Doc’s Blog

I’d really like to be able to go down to my "Man Cave", start up our personal household HoloDeck, strap on a plane from "Combat Flight Simulator," and shoot things out of the sky. That would be SO cool! But don’t get me started!

Not much going on around here. Still mostly working on bookcases and such. Designing the bottom part of our new bed now and waiting until payday to get the parts. Headboard and "nightstands" look okay. To me anyway.

Just before we moved I bought an Intel 3.75Ghz system from TigerDirect.com. Wasn’t too spendy. Got the thing a couple of days before we moved into this house. Anyway, this system has been the greatest pain in the ass I’ve ever had in a computer system. It has not worked right since day one. I did everything I could think of to get it running but it continually overheated and randomly rebooted and just generally wouldn’t work. I finally took it to Precision Electronics in Port Orchard and had them look at it. Well, the motherboard had overheated so many times that it wasn’t any good anymore. Some of the capacitors were bulged out on top (which I hadn’t even known to look for).

So, I spent $100 I didn’t really have and bought a new motherboard. And, wouldn’t you know, the CPU is probably also TU. Damn! I’ve been able to get it to post (pre-operating system test?) 3 times. Otherwise it just consumes power.

Damn!

This has been the warmest winter we’ve had around here since they started recording the weather in this area. Wow. Except for that couple of weeks of freezing weather last December (officially still Fall) we haven’t had a freeze in our area. Lots of rain but I saw it snow only a couple of times here. No accumulation either time. LOTS of rain though. Our back 40 is still really muddy.

Took the Digger out the other day to help fill potholes on our road. Took about 20 minutes to go the mile to where we were starting! Everything was going on great until I turned her off to take a break. Wouldn’t restart. Ignition switch just made a clicking sound when turned. Hmmm. Got a jump from one of the guys but it didn’t help. Switch is going/has gone bad. Got the Digger started by jumping across a couple of the contacts in the switch but the ’charging’ light stayed on all the way back to the house. Damn! These things are never inexpensive either. It’s not supposed to rain for a couple of days so I’ll probably get out and take it out and see what I can do today. Ah well.

Speaking of which: it wasn’t supposed to rain much yesterday but we had a 20 minute period where it dumped about an inch of rain. I mean it was coming down! Almost thought I’d get some more thunder and lightning. Ah well.

Been converting our cassette tapes to digital format. Re-ripped the last of our cd’s. Getting all the pictures I have left in order to start scanning them. Been converting all the Paper I’ve been saving for one reason ro another to .pdf format (I like Paperport!). Still ripping our movies and tv shows to .avi format and filling up our NAS drives (but, damn, it nice not having to change a dvd or cd when we want to watch or listen to something!). Trying to figure out a way to hardwire the house for network without tearing up a bunch of walls. Wireless is okay but I really do prefer wires for speed and stability and security. Still going over to my friends house on Saturday to download the show we like to watch. I need my NCIS fix!

Oh, decided we’re not going on our Scablands trip this month. Decided to save the money for when SWMBO goes to Utah to do genealogy research next month. Then it’s to Sisters in July. We’ll make it a day trip sometime late summer or so. Shouldn’t have to worry too much about the weather then either. Wanted to make the family reunion in Oct but we’ll have to see how the money goes…

That’s it! Y’all have fun!

Just haven’t. Aside from being busy with other things. Still building bookcases for the library. Helping friends with computer problems. Moving piles of crap around to burn when the weather dries it out a bit more (maybe tomorrow).

Haven’t talked to my Sis since the last time a couple of weeks ago. Facebook messages have completely dropped off the map. E-mail messages are mostly from Yahoo News.

Speaking of which: thought this was pretty interesting…

Pet owner killed by dogs after saving them from death
Wed, 3 Feb 2010 10:05 am PST
Reuters – A Slovenian who saved his three dogs from being put down for attacking humans was himself mauled to death by them, police said Wednesday.

Figures, doesn’t it.

And I think this is just sad:

Ancient dialect extinct after last speaker dies
Fri, 5 Feb 2010 10:10 am PST
Reuters – One of the world’s oldest dialects, which traces its origins to tens of thousands of years ago, has become extinct after the last person to speak it died on a remote Indian island.

I mean, didn’t anyone in the area have a tape recorder? Ah well…

Just not much going on. Still. Had a friend try to convince me the other day that I’m really a Republican instead of a Libertarian. I’m somewhat conservative, in a redneck sort of way. I think the next set of elections the Democrats will be on the way out…

Anywho, got off the beaten track there.

We just set a record as the warmest January in the Northwest since records started being kept. (Or so I think I heard.) Except for a couple of weeks of bitter cold it’s really been light jacket weather this winter. Snowed here at the house twice: once for about 10 minutes at night and another for part of a day. Light stuff though. And today the East Coast is getting hammered. Gotta check the news again.

Am I rambling? Thought so. I’m throwing this together while downloading updates for X-Plane (one of the best flight sims around). Doing this on "dial up" is taking forever!

