5/6/2013 Or Still Rambling

      **"When your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you're just sitting there, staring at flooring?"**


     **"With all the technology available today, you'd think they'd have found a way to grow apples without those annoying little stickers."**

   **"There are times I'll make up words and slip them into conversations just to see if anyone is actually protempifying to what I'm saying."**------I have found it enjoyable to start conversations with strangers -in the middle of the sentence.  Try it!  The reactions can be priceless.  Unfortunately I do the same at home all of the time, with out trying to.   


    **"On my first day of school my parents dropped me off at the wrong nursery. There I was... surrounded by trees and bushes."**

  If you have not noticed yet, I tend to ramble.  This leads to some interesting blogs, at least in my mind.   Tonight is a gathering of thoughts and such, that I will try to tie together towards a common subject.  Do not keep your fingers crossed!   I also really enjoy taking pictures and sharing them with you.  All 2.5 of my readers!   Some day I hope to make some cash off of my better shots, but for now I find it very enjoyable and calming.   Tomorrow I return with a more structured blog, full of pictures from my two kids, our dog, and I exploring all weeksend.  Among other things, I enjoy a great cup of coffee.  Those around me in the morning greatly enjoy how I perk up and instantly become more human like with morning coffee.  And firmly believe this should start any day....

And than on to you mudan BS and the rest of life!

    **"We have a tooth fairy, Santa clause, & Easter bunny all of which leave stuff for you to wake up to, but we are missing the most important one, A COFFEE FAIRY"**

   I Should be a legal driver again next week! On the down side, I have to take the dam driving test. On the plus side, gas prices keep dropping!  Tomorrow I take the written test.  And to make sure nothing to stupid keeps me from this goal, when I take my driving test, a licenced driver is driving me to the DMV.  I don't want to be that guy that has no cover story when the DMV worker goes out to my car, for the drive along, and asks whom drove me to his office today. 

                                   I will refrain from asking which above is the happy pig.

  Even when I have an actual drivers licence, seeing a cop behind me instantly puts me in a mini panic.  Yes I can recall the days when I had a licence.   My question is would it be a good or bad thing to see the above cops in your rear view window, police lights flashing??

    Still my favorite name badge by far.   This usually hangs on our fridge.  I made this some time during my 8 long years working with the company.  Although I lived up to the name a lot, I never was brave enough to wear it at work.   I some how saw that being my last day working with the company.  This was my goal, but leaving on good terms was far more important.  The above may also be the reason that most stores now lock up the supplies for making ones own name badge.  But I am not a manager, so can not tell you for sure.  

    Saturday was a day between two great days of hikes at our house.  I landed a lawn job that I hate to say I am still sore from.  It would not have been that much work, but the grass was tall.  Feed by the mixture of rain and intense sun.  I was also using an old school push mower--not gas powered.  Anyways, boring story -short, I was thrilled to receive $80 bucks for two hours of work.  When I went to the job sight, we had not set a payment price, and I was a little nervous of getting low balled.   Long ago I learned to ask people what they thought the job was worth--- because 80% of the time, there answer was much higher than what I would have bid the work at. 
       Last night also marked the peak viewing of the super moon.  The moon is incredibly close to Earth, in space terms, anyway.  This allows for an extra large looking moon.  Our family must have looked like tweekers, because we kept running out the front door and staring up in the sky as the night crept in.  Sadly the best viewing was not until about 11 PM, the all knowing Google told us.  I say sadly because this is late for parents.  Also sadly the moon really did not look all that super to us.  Although I did see some great pictures of the moon rising all across the world.   Thanks again Google!   

   
   People keep talking about Facebook and personal information safety. If you are really worried about this or giving out to much information in general, should you really be on Facebook in the first place??   For the most part you choose what is on your profile, like your phone number and such.   Mine for a long time, said my phone number was a 1-900 number.  You chose what you share in your status or portray as you relationship status.  **FYI, the sight does not allow you to enter that you are in a relationship with yourself.**  Many things that maybe should not be out there can be learned from the sight.  But people complain all the time about others knowing all about them---here's a hint, get off FB.   I have no money to steal and would bore a stalker to death.  Although I would love a stalker, I would stalk my stalker!   I actually did have one once.  Way back when in the days of Myspace.   Does anyone still recall that sight even?  This person knew way to much about me, but it was all information I had put out there about myself.  And it was OK-ish because they lived states away from me.  I have another friend who does not like to much information to get out there for others to read.  They will talk with me on there page stream, and than later delete all of there replies on the page.  This makes it look like I was having a fully insane argument with myself on there page.   

