Monday Musings - Trick-or-Treat Edition...
Is it just ME, or has the last 72 hours been "one for the books"?
I know that when it comes to running a little something called YOUR LIFE, "weird" is just part of the job.
But we had a little TOO MUCH weird out there this past weekend.
*** We had that crazy-ass SNOWSTORM that blanketed much of the Eastern seaboard, in some instances with OVER TWO FEET...!
My longtime friend in Delaware made out a little better - he only got freezing rain and sleet, covering cars and house with a nice sheet of ICE.
Eleven people died (so far) as a result of that storms, with one 83 year old dying when a branch fell from a tree into his house and killing him as he was resting in his recliner (SE PA). I suppose there are worse ways, if "ya gotta go", but THAT itself was weird.
Hope he wasn't reading LIFE magazine at the time...that would REALLY bite the big one.
You don't have to look far to find out about this snowstorm...it's all over the Internet.
*** Next up, here in Fort Wayne, I was listening to the scanner, and heard this growing fire uptown.
Turns out it was a pretty big deal.
The Momper Insulation Company's warehouse went up like a book of matches yesterday, causing concerns about toxic fumes and runoff into the St. Mary's river. Bernie Beier (homeland security director here) noted our water treatment plant gets it's agua from the St. Joe River, so no worries there.
Crews from Aboite and New haven responded to the multi-alarm blaze, and even this morning,. crews are still on scene, allowing the fire to burn itself out and checking for flare-ups. Main St. has had the traffic diverted away from the area, and when I was watching the news and listening in on the fire frequency, the MAIN concerns were the rubberneckers and lookie-loos gathering about, many with cell phone cameras. Police and fire set up a perimeter to dissuade onlookers, but apparently, some remained in the immediate area even with toxic fumes and billowing smoke all around.
Now, I don't know about YOU, but the LAST thing I want to do is place myself at risk from inhaling some crap I shouldn't be inhaling, and not allowing the firefighters to do their job without having them worry about ME being somewhere I don't need to be.
I know Fort Wayne isn't the hub of social activity on many weekends, but C'MON, people...don't you have ANYTHING BETTER to do with your time?
Our part of the ghettohood is the exact same way whenever something goes down...always have a crowd gathering like moths to a flame, or, to use a more proper metaphor in our case, crows to some food scraps (in the street).
Officers are busy themselves looking all around AND trying to do their job, as people meander about like a bunch of zombies when "dinner's ready".
At the Momper fire, at least TWO firefighters were reported injured when a wall and roll up door collapsed onto them.
Both are also reported to be OK.
One of the stories can be found here (with video):
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111031/LOCAL07/310319957
*** Next up, another installment of our "road trip" to the land of DYSTOPIA.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - (the educational disconnect in higher learning.)
I mentioned Friday that we have students that are suing their colleges...and in SOME cases, the suits are warranted.
Like when a CHRISTIAN group is not allowed to hold a bible meeting on campus, BUT an Islamic group CAN hold prayers (and atheists can just complain all THEY want to), or when students sue for something that SHOULD be easy to acquire...like OPEN records, as this story mentions:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111008/01551016266/student-journalists-sue-community-college-ridiculously-high-fees-open-records-request.shtml
Then, we have students in Florida suing over TUITION "unfairness" in THIS story:
http://www2.tbo.com/news/education-news/2011/oct/19/florida-students-charged-as-non-residents-sue-stat-ar-273072/
Now I can certainly understand if students with some form of disability sue. After all, we DO have the Disability Act (1979, I believe), and that was passed after a LONG battle with the legislature to enforce it (it was written back in the early 1970s).
No student should be discriminated against because of ANY disability. (and chronic laziness doesn't fall under that banner)
But the really humorous lawsuit has to deal with students from a law school suing their college because they "can't find a job after graduation"...
Here's one take on this:
http://education-law.lawyers.com/school-law/Graduate-Sues-College-for-Joblessness.html
And another:
http://www.usforacle.com/graduates-should-not-sue-schools-for-career-failures-1.2654049
Now, it's sure not the COLLEGE'S fault that YOU chose the wrong career path, is it?
I mean, we're already up to our eye teeth in LAWYERS as it is...we sure don't need any MORE (and could use a LOT fewer, as Shakespeare once noted).
Personally, I think such cases will be tossed, and rightly so. Although our "PREZ" has a plan working to "forgive" such indebtedness incurred by students...and SOMEONE'S gotta pay for THAT, right?
