Friday Follies - New Year's Edition...

Well, we made it to another year, and one in which (for me) is starting out with a "First", if you will.
More about that in a bit, but for now, let's check the forecast for this brand spanking new year.
Our Hooiserland weather will see us with partly cloudy (or sunny) skies with temps creeping into upper 20s
Not much else to say there, is there?
Well, it IS winter, isn't it?
And this IS Indiana, isn't it?

The year changes, but the weather doesn't seem to all that much.
So...let's get that warm cup of Friday Fortitude poured (we might need it) as we see what's shaking for today, shall we?f..
*** Let's kick off this year with our tried and true "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
January 1 -
---Yes, today is NEW YEARS DAY.

(best cure for that hangover is not to have had so much booze last night, right?)
Oh, and make sure you hang up those 2016 calendars you bought, too.
Afraid that's all for today, so let's take a look at the weekend as well as the month.
January 2 -
---Saturday is NATIONAL SCIENCE FICTION DAY

(that can be ANY day for me)
---It's also NATIONAL BUFFET DAY

(we could well qualify  for this one around the "Fortress"...heh)
---It's also NATIONAL CREAM PUFF DAY

(be nice to find some at the grocery)
---And, it's NATIONAL PERSONAL TRAINER AWARENESS DAY

(you are kidding me, right?)
---It's also NATIONAL FRUITCAKE TOSS DAY

(careful, you'll put your eye out there, Ralphie)
January 3 -
---Sunday is NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY DAY

(a little late isn't it? Perhaps not.)
---It's also NATIONAL DRINKING STRAW DAY

(well, that should suck nicely)
*** Now, for the MONTH, we have the following:
National Blood Donor Month
National Hobby Month
National Braille Literacy Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Eye Health Care Month
National Soup Month
National Fiber Focus Month
=====================
The weekly events are:
First Week
Diet Resolution Week
Second Week
National Law Enforcement Training Week
School Crossing Guard Week
National Activity Professionals

Third Week
National Book Week
Cuckoo Dancing Week (celebrating the movies of Laurel and Hardy.
National Special Education Week
Fourth Week
National Catholic Schools Week
National Celebrity Read a Book Week
National Glaucoma Awareness Week
National Handwriting Analysis Week
National Health Awareness Week
National Healthy Weight Week
National Junior Achievement Week
International Kiwanis Week (International)
National Meat Week
=============================
And there you have it...all set to go for this month, and for the weekend.
Moving on...
*** Looks like we DID make it to THIRTY HOMICIDES in County Allen after all, thanks to a "last minute" entry.

Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Death-at-motel-ruled-a-homicide-10708833
Okay, so this savage beast smacks another guy around in a motel room with a frigging MICROWAVE (?) puts the guy in hospital where bleeding on the brain causes death, and ALL the perp is charged with is "aggravated" battery??? NO attempted MURDER charge?
Wow, looks like we're ending last year on a very "WTF???" moment.

Last loser of 2015

Justin Littlejohn, age 28 is the "microwaver" here, and his victim was Randy Lee Dial , age 46
The crime took place this past MONDAY (28 December) and we're JUST NOW hearing about it...thanks FWPD.
Nice to know you're SO forthcoming with information relating to VIOLENT CRIME in this city. Guess we should celebrate the fact that you people didn't wait a MONTH to tell us, hmm?
(some things seem to never change, just like the perps and their penchant for savage behavior)
And nothing about a BAN on those "assault microwaves" yet...wonder why? Where's the libtards on this one?
---My prediction for THIS year...we can hit 30 homicides AGAIN (easily), if not more in Allen County.
Remember, it ONLY took 20 days to get the first homicide LAST year, and the year before, not even a week. Here's the most recent link for some crime stats:
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Fort-Waynes-2015-homicide-numbers----so-far-363872891.html
Pretty revealing stuff. We could use a NEW police chief, because this one is in over his head.
*** Next up, Wayne Rogers has died (helluva way to start the year) and he was 82.

He died from complications from pneumonia (I know what having THAT is like...not nice at all).
Here's the write-up on him:
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/01/01/wayne-rogers-trapper-john-on-mash-dies-at-82/
Wish I could look that good at 82. Wasn't that long ago I saw him on FBN.

