Monday Musings...

Welcome to a rather DAMP start to the week. Had some nice showers yesterday, and that did help a bit to quiet the din of the local loudass-brigade (aka the boomcars that the police NEVER seem to catch after all these years - they would if they were AROUND to catch them).
I will attempt to keep it "light" today, as sometimes, all this nastiness even gets to me.
Our Hooiserland weather will see us with showers again today, with moderate breezes, so don't expect to see a sunrise (sorry).
Temps will top out in the lower SIXTIES, and this will bring in a cool-down pattern that will follow us here for most of the week.
Not expecting any thunderstorms, but in Indiana...you never can tell.
So, with that now behind us, let's see what else has been going on as we get ourselves a cup ro glass of our beverage of choice...
*** First off of the production line is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
April 20 - 

Hey, it happens...

Since I screwed up the weekend and Monday "event" listings, let's do a repeat.
I have no earthly reason how this happened, other than I wasn't paying as much ATTENTION as I should. I might do well to listen to MYSELF once in a while...lol..
---TODAY is LOOK-ALIKE DAY...for real.

---And, it's VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION DAY
--It's also NATIONAL WEED DAY (not to be confused with anything "dandelion" in nature)

Sorry, it's NOT better with a bag o' weed.

Here's the *411* on the 4-2-0:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_%28cannabis_culture%29
Yep, it all started back in 1971 (the year AFTER I graduated from high school - that's when things began to change)...had a feeling the future (then) wasn't looking as bright as we were hoping.

And NATURALLY, it began in the "Socialist Republic of Kalifornia" (San Rafael)
For you parents out there with teens, here's some info you might want to glean:
http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/marijuana/a/420meaning.htm
And now YOU know...and knowing is half the battle
(shades of G.I. Joe).
Moving on...
*** So, Wifey and I are heading out to grocery shop Saturday (as usual), and when I tap the button on the garage remote to open the door...NOTHING.
And this happened repeatedly.
I had no idea WTF was going on, and was totally UNprepared for this, because things USUALLY go without a hitch.
(shoulda known better around here)

Plan "B"..still works.

Since I didn't want to spend a half hour checking all the possibilities, I manually opened the door, and closed it in like manner.
This caused me much concern, as an UNLOCKED garage door is an open invite to the locals around her, and I don't want to become a target AGAIN.
Anyway, shopping went well (and fast), and when we got home, fortunately nothing was disturbed.
Must have been me "faking to lock" the door when we left.
I always take it for granted that SOMEONE is watching our house.
Had too many coincidences in the past to lead me to think otherwise.
Turns out, the Wifey-remote had a bad solder joint that had cracked, and therefore would not close the circuit when the button was depressed. Tried to fix it...no go there.
Luckily, I did NOT toss out the OLDER remotes that these newer ones replaced, so Wifey DOES (again) have a functional remote for her door (she's actually using MY old backup remote - had to change the PIN setting a bit, that's all).

eBay to the rescue (again).

As for replacing HER newer remote...found one on eBay (brand new) and so I snagged it, and it should be here by this weekend.
Problem solved (hey, it's what I do...and well most times)
*** Next up...okay, so I'm 62 years old, and I STILL like animated shows (mostly anime).

I was raised on ALL those old Looney Tunes shorts with Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, Wile E. Coyote, and the rest of the WB characters.
Yeah, those wonderfully VIOLENT cartoons with baseball bats on heads, anvil-dropping, flying off cliffs, shotguns to the face..all the FUN stuff. And I not only survived those cartoons, but NEVER became a serial murderer (or game-hunter) because of them.
Since the 1970s, there have been few cartoons that were worth watching, with a few exceptions, because of the way they were drawn.
Lately superheroes have been the "hot ticket" for cartoon shows (not a short, but a whole half hour episode),
There have been many incarnations of both DC and MARVEL characters over the decades.
BATMAN was always a favorite, because I like the quasi-retro look to the series.
There was a similar SUPERMAN series that had continuing plot-lines, JUST like the comics.

