Relief is on the way!

For me, at least. Found a system at a local shop that should take care of my needs nicely. Computer needs, that is. With any luck I should be able to pick it up tomorrow. I added on a cd burner/backups and music/ and had to add a modem; everything's set up for high-speed connections only. Apparently, I'm behind the times.

Carnival of Cordite #40

up at Gullyborg.

Tell me again, we're supposed to trust the Major Media why?

Read this over at Say Uncle, and remind me about the 'superior fact-checking and ethical standards' of the Major Media.

Between crap like this, and the hugely slanted BS they run about the war, I can't think of a reason not to start simply referring to the MM et al as Rathers.

Chipper; The Evening After

I did remember to pick the thing up, and spent a fair piece of the afternoon cutting off the stuff small enough to run through, then doing some more pruning of small stuff and chipping it, then stacking the big stuff for later. Then put everything away so the Yard Security Trainee won't decide to chew the cord in two.

So now my hands hurt, and I've got enough scratches to look like I fought with my daughters psychotic cat. And I got to watch Trainee sniffing through the chips and finding somehow 'choice' bits to chew up further. Between this and the way she jumps, I have to wonder if the little bastard has some rabbit in her family tree.

While performing these joyous activities, I was considering my forge and tools, and an old saying. You've probably heard it: "Do what you love and the money will follow". Guess what? They LIED! I've spent a total of about 24 years smithing; learning, trying, recycling failures, getting ideas and working them out. I've turned out blades of all types and sizes, roasting forks, candleholders, fire kits, chandeliers, screwdrivers, belt buckles, pennanular brooches, knife/fork/spoon sets and I don't know what all else. I've been at the big Irish Festival in Texas, several different celtic festivals there and here, Medieval Fair and some other stuff including fur trade rendezvous. And the best I've done, figuring materials, coal, electricity for the blower, grinding belts and polishing stuff, travel and etc., would be somewhere at or just below minimum wage. There are some people who fill a particular niche in forging and make a good living at it; most live somewhere in the region of 'hand to mouth' and do other things on the side to make ends meet. I have no idea how many fine bladesmiths I've heard of who got hurt or something and couldn't work for a while and were on welfare or people were taking up collections for them. And if it's a health problem it's worse because they usually don't have insurance.

Don't misunderstand, I have loved the making and learning of this. I enjoy the hell out of demonstrating and teaching this stuff, and I wish I had more of a way to pass on what I've learned. It just irritates the hell out of me when someone with a disgustingly cheerful outlook tells some kid the above-noted saying. I never tried to discourage my kids from trying things, and working to be good at what they like; I did make sure they understood that there are bills to pay and obligations to take care of, and that doing something just because you like it often has to take second place. And what REALLY pisses me off is when someone(parents, coaches, teachers) tells a kid who doesn't really have the talent for a game or instrument or whatever that they do and pushes them halfway to death. A kid tries hard but just doesn't have that extra bit, don't lie to them; tell them the damn truth. Yeah, they may hurt, but they'll hurt more if you push/let them run into something they can't make it at. Make damn sure they understand that if they love doing it that they should continue to do so, but don't lie to them and let them make it their life.

Other side of that? A kid with real talent that nobody will push the kid to develop. Talent, if you don't develop the skills to use it, is worthless; no matter how incredibly talented you are, if you don't work at it you won't make it. There are very rare exceptions, but hoping you may be one of them is not the way to make it.

God, how did I get here from running limbs through a chipper?

Fed-Ex timing is everything

I expected them to deliver something this morning. Since every time before it's been between 0800-0830, I hung around 'till about 0915, then headed out to do laundry. And came home to find a '1st attempt' notice on the door, marked 0930. Damn.

Every time I've missed them in the morning they've always made a second pass by the house around 1630-1730, on their way back to the shop I suspect. There's a new Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant that opened nearby, so, having a little extra left over I went there for lunch, then swung by Outdoor America, one of the local gun shops. Who, by the way, was having a sale; I should have turned around and left when I saw the signs. Anyway, I got home and found a '2nd attempt' on the door. I left for lunch about 1130; this one was marked 1140. Dammit!

So I've spent the day since raking leaves and putting them in the second compost heap and some cleaning up around the house. With any luck they'll come back by and save me driving to their office after 6 to pick it up.

I say 'second compost heap' because I just started another one a couple of days ago. The first one has worked nicely with grass clippings and whatever since I started it during summer. However, with leaves falling/blowing in it's full and there was a big pile and more to come, so I dug out another piece of chicken wire and set up another one. Now it's full, and there's a pile dumped in the garden and wet down until the stuff in the two heaps goes down enough to add some in. One thing I've noticed is that if you keep them damp and turn them every third day, they tend to break down fairly quickly. Come spring, I should have quite a bit of compost and worms to dig in.

I've also got to get the chipper back from a friend who's using it. I cut a bunch of limbs out of trees in the back a couple of weeks ago, and I need to chop up the small stuff. Tomorrow's supposed to be windy but a bit warmer, so I'll try to get it tonight.

Every once in a while I think of all that needs doing and consider standing in the yard screaming "Will it never end?!?", but I don't think it'd help. Other than amusing the dogs.

