Guard Dog

Thank You all very much. It means a lot to me. It's been a pretty bad month, and a ways still to go but it getting better.

"And don't let the door hit you in the ***." Friday was supposed to be my last day. I had my week all planned out. I wanted to wrap up some of the projects I had worked on. I had planned on spending the week saying farewell to friends and co-workers, some of whom I have known for years. Instead I got a shock after lunch today. I had a member of management from another department waiting for me in my office. He supervised as I cleaned out my desk and bookshelves (even giving me a hard time by asking I prove that some of my text books and professional books were really mine). Then I was escorted to the door without even a chance to say goodbye to anyone. Furthermore I was not allowed to access my computer and some of the pictures/documents on it were mine and not company related at all. After seven years of taking no small part in building that company in the end I could not even be trusted to clean out my office without fear I would steal/sabotage something. Or kill someone apparently. They explained it was just a policy to do that to avoid possible issues/violent confrontations with "downsized" employees. I was not alone making the walk of shame to my truck carrying a cardboard box with all my books, awards, coffee cup, (and silver whiskey flask which did get a laugh Taks). The real funny thing is, this time last year I was a nobody RF Design Engineer in South Florida. One of many. The guy that replaced me still has his job. I accepted a promotion to become the Tower Manager/Engineer/Compliance Officer for the entire eastern US and I'm now unemployed. Sometimes ambition and the desire to improve yourself lead to a dead end. In fact I think it does more often than not. So I stopped by the store on the way home and bought two cases of Icehouse. Since I have nowhere to be tomorrow I intend to build a pyramid of empty cans high enough to reach the ceiling. Rant over. I do feel a little better. One last thing. They forgot to ask me for my cell phone. Once my severance check posts I'll send it back to them. Too bad all I have is small white envelopes but I can use a hammer to make it fit.

Welcome back. How's college treating you?

After watching last night it occurs to me that the humans of the 12 colonies are such a whiny, fractious, and contentious lot that they are incapable of acting in their own self interest. Maybe they are not worth saving.

WordNetDaily?!? Lolz. More like WingNutDaily... Actually WND is a pretty good place to get op-eds especially Walter E Williams (one of the brightest economic minds of our time). But I will agree the news reporting there needs to be taken with a really big grain of salt.

I KNEW IT!! I KNEW IT!! He's coming after me! Well, Obama had better sent well armed men with no families because I've been making preparations! I kid. In all seriousness, I've stopped reading the blogs and haven't even visited realclearpolitics.com since the election. I just get so depressed at what I'm afraid is coming and know there is nothing to be done about it. If I dwell on it it just makes me sick. The upshot is the Superbowl is next week and Baseball starts in less than a month. And at least I will not be unemployed after next week. I try to focus on those things. Not the inevitable nationalization of private business coupled with the total collapse of the dollar followed by years of double digit inflation. And I think Enoch is optimistic at 2011. The government cannot simply print money to do with as it wishes without consequences.

Why wouldn't you? Heck you should feel at home most anywhere.

Now reading The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penny. Really, really excellent writing. It is very reminicent of Jack London who (along with Twain, Kipling, and Clavell) is my favorite author of all time. @Hurlshot, Agincourt is next for me. I'll let you know how it is.

Seinfeld moment!

That was not the only iron in the fire for her.

I second this motion. I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone.

I got an e-mail from my ex today. A very angry e-mail. First time I've heard from her since I saw her last year. Anyway, as you guys may remember, I sold my house in Florida last summer. We bought that house together so even though we had split up she had a 50% ownership stake in the house. So after closing I met with her to give her a check for her half. It was a big check too, almost $30K. Anyway, I paid my half of it towards the principle on my new house. She used hers to buy a car. My choice exempted me from paying a capital gains tax, hers did not. Fast foward to yesterday. She just got her taxes prepared and found out she owes the IRS almost $10K, and she spent ALL of that money so she does not have it to pay. The icing on this cake is she is mad at ME for not explaining all this to her! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..... Ahem.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..... It probably betrays some deep flaw in my character that I'm deriving so much pleasure from someone elses difficulties. Especially with an organization so despicable and evil as the IRS. But I think I would have traded ten years off my life to have been a fly on the wall when her tax guy told her the news. Everytime I think of it..... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....

