I forgot about the allergens that come with it. Time to start
I need to have a bumper sticker made up:
Austin Allergy Season:
Better Living Through Chemistry!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Smell Drugs of Autumn
You will recall that I just expressed my pleasure at the arrival of Autumn.
I forgot about the allergens that come with it. Time to startflirting with federal crimes buying pseudoephedrine in bulk again, I guess. Current status: I can breathe, that's not the problem today. The problem is I feel like somebody punched me in the inside of my sinuses.
I need to have a bumper sticker made up:
I forgot about the allergens that come with it. Time to start
I need to have a bumper sticker made up:
Did You Forget To Shut The Water?
It's raining cats & dogs outside. I can't see the other side of the next door neighbors' yard; it's all a dark green haze (lotsa trees over there).
Good. Now we have several counties in Texas going from Exceptional Drought conditions, to Extreme Drought conditions. Pretty soon if el nino has anything to say about it, we'll be down to Severe Drought again. It's a little odd to think that we are still under watering restrictions with all the rain outside, but at least nobody is talking about burn bans anymore.
Amusing anecdote: from my office, with a dishwasher going and heavy rain coming down, I can't hear my wife talking to me from 15 feet away. Not that I'm complaining . . . ;)
Good. Now we have several counties in Texas going from Exceptional Drought conditions, to Extreme Drought conditions. Pretty soon if el nino has anything to say about it, we'll be down to Severe Drought again. It's a little odd to think that we are still under watering restrictions with all the rain outside, but at least nobody is talking about burn bans anymore.
Amusing anecdote: from my office, with a dishwasher going and heavy rain coming down, I can't hear my wife talking to me from 15 feet away. Not that I'm complaining . . . ;)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Who Is Santa Claus?
Well baby, Santa Claus isn't actually a real person these days, but there was a special man who was called Santa Claus a long time ago. His name was Nicholas and he was a Christian - the Bible calls Christians "saints" He loved the little children in his town, but the kids couldn't afford toys - so he made toys, and gave them to the children at Christmas time. In another language, his sounds like sant-nee-claus, or Santa Claus!
We watch movies and sing songs about Santa Claus sometimes at Christmas to remind us of Saint Nick - and also it reminds us of the greatest gift anyone ever gave.
God gave us himself! He gave us his own life to pay for our sins, yours and mine. I know my children are very precious to me, and I wouldn't want to give any up, but God has only one, and He gave his son for us, so we could go to heaven to be with him when we are done living - but we have to believe.
********
Tell yourself it's harmless if you like, but Santa Claus giving your children presents is still a lie. Also you don't get credit for the presents for which you have paid your own hard-earned money! Don't sell yourself short as a generous parent, and don't lie to your children. They won't be any worse off for it, but they will get to miss out on the tremendous disappointment you had when you found out that "Santa Claus "isn't real". It also gives you another chance to explain salvation to your children, which is always a good thing.
You'll catch grief from your own family for not lying to your children from those who think you should lie. Smile and change the topic of conversation, and don't lie to your children. If they go to any school beside Homeschool, your children will be roundly mocked by their classmates (who are being lied to) and, these days, likely from the school faculty as well. This is not an argument against making your children believe in Sandy Claws, it is an argument against sending your children to government schools.
We watch movies and sing songs about Santa Claus sometimes at Christmas to remind us of Saint Nick - and also it reminds us of the greatest gift anyone ever gave.
God gave us himself! He gave us his own life to pay for our sins, yours and mine. I know my children are very precious to me, and I wouldn't want to give any up, but God has only one, and He gave his son for us, so we could go to heaven to be with him when we are done living - but we have to believe.
********
Tell yourself it's harmless if you like, but Santa Claus giving your children presents is still a lie. Also you don't get credit for the presents for which you have paid your own hard-earned money! Don't sell yourself short as a generous parent, and don't lie to your children. They won't be any worse off for it, but they will get to miss out on the tremendous disappointment you had when you found out that "Santa Claus "isn't real". It also gives you another chance to explain salvation to your children, which is always a good thing.