OKC Bombing update

Well, well, KTOK has this on their site:
"Former FBI deputy assistant director Danny Coulsen tells the McCurtain Daily Gazette there is a need for a greater investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing."

McCurtain Daily Gazette reporter J.D. Cash interviewed the former agent for several days on this. He reviewed the redacted documents that Jesse Trentadue has already obtained, and says, basically, "There's a bunch more people who should have been indicted". The KTOK post, including the whole Gazette article, is here, and worth reading. Link direct to the Gazette article is here.

One interesting thing, if you read my earlier posts on this, the documents released to Trentadue so far included the information that the Southern Poverty Law Center had an informant in the Elohim City compound who also fed info to the FBI; now the SPLC is claiming that was in error. I wonder why?

Previous posts here, here, here, here. One or two more that I don't have time to dig up the links to right now

Speaking of wastes of oxygen,

fetid and otherwise, Powerline takes note that Ramsey Clark, the worst excuse for an attorney general this country ever had, is giving Saddam emotional and legal support. I've got a question: has this clown ever found a terrorist or tyrant or commie dictator that he would not support? As I recall, he said- when he was the AG, yet- that the longest sentance for any crime, including murder, should be five years, and absolutely wet his pants at the very idea of a death penalty. He's one of the slimy assholes Steve mentions who makes life hard for actual honest lawyers(yeah, yeah, calm down; they do exist).

Powerline also notes, in the waste of oxygen area, Whoopi Goldberg and the idiots involved in the intro for the latest Looney Tunes collection; check out Mark Steyn's piece linked there.

Hollyweenies and lawyers of the most odious type; fit company for Rall, wouldn't you say?

Political roundup

I've mentioned before that there are things the President has and hasn't done that I'm not happy with. Some of the things in his speech on illegal immigrants today are crap, and others should have been done long ago.

In a nasty case, Rep. Cunningham plead guilty to accepting bribes. It's a terrible thing he did, but at least he kept enough of his integrity to flat plead guilty and resign from the House. It would be nice of some others who've committed similar crimes would go home, but don't hold your breath; there's a bunch of people in D.C. who will not leave until they die if they can prevent it.

It's been established numerous times that Ted Rall is a fetid waste of oxygen, but he just seems to be intent on proving it again and again. But don't you dare question his patriotism! Or that of his buttmonkeys.Got news for you, Teddy; you're not a dissenter, you are on the other side. I don't question your patriotism because I don't think you have any. You're a vile scab on the skin of this nation. Period.

One of the reasons this kind of sewage in print pisses me off so much is having known a bunch of people in the military. My son used to be in the Civil Air Patrol; the influence of a number of Air Force officers (from a Lt. Colonel on down) was wonderful, and at least one of his friends is currently serving(oorah, Joey!). It's enough to make you want to kick someone in a sensitive place. Several times.

Oh, and let us not overlook the "Main Street Republicans", those chicken-hearted clowns who betrayed the folks back home, and are now threatening Michelle Malkin for calling them on it. And for calling the fact that George Soros(Asshole-Socialist) money is involved. It's too involved to quote from here, read it here for all the info.


In other breaking news, Ted Kennedy and Chucky Schumer are opportunistic, hypocritical jackasses(literally and figuratively), Feinstein and Boxer are right up there with them, and I just made a new batch of fudge. Which has nothing to do with politics, but I used the 60% cocoa chips and tripled the amount of pecans in the recipe; waiting for slab to cool will be difficult.

A place to see

Was over at American Drumslinger and he directed me to The Rock Bitch; go check the lady out.

In a good way, of course.

The wind was indeed sweeping down the plain,

and taking anything not nailed or tied down with it. Straight winds in the 30's and gusts of more than 50mph earlier; it's calmed down now, but 'till we get some rain the fire danger is bloody awful here.

Just general notes of things picked up today,

MADD activists have no damn business helping staff checkpoints. The group has changed from one with a legitimate aim to a bunch of nannies who want to control people. Wizbang noted this here: check out the second comment.

There was something of a noise a while back about some twins who sing and are big in the white supremacist movement. Dean Esmay notes that he's used to musicians and a lot of others in the entertainment industry being suckups to dictators(think Carlos Santana wearing a Che' shirt in front of a bunch of Cuban musicians). I've wondered why we haven't heard of some of these clowns wearing a Hitler shirt; after all, they like to cheer Castro and Stalin and company. However, from this, some of them seem to be getting over their aversion to the Nazis; after all, they were socialists so how bad could they have been?

Let's see, Bitch Sheehan is back in Texas with very few buttmonkeys backing her up(amazing what criticizing Hillary does for ones pull on the left, isn't it?). I like this; they had a 'traditional Iraqi meal' for Thanksgiving, saying "They said they wanted to call attention to the innocent Iraqi victims in addition to the more than 2,100 U.S. soldiers killed since the war began in March 2003. " I wonder if they give a rats ass for the innocent Iraqis murdered by the tens of thousands by Saddam before we took him out?

In the foreign moonbats(Canadian division), we have this. The Canadian military used to be one of the best forces in the world, now they're one of the most crapped-upon by idiots like this...

Oh Lord, look what Kevin found at Curmudgeonly & Skeptical!

And Schumer and company(socialist weenie divison) are at it again, check this out at Riverdog.

And Steve did make it to the range!