07 December 2007

'Tis The Season...
You hear about this with a disturbing frequency surpassing years gone by; a shooting at a mall, seasonal scams, rain checked items you wanted, lack of parking at nearly every shopping center, road rage exacerbated by the holiday rush, not to mention deteriorating weather conditions and near freezing temperatures.

All of this "helps to make the season bright"...Sorry...I'm just not convinced.

I mean when you're not even safe to go shopping for the loved ones at Christmas time, when ARE you safe? It's no wonder that retail sales are down. It's not only the lack of spending capital, but it's fast becoming a safety issue as well.
Add those two together and it's plain to see that it's not going to be a banner year for sales. In many cases, situations like those above CAN be avoided. Yes, even the shooting victims in Omaha could have been saved, if mall security had acted faster when they noticed a suspicious person entering the place. Then again, if the shooter's stepfather had locked his assault rifle away, all of this could have been rendered a moot point.

I know...too many "ifs".
If the dog wouldn't have stopped to crap, he would have caught the rabbit...right?

But it does make you think what the world has become when we cannot even do some innocent shopping for the holidays without "checking our six".

I know whenever my wife and I venture out, I always tell her to watch her surroundings.
-Be aware of people near you, especially those that seem to be "lurking" about. And don't walk like a victim...hold your head UP...you're the GOOD guy, remember?
-Walk with an air of authority, and yes, it's perfectly fine to put a slight smirk on your face as you stroll about the malls and stores. That alone speaks volumes to would-be stalkers. They tend to look for people not paying attention to what's going on around them.

Ladies, keep your handbags close to you, and men, keep those wallets in the deepest pocket you have. If possible, keep credit cards in a separate holder in another pocket (as I do), as well as your keys (which can fast become an impromptu weapon should someone attack you). Try not to flash cash about, and make sure they use carbon-less receipts for credit card purchases (most use thermal printers ). And it's OK to shield oneself when signing a receipt or filling out a check...it's YOUR identity you're protecting.

Keep your packages IN THE TRUNK and out of sight all the time, even if it means two trips to the car. Don't lug all that stuff around. It makes it easier to get a purse snatched. And when items are placed in a vehicle, do not allow them to be seen by passersby...that just screams: "Break in and take us home". There ARE people out there that want nothing more than to make YOUR gifts...THEIR gifts. And for those of you (like myself) that own a "hatchback" car, get some kind of cover (I have a rollout vinyl cover that came with the car) to hide the packages. It can be a blanket (which you should have anyway if you get stranded), or something that at least will cause thieves to "move along".

And for God's sake...LOCK YOUR VEHICLE. If you have ever locked the keys INSIDE (and we all have done it at one time or another), then by all means, get another door key made and keep THAT in your wallet (or purse), or wear it around your neck. That way, you won't have to WALK home (or take a bus).

You can't avoid all eventualities when holiday shopping, but by following some (or all) of the things I've mentioned, it should make you and yours feel a lot more SECURE when dealing with the "madding crowds". And it will definitely "help to make YOUR season bright(er)".


Do have a safe weekend -

Drive carefully, because the life you save is most likely to be YOUR OWN.

06 December 2007

Another "Comcastic" Day At OUR House...
You just have to love monopolies, right?
I for one, don't...and I can't make it ANY plainer than that.

