So, the Government is shut down... Kinda...

The radio station's morning show I usually listen to on the way to work has been talking about this Government shut down and asked listeners to email them with how it was affecting them, if it was. They received numerous emails on the subject, but weren't flooded according to them. They have read a couple or three a day and it would seem that the people that make this country run are the ones being laid off while the people that bicker, bitch and argue are still getting paid for not doing a damn thing. Also, on a side note, besides the fact that they can't come to an agreement on the budget for various reasons, they set different policies for themselves than they do for the citizens they're suppose to be representing. Personally, I'm voting for whoever isn't in office right now, I don't care if I agree with my congressman or not, I'm not voting for him in the next election. I think that they should have term limits, and salary caps. Although I think that if the people really like who represents them, they should be allowed to run again after they've been out of office for a while, the President included. I also, believe that when their terms are up, their retirement pay should be diminished, just like everyone else in the country. Make them adhere to the policies they set for everybody else. Just like with Social Security, when you retire and get your SSI from the government and it's will be approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of what your average monthly earnings were. Granted, they're suppose to use the three years of highest earnings for that average, but there's no account for inflation or cost of living. Now, I know not everybody has to live of SSI, but a lot of people do. That's why we have the term, "Limited income". But, I digress, this government shutdown has affected many people and I empathize with them, I understand how hard it is to live when your income is cut off or diminished. Work is hard to come by with the economy the way it is right now, the news, analysts, and government are saying it's in a recovery stage, but I had been looking for work since September of 2011, didn't get hardly even a call back until March of this year, and it was a shitty job. I didn't get a sustainable job until about two months ago, and the pay is no where near what I'm used to, but it pays the bills and offers me more freedom. But, our congressmen and representatives are still getting paid, I believe they should forgo their pay until they get a budget in place and get the people that had to be laid off because of it back to work. These guys make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, just on their government pay, not to include the millions they already had and make in the private sector. Most of those guys didn't just rise up the ranks because they were excellent Mayors and Governors, it was because they already had the money to run million dollar campaigns and get their names out there and bash their opponents. I think that we should have just normal people in congress, people that actually work for a living and know what it's like to live under the rules they set. Instead we have politicians that their job now is to just make rules, and they have the habit of making rules for them different than the ones they make for themselves.

That's Life

Well, as we all know... Life sucks... sometimes. Well, I have found that out of the darkness comes the light. And, even though I am thrice divorced, and in a rebuilding position, things always work out. About four months ago, I moved to Eastern Oklahoma, near Lake Eufaula. (My childhood second home) I still have to gather up more furniture for my home, but I'm getting it piece by piece. Still don't have television yet, not sure if I'm going to get satellite or just stick with an antenna. I have no internet out there either, but I can get on a few sites with my phone, the main ones anyway - email and Craigslist. I'm also back to working in construction. So, things are looking up. Y'all take it easy.

It's been a while...

Well, it's been a day or two since I've been on here or even able to. Since then, I have moved to Eastern Oklahoma, near Lake Eufaula. Back to working in construction remodeling homes and businesses. And, working on getting a small farm going in the next year or two.

The Truth

Confuscious say, Man who stand on toilet, is high on pot.

Ain't it the truth. Exactly what is the truth? Is it a state of mind? Is it absolute, never changing, rock like in it's existance? Or, is it ever changing, from one person to the next, like the bank of a river. As the river flows, the banks change course, winding, twisting, turning. Back and forth. Never in the same place for long. BUT, still the same river. The flow is constant, but moving directions.

That is truth, it depends on who you are. Your truth may not be the same as mine, but it's still the same truth.

 

 

Foul! You Win!

I'm not much of a basketball fan although I did play in fifth grade. And, I enjoy playing, just hanging around shooting the ball around, throw in a nice game of H.O.R.S.E. or Around the World in there and that's just fine and dandy with me. But, I never much cared to watch it. And, if I do watch a game I'd rather be in the stands than in my chair. Same with baseball, golf, racing, and pretty much every other sport that isn't football or hockey. And, I have to be in the mood to even watch them anymore. But, since my youngest daughter started playing basketball, and my oldest started Junior High Cheer, and playing softball. I've been to a lot more games than I would normally attend. And, I love to watch them and their teams play. But, that's just the Dad thing, I know it wouldn't make me any difference how the team did, if they weren't playing. And, after watching the end of the Indiana/Michigan game last night, it reminded me of a game between our Junior High boys at home a few months back. I thought it was bullshit then and I thought it was bullshit last night.

