Tuesday Tidbits...

If you prefer changing weather conditions, then today might be just what the doctor ordered.
Most schools are starting off today with 2-hour delays, while a few have closed already (and soon many more will follow suit) in anticipation of sleet, freezing rains and light snow, which will occur not all at once, nor all at the same time (thank God for small favors here).

No commute for ME, Bob...

The rest of our Hoosierland weather will see us with ABOVE-FREEZING temps reaching into the mid-to upper THIRTIES...!
(still don't wanna see any mooks wearing shorts)
Expect cloudy skies, no real winds to speak off, but rain later this afternoon...when the other crazy-ass conditions decide to abate.
Should make for an interesting commute, both AM and PM, hmm?
Naturally, if (or when) all the schools close, that will make things better for many.
Now, with that dispensed with, let's get a soothing warm cup of whatever is your choice this morning, and see what has been going on...
*** First out of the corral is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
March 3 - 
---Today is I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY DAY...
I know...a tall order, right?

(for starters, I could use a million bucks, preferably in old dirty $50s and $100s - non-sequential, too)
There is a lot to be happy about, however.
Hell, even I can find happiness now and then, in spite of having to deal with all the asshats down here living all around us. You just have to look for the "happy" a bit harder than you used to, that's all.
---It's also IF PETS HAD THUMBS DAY...

I shudder to think what would happen if THAT was true.
Dogs driving cars...cats making online purchases...ferrets wearing suit-jackets...where would it end?
(Turtles with swords? Already been done...lol)
---And, it's PEACH BLOSSOM DAY...not that we're likely to see any around our neck of the woods anytime soon.

Call me when we get to APRIL, okay?
---It's also NATIONAL ANTHEM DAY.
They didn't say WHICH anthem, however...

Always liked hockey games...you get to sing TWO anthems.
*** And it's now time to report all the SHOTS FIRED (and armed robbery) calls that took place last week that NO ONE wants you to know about.

===========================
SHOTS FIRED (and armed robberies) - 2/23 - 2/28
FEBRUARY 23-
NO SHOTS OR ARMED ROBBERIES
(musta been TOO COLD?)
FEBRUARY 24- 
1 armed robbery
(Geez...they must be LOW on ammo!)
FEBRUARY 25- 
15F023454 23:32:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 4500 SANTA ANA DR & LUNADA DR
15F023456 23:34:29 113 SHOTS FIRED 6100 LUNADA DR
NO armed robberies
FEBRUARY 26-
15F023495 05:20:57 113 SHOTS FIRED 1100 NELSON ST
15F023861 21:55:05 113 SHOTS FIRED 300 SUTTENFIELD AVE E
15F023874 22:43:18 113 SHOTS FIRED 3400 CHEVIOT DR
NO armed robberies
FEBRUARY 27-
NO SHOTS FIRED and NO ARMED ROBBERIES...
(WTH is going on?)
FEBRUARY 28-
15F024399 02:35:34 113 SHOTS FIRED 4600 HANNA ST 
S15F024652 18:48:12 58 SHOOTING 8400 LIONSGATE RUN
1 armed robbery
(that's better)
========================
Nice to see social Darwinism is still in full vigor here...
Always a bitch when that EBT card runs LOW...and you can't get out and buy ammunition...isn't it?
Moving on...
*** Well, the plows finally rolled through yesterday...
One came by right before the buses came for the kids.

I think he salted the street more than he plowed.

Came by SLOW, too...barely heard the bugger.
The other one came later on, but we did get both the N-S and the E-W streets done...long after the fact.
(better than nothing, I suppose)

Still too tight a fit for TWO buses.

I did see one dumbass coming up the street, and he got damn-near sideways, but straightened it our before he got to the intersection...wish to hell I had a camera at the ready to get that...it was both scary to see AND funny at the same time.
And he had a FWD car, too...imagine that.
*** And speaking of dumbasses, there was one shooting (seen above) that was the result of someone playing RUSSIAN ROULETTE.

