Good Friday Follies...

Welcome to the weekend...finally.
Be nice if I could at least SEE the weekend coming.
Our part of Indiana has got some DENSE fog outside this morning...reminds me a lot of Jersey.
We used to have a lot of mornings like this and driving was "sketchy". high beams were of NO help at all. All they did was reflect BACK at you.
So, take the necessary precautions early on.
The rest of the Hoosierland weather  will find us with somewhat clearing skies, if you can call overcast clearing.
(compared to this fog...it is)
Temps will rise into the  mid-fifties, and by this afternoon, we'll be seeing more of those April showers coming our way. Yep, keep an umbrella nearby...OR, you can TRY to run between those raindrops.
Temps will be cooler this weekend.
Now, with that done, and not much to see outside this AM, let's get ourselves a nice soothing cup of our favorite drink, and we'll get this hairball rolling, fair enough?
*** First out of the production stack is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
April 3 - 
---Today is TWEED DAY.

Used to be a LOT of male high school teachers in my day that made this happen several times every week.
Personally, I think it's classy and tasteful..unless it's a g-string or jockstrap...that could be a bit on the rash-producing side.
---It's also DON'T GO TO WORK UNLESS IT'S FUN DAY...didn't we just do something similar last week?

Work isn't designed to be all that "fun", unless you're following your passion, in which case, it WILL be.
I just don't see the fun in things like trash-collecting...they shouldn't even CALL it "collecting"...that you do with coins, or stamps, or COMICS.
Trash should ONLY be picked up or trucked away.
---And, it IS...GOOD FRIDAY.
This is one of the important days in the Judeo-Christian faith, as without this day, we could NEVER have the most holy day of the year - EASTER.

Here's the WIKI for the lowdown:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday
Mom was very strict when it came to noon as she preferred I play "quietly". between 12-3 PM, as we believe that those were the three hours Christ hung on the cross, so there's a note of solemnity attached to this.
Later on as I grew up, we went to Good Friday service held at midday...used to be something I looked forward to.
And even though we were Methodist, we never ate meat on Good Friday.
Faith can do strange (and often wonderful) things to people.
(hold that thought)
*** And since we're at the weekend's door, let's see what happens over the next two days.
April 4 -
---Saturday is WALK AROUND THINGS DAY.

Sure beats trying to walk THROUGH things, I can tell you.
(and got bumps, bruises, and scars to prove it)
However, there are some things you can leap OVER, or crawl UNDER, so that could be fun.
Just mind your step.
---It's also HUG A NEWSMAN DAY.
I will take this to mean NOT the paper carrier, and I don't really know THAT many newsmen )or women)  well enough to hug them.,

I would make allowances for a few of the local girls like Alyssa Ivanson, Gina Glaros, Krista Miller, and Kari Huston...purely platonic, mind you.
---And, it's SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DAY...

Seriously, on a SATURDAY? Well, THEY have the day off, at least, I think...right?
---Finally, it's TELL A LIE DAY.
(sorry not really into that, especially between the two most holy days...doesn't feel right)

Pinocchio for President?

I will admit to not knowing that politicians had SO many days like these, though, because they usually hand us a lie (or twelve) almost EVERY SINGLE DAY.
April 5 - 
---Sunday is GO FOR BROKE DAY.

Deal me out, please.

(again, why pick this particular time of year for this?)
Maybe the choice of day is a way of going for broke? I'd rather stay AWAY from any sort of "broke" (more about that farther down)
---And yes, it's also EASTER SUNDAY.

The day Christ arose from the tomb, proving that He was the son of God (if anyone doubted it before).
Here is the WIKI for the holiday:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

Now, as a child I do recall the whole "Easter Bunny" gig...the eggs, the chocolates, the baskets, but I NEVER got any of that until AFTER I came back from CHURCH. Makes me cringe when I see the Easter baskets they have for kids these days...nothing like what we had.
You'd get a hernia trying to lift these buggers. If it's for a family like the Waltons, I might buy into that.
And the stuffed animals are larger than the kids they're being given to...talk about EXCESS.
(we seem to wallow in it these days, do't we?)
Moving on...
*** Just a couple things to toss around today, not the least of which is something you RARELY (if ever) see around our "Fortress".
MY car on a flatbed...the venerable "Batmobile" going "bye-bye".

Still looks nice even when it's broke.

Yesterday, I went out to start it as I do every week, and all it did was crank and crank and crank, but it would NOT start.
I still had a half tank of fuel onboard, so THAT wasn't a problem.
I even shot some starting fluid down the carb throat...still would NOT turn over and fire up.
(well, THIS is a first in 31 years)

Hi, we're back...again.

