Well, Shit

Apologies for the profanity. I don't use it very often (on this blog, at least), but the situation seems to call for it.

I mentioned earlier that a friend of mine was recently discovered to have a brain tumor. The tumor was discovered Tuesday. He was operated on yesterday. The news could not have been worse.

The cancer was a particularly malignant, fast growing one. The doctors removed approximately 80% of it, but the remainder is too intertwined with the brain to get at. It's in the portion of the brain that controls motor skills, so his ability to function normally post-op is uncertain.

But here's the kicker.

His prognosis - 14 days to 14 weeks to live.

Can you imagine? You go to the doctor because you're having a little trouble keeping your balance. You get an MRI. You find out you have a tumor, and immediate surgery is scheduled. When you come out of it, you're informed you have 2 to 14 weeks to live.

His wife, understandably, is devastated. They moved here recently after living all their lives in Houston. They were making plans for retirement at the end of this year. And now all their dreams are shattered.

It's not clear at this point what shape my buddy will be in for the short remainder of his life. The docs are talking chemo, but that seems like a long shot at best. Hopefully he will have a reasonable quality of life for however long he has left.

I'm still kind of numb from the news. At this point all I can say is hug your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you - before it's too late.

And make sure your will, medical power of attorney, and other documents are up to date.

Wordless Wednesday, Friday Version

Busy ... don't have time to post my usual witty, brilliant, penetrating insights. Instead, you'll have to get by with these.

Men, you'll identify with them.

Ladies, I apologize. I'll post your side in the near future.

Another One Bites The Dust

I came of age in Austin during the 1970s. It was a magical time - before liberals ruined the place - a time of hippies and rednecks mingling freely and happily; the genesis of the long haired country boy. One of the things that made it such a special time was the music. A melding of folk, country, and rock, played in places like the Armadillo World Headquarters, Soap Creek Salon, and the Broken Spoke. The performers from those days aren't household names, with the exception of Willie Nelson. But we grooved to the sounds of Doug Sahm, Billy Joe Shaver, Jerry Jeff Walker, Marcia Ball, Alvin Crow, and many, many others.

One of my favorites was Guy Clark. Sadly, he died yesterday.

Guy Charles Clark,  the gravel-voiced troubadour who crafted a vast catalog of emotionally charged, intricately detailed works that illuminated and expanded the literary possibilities of popular song, died in Nashville Tuesday morning after a long illness.

Born in Monahans, Texas on Nov. 6, 1941, and raised in the Lone Star State, Mr. Clark was a Nashville songwriting fixture for more than 40 years.

His songs were recorded by Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Bobby Bare, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and legions of others.

“The patron saint of an entire generation of bohemian pickers, Guy Clark has become an emblem of artistic integrity, quiet dignity and simple truth,” wrote Robert K. Oermann in the 1995 liner notes to Clark’s “Craftsman” collection.

“I’d play ‘The Red River Valley,’ and he’d sit in the kitchen and cry,” begins “Desperados Waiting for the Train,” a song about a young boy’s friendship with a grandfatherly old cuss. “Run his fingers through 70 years of living, and wonder, ‘Lord, has every well I’ve drilled run dry.’”

Another of his classics, “That Old Time Feeling,” opened with the lines, “That old time feeling goes sneaking down the hall, like an old grey cat in winter, keepin’ close to the wall.”

Both “Desperados” and “That Old Time Feeling” were featured on Mr. Clark’s debut album in 1975, “Old No. 1..."

Mr. Clark, the son of a lawyer, was raised in dusty west Texas and moved to the Gulf Coast town of Rockport, Texas, at 16.

In the late 1960s, he headed to Houston, where he played Bob Dylan-inspired folk music on a club circuit that included contemporaries Van Zandt and Eric Taylor as well as blues legends Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb.

Mr. Clark spent time in San Francisco and Los Angeles, inspiring later songs “Madonna w/ Child ca. 1969” and “L.A. Freeway...”

Jerry Jeff Walker recorded “L.A. Freeway” for a 1972 album, and “Desperados Waiting for the Train” the following year, and Mr. Clark garnered a reputation for uncommon poetic perception.

By the time “Old No. 1” released, Mr. Clark was a local icon, an arbiter of taste and song sensibility, and a vodka-fueled sage. He maintained each of these reputations throughout the remainder of his life.

"a vodka-fueled sage" - That's one hell of an epitaph.

He influenced later generations of songwriters, as evidenced by this tribute from Robert Earl Keene.

