Book Meme

Since ALL the cool kids are doing it, I'll give the Book Meme a try. Goes like this:

1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Find page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Pick up the nearest book. While I'm sitting in the fracking household library! Hmmm... that would mean either the weapons/military shelf, or the religions shelf...

Page 123 is Chapter 14: Nine Configurations and Two Questions (Passages from the T'ung Tien). So we go to page 124. Our last three (of eight) sentences:

"Therefore in battle formation they are not firm, when they engage in battle they are not victorious. We should assemble the people and gather the masses; collect the foodstuffs, livestock, and cloth; defend the walled cities and prepare to defend the passes; and dispatch light troops to sever their supply routes. If they are not able to provoke us into battle; their provisions fail to arrive; and there's nothing in the countryside that they can plunder, their Three Armies will be in difficulty."

From The Complete Art of War: Sun Tzu & Sun Pin, translated by Ralph D. Sawyer

Anybody I'd tag has already done it...

Sorry 'bout the light posting...

It's Child abuse Awareness Month, so I'm up to my eyes in stuff to do. Thankfully, only one more weekend... :D

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Job goes well: I've even managed to sell a couple contracts without having the first issue in hand (that comes next week at the latest). So I have hopes that this will work out well...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joined a new group: US Forces Veteren Riders. Not just bikers, it's a group dedicated to helping vets locally. Seems like something good to do in my off time...

Bloody frelling...

So... good time for a bad week.

Our April kick-off party went well, except for coming up $100 short of our expences. First time we've LOST money on an event. Of course, not having ads up until a week and a half beforehand probably didn't help...

I had mentioned that we had a case coming up: went in for the pre-trial meeting between the DA and our girl. And yep... the trial's been postponed again. Getting tired of this ballgame...

Good news is, we got our state returns, and I should be getting a few more contracts signed over the weekend. So maybe I CAN make a decent go of this job...

And now, we let damnation begin

Everybody recovered from their April Fool's Day?

Good. I'm sure the damage was fun to fix.

April 1st has been "problematic" for a couple years now. This year, I've gone from planning the "Weekend from Hell" to dealing with the "Month from Hell". Let's see what's going on:

05 April: our Second Annual Child Abuse Awareness Month Kick-off Party. Which, since others had problems, *I* got to do all the organizing for...

16&17 April: we have a court case with two of our kids. Not only have to organize MY people, but I'm organizing folks from out of state

26 April: that's the 100 Mile Ride, as required by BACA National.

26 April: Family Fun Day at the zoo, in conjunction with DHS.

26 & 27 April: the Ant Hill Mob Bike Show.

On top of all this stuff, the magazine I'm working for has their first issue due out in May. Meaning I'm gonna be bustin' my hump this month, without much to show for it (I work on commission, and not many businesses want to buy advertising in a magazine that isn't out yet).

Anyone I can talk into putting me out of their misery?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news: Spoon's cat pulled through the surgery just fine. However, he's got this HUGE incision on his side, which means we have to be extra careful of him. Which resulted in me being told, as I typed the above: "Love is letting your cat hork on your crotch, and not knocking him to the floor". Odd... I don't think she'd let ME do that...

No, I'm not going abegging

Ok... having noticed that several folks have a "donate" button on their blogs, I thought I'd try it. However, I'm not going to ask my readers to fund my nicotine habit.

Instead, you can (if you like what we're doing) donate to BACA directly from my blog! Now how cool is that?

Remember: every dime that comes in will go to helping abused kids.

Shamelessly stolen from Marko...

Who stole it from Tam, who stole it from someone else...


Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating

Odd... only one mocha today.

And four Cokes...

And some chocolate...

*twitch*

Da Cuss o Meter

Heh... found via Tam, who got it from Marko (both in the blogroll)...


Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating


Wow... who fucking knew?

Ok folks... time to step up.

Hey everyone!

A lil' while ago, I posted this gem. It's been picked up by AD, and hopefully spread a bit farther.

This goes WAY beyond some cash to help the kids: this would qualify as national exposure for BACA during Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Go. Vote. Pass it on to your friends and family!

A Just and Sane World

Law Dog hits one out of the park with this post.

I know most of my readers have probably already read it. But it needs to be spread far and wide.

To add insult to injury, the perp shares my fucking last name. Never thought someone could make me ashamed of being a Hilton.

ego massage should be done with a chain mace

Via Bitter at the Bitch Girls, we get this.

To soothe the bruised egos of educators and children in lackluster schools, Massachusetts officials are now pushing for kinder, gentler euphemisms for failure.

Now, I don't mean to go on a rant here. But if someone is failing at whatever their job is, you say "Hey: you're failing". If I'm not selling ad space, i expect a call from my boss pointing out that I'm not succeeding at my job. If this state's BACA chapters get way out of line, I expect a call from National asking what the problem is. What I do NOT expect (and would piss me off) would be either one coming up with some sugar-coated term for "failure".

