We are in the basement of one of the science buildings building a rack that we will attach 2 starter/controllers to that will handle air conditioners on other floors. The room also houses the steam and plumbing stuff, so it's really hot.
When you get off the elevator and walk down the hall you pass through a line of fridge sized incubators, the first 8 hold turtle eggs, then there are geckos and whiptail lizards and that old familiar smell of crickets.
As you can imagine, I have died and gone to reptile heaven.
The turtle incubators are not labeled by species, so I asked some folks what they were.
Enjoy.
PERSON 1: "I'm sorry, I don't know...I just make the food for the fruit flies...you should ask those people down the hall." " I think they might be 'ripleys', but I don't know."
PERSON 2: "Sorry, I work with the fish."
PERSON 3: "No,sorry,I don't, but I've never seen one because they are, after all, inside incubators."
Guess which person is the smarmy, head up thier ass professor looking asshat.
So, I've been walking past these incubators dying to know what kind of turtles are gestating within.
More to come...
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
I'M ON THE FAST TRACK APPARENTLY
There are 8 stages to the union intermediate journeyman program. About a month ago I was promoted to level 4. This past saturday, there was a letter from NECA (the national electricians contractors association ) in the mail box. I figured it was another notice about that evaluation I keep putting off, but, it was a notification that I had been promoted to level 5. Only 3 levels to go.
If I do well on the evaluation I could conceivably take my test for state license as a journeyman electrician in 1 to 3 months. This means I will have completed a scheduled 7 year program in under 3 & 1/2 years.
And to that I say "YeeeeeHawwww!!!!!". I have been taught by the best ( in my opinion ) and I guess the electricity is within me...or something like that.
Or else someone, somewhere, has been casting spells...nahhhh. :)
If I do well on the evaluation I could conceivably take my test for state license as a journeyman electrician in 1 to 3 months. This means I will have completed a scheduled 7 year program in under 3 & 1/2 years.
And to that I say "YeeeeeHawwww!!!!!". I have been taught by the best ( in my opinion ) and I guess the electricity is within me...or something like that.
Or else someone, somewhere, has been casting spells...nahhhh. :)
Sunday, August 27, 2006
THE DAY OF THE DOG, IN THE YEAR OF THE DOG
That's what today was...for real, look it up if you want to. For me it was an interesting day...one that started when the worst heartburn I've had in a long long time woke me up around 4:30 in the morning. My Rolaids were nowhere to be found, so I took a zantac and sat down at this lap top and rode it out. Around 5:30 I tried to go back to bed, but Theo had licked a wet spot on my pillow and the head of my side of the bed...avoiding the wet spot, made by a DOG...how lame is that? Plus he insisted on snuggling with me, which amounts to sharing his fleas with me.
They were diving off his forehead onto my torso in a most disagreeable way, so i just got the fuck up and watched videos on POE tv and you tube. It was entertaining and irritating all at once...I did not know at 5:30 this morning that it was not only the day of the dog, but the year of the dog. A double whammy.
It was also my grandson's birthday...his first one.
We knew what we wanted to get for him,so I set out for the stores around 11am, only to discover thet the local stores I wanted to shop at didn't open till noon. So I got lunch to go and brought it home ...Baby cheeseburgers and fries and onion rings from Fran's. After sharing my meal with Theo and Irene, I set out to buy inappropiate shirts for babies...shhirts thhat had misfits logos and said things like " I'm proof my mommy like's to fuck"...every store I went to was out of stock. Next week they said...I did get a cool one...a black T with a ramones looking guitar player rocking out behind a stack that read "Back in Black". Ann picked out some cool toys and I hooked a cool clock plush toy out of one of those vending machines with the crane hook dealio in about 3 seconds.
Seriously, I said " I want that clock" and the guy playing on the machine next to me said " Them hooks is weak today for some reason...good luck". 3 seconds later I'm pulling the clock out of the prize bin and he's giving me the stink eye.
So far...so good. Hey, after all, it's the day of the dog in the year of the dog. What could go wrong?
They were diving off his forehead onto my torso in a most disagreeable way, so i just got the fuck up and watched videos on POE tv and you tube. It was entertaining and irritating all at once...I did not know at 5:30 this morning that it was not only the day of the dog, but the year of the dog. A double whammy.
It was also my grandson's birthday...his first one.
