Can I go home now?

Last night was HELL!!!

The madness started at 22:50 and carried over till 5:00 this morning. Three calls, back-to-back.

Finally to bed at 5:00, but had to be up at the station at Noon to train the rookies.

As Yoda would say, "Hmmmm... tired must you be, young Padawan."

The Day After...

Every child of the 80s remembers the TV mini-series "The Day After," which chroniciled life after a nuclear exchange between the the US and the USSR. Scary stuff indeed for those of us who went through puberty in the age of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction).

And then there is the day after Xmas...

It's even worse.

God bless those poor, innocent.... and even retarded, souls that venture forth to the malls and to WM on this day.

Does anyone see a future Darwin Award recipient in the crowd?

Fall down, go boom!!!

Well, it has returned. The mysterious explosions reported by dozens, but with a cause no one can find. Those who've heard, and felt, the explosions describe it as rattling their windows, if not the whole house.

So the FD is dispatched and we run around like chickens with no heads. The worst is that these always occur very late at night, rousing me from my warm bed. I swear, if I ever find the culprit, the outcome will not be for the squeamish.

So what is the cause? No one is really sure. Sonic boom, maybe? Sparkler bomb? Who knows....

An ode to bier...

"He was a wise man who invented beer."
-Plato

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools."
-For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemmingway

The spelling in the title is intentional. I had the good fortune of purchasing a case of Leinenkugel's at the local Sam's. Now Leinie's are not generally available so far south, here in the "Land of Shiner," so to be able to find it and at a decent price was an incredible stroke of good fortune.

I've heard a lot of good things about Leinie's and the opinions were very well founded. This particular case was a sampler of four different kinds, the Sunset Wheat, Creamy Dark, Red, and Honey Weiss. All were very good.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
-Benjamin Franklin

I'll drink to that...

A day well spent...

It doesn't get much better than strolling through the mall, arm in arm with the one you love, or sitting down with them and eating truly wonderful sushi. Now I could have done without the crowds and the traffic, but all considered, it was more than a fair trade.

Sometimes we rush through life so quickly, we forget what it is truly important. It's times like those that we need to just stop and smell the coffee... and eat pumpkin cheesecake.

Sometimes a word is all it takes...

Today was not a good day. Semester exams always seem to bring out the worst in students and this time around was no different. Apathy run rampant is the modus operandi for these kids. They just don't care. Parents always seem to bail them out of the predicaments they get themselves into and teachers always seem to cave and give in... till now.

I hate playing the bad guy, but who else will prepare them for the "real" world?

Anyway, it's enough to drive one to drink. It's frustrating and depressing. Thankfully, someone let me know that I'm doing a great job and that they think the world of me.

And just like that, my day brightened...

Blognosing

Well, my good friend Kerry Hoke mentioned on his MySpace page the new phenomenon known as blognosing. Never heard of it, you say. Well neither had I till Kerry Hoke told me about it. Seems it is the act of sucking up to someone in hopes of being mentioned on their blog.

At least that's what Kerry Hoke said it meant...

Truer words have not been spoken

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. -- Albert Einstein

Let me get out the hip waders and the shovel...

... because the $h!t is really starting to get deep in here.

How can it be that someone can complain when an organization holds a banquet to honor its volunteers for sacrificing themselves so selflessly throughout the year? Those volunteers received prizes donated by various local and non-local organizations, and yet there are complaints by those who assume (remember the old saying about ASS and U and ME?) that the organization spent money on those prizes. This is the one of the few times that they are honored by their peers for the job they do; and yet some people will find fault in that.

How is it that someone can criticize an organization and its leadership, failing to see the amazing strides that organization has made and continues to make? Why is it that they fail to see the positive and yet accentuate the negative?

Why is it that some people cannot seem to separate a person's private life from their public? Once again they assume that somehow they are related and that one will affect the other.

Why do some people seemed destined to live in the past, refusing to accept the present, much less the future? Those people dredge up old accusations. that had no merit in the past, and pass those off as gospel truth, poisoning fresh minds with their bile.

How easy is it to hide behind a veil of anonymity, criticizing and dividing, offering nothing constructive?

For some, all too easy...

Why dogs are better than...

The ex-wife once complained that I would pet the dog before I would hug and kiss her when I came home in the evening. I replied that it was because the dog would meet me at the door with its tail wagging, happy to see me. The ex-wife waited on the couch for me to come to her.

Tonight I noticed how Buford reacted when I would give him the slightest attention. Just looking his way set his tail to wagging with anticipation that he might get a short tummy rub. Dogs live simply to be with we humans, no matter how un-deserving we might be.

Maybe we humans could learn something from dogs...

Chilly outside, Chili in

There's nothing like cold weather to pave the way for making one of the greatest culinary masterpieces known to man: Texas chili. Nothing else made is truly chili, especially if it hails from anywhere north of the Red River, particulary the city in Ohio named for a legendary Roman.

My chili is nicknamed Dalton's Intestinal Destroyer Chili. That name is given as a badge of honor and respect. Any chili that doesn't clear out your bowels is not truly chili.

Chili should not be watery. It should have plenty of beef, chunks of tomato, bell peppers, and onions. It should have finely chopped jalapeno peppers. Beans are optional, as is rice (yes, Louisiana is close by).

So tonight's dinner was scrumptious; tomorrow will be painful...

Purchasing Sin in Bulk

Saturday is my re-stock the fridge day, so of to Wally-World I go. Drifting by the refrigerated dessert section and what do I see? You guessed it -- Pumpkin Pecan Praline Pie. On sale.

So I bought five...

Hey, it was all that they had.