Thoughts For Thursday...

We're fast closing in on the weekend, and with this record rainfall we had so far this week, I'm quite sure many of us will be mowing something over the next several days.
Yesterday did manage to have a bit of sunshine showing up.
Our Hoosierland weather for today will have us with some sun early on, showers showing up by the afternoon (perhaps a thunderstorm). Cloudy skies will follow along, and our temps will reach into the mid-70s. Guess it will feel a bit on the muggy side with that moisture, too.
So, while we await what the day offers, let's get that morning drink poured as we all take a look at what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the starting gate is the answer to our WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"Seek freedom and become a captive of your desires, seek discipline and find your liberty."
This was spoken by science-fiction novelist Frank Herbert (October 8 1920 - February 11 1986) who is best known for his DUNE series (saga). He was also a newspaper journalist, photographer, short story writer, book reviewer, ecological consultant, and lecturer.
Here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Herbert
And here is his official (Dune) site:
http://www.dunenovels.com/author/frank-herbert
Herbert was born in Tacoma, Washington and, because of a bad environment at home, ran away when he was 18 to Salem Oregon to live with an aunt and uncle. Enrolling in a school there, he graduated the following year and lied about his age to get his first job at the Glendale Star newspaper.
He served with the Navy Seabees for 6 months as a photographer during WW2 before he was given a medical discharge.
Post war, he took classes in creative writing and sold two pulp adventure stores to Esquire and Modern Romance magazines.
It wasn't until the early 1950s that Herbert published his first science fiction story in Startling Stories magazine. His career as a novelist began in 1955 with the publication of Dragon in The Sea, which was about a submarine in the 21st century and predicted worldwide conflicts over oil consumption and production.
Herbert began researching DUNE in 1959, and after six years of writing, was complete, but was much longer than commercial science fiction of that time.
It was originally presented as 8 installments in Analog magazine.
In much of Herbert's work there are a number of key themes such as ecology, leadership, human survival and evolution, religion, politics and power, and how language shapes thought (to name just a handful).
A visionary author after a fashion.
The WIKI is a good read and lends background to one of a few men who shaped the genre of science fiction in the 20th century.
*** Next is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
May 12 -
---Today is NATIONAL FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY

(not something you want to suffer from)
---It's also NATIONAL LIMERICK DAY

(please, nothing about "Nantucket"...lol)
---It's NATIONAL NUTTY FUDGE DAY

(did he say "fudge"?)
---And, it's NATIONAL ODOMETER DAY

(unlike time, you CAN turn it back. Just don't get caught)
*** Next up, time for another installment of "What has Bob purchased on eBay lately?"
Glad you asked, because when it comes to online shopping, never forget my motto:
"Persistence DOES pay off".
A few years back (For Christmas) Wifey got me the DVD of Spiderman 3, and I've been looking for the first two movies.

Widescreen version, too.

Well, I managed to get BOTH the first and second flicks.
But that's not all.
Stores are still selling them for just under $15 (per movie), I got BOTH for UNDER EIGHT BUCKS!
But wait, there's still more...(pray tell)
BOTH movies are the TWO-DISC set with special features. Those go for about $20 each.
So, I have four discs of Spiderman stuff for less than the price of ONE single-disc movie.
Not a bad haul.

And I need a space on a wall.

I also got a very nice 12x18 silk-screen (cloth no less) poster from Captain America-Civil War.
All I need is a decent frame for that.
There are a couple other items in transit and when they get here, we'll take a look at them.
So remember, online shopping CAN be productive and fun...and for a lot less than walking into any brick and mortar store. Just take the time to educate yourself, and to be frugal. You CAN get what you're looking for.
*** Next up, this Frank Gray story caught my eye, because a slightly similar thing happened to me not that long ago...but the ending to my tale turned out a bit better. Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/frank-gray/Wallet-s-contents-can-t-all-be-replaced-13011252

Now, I didn't loose my wallet, just my driver's license, and after several months, managed to get it back, because the store I left it at had the foresight to hang onto it (even if they didn't contact me to let me know).
Plus, it pays to ask if they found it...lol.
In this man's case, someone lifted the wallet from the counter and God knows where it and the contents wound up.
Seems to be the easiest thing to do in a situation such as this, would be to just turn the wallet into store personnel.
They can always just contact the person who left the wallet (or license) at the store...way too simple a solution.
*** Next, and speaking of solutions, ever have a problem that SHOULD have an "easy fix", but you can't seem to find one to save your life?

