The Honorable Judge Mark Martin ruled that he was dismissing the case against a muslim man who assaulted an atheist that was dressed up as a zombie Mohammed in a parade. The judge said the atheist had gone outside the bounds of the First Amendment.
When I read that statement a light went on. I'm going to track down the so-called artist who displayed a crucifix upside down in a jar of urine and beat the holy piss out of him.
Martin needs to stick to driving his race car, he makes a shitty judge.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
SERENDIPITY
Arson investigation completed:
This morning I got on the roof and began the arduous task of determining the cause of yesterday's fire.
The decades old metal triple wall flue is designed to look like a brick chimney.
When I got it apart, the cause and culprit became clear. Over the years we have had problems keeping birds and squirrels out of the fireplace. There was some chicken wire around the top opening but none around the opening just below it. The top opening is where the flue gasses are exhausted. The bottom opening just allows access to the box that surrounds the outside of the flue pipe. The chicken wire was in bad shape, that's how the critters were able to penetrate my perimeter.
I kept rigging up the wire to fend off the critters, but never worried about the other opening. The evil birds exploited this oversight and over the years made many nests and you can see from this picture looking at where the paint is scorched how thick the buildup of bird nest material was.
This was no creosote fire as I first suspected, this was a deliberated act of malice by many generations of evil dirty birds. When I got the fire going really hot, an ember must have gotten into the nest.
I was lucky to be outside when the square birds nest ignited as there was a lot of material left to burn. Dumping 2 buckets of water in the box put the fire out quickly. At the time I thought the fire was much lower down in the flue pipe itself. I was trying to get the water in the pipe where the fire wasn't. Due to the design, most of the water ended up in the box where the fire was. Serendipitous is what they call that.
This morning, I got it all the cleaned out and got some real heavy duty hardware screen and blocked access to both openings. When the weather breaks I'll find some better matching paint and it will look good as new.
Jojo was nervous about me firing up the fireplace so I waited till she left and got a nice toasty fire going.
The fortunate chain of events that kept this from being a total house fire, harkened me back to another serendipitous moment many years ago.
Way back when I lived out in the boonies of Morgan County we came home and I could hear water spraying in the crawlspace. I had used plastic polypropylene water pipe from the ground to the house. I had heat tape on the pipe and it had ignited close to the floor. When I got under the house I could see a burnt area of the underside of the house 4 foot in diameter. The fire had been going good and would have destroyed our home.
That's when serendipity came calling.
That's when serendipity came calling.
Because I had used plastic pipe instead of copper or iron, the fire melted a hole in the pipe and the water was spraying in a nice round pattern about 5 feet in diameter hitting the underside of the house perfectly covering the 4 foot area of burning wood.
I shut off the water supply and laid on my back staring up and the heavily scorched wood dripping with water and shook my head. We had just gotten home from church and could have come home to a pile of burning rubble.
Thank you serendipity!
I shut off the water supply and laid on my back staring up and the heavily scorched wood dripping with water and shook my head. We had just gotten home from church and could have come home to a pile of burning rubble.
Thank you serendipity!
Of course I am being glib giving thanks to a pile of fortunate coincidences. I leave that to the atheists of the world. As I lay on my soaking wet back that day in my crawlspace, I gave thanks to God, like I did last night when I went to bed and reviewed the days events.
I thanked God that I happened to walk outside at the exact time the fire started.
I thanked God I had finally gotten my ladder back after several months of being AWOL. I thanked God I had a bucket handy.
Maybe I will give serendipity a little credit for the design of the flue pipe that forced me to pour the water in an area that I didn't intend, but where the fire actually was.
Ehhhhh, maybe not. Thank you God for that bit of fortune too!
Ehhhhh, maybe not. Thank you God for that bit of fortune too!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
FIRST RESPONDERS AT YOUR DOOR
Nice calm Saturday afternoon watching some racing and just relaxing. I go outside to fetch something and a strange odor has me looking around for the source. The source? My fireplace chimney. I had thrown some loose bark in there about 20 minutes earlier and apparently it got a little too hot. It must have gotten a creosote fire going because there were a few licks of fire coming out the side.
