Stubborn Pryde

Kitty love

2011-06-27T21:25:00.002-05:00

Shameless pet blogging.

Dare to be Different

2011-06-04T10:39:00.005-05:00

Out front I have a lilac bush, that every year, decides to toss out one set of white flowers amongst the purple ones. This year was no exception. It reminds me of people who refuse to follow the norm set by society, in a good way. It dares to be different. I see a lot of that lately. People who refuse to conform to the idiotic rules set by a society that is being overrun by government officials with no working brain cells.

People claim all laws are passed to "make all of our lives better." Oh really! We have a sue happy society who can't support themselves without the government's help. We have citizens who don't know the word NO. They don't understand what working for a living actually means. We have hate crime enhancers that apply only to white people. We have specially funded colleges for everyone, except again, for the white male. And when someone tries to organize a college scholarship for said white males, he is ridiculed and called a racist. No child let behind, that is churning out kids left and right into society that can not even think for themselves, read above a sixth grade level (if that), or do basic math without a calculator. (But can probably text 100 words per minute on their expensive cell phones) Young adults are being told they can not pray to their chosen God during their commencement ceremonies, because it breaks one law or another. (Freedom of speech? Where) Political correctness has gotten completely out of control. (pretty soon you won't be able to call the sky blue, or the grass green) We have law makers more worried about pacifying the minority, then worrying about ways to actually fix a severely broken system.

It is time society, as a whole, gets off their collective butts and starts doing something about this. Remember, even a small voice can be heard, when added to others. Be a rebel. Stand up for yourself. Speak your mind. Don't be afraid of standing out in a crowd. (others may just be waiting for someone like you to start the change)

Be that White Lilac. Dare to be different!

Ithaca Superintendent asks Gov. Snyder to 'convert my school to a prison.'

2011-05-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

Ithaca Superintendent asks Gov. Snyder to 'convert my school to a prison.': "Superintendent Nathan Bootz has asked Governor Rick Snyder to “convert my school to a prison.” What questions do you want NBC25 to ask the superintendent?"

I read the letter he sent, and I absolutely loved the wording and logic he used. I wonder if he is interested in moving to Wisconsin. Prisons are getting so many amenities now a days, it is more like a dayem hotel then a place to pay for your crimes. It's sickening.

What's the date?

2011-04-16T16:52:00.004-05:00

Last time I checked today was April 16th. Double checks to be sure..... yep, still is. I look outside and I would swear it was late November. It's snowing here. Yes, that 4 letter S word. Mid April and the ground is white. Temperature with windchill is 22. Yes I used the W word also. What the holy heck is Mother Nature thinking. Does she need to go out on a bender or something? Or did she already do that. A few days ago our state was hammered with tornadoes, last night we had sleet. Today it's snow. I would greatly appreciate some of that global warming right about now. I'm chilled to the bone.

pets

2011-04-02T14:28:00.005-05:00

Shameless pet blogging :D

Stan and Tucker

Dusty napping

snow pics

2011-03-23T16:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we got a lot of snow. We went from having nothing on the ground to this.

snow lightening

2011-03-23T15:56:00.002-05:00

Helps if you have sounds on.

Thundersnow

2011-03-23T15:51:00.001-05:00

Helps if you have sounds on.

Dear Mother Nature

2011-03-23T13:28:00.005-05:00

Dear Mother Nature,
I greatly appreciate you listening to me before about wanting a snow day during the week. But once was sufficient, thanks.

sincerely,
Easily Lost

(click to enlarge)

We're between the top two areas. Drifts of over four feet all over the place. It is still snowing here. It's 1:30 p.m. and the plows have not gone down the street yet. I'll upload some pics the kids took of the storm last night and hopefully a video of what is lovingly referred to as "thundersnow" sometime later today. It was a spectacular storm to watch and listen to. Thunder, lightening and snow :D And to think, this is only the third day of spring.

perigee moon

2011-03-19T19:05:00.001-05:00

2011-03-17T15:30:00.001-05:00

(Life is strange)First the router dies. Now a power outage. I think the gods are trying to tell me something. I just wish I knew what.

weekend

2011-03-16T19:12:00.001-05:00

4 day weekend here I come :D

Be careful what you wish for

2011-03-07T18:54:00.004-06:00

Remember not that long ago I was asking Mother Nature to just maybe have a storm in the middle of the week to break things up? Well she heard me........ and how!! Check out the forecast for Wednesday. And Friday isn't looking so great either :|

(Click to enlarge)

yo-yo

2011-03-06T16:57:00.001-06:00

The boss came up to me Friday when I got to work. He said he had good and bad news. I told him to give me the bad news first. The bad news is several people are on vacation next week so I need you to go to day shift. Ooook then, what's the good news? The good news is you'll go back to nights the following week.

