"How stupid and ignorant can you be?"

If this were only really General Patton...

another interesting link

I see that I have another visitor from down south.
http://tallcooldrinkofwater.blogspot.com/
Welcome R.A.M. (acronym unknown - maybe she will fill us in?)
Stop by and say "HI".

What's the matter with this picture?

Apparently the New York Times recently published a review of the Last Harry Potter installment without revealing the ending, yet they managed to reveal Classified national security documents all last year.

I think they got their priorities a bit messed up.

Oh, and as an update to this post:
http://the-tigers-eye.blogspot.com/2007/07/more-predictions.html

As of this evening the NOAA Hurricane Center webpage:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Lists "There are no tropical cyclones at this time."

Just thought you'd like to know.

funny cats

In the past I was always more of a dog person but now that we have become a 2 cat house, this video looks a bit familiar...

Hello and good morning in Indiana

I thought I would mention a few blogs that I have been reading of late:
"Back Home Again"
http://jwiley.typepad.com/back_home_again/
Which is appropriate for a fellow back from the wilds of the west returning home to the flatlands around Lebanon. Its a nice read for a change.

"The Hoosierpundit"
http://hoosierpundit.blogspot.com/
As the name suggests, HP is pretty occupied with politics and the goings-on here in the Hoosier state. James; caution here, if you think I am hard to agree with, you will find Scott dammed near impossible to agree with.

"Circle City Pundit"
http://circlecitypundit.blogspot.com/
A fellow Indianapolis resident with a decidedly conservative viewpoint.

Have a look.

Just warms the cockles of my cold Republican heart...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289242,00.html

ANGOLA, Ind. — The dessert at one Indiana restaurant may be rich, but not compared to its server, it turns out.
An Indiana Pizza Hut waitress with dreams of college received a much-needed boost in arriving at that goal: a $10,000 tip.
Jessica Osborne was so overcome by the gift she cried so hard she could barely breathe. When she told a co-worker what had happened she called her a liar.
"I got that a lot," Osborne said.
The money came from a mother and her two sons who wish to remain anonymous. The three were regular customers at the Pizza Hut in Angola and she remembered their order: two Mountain Dews, a cup of hot water for a bag of tea the woman brought in and a large Meat Lover's Stuffed Crust pizza, half without pepperoni and half with mushrooms and black olives.
The family usually came in once a week, sometimes more. Each time they would ask for Osborne to be their server, then chat about their lives when she had the chance to talk.
"They make your day better when they come in," she said.
Almost a week ago, the family came in while Osborne had extra time to talk. Her fiancé, Derek Krouse, was sitting nearby. Both the family and Osborne opened up to one another more this time.
The 20-year-old waitress told the family how she had started college twice before but had to withdraw each time because she didn't have enough money. They told her of their plans to move from the small city about 40 miles north of Fort Wayne. Osborne asked them to come say goodbye to her before they left town.
They returned Sunday night, bringing with them the woman's brother and his wife. When all her tables were taken care of, Osborne sat next to the family for a chat. They handed Osborne a check, folded in half, with money from an education fund they had set up after a death in the family.
"I couldn't breathe," Osborne told FOXNews.com. " I told her I couldn't accept it."
Osborne's mom, Marty Kiskaden, said when Jessica called her to tell her the news, she was initially shocked but said it didn't surprise her that someone would do this for her daughter.
"Jessie is a really neat human being," she told FOXNews.com. "The fact that someone would want to do this for her is not surprising."
Now that she has the money, Osborne said she is looking into attending Ivy Tech, a college that holds classes close to where she lives. She said she was the editor of her school newspaper in high school and would like to study journalism.
As for her job at Pizza Hut, Osborne said she plans to continue working as a waitress there.
"I've always taken my job very seriously," she said. "I will continue to serve pizza like I have."

FOX News' Audrey Bright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

I like reading about things like this, the Wife and I have said if we ever had the chance we would like to do something anomalously nice like this.

Gripe session

Ever had one of those days where you feel just slightly out of phase?
Like someone adjusted the vertical hold to your screen and you just can’t seem to find the proper equilibrium?
When I get sick it usually starts this way.
Yesterday I woke up at the usual 5:00am and after the morning ritual I sat down with yogurt to read emails and a few headline prior to showering.
As I sat there, I kept thinking, “I just don’t feel good”.

I’m not one of those people who feel compelled to go to work with body parts hanging loose or a fever of 104 but yesterday was special. I had a day-long meeting with correspondents from Seattle and Los Angles that I really needed to attend to so I filled my body with medicines and stuffed myself into the Mazda and motored downtown to the Garage and stumbled into the office feeling like crap.
Over the years I have learned that if you put enough caffeine into your body along with Advil you can usually fool yourself into believing you are going to be OK when in fact all you are doing in delaying the inevitable crash. After 5 cups of coffee I was ready to sit thru said meeting or at least till I could duck out and not make everybody miserable. And sit there I did, for 5 hours thinking the entire time, “I just don’t feel good”. (Its starting to sound like a theme doesn’t it?)
About 1:30 after my structural consultants had left to catch their flight back to Seattle, I was able to make an exit and feeling like I was running a fever I dashed for the garage to come home.

You would think that after 46 years I would know my own body. I knew I was going to feel awful and awful I felt, for that matter I feel pretty bad today as well.

I hate being sick.

My newest toy

This past year has been a good one at our office.