When I turned on to the game, there wasn't but a couple or three minutes left on the clock and Indiana was down by a few shots. They had plenty of time to come back, but for nearly every basket they made, Michigan came back down the court and answered it. And, it was a good game, I actually got into it, even though I'm not a fan of either team in any sport. But, I do like to watch a good game regardless of who's playing. That is I enjoyed it until they got down under the minute mark and Indiana was still down by eight points or so. And, then every damn time Michigan got the ball back after Indiana scored, Indiana would foul them to send them to the line and stop the clock. Now, I don't know when that shit became a strategy but I believe it's cheap and very unsportsman. If you have to bend the rules to win, stay the hell home. This reminded me of the Junior High Boys game earlier this year because their opponent's in that game did the exact same thing. They were down by a few goals, and did the "Foul as a play" strategy on our guys. That let Indiana win the Big Ten Championship over Michigan because they resorted to dirty plays. And, it's bullshit, no matter who's doing it. I would have though the same if it had been our boys doing the fouling, in fact I would have left the game. And, then proceeded to tell the coach how I thought it was cheap and pussified. That's basically what you're saying when you resort to tactics like that,

"I'm to big a puss to admit or accept I have been defeated."

More Projects

 

I bought some more chickens last weekend, two breeding pairs of Seramas, originating out of Malaysia, and a White Cochin rooster, of Chinese origin. I really wasn't planning on buying any chickens until later this spring, but I just happened upon these on the way out of Atwoods parking lot here in town. They had the Seramas out with them, and Emily asked if they had anymore for sale beside the two pair they had there, and the lady said she only had a White Cochin at home for sale at the moment, and that's when I really got interested because she was only asking about half of what those normally go for around here. That, and momma had been wanting one since we went to Newcastle, Oklahoma to buy some barbwire from this guy. They had a Black Cochin, that basically lived inside their house, and she fell in love with their feathered legs. And, I have been on the hunt for a nice looking one ever since. Also, the lady had been showing the Cochin at livestock shows, and he was bread to be a show chicken. So, that raises his worth almost four fold.

 

I've been building coops for them nearly all week, there were a couple of days I didn't get to work on them all day, because of family obligations and job interviews, which I officially have a job now. But, I have two of the coops done, and another about a third done, and I will build one more like this one I'm working on, because I like this design better than the first A-frame coop I built. Same basic design and concept, just wider and lower with easier access to everything. Learn from your mistakes I say. The two A-frame coops I'm working on now will be about the same size as the yard portion of the big coop with the external hut, but with the hut built in the top like the narrow A-frame I build first. I love the A-frame design, it allows for maximum ground space for them for forage through the grass, provides adequate nesting space that is raised like the chickens need to feel safe, and yet it is still compact and easy to move around. Although I don't have wheels on any of these, I can easily pick up and move them around where ever I want, which would be made easier if I added some hardcloth to the bottoms so I wouldn't have to remove the chickens when I move the coops. But, I would just as soon go through the trouble of gathering up the chickens rather than have them walking on the hardcloth wires, this gives them a more natural grazing area.

 

The chickens weren't in bad health, but they did show signs of neglect and over population for the area they had been kept in. The Cochin looked the best of the three, and he looks ten times better now than he did a week ago when we got him, I suppose he got the better treatment since they had been showing him. The other four were missing a few feathers and the vanes were gone from the feather shafts on their wing tips. So, I've been giving them heavy supplements of calcium in their food. Plus giving them treats high in protein and calcium, which has helped tremendously. But, they're still recovering. If they had been in real bad shape, I wouldn't have bothered with them, but they showed good energy and nice muscle structure. And, the didn't have signs of any other aliments or disease. As with any animal, you have to know what to look for when buying them. Some things can be a simple fix, like the calcium deficiency, others can almost be a lost cause and end up costing more time and money that if you had just passed and spent more on a better looking animal. With chickens, pay special attention to their combs and wattles, feet and legs, beak, eyes and their vents/cloaca. Those are the areas where you can find signs of sickness or disease. If you have any doubts, walk away from the purchase without a second thought. It's better to spend double on a good health animal, than to spend thrice on a sick one. Personally, I'm still learning what to look for; what's good, what's bad, and what's acceptable. So, I'm not an authority in any way. But, do your research and learn everything you can about the animal you plan to buying.