I enjoyed so many of his songs it's hard to single out a favorite or two, but here's a couple I particularly enjoyed. The videos aren't much to look at, but the music is sublime. Crank up the volume, pay attention to the lyrics, and raise a glass to Guy Clark, singer/songwriter extraordinaire.




Guy Clark - RIP, brother...

Wedded Bliss

I may have mentioned a time or two on this blog that I have two count 'em two ex-wives. I was 'lucky at cards, unlucky at love' before I met the lovely lady to whom I am currently happily married.

My ex-wives weren't always the most pleasant people to be around. Granted, I'm not the easiest person in the world to live with, but still...

Anyway, they might have had their flaws, but at least they were duly appreciative when I remembered those special days in our lives with candy and flowers.

Unlike this harpy.

Incensed that her husband got her “the wrong flowers and candy” for Mother’s Day, a Florida woman allegedly pummeled her spouse, according to cops who arrested her for domestic battery.

Investigators allege that Virginia Stewart, 42, attacked her spouse during an argument early Sunday in their family’s Holmes Beach residence... Stewart quarreled with her husband about “the victim getting her the wrong flowers and candy for Mother’s Day.”

After Stewart “did throw cups around the room and break them,” she allegedly attacked her spouse, punching him several times while also striking the man in the head with a coat hanger.

Stewart’s husband suffered "bruising and contusions," noted cops, who added that the “injuries were highly visible on the left side of his face with contusions all over.”

All in all, he got off lightly. It could have been much worse. Remember Lorena Bobbitt?

The street where the Bobbitts lived.

Speaking of ex-wives, here's a couple of recent news stories that highlight some of the strange dynamics between exes.

Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend, ex-wife hung out at the Kentucky Derby

Man charged with pointing gun at ex-wife, stealing her underwear 

You can't make this stuff up...

Lightening Flashes

We had a big storm blow through here last night, resulting in a lengthy power outage. I had the greatest blog post of my life ready to go - witty, urbane, chock full of penetrating insights - but it vanished into that great digital graveyard in the sky when we lost power and my computer shut down.

So instead, you'll have to settle for these random cartoons...

Words On Paper

I started working in Laredo TX eight years ago (FYI, Laredo is in South Texas on the Texas-Mexico border). I got an apartment down there, while my wife and kids stayed in our Central Texas home. It was a relatively long but doable commute (about 200 miles one way), but it left me with plenty of time on my hands while I was in Laredo.

I was a college professor at the time, and the 'publish or perish' rule was very much in effect. Thanks to my uninterrupted time down there, I published enough academic articles to survive. That gave me the idea that I could someday write a novel. In fact, when I retired, that was one of the things on my 'to-do' list. That, along with 'clean out the garage.'

So far, neither goal has been reached. Oh, I've got stacks of research material in my home office. I've got plot outlines and characters fleshed out, but I never seem to find enough time to sit down and put words to paper.

They (whoever 'they' are) say to write what you know. Well, one of the things I know is the Texas-Mexico border, drug cartels, South Texas culture, and related stuff. Unfortunately, because I've dithered for so long, I've been beaten to the punch. No complaints - my fault for sitting on my butt. But I keep thinking that at some point I'll still get around to 'it' - whatever 'it' is.

The reason for all this rambling is a column I saw in the local paper. It's written by someone who I can only describe as a grammar nazi. In spite of that, he has some sound advice for anyone out there who is thinking of becoming an author. Here's his words to the wise.

Excuse me, but could we have a brief confidential chat?

I don’t want to get too personal, but I couldn’t help but notice that, ah ... your participle is dangling. You might want to correct that to avoid any embarrassment that could ensue.

When you wrote, “I was surprised by a mouse uncovering my patio grill,” were you referring to Mighty Mouse or to some strange new hybrid creature? Also I confess that when you wrote “Flaming across the sky, we watched the meteor shower in wonder,” I was a bit confused as to who was doing what.

Yes, misplaced modifiers come in various forms and often trip the unwary writer. Of course, as the writer, you know what you mean, but obviously the point is to let the reader know also.

There are three principles that lie at the heart of most forms of effective writing: clarity, clarity and clarity. Consider the following: “The stolen items were found scattered around the golf course by the groundskeeper.” I suppose the police had an easy time catching the culprit.

Groucho Marx used a misplaced modifier in one of his well-known jokes from the film “Animal Crackers”: “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don’t know.” The placement of modifying words or phrases can often be amusing and more often just confusing.

