Friday Follies...

The weekend is here...finally.
And with it, a nice warm up for those of you who like weather on the "bordering on uncomfortable" side.
That means you'll be firing up the A/C soon enough (there goes the money we saved the last couple weeks NOT running the furnace...lol).
Our Hoosierland weather will see us with partly cloudy skies (in anticipation of some rain coming through tonight into early tomorrow). Temps will reach into the mid-70s and some mild breezes come along for the ride.
So, with that dispensed with, let's get a nice cup of Friday Fortitude poured and parked close by, as we take a look at what else is going on...
*** First out of the refrigerator is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
MAY 20 -
---Today is NATIONAL BE A MILLIONAIRE DAY

(Yeah, like THAT is gonna happen...LOL)
--- It's also NATIONAL PICK STRAWBERRIES DAY

(they still have places that let you do just that)
---It's NATIONAL QUICHE LORRAINE DAY

(not to be confused with Lorraine Day, the actress from decades past)
---It's NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK DAY

(everywhere but in the ghettohood, that is)
---And, it's NATIONAL DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION DAY

(wonder if it's SAFER to take a bike?)
---It's also NATIONAL ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY

Hope we never add CHRISTIANS to the list.

(Do white people on the SE side of Ft. Wayne qualify here?)

---And, it's NATIONAL PIZZA PARTY DAY
(now we're talking...party of two, please, hold the anchovies)
---It's also NASCAR DAY

(even this has become too commercialized...sorry)
*** And since it is the weekend, let's see what is going to take place over the following 48 hours:
MAY 21 - 
---Saturday is NATIONAL RED CROSS FOUNDERS DAY

(still helping those in need)
--- It's also NATIONAL MEMO DAY

(memo to self - remember memo day)
---And, it's NATIONAL STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM DAY

(good, we already PICKED them yesterday...lol)
---It's also NATIONAL WAITSTAFF DAY

(soon to be making $15 an hour and getting time and a half for O/T)
--- It's also ARMED FORCES DAY

(Lord knows where we'd be without THEM, right?)
---It's  NATIONAL LEARN TO SWIM DAY

(don't need to when you don't go near large bodies of deep water)
MAY 22 -
---Sunday is NATIONAL BUY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DAY

(do kazoos count?)
---It's also NATIONAL MARITIME DAY

(for those who plow the waterways, and HAVE learned to swim)
---And, it's NATIONAL VANILLA PUDDING DAY

(a day without pudding is like a day without sunshine)
There you have it...plenty of things to keep most anyone occupied. Enjoy.
*** Next up, more details on the most recent homicide (number 11) in the city.

Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/2-shot-in-parked-car--teen-dies-13143292
Wifey put me wise to some of the details because of where she "works", so much of this is no surprise to me. Nothing was mentioned about any counseling from the FWCS spokesperson, though. Wonder why?

Dontay White, 17 aka DJDtown (on "fakebook") is the latest victim of this city's "deadpool", and how he came to be in that car at 11PM at night (on a school night) in a neighborhood he didn't live in, beats the crap outta me.
Now, he doesn't look black, but maybe a bit on the mulatto side. Hard to say from the pictures that WANE showed. Naturally, he was doing the "buster-badass" posing for his camera selfies.
Police still have this "person of interest" they're chasing after...nothing yet on this.
I guess when you run OUT of places to commit crimes on the SE side, the only place to continue such behavior is...EVERYPLACE ELSE in Fort Wayne (and that includes the NICE parts of town).
*** Next up, we now know WHY the feds raided a north side house the other day.
Here's the story link:
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Fort-Wayne-couple-raided-by-FBI-charged-to-appear-in-federal-court--380121571.html

Up along St. Joe Rd.

Gee, you think stealing about $260K in CIRCUIT BOARDS becomes a FEDERAL offense?
Who thought no one would notice something like this? C'mon now.
And this loser couple also committed MAIL FRAUD in the process.
Dean Zimmerman, 47, and Linda Zimmerman, 66, were taken into custody following the raid.
He must like older women, as Linda is his WIFE and not his mom...crazy, huh?)