We knew what we wanted to get for him,so I set out for the stores around 11am, only to discover thet the local stores I wanted to shop at didn't open till noon. So I got lunch to go and brought it home ...Baby cheeseburgers and fries and onion rings from Fran's. After sharing my meal with Theo and Irene, I set out to buy inappropiate shirts for babies...shhirts thhat had misfits logos and said things like " I'm proof my mommy like's to fuck"...every store I went to was out of stock. Next week they said...I did get a cool one...a black T with a ramones looking guitar player rocking out behind a stack that read "Back in Black". Ann picked out some cool toys and I hooked a cool clock plush toy out of one of those vending machines with the crane hook dealio in about 3 seconds.
Seriously, I said " I want that clock" and the guy playing on the machine next to me said " Them hooks is weak today for some reason...good luck". 3 seconds later I'm pulling the clock out of the prize bin and he's giving me the stink eye.
So far...so good. Hey, after all, it's the day of the dog in the year of the dog. What could go wrong?
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
PROOF THAT THE GOP HAS TWO FINGERS POKING OUT OF THE QUICKSAND
Please go look at this clip at crooks and liars
Now this is some realtime hardball...this idiot from texas got his ass handed to him by Chris Matthews. If you ever needed proof about how full of shit thhis administration is just listen to Van spout his horse shit. It's embarrassing that they have to start trotting out the retards, and by retard I mean this guy...Van, whatever his last name is...what is it? Oh yeah, McRetard. (R-Tx.)
Good god ya'll.
And 2 thumbs up solid for Chris...way to beat the retard down.
And 2 for Hackett as well...he's not even in a race and he beat the tard down without even trying.
The difference between talking points and the truth has never been so stark.
Enjoy.
Now this is some realtime hardball...this idiot from texas got his ass handed to him by Chris Matthews. If you ever needed proof about how full of shit thhis administration is just listen to Van spout his horse shit. It's embarrassing that they have to start trotting out the retards, and by retard I mean this guy...Van, whatever his last name is...what is it? Oh yeah, McRetard. (R-Tx.)
Good god ya'll.
And 2 thumbs up solid for Chris...way to beat the retard down.
And 2 for Hackett as well...he's not even in a race and he beat the tard down without even trying.
The difference between talking points and the truth has never been so stark.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
REMEMBERING DAD
He would of been 81 years old today, if he had made it past the line. But he didn't , so it's up to me. How would have my dad have been at 81?
Who the fuck knows...I remember him at 67...crusty,cynical and still getting tattoos. A reluctant grandfather...a reluctant old person. Young as you feel, he would say.
I miss you...happy birthday ya bastard...who fucking loves you?
Me.
Who the fuck knows...I remember him at 67...crusty,cynical and still getting tattoos. A reluctant grandfather...a reluctant old person. Young as you feel, he would say.
I miss you...happy birthday ya bastard...who fucking loves you?
Me.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
REDISCOVERING MY INNER BUKOWSKI...AND YARD WORK.
Once upon a time a nightwatch staff I supervised loaned me a book of short stories. It was called " Erections,ejaculations exhibitions and tales of ordinary madness". By Charles Bukowski. Long out of print, but reprinted in two volumes by city lights. I got part one today..."The most beautiful woman in town"...short stories by a deranged man, my kind of reading.
That I'm interested in reading again is in and by itself amazing. I mean, sure, I read alot on the internet, but to curl up in bed with a disturbing collection on paper...wow. Culture seeps in to me after all these years.
I also cleaned up the driveway/front yard tonight, a little bit before and alot after Deadwood. Gardening at night as the old REM song goes. It's looking good so far, but there's more to do. And I've fired up the grill for dinner...cooked outside so's to not heat up the house...at 10pm it is still 89 degrees f.
As I grill the nathans hot dogs I will garden some more. And after dinner, a short story or two by my good friend Charles.
A corner has been turned.
That I'm interested in reading again is in and by itself amazing. I mean, sure, I read alot on the internet, but to curl up in bed with a disturbing collection on paper...wow. Culture seeps in to me after all these years.
I also cleaned up the driveway/front yard tonight, a little bit before and alot after Deadwood. Gardening at night as the old REM song goes. It's looking good so far, but there's more to do. And I've fired up the grill for dinner...cooked outside so's to not heat up the house...at 10pm it is still 89 degrees f.
As I grill the nathans hot dogs I will garden some more. And after dinner, a short story or two by my good friend Charles.
A corner has been turned.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
LET'S SEE...WHERE WAS I?
To sum up...the lawn mower is still gone, as are the knuckleheads that probably stole it. I hope they are in jail being traded to large angry black men for packs of newports.
The meteor shower was lame, thanks in part to an almost full moon. We only got to see maybe 8 shooting across the sky, and while that was cool, we were expecting lots more. The company was small in size, but large on friendship as we lazed on a giant carpet scrap gazing at a night sky and strumming acoustic guitars.