The word “only” can be pesky in its placement.

For example, “I only ran 3 miles.” Does it mean that the writer ran 3 miles and then walked or crawled for some more miles? If the emphasis is on 3, then write it as, “I ran only 3 miles.”

Nit-picking you say? I say clarity! The advice is keep the word “only” precisely next to the word or words it modifies.

Even Shakespeare was caught in the modifier trap, although perhaps a minimal one. In Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5, the ghost of Hamlet’s father says, “Now, Hamlet, hear. ’Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, a serpent stung me.” The best of writers may sometimes fall and we lesser scribes must keep our guard up constantly.

Well, it was a nice chat. Thanks for your time.

Peace and clarity.

Methinks the man maketh much sense.

P.S. - If you're a writer, I hope this helps you!

A Sobering Dose Of Reality

Yesterday I went to a memorial service for a bright, beautiful, wonderful young lady. She had just turned 21. She had just graduated from college. She had just started a new job that she loved.

Then, one day last week, for no reason that anyone can fathom, she committed suicide.

There was no warning, no inkling, no clues. She was bubbly and happy, at least on the outside. She left no note. No one has any idea why.

Please, please, if you have the slightest idea someone you know might be considering such a drastic step, reach out to them. A kind word, a quiet conversation, a pat on the back ... any one of those things might have made a difference.

Now her friends and family are devastated. They will never be able to approach the Christmas season the same. Every year will be a brutal reminder of the loss of this fine young woman.

God Bless her, and all those affected by this.

And God help us all to prevent future incidents like this.

Sorry for the downer in the midst of the holiday season, but sometimes Reality intrudes...

Wordless Wednesday

To be accurate I should have titled this post Semi-Wordless Wednesday, but that's not as catchy. Anyway...

This blogging thing is taking up more and more time. And paradoxically, even thought I'm retired, I'm finding that I have less and less of it (hey, it takes time picking out the right less-than-$10 wine to go with a mac 'n cheese dinner).

So in an effort to save a little time I'm going to start a new tradition. On Wednesdays (hence the Wordless Wednesday heading - clever, no?) in lieu of my usual penetrating and insightful commentary (*modest cough*) I'll be posting a set of images revolving around a current and relevant theme.

At least that's the plan.

Today, I'd like to take the opportunity to introduce myself to those of you who may not be familiar with my background and philosophy of life.

My formative years:

Tim - the early years.

Tim - the slightly later years.

Needless to say, with that start I developed a somewhat warped outlook.

However, I overcame that early upbringing to become an enthusiastic proponent of physical fitness.

One measure of exercise effectiveness.

My idea of an abdominal six-pack.

I also developed an abiding concern for others.

That didn't last long.

In conclusion:

Weather Update

We're getting hammered here in Central Texas. Between 3:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. we received 4 1/2 inches of rain. It's serious, but not as bad as this headline would lead you to believe.

Catastrophic & Historic Flooding Underway in Parts of Central Texas

It has been an incredibly busy morning across Central and South-Central Texas. Several tornadoes and catastrophic flash flooding are underway across Hays county (30 miles NE of us)... Some locations across Comal and Hays counties have recorded a foot of rain this morning. This is an extremely life-threatening situation comparable to the historic flooding we saw in May. Many roads are closed and its only going to get worse.

A level 2 possible severe weather risk remains in effect through the late afternoon hours across South Texas, Central Texas, and Southeast Texas... The primary severe weather risk will be isolated tornadoes... As a warm front makes slow progress north we could see the severe weather threat also spread into more of Central Texas... For the past hour the front has stalled out around Austin which is helping to create extreme rainfall rates.

... additional thunderstorms will form this afternoon and evening across the Big Country and Concho Valley. That activity will move east towards Interstate 35 from D/FW south through the San Antonio Metro area. Some of these storms could be severe with the possibility of damaging wind gusts and a couple tornadoes. By far the most significant threat will be flash flooding. Parts of South Austin into San Marcos and Wimberly are receiving six inches of rain an HOUR. This has been going on for a while now. This is truly going to be a catastrophic and probably historic event...

More:

Several reported tornadoes left damage in small towns near San Antonio, Texas, on Friday morning. In those areas, as well as near Austin, a flood emergency forced people to evacuate their homes.

The flash flood emergency was in effect for much of Comal County, as well as parts of Hays and Bexar counties, according to the National Weather Service. This includes areas like northern San Antonio and New Braunfels.