SWMBO and I are planning a "day trip" to the Channeled Scablands over in eastern Washington the first part of March. I just love that High Desert type of landscape and really miss it sometimes. Trees are nice, but, give me the landscape down around Cottonwood Cove, Nevada any day. Trip ought to be fun though. Think we’ll take the dog along to see how he does on a long trip. Gotta find a pet friendly motel along the way though.

Okay, it’s time to end this. I’ll leave you with:

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE

1. "Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who don’."~Thomas Jefferson

2. "Those who trade liberty for security have neither." ~ John Adams

3. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.

4. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.

5. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.

6. Gun control is not about guns; it’s about control.

7. You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.

8. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

9. You don’t shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.

10. Assault is a behavior, not a device.

11. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.

12. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.

13. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the ohers.

14. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you NOT understand?

15. Guns have only two enemies; rust and politicians.

16. When you remove the people’s right to bear arms, you create slaves.

17. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

Anti-Gun Senator Shoots Intruder

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/national/article/74-year-old_n.c._state_senator_shoots_wounds_intruder_at_his_home/287987/P10/

Long time Anti-Gun Advocate State Senator R.C. Soles, 74, shot one of two intruders at his home just outside Tabor City, N.C. about 5 p.m. Sunday, the prosecutor for the politician’s home county said.

The victim, Kyle Blackburn, was taken to a South Carolina hospital, but the injuries were not reported to be life-threatening, according to Rex Gore, district attorney for Columbus, Bladen andBrunswick counties..

The State Bureau of Investigation and Columbus County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the shooting, Gore said. Soles, who was not arrested,declined to discuss the incident Sunday evening.

“I am not in a position to talk to you,” Soles said by telephone. “I’m right in the middle of an investigation.”

The Senator, who has made a career of being against gun ownership for the general public, didn’t hesitate to defend himself with his own gun when he believed he was in immediate danger and he was the victim.

In typical hypocritical liberal fashion, the “Do As I Say, Not As I Do” Anti-Gun Activist Lawmaker picked up his gun and took action in what apparently was a self-defense shooting. Why hypocritical you may ask? It is because his long legislative record shows that the actions that he took to protect his family, his own response to a dangerous life threatening situation, are actions that he feels ordinary citizens should not have if they were faced with an identical situation.

It has prompted some to ask if the Senator believes his life and personal safety is more valuable than yours or mine.
But, this is to be expected from those who believe they can run our lives, raise our kids, and protect our families better than we can.

Just not much going on around here. What with all the rain we’re getting it’s hard to get outside and burn brush or anything. Still finishing up the bookcases I’ve built for the library (molding and stuff) and finally got off my ass and started the shelves for the DVD’s and CD’s down in the "man cave" but even that can get boring when that’s all you do. Finally watched/ripped season 3 of "Heroes" and those episodes are on the media drives now. I need a couple of those new 2 Terabyte drives! Don’t let me win the lotto!

Feeding the Missionaries tomorrow evening. Kielbasa & Sour kraut with taters all cooked in the same crockpot. Started it tonight as I’ll be going over to my friends house in the morning to download our favorite shows and I’m not sure what time I’ll get home. We’ll see how that goes as sour kraut is kind of an acquired taste.

SWMBO and I went on our Friday date early today. She took me to the Family Pancake House in Port Orchard for breakfast. Had the Hobo Omlette; which has a bit of everything in it and topped with a couple of containers of salsa is pretty good. Afterwards we stopped at Big 4 Sporting Goods and bought new shoes. Work boots for $15 on sale. Cool. I got two. Pair. Then we made our usual stop at Albertson’s and spent too much money again. Frozen Veggies were on sale and I can’t resist frozen veggies on sale.

I am getting pretty sick and tired of this dial up Internet though!

Headline: Anger grows in quake-hit Haiti over aid delay

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Desperate Haitians set up roadblocks with corpses in Port-au-Prince on Thursday to demand quicker relief efforts after a massive earthquake killed tens of thousands and left countless others homeless.

Headline: Obama proposes bank fee, slams Wall Street

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday proposed Wall Street banks pay up to $117 billion to reimburse taxpayers for the financial bailout, as he slammed bankers for their "massive profits and obscene bonuses

Wait! Weren’t they supposed to pay back the bail out money in the first place? How about if they pay back ALL of it!

Headline: Men more evolved? Y chromosome study stirs debate

WASHINGTON – Women may think of men as primitive, but new research indicates that the Y chromosome — the thing that makes a man male — is evolving far faster than the rest of the human genetic code

So There! But I can answer the question: Why? It’s Women! We HAVE to stay ahead of them in order to survive and go fishing. By using our genetic advantage we can come up with excuses like: "Yes, dear. Bowling increases my sexual desire for you and that’s why I’m down at the lanes all the time." and "Beer makes me sexy." and "No, those shorts definitely DO NOT make your ass look bigger." (That last being a prime example of survival instincts kicking in…)

Headline: Cocaine Found in NASA Space Shuttle Hangar