You'll catch grief from your own family for not lying to your children from those who think you should lie. Smile and change the topic of conversation, and don't lie to your children. If they go to any school beside Homeschool, your children will be roundly mocked by their classmates (who are being lied to) and, these days, likely from the school faculty as well. This is not an argument against making your children believe in Sandy Claws, it is an argument against sending your children to government schools.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Slack-Jawed Astonishment! ~or~ LOL!
I heard quite a number of persons sounding dead-certain that There Is No WAY! that The Obama would go in person, with half his Cabinet AND Oprah, if the Olympic location award was not in the bag for Chicago.
Eliminated in the first round.
I would hope this comes as a reality check for The Obama, but I seriously doubt it. I heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy, that The Obama apparently believes his own PR, according to the French delegation to the UN. Also that he is so far Left that he's gone right off the planet (but we knew that already). Narcissus may go as far as wondering why the world does not bow to him, but he probably won't figure out (from this, anyhow) that it won't bow because he's not"sort of God" worthy.
The half of all Chicagoans that didn't want a $30 Billion addition to the shortfall in their budget, are certainly rejoicing. Those who showed up to a rally today in support of the Olympic bid, can go soak their heads.
Eliminated in the first round.
I would hope this comes as a reality check for The Obama, but I seriously doubt it. I heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy, that The Obama apparently believes his own PR, according to the French delegation to the UN. Also that he is so far Left that he's gone right off the planet (but we knew that already). Narcissus may go as far as wondering why the world does not bow to him, but he probably won't figure out (from this, anyhow) that it won't bow because he's not
The half of all Chicagoans that didn't want a $30 Billion addition to the shortfall in their budget, are certainly rejoicing. Those who showed up to a rally today in support of the Olympic bid, can go soak their heads.
Autumn Is Coming!
The Smell is in the air. A cool breeze that brings a hint of leaves turning to humus on the ground. Clear air with a pleasant overcast sky. I can't afford to go hunting these days, but I still have to agree with Col. Cooper, who agreed with President Roosevelt (the good one) that the Fall is the best season of the year.
Behold the Wisdom Of God!
My jaw hurts. It feels like a golf ball of pain in my mouth right now.
Hold on there.
What has this to do with the wisdom of God?
I ate a piece of tough bread yesterday. It smashed a hole in the gingiva on the left side of my mouth, which hurts.
As I understand (and grossly oversimplify) it, there are four major nerves in your jaws, one each for left and right, top and bottom. If you get an injury in one spot on your jaw, it was probably by doing something repetitive (e.g. eating chips that are too crunchy) that you should stop doing. So your whole jaw hurts as a warning to stop doing it. Then your mouth needs to heal. How do you keep an injury from healing? Poke it really hard, repeatedly, every few hours.
To keep you from aggravating your injury accidentally, God designed your mouth so you would not want to eat using the teeth on the injured side of it, because the whole jaw will hurt. You'll eat carefully with the other side of your mouth for a couple of weeks, and then feel better. It would have taken a human designer more than one try to get this feature properly implemented. God nailed it on the first try, along with every other part of the human anatomy; hence the title of this post.
P.S. Thank God also for Tylenol!
Hold on there.
What has this to do with the wisdom of God?
I ate a piece of tough bread yesterday. It smashed a hole in the gingiva on the left side of my mouth, which hurts.
As I understand (and grossly oversimplify) it, there are four major nerves in your jaws, one each for left and right, top and bottom. If you get an injury in one spot on your jaw, it was probably by doing something repetitive (e.g. eating chips that are too crunchy) that you should stop doing. So your whole jaw hurts as a warning to stop doing it. Then your mouth needs to heal. How do you keep an injury from healing? Poke it really hard, repeatedly, every few hours.
To keep you from aggravating your injury accidentally, God designed your mouth so you would not want to eat using the teeth on the injured side of it, because the whole jaw will hurt. You'll eat carefully with the other side of your mouth for a couple of weeks, and then feel better. It would have taken a human designer more than one try to get this feature properly implemented. God nailed it on the first try, along with every other part of the human anatomy; hence the title of this post.
P.S. Thank God also for Tylenol!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
How To Wear A Boonie Hat
Tips For Comfortable Wear of a Boonie Hat
Most of the complaints about a boonie hat are related to the annoying retention strap string, the leather brake on it, or the width of the band. Here are my comments on these potential sources of irritation, at least party illuminated by the practices of one of my brothers-in-arms who spent some time in places he never visited, depending on whom you ask about where he was at the time.