Near (South Austin), Onion Creek quickly rose to a new record level. Before noon Friday, water levels at that part of the creek were already above the previous record of 25.1 feet, and the waterway was expected to continue its rise.

More than 10 inches of rain fell in a two-hour span near the creek Friday morning. Multiple people were rescued from floodwaters in Travis County earlier Friday morning.

South Austin (US 183 from the TX 71 overpass for those of you familiar with the area)

The rainfall became so extreme that the airfield of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport had to be closed late Friday morning, the airport announced.

Evacuations were ongoing in the Wimberley area Friday morning, as a bridge over Cypress Creek may be threatened by rising floodwaters. Rain was falling at rates of up to 6 inches per hour Friday morning in Texas, storm reports showed.

In Austin, boats were being deployed by the Austin Fire Department to help with water rescues.

Areas near the Blanco River were also being evacuated Friday morning, and the bridge over the river at RR 12 in Wimberley was closed.

San Antonio officials reported more than a dozen road closures Friday morning as heavy rain caused flooding. In eastern Bexar County, a school bus with children inside got stuck in high water, and crews were able to successfully remove everyone inside, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said via Twitter.

New Braunfels officials warned residents to take flooding seriously and get to safety. A civil emergency message was issued for Comal County, warning residents that river flooding along the Comal and Guadalupe rivers was imminent, and residents in low-lying areas should evacuate...

The towns of D'Hanis and Floresville took the hardest hit from the early Friday suspected tornadoes. There were also reports of damage near San Marcos as the severe weather pushed northeast.

I truly feel for the poor folks living along the Blanco River in Blanco and Wimberly. They're still dealing with the aftermath of the Memorial Day flood that killed at least nine people (nine bodies have been recovered - two people are still missing). Now they're facing that same nightmare again.

We're located approximately 25 miles NW of San Antonio, and about 70 miles SW of Austin, so we're pretty much in the middle of all that stuff. Our property slopes from front to back. When I got up this morning the runoff had pooled in front of the house and was about 6 inches from our front door. We have drains in place to channel the runoff around the house, but they were clogged with debris, so I had the pleasure of cleaning them out while being pelted with rain. On the bright side, I didn't need to take a shower this morning.  :-)

The back of our property slopes down to a dry wash. In the 15 years we've lived here it's only had running water a handful of times. This morning there was a good-sized stream running down the wash, complete with whitecaps.

The heavy rain stopped a couple of hours ago, but we're still getting off-and-on showers. The forecast is for continued rain through today and tonight, with it tapering off tomorrow.

Overall, however, we're in good shape. It'll take rain of Biblical proportions to flood us out. We may get isolated by high water and road closures, but we've got enough food and adult beverages stockpiled to last us for quite a while.

Of course, all this rain comes on the heels of a historic multi-year drought. But that's Texas weather for you. Kind of like life in general, you either get too much of something, or not enough.

UPDATED TO ADD:

The Comal River flooding under the IH 35 bridge in New Braunfels.

The Comal River in New Braunfels as seen from my son's back yard. The rock walkway extends for several more feet (now underwater) before what is usually a five foot dropoff to the river. In other words, the water level is approximately ten feet above normal.

A Spooky Halloween

As we all know, Halloween is approaching. It's a night of scary fun. But something even more scary than witches and goblins (or even democrats in power) is also happening that night.

'Spooky' the asteroid due to give Earth a Halloween fright

A Halloween asteroid is due to scream past the Earth on the last day of the month, missing the planet by just 300,000 miles – frighteningly close by astronomical standards.

The asteroid, nicknamed “the Great Pumpkin” and “Spooky” but technically known as TB145, is an estimated 1,300ft wide – 20 times bigger than the meteorite that tore across the Russian sky and exploded over Chelyabinsk in 2013, shattering windows with shock waves and debris that injured more than a thousand people.

Perhaps the scariest aspect of Spooky is that is went undiscovered until only two weeks ago.

TB145 was spotted by astronomers in Hawaii on 10 October. It is due to fly past Earth at around 5pm UK time, on 31 October.

How on earth can something that big sneak up on us? After all, it's not like the obamacare disaster. Any thinking person could see that coming.

Dr Detlef Koschny, who heads the agency’s NEO tracking team said asteroid emphasised the need for vigilance: “The fact that such a large near-Earth object, capable of doing significant damage if it were to strike our planet, was discovered only 21 days before closest approach demonstrates the necessity for keeping daily watch of the night sky.”