Here's a REALLY novel idea: when one of these schools isn't performing up to snuff, call 'em on it. Identify what the problems are, and attack those problems.

Oh hey... looks like one of the students, who sits on the board, had that idea:

Zachary Tsetsos, a senior at Oxford High School and the only student on the board, said he finds the debate frivolous.

"Why are we spending time on this?," said the 17-year-old. "I don't want to tiptoe around the issue. I'm not concerned about what title we give these schools. Let's work on fixing them."

Want to massage the tender egos of failing students, and the teachers/administrators who are partly responsible? Haw about using a chain mace, or a hickory switch, or any of a number of similar "motivational tools" that have proven effective over the years.

Ye gawds... and these are the folks shaping the minds of future leaders?

The things you see overseas...

This post by Guitargirl RN reminded me of a couple Thailand stories...

First off was the girl I kept company with while there on liberty. We had gone back to her place, and she gave me the quick tour... mentioning that I "don't want to open that door". What I saw was similar to the picture at the above post...

A few nights later, we're in a bar. I stumble my way to the head, and plant myself in front of one of the urinals. Turning to my right, I see a cockroach, standing at the next urinal. He smiles and says "Hey".

I gave up drinking for a LONG time after that.

what... y'all expected something serious?

requiem

Just got word that one of my old gaming buddies died.

Donnie was a former SEAL, and a hell of a guy. I wasn't as close to him as some others (my roomie is basically useless at the moment: Don was part friend part father figure to him). Crazy, as one might expect, but a fun crazy.

Looks like the afterlife just got another person to guard the walls (not to mention chase the women, and otherwise raise Caine). He'll be sorely missed.

How can I help?

I get asked that question alot, when folks see my patch: "That's a great idea! How can i help out?". Of course, they usually don't stick around when they find out it's actual work.

Now, we have a way y'all can help a Chapter without doing much of anything.

1. Go to www.ktbs.com
2. Type in keyword "give" (upper right side of page)
3. Search the List of non-profits registered for the competition for "BACA, River Cities Chapter"
4. To "vote" for us, you just post a favorable comment about us.
5. The 5 charities with the most comments will be finalists and everyone will get to vote again, but only between these 5 charities.

Now, you have to register with their site, but it isn't all that difficult.

Here's the link direct to the river Cities Chapter entry. Go ahead, hit it, and hit it hard...

News of the sick & perverted

Ran across this...

I have to ask... how can someone look at a DOG and become sexually aroused? Worse yet, it's not some fruffy dog, but a rottweiler.

I mean, seriously: isn't that right up there with molesting grizzlies, tigers, or wolverines?

Here's one to make you feel silly

From the bane of my existence Skip, we get this.

Check it out. Let me know how many of y'all

a) get the count right

b) miss the lil' extra bit

Steering HMS Privateer into the rocks

But only fer a sec.

Heller oral arguments are less than a week away. This has a chance of being one of THE most important USSC decisions handed down in our lifetime.

Anybody want to take odds of them offering a decision that stands up like overcooked noodles?


Ok... back for open waters for this pirate (for now)...

Worth thousands of words

I'd say this picture speaks for itself (shamelessly stolen from Boots and Sabres:



Can we please have less nanny BS, now?

"Methadonians"

Ok, try this: type "methadone" into the search function of blogger. Read some of what you find.

Don't worry, I'll still be here. Go. Read.


Ok... got all that?

For those who need it Spoon fed: GuitarGirlRN posted something about a man on methadone, who was stealing stuff out of his ER room. In said post, she called the thief a "methadonian". And she's come under fire for it.

I didn't read ALL the comments, but here are a couple choice ones:

Chava: "Your description of your patient as a "Methadonian" is rude and perpetuates the stigma that patients on methadone have to live with each and every day of their lives"

Anonymous: "Methadone patients do NOT get a high or euphoria off their medication"

Enylear (posted as Anonymous): "And was it an emergency? Yeah, you walk a day in our shoes without a dise and then tell me it wasnt an emergency. It is very much an emergent situation when we arent able to get our prescribed dose. Where do you go for that?"

Just so y'all understand: my roomie Ray is on methadone for chronic back pain (as in, she has a fused fucking spine). I mentioned the term "methadonian" to her, and she giggled at it.

Regarding the "you can't get high": Ray was on a bigger dose at first. Barred from work for a week, while her system adjusted to this new chemical in her system. There were a couple times we caught her sitting there drooling on herself (literally). She cut her dose herself, because she didn't like "being high all the time".

Oh... Enylear? Ray goes without her dose quite often: we'll all be out, and she won't be able to take it (usually because she's forgotten her drugs). It's actually gotten to the point where I'll probably be carrying a couple doses for her. But she doesn't go screaming to the ER. She soldiers the fuck on, until she can get home (given the stuff we do with BACA, that might be a couple days).