We recently recieved our mid year bonus and my little share allowed me to purchase a new toy.

A TREK 4500 in Black and Candy apple Red.

Its all kinds of fun, heck its got 24 gears!

Seriously, I got tired of lugging around an extra 30 lbs. so this year's goal is to be down to 205 by June 08. We will see but so far I have ridden nearly every day in the past week.

Casa Tiger update

Well, its the hottest days of the summer, and as usual Ole King Tiger spent the day diggin in the dirt. It always seems that we choose days when the mercury bumps the near side of 95 and the humidity is climbing that Mrs. Tiger gets that green bug and I get to dig and dig and dig till it hurts.

Last year was Phase I of our multi-season switch to perennials in our flower beds.

(Front Walk w/ American Flag)

Those Coneflowers under the Dogwood kinda volunteered from an older planting. They are mixed in with the world's largest Catnip plant. On any given day if the front door is open "the boys" will be fixed at the storm door window staring at a cat version of Reefer Madness, thinking, "If only we could open the door...."

The various perennials have finally come into their own although we are up to our asses in Columbines. Funny that Mom and Dad couldn't seem to grow them at all and I can't keep them under control. Last year we cleared out most of them to a specific number of plantings and now I have them EVERYWHERE!

Mrs. Tiger wants to cut that "Sweet William" waaaaay back. As she says, "Its outta control..."

This year is Phase II and some time later this year or more likely next spring will be Phase III which should (hopefully) end it all. Above is the latest where we pulled a trio of Bird's Nest Yews and replaced them with Russian Sage and Phlox and some small white wispy flower that Mrs. T planted and now cannot remember what it was.

This is what occupied most of my weekend. All of the planting you see was sod as recently as last week. That's an area about 25 feet by 6 feet with a sort of radius. All sorts of Russian Sage, Black Eyed Susan's and other interesting stuff. Needless to say I'm sore and tired.

Don't worry Dad, It's an honest tired. It was real good old fashioned clean sweat and grime today.

UPDATE:

Here is that day-lily in the corner, it was planted first and only bloomed this past week. We will split it and move it as soon as the blooms are finished. the photo is a bit grainy due to being shot from a phone. Sometimes they give really nice results and sometimes they leave something to be desired.

More Predictions...

Hmmmmm....Perhaps I shouldn't go out on a limb on this one. I mean after all, EVERYBODY says that Human Induced Global Warming is going to cause all sorts of nastiness including something like 5 or 6 serious Hurricanes this season. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Atlantic_hurricane_season

(as an aside, lets check those same people's track record. For 2006 "Klotzbach's team issued its first extended-range forecast for the 2006 season, predicting a well above-average season (17 named storms, 9 hurricanes, 5 of Category 3 or higher)."
As I recall, last year was a real doozie, something like ZERO landfalls in the Continental US.
Wow, I'm impressed.

OK, Hurricane season runs from June 1 thru November 30. As of July 7 we have had exactly 2 tropical depressions in the Atlantic. Thats 20% of the season.

Now, the Atlantic is a pretty big place so even though the Weather Channel feed shows that there isn't anything in Florida or even the Caribbean perhaps there is something big lurking out there.
Lets Check NOAA, surely they will have something worth worrying about somewhere out in the mid-Atlantic ready to swoop into our neck of the woods.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ - thats their webpage dedicated to Hurricanes.

What ?!?! "There are no tropical cyclones at this time"

Thats right folks, NOTHING, NADA, ZIP, ZILCH. Hmmmmm...

I am predicting that this season will be pretty much like most. A few storms, maybe a bad one here or there but nothing particularly awful or END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!! (Emphasis ALGORE Vs. II.b)

Independence Day

"...I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

John Addams in a letter to his wife; Abigale on the celebration of our nation's independence.

My God!
How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!

-Thomas Jefferson

(UPDATE)
a bit of explaination. For the past 5 years our little cul-de-sac of fun otherwise known as White Rock Court has been the bullseye of party central when it comes to local 4th of July parties. Each year the party has gotten a bit bigger and more elaborate with progressively more impressive and prodigous amounts of meat and other forms of food all topped off with my neighbor's fireworks. Last year he produced about $350 worth of the good stuff. This year he topped it with a display of multiple launches and choreographed colors that was pretty impressive for a little ole street of 6 houses.
5 years ago it was about 25 people with two Weber Grilles, this year we had 67 people with 5 count'em 5 grilles. Riblets, country style ribs and chicken, hotdogs and burgers with folks all over the place.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Independence Day

"What does patriotism have to do with the Christian Life?"

"A great deal more that we wish to admit. No altar, no community: without the common bond of worship, men do not form a city or a nation, and this is as true of America as it was of Athens. No man will lend his heart to a low tax rate or to a system of national roads.

But speak to him of liberty, and his eyes grow bright; tell him that that honor was granted him by his Maker, and he will lay down his life, if need be, to ensure that honor be respected, for himself and hischildren, for all generations.

Do itis that the state can attain its perfection only by recognizing a divinity beyond it; if its dome is not the vault of stars above, it mus collapse."

taken from Anthony Esolen's "Dante's Divine Comedy and Independence Day"

I was struck by the fact that without God in the equation of our Declaration of Independence, there is little to inspire us. It is the recognition that we are ENDOWED by our creator with this independence and freedom that enables us to be free citizens.

Happy 4th of July.

Now go and "blow sumpthin up real good"!

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