There is some good news, sort of...

...scientists say there is no need to be scared, even on Halloween. The space rock, travelling at around 22 miles per second, will remain further away than the moon.

There is no chance of the asteroid hitting the Earth for the next 100 years at least...

More Spooky info can be found here.

Enjoy your Halloween...

Mellow Jihadi Update

Those of you who follow The Mellow Jihadi blog have undoubtedly noticed that it is no more. Here's the latest.

The good news: everyone involved is alive and well - no personal problems, illnesses, brig time, etc.

The bad news: everyone involved has new commitments that preclude active blog authorship.

Backstory: the original founder of the blog is an active US Navy officer. A little over a year ago he was deployed at sea, which made it difficult for him to regularly contribute.

His stand-in, a retired UK Royal Marines Commando, performed admirably in his stead.

Current Events: the original founder has completed his sea tour. However, his new assignment is one requiring a substantial commitment of time. Furthermore, it comes with a degree of sensitivity and confidentiality that makes it impractical for him to resume his blogging activities.

His replacement has likewise undertaken an additional workload that reduces his free time and makes continued blogging unfeasible.

Bottom Line: The Mellow Jihadi has passed on to that great blogroll in the sky. There is a slight possibility that a future version of it may come to pass sometime around Spring 2016, but that is uncertain.

If I hear anything else I'll pass it along.

Catching Up

The past few days have been ... interesting. I had to take a quick unexpected out-of-town trip Tues. through Thurs. Between travel and dealing with the issues that necessitated the trip I had little free time. I got home Thursday evening.

Friday I spent half the day in the ER, thanks to that trip. As a man of that certain age, I have for several years gotten up in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature.

I have the routine down pat - at least, at home. I can roll out of bed, stumble into the bathroom, and take care of business without fully awakening and without turning on the light. That's all well and good at home, but when one goes on the road that routine becomes treacherous.

In the middle of Wednesday night my subconscious roused me per usual. However, the floor plan of the hotel I was staying in differs from the floor plan of our bedroom at home. The consequences - face, meet door. Door, meet face.

Final outcome - Door 1, Face 0.

I ended up with a huge shiner, a swollen cheekbone and forehead, and a disturbing tendency to spit up the occasional mouthful of blood. In true guy fashion I washed down a couple of ibuprofen with a cold beer and went back to bed.

I finished up what I needed to do on Thursday. The swelling and bruising wasn't too bad, and the blood-spitting lessened, so I headed home.

Friday morning I woke up looking like I'd just gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson. My wife took one look at me and ordered me to the ER. Of course, her compassion didn't extend to taking me there. She said something along the lines of 'you did it to yourself, now go take care of it.'

The milk of human kindness would curdle within that woman.

Anyway, after several hours of tests and a CAT scan, the verdict came back. Cosmetic damage only - structurally everything is sound. The only thing hurt was my pride.

And my wallet. Thanks to obamacare, my medical insurance co-pay for ER visits jumped from $35 to $150. Adding insult to injury (literally) the ER doc is a contract worker. His fee is not covered by the ER. Instead, he will submit a separate bill to the insurance company and whatever they don't cover will be billed to yours truly.

Thanks again, barry.

All in all, though, things could have been worse. I really clobbered myself, and am lucky to escape with, and I quote from the ER Discharge Summary. "Facial and scalp contusions. Head injury - no wake up."

I'm not sure what that last phrase means...

Flying The Friendly Skies

Whenever possible, I prefer driving over flying. There are many reasons, but here's a few I haven't experienced ... yet...

One of my biggest pet peeves about flying is when the inconsiderate asshole in front of you reclines his/her seat all the way back. I don't mind giving up a little bit of room, but I'm 6' 1" with two bad knees. The last thing I need is some bozo further reducing the already ridiculously small amount of available legroom. I usually counter this intrusion into my space by 'accidentally' bumping the seatback and then apologizing by saying "I'm sorry, but it's just so cramped back here that I every time I shift position I can't avoid hitting your seatback." They usually get the message sooner or later.

I've never gone as far as this guy, but I can't say I've never been tempted.

Man Chokes Woman on Southwest Airlines Jet for Reclining Her Seat

A Southwest Airlines jet was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing at LAX after a male passenger allegedly began choking a woman because she reclined her seat, witnesses said.

Flight 2010, bound for San Francisco, turned around  late Sunday night about 30 minutes into the journey because of a “rapidly escalating situation involving passengers who were not traveling together,” the airline said in a statement.

