Pilots Are Fun . . .

Sailor Curt and I have at least one point in common: we worked on US Navy P-3 aircraft during our times on active duty. He had his funny bone tickled by a list of amusing maintenance write-ups of the type all aviation peeps know and love. Then instead of repeating it for the 1034th time, he instead posted an amusing anecdote of his own. If you have ever been around aircraft maintenance, especially military aircraft maintenance, you might just LOL. Go. Read.

Still Here.

It feels like I'm not hitting on all eight cylinders, but I'm still here.

I think I went to bed before midnight, but I am pretty sure I was awake from 03:00 to 06:00 to tend to #4. Then the Zoo woke up at 08:15 (late, for them) and I duct taped their mouths shut and their tails to their bedsteads shushed them well enough to let me catnap for almost another hour, punctuated by a few trips to the playroom tell them to play quietly (stop screaming at each other) because mommy is sleeping. Daddy's sleep apparently is not too terribly important. So, sure, I got my usual 5 to 7 hours of sleep. In about 10 pieces, widely spread, and none longer than two hours.

Again. Ugh.

I know it gets easier to sleep through the night in a month or two, but man!

********

In unrelated news, Garfield Minus Garfield is funny when you are really tired.

Stay or Move, I Win!

My Darling Wife was hogging the bed this morning, and disinclined to move over. I had approximately enough room for 1x my body width to lie down. What could I do? I held on to her. Win!

Texas Gubernatorial Race Shenanigans

King Perry is loath to debate Candidate White. He has challenged White to produce his income tax returns from the time when White worked for the Clinton administration. White says his financial disclosures are more-complete than Perry's, and he's following the example of our Dear President and not gonna give up the documents. Perry says if White won't produce his tax records, he won't debate White. White says he'll show at the debates, whether Perry does or not.

Both sides are trying to make cheap political points and both are terribly transparent as NOT caring what the People deserve (full disclosure and vigorous debates).

I'm voting for Medina. Oh, wait.

Heckuva Job, Brownie.

One the past year, the 'official' unemployment rate is up 0.1% to 9.7%, and the 'underemployment' rate is up 0.1% to 16.7%. This after the Dear President promised lower-than-8% unemployment. He PROMISED!

So, how's that stimulus working out for us? Isn't it about time for spending another trillion of our grandchildrens' money? This sure is one humm-dinger of a recovery, huh?

Mish brings the data.

Wow.

That's correct, "Wow." Quoth my Darling Wife, upon seeing what I've been up to today instead of blogging. A moderate pile of of lumber that was on its way to the trash bin is now a moderately-impressive set of shelves in my garage. I think the Wow was actually for the white primer on everything, but at least it was said. My hands are sore.

For those who are keeping track, that would be reclaimed lumber, vice newly felled, milled, and sold. $0 to me (well, I had to buy some screws) and zero trees lost to your precious Mother. I'm frikken savin' da plannit ovah heeah!

Mind The Trip Wire

For those that are not paying attention, let me alert you: a war is brewing. The two sides are "the People" and "the government" of the United States. This is not good, and not inevitable.

We must do our part this November, and until (and after) then, we must all carefully mind the trip wires.

It's long. If you don't understand why nobody has off'd (insert your hated leftist politician's name(s) here) yet, read the whole thing.

Quote Of The Day, Photo Edition

I LOL'd. Sure it could be the prelude to a good-natured smile. It could also be the beginnings of a grimace right before an armbar gets thrown.

Priceless imagery from Moonbattery.

"Unexpectedly" Medical Surprises Edition

My Darling Wife and I, having decided the Zoo was as large as we want it since #4 is here, decided to not have any more children. She went in today to have a 12-minute surgical procedure to ensure that the Zoo gets no larger. Three hours, a CT and EKG scan and several miscellaneous drugs, as well as a stirring up of the prayer circle later, she is waiting for discharge papers. Thank God for our next door neighbor, who is a family friend as well as a girlfriend of my Darling Wife's. She stayed with her and advocated for her when it looked an awful lot like an unresponsive post-operative patient was having seizures.

She appears to have been given too much anesthesia, despite a medical history and oral warnings this morning to the medical professionals that she needs LOW doses of pain killers. So. Thank God she is apparently ok, and thanks everyone else who prayed.

This Is Called "Getting Away With It"

The Chief of the Bastrop, Texas police department was caught driving drunk (as a skunk 0.27 BAC) in Austin. That would be DWI arrest #2 for the good Chief, and his punishment is not quite as severe as some of us would wish.

He is losing his job. He is losing his job effective four months from now. He is voluntarily resigning as the chief of police effective the day after the 25th anniversary of his joining the police force, with full pension benefits based on that last, highest-paid year of service.

My punishment for him, had I my druthers, would be a little different: fired, with jail and fines to the fullest provision of the law. No pension benefits. The chief of police should be the most law-abidinest person in the whole city, and this one has recklessly put the lives of the public in danger, voluntarily.