It's colder than a well digger's ---. The creek in the back of my land actually froze. The dogs don't want to go out. Coming from Florida I am not used to this.

Krezack is correct. It will not happen and Rangel is trying to get a rise out of everyone (admittedly so was I). However, he is not some lone nutjob on the fringe of his party. He is the Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee and the third most powerful member of the House of Representatives. Coming from him automatically makes this an issue worth of discussion. I just find t deliciously ironic that after all the Democrats screaming about Bush bringing back the draft, it's only been Democrats that have actually attempted to do it. Excitabat fluctus in simpulo.

Personally I could not care less what two consenting adults do between each other so long as it does not affect me or anyone else. So I don't care if they do get married but I absolutely believe that nothing should stop them if thats what makes them happy. I've said it before, that whole life liberty and the pursuit of happiness thing means nothing unless it is applied to everyone. I must admit, I've never understood the religous objection to it. As a practicing Christian I understand well and good that not everyone believes the same thing I do. Religion is a template by which you model your own life. It is not a standard by which you judge others lives.

Here is another interesting little tidbit of news. Congressman Charles Rangel, Democrat from New York has said he will introduce a bill in Congress to reinstate mandatory military service through the draft. Thats right all you US males aged 17-28, now that Bush is out of office the Democrats want a military draft! I remember a number of you were hyperventilating about Bush getting re-elected in 2004 worried that he would bring back the draft. He said he would not. He didn't. The Democrats running the show seem to feel a little differently about it now. If it happens I will laugh and laugh and laugh.

GD, what's the size of your tin-foil hat? Really? Think I'm being paranoid? Check this: http://www.congresscheck.com/2009/01/19/ki...22nd-amendment/

Oh I will agree so far so good. But he is just getting started. Two years from now I'll be in a position to admit I was wrong or prove I was right. I desperately hope it's the former.

As for Obama's speech, I thought it was twenty minutes of nothing. He never settled on a coherent message and bounced back and forth between reciting campaign slogans and citing history. Don't get me wrong, he delivered well as he always does, but the text was choppy and he jumped from one subject to another and back, from historical citations to rehashed campaign slogans and back. Half of it was almost Conservative, talking about taking responsibility and the government cannot solve all problems, then in the next breath stated that people should turn to the government for solutions. That is an exteme contadiction. It's kind of like talking about dry rain. I almost thought he was making it up as he went. Did you notice the crowd was not sure when to applaud? As for Obama himself, he scares me half to death. My biggest fear is that he and his fellow democrats in Congress will radically change and expand the role of government into an Orwellian nightmare. Thay are quite capable of it and some are chomping at the bit to do it.

If a secret cabal of individuals ever did seize power, I'm sure I would be on the short list of people to be stood up and shot. In fact it may have happened today. Thats ok though, I'm well armed and won't go quietly.

Oh heck, thats easy. First you invent a nonexistent problem like... global warming for example. Then you get a cabal of associates to pass themselves off as scientists and experts to back up your claims. Then you convince everyone it is their fault the nonexistent problem is happening in the first place and begin making dire predictions that they will all soon be dead and it's all their fault. You let that simmer for a few years, all the while continuing to make dire predictions and after a while nobody will even care that none have come true. As the saying goes, tell a lie often enough and it takes on a truth of it's own. Finally, when panic levels have hit fever pitch over you nonexistent problem, you tell everyone you have the solution that will save them all, all they have to do is follow you. Then they will give up their freedom willingly and you can do whatever you want to them. Of course, there will be few dissenters and non-believers. At first you will discredit them by questioning their intelligence when they do not believe in your non existent problem. Your cabal of associates will be helpful here. Then once you have most of the people following you they will shout down dissenters themselves. Once you have the power, you just kill them. Wasn't that easy?

My dogs. If they can't go, then I'm not going.

I predicted the finding Starbucks crashed Viper and I was feeling pretty clever until the scene with Dee came up. That was a huge shock, did not see that coming.

This is bumped to the top of my "Must Read" list: http://www.amazon.com/Agincourt-Novel-Bern...1420&sr=1-1

Have all of you considered that it may be subbed out? If Obsidian passes on another expansion because they have too many projects, it could easily be subbed out to a small studio like DLA or Ossian. For NWN2 the heavy lifting is essentially done now, a smaller team could pull off a small scale (SoZ sized) expansion with a little new content thrown in.