Note: under most reasonable conditions, a boonie hat which fits will stay on your head. Boonie hats were not made to be worn by persons operating in reasonable conditions.
There are a lot of modifications you can make to a standard-issue boonie hat. Some companies have "improved" upon the original design. Installing double bands for holding camo on the head, maybe I can go along with, but it would make the hat hotter to wear. Velcro patches and interior document pouches, the same thing. But when you go changing the string, you're asking for trouble. A removable string will get lost. Not might, will. The plastic sliding adjuster like on your ski jacket WILL break. Narrowing the brim defeats the purpose of having one.
What to do with the retention strap: (hint - the last is the best)
Wear it loose, behind the head, for retention from rear. This keeps the hat from blowing away completely when you catch a tailwind or updraft from the rear. Look down when you go through the downdraft from a helicopter's rotor. The string flopping around back there will eventually get under your collar (as shown) and irritate the back of your neck, even if you have a high, close-fitting collar. Worst case is that the hat could snag your weapon when you really needed both the hat and the weapon where you planned for them to be.
Wear it loose, in front of the head, so it looks like a necklace. This is good if you are constantly facing into the wind. Remember to pull the hat off before unassing a helicopter. If you catch a tailwind the hat is gone. If you catch a snag, it could be a garrote. If you tighten it under the chin, it is a hassle to put on and off, and we all know how uncomfortable a tight chin strap gets.
Wear it tied up over the top of the hat. Look like a cowboy, and get sunburned ears. Lose the hat with any sort of wind, or if anything at all snags on the hat ("wait-a-minute" vines, branches, briars, etc).
Wear it over the head, under the hat. Unless the hat is WAY too big, this will be very uncomfortable. Murphy says it will eventually fall out right when you needed it to stay in place
Worse yet: Cut the dam' thing off! This is a bad move. The strap is useful.
Be like VFD:
Be like VFD: Tie a knot in the strap, at the back of the head. Done properly, this will prevent your hat blowing off in even a very stiff wind. It needs a special flip of the wrist to put the hat on, but when you have the hang of it it is just as fast as not having a string. You will know the knot is tied properly when there is just a little pressure from the string against the bottom of the occipital bone (the bulge at the back of your head). This is not any more uncomfortable than wearing clothes in the first place. The little "tail" sticking out of the knot does rub the back of the head and neck (a little, sometimes), but mostly it stays outside your shirt's collar. The best part is, you have to be trying to pull the hat off (hint: pull up on the brim in front).
What to do with the stupid-wide brim:
I really fail to see why this is a problem. I prefer the wide brim on my boonie hats, for all the reasons they were specified on the headgear in the first place. The boonie hat is a universal umbrella and sunshade, and it helps dissipate the "hey look there's a guy over there" human-head-recognition factor. If you can't see, there is one super-easy thing to do:
Tilt the hat on your head. Tilt it forward to block a rising or setting sun. Tilt it back to clear your upward peripheral vision. Tilt it sideways to block sidelong illumination sources.
Cutting the brim means you will have to tilt it to an extreme amount if you are looking at something backlit by a low rising or setting sun. Not cutting the brim means you have to tilt the hat or your head a little bit to get the brim up. If you need to look straight up at something, look up already.
Most of the complaints about a boonie hat are related to the annoying retention strap string, the leather brake on it, or the width of the band. Here are my comments on these potential sources of irritation, at least party illuminated by the practices of one of my brothers-in-arms who spent some time in places he never visited, depending on whom you ask about where he was at the time.
Note: under most reasonable conditions, a boonie hat which fits will stay on your head. Boonie hats were not made to be worn by persons operating in reasonable conditions.
There are a lot of modifications you can make to a standard-issue boonie hat. Some companies have "improved" upon the original design. Installing double bands for holding camo on the head, maybe I can go along with, but it would make the hat hotter to wear. Velcro patches and interior document pouches, the same thing. But when you go changing the string, you're asking for trouble. A removable string will get lost. Not might, will. The plastic sliding adjuster like on your ski jacket WILL break. Narrowing the brim defeats the purpose of having one.
