past few days.  My body ached from head to toe yesterday and the most productive thing I could do was roll from one side to the other.  But I watched tv too.  Lots of health care issues.  They say that health care may end up being required and people can be fined for not having it.  Really? 

So they're going to turn over 50 million Americans into criminals for not having health insurance?  Will they be jailed when they (surprise) can't pay the fines either???  So...you can't afford to pay for health insurance so here's some more fines you can't pay for?!?? 

Reminds me of a John Adams quote - "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress."

We used to be able to say a prayer in public but now religious people are told it's illegal for them to have a religion in public.  In Tennessee, it is the law that full-grown, licensed adults are REQUIRED to wear their seatbelts and wear helmets when on a motorcycle.  And with the red light and speed cameras, I think the police should change their motto from "To Serve and Protect", to "To Serve and Collect".  They say it's about safety but we all know it's "gotcha" piece of technology to collect more revenue for the city.

This used to be a free country.  But I think politicians think it's a game to win votes and money by trying to please (at least appear to please) everyone.

Ok, enough of a political rant for the day...month...year?

I'm still feeling rather sickly and even though it's a Friday night, I might just curl up under a quilt with a bottle of Nyquil...and a pistol while we're still allowed to bear arms.

-w0s

I am Jason.  And today I was a professional storm door screen installer.  Don't know other people do it, but I do like to get the lines of the screen straight, tape it into position, then gradually push the spline in one side then the other.  Trim. 

It turned out great, of course.  =P  But more to the point, it had to be done.  And so I did it.

Tomorrow is Wednesday and that just might possibly mean Stir Fry Day.  Mmmm.  Stir fry.  Mmmm.  Think I'll jog tomorrow.

Life is good.

-w0s

Greetings and slayutations,

Disney bought Marvel!  Disney bought Marvel!  Disney bought Marvel!  That is all on that.

So just hanging at the house for the moment.  Need to check sink's slow drainage difficulties, take off some trash, check to see if refrigerator coil needs to be cleaned, sand and paint some stove, get some exercise, do some yard work, level the mower deck, and do some general cleaning.  This probably won't all get done before the day is out.

Google Earth is fun.  I win every time I play it.

Have a spicy day.

-w0s

Well, I didn't sleep well last night and I paid a big credit card bill today.  So I really don't have much to say.  Surprise.

Didn't get the yard mowed but perhaps I've accomplished something fantastic.  Who knows?....(yet).

And so it is with perpetuous equilibrial osmosialism that I proceed to commence to begin to promptly cease the typeopopathic typey, typey, typity too on this yhere keyboard-like keyboard and retire to less electronicty cornerocities of the dungeon where splisheosplasheous soapacetic shampoincerocerides shall shiver me timberoclastics and.....and....ok I'm out of energy.

-w0s