Gone Fishing

The title pretty much says it all.

The family and I are headed up the Little Su towards Talkeetna to do some salmon fishing.

Don't expect us back until late.

See you on the river.

Offline

Posting, if it occurs today at all, will be delayed until later.

I'm busy, I've got some technical issues, and I've got a headache - but mostly I'm just really, really busy and under some time pressure.

I've got a big job in the shop, and I'm applying for a temporary consulting position with the military and I've got to get the paperwork together. So, you know, that takes priority.

In the mean time you may bask in a little Jealousy

Setting The Example

I'm having trouble typing at the moment, because there is a very large gray cat parked squarely between me and the keyboard. He does not appear inclined to move at the moment. It's like trying to type with a sack of concrete sitting on your bladder - if a sack of concrete purred like a broken chainsaw and shed hair like a Yak with the mange that is.

So, until I reclaim my desktop, have some Warren Zevon

If I had a theme song, this would be it:

Friday Crazies

You probably are not going to see a post today, at least not until later.

I'm a bit busy today.

I've been on the phone most of the day doing research and making reports to certain state and federal law enforcement agencies. UCFers know what I'm talking about - and I'll fill the rest of you in here shortly.

In addition to that I'm trying to provide remote assistance for some computer issues. Doing some remote logins in an attempt to fix a couple of problems for friends and family. I'm 1-1 at the moment on that issue. Waiting for a crashdump to complete, then we'll see if we can make it 2-0. Nothing major, just a Outlook database issue.

After that, I need to run a pressing errand or two or three.

And once all of that is done, I'll get around to writing about crazies, death threats, and the LHC. It may be tomorrow before you see it.

In the mean time, you may take this quiz and learn a little something about yourself.

My results? Well, it ain't that pretty at all (extra double bonus points if you recognized that line as Zevon without having to look it up).


Cool Kitty! Hey, you're one cool cat! Nothing really gets to you as you feel there are more important things in life than getting angry or holding a grudge.


Be patient.

Snow Day, again

For the next couple of hours, I will be outside, moving snow for the second time this week.

Despite the fact that I have a very large driveway, it usually doesn't take me long to clean it out with the ATVs, however today will be a pain.

The roof of the shop had about a foot of snow on it yesterday. This is generally a good thing, as the snow helps further insulate the already well insulated building and reduces my heating requirements. However, the roof of the shop is steel, and colored dark brown, and absorbs heat. Again, this is normally a good thing. Except yesterday, when in the afternoon it warmed up enough to cause the entire 3500square foot expanse to unload, WHOOMPF! all at once.

So, this morning I have a three foot deep mound of snow, fifty feet long, down each side of the shop. Since the snow was wet, and fell from thirty feet up and was moving when it hit the ground, and then froze solid last night, it is now a rock-solid, compacted ice berm.

And I have to move it.

That's going to take a shovel, the ice spud, and both the small maneuverable ATV, followed by the big powerful ATV, and maybe the big snow thrower.

While I'm not particularly thrilled about this, I am looking forward to the exercise - though it means I'll no doubt be in pain later.


Now, I do realize that me telling you that I'm going to go move snow constitutes the bloggy content equivalent of soybean filler. I do have a big post on the auto-industry bailout about half done, however, occasional commenter Rick, the jerk, called me and interrupted my thought process. And now, I'm about out of time, I've only got a couple hours of relative warmth and daylight, so I need to go take care of the snow. Now.

So, it's soybean filler for now. You can blame Rick.

But you know, I consider putting you all on a diet today my civic duty anyway, since tomorrow you're all going to stuff yourselves like the gluttons you are. I know I sure will.

Enjoy your day.

More later.

A Meeting in the Oval Office

President-elect Barack Obama will set foot inside the Oval Office for the first time Monday as he meets with President Bush to talk about the problems his incoming administration will face.

Through various unsavory means, Stonekettle Station managed to obtain the official unedited Oval Office transcripts of this historic meeting:

::Knock Knock::

GWB: Who's there?