What to do with the retention strap: (hint - the last is the best)
Wear it loose, behind the head, for retention from rear. This keeps the hat from blowing away completely when you catch a tailwind or updraft from the rear. Look down when you go through the downdraft from a helicopter's rotor. The string flopping around back there will eventually get under your collar (as shown) and irritate the back of your neck, even if you have a high, close-fitting collar. Worst case is that the hat could snag your weapon when you really needed both the hat and the weapon where you planned for them to be.
Wear it loose, in front of the head, so it looks like a necklace. This is good if you are constantly facing into the wind. Remember to pull the hat off before unassing a helicopter. If you catch a tailwind the hat is gone. If you catch a snag, it could be a garrote. If you tighten it under the chin, it is a hassle to put on and off, and we all know how uncomfortable a tight chin strap gets.
Wear it tied up over the top of the hat. Look like a cowboy, and get sunburned ears. Lose the hat with any sort of wind, or if anything at all snags on the hat ("wait-a-minute" vines, branches, briars, etc).
Wear it over the head, under the hat. Unless the hat is WAY too big, this will be very uncomfortable. Murphy says it will eventually fall out right when you needed it to stay in place
Worse yet: Cut the dam' thing off! This is a bad move. The strap is useful.
Be like VFD:
Be like VFD: Tie a knot in the strap, at the back of the head. Done properly, this will prevent your hat blowing off in even a very stiff wind. It needs a special flip of the wrist to put the hat on, but when you have the hang of it it is just as fast as not having a string. You will know the knot is tied properly when there is just a little pressure from the string against the bottom of the occipital bone (the bulge at the back of your head). This is not any more uncomfortable than wearing clothes in the first place. The little "tail" sticking out of the knot does rub the back of the head and neck (a little, sometimes), but mostly it stays outside your shirt's collar. The best part is, you have to be trying to pull the hat off (hint: pull up on the brim in front).
What to do with the stupid-wide brim:
I really fail to see why this is a problem. I prefer the wide brim on my boonie hats, for all the reasons they were specified on the headgear in the first place. The boonie hat is a universal umbrella and sunshade, and it helps dissipate the "hey look there's a guy over there" human-head-recognition factor. If you can't see, there is one super-easy thing to do:
Tilt the hat on your head. Tilt it forward to block a rising or setting sun. Tilt it back to clear your upward peripheral vision. Tilt it sideways to block sidelong illumination sources.
Cutting the brim means you will have to tilt it to an extreme amount if you are looking at something backlit by a low rising or setting sun. Not cutting the brim means you have to tilt the hat or your head a little bit to get the brim up. If you need to look straight up at something, look up already.
A Palpable Loss
I know a man who is a US Army W-4. He flies puddle-jumpers in the reserves, and he's pretty much working full time flying Uncle's junk around the country these days. He was given a choice between leaving his wife and 5 kids to go to Iraq for a year, or seek civilian employment. He is retiring soon.
To know such a fine man is leaving the military service of our country, hurts me.
We need men like this in our armed service. But when you work the reserve too hard, they stop wanting to be held in reserve. This same scenario is playing out x1000 around our nation.
We need a bigger permanent military if we are going to be at war. Stop pretending that we don't need as many active duty troops, and leave the National Guard to Guard the Nation (and go home at night).
I don't like it. I can't do anything about it, but I don't like it. :(
To know such a fine man is leaving the military service of our country, hurts me.
We need men like this in our armed service. But when you work the reserve too hard, they stop wanting to be held in reserve. This same scenario is playing out x1000 around our nation.
We need a bigger permanent military if we are going to be at war. Stop pretending that we don't need as many active duty troops, and leave the National Guard to Guard the Nation (and go home at night).
I don't like it. I can't do anything about it, but I don't like it. :(
Note to The Political Left:
Your Morality Is Not Superior To Mine.
It is, in fact, inferior!
I believe that I should be able to keep the money that I earn.
You believe the government should take my money away (at gunpoint) and give it to other people who did not earn it.
Your position is evil. Mine is just.
So neener-neener-neener!
It is, in fact, inferior!
I believe that I should be able to keep the money that I earn.
You believe the government should take my money away (at gunpoint) and give it to other people who did not earn it.
Your position is evil. Mine is just.
So neener-neener-neener!
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