Reasonable Voice

Paging Al Gore ... Paging Mr. Al Gore!!!

2009-12-19T11:03:00.004-05:00

Would some please tell Al Gore that I have over seven inches of his global warming outside my back door ... AND IT ISN'T EVEN OFFICIALLY WINTER YET!!!

Too bad it missed Christmas by a week. It's been a long time since we have had a white Christmas. It's still pretty though.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Until next time,

-VoR-

Remembering Rusty

2009-07-06T09:56:00.009-05:00

Last Friday, July 3, my Better Half and I lost one of our most loyal feline friends. Rusty left us early that morning. We don't know exactly how old he was, but my best guess was around 10 years old. He adopted us about six years ago, when he showed up on my front porch. You could tell that he had a rough start to life. He was covered in scars from fighting with the neighborhood dogs. But, even with his fighting background, he always had a laid back style and a trusting soul. He never knew a stranger. He always met everyone at the door (whether he knew you, or not) with a hearty meow, as if to say, "welcome to our home". He was also my personal recliner buddy. Every time I kicked back in the recliner, he would jump up in the chair with me and curl up for a nice nap. Yes, he became overweight when he moved in and became an indoor cat, but I always told Better Half he wasn't just fat. He was fat 'n' happy ... and I truly think he was.

He took the kittens in, when they came along, and treated them like his own children. He looked after them and "corrected" them when they needed it, but he never acted out of anger toward them. Most of all, he taught them that it was okay to trust us (humans). I will never forget when the kittens first showed up, Better Half was trying to coax them into the house, but they wouldn't let her get too close to them. Rusty slipped out the door and disappeared into the bushes where they had been hiding. A little while later, here came Rusty with four kittens in tow right behind him. He led them right to the porch, and soon after that, Better Half was able to bring them in. Even after they grew up, they continued to look at him as a father figure. When Rusty got up to go somewhere, they all got up and followed him.

There are so many funny stories and good times ... fond memories that will live on forever. Rusty, you will be missed by all of us. We will never forget you.

-VoR-

Well said, Sven.

2009-04-06T08:20:00.003-05:00

Thank you, Sven. You said it better than I ever could:

I’m eating breakfast Friday and I catch on CSPAN President Obama doing this town hall thingie in Strasbourg, France at some sports arena. I watch, I listen, and realize that this feller is never going to grow on me. It goes beyond his mannerisms, his style of speech, his intense desire for popularity; it’s his words. Do I take them at face value? Yeah, I do. I have to; he’s the POTUS speaking in a foreign land, representing America.

Some of what he said that day in the question and answer part of this event got picked up on the Conservative blogs and raised an eyebrow or two. The part about his predecessor and Iraq and America’s standing in the world. That was in response to this question: “I just want to know what do you expect from the French and the European countries regarding the war on terror?”

I was surprised that he didn’t respond first off by correcting the questioner: it aint the war on terror, it’s overseas contingency operations against manmade disasters, but I guess he was tired.
As usual, President Obama’s answer was long and rambling but he found time to remind everyone that his name is Barrack Hussein Obama, that Iraq was a mistake, toss a jab at George Bush, lie about closing Guantanamo Bay, and end by saying all future contingency operations would make America and its allies feel good about what they were doing.

As others noted, he just can’t help himself with that “inheritance” thing. Can’t waste an opportunity to bash George Bush and the last 7-8 years; can’t help but remind anyone who will listen that every bad thing out there is the fault of Bush.

But examine this statement from his answer, talking about 9/11: “All of us have a stake in ensuring that innocent people who were just going about their business, going to work, suddenly find themselves slaughtered — all of us have an interest in preventing that kind of vicious, evil act.” Juxtaposed with “we got sidetracked by Iraq”. For the life of me, I can’t wrap my mind around how blind he is. We apparently have a stake in ensuring that innocents aren’t killed, except when we actually did something about it in the last eight years under a president named Bush; except when our actions go beyond UN resolutions and sharply worded statements. (Not to mention how I would suddenly “find myself slaughtered” being dead and all-but I guess that’s Obama going metaphysical….)

Not that it matters, but I didn’t fully support the Iraq war when it was announced. I didn’t think it was a great idea at the time, but I didn’t think it was totally a bad one either. I believe now, based on what I’ve read, that mistakes were made but that no lies were told or intelligence manipulated to drive us to war. I believe that once we were in, we were committed. I’m disappointed that we didn’t handle the aftermath of battle better and hope that we learned some lessons there. I’m in awe of the American military and the bravery of the Iraqi people, and yeah, I think they are better off now than they were than say 10 years ago under a butcher like Hussein. America saved thousands of innocent people who were just going about their business from getting slaughtered in Iraq and gave opportunity to millions more. It probably wasn’t our original intention to do so, anymore than it was Lincoln’s original intent to free the slaves during our own civil war, but there you go. Iraq now has a chance; to continue to ignore that, to refer to that as a “sidetrack” dishonors not only ourselves but Iraqis as well. Obama cannot accept that, can’t understand that, and for that he deserves nothing from me but scorn.