Secret Service Agent: It's me, Mr President. Obama is arriving.

GWB: Obama who?

Secret Service Agent: (sigh)President Elect Barrack Obama, sir.

GWB: Oh, heh heh, I thought you said my mama was here.

Secret Service Agent: That joke just gets funnier every time, Mr President.

GWB: Well, I'm a funny guy, everybody says so.

Secret Service Agent: You're a card, Sir. Do you want to meet him on the lawn?

GWB: Crap! This can't be happening! Are you sure it's actually him and not a, you know, terrorist? We can't be too careful. All those people look the same to me.

Secret Service Agent: Those people? You do realize that I'm actually African America, right? And that I'm armed?

GWB: I...uh...meant democrats. All democrats look the same to me.

Secret Service Agent: Of course, Sir. And it's definitely him.

GWB: How can you tell?

Secret Service Agent: From the cheering.

GWB: Ooooooh, is that what that noise is? I've never heard that before.

Secret Service Agent: You will, Sir, you will.

GWB: Really? When?

Secret Service Agent: January 20th, Sir. I guarantee it.

GWB: Well, I appreciate your loyalty, Bob.

Secret Service Agent: It's Leonard, Sir.

GWB: Can we wait here for him, Bob?

Secret Service Agent: Yes, we can ... Sir.

GWB: Better yet, go offer him a cup of coffee or something, give me a couple of minutes.

Secret Service Agent: uh...that's not really my job.

GWB: Oh for crying out loud. Fine. Then don't just stand there, get in here and give me a hand!

Secret Service Agent: Sir?

GWB: This place is a freakin' mess, help me straighten up. Quick!

Secret Service Agent: That's not really my job either, Sir.

GWB: Hey! I'm the President!

Secret Service Agent: (sotto voice) Not for much longer, bitch.

GWB: What was that?

Secret Service Agent: Nothing. (touches his ear piece) President Elect Obama is in the hall, Sir, should I let him in?

GWB: Wait! I've got some very important intelligence reports I need to secure first. Here, eat these!

Secret Service Agent: Aren't those pictures of Sarah Palin's backside?

GWB: Hey, Laura liked Palin's pantsuits! That's all. I didn't even look at them, I swear. And those are Republican duds, we can't let them fall into Democrat hands! Quick eat the pictures!

Secret Service Agent: I'm allergic to Kodak, Sir, you'll have to do it.

GWB: What about taking a bullet for me? Huh? What about that? It might be time for a couple of changes around here!

Secret Service Agent: I can believe in change, Sir.

GWB: mmph..chew..mmph..choke...

::Sound of door opening::

Secret Service Agent: May I present President Elect Barrack Obama!

GWB: (swallowing) Mr. President Elect! Whatsssup, my brother! Gimme a fist jab up high!

Obama: Dick.

GWB: ...what?

Obama: Yeah, I meant, where's Dick?

GWB: Oh, I thought you were calling me a dick. Heh, heh.

Obama: Never crossed my mind, George.

GWB: Vice President Cheney is at an undisclosed location.

Obama: Hmmm, I was hoping to get a pass-down from the guy in charge.

GWB: That's me!

Obama: Riiight. Sorry.

GWB: Hey! How about a cup of coffee? Bob, get us some coffee would you?

Secret Service Agent: It's Leonard, Sir.

GWB: He's new.

Secret Service Agent: I've been here for eight years, Sir!

GWB: Such kidders, those security guys! The coffee, Bob, chop chop. Oh! Hey, do you drink coffee? I mean is it forbidden by your culture?

Obama: My ... culture?

GWB: Islamofacsasocialmarixism.

Obama: What?

GWB: Hey! It's OK, I'm very open minded! Admiral Akbar and all of that!

Obama: Admiral Akbar? You mean Allah Akbar?

GWB: Oh sorry, no insult to your Admiral intended.

Obama: Are you sure, Dick's not around? Really?