 

Now for the pictures.


The larger A-frame with external hut for the Cochin

Cochin hut with my free range rooster Roger on top

 

 

 

Strut & Rosie, Seramas

Pretty Boy, White Cochin



Kenmore & Maytag, Seramas

Small A-frame with built in roost



Valentines Day 2013

Well, it's Valentines Day. Hope y'all remembered to get your significant other something nice and sweet. A lot of people complain about how commercialized holidays are, and well, yea, they are. Some exceedingly so. But, you can't blame a man for trying to make a buck or millions. I know I have been trying that for the last twenty years.

 

My wife asked for a juicer the other day, so I went to the store and got one for her. She said she would consider that her Valentine gift, since I picked up a card while I was there. Yup, I gave her the card that evening. But, I had also ordered her another gift and card that had yet to arrive at that time. I found it on one of my favorite comic sites, Explosm.net home of Cyanide & Happiness. Cyanide & Happiness happens to be one of my favorite comics on the web or anywhere, along with The Pocalypse and Loading Artist, which has a wonderful comic up today. They had a promotion on their plushies with a card, so I decided that was what my wife needed. Which she got a couple days ago when it came in.

 

 

 

From what I can tell, green and blue are the only colors they offer normally, so it seems that the red ones were just promotional for Valentines day. Hell, I can't even find the post where I ordered it from. Anyway, she loved it. And, these things are huge, that head is about six inches across. But, they're cool as hell. May get the others to complete the collection.

 

She, got me a damn big Reese's heart, a damn big card, this thing is huge (I mean measured in feet not inches huge), a laser level that I'd been looking at for months, and her love. All of which I appreciate and cherish.

 

Happy Valentines Day people of the human persuasion.



A Bit Of A Dreary Day

We got some rain/snow/slush here this morning and it's turned into more of a rain at the present. And, of course, I had an interview in Oklahoma City, about thirty miles away, at nine this morning. I don't mind driving in the rain and snow, not crazy about ice though, and as usual I try to be safe and watch the road conditions, other drivers, and things of the sort that you're supposed to under ideal conditions, and even more so during bad weather. So, I'm driving up the Interstate going about ten miles under the speed limit of seventy five, and I had people passing me like I was going forty. It seems like people rely too much on the technology of their vehicles, like expecting it to stop when they want it to. And, with most cars with decent rubber, they will, even in wet conditions. But, if you hit a deep pool of water, or a rut that's worn more than the rest of the road. Well, you're in for a helluva ride. At one point of the drive, I said to my wife, "I think people forget what the effect of water on any given surface is." Her reply was that people don't have a lot of experience driving on wet roads around here, which is true. And, I mentioned that they have to take showers at least every few days, and I presume they easily forget that their hands slide down their arms much more easily when they're wet, than when dry. I may have come across as a bit of a dick, judging by her reaction, though it wasn't intentional. But, people seem to lose their damn minds when the weather turns bad here. I think they just think that their traction control, ABS, all-weather tires, and other shit they put on cars now-a-days to keep idiots from killing themselves and others will save them and work just as good on wet roads as it does on dry roads. Technology has helped us greatly, making things easier and safer, but it should not replace your damn common sense. I am starting to believe that technology is beginning to handicap us in ways that aren't completely apparent just yet. As humans, I believe that we are starting to rely on technology too much to do things for us that we used to have to think about and prepare for in the past.

