07 December 2015

Monday Musings...
Welcome to the first FULL week of the last month of this year.
And, it looks like the forecast for our part of the country is going to behave itself (for the time being).
Our Hoosierland weather goes something like this: Clearing skies with a high today around the mid-40s. Got some morning fog up north, but not around here.
Now, that's not bad at all, is it?
In the meantime, let's all get a nice cup or glass of our favorite morning beverage nestled close at hand, as we see what has been going on since last we met.
*** First out of the decoration boxes is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
December 7 -
---It's NATIONAL PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAY
(more about that farther down)
--- It's also NATIONAL COTTON CANDY DAY
(seems they should have this when all those county FAIRS are around)
---And, it's INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION DAY
(here's to all the NON-military personnel that make flying possible for everyone)
---It's also the first FULL day of  HANUKKAH which began last evening at sunset.
(dig out the dreidel, let the seven days of gift-giving commence and light that Menorah)
*** Next up, and since I feel like not talking politics OR crime, even though I got a rant working already (plus, even I need a bloody day OFF from all that crap), let's shift gears a bit and take a look at some gift-giving ideas for the others in your life.
Funny, I don't FEEL "cute".
I know it can be pretty damn HARD to find "that special gift" for a loved one, other family member, co-worker or Pollyanna, as well as for the family pet or other assorted critters.
And, that's why I'm bringing you this special PSA to get everyone who's not up to speed well...up to speed.
Now, what do you get your significant other in your life who is not only your help-mate but, most likely your best friend, you ask?
Well, diamonds are SO typical (and usually expensive), so how about something to place ALL her other jewelry in...like THIS?
A JEWEL CASE for ANY time (or space).
And if you've a family pet (they're the FOUR-legged ones), what better way to treat them at Christmas time then with THIS?
The PERFECT pet bed (or kennel)
Or maybe the family dog might prefer something to "weather the weather" when it gets cold outside?
I can see Scrappy walking in THIS.
Let's not forget our "feathered" friends who have to deal with winter weather and a less-than-bountiful food supply by providing them with a PROPER bird-feeder such as this one?
The ONLY way to feed the birds.
Now, if you're like some people, and space is at a premium at this time of year (with people stopping over and sometimes staying for the night perhaps due to inclement weather) there's is always THIS fine gift.
You don't have to be Luke Skywalker to love THIS.
How many times have you went to the kitchen and needed a specific utensil (or even the common bottle-opener), only to find it curiously M.I.A.?
I know I have, and more often than I care to remember, so we now have THESE items available.:
Sonic Utensils (ALSO a matching pizza-cutter)
SALT and PEPPER Daleks???
Everyone NEEDS a real bottle opener.
BEST Christmas cookies yet?
Lightsaber CHOPSTICKS - very cool.
Wow, a DARTH SPATULA.
Awww - HIS and HER pillow cases
Now these are but a FEW of the many wonderful items that can be had in time for the Christmas season.
So get shopping, and happy hunting.
*** Next up, over the weekend, I began the yearly "bring out ALL the Christmas stuff, and spread the holiday cheer in EVERY freaking room" of our "Fortress". 
This was after we came back from the grocery and found out our BP GAS CARD had EXPIRED in November when we stopped to fill up (we called about it and they say they mailed it in JULY - sorry, WE never got one and no other items showing up on our billing, thank God). A replacement card is on the way, so I used a regular credit card. Gotta LOVE technology.
Anyway, back to the decorating...
The first thing to tackle were the 15 candles that go in our windows...the ones with the BLUE bulbs.
Almost got them ALL working, too. The LAST one decided to give up the ghost (isn't that always the way...right near the end)?
Fortunately, I had planned for such a scenario, and had an EXTRA candle purchased last year (which means I should get TWO more this year as backups...LOL).
We got lots of extra bulbs last year, so no sweat there.
Time to meet your "cousins"
This week, I will also "bring out the bears", and Chris knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
Time to turn the sofa over to the stuffed "friends" that have come to live with us every year since I married the Lovely Mrs. Bobby G. Gonna get a might CROWDED on that living room sofa NOW.
And, naturally, that means means when our cat decides to take over my chair, I sit ON THE FLOOR.
Hey, it's only for about a month, and I'm not THAT crippled up yet.
Getting ALL the other items, and bric-a-brac about the house will take a day or two, so by week's end we'll be looking close to a store display (withOUT the Muzak and whiny kids in strollers around your feet, mind you...heh!)