As I was assessing the situation, the few licks became an infernal wrapped around the inner liner and it was burning the paint off the outer layer of the chimney. I tried to hook up the hose, of course the hose was frozen. Got a bucket out and put the ladder up and Jojo comes out to see what all the ruckus is about. I quickly get her up to speed and the fire is roaring now. "Should I call 911?", she asks. I am now calculating risk against embarrassment as the flames are growing. "Yeah you better" I surrendered. I got on the roof and began pouring water around the outer walls of the triple wall chimney and the white smoke poured out.
A few minutes later I heard the siren of Franklin Townships finest. Then another and another and a fourth one was on his way before he got called off.
They were walking in with axes in hand and I tried to assure them I had already checked the attic and saw no smoke. They checked with thermal cameras and we were all good. They squelched the flame in the fireplace and all thirty of us stood around and made sure the fire was out.
I try to keep the chimney from building up creosote by having regular high temp burnouts.
Looks like I need a new plan
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
FAREWELL TO KINGS
Neil Peart, the greatest drummer on the planet, penned these lyrics over 35 years ago.
I never believed in ESP before, but now I think the drummer from Rush is indeed psychic, how else could he describe Obama, his henchmen, his Occupy Wall Street minions, his millions of idol worshippers and us for letting those seeds grow, so accurately ?
FAREWELL TO KINGS
When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
I never believed in ESP before, but now I think the drummer from Rush is indeed psychic, how else could he describe Obama, his henchmen, his Occupy Wall Street minions, his millions of idol worshippers and us for letting those seeds grow, so accurately ?
FAREWELL TO KINGS
When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
Sunday, February 19, 2012
YOU TUBE OF THE MIND PART 6
Some funny moments I have seen in years past popped into my cobwebbed memory the other day and I thought I should put them down on electronic paper while I still have some of my faculties left.
As usual, the blog got too wordy so I chopped it up into 6 segments. Most of these things happened before we all started carrying cameras in our phones so these events just exist in my rapidly diminishing mind. Don't know if you will get a chuckle out of any of these little snippets.
It's probably one of those things where you just had to be there.
Number 5. didn't make the cut, so I will finish up this waste of time with this.
You Shoulda Saw His Little Dinghy:
I saved my favorite for last, Rita will probably even remember this one. We were just kids so were talking mid-60's maybe. We were at some lake in southern Indiana having a cookout.
A man and his young son pulled up to the ramp with a tiny sailboat on top of his station wagon. We watched him struggle trying to get the boat down and it finally came down with a thud producing a nice dent on his hood.
Now there were more people watching this unfolding spectacle.
Now this was a big man and by that I mean he had a stomach that looked to be about the same size as the hull of his little sailboat. Hmmm, how is this going to work?
The big-bellied man and the little boy, who looked like he had been spared his father's genetics finally dragged the boat to the dock. Now given the size of the little sailboat and the size of the little boy it would have been safe to assume the little boy was going to take the maiden voyage, that didn’t happen. I guess the plan was for the dad to take the maiden voyage, get his sea legs and trim the sails, circle around and pick up the little boy and sail off into the sunset.
Now there were many more people watching this with wonderment. The dad takes off the XXXXL shirt exposing his huge investment of beer and pizza and climbs aboard.
The boat and the dock separated and in short order the man and boat separated. I have to give the guy credit, he hung in there, grasping at the capsized boat and trying to get back in belly first.
People were not just watching, now they were laughing a little, He yelled to the crowd " I don't need an audience!", oh yes you do! thought the audience.
He managed to insert his belly in the hull and it was a perfect fit add a little water for a good seal and you have a very fat man with his belly stuck in the hull of a tiny boat. Now he had a problem, he had floated away from the dock and he couldn't extract his gut from the boat and now he had attracted a huge crowd on the shore.
His son bravely jumped into the water clothes shoes and all to assist his floundering father. Finally with what sounded like a loud reverse fart his belly was freed.
Now it was pandemonium on the shore and the spectators were roaring with laughter, my dad was red-faced and not breathing and on the verge of stroking out he was laughing so hard, us kids thought this was better than The Three Stooges
My Aunt Rita got a before and after picture with her Polaroid.
The would be sailor tried a few more times to right his ship, but the Titanic had a better chance then this boat. Finally ego bruised and big belly battered and red he gave up his dreams of a sea going adventure. He took his boat out of the water and was preparing to leave. My aunt actually gave him the pictures. I'm sure that made the family photo album.
I wish she had kept them, it would be fun to include them here. Video would have been much better.