Listening to the speech, I wondered what kind of world does President Obama envision; what does the future look like to him? It is clearly not an American vision-it’s a global vision. It’s the world of the peaceful geek. It’s the world of Microsoft and Apple and Pepsi and Nike and can you hear me now. Technology and communications enabling the global village run by cooperative big governments everywhere; where want and fear are things of the past cuz they somehow just get provided. That’s the to-be vision.

The as-is reality for President Obama is the world, not America, but the world at a crossroads. Time to choose. He wants a world without nuclear weapons; he wants us to get rid of ours because while we have them we have no moral authority to say to others don’t acquire them. Being the smartest president eveh, he sees the interconnectedness of our problems and it’s all global: global climate change, global terrorism, global financial networks. A bear can’t fart at the North pole without causing a big wind at the equator. Of course, America shares the blame in creating these global problems, but we’ll look forward towards solutions not backwards toward blame, cuz that’s just the kinda guy he is.

Beyond the blame America bullshit, and BTW, I’d love to hear his examples of us being arrogant-dismissive-derisive, the common theme again from President Obama is this: these are unprecedented times requiring unprecedented cooperation and wait for it….CHANGE. Climate change again- the big lie of the environmental movement that will catch up to them sooner or later; that every single environmental problem is the result of “climate change”. But how is he addressing that particular problem? He’s appointing a “special envoy”. Goody, that should fix things right up. Perhaps the next step will be a panel and then a commission and then a study and a report…..

President Obama closed his speech by saying that he wants to make the world a more peaceful place and he KNOWS this “transformational change” is possible for three reasons: 1) we all share common values, 2) we are persistent, 3) there’s young people around. (Applause. Fainting. Panties thrown on stage.)

Words matter, as President Obama is so very fond of saying. I read his words and I listen to him speak and I see the masses cheer and I shake my head. I don’t get it, but then again I don’t get the popularity of American Idol either. Apparently though, there’s a whole bunch of folks lining up behind Obama’s vision of the world to come and his version of where it’s been. OK then; time to choose. Millions are choosing yes; I’m choosing no.

Sven

What happens when Atlas shrugs???

2009-03-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

I found this bumper sticker at cafe press. It fits my current mood very well.

Until next time,

The blogger formerly known as -VoR-

Now you can just call me John Galt.

"First they came"

2009-03-09T09:40:00.003-05:00

First they came to tax those that make $2,000,000,
and I didn’t speak up because I didn’t make $2,000,000.

Then they came to tax those that make $1,000,000,
and I didn’t speak up because I didn’t make $1,000,000.

Then they came to tax those that make $500,000,
and I didn’t speak up because I didn’t make $500,000.

Then they came to tax those that make $250,000,
and I didn’t speak up because I didn’t make $250,000.

Then they came to tax me,
and by that time there was no one left to speak up.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Final Score: Deer One ... Plastic Econobox Zero

2008-12-01T19:54:00.006-05:00

I had a very valuable physics lesson on Saturday night. I had a close encounter with, possibly, the biggest deer that I have ever seen. He ran full speed across the highway and tried to occupy the same space, at the same time as my car. The outcome was not pretty. He, miraculously, got up and ran away and I wasn't hurt either. Unfortunately, my car didn't fare quite as well.

My daily driver is a cheap, old Saturn. I bought it several years ago for next to nothing, back when I was commuting back and forth from Atlanta to North Carolina on a fairly regular basis. It has 220,000 miles on the odometer and doesn't look very good - faded paint, scratches, and lots of squeaks and rattles - but it still gets great gas mileage, and it's paid for.

Now ... Saturns are known for their plastic body panels. These panels are great for preventing dings in parking lots, but they don't fare very well in impact situations. The deer got up and ran away ... and I got a shattered fender and headlight, a cracked bumper, and a crumpled hood (which is just about the only metal body panel on the car). It isn't worth taking to a body shop so I decided to have a little fun and take a page from MacGyver. It's true ... there isn't anything that can't be fixed with a little duct tape and a big enough hammer.

:-)

If duct tape is good enough to go 200 MPH in a NASCAR race, I guess it is good enough for me. Hopefully I can find replacement parts at the junk yard in the near future, but for now, I guess this will have to do.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Funny Videos !!!

2008-11-23T01:35:00.004-05:00

This has got to be one of the funniest cat videos I have ever seen. A few parts were cringe-worthy, but, for the most part, it was funny as heck. Turn the sound up and enjoy!