*** Next up,  (and what means little to nothing unless you're a tried and true WHOVIAN)...how about that season FINALE ("Hell Bent") that aired on BBC America Saturday night? Can you say "WOW"? I did...several times.
The doctor's home-world of Gallifrey has seen better times, but at least it STILL EXISTS.
I had a strong hunch that Ashildr (also known as "Me") was the "hybrid" mentioned in the lead-up to this episode.
And, Clara is not "officially" dead...that's a good thing.
But the REAL cool news - the Doctor gets a new SONIC SCREWDRIVER.
(and it's a real beauty, too)
Nice blue revolving lights, presented to him by his TARDIS (much like the 11th Doctor received when the console gave him a new one at the end of HIS first episode: The Eleventh Hour.
So, you know what THAT means...a NEW TOY to get whenever the hell they decide to make it (and not at some ungodly price, too)
Try to keep it around $20, please. I'm betting Underground Toys will be releasing it.
As to when, I've no idea
(probably early next year - keep your fingers crossed).
You'll get to see this new sonic again on this year's CHRISTMAS special (featuring River Song), so stay tuned in for that (looks to be a keeper).
The only sci-fi show I know that DOES a CHRISTMAS show each season...nice.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled blog post .
*** Next, it IS the day the Japanese bombed Pearl harbor and here is the WIKI for all the details:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pearl_Harbor_Remembrance_Day
Damn shame that the veterans of that day are getting too few in number, but there are those preserving their stories, as there were as many as the lives that were lost on that tragic day all those years ago.
It was a day which galvanized ALL of America into action against the axis powers.
And we would not stop until THEY surrendered and were beaten.
That was a time when America became united for a common cause, and proudly fought both in theater and on the home front to assure us that victory.
*** Last back to the  family room...I said I would refrain from politics today, but it does become difficult when the powers of opposition and of evil rear their ugly heads and attempt to DENY (or even minimize) Christmas to the many that celebrate it and look to this time of year as a time of joy, hope, and renewal.
Sure, it can be an emotional time for many, but we should always strive to understand the REAL reason for why we celebrate this season, and in the manner we have chosen.
Mainly, it's the traditional and right thing to do, because it tends to bring people TOGETHER, rather than drive them one from another, and Lord knows we have plenty of help driving others away, given the climate of those in authority and their own agendas driving wedges between friends, family and our Creator.
You would be hard pressed to find as many people AGAINST this time of year and the holidays included in it than you would those EMBRACING it with all their hearts and souls.
There are times when even I struggle to make sense of the world, and then I see a mom and little daughter "bell-ringing" outside the grocery (this past weekend), so I do NOT what I'm EXPECTED to do...I do what I WANT to do - I grab me some folding money and put it in their kettle. After a smiling and pleasant exchange of "Merry Christmas" and "God Bless", you simply cannot HELP but be lifted up, and that struggle I had just got a whole lot EASIER to deal with.
And when YOU are lifted up, HIS glory is also magnified for a small act such as that.
The personal and spiritual rewards to you are many times over your sacrifice, because God knows your heart better than you ever could (or ever will). Let's see the heathen dispute that one.
Like I say, it's all those little things that WILL add up and make Christmas that wonderful season again
All we have to do is make ourselves AVAILABLE. HE will do the rest...believe me.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

04 December 2015

Friday Follies...
Looks like we made it (hmm...be a good title for a song).
The weekend has finally arrived. Can we stand the strain?
All this and only THREE weeks until CHRISTMAS...the atheists must be having fits (good, maybe it'll plotz a few of them along the way).
Doesn't look like we'll be suffering any major winter events, and that's always good.
Our Hoosierland weather will see us with partly cloudy skies, a tad on the breezy side with a high today around the mid-40s. Still gets cold enough at night, though.
So, what say we all get a nice soothing cup or glass of Friday Fortitude poured and parked nearby as we see what's been going on elsewhere, hmm?
*** First out of bed is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
December 4 -
---Today is NATIONAL COOKIE DAY
(Christmas cookies are the best, imho - can't wait to bake some)
---And, it's NATIONAL DICE DAY
(craps, I wonder if Andrew "Dice" Clay is observing this? Roll them bones.)
AH, the good old days...
---It's also FAUX FUR FRIDAY
(sounds like some tree-hugging hippie holiday)
*** Since it's the weekend, let's see what stuff we can all get into over the next 72 hours:
December 5 -
---Saturday is BATHTUB PARTY DAY
(seriously?)