Ann and I set up our condo tent (sleeps 9) and spent the night...the first (even close ) to camping we have done in years.
And then came sunday.....
We came back into town and cleaned up and went to brunch...several margs later, we went to Target to get office space for Ann and Jarhead for me (not planned...margs) and I : Freaked the cashier out by asking him if the aliens in his registers card reader could read my mind ( I thought it was hilarious...no one else did), then, on the way out of the store this SUV didn't yield for us in the cross walk I said" thanks for stopping" which got an unintelligable response from thhe driver, to which your drunken asshat of a writer replied "Fuck YOU". The SUV stopped for a very brief but intense moment and I realized I had no business being out in public. They moved on, we went home. Ann was very proud of me at that moment (NOT...let's just say it's a good thing this kind of behavior isn't an avocation for me :) ).
About a half mile from the house the Rodeo started pitching and heaving, and that's when I realized I hadn't bothered to buy gas when we left dripping springs and when I also realized that the last time this happened ( running out of gas) it cooked the fuel pump and cost 700 bucks to repair. We made it home, but the rodeo has been dead in the driveway since.
Until tonight.
I have been messing with it a bit every night since sunday...and tonight I fixed it! By messing with fuses and relays and putting enough gas in it to prime the pump.
I have also been on a self imposed sabbatical from bad habits, trying to sort out what made me act like such an asshat on sunday. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, but I have an idea.
And I feel like I've found my balance again...we're finally doing some real electrical work instead of the chasing of tails that's been the norm for over a month.
Ann's job consumes her, and takes her away from us. I'm not used to being left to my own devices so much. You know, after 12 years of almost every evening and weekend together, the sudden and prolonged abscence of that was wearing me ( and her ) down.
But it's much better now.
The meteor shower was lame, thanks in part to an almost full moon. We only got to see maybe 8 shooting across the sky, and while that was cool, we were expecting lots more. The company was small in size, but large on friendship as we lazed on a giant carpet scrap gazing at a night sky and strumming acoustic guitars.
Ann and I set up our condo tent (sleeps 9) and spent the night...the first (even close ) to camping we have done in years.
And then came sunday.....
We came back into town and cleaned up and went to brunch...several margs later, we went to Target to get office space for Ann and Jarhead for me (not planned...margs) and I : Freaked the cashier out by asking him if the aliens in his registers card reader could read my mind ( I thought it was hilarious...no one else did), then, on the way out of the store this SUV didn't yield for us in the cross walk I said" thanks for stopping" which got an unintelligable response from thhe driver, to which your drunken asshat of a writer replied "Fuck YOU". The SUV stopped for a very brief but intense moment and I realized I had no business being out in public. They moved on, we went home. Ann was very proud of me at that moment (NOT...let's just say it's a good thing this kind of behavior isn't an avocation for me :) ).
About a half mile from the house the Rodeo started pitching and heaving, and that's when I realized I hadn't bothered to buy gas when we left dripping springs and when I also realized that the last time this happened ( running out of gas) it cooked the fuel pump and cost 700 bucks to repair. We made it home, but the rodeo has been dead in the driveway since.
Until tonight.
I have been messing with it a bit every night since sunday...and tonight I fixed it! By messing with fuses and relays and putting enough gas in it to prime the pump.
I have also been on a self imposed sabbatical from bad habits, trying to sort out what made me act like such an asshat on sunday. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, but I have an idea.
And I feel like I've found my balance again...we're finally doing some real electrical work instead of the chasing of tails that's been the norm for over a month.
Ann's job consumes her, and takes her away from us. I'm not used to being left to my own devices so much. You know, after 12 years of almost every evening and weekend together, the sudden and prolonged abscence of that was wearing me ( and her ) down.
But it's much better now.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD
A couple of months ago I borrowed my friends lawn mower to mow my front yard. Being that he's been paying some guys to mow his since then, there was no big hurry to return it.
So...every day for the last couple of months, I get home, I unlock the burglar bars, open the patio door, let the dogs out and look at Rusty's lawn mower. I say to myself "Self...you really need to return that mower to Rusty."
Until today. The mower was gone...So today it was "Self...it looks like you gotta buy Rusty a new lawn mower...FUCK!!!"
I was all set to put the blame on these knuckleheaded brothers that have lived in this hood all thier lives. Between stints in jail for various knuckleheaded shit, they eek out a living doing yard work.
Most recently in my backyard. They are prime suspects. I'll be doing some recon at thier house tomorrow. You try to be nice...
When Ann got home, she told me that our neighborhood association news group had been posting recently about similar thefts, in fact, our neighbor across the street had his mower stolen in the past few months.