We just don't "write off" billions of bucks summarily, do we?
(well, we shouldn't anyway...that's not right and rewards poor choices)
I kinda feel bad for the kids that MEANT well and took the burden of debt upon their shoulders, but it's UP TO THEM to extricate themselves from such financial debacles...that's what life's all about.
It's about ADVANCING THROUGH ADVERSITY (as Charles Stanley once said in one of his sermons)...you LEARN from the mistakes in life.
And maybe, some FORETHOUGHT before one accepts such debt might just be in order.
*** Lastly today, this night is our annual "Beg-A-Thon" aka Halloween, and it's here that I have to borrow from past posts.
So here, we go, gang...time for:
~BOB'S EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR HALLOWEEN~
Now I WAS thinking of just putting my sign in the door that says (and looks) something like:

"Obama took ALL our candy and gave it to others, as a REDISTRIBUTION-OF-WEALTH thing...sorry, kids."
Decisions...decisions.

What is a person to do?
Anyway, you have to decide what works best for YOU...fair enough?
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Rule #1: You show up WITHOUT a costume....you have TWO choices:
a) You can just turn around and LEAVE, or (my favorite) ...
b) Show me you're WORTHY of my free candy WITHOUT a costume by jumping through the FLAMING HOOPS I have set up on my lawn, OK? If the folks can't blow TEN bucks to get you SOME kind of costume (and dressing in mom's old clothes could bring up gender confusion issues, even though it's FREE), then just spend TWO bucks for some of your OWN candy (**hint: after the 31st, ALL the HALLOWEEN candy is 50% OFF...check Walgreens and CVS)!
Rule #2: If you're OLDER than say....12 years old, you better either have a DAMN GOOD (original) costume, or you better have the mental state of a 3 year old. Either one will get you treats! Anything else will get you a front door closed in your pre-pubescent face! If you're THAT old...just stop at Lassus Handy-Dandy and grab a bag of M&Ms for yourself, lazy-ass!
Rule #3: Facepaint ALONE does NOT a costume make....Even SOLDIERS wear a UNIFORM WITH their facepaint, and Indians have horses and head-dresses.....so...NO horse, NO head-dress...NO treats, Kimosabi! And NO ELMOS or LADY GAGAS.
Rule #4: If you are coming to my house on Hallowe'en with a BUNCH of friends...be advised, I WILL be "packing" (to politely dissuade you from a home invasion)! And if you're dressed as either BATMAN or the PUNISHER, I might want to hire you to clean up my neighborhood.
Rule #5: Don't try taking a "short cut" across MY lawn to cross the street (the barbed wire and punji sticks I have up will do a real number on your legs and feet...trust me)! Better to stay ON the sidewalk that the city provided with all those tax-payer dollars!
Rule #6: DO NOT show up at the house as a ZOMBIE, LIVING-DEAD person, or some sort of analogous entity (Yes, I DO headshots real well). If I EVER want to see the living dead (aside from a George Romero flick), all I have to do is watch damn near ANY politician in D.C., or ALL of the non-working "neighbors on the dole" that have NO future (past the next bottle of malt liquor or blunt, that is) meander through their pitiful lives.
Also...NO ELMOS or LADY GAGAS!
Rule #7: When I ask you to take what you want from the huge bowl of candy, that DOES NOT MEAN grab every damn single piece OF candy.....taking EVERYTHING should NEVER be a choice...it means be SELECTIVE...others might want to drop on by, 'K?
Rule #8: If you don't like what we GIVE (free) to you, don't even think about retaliatory measures....I've already PLANNED for THAT contingent...(heh, heh, heh)...and you might not like the result!
(and did I mention NO ELMOS and LADY GAGAS?).
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So there you are...MY "Rules of Engagement" for handling Halloween.
It's just gonna be me and the missus, making some popcorn, and watching GARFIELD'S HALLOWEEN (on DVD), 'cause they're NOT gonna air THAT show even though Jim Davis lives a couple hours down the Interstate...go frigging figure.
BTW, did anyone catch The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on TV this year? I don't recall seeing that advertised anywhere, either...curious.
Told 'ya...it's WEIRD out there...and getting weirder. Ain't that weird?
I don't know about you, but I'd please like MY PLANET back...freshly washed, starched, and ironed, if possible, thank you.
Do have yourselves a great week.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.