Take for example our local cable supplier, Comcast (please...take them...preferably somewhere far away). We used to have one of those old, small, brown ANALOG cable boxes...and everything couldn't have worked better. Never had a glitch, stutter, burp or fart from the system.
That was THEN.
We recently were "upgraded" to a Motorola DIGITAL box (within the past year) because one of our cable input lines was faulty (and the older style RG cable). OK,so no big deal...upgrade means BETTER, right?
WRONG.
Since we've gotten the digital box, I'm on my THIRD (as of today) rig, and it's wearing a tad thin with me. Anyone ever hear of "If it ain't broke...don't fix it?"
Having installed such systems as well as satellite dishes for a major "big box", I KNOW EXACTLY what I should see when I click the set on...and sorry to say, it just ain't happening. The first box just crapped out on the VIDEO side (nice if I were BLIND), so that was switched out for the 2nd box...which has developed a MAJOR pixelation problem. That's where everything freezes and looks like LEGOLAND for a few seconds. To be more descriptive, it looks like a BAD SATELLITE DAY (and you satellite dish owners know what I mean). The box also suffers from audio dropouts. Perfect when trying to follow the characters' DIALOGUE.
So now we're supposed to have the "tech" come out AGAIN today to replace the box a THIRD time. And I can tell you, these digital boxes all look like 2nd hand stock. I have never seen a new out-of-the-box unit come into my house YET.
That doesn't say much for a company that "prides" itself on being NUMERO UNO. Then again, they're getting YOUR money, so WTF, right? I was even approached to work for them...and after a long skull-session, I decided it's better to not sign on, only to wind up rocking their boat (which many bosses find annoying, especially when YOU'RE right, and they're NOT).
Suffice it to say, we'll reserve any judgement on THIS repair until I "get back from Missouri" (in other words..SHOW ME)!
The weird thing is that the straight cable signal is quite adequate, as our other TV in the family room will show you. I just don't want to bypass that "on demand" and music channels stuff (some of which is fairly good), by routing through the VCR (which makes all the problems go away marvelously). I figure if I'm PAYING for it...damn it, I WANT it.
The technician is "supposed" to be here between 8AM and 8PM (nice LARGE window, eh?), so you can see I'm relatively relegated to the house today (cable company's version of HOUSE ARREST).
I just hope we get this ongoing problem cleared the hell up...the holidays are coming and there's lots of Christmas fare to view. And if I want LEGOS, all I have to do is nip over to K-MART and buy some.
And after 2009, cable & satellite companies will have ALL of us by the shorthairs (broadcast goes DIGITAL), so all those small TVs will become nice little coffee tables (or doorstops).
Don'cha just LOVE the way you're forced into buying what you don't need...and then not being able to fully enjoy even that?
I know I do.
OK, will someone PLEASE get this tongue out of my cheek...my jaw is cramping!
**Editor's Note:
As of 1430 hrs, the cable is back up and running well (fingers crossed)...maybe THIS time we got the RIGHT tech (and maybe he DOES care).

05 December 2007

Must be Nice...All That Snow....
Fire up the snowspeeders and saddle up your tauntaun, kids. Yep, we can now OFFICIALLY call it WINTER outside.
Welcome to HOTH,Indiana...LOL!
With anywhere from 2-5 inches of the icy white stuff coming down around the area, as well as temperatures dropping into the teens, we can be sure of ONE thing: Drivers will become especially stupid, and auto-body shops will be loving it (OK, TWO things then...LOL).

Now I have to admit that I still love a nice snowfall, and I've even been snowed in a few times, but the sheer QUIET REPOSE a snowfall can bring is nothing short of awe-inspiring. As I always tell my wife, "Driving in snow can be actually LESS stressful than rush-hour traffic on the interstate (provisionally-speaking)". By that I mean as long as you have the road totally TO YOURSELF...everything is fine. It's when other people get out there and flex their inclement weather driving "abilities" that problems seem to occur. That can lead to a car insurance claim faster than a Katrina victim can defraud FEMA and move to Houston.

I also have to admit that as one ages, shoveling becomes all the more tiring. That's why I like to get out often, and shovel SMALL amounts of snow, rather than wait for that LAST SNOWFLAKE to hit the ground before going outside (like it seems most INDOT salt crews do). It's a lot lighter to move, and with a thinner layer of snow, reflective melting occurs sooner, and then you don't have to shovel any longer. You can watch everyone ELSE shovel ALL that snow while sipping some hot chocolate (laced with a touch of Bailey's).

Then there is the little thing about HAVING to shovel your sidewalk before 0900 hrs (per NCE/city ordinance). Yeah, that works in MY neighborhood...NOT! Every time it snows, I bet myself that I will be the ONLY PERSON on my WHOLE BLOCK that will have the sidewalk cleared. And I haven't lost a "bet" yet. I only wish NCE would ENFORCE this ordinance and start citing people who find it better to stay in bed until the sun shines on their asses (gee, they do that EVERY day, no matter WHAT the weather). I just figure if people don't "want" to care, then someone has to MAKE them care, and the city could make some "cha-ching" with this in mind...if THEY cared to.
Wow, I smell some IRONY here.