Hell, I thought it was two GUYS!
Dean had worked for UTEC (HVAC systems) for more than 15 years.
And not even eBay was exempt from this, as this pair made OVER $300K from selling the part there.
Everyone should have a hobby, BUT, this one takes the cake (and provides nice orange jumpsuits).
*** Next, the annual Fort 4 Fitness bike ride takes place tomorrow, and that means Wifey and I have to "amend" our route to and from the grocery store (oh, joy).

That's the ONLY time all year (maybe two) we see THAT MANY WHITE PEOPLE in our part of town...and all with plenty pf police along the route, which winds through part of the south side...LOL. It's nice that NORMAL people get to see how we live.
Makes them appreciate where THEY live a lot more, I'd wager.
*** Next, okay, so this didn't take place in Ft. Wayne, but it shows that parents are not paying attention. Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2016/05/19/toddler-struck-and-killed-by-vehicle-in-kendallville/

An 18-MONTH OLD TOODLER gets hit by a vehicle. Now, traditionally, one has to be WHERE TRAFFIC IS to get hit (unless you're in our city, where people WILL drive anywhere to hit anyone), so what WAS that toddler doing near traffic anyway?
Kendallville police were called to the Carriage House Apartments where the toddler was struck when an SUV was backing up. Well, that explains it...it was a PARKING LOT...where was the parent who was supposed to make sure the toddler didn't "wander away"? SUVs don't provide a good field of vision (for small things and people) when backing up, I'll grant you that. But still...this COULD have been avoided quite easily.
*** Next, a veteran of another type has it's day in the Summit City.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Super-Sabre-pilots-return-to-cockpit-13143102

The tried and true North American F-100 Super Sabre takes center stage this weekend.
You might have seen it overfly the area, as there is one that still flies, and it's owned by Dean Cutshall. It's based at the FWIA. Nickenamed "The Hun", they only built 2500 of these aircraft, and the F-100 served from the 1950s through the late 1970s, totalling over 360K sorties in the 'Nam.
It was the FIRST jet to exceed the speed of sound in LEVEL flight (had to dive to make Mach-one prior to that).

The Super Sabre Society members attending the get together this weekend will be able to go up in the vintage jet once again...just like the old days.
Oh, and if you think YOU get crap mileage in YOUR vehicle, this jet burns SEVENTEEN GALLONS of fuel PER SECOND, and that's BEFORE you kick in the afterburner...YOWZAH!!!

Taken at the 2012 FW air show.

It hearkens back to a time when pilots actually FLEW the aircraft they were driving...none of this computer stuff. You felt the ship react to YOUR input, and you "put it on" like a suit and wore it into the air. God was still your co-pilot, and not a bunch of printed circuits.
Now THAT was flying...
*** Last back to the hangar...say what you will about how "well off" we are today.

When did this happen?

Little of that compares to times from our past, because for me, those WERE better times.
We needed less, asked for less than what we all but demand today, and managed to treat ourselves and one another a lot better, generally-speaking.
How is the LACK of all that making any of us better today?
I'm just not seeing it.

Back then, when you saw a cop WALKING his beat, you FELT SAFE. These days, you see a police cruiser zoom past and wonder "Is he lost? We hardly ever see those down here anymore." NO cops on foot, unless they're kicking in a door making an arrest.
Back then, you could always count on stores nearby to shop at. These days, the only thing regarding retail you can count on, is that what was here this week, might be gone NEXT week.
Back then, you had REAL neighbors who said "hi" when they saw you, and you responded in kind. And their children were respectful and polite as well. These days, No one says "hi" (where we live anyway), the children have NO father to speak of, and are allowed to roam wild all over the place to all hours.

We CAN always hope, anyway.

Oh, and they're as disrespectful of people and property as the day is long.
So, I have to ask again...HOW is today better than the days of our past?
We have more things to distract us from the tasks at-hand. Yeah, I'll give you that one.
We can't be bothered with the past, because it requires some work on our part to maintain those aspects of humanity we've all but forgotten. Agreed.
Such things are not (nor ever were) meant as a way of life, but learning experiences, to which we are to apply ourselves to become better individuals and therefore, a better society, as time continues it's march forward.
Therein lies the lesson for the week.
Do have yourselves a great weekend.

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