Humpday Happenings - Halloween Edition...

No tricks, no treats, just some cold hard reality, folks.
We're STILL feeling the outermost weather from (now) "sub-tropical former hurricane- Superstorm" Sandy (I have no idea what they're calling this storm these days) with light rain, breezy conditions, and an otherwise grey day in the Heartland.
And tonight is All Hallows Eve - aka Halloween, or as I prefer to call it "The Great Beg-A-Thon" (Charlie Brown)...LOL.
*** But before we get into THAT, let's continue with our military quote of the week, also known as WHO SAID THAT?
"I cannot command winds and weather."
There you go...brief and to the point (and apropos to the times today)...so, who said that?
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back on the foredeck...
*** The search goes on for the missing captain of the ill-fated replica ship HMS BOUNTY, which sank off Hatteras N.C. on Monday.

Here's a link to the latest news:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/29/14-rescued-from-hms-bounty-2-remain-missing/

The USCG has said that although the ship has sunk, one of the masts is still visible above water, so I would wager she's in water that can't be that deep, and perhaps a salvage team could raise her...nothing has been said regarding that at this point.
*** In the aftermath of Sandy, we have some serious numbers:
-- Fifty Dead. (so far)
-- Millions of people without power.
-- Billions of dollars in damages.

The NYC subway is supposed to resume operations by this weekend.
Wall Street is back open for business.
West Virginia is digging out of 2-3 feet of wet snow.
Here's the link from our local paper:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121031/NEWS03/310319982/1006/NEWS

Mayor of NYC, "Nanny" Bloomberg noted that:

 "...Nature is more powerful than we are".

Gee...'ya THINK???

There were reports of 4 foot snow drifts along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
High winds whipped a fire into a virtual inferno as it tore through a beachfront neighborhood in Queens, turning the area into a scene akin to Hiroshima, with only chimney stacks visible.
Further west, Sandy pounded Cleveland, Ohio, uprooting trees, closing schools, and flooding major roads along Lake Erie.

One expert in natural disaster recovery, said that the biggest problem is NOT the first few days, but the coming months.
With close to $30 billion in lost business, that will have a marked impact on an otherwise strained economy.
Here's the link from FOX News (with related videos):
http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2012/10/30/at-least-17-dead-millions-without-power-in-sandy-aftermath/
We can only wish those who have suffered the storm our best, and hope they can band together, as people often do, to aid one another.
The cleanup and rebuilding from this "Frankenstorm" will be with us for some time.
*** Yes, it's Halloween...AGAIN.

And that means our house will not be handing out (free) candy to any kids that come calling.
Now, before you all go and call me "that nasty old man at the corner", you have to remember that I don't do ANYTHING without a REASON.
My reason here is that any kids that DO live in the area are products of their "parents"...or whoever is charged with raising them.
And that means these kids have little, if ANY sense of normalcy attached to their costumed butts.

They toss litter all over all year, disrespect you all the time, scream at the tops of their lungs whenever they're outside (why, I have no freaking idea), rarely bring ANY books home from school, have cell phones melded to either their ears or palms, and pretty much expect that the world will owe them a living, just as that parent does.
To ME, that's not a prerequisite for my handing out anything...except advice on how to be a BETTER person as they grow up.

And since they can't place that in their "treat-bag", they get no candy - that's the way it's going to roll here.
Besides, I see my share of CLOWNS, FREAKS, and ZOMBIES damn near every single day...and THEY are all "government-sponsored".
I see those dressed as rappers, hookers, bums...you name it. And not one of THEM ever comes to our door asking for candy.
(they're too busy spending YOUR money on free stuff for THEM anyway)
That's why we see new cars with huge rims and deafening stereos from people that DON'T WORK.
(yes, the street corner pharmaceutical trade is thriving, too)
Used to be that the kids that came to the door on Halloween were GOOD kids...kids that delivered your paper, ran errands, cut your lawn, babysat your toddlers...yeah, THOSE kids. The ones that COULD be trusted to do the right thing...and a good job, whatever they attempted.
Some of these kids were in the boy scouts or girls scouts, were model students who did something called homework, and studied for tests.
They dressed as young men and ladies, and not in a disheveled manner, even if they didn't have that much money in their households.
They respected anyone older than them, were polite and mannerly, and were often prone to helping someone else.
Yeah, whatever happened to THOSE children, and why didn't their children and grandchildren follow suit?

If they DID, we'd be hip-deep in people with a more civil tongue and a more moral mindset, wouldn't we?
At least they DO have the "Great Pumpkin" on TV tonight, but Wifey and I will be watching the DVD of Garfield's Halloween Adventure...much better fare, trust me.
And once again, here are "Bob's 8 simple rules for Halloween":
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Rule #1: You show up WITHOUT a costume....you have TWO choices:
a) You can just turn around and LEAVE, or (my favorite) ...
b) Show me you're WORTHY of my free candy WITHOUT a costume by jumping through the FLAMING HOOPS I have set up on my lawn, OK? If the folks can't blow TEN bucks to get you SOME kind of costume (and dressing in mom's old clothes could bring up gender confusion issues, even though it's FREE), then just spend TWO bucks for some of your OWN candy (**hint: after the 31st, ALL the HALLOWEEN candy is 50% OFF...check Walgreens and CVS)!
Rule #2: If you're OLDER than say....12 years old, you better either have a DAMN GOOD (original) costume, or you better have the mental state of a 3 year old. Either one will get you treats! Anything else will get you a front door closed in your pre-pubescent face! If you're THAT old...just stop at Lassus Handy-Dandy and grab a bag of M&Ms for yourself, lazy-ass!
Rule #3: Facepaint ALONE does NOT a costume make....Even SOLDIERS wear a UNIFORM WITH their facepaint, and Indians have horses and head-dresses.....so...NO horse, NO head-dress...NO treats, Kimosabi!
And NO ELMOS or LADY GAGAS.
Rule #4: If you are coming to my house on Hallowe'en with a BUNCH of friends...be advised, I WILL be "packing" (to politely dissuade you from a home invasion)! And if you're dressed as either BATMAN or the PUNISHER, I might want to hire you to clean up my neighborhood.
Rule #5: Don't try taking a "short cut" across MY lawn to cross the street (the barbed wire and punji sticks I have up will do a real number on your legs and feet...trust me)! Better to stay ON the sidewalk that the city provided with all those tax-payer dollars!
Rule #6: DO NOT show up at the house as a ZOMBIE, LIVING-DEAD person, or some sort of analogous entity (Yes, I DO headshots real well). If I EVER want to see the living dead (aside from a George Romero flick), all I have to do is watch damn near ANY politician in D.C., or ALL of the non-working "neighbors on the dole" that have NO future (past the next bottle of malt liquor or blunt, that is) meander through their pitiful lives.
Also...NO ELMOS or LADY GAGAS!
Rule #7: When I ask you to take what you want from the huge bowl of candy, that DOES NOT MEAN grab every damn single piece OF candy.....taking EVERYTHING should NEVER be a choice...it means be SELECTIVE...others might want to drop on by, 'K?
Rule #8: If you don't like what we GIVE (free) to you, don't even think about retaliatory measures....I've already PLANNED for THAT contingent...(heh, heh, heh)...and you might not like the result!
(and did I mention NO ELMOS and LADY GAGAS)
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So there you have it...the only way to end the month of October (imho).
Do watch your trick-or-treaters outside tonight..keep them close and make sure they don't wander about.

(this only pertains to nicer neighborhoods and not OUR area, mind you.)

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.