The aquarium scene at 2:05 brings back memories. I "had" an aquarium about that size until a certain black and white cat that I know (see my profile picture) decided to perform a similar maneuver. That was about the time that I learned cats and aquariums aren't necessarily a good mix. :-)

This one is pretty funny too.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Oh Good Grief ... Not Again!!!!

2008-11-21T08:57:00.006-05:00

It is starting to look like this is going to be a very long winter. Here is my forecast for today:

We had snow as far east as Greensboro, NC. Take a look at these videos from the local news station. I apologize for not embedding them, but they don't seem to have that option on their website, and my trusty Firefox download helper doesn't seem to work on their site - so I guess I will have to give them some linky love:

Winston Salem snow

Greensboro snow

Thirty-one closings and delays this morning, and winter weather advisories for at least six counties that surround me:

And it isn't even December yet!!!! This is starting to get ridiculous. I'm not supposed to be having to scrape snow off my car in November. Someone please tell Ol' Man Winter to lighten up a bit.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Where Did Fall Go????

2008-11-18T18:19:00.006-05:00

Snow and mid 20's this morning ... This is the earliest that I can remember school closings and delays in my area. Schools were closed less than 30 minutes away from me. I only had a few flakes, but evidently Ashe and Alleghany counties got an early start to winter today.

It's mid-November and I'm already tired of winter. Someone please press the fast forward button so we can move on to spring.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Follow-up on the election

2008-11-18T17:54:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to follow up on my opinion about the outcome of the election. I can't say that I am real happy about the outcome of the election, but the people have spoken. President-Elect Obama is now my President too. I do carry some fear of what the next four years may bring to this country, but I am convinced that we will survive and thrive. As I told OttavaRima, this country is great not because of the people in Washington, but in spite of them. This country has survived a Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Carter administration, the tragedy of 9/11/01, and countless other disasters ... we will survive the current situation, either because of an Obama administration, or in spite of it. America is the greatest nation in the world. We will survive and, despite the current economic situation, we will thrive. I am committed to seeing the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. I am glad to see a black man take the oath of office for the most powerful job in the world. Politics aside, this is a great and historical time for America. I pray for Obama to have the wisdom to make the correct decisions for the country the same way that I prayed for all those that came before him, and most of all I pray that we can all get along. I hope that we can move past all the bitter partisanship that has run rampant for the last several years. I will give credit to him for the things that we agree on, and I will be part of the loyal opposition on the things that we disagree on.

May God bless Obama, and may God bless the USA.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Consequences

2008-10-06T10:42:00.005-05:00

First, I will apologize (again) for getting political in my little space of the Internet. I generally try to keep politics to a minimum here, because I believe everyone has a right to their opinion, and I don't like feeling like I am stepping on any one's toes. But ... this is something that I have thought a lot about, lately, and, since this is my house, I have decided to write about it. Feel free to agree - or disagree - with me in the comments. I enjoy a good debate. All I ask is that everyone keeps it civil. I am not looking for a flame war.

I heard a discussion this morning, on a local radio station, about William Ayers. One of the hosts stated that his terrorist activities occurred 40 years ago - and was water under the bridge. Her reasoning was that Ayers did all those things when Obama was eight years old, thus Obama shouldn't be held accountable for Ayers' actions. I don't blame Obama for Ayers' actions. I question his judgement of character, or lack thereof.

William Ayers hasn't changed. In an interview with Chicago Magazine, August, 2001, he said he had no regrets about his past. Here is the direct passage from the article, including Ayers' direct quote:

This—violence, death, and white-hot rhetoric—is his past and Ayers insists he has no regrets. "I acted appropriately in the context of those times," he says. But it's hard to reconcile this quick-witted man with that revolutionary. Today Bill Ayers seems too happy to have ever been so angry.

This picture, which is posted with the Chicago Magazine article, shows Ayers standing on a US Flag that has been thrown down in an alley. Take a good look at it. I think it speaks volumes about the type of man that Ayers is.

From the NY Times, 9/11/01:

''I don't regret setting bombs,'' Bill Ayers said. ''I feel we didn't do enough.''

So, would Mr. Ayers do it all again, he is asked? ''I don't want to discount the possibility,'' he said.

As for Obama's association with Ayers, there was a three year relationship as a paid director of the Woods Fund:

Deborah Harrington, president of the Woods Fund, a philanthropic organization in Chicago, said Obama was a director from 1994 through 2001. That overlaps Ayers’ time as a director by three years. It also means Obama served with Ayers for the final months of 2001, after Ayers made his comments to the New York Times.

There are also numerous other indications that the association was long-term and more than "just casual". For example, in 1995, Ayers hosted a "get-to-know-you fundraiser" for Obama. Some say that Ayers is the one that is responsible for Obama's meteoric rise in Chicago politics, and that fundraiser was the event that launched his career.