After we got home, I was on the back porch smoking and watching it rain and I thought about what would happen if for some reason technology ceased to exist. Say, if all the coal and oil deposits dried up, and we only had what we had currently on had to run on. For example, you filled your car up yesterday afternoon, and there wasn't any fuel for it today. And, the power plants quit working overnight. No electricity, no gas, no cell phones, no phones at all, no computers or Internet. How would we, as humans, cope? How many of us would survive more than a few months? How many don't know how to build a fire and cook over it? I was watching my dogs through this, and realized that, if I turned them out and never gave them kibble again, they would grow and reproduce and they would continue on like it wasn't shit. I can only think of one animal that would be vastly impacted if technology was to disappear, and that's us humans. As a species, we'd be up shit creek without a paddle while it's flooding.

Which leads too...
Kinda...

I was searching the Internets looking for a website to learn some manly outdoorsy skills, basically stuff to be able to go out and live off the land without having shit but my clothes on. One that also had stuff on being manly domestic. And, I had a hard time finding one I liked, that had everything I was looking for. A man's site so to speak. The best ones I came across were set up and covered that didn't matter to me. They concentrated on one main demographic, either the "Upper Middle Class", the "Down Home Country Boy", or "College Guys Looking For Some Tang/Wanna Be Twenty Somethings That Are Really Too Damn Old To Be Out Clubbin" And, I personally don't fit into the GQ or Men's Health or Maxxim or Backpacker magazine demographics. The only magazine that is geared toward men (that isn't geared toward cars, trucks, or motorcycles) that I like to read is Field & Stream, and it doesn't have advice and tips on how to me manly or stuff like that, it's about how to catch a damn fish, and kill deer and other animals for food, and their website is pretty much the same.

So, I'm looking into starting my own website that will feature what I want, and have information that people like me want and need. Ya' know manly shit. Yet, stuff that women can relate too also. I don't want it to be all Tim Taylor, grunting, beer, camshafts, and souped up power tools. I want something that a man will read and think damn that is manly, but a woman can read and say these people understand. But, more geared towards men.

Because, DAMN IT! It's the mans damn job to take care of the women folk and kidrens when technology goes to shit.

My Old Photographs.

 

For me photography is an art form. I had a semi-professional Cannon and would shoot just about everything I came across. If the subject was interesting, or framed right, or just anything I thought would look good. I was shooting. A lot of these pictures I took while riding my bike through the great state of Oklahoma. And, when I get them a bit more organized, I will be reliving some of these rides here. That may tide me over until I can afford another bike, and can continue my two wheeled adventures. I also have to find a mapping software I like to trace my routes and make images of them to add along with the pictures. The pictures I have taken are a mixture of destination spots here in Oklahoma, and others were just shit I saw riding down the road and though it would make a cool pic, and turned around and found a place to park and got out and took my picture and went on my way. I was showing some pictures I took during one particular ride to an acquaintance of mine. He traveled that road on a regular basis, not daily but about every other week, to see friends and family, and I took a couple of pictures that he had no idea where was along that road. The next time he went down to his folks place, he paid special attention both going down and coming home, and when we met up the next time, he told me that he had found both of the places, and was astonished that he had never really noticed them before. Both places were right off the highway not more that fifty or sixty yards. And, that's what I love about riding. You're not just a passive observer of the world as it goes by, you're an active part of it. You're out there with the smells and sounds and you can feel the wind against your arms and face. If it's warm, you're warm. If it's cold, you're not as warm, unless you have some damn good gear. If it's raining, you get wet. It's nothing like riding down the road in a car to get to the lake, or hotel. In a car you have the cabin to protect you from the elements, but it also blocks nature from invading your space during the trip. And, when you get where you're going, you're there and don't remember much of shit about the trip you just made to get to your destination. We drove to Las Vegas from Oklahoma City last Summer, and I drove the final leg, spent about nine hours behind the wheel, maybe more. And, I couldn't tell you shit about that nine hours except where we stopped to get gas and drinks, and where we got off of I-40 to head northerly to Vegas. Even the time I spent awake and not driving, I couldn't tell you the color of the rocks in the mountains, the sand of the desert, or the color of the trees, or even if there were any trees at any given point of the journey. I couldn't tell you where the plains ended and the desert started, or when the desert got a bit mountainous. But, from my experience I know if I had been on the back of a bike. One, I wouldn't have taken I-40 out there, and two I would have noticed a lot more shit, and it would have taken me more than twenty hours to get there, my best guesstimate would be about three days. I'm slow like that. On a bike you're a part of nature, not just a spectator of it. I'm just the kind of person that would rather be in nature than watch it. Like when I go camping, fishing, or anything outdoorsy. I want to be a part of it. Not just watch it happen. I'm an all in kind of person. I like to know how to make kindling and tinder with just a knife, and how to get a spark from a couple of rocks or sticks. I like knowing how to make a shelter with minimal to no shit I carried in on a pack. But, I digress. And, will close the soapbox now by saying this, "Don't just let the world pass by, jump on and ride that sucker till the wheels fall off.