One thing I can't wait for is the snowplows to come barreling down the streets, tossing up "rooster-tails" of snow and ice BACK ONTO the areas I spent all that time shoveling. Yeah, nothing makes MY day more than that. If only they would SLOW DOWN a smidge, we wouldn't even HAVE this problem, but time IS money (I suppose).

But after all is said and done, it does all come back to the QUIET. The peaceful reverie of watching the snow come down, the birds looking for food, a few kids building a snowman or pulling a sled...that kind of stuff. Damn shame the only REAL sounds over this serene scene will be another one of those loud ass boomcars.
Nothing says "Winter Wonderland" like hearing some thumping bass (c)rap tune, shaking the snow from tree branches and chasing those birds away, as this idiot passes by.

Yet for an all-to-brief stolen moment here and there...it still IS like the winters I have come to remember with fondness.

04 December 2007

You Just Got to Believe...
Time for some of those oddities that make living just a bit more complex (if not amusing or downright annoying). You know what I'm talking about - those little things that if it were say...about 50 years ago, probably wouldn't even happen. But since we're all dwelling in the land of "political correctness" and MSM hype (which makes even the land of OZ look tame on it's worst day), who better to bring it to you than someone who is as politically INCORRECT as the days are long. And proud of it.
--Seems someone hates the Beatles. A teen coming home from Blackhawk Christian School was stopped then slashed by a stranger when the man asked him what music he was listening to (and the boy replied the Beatles). The teen wasn't hurt, but it does beg the question as to WHY this obviously deranged individual is stopping young people for musical queries, especially along Forest Downs Drive at 1230 hrs last Friday. THAT perp needs to be put A-WAY - pronto, before he does some REAL harm to another unsuspecting young person.
--Another SOUTHEAST side shooting. For some perverse reason, this never seems to get old with these morons down here. This past Sunday night around 2115 hrs near Lillie St., & Capitol Avenue, a man was shot in the foot (sounds like something politicians like to do to themselves all the time) while walking in that area. The man reported to police he thought he might have been caught in some crossfire.
So what exactly are we learning here?
You can't walk down streets at 12:30 in the afternoon OR at 9:15 in the evening either on a weekday or the weekend. Yeah, that just screams "safe city" to me...how about you?
But it gets better...
--Yesterday, around 1650 hrs, the FWPD stops this silver 2005 model Grand Prix (nice ride) outside our house. And after a search of the vehicle, the driver was "cuffed & stuffed". The car was later claimed by family "friends".
Hmm...looks like the 5-0 found something that guy shouldn't have had...OR maybe he had an outstanding warrant (and that's NOT the "gee, that's really great" kind of outstanding, either), OR he didn't have a license...OR insurance...ALL of which SO many people around here are guilty of on a regular basis. Yeah, we can blame THAT bit of selective stupidity on "poverty" too...right? Well, at least ONE of them learned the hard way (for all the good it will do - they seem to suffer from the short-term memory loss thing).
--And while we're giving out "Attaboy" awards, we've got to look at the OTHER side of the coin aka the "Oh $hit" award, which ALSO goes to the FWPD for pulling over a woman who didn't have her seat belt on properly. Now before you go "but that's the law, and she was in violation", let me say that she is a CHEMO patient, and has a chest "port" to receive the cancer drugs for her illness, and that the seat belt was extremely painful to wear OVER this port in her chest.. And after explaining this to the officer and even SHOWING him the port, he was not moved to ANY level of compassion, and cited her anyway. Sorry, but I'd be hard pressed to NOT feel for this woman, and l WOULD let her off with a warning. After all, it could be someone in YOUR family (or the officer's).
So, it will take at least TEN "attaboys" to negate that ONE "oh $hit" that the FWPD is wearing this week. You guys have NINE more to go...get cracking!
--Lastly, filed in the "You have to read this (a few times) to actually BELIEVE this crap" category, some dimbulb politician /judge/buttwipe wants to REDUCE the sentences for crack offenders. That would effectively place KNOWN felons back on our streets (actually more like MY streets, 'cause all you OTHER folks live in NICE areas of the city, if not the county, instead of he GHETTO or BADLANDS).
Now I'm sorry, but anyone that uses or deals crack (or cocaine in general) deserves the worst punishment there is, and it sure ain't "letting 'em all out earlier"! And if this seems to disproportionally target "poor" blacks...tough $hit. They KNOW what they're getting into before they buy that rock and light that pipe, and subsequently rewarding their bad judgement isn't the solution...not by a longshot!
We already know education doesn't work all that well, because many view it as a "white" thing. Fortunately there are many blacks that don't buy into this ghetto lifestyle hype. So maybe THEY can be the beacon for the rest of those sliding towards the bad side of life.
And yes, I still believe in the Easter Bunny & Santa Claus too.