I really think he and I need to discuss what constitutes good and bad news, because I truly believe we are NOT on the same page here.

The only good thing is I have a vacation day coming up mid March, although working the Wednesday night before sort of cuts into it. I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember that yet. He will soon enough.

Keep it between the lines, and see you on the flip side.

First night back

2011-03-03T14:30:00.003-06:00

The shift as a whole, went quite fast. Although we ran out of material at 1a.m. (poor planning on their part, once again, but no surprise) The temp they gave me actually knows How to work.(absolutely amazing) And Wants to work. (faints dead away) The first 20 miles of the drive home wasn't bad at all. The last 10 miles.......... Any way, just thought I'd let ya know, I didn't kill myself or anyone else on the way home. Keep it between the lines, and I'll see you on the other side.

Goodbye Days - Hello Nights

2011-03-01T18:19:00.002-06:00

Here we go again. A sense of deja vu falls over me as the boss approaches and waves me aside. "Would you be willing to go on nights for the rest of the week?" (where have I heard this before.....)
"What hours and which days?" 4:30p.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesday-Friday.
So not only have I been pulled from the 3 new machines I just started running in December, to go back to my old department for the last 10 days, now I am headed back to nights to try and clean up the scheduling fiasco and get the orders finished for them. Let's hope the State Patrol is on the other side of the state this week, because last time I did a day to night swap without an adjustment period I saw 8 lanes instead of 4 on the drive home.

Mondays

2011-02-28T21:50:00.001-06:00

I agree 100%

Storms

2011-02-24T18:53:00.003-06:00

I took Monday off due to the crappy storm we got late Sunday. Ten inches of the frozen white crap, and high winds made travel hazardous. Now the weatherman has the audacity to say we might be getting another one this Sunday. W T F is with this, can't we get one in the middle of the week just to break things up?

Weather

2011-02-10T17:54:00.001-06:00

COLD

not worthy

2011-02-01T21:48:00.004-06:00

Dear ignorant Dallas fan,

Please accept this beautiful Green Bay weather as a token of appreciation for saying the Packers were not worthy to play in your stadium. May the ice and cold continue through at least Monday :D

Sincerely,
A Wisconsin resident

Made it

2011-01-23T20:43:00.004-06:00

Well I made it through. The order is on it's way to the customer and I have had a couple of days to regain some sanity. According to some online friends I chat with I was "anti-social, cranky and threatening their appendages" (funny that almost sounds normal to me :P ) Anyhow, I can only hope we don't have another order like that for a while. Small orders are great, these huge ones, while nice knowing it creates job security, are very hard on this old body.

It's Basic Math - Update

2011-01-06T20:35:00.003-06:00

At 9a.m. the Boss had a meeting with us about what hours we need to work to get the order completed on time. The schedule decided on was as follows:

Monday 10th - 10 hours
Tuesday 11th - 10 hours
Wednesday 12th - 10 hours
Thursday 13th - 10 hours
Friday 14th - 12 hours
Saturday 15th - 8 hours
Sunday 16th - OFF
Monday 17th - 12 hours
Tuesday 18th - 12 hours
Wednesday 19th - 12 hours
Thursday 20th - 12 hours

At 11 a.m. the meltblown blew something loose and ripped a hole out the back of the machine. No clue how long it will be to get it fixed. The previous schedule is now on hold. (sighssssssssssssssssss)

It's Basic Math

2011-01-05T19:06:00.003-06:00

Have you ever given your Boss an OH CHIT moment? Well I had that opportunity today. And it all revolves around basic mathematics. Now, you need to know I am a machine operator, and he is Suppose to be the Boss. Today we were going over the Dusenberry (rewinder, paper machine) schedule. We have a hugeeeeeee order, 140,000 square meters, of material due out on Friday, 21st of January. We are scheduled to start running it on Monday the 17th. Just 4 days before. The truck needs to be loaded Friday, so that is not considered a production day.
The meltblown machine is scheduled to start producing the material on the 10th of January, it then has to cure roughly 72 hours, depending on the heat/humidity in the building. Then we cut it down to smaller rolls. So we won't have access to it until at the earliest, Friday the 14th.