Sure you have. We all do sooner or later.
And often times, we can point the finger of blame at society and how it's been coddling people for several decades. The end result of such mishandling of human beings is the sense of entitlement, among other things that stem from this, such as a lack of respect, lack of boundaries, and other stuff I've mentioned here.
Take our neighbor's "kids" (please) for example.
They brought home this basketball hoop-stand from Christ knows where, and set it up in their driveway.
Sounds harmless enough, right? Not really.

The scene of the stupidity - behind a HUGE back yard.

The kids scramble about and the ball OFTEN goes into the street (only ten feet away), and even makes it ACROSS the street onto OUR property. Not very smart at all.
(Pays to read the KEEP OUT - PRIVATE PROPERTY sign that's hanging on the garage).
Yesterday, I heard several car horns, and that tends to startle you, because you wonder if some kid just became a statistic. Plus, the way these mooks DRIVE around here (one speeder in excess of 60 MPH zooming up Monroe, and it SURE as hell wasn't a cop) is example enough to make you stay away from the streets altogether.

That's not YOUR side, kids, it's MY side

This is yet another issue the FWPD should be dealing with...BEFORE we get someone injured or killed by reckless (or otherwise impaired) drivers, because we've got at least one for every five vehicles that fits the criteria in this city. I'll guarantee that.

Their playground is EVERYWHERE

Why these kids don't use that BIG back yard for basketball eludes me, The driveway is probably the worst place, with puddles, ruts, uneven ground...everything that does NOT lend itself to playing ANY sport. And what about that (new)  McMillen community center?

These kids need to TRY this.

Yesterday, these kids dig out a damn football and I find them chasing it onto our property right up to the yard fence/gate. I asked them before about keeping the ball over "there" (their side), and this time I told them that AGAIN.
Then I got some lip from one of the punks in the group, and I said "I'll cap your mother-effin ass".
(8-12 against me - yeah, a fair fight - that they'll lose) This is going to be a LONG summer.
There is simply no easy fix for this problem. Baby-mama NEVER supervises her tribe. And the kids have friends over (and none of them knows WTH is meant by respect). Calling the police won't do much (if anything), and I can't find any city department that can properly address this. What "quality-of-life" ?
*** Last back to the garage, and because the last story bugs the crap out of me (and I need to vent)...what the hell has gotten into people these days with the manner in which they supposed to be PARENTING these children?

Not enough signs to go around our part of town.

Many folks treat PETS better, watch over them more, and have them on shorter leashes.
It's like these so-called "guardians" have all obtained lobotomies when they HAD these children. Is THIS part of Obamacare now?
What ever happened to NOT talking back to people?
Is this JUST a black cultural thing?
(sure seems that way)
I used to really LIKE people of any color (in general). Hell, I grew up with them, played with them, went to school with them, ate lunch and worked alongside them, and NONE of those people were anything close to what these young snot-nose, thugs-in-training are becoming. It sure tests your belief that we still CAN all get along, because these kids can't be bothered, in spite of the fact that they have been allowed to be MORE EQUAL than their other-raced counterparts. Is this making me racist? Nah, just nicely BIASED.
(and aren't we all somewhere in our lives?)
You're a good black person? PROVE it and SHOW ME. That's my maxim these day. Same goes for most ANYONE around here. I'm not leaving anything to chance, especially those living near us.
There are some black folks that still warrant my treating them as my equal and fellow human being, but they are few and far between. The rest of them could fall off the planet tomorrow, and I wouldn't bat an eye.
And that is much of the societal problem we have today. It's the divisive disconnect with black people, Latino people, anyone else of any ethnicity or religion, and that carried over into the law-enforcement realm.
Everyone distrusts one another (when they're not busy sucking up the sensationalistic pablum spewed by media sources), and with no real reason.
Sorry, but the word WELCOME was never stenciled on my forehead, and the sooner people around here learn that, the better off they're going to be. I'm no one's doormat...(nor should any of you be, either).
Yeah, this is something our mayor will NEVER address, nor will our FWPD chief, nor will our neighborhood association, and  certainly NOT the black community "leaders".
Rocking the boat and telling the truth doesn't seem to be in their lexicon any longer.
That will shake your faith in mankind's future, do not doubt me on this.

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