GWB: Oh, you can never be sure what he's up to. Don't worry, (whispering) he hears everything.

Obama: Maybe we could look at some paperwork? Starting with the Executive Orders?

GWB: You're not thinking about canceling any of those are you?

Obama: Maybe just a few.

GWB: Whoa! Slow down there, Hussein. A lot of intellectualating went into those! Don't forget, I had a mandate from the people! Let's not forget history here!

Obama: Well, I'm sure history won't forget you.

GWB: Exactly, that's what I'm sayin' is all. Hey! Come over here! Check out the desk. Cool, huh? Bet you never had a desk like this one before! This one was made by Jesus, no offense. He was a carpenter! What did your guy do? I forget.

Obama: Look, I'd like to discuss the situation in Iraq.

GWB: What's your hurry? Iraq's not going anywhere. Check out the desk. I hope you have better luck with the secret compartment than I did. That's my one regret.

Obama: Secret compartment?

GWB: Yeah, like in that movie, National Treasure! I looked, man, for like a week. Nothing, except for a box of stale cigars under one drawer, two Soviet era bugs and one Israeli, and a pair of panties with "MM" embroidered on the ass. I tried calling Nick Cage, but that liberal bastard wouldn't return my messages!

Obama: Yeah, about the economy?

GWB: You're just not getting this, are you? If we can find the secret compartment - we'll find the Templar treasure!

Obama: Um, I think you're mixing up sequels - it was the City of Gold.

GWB: Hell, that's even better!

Obama: I'm really not following you here.

GWB: That's OK, I had a hard time at first too. This President thing is hard, and I don't mean hard like Clinton. If you know what I'm sayin! Heh, heh.

Obama: I don't, really.

GWB: Look, City of Gold, we find that and the economy problem is solved man!

Obama: That's your plan?

GWB: Hell yeah!

Obama: Maybe I'll just come back in January.

GWB: Don't be trying to take credit for my plan!

Obama: Don't worry.

Secret Service Agent: See, you in four weeks, Mr President.

Obama: You too, Leonard.

:::Door opens and closes:::

GWB: Geez, that guy is dense. You ever see anything like that in this office, Bob?

Secret Service Agent: Not in two hundred and thirty years.

GWB: You said you've only been here eight years, Bob, try to keep your story straight, will you? Here, help me carry this out to the car.

Secret Service Agent: What is it?

GWB: It's a bag with all the "B" and "O" keys from all the White House computer keyboards.

:::transcript ends::::

Alaskan Panoramas

I've been enjoying doing the various panoramas displayed in previous posts.

And I like the look that they give to my site banner. Since I'm out nearly every weekend taking pictures, you'll probably see a lot more of them.

I wanted a place to store the previous banner images, so that visitors could view them in high resolution even after they've been taken down. So I've created a public Picasa Album and uploaded this month's panoramas there.

So far there are only three images loaded, but you can expect many more in the future.

Thunderbird Falls, Alaska


Main Street, Talkeetna, Alaska


Reed Valley and the Archangel Mine, Hatcher Pass, Alaska


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I've spent the morning on the phone and in IM, so I'm a bit behind on things. I don't have time for any long blog posting this morning, so how about a photograph related video? (Um, watch the words and listen to the lyrics - there's some funny to be had there).

President's Day

Crap.

I should be out in the shop already.

I should be writing.

I should be doing a number of things I've been putting off.

But, see, there's a Firefly marathon on the scifi channel, and the evil bastards have seen fit to include the Whedon's original pilot. Damnit, damnit, damnit.

I have the complete set, in HD, but still, it's on TV right now.


Happy President's Day - for what it's worth.

Because Everybody Else is Doing It

Because, everybody, they're doing it.


As you can tell, I'm writing today. This is how I write, by doing everything else. My den is off the sunroom. I kept hearing strange noises, when I went to investigate, I found the The Fat One had managed to jump from the writing desk up onto the sunroom balcony.

Bad Cat, Bad!