"Flight 2010, declaring an emergency," the pilot says in audio from the flight. "Evidently we've got two passengers that are in a physical altercation."

Witnesses reported the woman said a man sitting behind her tried to strangle her because she put her seat back...

The unidentified man was detained by Los Angeles Airport Police, but no arrests have been made...

The remaining passengers boarded another flight and arrived in San Francisco five hours late.

That flight was delayed because of human nature. But Mother Nature can also get into the act.

American Airlines Flight Delayed By 1,000 Bees Found Beneath Plane Wing

A thousand uninvited guests tried to board a flight from Texas to Germany – delaying the flight for more than an hour.

A massive swarm of bees were found beneath the wing of an American Airlines plane at Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport just before take-off.

According to reports, the pilot said that the queen bee had flown into the airliner’s wing while it was waiting to depart.

It was the second incident in one day at the airport.

In a statement to INSIDE EDITION, American Airlines said: “We had an issue at DFW with a swarm of bees yesterday afternoon, not once, but twice.

“A 767 came in from LAS and when the Fleet Service started unloading the aircraft, they noticed a lot of bees under the wing and stopped unloading the plane. We called a bee keeper out to deal with the situation. He captured the queen and the swarm and we finished unloading.”

As for the flight that was delayed, thankfully, the bees never entered the passenger cabin and were just in the cargo area.

American Airlines also told INSIDE EDITION: “Unfortunately, not long after the bee keeper left, another swarm decided to visit the same aircraft that we were using for flight 70 to Frankfort, Germany. So, the bee keeper came back and recaptured the swarm.

"We were able to finish loading the cargo and bags shortly after 4:30 p. The flight took off for Frankfort at 4:48 p, about 1:13 minutes past its scheduled departure time. Not your usual everyday situation, but certainly something that our DFW team was able to handle.”

I wonder how the bees got past TSA screening...

Of course, no collection of flying stories would be complete without a "Take this plane to Cuba!" reference. In this case, it's a college professor (of Sociology, naturally) who was the scofflaw.

Woman Caught Smoking on Plane Claims She Was Inspired By Fidel Castro

She said, “I apologize to the passengers if I caused any fear.”

Fifty-two-year-old Karen Halnon is also expressing regret to Penn State University, where she's an Associate Professor of Sociology.

“I do apologize for any harm that I have done to Penn State,” she said.

Halnon was asked, “Why did you light a cigarette on a plane when you know that's illegal?”

(Her answer) is a little kooky. Basically she says it was to show solidarity with her idol - and who's her idol? None other than Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro!

When asked, “What about those people who think, this sounds really wacky?” she replied:

“Anyone who is speaking out for social justice, it is the usual situation that most people will think they're crazy,” she replied.

Halnon was charged with disorderly conduct. 

Hey, I can understand Castro's appeal. In my younger days I was a big fan of Cuba Libres...

I Hate Mondays

I tweaked something in my back last week. The earliest I could get a doctor's appointment was Monday morning, so I self-medicated with ibuprofen and adult beverages as needed throughout the weekend.

Monday morning I went to hop in the truck and head into town to see the sawbones. Naturally, my truck had a flat tire. My wife was already gone, so I did my best imitation of a NASCAR pit crew and changed the tire in record time (which, incidentally, didn't help my back at all).

Off I roared, planning to make up the lost time on the road. Said road is a twisty two-lane country road, with very few opportunities to pass. Of course, I got stuck behind some sweet old granny who was merrily putting into town at about 25 MPH below the posted speed limit.

However, I know this road like the back of my hand. We were approaching one of the few places where it's safe to pass, so I sped up, got close behind her, and was ready to floor it when we rounded the bend...

... right where the flag man was stationed, closing off our lane while road construction was underway. We sat there for about five minutes (which seemed more like five hours) before it was our turn to proceed.

That did, however, give me time to call the doctor's office and let them know I was running late. They cheerfully informed me that the doctor was booked solid all day, but they would try to squeeze me in. After waiting a couple of hours I finally got to spend five minutes with the guy, only to be told to take it easy for a few days, let any swelling and inflammation settle down, and come back next week.

I've got no problem with taking it easy. It's the come back next week - on a Monday, natch - that worries me...

Unmotivated Post

Over the last few months I've been saving various images that caught my fancy. Because I have neither the time nor the motivation to create a coherent, well thought out post, I have decided now is a good time to share them with the world.

Enjoy...