Guard Dog

Another US ship was attacked today but the somalis were repelled by gunfire from the freighter crew. I guess being a pirate isn't much fun when the target shoots back!

I found out today that I am a greater threat to American security than Osama Bin Laden: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/a...wing-extremism/ This was my favorite part: she stands by the report sent to law enforcement that lists veterans as a terrorist risk to the U.S. and defines "rightwing extremism" as including groups opposed to abortion and illegal immigration. Well whaddya know. I am a veteran, a combat veteran at that. And I oppose illegal immigration. I thought being evil would be hard work, it's actually pretty easy!

I don't watch much baseball, but seeing a good knuckleball pitcher from the TV-standard over-the-shoulder viewpoint is hypnotic to me. If I flip by a game with Wakefield on the mound, I pretty much have to keep watching. Charlie Hough had the worst one I can think of. It would give you motion sickness just watching.

I wonder if that was why it kept asking if I was thinking of a porno star? Kidding!

I stumped him with Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Ferdinand Magellan. But he got Aribeth right! Freaking Aribeth De Tylde-whatever and he got it. Apparently 1400 others thought that would stump him too.

The Yankee Years by Joe Torre. Yeah, he was pissed at the organization and this was a way to get "even". But still an interesting read.

I don't know how much anyone has been following this but it looks like the last Wheel of Time novel will be split into three volumes. The first will be coming out this year! I have to credit Brandon Sanderson for his work here. The very best he can hope for is to live up to the source material. If he botches it he will likely ruin his career. I tend to believe he will do well. I've read some of his writing and he has a good easy to read style. Anyway, check out his blog for the story of the last WoT book: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/article/56/Splitting-AMOL

I was going to buy the extra innings package this year because I never get to see Marlins or Rays games here in Tn. But I have XM/Sirius radio and so far I've just been listening to the games on the radio. I may still buy the MLB.tv streaming package, because you get minor league games too. One nice thing about radio games is I can catch them while working on other things.

I'm sure they would do this, if they had a stable method of policing themselves internally. But there's no Don running all of the pirates-- anyone with a dingy, an RPG, and a couple friends with assault rifles can go out and hijack a ship. It would take a pretty strong organization to keep all these independent operators in line, as well as to discourage newcomers to the business from hitting ships that have already paid the protection money. True enough. Of course the Barbary Pirates tried to do as I suggested in 1804. Their utter defeat became a verse in the Marines hymn.

If the pirates were smart they would have followed the mafia business plan. After taking the first few ships they then sell themeslves off as a security force to protect ships from themselves. Or just charge companies a small fee to not attack their ships.

the new job you got right before the accident, or are you talking the old job? taks The old one. The new one has been nothing but nice waiting for me to recover. I'm actually starting in two weeks. I can't wait.

Went to the dentists today. Along with everything else the accident left me with four broken teeth. Finally started taking care of that today. Gotta go back next week for the permenent crowns. Hopefully they get them all right on the first try. But they never do.

I was going through some old boxes I had in storage before I moved. I came across the Sword of Shannara trilogy (one book, all three novels). I never read it so I sat down and gave it a look. My first impressions were that it was just a bad cliche following the same boring formula so many other fantasy books (and CRPGs) do. A party of young men/women set out in search of a magical sword to defeat the dark lord. Ugh. Its one of the reason I HATE the genre but enjoy GRRM's books. But I realized that since it was written in the 1970s it really is the story (along with Tolkiens work) that created the genere. But if it doesn't get better in the next 50 pages, in the trash it goes!

If you have not played them yet you will be very happy you did this. I would reccoment getting the Barbarian Invasion expansion for Rome as well.

I lost my job. But that may have happened anyway. The current government war on business has decimated my investment portfolio but for the most part I sold more than half of my stocks when I bought the house and got rid of most of the rest when it seemed certain Obama would be elected. That turned out to be an exceedingly wise move. Right now I've got most of my money in bonds but the few stocks I have are nearly worthless. I have been looking at buying back in though.

So Wyoming is a pit of oppression huh? How about this? http://www.mormonlawyers.com/2009/02/same-...efeated-in.html Oh, and since you seem to be incapable of seeing beyond political sterotypes there are nineteen democrats in the Wyoming state house. Many voted FOR the ban. That means it was the REPUBLICANS who defeated this. And in case you didn't know (and in your case you seem to know nothing you didn't read on some left wing blog) Wyoming recognizes gay marriage. The reason is there is a strong libertarian streak in people in that region. You know the ideology you routinely castigate? The one where people are free to do as they please with their lives and money? I can see how you would hate that.

I bought a car yesterday. I ended up passing on the Liberty, it was uncomfortably small. I ended up buying a 2006 Laredo. It's red, 4 door, 4wd with the removable back seats to I can fit eight dogs in it easily. A little more money but what the hell. It's so nice buying a car witout worrying about financing. I wrote a check was was done in 15 min. Nobody is buyng cars it seems. I was the only customer there at the time and everyone was saying how bad it is.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/i...dName=worldNews

And why is that exactly?

Story: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/03...constitutional/ The law banning same sex marriage in Iowa was passed by the legislature in 2005 as I understand it. Today the Iowa SC struck it down. The vote was unanimous so that is a pretty clear message. You all know ny opinion on this, any law that limits personal liberty is a bad thing. I find it ironic that same sex marriage is legal in Iowa but illegal in California. The battle does not end here in all probability however. Ususally after a juducial defeat a movement gets going for a constitutional amendment. But maybe not.

The ending to DS9 wasn't terribly well thought out either.

They have a green one at the lot down off Winchester, but its got more miles and costs a little more because it's automatic. This one has 4wd and everything else I'm looking for and the price is right. White would not be my first choice but it will do.

My new car: http://www.carmax.com/enUS/view-car/defaul...f4-c1f2df39cb03

That would have worked, I guess. I really hope that the LOST people are seeing this and making their ending satisfying. They don't even need to tie up every little bit, it just has to make sense within the world that they have created. Tgats the problem when you make it up as you go. You end up painting yourself into a corner with no good way out.

Not at all a bad deal for Denver.