And it isn't just Ayers ... Look at Tony Rezko, Chicago thug machine politics man Mayor Daley, Rev. Wright, Father Pfleger ... the list goes on and on. There is no doubt in my mind that these people have had a filtering affect on the lens that Obama looks through, and an affect on the judgement processes that his mind goes through to analyze situations and interpret solutions.

There is an old saying ... If you lie down with dogs, you will rise with fleas.

The fact that anyone appears to hate America as much as some of Obama's mentors do, scares the heck out of me. He can throw them as far under the bus as he wants to ... the damage has already been done. He can't tell me that he disapproves of their message and tactics now, when he provided the approval of friendship over several years, in some cases 20 years or more.

Thanks for listening.

Until next time,

-Voice of Reason-

Going Against The Grain

2008-09-19T10:02:00.011-05:00

As I mentioned before, I love riding motorcycles. I started out on a little XL 100 dirt bike, as a young fellow.

Then I went through the rebellious twenty-something stage with a CBR 600. That bike was so much fun. I had done all kinds of modifications to make it quicker, as if it really needed it. I won’t get into a discussion of the crazy (translation: stupid) stuff I used to do on that thing. I will only say that it would go zero to 60 in less than four seconds. I never did find the top end speed, but I know for a fact that it would run at least 140 mph. After personally having survived a couple of close calls, and watching my best friend lose his leg in an accident, I decided I wasn’t as invincible as I thought I was, so I decided to hang up my helmet and live to tell the stories on another day.

I stayed off bikes for a couple of years, but the siren song of the open road kept calling my name, so I eventually decided to get back in the saddle. There is just something about the open road and the wind in your face.

I bought my Honda Shadow in Spring 2006. It is much more comfortable and much less powerful, thus reducing the temptation of doing something stupid on it. I’m also a little older, and I (hopefully) have a little better judgment than I used too :-)

I recently saw a motorcycle that I have been totally fascinated by. It is a trike, but it is unlike anything I have ever seen. The third wheel is in the front instead of the rear. It’s called a Spyder Roadster and it is made by Can-Am. Their parent company is Bombardier Recreational Products. They make sea-doos, ski-doos, etc., thus the reason why it looks kinda like a snow machine.

My friends are all giving me a hard time because I would love to have one of these things. They can’t understand why I would want a street legal snow-mobile, without the snow. I can’t really say why I am so fascinated by it, other than to say that I have always been intrigued by odd-ball stuff. I have admiration for those that “go against the grain”.

Here is a Popular Mechanics review:

Now, if I could just convince Ms. Reason that the world would be a better place if there was a Spyder in the garage :-)

Until next time,

-Voice of Reason-

Small towns getting big city problems

2008-09-17T19:29:00.004-05:00

Early in this decade, I lived in Atlanta, GA for a few years. For the most part, I loved the big city atmosphere, but the job I had at the time required me to spend quite a bit of time in some of the worst parts of the city. There were always a lot of run down buildings with lots of rather "interesting" characters hanging out on street corners, and there were gang tags everywhere. I never could understand why people would deface buildings in their own neighborhood.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the atmosphere that I worked in was one of the things that led me to make changes to my career path. I ultimately moved back to a small town in northwest NC, pretty close to where I was born and raised. Things I witnessed in those areas of Atlanta led me to appreciate my small town more than I ever did while I was growing up. My small town isn't perfect, but gangs and drugs weren't something that I felt like I had to worry about. Unfortunately, that is changing.

A few weeks ago, I was returning to the house when I noticed this:

It was plastered on one wall of a small business complex that is just down the street. As someone who is used to leaving my car unlocked at night and not worrying about whether the front door is locked while I'm laying on the couch, this came as quite a shock. It is amazing how quickly a person's sense of security can be shattered.

Hopefully, this is just a couple of gang wanna-be's from the local high school, but it worries me that this could be the real deal moving into my town.

What is civilization coming to????

Until next time,

-Voice of Reason-

The heartaches of political discourse

2008-09-09T08:37:00.009-05:00

First, let me say that I am not writing this to offend or scold anyone, so please accept my apologies, in advance, if this post crosses any lines. This is more of a "go ahead and get it off your chest" type of post. Since this is "my house", I am gonna go ahead and say what I want to say and get it all out in the open.

Political differences, for some reason, often seem to bring out the worst in people - myself included. I have seen flame wars break out, time and time again, on the various websites that I visit. It usually occurs primarily on sites that are political in nature. In fact, it is expected on those sites. Unfortunately, political differences can also cause heartache on other sites too. One site has always amazed me at their ability to discuss sensitive subjects without getting personal. I have seen numerous topics discussed - up to and including abortion - without personal attacks, which is pretty rare, as far as the Internet goes. Unfortunately, that changed, recently.