So, I had to call Yeoman's Service Center to get the car in for service, because it's not NORMAL to have a 2800 lb, "paperweight": in the garage.
First, I had to get the car THERE (...one whole block away...), which meant calling AAA (thank God for that) to flatbed it out.
A hauler from a place called WOODY'S TOWING came by by 1530 hrs (less than an hour after I called AAA).
I had to laugh, because the AAA "menu" asked if this was for ROADSIDE service.
Well, the car was still IN the garage...not on a road (I tend to be very literal during a crisis)

I wouldn't HAVE this problem with THAT.

Anyway, a young man named Ryan was driving the truck, and was taken aback by my car. He couldn't believe how "clean" it was for it's age...some things hold up better than others, I guess.
I guided his flatbed back to the garage, and he extended the bed to within a foot of the garage slab lip.
He then hooked the chains to specific points on the chassis, and after I put the car in NEUTRAL, out it came right onto the flatbed, easy as you please.
Well, at the least the ca still ROLLS well after all these years...LOL.
--He told me his dad said that the cars they make today are built SO cheaply, and that while trying to right a car on it's side (from an accident and not a bad park job), the front axle was hooked (properly) by the chain...and the whole wheel assembly came right off.
At least the car didn't roll onto it's top.
Ryan is a good young man with a damn fine work ethic...took all of ten minutes to size the job up and get the car down to Yeoman's.
Now, Yeoman's is open today, so I might get the car back, depending on what's wrong with it.
At this point, I'm kinda baffled...never had this happen, so I have no baseline, no "reference" to take a shot at what could be wrong. And the worse thing you can do when THIS happens is to read a Chilton Manual...that's like going online and looking up what could be wrong with YOU... might think you have scurvy or leprosy, instead of post-nasal drip or a small cut.
So, now I play the waiting game...and maybe I get the car back today...maybe Monday.
(gotta have faith)
*** Next, I have to say this is the FIRST time in too many years that I have been without personal transportation, and it IS very weird.

(but like I say, "weird" seems to be part of the job where we live)
Even my 16-speed bike has two flat tires...heh.
On the up-side, Wifey is due back later today, so "we" will have some wheels back under us again.
And that means being able to go grocery shopping Saturday.
It's very strange to walk in the garage and see a LOT more open space...your voice tend to "echo" slightly...
There is certainly something to be said for the "comfortability of the familar".
Wifey said that I miss the car more than I miss her.
Well, as far as inanimate objects go, she's RIGHT!.
But, as far as PEOPLE go, she's WRONG...so there.
Wifey and I have been together since 1996.
The Firebird and I have have been together since 1983 or HALF my entire life - 31+ years.
Hard to break such "ties" when ANYTHING (or anyONE) becomes that much a part of your life for that long..
*** Last back to the garage...I'm kinda looking at this car repair thing as a measure of faith in my personal life. Can never have enough, hmm?

How we are when things are great versus how we are when things are not so great.
Most days, many things around the "Fortress" are not AS great as I would prefer, Lord knows that.
He also knows that I have become a VERY tolerant person, otherwise I would have offed most ALL these idiots living around here by now...lol.

I tend to concentrate on things that matter...those living around us..well, nothing seems to matter to them.
And therein lies the example placed before me.
I believe this is a lesson we ALL have to suffer as we walk with God.
He would prefer you to have more faith in many more things in life. That's very doable...with some guidance and persistence.
To use a good analogy...my car did not come with cruise-control, and I prefer that.
When I'm driving, I like to "feel the road" under my foot and through the wheel.
Cars that can be placed on some sort of "auto-pilot" for any function bother me a bit.
Trusting my life to some silicon chips, some wires, and a sensor here and there isn't how I envision life moving along.
We have to FEEL life through our experiences with WHAT we encounter as well as WHO we encounter.
And we have to be prepared to "avoid something that we find hazardous in the road" as we travel along, right?

Putting faith in God rather than man has so many advantages, we don't even realize most of them, and yet, were supposed to do just that - trust in HIM.
This weekend provides just the "stage" for such a performance...on OUR part.
We are all works-in-progress, and the learning on OUR part never ends.
We soak in self-pity when things can be so much worse.
We should look to this weekend as a time for renewal...a time.of deliverance, and yes, a time to reflect on that one man who all those years ago, made the ultimate sacrifice so every one of us, so we could have the opportunity to follow Him into His kingdom and live forever.
Sounds sorta mystical, but in reality, any alternative we choose becomes the dust we were created from...and remains that way.
Do have yourselves a good and blessed weekend.

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