Friday Follies...

Welcome to the end of what seemed to be a very LONG week here.
Perhaps it was the weather that made it seem so.
At least we're not expecting any MORE snow for a few days.
Our Hoosierland weather will see us with a high today of around 30 degrees (not above freezing yet), with partly (or mostly) cloudy skies.
Yeah, I know, not much to write home about, but...there we are.
We should get more melting along the roads, thanks to whatever compound has already been put down...even if it doesn't stop the idiots from driving like...well, IDIOTS.
To every YIN there is a YANG.
With that said, go grab yourselves a nice soothing cup of Friday fortitude, as we see what e;se is going on...
*** First out of the library stacks is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
February 6 -

---Today is LAME DUCK DAY, and we can take 6his one several ways, not the least of which is a reference to our Apologizer-in-Chief.
However, if you do see a lame duck along a pond, feel free to take it to an animal rescue facility so they can nurse it back to health.

Now, for the rest of the weekend series of "events":
February 7 - 
---Saturday is EAT ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST DAY.

Since I like COFFEE ice cream, I think I will "drink" mine...lol.
---It's also WAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AT YOUR NEIGHBOR DAY.

MY kinda neighbor...lol.

((ahem))
With the "neighbors" WE have currently, I prefer waving ONE finger (at a time)...lol.
---And, it's SEND A CARD TO A FRIEND DAY.

Does it matter WHICH card? I know the JOKER is always a hit.
February 8 - 
---Sunday is BOY SCOUT DAY (the birthday of scouting).

---And, it's also KITE FLYING DAY...(huh, whaaa???)

In the middle of the frigging WINTER? Are you serious?
Who thinks this crap up?

Guess it's not as weird as we thought.

Well, if you have the kite, AND the stamina (you already got the winter), so have at it.
Moving on...
*** Next up, this Sunday night marks the return of THE WALKING DEAD to TV (on AMC - check local times), and if there's one thing I hope for the remainder of this season...it's that Rick and the gang manage to catch a damn break and be able to settle in someplace.

Let's face it, the zombies were not exactly the WORST adversaries they had to face, were they?
The HUMANS they encountered seemed MUCH worse than the scores of ambling deceased.
Granted the zombies still pose a threat, but they CAN be handled many ways, and are acting more in "instinct" than with reason or purpose.
Let's hope it all works out...for once.
*** Obviously, all of you have some sort of personal computer, otherwise, we'd never get to know one another, so have you noticed how OFTEN you have to change things out, as opposed to say...well, the days of "computer infancy" (that would take us back to the mid-late 80s)?

I have noticed this a lot lately.
Now, there is the issue with the "mainframe", or the TOWER (for desktops), but usually it's the motherboard (basically, the micro-PROCESSOR) that needs replacing because the tech keeps on "improving", aka gets faster (they used to call it "clock-speed"), and with more available storage.
Naturally, everything we encounter all but demands we keep pace, lest we suffer lag, or crashes.
But how the hell can we constantly upgrade?
We're not Cybermen, for God's sake...nor are we either crapping out "Grants" or plucking "Franklins" off the tree out back.
(although the FEDS would think otherwise, the way they keep reaching into OUR pockets)

The more we have, the more we "need"?

Then, there are the PERIPHERALS that give up the ghost - the keyboards, the mouse, the thumb drives, the speakers...you name it.
And, if you keep track of the replacements (as they march on by), all that DOES add up.
I just ordered another mouse for one computer (in order to keep THREE replacements here at all times), and am typing this on a brand new keyboard I snagged on eBay (the old one had "lazy-key syndrome". when you have to "double-tap" to get ONE character).
It's amazing how no one can seem to manufacture something with a little LONGEVITY to it these days.
A long time ago, aside from a total failure of some appliance (or brown goods like a TV, or radio), we usually traded them out for something NEWER...with more features, and not because the older unit had died outright.
These days, just TRY and keep something as long...not gonna happen.
(for one thing, people don't really repair as much as they used to...we just replace things)
Guess we can thank both union workmanship as well as all the jobs exported for that, hmm?
It's little wonder we make as little as we do, and have to import damn near everything else, right?
*** Last back to the garage...what DOES make one country great and others not as much?

There are many answers to that one, and I'm sure that perhaps ONE answer came to mind immediately.
It all depends on how that nation is "measured", doesn't it?
I suppose the easiest answer would be "an economic powerhouse"...who makes the most money.
I would agree that this IS a very important factor, but think about other aspects, such as the type of government (and the control it wields over it's people), the morality of a nation (and how it impacts on their government), invention and innovation (which many times doesn't take as much money as one would think), and even how laws are written and enforced (which can have a profound effect on every other part of a nation's society).
It's never ALL about money, because a true democracy (or democratic republic for that mater) subsists and thrives on the participation of ALL the people, and not just the wealthy...or the powerful.

At least ONE person got it right.

In THAT, I think our country beats everyone else hands down. We may not excel in EVERY facet which makes up a successful nation, but we have enough going for us in ALL facets that we can easily beat out the competition.
That's doesn't mean we relax our guard...quite the reverse.
It's others that want what WE already have, and will do anything to either achieve it, or deny us the same.
Look to the cyber-hacks, or the "fifth-column" of Islamic terrorists that try to change our way of living through acts of evil.
Or, you can look to the bullying in schoolyards, or perhaps the lack of respect for authority, or even the drug and gang cultures.
So many small things, that, if left unchecked, will no doubt keep growing into those nasty BIG things.
Another display of the Broken Window Theory, only applied on a national scale.
If anything, we should keep ourselves knowledgeable, and be aware of subtle changes anywhere.
We should question things that demand it, and demand answers from those we trust with our country.
That's how we become great...and REMAIN great.
Do have yourselves a good weekend.

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