I'm still alive.  Where does the time go???

Testing! Testing!

This past Saturday I went to the bank to make a deposit for the fire dept.  As I work in the other direction from the town where the bank is, I can only go on Saturday mornings.  It's a nice small local bank and unless there is a new teller I know everyone in there and they know me.  As I said in a previous post, I've been doing the fire dept banking for a long time there.

After that I went to the local auto parts store and bought motor oil and a filter for my Jeep.  I change the oil myself.  It's messy but I also enjoy doing it.  I always block both rear tires as my driveway is slanted and I don't want the Jeep to roll forward while I'll under it.  I've seen that happen to another and it's not pretty.  The old oil filter was on so freaking tight that it took me forever to get it off.  I was cursing the person who put it on.  They are not supposed to be that tight.  Of course the filter is tucked up into a spot that makes it nearly impossible to get a good grip anyway.  I had to twist my arms in ways they don't like to go.  Add in the fact that oil filters don't have decent purchase points anyway.  I know some have a special gritty surface you can grip but this one didn't.  Why don't they make hex shaped or something instead of round?  When someone makes me King for a Day that is on my list of laws I will pass.

Regarding motor oil, I buy the fully synthetic.  It costs more but I think it's worth it.

It's colder now and I like to put seed and suet out for the birds.  It's fun to see what kind will show up.  Plus it entertains the cats.  So while I was in town that Saturday morning I went to the local farm supply store.  The building it's in is right next to the railroad tracks.  It's the old building where they once off-loaded cargo from the train.  Now a days the train passes thru without stopping.  I like watching the train pass by.  While I live about 10 miles from the tracks, I can still hear it from my house when the whistle blows.  Small towns as a rule should all have trains that pass by.  It just seems right.

The farm supply store is run by an old lady.  Can I say that without violating some political correctness rule?  I've visited the store for over 15 years now (not every Saturday) and she's always there and has always been an old lady.  She is professional and always on the ball.  She has a certain toughness about her.  Like something that one can only get by growing up on a farm.  Her hair has always been grey (gray?) since I've known her.  She is maybe 5 feet all.  Reminds me of some type of pioneer woman who settled the west.  I bet she has a handgun under the counter.

So I pick up a bag of sunflower seed some suet and go to the counter.  She tells me that she also has bags double the size for only a dollar more "out in the back".  Sounds good to me.  She does not have a cash register (either old or new).  She writes out each receipt by hand, line by line for each item.  The name of the items, amount, price for each and totals it up.  No calculator in sight.  Her fingers are delicate and oddly twisted from age or more likely years of toil.  The writing is not neat but readable.  Tax is looked up on an old card she has handy.  All the math is done by hand or in her head.  Skills not held by most people at McDonalds, Walmart or the like.

I pay the amount and take the bag of suet.  She opens a door behind the counter and says something to someone I cannot see.  By the time I exit and round the building to my Jeep (about 15 seconds), there is a young man there waiting with the bag of bird seed.  He is dirty from a morning of work but friendly and calls me sir.  When did I become a sir? lol  His baseball cap is on straight.  That is a refreshing change.

There is something about a small town.

Last Dec 10th was my 19th year anniversary at the company.  Wow.

In some ways I feel that is an accomplishment.  Other times I feel like "what the heck have I done with myself?"

gah, my blog is messed up when I log in.  It looks fine until then.  But when I log in all my posts are gone.

Check for protected post from me.

I've been following the Space Shuttle / Hubble Telescope mission day after day.  They have truly done some amazing things in space.  One remarkable mission.  By most accounts, it seems to be a complete success.  A couple hiccups but no show stoppers.

Now they just have to get home safely.

For a whole lot of pictures, you can click here.  Both high and low res pics to view.  Some are not in sequence but that doesn't really matter.  I like this (high res) one.  And this one.  Start on page 28 if you want to skip over the training pics.

Fascinating.

I've been following the Space Shuttle / Hubble Telescope mission day after day.  They have truly done some amazing things in space.  One remarkable mission.  By most accounts, it seems to be a complete success.  A couple hiccups but no show stoppers.

Now they just have to get home safely.

For a whole lot of pictures, you can click here.  Both high and low res pics to view.  Some are not in sequence but that doesn't really matter.  I like this (high res) one.  And this one.  Start on page 28 if you want to skip over the training pics.

Fascinating.

Congrats to the successful launch of the space shuttle!  It's on a truly wonderful, dangerous, and fascinating mission.

36,000.

That is roughly the number of people that die each year from "seasonal flu".  According to the Centers of Disease Control.

And I'm supposed to be worried about "swine flu"?   Which has affected just a handful of people.

Not to mention peanut butter, SARS, and global warming.

Maybe I'll just roll the dice and go hunting with Dick Cheney.

Obama wants to cut spending by 17 Billion in his new budget proposal of 3.4 Trillion.  Isn't that like .0005% of the budget?  So in the big picture it's not much at all.  Bush's last budget cut spending by 34 Billion.  Still nothing at all so he gets no props from me either.  Can't wait till Congress begins going over all this.  But 3.4 Trillion... that is like a 9% increase from the last budget.  9%.  I wish my income jumped 9% in one year.  The whole thing makes me sad.

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The budget also calls for NASA to do an independent review of it's manned space program.  That is to happen very fast too.  By August.  That should be interesting.  It will be interesting to see if what I've worked on will survive.

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Speaking of budgets, I've been working on the new one for the fire dept.  Better late than never.  The Chief and I will be butting heads.  As his is not only larger but more pointed I have my work cut out for me.  I kid.  Well not really.  But it's tough to make ends meet in a volunteer organization and I'm sure we are not alone these days.

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Men can be pigs.   I know, it's a shocking statement.  I work in a white collar job.  Yet the mens bathroom here can be quite a mess during the day.  The best I can figure is they just have difficultly... well... aiming.  Use your imagination.  And what is with not flushing?    Jeez guys grow up.

That is probably more than you wanted to know.

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Speaking of work: my office-mate.  How many times can someone listen to Tom Petty?  Over and over.  Don't get me wrong.  He has crafted some fine songs.  But she played some Best Of cd of his all day on Tuesday.  Over and over.  Then all day Wednesday.  Then all day today.    She doesn't play it very loud but still.  It's over and over and over.  I do have head phones and can play my own music.  But there are many times when I'm having to get up and come and go a lot so I can't really get away from it.  She really should be using headphones but I guess the hints have not hit home yet.