Summertime, and The Livin's Easy...
This is one of those mornings reminiscent of the DEEP south.
And any of you who live, or have lived there know exactly what I mean.
The mornings are lightly shrouded in a hazy fog, the air is uncomfortably still, and the humidity level has got the temperature beat by a country mile.
Not a blade of grass or leaf from a tree is in motion, and even the songbirds seem to have "the morning off", because the silence is deafening.
It's the type of morning you expect to see "Big Daddy" (or even Mark Twain) sitting on the porch, replete in his white trousers, shirt and suspenders, rocking away with a cool drink in one hand, and a rattan fan in the other, whiling away the day, while doing his best not to perspire.
The only thing missing is the Spanish moss hanging from the trees...and a freshly baked pecan pie on the window ledge.
And while we might view this as a calm morning, there are things happening around us that are anything BUT calm, or calming.
What we'll endeavor to do today, is shed a wee bit of light on things unnoticed, uncover that which needs uncovering, and attempt to make some sense from all of it along the way.
*** First up, I've been working on another model (it calms the inner beast...almost as much as being at a pistol range), and THIS one I managed to complete, decals and all...astounding.
Now this is a kit I've had since the late 1980s, and the instructions were getting that "pre-sepia" look to them, so I figured what the hell, let's do it.
Building many of these kits isn't really the problem. Making them look as authentic as possible IS, however.
And that all comes down to DETAIL.
This is where you loose that artist in you and have at it.
It's also where you find out how well those almost 58 year old hands will function on intricate parts...LOL.
Well, I don't have the trembles yet, but I'm not as "rock-steady" as I was when I was a teenager, that's for sure.
Suffice it to say, all things considered, that this kit turned out pretty good...for a "non-pro" and part-time modeler.
Be interesting to see what I decide to do next.
Modelling is one of those hobbies that can often mirror life itself, in that, YOU "set the bar" for yourself, and you wind up competing against yourself...to see if you can get better. And like anything worth doing well in life, it all comes down to PRACTICE.
If there is ANY problem to be encountered here, it will be when you become your own worst critic.
It becomes a study in perseverance, objectivity, and most of all...accomplishment.
And I think too many of our young people miss those marks.
When I was growing up...(back in the Jurassic period), there was rarely a lack of involvement in anything. Kids were always doing something.
Girls helped moms cook, or take care of the house, while boys were playing a sport or helping dad wash the car or drive a nail somewhere.
The main thing, is that children were being taught life's SKILLS.
The "basics" of being grown up was what it was all about.
There was very little of this "sit back and video game the day away" stuff. Hell, television wasn't even THAT important (except when the Lone Ranger came on).
Sure, kids had their own "me" time, but many times, that was AFTER the "chores" were finished.
If you complained about doing them, well, you got a "refresher" course in sassing back to an "elder".
Your parents were teaching YOU what it was like to be RESPONSIBLE...and ACCOUNTABLE.
(who knew?)
And, as is often the case, just teaching you ONCE was never quite enough. It was this manner of "rote"...the repetitive aspect that ingrained those values mentioned, allowing you to better function in society as you got older.
I am very fond of saying that if there is ONE day you don't learn anything, it's probably the day they bury you.
Be nice if others managed to figure out such a BASIC premise to life, eh?
*** Elsewhere around the global maelstrom...
Just this past Friday, I mentioned that Fannie Mae (who was basically "bailed-out" during the FIRST ridiculous stimulus plan) is requesting MORE money!
(sure go ahead...say it...this is surely a "Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot" moment)
WTF?
(don'cha feel better already?)
Yeah, Fannie (and Freddie) aren't done screwing up the housing market just YET...they want to make another go of it, apparently. They want to "help" those who can't afford mortgages...to GET them.
Gee, didn't all this defaulting crap get this agency INTO the mess they're still mired in?
We're not seeing foreclosures disappear that damn much...monthly numbers are still fairly high...and constant.
So let's help everyone out AGAIN, allow them to default AGAIN, and, in another few months, start the process over yet AGAIN.
When the hell are these idiots going to wise the f*ck up?
Cripes, even the MAFIA didn't used to keep lending to deadbeats who can't or won't pay back loans...
That's "bad for business".
They just take them to "swim with the fish"...problem solved.
*** And a little (too much) closer to my home...
(( 2 workmen’s deaths tied to drugs - Holly Abrams The Journal Gazette
FORT WAYNE – Toxicology results revealed two men found dead in a South Anthony Boulevard home last month died from having multiple drugs in their bodies, according to officials at the Allen County Coroner?s Office.
Fort Wayne police were called July 19 to the home, at 2930 S. Anthony Blvd., just south of East Pontiac Street, after a woman called 911 and said two men appeared to be dead inside.