Always hate to see a good conservative pass away.
(when I have a long list of liberals would SHOULD)
*** Next up, and as can be expected, the morons were out shooting off guns at midnight (some before that) and it kept up until AFTER 0100 hrs.

Some idiots NEVER learn, do they?

Never saw any FWPD cars rolling through (as usual), but the GOOD news is that most all the gunfire was more "distant" for a change.
We DID have fireworks, mostly of the M-80 class...no aerials or mortars.
So, it didn't sound like a full-tilt Ramadi firefight...just a small skirmish in Mosul.
Thank God for small miracles, hmm?
*** Last back to the garage...I mentioned at the top that THIS year was beginning with a personal "first"...((ahem)).

NOT the kinda first I was hoping to begin a new year with, however.
And, certainly not anything close to Ecclesiastes 8:6-7 anyway...

It's verse 7 that NAILS it for me.

I was checking my wallet for my driver's license, and came across ONLY my old one (that expired back in 2012 when I renewed online), and got that new one with the rather "pink" stripe across the top. Even mentioned that HERE.

Not my "official" (and M.I.A.) license.

Well, I cannot FIND my new(er) license anywhere. I have no idea how LONG I've been driving without it, either.
This whole "show your ID" thing is fine, as long as I can show it and retain possession of it at the same time, like flashing a shield to someone.
It's this new "have to make a copy of your driver's license" gig that may be the culprit here.
I don't remove my license for anyone (except law-enforcement). I SHOW it to those when I purchase liquor or beer, and that's about it.
The ONLY other reason would be at a hospital (got it back, too), or at a pharmacy when picking up a prescription (think I got it back when I got Wifey's stuff back in November)
Now, it "might" still be at the Walgreens at Southgate Plaza or not...not sure, but gonna check it out. No one notified me that it was "found", so it's still in the wind.

I carry a TRI-FOLD wallet (Velcro closure to boot), which makes it damn near impossible for the license to "fall" out. Hell, it even takes me some time to GET IT OUT, so, unless it JUMPED OUT on it's OWN, it's simply not leaving the wallet OR my back pocket any time soon.
This whole clusterf$ck means that I cannot (and WILL not) DRIVE the cars, until a replacement is secured.
I went online to the Indiana BMV, requested a replacement and paid the $6.73 for the license.
Now, all I have to do is play the waiting game until it gets here.
BTW, my license doesn't expire until 2018 (two years longer than I thought). I was sure it was going to expire THIS year. No matter...what's done is done, and if I FIND the damn thing, I'll have TWO (because things have a way of showing up AFTER you've gotten a replacement for them).
Murphy STILL practices law, so I hear...LOL.

And he was an OPTIMIST.

It's just damn frustrating when you HAVE to hand personal things over to others that may not return them to you, and your focus is diverted away momentarily, so you forget to double-check to see IF it was returned.
This is the FIRST TIME this has ever happened to me, and I've been driving since 1977.
To everything there IS a season, though, and in retrospect, I suppose things can always be worse.
Hey, maybe I'm starting to listen to my own words for a change...how novel!
Only took me all these years, too...LMAO!

Any of you chaps seen Bobby G's license?

You have to have a light heart about it, in spite of being PO'ed out the wazoo.
That's the rough part of this.
You hate to "lose" anything, whether it's YOUR fault, or the fault of others.
Still, there is little in life that is totally insurmountable...I just detest being "only a passenger" for a spell, no matter how brief a time that is.
I enjoy driving here in Indiana, as it beats the hell outta Philly traffic ANY day, even with the infrequent assholes I encounter on the roads here (they musta followed me from PA...heh).

Yes, the "Batmobile" stays parked for a bit.

So, in the best spirit of a bad situation, I will say that it's better that I caught this problem WHEN I did, instead of being notified by a LEO that might pull me over (like that tends to happen to me every OTHER decade or so).
And, I guess I will take this as a sign to become even MORE vigilant in my own life, and to be aware of situations that present a possible issue in the FUTURE, because, as Charles Kettering said "I'm going to be spending a LOT of time there". Let that be said for all of us, right?
Have yourselves a great weekend.

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