I would have put any of these little memories on Youtube, the man and his dinghy may have even went viral, but those were the days before everyone had a video camera in their pocket. Those were the days even before the big clunky two-piece video cameras.
Maybe if Steve Jobs hadn't left this planet so soon he would have developed a device to pull those memories from our brain to be downloaded on something called the Imind.
I don't think I will ever see that day so I will have to be satisfied watching these memories on my YouTube of the mind
As usual, the blog got too wordy so I chopped it up into 6 segments. Most of these things happened before we all started carrying cameras in our phones so these events just exist in my rapidly diminishing mind. Don't know if you will get a chuckle out of any of these little snippets.
It's probably one of those things where you just had to be there.
Number 5. didn't make the cut, so I will finish up this waste of time with this.
You Shoulda Saw His Little Dinghy:
I saved my favorite for last, Rita will probably even remember this one. We were just kids so were talking mid-60's maybe. We were at some lake in southern Indiana having a cookout.
A man and his young son pulled up to the ramp with a tiny sailboat on top of his station wagon. We watched him struggle trying to get the boat down and it finally came down with a thud producing a nice dent on his hood.
Now there were more people watching this unfolding spectacle.
Now this was a big man and by that I mean he had a stomach that looked to be about the same size as the hull of his little sailboat. Hmmm, how is this going to work?
The big-bellied man and the little boy, who looked like he had been spared his father's genetics finally dragged the boat to the dock. Now given the size of the little sailboat and the size of the little boy it would have been safe to assume the little boy was going to take the maiden voyage, that didn’t happen. I guess the plan was for the dad to take the maiden voyage, get his sea legs and trim the sails, circle around and pick up the little boy and sail off into the sunset.
Now there were many more people watching this with wonderment. The dad takes off the XXXXL shirt exposing his huge investment of beer and pizza and climbs aboard.
The boat and the dock separated and in short order the man and boat separated. I have to give the guy credit, he hung in there, grasping at the capsized boat and trying to get back in belly first.
People were not just watching, now they were laughing a little, He yelled to the crowd " I don't need an audience!", oh yes you do! thought the audience.
He managed to insert his belly in the hull and it was a perfect fit add a little water for a good seal and you have a very fat man with his belly stuck in the hull of a tiny boat. Now he had a problem, he had floated away from the dock and he couldn't extract his gut from the boat and now he had attracted a huge crowd on the shore.
His son bravely jumped into the water clothes shoes and all to assist his floundering father. Finally with what sounded like a loud reverse fart his belly was freed.
Now it was pandemonium on the shore and the spectators were roaring with laughter, my dad was red-faced and not breathing and on the verge of stroking out he was laughing so hard, us kids thought this was better than The Three Stooges
My Aunt Rita got a before and after picture with her Polaroid.
The would be sailor tried a few more times to right his ship, but the Titanic had a better chance then this boat. Finally ego bruised and big belly battered and red he gave up his dreams of a sea going adventure. He took his boat out of the water and was preparing to leave. My aunt actually gave him the pictures. I'm sure that made the family photo album.
I wish she had kept them, it would be fun to include them here. Video would have been much better.
I would have put any of these little memories on Youtube, the man and his dinghy may have even went viral, but those were the days before everyone had a video camera in their pocket. Those were the days even before the big clunky two-piece video cameras.
Maybe if Steve Jobs hadn't left this planet so soon he would have developed a device to pull those memories from our brain to be downloaded on something called the Imind.
I don't think I will ever see that day so I will have to be satisfied watching these memories on my YouTube of the mind
Saturday, February 18, 2012
YOU TUBE OF THE MIND PART 4
Some funny moments I have seen in years past popped into my cobwebbed memory the other day and I thought I should put them down on electronic paper while I still have some of my faculties left.
As usual, the blog got too wordy so I chopped it up into 6 segments. Most of these things happened before we all started carrying cameras in our phones so these events just exist in my rapidly diminishing mind. Don't know if you will get a chuckle out of any of these little snippets.
It's probably one of those things where you just had to be there.
This Buds For You:
Back in the 70's we frequented a bar called the Benchmark Inn. Many crazy things occurred at this establishment, this perticular evening was my buddy Joe's (AKA Animal), night to shine. He got himself severly overserved, there were many empty mugs in front of him. He gets that look in his bleary eyes and you could tell he was gonna try for a refund on the beer. He leans over the table and I gave him plenty of room, I knew this would not be pretty.