(for purely demonstration purposes, mind you).
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/Shooting-linked-to-Russian-roulette-5330556
Naturally, alcohol AND marijuana played a part in this "demonstration".
(A far cry from the scene in The Deer Hunter, right?)

On the one hand, I'm sure this taught someone a VALUABLE lesson with this close call.
On the other hand, if he HAD killed himself, that would be one LESS dumbass in the world to cause problems.

A "winner" every time.

Hey, buttwipe....next time, don't use a revolver - use a semi-auto, and save us all a hassle.
*** Next, Benjamin Netanyahu comes to D.C. to address Congress.
Oh, this is going to be GOOD.
Well, that should be an interesting (and truth-filled) time for our legislators.

Love to be a fly on the wall of Barry's office (or wherever else he might be hiding) to hear what he has to say in private.
Nice to have a "Winston Churchill" in our nation's capital...instead of the Neville Chamberlain we HAVE had for the last 6 years.
*** Next up, something on the "lighter" side, and especially for all you Star Wars fans...

The mythos of the Lucas classic has been ever-evolving over the decades, and with CGI being used, has given birth to even more of this universe opening up for us to view.

The last such show was STAR WARS - THE CLONE WARS, and here is the WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars_%282008_TV_series%29
Now,  just wrapping up it's FIRST season (last night) is the next chapter of the saga -
STAR WARS: REBELS.

And here is that WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Rebels
The continuity has been nothing short of excellent, with characters from the original movies showing up along the way.
Both series are great from a visual standpoint, as the CGI provides the depth and scope of the first live-action movie series.
REBELS takes us to another planet (Lothal), and a small group of folks gathered together to fight against the Empire.

Kanan Jarrus is a Jedi who has yet to receive ALL his training (thanks to Order 66 - the Jedi purge) and he has taken a padawan, an orphaned boy named Ezra Bridger, whose parents were taken by the empire for speaking as freedom fighters for the rebellion. Also on the crew is a female Mandalorian (and a former empire cadet trainee) named Sabine Wren, who has an eye for art and an eye for hitting what she aims at.
The "muscle" of the group is Garazeb Orrelios, a former Lazat honor guard (and alleged to be the last of his species).
Rounding out the ensemble is Hera Syndulla, owner and pilot of "The Ghost", their ship, which has some elements of the larger Millennium Falcon.

She is the daughter of a character who was in the CLONE WARS series.
Last night's finale was fantastic...plenty of action, good drama, and some nice plot twists and teases.
Senator Organa (foster parent of Princess Leia) makes an appearance.
Ashoka, the padawan of Anakin Skywalker shows up at the end...AS does Darth Vader, to help rid the empire of "the rebel scum".
You have to remember, these stories seem to take place between the first series of movies and the second.
We've passed Revenge of the Sith, and are around five years before A New Hope, if that helps out with the timeline.

Best program on the Disney channels (or many others)...by far.
*** Last back to the garage...to watch shows that play to our imagination serves us in many ways.
When we take time to feed our creative spirit, there is almost no limit to what we can imagine.

Hey, if ALBERT said it...

And from there, nothing we cannot create to help ourselves, or mankind.
That is how many inventions came to be.
It all started with someone  being imaginative...then being able to put "dream to paper" as it were.
Kinda been this way since mankind has been around, too.

Look at Di VInci...or Tesla...or Franklin...or Westinghouse...or Edison...or Bell.
The more you think about it, the more names you can come up with, right?
And everything they did started with an idea...a dream.
Same can be said of anything that stimulates our imagination.
THAT is pretty much how I view most television or movie that I watch today.
Does it serve to feed my imagination?
And if it does, can I learn from it in some manner, possibly unrelated to what I'm watching? And can I apply what I learn?
Hell, you might discover a better way to manufacture something or find a new source of energy by watching some science fiction...or even science fact, for that matter. Just watching nature unlocks the limitlessness of humanity.
Look at all the people who became scientists in various fields and astronauts simply because they watched Star Trek.
Anything that allows us the opportunity to become better people, I feel is a godsend.
And therein lies the lesson for the week...never discount ANY source for the chance to become more than you  already are.

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

((And may the FORCE be with you...always.))