The Transformers and G.I. Joe series were okay as well, but they were based on the toy lines, whereas the others were spinoffs from the comic books.
They recently had a CGI Green Lantern series, and that was really good to watch...very well done.

Recently, since Disney has bought up MARVEL, they now have a show called AVENGERS ASSEMBLE on every Sunday morning,  and this show has a great story-line, with characters from marvel's past (if you followed the comics as as far back as I have), and manages to capture much of the "flavor" of the comics, even if the renderings of the heroes are a bit on the overly muscular side (they always go for this look...people really don't look like that).

Still, the plot is what drew me in...this season is an ULTRON series, no doubt to coincide withe the upcoming film (due out the first of May)
Last season they had Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet.
It's worth a look-see if you're a comic fan who remembers such characters as  A.I.M., Modok, Red Skull, The Adaptoid, and so on.
*** Next, and along similar lines of fantasy...I've been with STAR WARS since the FIRST movie on the FIRST day back in May 1977...and I make no bones about it. I like the story-telling, and the mythos of the entire universe that's been created over time.

I recently spoke about the new CGI series STAR WARS: REBELS on Disney XD, and how this fits into the original series.
Well, I also love the LEGO STAR WARS versions they have out...funny as hell while being kinda cute, too. No one dies - they just break up into smaller "bricks".

They have had a game online called THE QUEST FOR R2D2, and I almost got to the end of it (couple missions left) when I get a prompt on the computer that I NEED to download the UNITY PLAYER to play the game. never saw that before.
Usually, it would "ask permission" to run, and I right-click yes, and the game boots up.
Someone must have changed something somewhere...these morons NEVER leave things as they are when they work CORRECTLY, do they?
So, I'm pretty much boned...EXCEPT, our other (older) computer DOES still play the game, although I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN at the beginning.

Almost got THIS far...

Luckily, I know the cheat codes and the layout of the levels, so it might get me back to where I can COMPLETE the game, and D/L the plans for this starship they say you get at the end. Then all I need are the LEGO bricks to build it...LOL.
We shall see...may the FORCE be with me on this one, because Unity Player won't work worth a damn on the computer I USED to play the game on (conflict with Google, perhaps?).
*** Next up, even in bad weather, the patio becomes a place where our "friends" can grab a snack.

Clover was sleeping

Later, Clover woke up.

Wrinkles stops by DAILY.

And he LOVES the camera

These critters are more welcome here than anyone living around us these days, and they're nowhere close to being as NOISY as the local aborigines are, that's for sure.
*** Last back to the Rebel base...Wifey is hearing me say how "I hate this neighborhood" more often than usual.

A slice of solace, such as it is.

Actually, I hate the people around us more than the neighborhood ITSELF.
After all, the neighborhood could not help it...it didn't do anything to warrant my feelings.
It only changed because of the influx of moronic and loudass buttwipes that were allowed to move into the area.
It wouldn't be AS bad...IF ONLY they would keep their lives (however pitiful they are) to THEMSELVES.
Such is never the case.
You can hear loudmouths damn near a block away...same for the boomcars. And if it wasn't for dogs barking, we'd have no security at all down here, save for what you deem necessary for yourself.
The only time police come down is when you CALL THEM to respond...rarely do you see random patrols any longer.
Helluva austerity plan, if you ask me.
To me, the MORE you patrol, the LESS you have to respond, because most people will KNOW the po-po are around (and watching).
Then again, there ALSO used to be a time when people did a MUCH better job of policing THEMSELVES and EACH OTHER.
That made the job of the REAL police a bit easier all around.
But, as long as others are permitted to do as they please whenever, and to whomever they choose, police will have to do more in the way of response, rather than patrol.

We could only WISH.

That (to me) is NOT what Community-Oriented Policing was ever all about. Hell, it's not even Problem-Oriented Policing.
It's just "chasing the radio"
I just have to keep remembering it's not the fault of the NEIGHBORHOOD...just the people that now infest it.
Therein lies the lesson for today.

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