A home owner interrupted a theft, and the perps pretended they were delivering a pizza and got the wrong address and hauled ass. They were young and black. The knuckleheads referred to earlier are early 40's and hispanic/sorta.
So...I'm 75% sure it was the knuckleheads, 25% on some punks from the projects about a mile and a half away. I'll figure it out soon enough. But first I have to buy a lawn mower.
Did I mention the highest sin on my list is this kind of shit? Did I mention I have guns? And I'm not shy about discharging them in city limits?
Yeah...
I thought so.
If you gotta steal...for christs sake, do it in westlake fucking hills...those people won't fuck you up, they just call the bank.
How many times do I have to say Robin Hood?
So...every day for the last couple of months, I get home, I unlock the burglar bars, open the patio door, let the dogs out and look at Rusty's lawn mower. I say to myself "Self...you really need to return that mower to Rusty."
Until today. The mower was gone...So today it was "Self...it looks like you gotta buy Rusty a new lawn mower...FUCK!!!"
I was all set to put the blame on these knuckleheaded brothers that have lived in this hood all thier lives. Between stints in jail for various knuckleheaded shit, they eek out a living doing yard work.
Most recently in my backyard. They are prime suspects. I'll be doing some recon at thier house tomorrow. You try to be nice...
When Ann got home, she told me that our neighborhood association news group had been posting recently about similar thefts, in fact, our neighbor across the street had his mower stolen in the past few months.
A home owner interrupted a theft, and the perps pretended they were delivering a pizza and got the wrong address and hauled ass. They were young and black. The knuckleheads referred to earlier are early 40's and hispanic/sorta.
So...I'm 75% sure it was the knuckleheads, 25% on some punks from the projects about a mile and a half away. I'll figure it out soon enough. But first I have to buy a lawn mower.
Did I mention the highest sin on my list is this kind of shit? Did I mention I have guns? And I'm not shy about discharging them in city limits?
Yeah...
I thought so.
If you gotta steal...for christs sake, do it in westlake fucking hills...those people won't fuck you up, they just call the bank.
How many times do I have to say Robin Hood?
Friday, August 04, 2006
THE WAR HITS CLOSE TO HOME
TOP STORIES
Friday August 4 2006
Marine from Austin dies in combat
8/4/2006 3:11 PM
By: Associated Press
A Marine from Austin has been killed in combat in Iraq.
The Defense Department on Friday announced the death of 23-year-old Sergeant George M. Ulloa Junior.
He died Thursday from wounds suffered during combat operations in Al Anbar province.
Ulloa was assigned to the Second Tank Battalion, Second
Marine Division, Two Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
We work with his father at UT...George sr., The family are active members in the San Jose Catholic church right down the road ( the parking lot is a short cut to the liquor store ). I see him and his big ass truck and BBQ pit there all the time. Our condolences go out to George and his family, and George jr's wife and kids.
What they don't report is he was 30 days short of coming home from his second tour in that godforsaken place.
Semper Fi George, god speed.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
A REALLY BAD JOKE
This guy is at a hotel bar during a plumbing supply convention when this beautiful woman sits down next to him. He buys her several drinks and is hitting on her big time. He keeps trying to get her to come to his room, and put off by his advances, the following exchange occurs:
Him: Are you sure you don't want to come up? We could have champaign and chocolate covered strawberries and make sweet love.
She: I'm sorry but as good as that sounds I need to tell you...I'm a lesbian.
After an awkward moment he lifts his glass and responds: So...How are things in Beirut???
Badda-boom!
Him: Are you sure you don't want to come up? We could have champaign and chocolate covered strawberries and make sweet love.
She: I'm sorry but as good as that sounds I need to tell you...I'm a lesbian.
After an awkward moment he lifts his glass and responds: So...How are things in Beirut???
Badda-boom!
Sen. Max Baucus nephew dies in Iraq...And EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW
Lets have a moment of silence for Phillip................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
O.K...while it's a tragedy for any loss of life in this illegal war, why is this one all over the fucking national news? Sure, we all see local reports of the slaughter as it effects our individual communities. But this just smacks of...Oh I don't know...How about a cry of "See??!! It's not just the poor kids that are getting killed over there in our attempt to bring freedom and democracy to a bunch of people who don't want it, so get over it already you Cindy Sheehan types!!!" generated by those assholes in DC.
So lets see...Out of the 2580 americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, we got that football player, Tilman...who, it turned out was killed by friendly fire and this nephew of a Montana senator.
