Black Friday Follies...

Whew, the day after Thanksgiving is always a brute...as in hating to wake up...lol.
I trust your day was every bit as filled with thanks as could be had.
And now, we turn the page and enter into the TRUE holiday season.
Our Hooiserland weather will be a bit on the repetitive side, with temps reaching the freezing point with mostly cloudy skies but no real hint at any precipitation (okay...maybe a light flurry or two)..
So, let's get this ball rolling and set out to see what's been going on in all the old familiar places...
*** First out of the bookstore today is the answer to this week's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"For what I received may the Lord make me truly thankful. And more truly for what I have not received."
This is attributed to one Margaret Storm Jameson (6 January 1891 - 30 September 1986), and here is her WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Jameson
She started out as a socialist, but apparently "saw the light" after WW2 and became very ANTI-COMMUNIST.
She was an English Author and journalist, best known for her novels and reviews.
She wrote several science-fiction novels , most notably In the Second Year - 1936, which was a dystopia set in a fascist Britain, and Then We Shall Hear Singing - 1942, which deals with a future invasion by the Nazis of an imaginary country.
Jameson also wrote the introduction to the 1952 edition of The Diary Of Anne Frank.
Not much else is known about her, and that's a shame, because she apparently  had a good "eye" for portrayal of some good characterizations.
*** Next up is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
November 28 - 

Today is BLACK FRIDAY and that means all these sales which are actually :"bait and switch" tactics by retailers...and who wants to camp outside a damn store in the cold for a week JUST to get something that will be cheaper in a year anyway?

It's also BUY NOTHING DAY...curious and ironic to be sure...sorry, there are some things we are going out to buy, but it's not "for Christmas"...it's for the house and the "Batmobile".
And, it's MAKE YOUR OWN HEAD DAY...(???)

Nothing about how it should be made, what items to use and where to put the damn thing after I make it.
I kinda like the one I already got (had it for 60+ years), but I know SOME people out there that could use a head that WORKS (especially between their ears)...LOL.

Lastly, it's RED PLANET DAY, and I suppose someone somewhere is praying to the Roman god of wear...MARS, right?
And let's toss in the weekend...because we can...
November 29 - 
-- Saturday is SQUARE DANCE DAY, so alamad left, bow to your partner, bow to your corner, and have a blast!

We all did this in ELEMENTARY school...yes, not ashamed to admit it.
I liked it.
November 30 -
-- Sunday is STAY AT HOME BECAUSE YOU ARE WELL DAY...(again...???)

Who the hell am I supposed to be anyway..Ferris Bueller?
Usually, I stay at home because I want to catch someone TRYING to break in...LMAO!
And that would be cheaper than going to the pistol or skeet range...
(did he say that out loud?)
*** Here's an update to the shooting story at Pettit and Hanna:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20141127/LOCAL07/311269929/1043/LOCAL07
That car WAS the target of a "rolling gunfight"...more "typical behavior" down here by "the locals".

The shooting began in the 4800 block of Spatz Ave.
Keytron J. Liston, 20 , of the 6600 block of John St. was the driver of the black Chrysler who "returned fire" from an SUV.
He was jailed Tuesday on preliminary charges of criminal recklessness with a firearm, but was not talking to police, refused to ID the SUV (that police later found) and had the balls to ask WHY the police were arresting him.

How about (for starters) interfering with the investigation of a crime, you dumbass?
*** And here's an update to the woman who was shot near Barr and Suttenfield:
http://wane.com/2014/11/26/shooting-victim-is-blessed-to-be-alive/
Residents in the area are getting tired of all the violence and crime, and won't be persuaded to move, and are not intimidated by the behavior of these street thugs...good for them.
*** We had a nice (quiet) Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, but the big deal was keeping up with feeding the birds and squirrels that came by to :"join us"...lol.

I'm thankful that camo guy feeds me.

Where do such small critters PUT it all?

I'm thankful for this feeder 

It's always hard to look across the table and see those empty chairs...those that have passed on ahead of us, but as long as we remember them, or speak their names from time to time, they still live in our hearts and minds.

We cherish the time we had with our friends and family, knowing that we shall see them again some day.
They are not forgotten, nor should they be.
And that's not a bad thing to say for anyone.
*** Next, Wifey and I are going to do some "shopping", but it's for things (at Menards) like 4 ft. fluorescent bulbs, furnace filters, an infrared heater, suet cakes for the birds, and then off to Auto Zone  for a pair of hood support (gas) struts for the batmobile (when they get worn out, the hood likes to come back DOWN...not good for the human skull or any OTHER body part found under it).

You DON'T want that hood coming down on you!

Already changed out the hatch lid ones a couple years back.
And we gotta tank up the Wifeymobile.
The car makers should NEVER have gotten away from the old SPRINGS...they lasted forever.
Whatta 'ya gonna do...we're at the mercy of automotive ENGINEERS...
(cripes. we're screwed)
*** Last back to the garage...there is always a bevy of things to be thankful for.
--I'm thankful I have enough AMMO to take out all of the "locals" should the need ever arise

--I'm thankful for a good wife, a house to hang my hat, food to sustain us, and health enough to make us able to appreciate life and the souls we encounter.
--I'm thankful for a merciful God (heaven knows He has been SO patient with me over the years).

--I'm thankful for parents that gave a damn to take whatever time they needed to raise me in a good way - respecting others, acting in a civil manner, being polite, treating others as I would wish to be treated, and to be there for me when I needed them.
I miss them both every day.
--I'm thankful for friends both past and present, however few and far between they might be. Better to have a few GOOD ones than too many "so-so" ones.
Learned that the hard way, and I'm fortunate enough to still have a couple all the back from High School days.
--And, I'm thankful that a lot more crap in life did NOT come my way...I've had enough over the decades, but it could have ALWAYS been worse, and mainly by my own hand.
That's how most of the bad happens...by OUR hands, and not as much by others.

But, I would like to win a sh*tload of money from PCH, just so I could prove to God that all that moohlah would NOT spoil me...lol
In the end, life is about WHO we are, WHO we meet, and WHO teaches us that which we need to know.
It's a journey we ALL take...and even though there are times we'd love to be picked up and driven the rest of the way, or catch a bus, we would miss out on those things, events and people that help us understand ourselves better.
And that's the way a journey should be...it should be "on foot", giving us time to take in everything around us.
Have yourselves a great weekend...enjoy the leftovers and if the spirit moves you, grab a sale or two.

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