Without comment . . .

The Learning Channel . . .

. . . or creepshow?

I went out to mow the yard and apparently left the TV The Learning Channel . When I came back in, there was a so-called "documentary" on called Toddlers & Tiaras.

I watched for about five minutes, then had to turn it off. How creepy is it to dress five-year-old girls in big hair and makeup and parade them around on stage? Beyond that, how irresponsible are the mothers who allow it?

It seems to me that the mothers are transposing THEIR needs on their children, and need to get a life of their own. This isn't the equivalent of little league football, scouting or soccer. It's exploitation.

Why would any mother think it's appropriate to dress up her toddler daughter like a ten-dollar hooker? Maybe it's because most of these mothers couln't collect $10.00 themselves. These mothers are irresponsible, and he producers of the show are little more than panderers.

Anyone heard of Jon-Benet Ramsey? Yuck!

Odds . . .

. . . and ends

Item the first - part A: At a little over 32,000 miles, the harmonic balancer on our 2004 Ford Explorer failed. The bill was going to be $680, but our auto insurance partially covers mechanical breakdowns. Final bill - $250. I'm a bit disgusted that it would fail at such a low mileage.

Item the first, part B: The service writer at the Ford garage started to explain the function of a harmonic balancer.
- Him: The harmonic balancer failed, and -
- Me: I assume it was the elastomer between the hub and the outer ring.
- Him: Uh . . . exactly.

Item the second: The church up the street has two signs posted in the parking lot.
- Sunday, September 6 - Blessing of the pets.
- Monday, September 7 - Pig roast
(Uncontrollable laughter was heard coming from George Carlin's casket)

Item the third: On the way home today, I saw two signs on a single post.
- Top sign: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
- Bottom sign: Recycling Center
(What exactly are they recycling. I shudder to think)

Item the fourth: The hiring manager from my location promised to call the hiring manager in Naples and suggest that she get on with it and just hire me. We'll see.

Item the fifth: One of Obama's 32 un-elected czars has resigned. Czar is an odd title for Van Jones, an avowed communist. Didn't the communists overthrow the Czar?

That is all. Have a nice labor day.

Follow up . . .

. . . to the crash.

This is what the driver would have seen as he approached the excavator. It was a bright, clear day. The merge lane is newly and clearly marked.

I can't see how the driver hit this big, yellow/orange piece of equipment.

Seizure? Asleep at the wheel? Who knows. There were no skid marks. He never saw it.

The machine was gone today.

Fatal Crash . . .

. . . in our neighborhood.

Mrs. B and I were on the way to Walmart today, northbound on West Neck Road (picture below). The road has been under repair for the last several months, and just opened for traffic on Friday.

Just south of the area in the picture, we saw a police car helping someone who had pulled off the road and sunk to the axles in the fresh mud and sand on the shoulder.

Further north, marked by the red circle, we saw a half-dozen police cars in the road and clustered around a large excavator parked on the shoulder. Since the roadwork was just completed on Friday, I guess the excavator was waiting for pickup.

When we drove by, we saw that a car had crashed into the back of the excavator. The car was so crushed that the large outrigger pads on the back of the machine had penetrated almost to the windshield.

The police had thrown a tarp over the car to cover the windshield and the driver's side window. That's almost always an indication that the crash was fatal and that the police are waiting for the medical crew to extract the body.

That tarp sent chills up my spine - not only because of the fatality, but because Mrs B had gone off the road into a ditch about 100 yards south of this location. The ditch there is almost eight feet deep. The fire department had to use a ladder to get down to her and help her climb out. The car didn't upset, and she wasn't hurt, thank God.

I took this photo a couple of hours later on the way to the grocery store. Notice that there are absolutely no skid marks. The driver never saw it coming.

The excavator didn't move an inch. a 2,500 lbs. car isn't much of a match for a 44,000 lbs. machine. It was obviously the driver's fault, but it seems a bit irresponsible to leave a machine like that parked next to a fairly well-travelled road - especially with no signs, cones or yellow barrels.

Mindless wanderings. . .

. . . almost literally

Item the first: So, I'm sitting in the little white chair thinking about answering an email when I leaned back a little to compose my thoughts.

Well, more than a little.

The chair went over backwards, my keyboard went up in the air, and the arc of the back of my skull intersected exactly with the edge of the little green bench.

Prime evidence how a seemingly innocent little action can have serious consequences. Luckily, I either have a hard head - or a little luck, and am no worse for the wear.

Item the second: Mrs. B and I decided to tune up the kitchen a bit, so I took several days over the last two weeks to tile the backsplash over the counters. The tile isn't grouted in these photos, but you get the idea.

Item the third: The naval station in Naples definitely wants to hire me. We're now talking money. Cross your fingers.

Item the fourth: A Steven Wright moment.
A member of my staff: "HQ is sure handing us a lot of crap to do lately."
Me: "Yep, they're making our jobs excrementally harder."

Not very productive . . .

. . . but interesting nonetheless.

Meanwhile, my opportunity in Naples is slowly wandering along. There are some glitches, but I'm still hopeful.