I will say, that not all of these pictures are from my motorcycling adventures. Some I was at work or home when I took them.

 

 

 

The only one that I did any photoshop on is the one to the left here, the old oil derrick with the flame. And, all I did was crop out the rest of the refinery to highlight the derrick, which was the reason I took the picture. Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with photoshop, I just prefer to use principles that you have to go by using a film camera, eventhough I use a digital. With a film camera, you can't go back and fix shit like you can with digital photographs. So, when I take my photographs, I concentrate on getting the angle, lighting, and framing just right, so it turns out how I want it to look. I don't have the time nor the want to sit at my computer for hours to make a bad or less than perfect picture in to a good or perfect picture. I would rather spend a few minutes to set it up right and get it right the when I take it.

Job Hunting.

As I've mentioned before, I've been on the hunt for a job here lately, and I don't mind jumping through some hoops to get the hiring process going. It's always been that way, and there always will be hoops to jump through. What I don't understand, is this whole Internet thing is supposed to make the job search and applying process measurably easier. But, it doesn't. Although you can find most any job online, you have even more hoops to jump through to get your application and resume submitted. I still don't understand why when you send in a resume, they turn around and give you a form to fill out and have you put all the information from your resume onto the application. Seems redundant, and a waste of paper and trees. Also, why do you have to create an account with a company to apply for a job with them. I'm not going to mention any specific company, but I have had to make several accounts with companies, just so I could submit my resume, and fill out their online application, (with the same info that's on my resume) at least it's easier on the trees. And, one company that I had to make an account with, deletes the account after a few months after your last application submission. I understand the need to control the spam for companies, I know how much I get, and I can only imagine how much companies and popular sites get. But, I think that something simpler could be done to make the process of applying for a job online a bit easier on the job hunter. Something like a simple dedicated e-mail with a captcha would go a long way to making things easier for someone looking to work for a given company. The e-mail wouldn't even have to be public, just a common submit link with a hidden e-mail behind it. I filled out an application the other day that took me a little over a hour to fill out. I just think the whole process could and should be easier.

Job Hunting With Coffee

In my current job hunt I have noticed that employeers often want your resume, and then ask you to fill out an application with pretty much the exact same information as you put on your resume. What is the purpose of this redundancy. Some of the forms they want filled out make sense, depending on the job applied for. Those I understand, but it's the general application with name education work history and skills that makes me wonder, why all the hoops?

Slightly Unproductive Weekend.

Well, I didn't get but two of my small projects done this weekend. Although I was busy all weekend, just on other stuff. But, that's how it goes. Got my magazine rack and toilet paper holder done, and I have to say I'm pretty damn pleased with them.

 

Also, during a trip to Walmart. I noticed this sign outside the hair salon there.

 

 

The extra dollar just seems like a waste of a dollar. I think it's a scam. "Hey, I'll take the buzz and wash. When you're through washing my hair, put it in this bag please. I'm saving it for when I go bald so I can hold it and cry."

Not Much To Talk About Lately... But...

Ain't had much going on here lately, mainly some job searching and more job searching. But, it's the weekend so it's time to relax and build things. And, I'm looking forward to getting outside and putting my new saw to work and see what all I can come up with. First thing though, I have to build a damn magazine rack for the bathroom. Leaving them on the back of the toilet or on the floor next to it just ain't working and I'm going to see what kind of roll holder I can incorporate into it to make it dual use and unique. Then to work on getting my bedroom door built, and a couple dog houses, and some end and coffee tables, and maybe a goat hut since my daughter is bringing her new goat home here in about five weeks, after it's weaned. May even start on the cat gym too, just depends on what I can get done. I'll throw some pictures on here when I'm done with what projects I get done this weekend.