Now, I know everyone's different, and reacts to different stimuli in different ways. But this bullshit of of jumping on someone for venting on their own fucking blog is just WAY too far out there.

What's next: someone going to jump me for expressing exasperation at mothers during the preliminary contact call and interview for BACA?

Get a life, people. If you don't like what someone says in their corner of the intarwebz, then don't fucking go there!

Adding to the blogroll...

And another addition to the blogroll: y'all need to head over and check out the Cave Troll.

Nice guy, some funny stuff, and a fairly good writer.

BTW: I've heard rumors that BACA is getting prepped to open in SA. Just sos ya know... ;)

Adventures in Cat/Vet interactions

This post over at Atomic Nerds reminded me of one of the cats that have had me over the years.

I was working for dad, and we one day saw this TINY ball of grey fur come wandering down the sidewalk. That particular day, dad had tossed some chicken bones outside (for whatever feral cat might chance by), and one of the shop cats (Spike: 25 lbs of phenomenal feline power with a itty-bitty-kitty voice) was sunning himself. Anyway, this lil' ball of fluff wanders along, smells the bones, and beelines: she didn't notice Spike until she was already gnawing, at which point she did the "puff up an' look mean" trick.

Spike's response, as near as we could tell, was to think "Junior, I could eat you"

Well, dad hears this growling, and investigates. Being the cold-hearted animal hater he is, he immediately decides we have to try and catch the lil' bugger, so it has a chance of survival.

Que blown workday as we lower the overhead door to JUST enough for a kitten, set out something that smells good, and lay in wait. For three hours. Before calling it a day, and heading home.

Itty-Bitty Kitty: 1
Adult Male Humans: 0

Next day, I arrive, and dad bellows "Get through the door quick! Don't want him getting away!". Like I said: animal hater.

Not good with sexual differentiation, either.

We got HER tamed down a bit (amazing what you can do with things like chicken, roast beef, and turkey). At first, we christened her "Snowball" ("She looks like a Chicago snowball"). There was the memorable day that we lost another hour of productivity, because she didn't head for the back room when we started the machines after lunch (Itty-Bitty Kitty: 2, Adult Male Humans: 0). But we noticed that she, well... had an oil leak.

Not sure how else to describe it: she marked her territory the same way an old Harley does: she'd stop for a bit, sit down, and leave a small black puddle. This requires immediate professional attention (especially since I'm not sure a: where the dipstick is on a cat, b: what the capacity is, nor c: how to locate the drain plug). So... off to the vet!

Let's not discuss trying to catch her to TAKE her to the vet (Itty-Bitty Kitty: 3, Adult Male Humans: 0).

We get her to the vet, and everything goes fine: somehow, the vet fixed the leak, and got her cleaned up. We found out she was white.

Couldn't spend all that time and money, then stick her back in that dingy shop, so Spoon and I took her in. After the first night, we renamed her. Went something like this:

Itty-Bitty Kitty: "Love me!"
Me: "OK" *picks up cat, begins rubbing*
IBK: "Ok, that's enough now" *proceeds to remove arm at the shoulder*

I looked at Spoon and, between the screams, casually mention "she's a succubus! She lures you in with her feminine charms, then tries to eat you!". And the name stuck: Succubus, or Suki for short.

Fast forward several weeks.

We had a heat wave hit, and a house with ZERO AC. The rest of the menagerie had the sense to head for the basement (I think the python was overheard muttering about "damned humidity"). But not Suki.

Que frantic run for the vet, with a listless and slack kitty. I thought for sure I was going to be digging a grave.

We get to the vet, and the techs all smile "Oh... it's Snowball!". I suddenly realize that things are going to go rodeo.

"No, her name's Suki. Short for Succubus". I even explain the story, and show them the stitches from re-attaching the arm.

They scoff. Silly humans.

I'd like to take a minute, and explain something about this vet: she's GOOD. Deals with all KINDS of "problem animals". I'm pretty sure that, if I had a rabid wolverine that I wanted treated, she'd deal with it and never bat an eye.

The only phrase I hear from the exam room is "We'll just draw some blood real quick". This was followed by the sound of Hell's Gates being thrown open...

They had scoffed. Silly humans.

When it was all said and done, it took three techs to draw blood on a cat that would JUST overflow my cupped hands. I mean, I have pistols that weigh more than this cat did. Three techs.

When they came out, the one girl just looked at me mournfully, muttering something about rabid wolverines. The vet herself apologized for doubting my rename.


She died a few years later. Near as we can tell, she had been weaned (or rather, abandoned) WAY too early, causing problems in her digestive tract. When she got sick that last time, we took her to a different vet. Mom-in-law visited her the next day (Suki let her KNOW what she thought of being abandoned there), and she seemed to be improving. That night, she died.

Still miss her. DO appreciate getting to keep all my limbs though.

Here's Suki (we also dubbed her the Sock Monster: with her coloring, she could completely disappear into a dryer full of socks).