---It's also INTERNATIONAL NINJA DAY
(YOU go hug one...I'll pass)
---And, it's AFL-CIO DAY
(While they once helped the working class, they grew too big for their own shoes, like every labor union)
---It's also NATIONAL SACHER TORTE DAY
(sounds like some sort of dessert for the upper class to me)
December 6 -
---Sunday is NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS DAY
(Now THEY hang those brass balls outside)
---It's also NATIONAL MICROWAVE OVEN DAY
(seems like that's EVERY day around our place)
---And, it's NATIONAL GAZPACHO DAY
Who threw up in the bowl?
(sorry, not into that one)
---It's NATIONAL MINER'S DAY
(that's with an "I" and NOT with an "O"...just for the NAMBLA perverts out there)
So there you have it...choose wisely and you'll stay OUT of jail.
Moving on...
*** Next up, it looks like the recently-deceased "Farook the puke" was radicalized overseas (when he met the also recently-deceased missus). Imagine that.
And, he was no stranger to things that go BOOM, as evidenced by the storehouse discovered by law-enforcement where they lived.
Somel IED devices were found (12 pipe bombs), along with several thousand rounds of 9 mm ammo and R/C car "detonators".
Here's the story link:
http://www.fox9.com/news/55511949-story
Hey, maybe we should get the leftards to BAN those nasty radio-controlled cars (for kids)...
Or, what about PIPES?
Maybe we should BAN those, too?
You can see that such lunacy can get way out of hand real fast here.
Let's just say this couple returned to the holiday party PREPARED (for mayhem) and managed to pull it off with relative ease. Perhaps if only ONE person with a gun was there, much (if not all) of this massacre COULD have been avoided. We all know the BEST way to stop a BAD guy with a gun, is with a GOOD guy with a gun.
That's just the way history has proven that particular tactic correct.
*** Next up, the war on CHRISTMAS is once again in full swing with this story out of South Bend, Indiana:
http://www.fox28.com/story/30654400/2015/12/02/federal-judge-bans-2015-concord-high-schools-live-nativity-performance
So, it's a FEDERAL judge  making the call here...and at the behest of both the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion jerkoffs...amazing.
We again see that because of a FEW, the masses are DENIED a mere 12-minute part of an annual Christmas pageant at Concord High School out there.
Looks like some ARE being denied their RELIGION, folks.
The school plans to appeal the ruling by this (obvious) leftist, libtard "judge", who is also in the pocket of the current socialist administration infesting our nation's capitol.
Sounds about right.
One "might" take to task this judge, because he/she is in FACT going against the very reason this nativity IS being banned. Here's an excerpt from this "slip-and-fall attorney"  (one Sam Grover...Grover? Where's Bert and Ernie?) for the FFR foundation:
"It ensures that we as Americans have the freedom to worship or not worship as we choose," said Grover.
You could not be MORE WRONG if you tried to remove your head from your ass (where it apparently has resided for years).
The ruling CLEARLY DENIES that "freedom" you mentioned for the kids in this show in favor of those who practice none tp speak of.
The school should go and COUNTER-SUE you idiots. These leftard kooks even politicize RELIGION. I thought we kept them "separate" (by your own mantra)?
Congrats, heathens You earned it..
You want no religion or another religion?
Fine...go plan and perform your OWN stinking pageant instead of ruining a school TRADITION (something you jackasses know nothing about), and while we're at it go STFD and STFU you morons.
Do people of ANY religion come to all the atheist or Freedom From Religion meetings and decry what YOU do and then sue your sorry secular socialist asses?
NO, they don't, so stay the f$ck away from the religious meetings, events, pageants shows, et al...
(and a MERRY F$CKING CHRISTMAS to the lot of you dumbasses - you need one)
*** Next, Kevin Leininger puts his take on the retail "initiative" being touted by our mayor,  "king" Henry. Here's the link to his column:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/History-shows-the-complexity-of-the-south-side-s-commercial-demise----and-of-its-rebirth--too
Yes, it IS complex...very complex.
(but I would stop at calling it a "new" challenge or problem)
Kevin gives a good timeline view of the demise of retail down here, and while he doesn't go into specific stores, he does mention the mall closing and events leading up to it.
He cites not being able to buy a can of TENNIS BALLS at the SEARS that once was at Southtown, for example.
(catering to the "perceived" demographic, no doubt?)
There's that "P" word again.
Kevin equates such decisions (by the stores) as a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom...and he would be CORRECT there.