    I have been known to anger others with my thoughts or sarcasm.  On sights like Facebook, these thoughts can be viewed by everyone on my friend list, if they like it or not.   That is why I love my blog --and maybe more so it's weekly "mini rants."   I can grumble along, and YOU personally have to click on my link, to view my thoughts.  YOU clicked there and YOU can just as easily choose to not click there again.  I hope that instead you would choose to comment on my thoughts.  My pictures.   My morbid fondness of coffee.   

                                              Don't forget your rubbers when IT'S wet

**Mini Rant #15--First Hint Of Tagging, Sell Your Sharpie! **

    With today once again being Friday it is time for yet another "mini rant!"  Today's rant makes number 15, which conveniently and numerically is the logic choice after number 14.  But first much rambling.  Something that has made this blog mine for sure, and hopefully kept it entertaining.  I know that lots of times, even I am surprised at the direction the blog goes on its own.  I am also surprised at how many, comas I use daily.  I think I am need of an intervention for this!  Forgetting many of the rules from school, or possibly just being out sick the day we talked about commas.  I will say that this weeks rant came from a friends grumbling.   I hope that any reader will share there grumbling.  Of the world in general, or you general dislike to something or everything I have posted.  I get very few comments on my blog, and this makes me grumble.  My stats show you readers are out there--you just are staying very quiet.   If you do not hold your anger until you can meet and or punch me in public, this is all fine.  My stats also show that I am VERY close to hitting 7500 blog views!   And for this I thank each of you!!

This is my picture, in case you feel the urge to talk to me in public about my "writing"

    And now some rambling.     On this very date 35 years ago, the Star Wars Movies were introduced.  And geeks all over the world never really stopped rejoicing!  I will now claim a little bit of geekdom both for knowing this fact and for now saying "Let the fourth be with you!"  Feel free to groan now.   Yesterday marks the first cell phone brought to us in the early 70's.  I do not have a picture of one, but you all can recall those huge bricks, with a large attenea, that probably weighed more than the laptop you are using today.   I believe they came in white or white!  And could easily double as a hand weight for exercising.  BUT these phones were the thing than, and you were not kool and or really part of the working force, if you did not lug one around with you.  They as I might have mentioned were huge, and could only be used for, get this, making phone calls!  And maybe the occasional substiotion if you lost your work desk paperweight.   Other "news" today--- Today is national OJ day.  Not in the white Bronco driving, police evading,possible  killer, but the drink.  So Cheers! while you sip on your OJ, I am enjoying a great cup of not OJ.   Also known as coffee!! 
  

                                                                      Cheers!