As usual, I was a day late, and a dollar short to the conversation. I generally find myself three or four days behind, always trying to catch up on the threads - which, in turn, means that I lurk more than I participate. As a matter of fact, most of the newer folks wouldn't even know who I am because I seldom get a chance to contribute, but that has never stopped me from reading along and enjoying the conversations after the fact. I have truly enjoyed reading the political conversations of the past several weeks, primarily due to the fact that opposing viewpoints were always laid out with reasonable care, which usually prevented differences in opinion from turning into personal attacks. Unfortunately, things rapidly devolved and got pretty nasty on Labor Day weekend. Lines were crossed and nice people were hurt.

After thinking about it for quite a while, I think what disturbed me the most wasn't the initial situation, because we've all said and done things in life that we probably shouldn't have, especially when dealing with things that we feel very strongly about. The thing that I was most dismayed about was the fact that it got unneccessarily personal - very quickly. Quite honestly, the questionable statements appeared to come out of the blue, and they were directed at someone who has always been cheerful and respectful to others, as far as I have seen. I can't understand why there was a lack of voices speaking out and saying, "Hold on a second, let's slow down and take a breath before this gets out of hand." Some folks tried to change the subject in an effort to cool the situation down, but there were only a couple that actually called the foul. To those that did what they could to calm the situation, I am grateful.

SFP - if you happen to read this - I know that you don't know me, as I have never had the opportunity to interact with you, but I would like you to know that I am grateful that I had the opportunity to observe your political point of view. In today's supercharged political world, it is nice to have the opportunity to gain the perspective of others without all the drama that, so often, goes with the conversation. I am truly sorry for what happened.

It has been said before, but I'm gonna say it again - Can't we all just get along????

Until next time,

-Voice of Reason-

Happiness Is . . .

2008-04-01T07:34:00.003-05:00

Happiness is . . . sleeping better than you have in a long, long time and waking up in the morning with a cat curled up next to you on the pillow . . . peaceful, and purring ever-so-softly. Not loud enough to wake you up . . . just enough to be a soothing melody.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Sometimes I Wonder Why I Made The Career Decision That I Made

2008-03-27T21:07:00.008-05:00

Wow! Where has the time gone. I haven't posted in quite a while. I'll try to do better in the future.

This is about the time of year that I wonder why I chose my career path. Does anyone ever look at a career path and say, "Yeah, I think a career with 70 hour work weeks will be a good idea!!!"??? I don't think so. Unfortunately, that is the path that I chose. Luckily, things will get back to normal in a couple more weeks.

For all my Gerbil friends, I apologize for not hanging out at TSW in a long time, but time is scarce these days. Hopefully, I will be able to rejoin you soon. I miss you guys.

Until next time,

-VoR-

Prayers For A Special Person

2007-08-10T17:47:00.000-05:00

I usually try not to get into religious discussions with people because religion is a very personal issue that is often held in very strong regard. It can be a very divisive conversation if not handled properly. However, having said that, I am going to take this opportunity to offer a few encouraging words for a special person that I met on a website that I frequent. She has recently had to deal with more than any person should have to endure.

Ottavarima, my thoughts and prayers are with you. The following is from a painting that my grandmother had on the wall. She believed it whole-heartedly, and passed it on to me to provide strength during my trying times. I'm not real sure how to describe the feeling that it brings me, but it has always provided a sense of peace during troubling times throughout my life. Hopefully, it will bring you that same sense of peace.

Take care of yourself, and get well soon.

-VoR-

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord,that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

--Mary Stevenson, 1936--

Have you ever had one of those days?

2007-04-22T07:49:00.001-05:00

First, a little background ... My best friend lives on farm land that was passed down to him from his father. Some of the land continues to be farmed by other local farmers that needed additional field space so they could grow more corn, soy beans, tobacco, etc., but most of the land has been out of service for quite a while, so nature has reclaimed it. He and I have been working for a long time, on the weekends, to get the land and structures back in shape, cutting trees, planting new pasture grass, repairing/painting barns, etc., all in an effort to make his dream come true. He hopes, one day, to have a fully operational farm, much like his father used to have. Maybe one day we will finally get everything back in shape, but it has proven to be a very slow process. I enjoy helping him, because it allows me to get out and enjoy nature in a way that can't be enjoyed inside the city limits.