So that leaves 2577 relegated to local coverage ( Cindy's kid doesn't count in this case because of her relentless persuit of the truth...You go Cindy ).
Phillips tragic demise and the resultant coverage is propaganda, plain and simple. Bushco attempting to capitalize on the death of someone "important", no, even worse, the death of someone related to someone important to manipulate the hearts and minds of people who might or might not vote them out in November.
I'm not impressed that a senators nephew was killed in combat, nor would I be impressed if it was a child or a relative of the key players in the Bush Crime Family. These casualties are tragic regardless of station. But the capitalizing on Phillips death in the mainstream press is unconsionable and further illustrates how low these assholes are willing to sink.
I am reminded of a pivotal scene in the film "Hamburger Hill", where Doc ( a black medic ) is having basically his last words with the sargeant ( a white guy ) , and Doc says through a morphine haze, " It's OK bro...We're...All...Niggers up on that hill".
And my point in regard to that quote is, there's a world of difference between the "people" perpetrating this war and the people who are fighting it. Godspeed to you Phillip, and the 2579 that proceeded you in a senseless death in a scarey place far away from home.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
O.K...while it's a tragedy for any loss of life in this illegal war, why is this one all over the fucking national news? Sure, we all see local reports of the slaughter as it effects our individual communities. But this just smacks of...Oh I don't know...How about a cry of "See??!! It's not just the poor kids that are getting killed over there in our attempt to bring freedom and democracy to a bunch of people who don't want it, so get over it already you Cindy Sheehan types!!!" generated by those assholes in DC.
So lets see...Out of the 2580 americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, we got that football player, Tilman...who, it turned out was killed by friendly fire and this nephew of a Montana senator.
So that leaves 2577 relegated to local coverage ( Cindy's kid doesn't count in this case because of her relentless persuit of the truth...You go Cindy ).
Phillips tragic demise and the resultant coverage is propaganda, plain and simple. Bushco attempting to capitalize on the death of someone "important", no, even worse, the death of someone related to someone important to manipulate the hearts and minds of people who might or might not vote them out in November.
I'm not impressed that a senators nephew was killed in combat, nor would I be impressed if it was a child or a relative of the key players in the Bush Crime Family. These casualties are tragic regardless of station. But the capitalizing on Phillips death in the mainstream press is unconsionable and further illustrates how low these assholes are willing to sink.
I am reminded of a pivotal scene in the film "Hamburger Hill", where Doc ( a black medic ) is having basically his last words with the sargeant ( a white guy ) , and Doc says through a morphine haze, " It's OK bro...We're...All...Niggers up on that hill".
And my point in regard to that quote is, there's a world of difference between the "people" perpetrating this war and the people who are fighting it. Godspeed to you Phillip, and the 2579 that proceeded you in a senseless death in a scarey place far away from home.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
I HATE THE SMELL OF APPLE SPICE
Unfortunately, the gross of candles we bought years ago, in the event of a power outage, are fucking apple spice. Guess what? One of those old ass transformers over on Locke Ln. popped right around 10 pm...And the shitty of austin just got the power back up a few minutes ago. FUCK!!!!! I hate it when this happens, especially when we pay the high rates for power that we do. When it goes out, and it should never...the city of austin should dispatch motherfuckers to follow me around my dark ass stone age house with maglites until it comes back on, that's when I know I'm getting my monies worth from the city. We should also get a rebate for the time our shit is down, but we don't.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...don't move here assholes, yer fucking it up for us that have been here before you...stay the fuck in Cali...please. Fuck up your own power grid and leave us alone.
And as the house heats up...yeah, it may be after 10 and the sun is down, but it's still fucking hot...that global warming shit not withstanding, the house heats up real fast.
I don't like to sweat...it reminds me of Bush and that issue of global warming that he likes to pretend does'nt exist, like all the other shit he ignores that is plain obvious to the simpleist of us all.
Yeah, it's hot...but you'd think the powers that be would have the technology to keep the grid up...but wait!
Perry's got Bushco up his ass
Where's my rebate?
I've said it before and I'll say it again...don't move here assholes, yer fucking it up for us that have been here before you...stay the fuck in Cali...please. Fuck up your own power grid and leave us alone.
And as the house heats up...yeah, it may be after 10 and the sun is down, but it's still fucking hot...that global warming shit not withstanding, the house heats up real fast.
I don't like to sweat...it reminds me of Bush and that issue of global warming that he likes to pretend does'nt exist, like all the other shit he ignores that is plain obvious to the simpleist of us all.
Yeah, it's hot...but you'd think the powers that be would have the technology to keep the grid up...but wait!
Perry's got Bushco up his ass
Where's my rebate?
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