What is not mentioned (and should be) is the FACT that crime DID get a stranglehold on the SE side of town...and has not really released it's Herculean grip.
We've lost HUNDREDS of businesses since I've lived here, and Wifey can back me up on this, because she lived here when Southtown Mall was THE place to shop in this part of the city.
Former K-Mart: Nice and VACANT for years.
That's also when a LOT more revenue was flowing uptown to the city hall coffers - something that has ebbed to a trickle since the turn of this century.
Stand alone stores have disappeared, and I've mentioned many of them here over the years.
Nothing was done to halt or slow their departure, either.
Not that lone ago, King Henry was willing to GIVE AWAY land near the old Southtown area to any retailers wanting to "buy into" a crime-ridden predominantly minority-occupied part of the city...to no avail. Wonder why?
TWICE nothing is STILL NOTHING, sire!
When you can't even GIVE sh*t away, something is drastically wrong, right?
And developer Don Steiniger said that crime is a major deterrent in THIS story from 1 June 2015::
http://wane.com/2015/06/01/developer-crime-deters-business-on-southeast-side/
Hey, it's NOT JUST ME saying this, but I am being proven correct in MY assessment here.
The ONLY game down here these days.
Our mayor is at the "grasping at straws" point and finds himself befuddled by the obvious.
People cause the crime, and people have chased businesses away...doesn't get any easier to figure out.
Since the problem CAN be PROPERLY defined, a solution IS possible, right?
*** And speaking of shopping (like SEARS), Wifey and I are getting our 2015 K-MART holiday bear (we still are going to need a much bigger sofa).
The "newbie"
The neat thing is that you can ORDER the bear from K-Mart (the nearest one being in WARSAW, INDIANA, thanks to the closings of ALL stores in Fort Wayne).
Then, K-Mart ships the bear to the Sears at Glenbrook Square Mall, where you can pick it up.
Sure, it costs a bit MORE this way, but at least we DON'T have to drive 50+ miles to get one, and in the process, actually SAVE a few bucks (gas versus price).
Amazing how much you MISS having simple things like a K-Mart on the SOUTH side of town.
Maybe we can go for ice cream at ATZ'S later (oh, wait, they closed down too)...maybe get a Christmas tree at Franks Nursery on S. Anthony?
Nope, they closed too.
Perhaps stop by Target? Nah, they've been gone for a decade, too.
What IS left for shopping options?
Welcome to the SOUTH side of Fort Wayne.
Well, plenty of fast food joints (especially if you prefer ribs and chicken and Mexican foods), convenience stores out the ass, a few liquor stores (when they're not being held up), one Menards and one Wal-Mart.
That's all she wrote. And you can't give away the land for development...LOL.
*** Last back to the breakfast table...Since Wifey and I moved into the "Fortress" back in 1998, we've seen our part of town swirl down the crapper...year after painful year. And we looked for OTHER places to get what we both needed and wanted.
Sometimes, we succeed, and other times, not so much.
Many of the "residents" down here tend to see THEIR universe as three square city blocks, and that's typical of their choices in life.
They vote democrat, wear blinders, and love to follow in lockstep with whatever the leftists ask (read demand and expect) of them. That's not representative of who AMERICA is, however.
We used to be a MUCH better people, open to ideas, willing to push OURSELVES further, become BETTER individuals and always wanting more for our children.
My, how that has been turned on it's ear in such a short time.
Funny thing, Wifey and I still hold to such values, and do not choose to "settle for less" and call it more.
We are the ones (looked upon as an anachronism) who still "give a damn" as I mentioned yesterday. We would gladly shop down here...IF we had shopping (like we used to).
Perhaps that is why I have to (virtually) slap around those who run this city, because (as Darth Vader would say):
City leaders have pretty much abandoned our part of town (and lie about it to boot), and only NOW, are they realizing the results of such folly.
It's hurting their "bottom line"...they're getting short on revenue and long on crime.
And some "think" that pushing retail down here WITHOUT (first) dealing with the criminal element will be that "magic bullet" (no pun intended) this part of town needs.
Sorry, WRONG answer.
All that will accomplish will be to add more businesses that will get robbed and the potential for more people to get hurt (or killed).
Time to take off those blinders, wake the hell up and smell the coffee burning (or is that another abandoned house?), because the future you tried to postpone is HERE...NOW.
Time for the city leaders to spend some time in reality for a change...as NORMAL people prefer. And them's the facts, people.
Do have yourselves a good weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.