There you have it...something to get you thinking.
Robert Ripley is either smiling in his grave...OR rolling in it.
I'd like to THINK it's the former.

03 December 2007

Monday Musings...
Loads of things to take a look at (or a swing at) today, so without any further ado...

-Item: Evel Knievel Passes Away.
At the age of 69, Robert Kneivel has gone to that stunt show in the sky. I can say with pride that I saw him perform a jump at the old JFK stadium back in Philly in 1976, and he did not disappoint. Still have the slides I took of him in mid-air. Helluva show...and SHOWMAN. He might have been many things, but he DID love this country, and he would say as much after every jump. Considering he broke about every bone in his body over his career (and a few more times than even he could recall), it's amazing what he still managed to accomplish. Love him or hate him, there's one thing had to say - he talked the talk AND walked the walk!

-Item: Two Masked Gunmen At Large.
Anyone following the local police reports has to have seen this recent spate of armed robberies and home invasions that have been perpetrated by TWO masked gunmen. Now I can't say that all these crimes can be attributed to THESE two jerks, but it does look like a trend is occurring. It just doesn't track that we'd have SO MANY "copycat" crimes with people dressing the exact same way when they rob a bar, break into a home, or rob a convenience store. I would wager that they are being done by the same two men, simply because almost ALL the descriptions are the same, whether it's clothing or even the pistol they are brandishing,or even their ages. Get THESE two f$ckheads off the streets, and maybe we can still have a nice holiday season.

-Item: Is Paris Burning?
France is in the midst of some serious immigration woes...and we can learn a LOT just by watching. Immigrants to France are basically refusing to assimilate into the French culture and are waging a "war" of sorts against the government by torching parts of Paris. Over 120 policemen have been injured in this melee. And this is not the first European nation to enjoy such behavior from it's immigrant population. Amsterdam is reported to soon be a MUSLIM city within a decade. These nations have an out-of-control immigration situation, and unless THEY step up an do something, they will lose CENTURIES of their OWN culture. We can definitely learn a lot when it comes to OUR OWN immigration problems (hopefully we WILL), and especially along our southern border.

-Item: Comment-less Blogs.
Today's' paper had a nice article about blogs and the lack of comments to them. I can relate to this, as my comment count is lower than a male dachshund in a snowbank. And (imho) it should not be this way. I bring stories to you that need to be told, and I'm not afraid to point fingers where finger-pointing is warranted. It might make you mad, it might make you smile, but it will make you THINK, if nothing else.
But how would you even KNOW that if you're not READING and commenting here, eh? It bothers me when OTHER bloggers report the same thing I do, and their comment count is into double digits, while I stare at the daily "goose-egg". I take the time to read all these other blogs, and comment on THEM, and I have to admit that the manner that I present news & views is (relatively) easy on the psyche, tough on the right people, and is guaranteed to make you THINK...and it's usually reported BEFORE the other blogs.
And I find it just a bit arrogant that so many other bloggers do NOT comment here with any level of reciprocity (my GOD, this guy uses BIG words too) .
Is this sound like "sour grapes" on MY part? Yeah, maybe it is, but I've got MY reasons as to why I think it is, and anyone that wants to "man up", and care to COMMENT can find out why....LOL! This does not apply to any "regulars" that stop on by. If you've been too busy to stop in...that's fine. Hey , maybe everyone just AGREES 100% with what I 've been saying here....'ya think?

As I say -YOUR mileage may vary.

Have a safe week - be wary of the weather, because everyone else around you will not.