Well I told the Boss today, there was no way, in that overheated southern region, we were going to be able to run 140k square meters of material in 4 days. He was like why not? I told him to grab his handy dandy calculator and figure out how long it took us to run the last order that was only 17k. It took just over 8 hours.

So, figure roughly 17k in an 8 hour shift.
140,000 / 17000 = 8.25 days (This is where his jaw dropped and he said, "brb.... oh how do you feel about working weekends?")
My normal days off are Fri-Sun. I work four 10 hour days.

Ummm ok, we now have doubled the time they had set aside to run this material. When you take into consideration 3 hours set up time, employee breaks and 64 hours straight running time, we need almost 70 hours to get this order out.We get the material Friday, even if we run said material for 8 hours Friday, Mon, Tues, Weds, and Thursday, we will NOT be done for the following Friday. NO CHIT . I kid you not, do the math.
5x8=40 (30 hours short)

So maybe we need to work 12 hour shifts, again do the math,
12x5= 60 (10 hours short, and already working one of my days off)

The only true, workable solution, is to work six 12 hour days, regardless of what they want, in order to get the order out on time. 2 of my 3 days off, 12 hours all the way through. Now, I won't lie, I love overtime pay, that is not my complaint here.

My complaint is Why The Friggin Heck did I need to tell them this??!!!

quote

2011-01-02T22:46:00.001-06:00

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T11:32:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year to you and yours.

May it bring peace and prosperity to all.

Quote of the day

2011-01-01T11:28:00.002-06:00

From "The Premature Burial"

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?

Edgar Allan Poe

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T22:12:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours.
May you have an enjoyable and safe holiday.

New Blog

2010-10-14T18:48:00.002-05:00

An online friend of mine has decided to start a new blog. Politics from the view of a student. If you're looking for a new point of view, pop on over and say hi. Tell him CW sent you :D His blog can be found here

45's

2010-10-11T19:46:00.002-05:00

The last couple of weeks I have been helping my daughter move to her new place. I had a couple of bookshelves she wanted, so I was busy unloading all my stuff off of them. And let me tell you, I had a LOT of stuff on them. I was on the last shelf of the second bookcase, I moved a bag and it made a weird noise. My daughter asked me what was in the bag. I said 45's. Her response.. bullets? (guess you can't tell we have a few weapons around the house :P) I laughed so hard as I explained no, not bullets, records. ( At least I didn't have to explain what records were. Thank God.)

Deal with it

2010-09-17T15:02:00.003-05:00

Stress. We all deal with it in our own way. When something extremely stressful happens in my life I go through a certain process. I call it the first 72 hours. During this time it is best (not to mention safest), for everyone concerned, to just leave me the heck alone. Tuesday night was the start of a new 72 hours. Something that should have stayed long dead and buried reared it's ugly head. And so starts "The Process". In the last 2 days I have been called quiet, antisocial, verbally violent and a few others names that I won't post here, as I try to keep cussing to a minimum. So I will briefly post the process here and see how many others go through something similar.

First day: Raging bear. The first few hours are the worst. It is in everyone's best interest to keep a distant, or you will end up missing parts. Everyone and anyone is free game. Deer in the headlights look is a good indication.

Day two: Whipped puppy. Resignation has started setting in, but don't think the wounded look is any indication that it is safe to approach. Snapping at people is still a distinct possibility.

Day three: I have had time to digest the information and the chance of getting your head bitten off has lessened dramatically.

Is this normal? I don't particularly care. It is how I am. Should I be made to wear a hazmat or explosives sign during the first few hours? Heck no. When people know something is bothering you, they seem to come out of the woodwork offering useless advice and an ear to listen. Those that truly care know the process and just give you space. My brother is one such person. He knows when something is off kilter, and does the one thing he knows is the most helpful. He makes himself scarce. I could do with a world filled with people like him some days.

Quote of the day

2010-09-16T19:57:00.001-05:00

Sometimes life just really sucks.

Stanley

2010-09-09T19:06:00.004-05:00

For your viewing pleasure, I give you the King of yellow Labs. Stanley :D

He is, of course, reclining on his ~~favorite chair~~ throne .