The men – later identified as Thomas A. Burd, 48, and Daniel L. Lang, 55, both of Fort Wayne – were pronounced dead at the scene by police. Both Burd and Lang died from having multiple drug toxicities. Their deaths were ruled accidental.
Coroner?s office officials declined to comment on what type of drugs the men had consumed. Police described Burd and Lang as acquaintances. They were hired by the home?s owner to do repair work on the home, police said. ))
Moral of story: Be careful of who YOU hire to fix up the house.
(( Seniors oppose rental housing plan - Paul Wyche The Journal Gazette
FORT WAYNE – A group of area senior citizens is protesting Dawson’s Creek, but not the once-popular TV show.
The Village at Dawson’s Creek is a proposed $3 million rental housing project for residents age 55 and older.
The development, however, is proposed for land just south of The Courtyards of Dawson’s Creek, a rather upscale subdivision with a fair amount of older homeowners who fear a cluster of rental properties will bring noise, traffic, smelly trash bins and declining property values.
About 20 residents of the subdivision attended the Fort Wayne Plan Commission’s public hearing Monday – about the same number who voiced concerns to NPT Development Corp. when the company recently met with neighbors to discuss its intentions.
Ric Zehr, an NPT representative, said 35 brick and vinyl-trimmed two-bedroom homes with attached one-car garages would be built on 6 acres at the northeast corner of Till Road and Dawson’s Creek Boulevard, south of Dupont Road.
Rent is estimated at $795 a month.
Allan Vegell doesn’t think it’s a good idea. His neighbors appointed him to speak on their behalf, and he was mostly critical of the plan.
"It’s not something terribly desirable," Vegell said.
But even as NPT Development urges commission members to recommend the project for approval to the City Council, the company first needs 75 percent of the neighboring landowners to sign off on the deal. Zehr expressed confidence that will happen but said NPT would be willing to delay the process 90 days at the commission’s request.
And some members of the panel seemed in favor of that. The commission will decide whether to vote or delay action at its meeting Monday.
Allen County developers, meanwhile, continue to work to fill a need for senior housing. They say aging baby boomers are the main reason. Census figures show that 11.7 percent of the county’s population is 65 years or older, but that number probably will balloon if national estimates are on target. ))
If I were a landowner in that area, and knowing what I know about past "rentals" for senior citizens, I'd oppose this too, and I'm getting closer to becoming a "senior" myself.
Back in Philly, we had three high-rise apartment houses FOR SENIORS, who were displaced when the city tore down their (marvelously historical 3-story) homes, to make way for the I-95 project.
Sounds like a win-win, right? The seniors got nice NEW state-of-the-art housing, and the city got it's Interstate.
Not so fast.
For SOME "strange" reason, younger minorities moved into those apartments that was supposed to be for SENIORS ONLY. The crime quickly followed, and all but chased out the seniors to the four winds. Then Philly had a dilapidated (and relatively "new" that quickly became blighted) vertical GHETTO on it's hands.
So much for SENIOR housing.
And I can see the same thing happen here with this "fairness in housing" BS that passes for law these days.
Ain't no senior-citizen, patriarchal "Big Daddy" on the porch any longer...not in THAT Philly neighborhood.
*** Lastly today, school will soon be open again, and that means "back-to-school" sales out the wazoo.
Now, if you look through those flyers at the "clothing" they are pushing at parents, so that their kids look "cool"...it might make you think TWICE about the school dress policies, AND what the clothing manufacturers have in mind.
Long gone are the days of neatly-attired young people, going off to class, looking every bit the future leaders of America. Now, you've got micro-jocks, mini-thugs, prostitots, and vampires roaming the halls of those ivy-covered bastions of knowledge.
My father always told me that: "If you dress well, you'll feel better about yourself, and do well".
I have taken the other side of that coin and say: "If you look like a slob, that's exactly how you'll learn AND be perceived."
Now, I'm not saying that all school kids should be wearing Gucci or Prada or Halston, but there definitely is some "middle ground" that will allow a better sense of learning and have the kids feel better about themselves.
We already KNOW all those similar programs the governments have dumped TONS of money into aren't cutting the muster, so why not get back to some basics here, and start with a DRESS CODE...one of the simplest things to chase after.
There's plenty of time when you're OUT of school to get those "tatts", and piercings, and clown clothes, and "athletic" shoes (that cost the high side of $80+ bucks). Those schools that already have dress codes have been proven to have higher achievement scores, so there HAS to be something to it, right?
Maybe it's time to not necessarily reinvent the wheel...just dust off the OLD one that's been sitting neglected in the corner for the last several decades...'ya think?
That would definitely make Big Daddy proud.
Take it easy out there in the heat and humidity, and remember to keep hydrated. Be well, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.