What happened next was amazing. Joe was transformed before my very eyes into a human tapper. He expertly slid an empty mug under his mouth and filled the mug with just the right amount of beer and with a perfect head. He then slid another mug over and repeated the process. By now he not only had an audience, he had a cheering section.
After his third mug was filled the keg went dry.
Joe was so careful with his money we expected he would try to re-drink the recycled beers, as far as I can recall that didn't happen, but that would be the version that would be repeated for years to come.
As usual, the blog got too wordy so I chopped it up into 6 segments. Most of these things happened before we all started carrying cameras in our phones so these events just exist in my rapidly diminishing mind. Don't know if you will get a chuckle out of any of these little snippets.
It's probably one of those things where you just had to be there.
This Buds For You:
Back in the 70's we frequented a bar called the Benchmark Inn. Many crazy things occurred at this establishment, this perticular evening was my buddy Joe's (AKA Animal), night to shine. He got himself severly overserved, there were many empty mugs in front of him. He gets that look in his bleary eyes and you could tell he was gonna try for a refund on the beer. He leans over the table and I gave him plenty of room, I knew this would not be pretty.
What happened next was amazing. Joe was transformed before my very eyes into a human tapper. He expertly slid an empty mug under his mouth and filled the mug with just the right amount of beer and with a perfect head. He then slid another mug over and repeated the process. By now he not only had an audience, he had a cheering section.
After his third mug was filled the keg went dry.
Joe was so careful with his money we expected he would try to re-drink the recycled beers, as far as I can recall that didn't happen, but that would be the version that would be repeated for years to come.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
YOU TUBE OF THE MIND PART 3
Some funny moments I have seen in years past popped into my cobwebbed memory the other day and I thought I should put them down on electronic paper while I still have some of my faculties left.
As usual, the blog got too wordy so I chopped it up into 6 segments. Most of these things happened before we all started carrying cameras in our phones so these events just exist in my rapidly diminishing mind. Don't know if you will get a chuckle out of any of these little snippets.
It's probably one of those things where you just had to be there.
King Of The Road:
Back in the mid-80's I was heading south on SR 37 in the fast lane doing a little better than the speed limit when some asshole road rager flies up behind me like he was king of the road. I was going to get over, but before I could this idiot climbs on my bumper and starts waving me over even though the lane next to us was clear. Ok, now we are just going to have to play who owns this lane. I just ignored him and let him simmer.
He finally got the picture and sped around me in the other lane. We exchanged one finger pleasantries as the asshole went by, then I pulled over into the slow lane and watched him put the hammer down and and dissappear around the bend. A few seconds later my radar detector went off, I looked up ahead and saw a State cop coming the other direction. The cop took a u-turn behind me and passed me in no time. I little ways down the road, I came up to the stopped cop car and his prey. Yeah you guessed it, there he was, the king of the road was pulled over about to get a ticket and about to get a little salt rubbed into his fresh wound, I laid on the horn, laughed and gave him a one finger salute.
I just drove on down the highway, the new king of the road.
Oh yeah, it's good to be the king!
As usual, the blog got too wordy so I chopped it up into 6 segments. Most of these things happened before we all started carrying cameras in our phones so these events just exist in my rapidly diminishing mind. Don't know if you will get a chuckle out of any of these little snippets.
It's probably one of those things where you just had to be there.
King Of The Road:
Back in the mid-80's I was heading south on SR 37 in the fast lane doing a little better than the speed limit when some asshole road rager flies up behind me like he was king of the road. I was going to get over, but before I could this idiot climbs on my bumper and starts waving me over even though the lane next to us was clear. Ok, now we are just going to have to play who owns this lane. I just ignored him and let him simmer.
He finally got the picture and sped around me in the other lane. We exchanged one finger pleasantries as the asshole went by, then I pulled over into the slow lane and watched him put the hammer down and and dissappear around the bend. A few seconds later my radar detector went off, I looked up ahead and saw a State cop coming the other direction. The cop took a u-turn behind me and passed me in no time. I little ways down the road, I came up to the stopped cop car and his prey. Yeah you guessed it, there he was, the king of the road was pulled over about to get a ticket and about to get a little salt rubbed into his fresh wound, I laid on the horn, laughed and gave him a one finger salute.
I just drove on down the highway, the new king of the road.
Oh yeah, it's good to be the king!
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