Now, the story ... After a few months of 70 - 80 hour, six day long work weeks, I finally got a break. The weather has been some of the nicest we have had so far this year, so I decided I would go over to my friend's place and give him a hand with whatever he happened to be doing. He was using his old 1950's vintage Ferguson 35 tractor to smooth some land that he was getting ready to plant some new grass on. I have known him since high school, and I have been helping him and his father on that farm for years. I have been driving that tractor for many years, so I am completely comfortable around it. Unfortunately, yesterday I got a little too comfortable. I had gotten off the tractor to adjust the rake. I needed to lift it up in the air to make the adjustment and the tractor has to be running to do that, so, rather than getting back on the tractor to crank it (like all the safety instructions say to do), I just bumped it into neutral and hit the starter. I have done the exact same thing a million times before, so I didn't think anything about it. Unfortunately, this time was different. Somehow, I didn't manage to get the gear stick completely into neutral so, when I hit the starter, it took off. Needless to say, I was standing directly in front of the back tire when all this happened. It caught my foot before I could get out of the way, and rolled over both legs. Luckily, my friend was nearby and managed to jump on and get the tractor stopped, but it all happened so fast that it had already gone over my legs by then.

I spent most of yesterday evening in the emergency room getting x-rays on my legs. Fortunately, believe it or not, although one of my steel-toe boots is ruined, no bones were broken. The doc said that I was very lucky to have on steel-toe boots. He said my foot would have been crushed if I had been wearing tennis shoes. He also had no idea how no bones got broken in my lower legs. I am pretty bruised up, and I will be pretty stiff for a while, but it could have been a lot worse. Thank goodness for small miracles, I guess. On the bright side, Hydrocodone is some real good stuff. I have always enjoyed flying, and now I know what it feels like to fly without wings.

I don't know exactly how much the tractor weighs, but I expect it to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,500 pounds. Here is a picture of a Ferguson 35 for those of you who might be curious. This is not a picture of the exact tractor that ran over me, but it will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

The moral of this story ... don't be a bonehead, like me. Never take shortcuts around mechanical equipment, no matter how many times you've done it before. It will eventually come back to haunt you.

The worst part about all this is that I had planned to go to the mountains today on the motorcycle. It was supposed to be the first extended ride of the season. The weather is perfect but I have to stay inside on the couch. Better luck next time, I guess.

Painfully yours until next time,

-VoR-

Now that's more like it!

2007-04-22T07:43:00.000-05:00

54 degrees at 8:30 in the morning with a high temperature in the lower 80's, and sun ... lots and lots of sun. Finally, Spring has arrived in North Carolina.

-VoR-

Global Warming????!!!!

2007-04-07T19:45:00.000-05:00

Would someone please turn up the Global Warmer a little bit? I am ready for Spring.

Until Next Time,

-VoR-

Partly Cloudy ... With A Slight Chance Of Showers

2006-10-22T01:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I have told you a little about my "children" so now I guess I will tell you about one of my many hobbies. I say "many" because I am kind of a "jack of all trades, but a master of none".

One of the things I like to do in my free time is ride motorcycles, especially on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is nothing better than a leisurely stroll on a warm, sunny afternoon. Having said that, there is also nothing worse than a leisurely stroll in a blinding downpour, complete with thunder and lightning.

A couple of weeks ago the wonderful weatherman stated on Friday evening that Saturday and Sunday were going to be fabulous ... warm and sunny and in the upper 70's (perfect riding weather), and only a slight chance of showers. After hearing that, my girlfriend and I decided we would hop on our bikes and take a weekend trip to Grandfather Mountain. When we left Saturday morning it was a little foggy, but it was burning off quickly, and had promise of being a wonderful day. The first 60 miles were awesome, just as the weatherman predicted, but then things started looking a little ominous. Not to worry, I thought. Just a few clouds ... yeah right. About 100 miles out, the bottom fell out and it poured for the rest of the trip. Needless to say,70's and sun is great, but 50's and pouring rain is not so great, especially when silly me didn't bother to pack my rain gear (after all, there was only a slight chance of showers).

We finally made it to the Grandfather Mountain welcome center, where we were met by the friendliest man. He invited us to stay for a while, along with several other fellow ~~swamprats~~ riders. He assured us that the storm would end before too much longer. We only had about five more miles to reach our destination, so after a brief period of warming up, the rain had let up (somewhat) so we decided to continue on our journey. Sure enough, the kind fellow was correct. By the time we reached our final destination the sun had come out.

Okay, Sunday morning we woke up to dense fog, so we decided to hang out for a little while and wait on the fog to lift. It finally lifted so we headed back to the Mountain to enjoy the day. I thought to myself, "At least Sunday was going to be nice." Wrong again. It was great weather for about half the day but then dark clouds appeared off in the distance. We decided to go ahead and leave in order to "stay ahead" of it. Too late! By the time we made it down the Mountain and back to the parkway, it was raining, and unfortunately, the clouds backed up against the ridge line and it rained the entire way home ... 150 miles in terrible thunderstorms. It was the most miserable experience I have ever had on a motorcycle.

Overall, the trip was a great experience, I guess. I definitely learned a couple of good lessons:

Never go on a trip without rain gear.
Never Ever trust a weatherman!