One thing I have discovered here recently is a cookie recipe. Nothing fancy really, just basic cookies really. Modified from the back of a chocolate chip bag actually. The interesting part for me is that I had discovered some almonds from Blue Diamond that are wasabi-soy sauce flavored. So, I thought I'd pick up a bag, and unfortunately they didn't have a small bag for a dollar or two so I could just give them a try and not be out much if I didn't like them. Which I didn't care for them much out of the bag just for snacking, but they had a good unique flavor. And, I got to thinking one day after I made some cookies, that they may be good in a cookie. So, back around Christmas time, I conjured up another batch of cookies, but this time I split the dough in half after I got the chocolate chips in, and ground up about a half cup of the wasabi-soy almonds. And, they were damn good. I sent a half dozen to my friends next door and got their opinion on them, and they liked them also. The only thing I didn't like was that you only got a hint of the wasabi and soy sauce flavors, just enough of a hint to know there was something else in them that wasn't normal, but couldn't put your finger on it. And, in the interest of my philosophy of "Try shit twice, you could have been wrong the first time." I made some a few days ago, a whole batch. Well, I actually made two batches of cookies, one batch was half plain 'ol chocolate chip, and half peanut butter chocolate chip (with real peanut butter), and the second batch was the chocolate chip wasabi-soy almonds. I added about an extra quarter to a third of a cup of the almonds, and you could really taste the wasabi and soy sauce flavors in this batch, but it wasn't overwhelming, and I declared them an outstanding success, and they are permanently in my recipe book to be made at a later date.



Also, here's the recipe for the cookies I make.

Just Fuckin' Cookies

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter
¾ c sugar
¾ c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lg eggs

Pre-heat oven to 375 deg

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy and consistent.
Slowly add flour mix, while mixing ingredients.

For individual cookies
Using a regular soup/cereal spoon, spoon cookie dough onto a baking pan/sheet.
Bake 9 - 11 min
Cool on pan for about 2 min, the move to a wire rack.

For a sheet cookie.
Using a 10 X 15 roll pan, spread cookie dough across pan evenly.
Bake 20 – 25 min
Let cool completely in pan

These are just plain 'ol basic cookies that you can make nearly any cookie you want to out of.

You can add any number of things to them after the dough is well mixed. Here's some examples.

2 c Chocolate chips or any candy chips (Cinnamon, Butterscotch, Peanut Butter, etc...)

1 c chopped nuts of your choosing
½ – ¾ c peanut butter
1 – 2 c dried fruit
1 c of crushed hard candies.

One variation I love is, I add the chocolate chips, and a cup of wasabi-soy sauce almonds.
Another is, I make chocolate chip peanut butter cookies.
Also, you can substitute the extract for another flavor, depending on what flavor you're going for.
For example, If you want to impress for Christmas, you can use peppermint extract, or just add
  a cup of crushed peppermint in with the chocolate chips.
Replace the vanilla extract with rum or brandy extract for a new twist on an old favorite.

Smile, this is the end of the beginning!

Hey there people of the human pursuasion.

You worry, and scare me.

 

Time wasted

Ticks away

Gone

Left

Never to be found

Fading

Fast

Passing us by

Rocket into tomorrow

Blast through today

Taking from yesterday

Giving today

Leavin us behind

Ticks away

Time fading away

Gone

Goodbye

 

 

In the darkest of night, there is no color, shade, nor shadow.

In the end, every thing we do. Is just everything we've done.

Chicken Hut...Finally

Well I finally got the hut part of my chicken coop built yesterday. And, I'm so glad it's done. With the snow and rain we got here Christmas week, and the fact that I have to build outside, I had to wait untill my wood and work area dried out to where I could actually do something with it. Now it's time for the fence panel portion of the build.

 

 

 

 

 Plus, here's some other projects I have done. Built the dog house for my neighbour's Bully Dog. And, the end and coffee tables reside in my living room. Now... If I can only get people interested in buying them.