A Very "Taxing" Day...

Yes, it's THAT time of the year again, friends...time to "pay the piper" for all those songs we STILL haven't heard (yet).
We'll be getting into THAT mess, along with some other things anon, but first off, let's talk WEATHER.
The Hoosierland never ceases to amaze me (however slight that might be) when it comes to changeable weather.
Woke up this morning to some SNOW on everything BUT the roads...be nice if that was ALWAYS the case, especially in WINTER.
And, it was CHILLY (again).
Temps were not even above freezing.
But, the sun's starting to peek across the horizon (sneaky bugger), and the skies are looking better for now.
Today's weather will consist of rising temps (but not that far) into the upper THIRTIES - didn't we just have a 70+ degree day?

Nope, that's NOT a winter picture - was taken this morning.

And, we'll enjoy a slight breeze, for all you die-hard kite flyers out there...bundle up.
Yes, we did miss that lunar eclipse as well. The moon was out briefly around 0500 hrs and I managed to view a portion of a waning event (less than a third was eclipsed by then).
In the meantime, hope you have the furnace going and that you'll join me in a nice, hot morning beverage.

All I can say is..."YUM!"

I'm  sure glad the SWISS MISS isn't a union member and doesn't go on strike on a regular basis, aren't you?
*** First off of the rooftop today is a story that sure made me going
  "WTF???"

This has to do with the recent fire at the iconic Philmore (theater) on Broadway.
And here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140415/LOCAL07/304159949/1002/LOCAL
The FWFD says that "hot towels" were to blame for the fire, which caused heavy smoke damage to the structure.
Now, before all of you begin rolling your eyes in disbelief over this, let's skull this one out.
Reports say the fire broke out in the KITCHEN area (remember that).

And it also says the towels were taken out of a DRYER (obviously one used for drying things made of CLOTH)
Then the towels were placed in a "confined space", which did not allow the heat to dissipate.
That's where I start to have some "trouble" with all of this.
So, what we're being told, is that the towels (somehow) spontaneously combusted?
How many of us have taken clothes out of OUR dryers and immediately PUT THEM ON?
(I'll raise MY hand, too)
NEVER got a burn of ANY kind, but those clothes were not "confined" in any way.

Sorry, don't feel like I'm spontaneously-combusting here.

Been to a REAL barber in times past and NEVER got burned by any of THOSE hot towels (which were steaming when they came out).
Still, ANY receptacle the towels were placed in HAS to dissipate heat, unless the container is HOTTER than the damn towels?
You mean to tell me that the molecules of the towels became MORE excited (hotter) after being place in whatever receptacle they used?
The ONLY case I can figure out where such spontaneity would occur, is if the towels had raw SODIUM on them and were tossed into a wet container.
Chemistry alert - Sodium and water get along as well as natural gas and an open flame.

Don't try this at home, kids!

Stuff goes "boom" aka reacts VIOLENTLY (like a perp resisting law-enforcement).
Such a thing will also occur with potassium permanganate (emergency fire started for survivalists).

It's not just for hanging on walls, folks.

That compound reacts well with water to produce flames.
So, if those towels were hot enough to spontaneously combust (seemingly an impossibility), who would place them in a closed container or space?
And, doesn't anyone in or near the kitchen know what a FIRE EXTINGUISHER is for?
I'd say if construction is ongoing on site, then it SHOULD be required if not by the owners of the property, then by those doing the construction work.
But, that would make too damn much SENSE, would it not?
Something smells like 3-day old fish here.
Moving on...
*** Next up..a reminder that today is TAX DAY, the 1st anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, and the day the R.M.S. Titanic sank in the North Atlantic.
(note to self: never do anything really important on this day)
*** Ever feel like life is just one REVOLVING DOOR?
As a kid I really grooved on those at a few of the banks we had back on Philly...

Sure feels like life in the Summit City

Mom had to tell me to stop going around in them...little did I know it would mirror LIFE soon enough...and for a longer duration.
But one woman discovered that some people can use such doors for other things...
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140415/LOCAL07/304159977
Seems we had an ATTEMPTED RAPE at the 1st Source Bank, located at 200 E. Main St just before 1500 hrs yesterday
(hmm...thought banks used to close at 3PM...musta made it under the wire)
A man trapped a woman inside the door and began ripping her clothes.
When police arrived (and we have MORE of them downtown than the rest of the city combined...lol) they found a man inside the bank, hiking his drawers back up, sweating profusely. The woman had managed to get a table between her and the man.

"ZZZZZZZTTTTTTTT" Gotcha!

Police ordered him on the floor, to which he ignored the officers, who then deployed a TASER multiple times, as the man tried to get to the woman over the table. (persistent buck, isn't he?)
Eventually several officers wrestled him to the floor and hog-tied him with handcuffs (I'd pay to see how that looked).
The woman told police the man approached her and was talking gibberish but seemed to be in need of help (for some trim, obviously).
When she went to hold the door to the building where the bank was located, he grabbed her arm and forced her into the doorway, tearing at her clothes.

It's just NOT worth it.

(talk about "ballsy" - no pun intended)
The perp was taken to hospital where he measured a very high heart rate and had burns to his lips.
(crack pipes will DO that to druggies)
While the attacker has not been ID'ed (anyone care to play "Guess the Ethnicity?"), he also has NOT BEEN ARRESTED!!!
I'd say his development already has been (arrested, that is)...LOL.
He IS, however a suspect in a separate battery case being investigated...
So, why not HOLD him for 72 hours??? That's legal to do.
I could be wrong, but my thought is he's NOT white, otherwise, we'd see his face in the news and know his name.
(we know how MOST of the "drive-by" media shakes THESE days)
*** Last back to the hangar today...Fort Wayne looks to be having ANOTHER AIR SHOW...and it will be in September of 2016 (another reason to live another couple years...LOL)
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140415/LOCAL/304159950

Sure, let's do this AGAIN...!

When the media first announced we'd have another show, I knew it was not going to be THIS year - takes a while to line things up, get certain "acts" to participate (some are booked a year in advance, like the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels).
Even the F-22 Raptor Flight Team (who I met at the last show here and got an autographed picture) are well booked for all of THIS year.

Really cool bunch of Raptor people.

I think it's a good deal for the city...for a change. The MAIN reason I like it, is that it causes people to come in and through OUR part of town (even if it's by way of a major road or highway and circumvents the ghettoland).
And you have ALL sorts of people with a similar interest, both from around here and every other compass point in the USA.
Even the kids are well behaved, and no signs of problems anywhere.
Seniors flock to such events, being pushed in wheelchairs, and I think that says much to regaining who WE are...as a nation.
We TAKE the time to enjoy a fun day watching airplanes and visiting static displays (the C-5 Galaxy STILL is one big-ass ship), and we COMMUNE as we were intended to do as a society...as Americans.
In many ways, it's like taking a trip back not just into history, but OUR history...when such things as valor, integrity, honor, and courage meant so much more to EVERYONE, and not just to those in uniform and their families.
It's part of what our culture used to be, and in a lot more abundance.
It's who WE were, are, and should always strive to become.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

((PS - and get those taxes done...kapeesh?))