I loved Grandfather Mountain! I just wish I could have stayed longer. I hope to go back sometime soon ... just not when the weatherman is calling for a slight chance of showers.

Pictures From The Trip

2006-10-22T01:16:00.000-05:00

After making you read that whole long drawn-out affair, I thought I would at least provide a few pictures to enjoy, if you care to.

This is my baby.

This is my girlfriend's baby, complete with her stuffed toy raccoon (don't ask).

This is early in the trip. Notice the glorious sun.

This is further in the trip. Kinda ominous, huh?

This is at the Welcome Center, now with a very wet raccoon.

More Pictures From The Trip

2006-10-22T00:14:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more pictures.

This was one very wet raccoon.

All dried out on the next day. Sunshine - Yay!!!

Mile High Bridge at Grandfather Mountain. Notice that it is starting to get cloudy again - Boo!

This doesn't have anything to do with the trip. It is just a gratuitous photo from my girlfriend's front porch at sunset. It is views like this that make me love North Carolina!

An Introduction to my "Children"

2006-10-02T18:50:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

I thought I would take a few minutes to make a gratuitous post and introduce you to my "children". They are the joy of my life. They keep me company, and they seem to be pretty good judges of mood. If I am in a good mood, they are in a good mood with me. If I am sad, they almost always know what to do to bring a smile to my face.

I have two sets of "children". . . my children and my stepchildren. I have two cats in my household and my girlfriend has five in hers, which I consider my stepchildren (five cats, you ask? - you'll see below). Both of my children are roughly three years old.

First there is Sylvester, a.k.a. Bubba, and occasionally Dammit. I don't remember exactly where the name "Bubba" came from. It just kinda' happened. You can probably guess where Dammit came from. He is the mischievous one in the family. He is also a heavyweight. He weighs in at 16 pounds.

Next is Ms. Kitty, a.k.a. Princess. She is the shy, timid one in my house. As you can see from the expression on her face, she doesn't like cameras. :-) I inherited her from my grandmother. She is the lightweight - less than nine pounds, and all fur.

Taking Ms. Kitty into my household was an interesting experience. As I mentioned, she is very shy, and she DOES NOT like other cats. My grandmother was the only one she would come out from under the furniture for. She spent the first couple of months in hiding, and I spent the first several months keeping her from getting attacked by Sylvester, or at least I thought that is what I was doing. He wouldn't hurt her, but he likes to push her buttons because he is twice her size. She wasn't real fond of him. He finally backed her too far into the corner one day, and that was when I learned she wasn't as helpless or fragile as I thought she was. She may look timid, but if backed into the corner, this is what she turns into:

Needless to say, he was licking his wounds for quite a while, but he learned not to mess with her after that. He still pushes her buttons every now and then, but he knows not to back her into a corner anymore. I quit worrying about her after that. I have decided she can take pretty good care of herself, when she needs to.

She has finally warmed up to me and has turned into quite the lap cat, at least when Sylvester isn't chasing her off. He is so jealous! They tolerate each other fairly well now, but they still are not best friends . . . one of these days things will improve, hopefully.

Now for the stepchildren . . . my girlfriend had one cat until a mother cat came along with four kittens. Of course, being the kind soul that she is, my girlfriend took them in "just until she could find them homes". She got so attached to them that she just couldn't give them up, so now she has five. Luckily, all of hers get along with each other.

First is Rusty. He is roughly three years old and he weighs in at about 20 pounds. Let me tell you something . . . when a 20 pound cat launches into your lap, you know it. I am surprised there haven't been any cracked ribs yet. :-) Then there are Harley, Socks, Spot, and Yoda.

This is Harley, Rusty, and Socks. Rusty is like the ambivalent dictator. He rules the house with a gentle but firm paw. The others all love him, but they respect his authority. He seldom strikes out at any of the younger ones, but he will "correct" them if they need it.

This is Spot. She and Harley are the girly-girls in the house. They are cute, and they know it. They can really turn on the charm. :-)

Here is another picture of Socks, this time with Yoda. They are the two youngest boys. They are both full of energy, and can be pretty mischievous when they want to be.

Anyway, as you can tell there is never a dull moment, between the battles at my house and four young cats at her house. It will be interesting to see how everyone gets along when we finally get married and merge the two groups into one big, happy Brady Bunch family. Wish us luck . . . I think we're gonna' need it.

The ironic part about all this is that before Sylvester came along and adopted me, I always thought of myself as a "dog person". You never would've guessed that, would ya?

Until next time,

--Voice of Reason--

Reflections

2006-09-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever encountered an event that causes you to look back at "the good ole' days"? I witnessed one of those events yesterday. One of my best friends got (re)married yesterday. He and I grew up together and we were very close. As most friendships tend to do, as we aged, we each sort of went our own way. We always kept in touch, but, you know how it goes. As people get older, we all kinda' fall into predictable patterns and get comfortable in our own life.