   Today is also National become a follower of a new blog day---wow that's a mouth full!  Since you are on this page--what better place to start the trend, and than tell your friends?  OK, I made this one up, don't try to Google it, but do think about following my blog ;)
     Today does start frapiciono happy hours at Starbucks.  I hope they bring back the green tea frap.  It looks much like slime, but tastes soooo good!   May is also bbq month, so get out there and bbq some food for mothers day instead of taking her out to eat. 
      I am very excited to relate that I will soon be a legal driver again!   This has not been true for about eight years now.  This process took a lot of cash, but is about to come to a crash, errr come to a head.   Next week I shell out some more cash, and venture to the DMV to take the written and the dreaded driving test.  I have to say I am more than a little worried.  I have not takin the driving test since I was 16 years old.   And I flunked the first time around.  Something about almost getting hit in a six way intersection.  I am such a good driver, that the Oregon state patrol decided to take and keep my licence on file, so they would have it handy the next 30 times they pulled me over.   I believe it will all go fine, as long as I do not have to drive through what I call a "circle jerk!"   Those "trendy" round-abouts that are popping up all over every big, trendy city out there.   I do not believe anyone in America actually understands these.  And my last dealing with the police in Washington involved a two lane "circle jerk" were the other driver and I got confused and just decided to drive into each other.  It was great fun for me because I did not have a licence when this happened.  Have you not been reading the same blog?   It was fun for my friend, just along for the ride, because I left him with the car, as I went to find the vehicles paperwork.  This is about when the other driver decided I was not coming back, and called the police.  It became fun for my now, wife, who was at work nearby.   She followed me back to the accident, and we both kissed butt to the growing crowd, and found paper work.  In the end I got a stack of tickets, and my buddy drove the car away.  The main problem being, with practicing driving before the DMV test--is that I do not have a licence, and can not legally practice.  I could ride my bike around and around the "circle jerk."  The odds of driving through one during the test are high.  They have multiplied in amount found around town in even the year I have been gone. 
    This is were my "mini rant" could start.   And may next week!   The DMV is possibly the worse place to visit around.  Especially in Oregon and Washington were you can not do things like register your vehicle or buy new licence plates.  That is a separate building completely.  But today the state paid workers were actually amazingly helpful!  I did not have to raise my voice once, and the waiting time was amazingly quick.  Although I did not leave today with an actual drivers licence.   I hope you all keep me in your thoughts, as I hope to be a driver again by next week!  Both for those of you that want rides from me.  And those of you that will soon have to be sharing the roads and or sidewalks with me! 

                                                        And now the Actual mini rant!

   As I said, this one came from talking to a friend of mine.  And I never really asked if I could vent on this topic, but why would that stop me?   I do know he reads my almost daily rambling, so I will soon know if this bugs him or if I vented about the topic properly.   It kind of sorta goes with the recent riots in Seattle---needless property destruction.   Breaking windows of big business does not hurt the CEO's paycheck in the least.  It hurts the little guys that run the now damaged stores, that now have to replace all the windows. 
    Today I am talking about taggers.  Not people that tag themselves in pictures on Facebook.  Although that too can be annoying.  Mostly when they tag themselves in a picture of yours that has no people in it, what-so-ever.   But taggers armed with spray paint.  You see the "art" every were.   And most of it is far from pleasing to the eye.  I say most, because some really is amazing art.  I watched a documentary on Netflix a few months ago about  street artists.  Most of these spend nights putting up there own art--posters, etc.  And much of it really is art.  In fact people with way to much money lining there pockets, will line up to pay huge bucks for the art in framed form.  Something they could venture into an alley, take a picture of, and have for free.   It is amazing what many people would rather have than money!   Much of this is amusing and pleasing to the eye.  Although it is illegal, they are not trying to vandalize.   Spray paint is just vandalism in almost any case.  
   I recently had a small town tagger try to explain how worthy what he was doing really was.  Try is the key word here.   He mainly focused on how kool it was to have YOUR phat tag on a building or object.  With your tag on top of the pile of paint, you "owned" that spot!    But come on---everyone knows this man does not own Costco!!  
     I guess what bugs me most is because of spray paint taggers and those that choose to huff the paint, I now have to be carded at places like Wally World if I wish to buy spray paint.   It is actually amazing how many items these type of stores now have to verify your age before you can buy.  Wally World now has to card everyone buying booze--no matter how old they are.  All in an effort to never get in trouble or blamed for anything.   
     Possibly more annoying is the trend I have recently noticed, mostly because my friend brought it up.   Taggers that use Sharpie markers to write on things.   If you can't afford spray paint, or are not old enough to buy it, find a new hobby to make you look bad-ass now!   Because using a marker to  write on things is something our kids out grew on there 4th birthday.   You are the farthest thing from kool I can think of.  And I want to "grade" your artwork with a red marker.   This puts you a step above the restroom art---filled with rhymes involving farts and body parts.  And your ex's phone number.   Although these do amuse me when I am forced to sit in a public restroom.   Reading them and than trying to figure out how to get out of the stall, without touching anything.   And than rushing to buy disinfectant and bleach!   If the last paragraph describes you, please stop!   Before I find a need to buy a 24 pack of red markers to grade your drawings and some spray paint, so that if I catch you with a sharpie, I will spray paint a target on the back of your t-shirt or wife-beater.