Yesterday, a lot of friends (from way back) came to the wedding. It was the most amazing thing to see people that I haven't seen in years, and it was awesome to see them and catch up on each other's lives. It was hard to believe how much everyone has changed. Of course, most of us have gained "a few" pounds. :-) Most of them were married and had children. It was amazing to see how much their children had grown in what seemed like such a short time since we last saw each other. In actuality, it has been several years.

Of everything that happened yesterday, I think the best part was talking about old times. It was great to talk about stories from our past that had long since been forgotten. All of us laughed about our antics, and their wives and my girlfriend laughed at us and our "fish stories". The ladies also wondered how any of us made it through our teen and college years alive. The Lord knows we did some things in the past that we thought were a good idea at the time, but in retrospect, they weren't such good ideas. :-) There were times that I think we were lucky to have someone "upstairs" looking out for us. The ladies started referring to our memories as fish stories because, as they said, our stories seem to get bigger and more grand every time we get together, kinda like the two pound bass you catch at the lake in July, but by Christmas, that thing "had to weigh at least 15 pounds". I am not sure why that is. I guess as a person gets older, the memories get more cherished . . . or it could be that we are just getting older and our brains are slipping a little bit. :-)

It truly was a great experience to take a stroll down memory lane yesterday. It is also kinda' funny to think about how, fifteen years ago, I used to laugh about how the "old folks" (aunts, uncles, etc.) always talk about the good ole' days, and now I am quickly becoming part of that "old folks' nation". A good friend of mine has a good analogy for this situation. He says, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper . . . the closer we get to the end, the faster it goes by". I think he is right. Time really does fly as you get older.

I guess thats all I'm going to write about this, at least for now, but I do want to leave everyone with a parting recommendation. I think we all have good friends that we haven't seen in a long time. If my discussion of this has brought back memories of your own, why don't you pick up the phone and give those friends a call? You never know how good it will make you feel when you look back to the "good ole' days". :-)

Until next time,

--Voice of Reason--

Make Music . . . Not Political Statements

2006-08-23T13:30:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. Welcome to my little corner of this thing we all call the internet. This is my first post ever, so please forgive me if it is not up to the standard. I will try to do better next time.

I want to discuss something that has been on my mind today. I have recently taken an interest in Rockstar Supernova. I am a little bit behind the power curve on this show because I usually try my best to avoid "Reality TV" shows (they are just a little too corny and premeditated to me), but this one has really peaked my interest lately. I love the bands that all three of the "judges" come from and I am not ashamed to admit it. I grew up listening to Metallica, Motley Crue, and Guns & Roses. I still enjoy them but I just have to be a little more careful with the headbanging, now that I am a little older. My neck just can't take that kind of headbanging abuse anymore. :-) It also doesn't hurt to have Brooke Burke as the host of the program. I enjoy the show because of the judges and the talented up-and-coming rock stars. Ms. Burke just adds to the visual appeal.

Now for the meat of this post. I enjoy good entertainment as much as everyone else, but I don't like it when my politicians try to entertain, and I don't like it when my entertainers try to get political. I am reasonably right of center, but I would by no means consider myself a "wingnut". It really doesn't matter to me what the singer or actor believes as long as they put on a good show . . . and keep politics out of it. Tom Cruise is a perfect example. I used to respect him as an actor, and I even (gulp!) enjoyed several of his movies, but that respect is gone now. It doesn't bother me that he worships Scientology or that he doesn't believe in psychiatry, but when he started pushing it in public, I lost my respect for him. Of course it didn't help any when he started couch-hoppin' on Oprah, and spit-swappin' in public with a girl that is almost young enough to be his daughter. Oops, I almost forgot to mention baby-makin' with that same girl. That's just a little creepy for me. All this has been, or soon will be, his downfall.

Another great example is the afore-mentioned Brooke Burke. I like her a lot, and although her political inclinations are predictable, she is still beautiful, so I tend not to be too worried about her political affiliation. However, today I went to the Rockstar Supernova website and took a look at the various photos that they had of the talent, judges, and hosts and discovered this picture of her wearing a shirt that says, "Make Music, Not War". In her defense, I didn't see that episode, so I don't know what the context was, but the picture seems pretty self-explanatory to me. She has a right to feel that way all she wants, but please don't broadcast it on a show that is purely for entertainment. If I want that kind of political drama, I will head down to the local "progressive" rally. I wish someone would just tell all these people to Make Music, Not Political Statements.

This is just my two cents worth. Hopefully I haven't offended anyone yet. Thanks for reading.

Until next time,

Voice of Reason