(A chair which is now more or less his. No one wants to battle the yellow and white hairs.)

update

2010-08-17T22:21:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I wrote anything, so I figured it was time. Work has slowed way down. We are back to Monday - Thursday 6-4:30. A normal 40 hour week. All the extra temps they brought in, to work on the boom line, have been let go. (all 240 of them) They have finally moved our department to the plant across town. So now instead of a 40-45 minute drive, it takes less then 30. And it is a direct shot to the highway. (thank gawd)

The summer here has been fairly warm for our area, ranging in the mid to high 80's for weeks on end. And it was wet, wet, wet. The hay crops will be sparse for the year. So the cost will probably be sky high. Which is a bad thing for beef raisers, and will more than likely force the cost of meat up in the near future.

Not really a whole lot else to say. I found a site that has a bunch of words of wisdom, so I will leave you with a few today.....

The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes. - Winston Churchill

We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles. - Jimmy Carter

There is nothing evil save that which perverts the mind and shackles the conscience. - St. Ambrose

More words of wisdom can be found here.

Tolerance

2010-07-16T15:23:00.001-05:00

Tolerance - Natalie Merchant

the still and silence is torn with violence
a loud breaking sound in the night is made
hear it grow, hear it fade
the sound you're hearing
the sound you're fearing
is the hate that parades up and down our streets
coming within bounds and within reach

now, inside the place we hide away
we hear it near and hope it turns away
turn away

there's something seething
in the air we're breathing
we learn slash and burn is the method to use
set a flame, burn it new
we're overpowered
we kneel, we cower, we cover our heads
feel the threat of blows that will come
and the damage that will be done in its wake

now, inside this place we hide away
we hear it near although it's miles away
we hear it near and hope it turns away
turn away

this house divided, we live inside it
hate's dwelling place is behind our doors in fitful nights
hear it walk the floor and hear it rave as it
moans and drags along its ball and chain
as it moves through this house it can't escape

now inside this place we hide away
we hear it near and hope it turns away
turn away

Supervise only

2010-06-27T18:35:00.003-05:00

Are you an overachiever? Do you like being in the thick of things at work. Pushing the totals higher and higher, as a sort of challenge to yourself and to others. When someone says it isn't possible, do you not only prove them wrong, but do it spectacularly? Well that is how I am. I dislike lazy people at work, and underachievers drive me batty. So today, when the company owner came in, to check on how we were doing on the oil boom orders, I was a little upset when he told me he didn't want me working on the line. I was to supervise only. Ummmmmmmm excuseeeeeeeeeee me? You want me to stand around for 12 hours and do Nothing but babysit 15 people??? OMG. Talk about sheer torture! So now I have to motivate people to work at my speed, without working alongside them. It is extremely frustrating. Today I checked how the other groups were doing on the orders. Yellow days did 209, yellow nights did 219, green nights did 227, and my team, green days, did 261. I guess we aren't doing too badly against the other groups. But we could do even better if people would work more and yap less. I'll see how they do this week, and may the best team win :D

Only in Oconto County

2010-06-22T09:46:00.006-05:00

This seems to be catch phrase around here. If you want to get away with murder, do it in Oconto County. The travesty I am referring to this time, can be found here.

Now, I understand that police can only go on what the evidence and witnesses tell them. I understand also, that when it comes to youngsters, their first inclination is to CTOA. (cover their own a$$es, and many at the party were drinking and underage) And this is going to be a tragedy for the family.

According to a person that was at the party, the shooter had actually threatened the victim, several times, throughout the night. The victim was shot at close range, in the head. (I refuse to call it point blank, until evidence says so) Don't try to snow the community, and call this accidental. You don't "accidentally" shoot someone in the head, while standing right next to them. The weapon must first be loaded, raised up and aimed, and the trigger pulled.

Officers originally said it was under investigation as a homicide, but it is now being considered "accidental". Get your heads out of the sand, man up and do your job RIGHT!!!!!! Push the party goers a little harder, get the truth out of them. Without that, someone walks free, and a family will get NO justice.
(rant over)

Always wear seatbelts!!!

2010-06-15T13:54:00.010-05:00

The following are pictures, of what is left of my daughter's car, after she rolled it this morning. The car landed on it's roof.

Believe it or not, she walked away from it with a big knot on her head, a couple of stitches, and a whole lot of minor cuts and bruises.
But she walked away ALIVE!!!

Days!!!

2010-06-04T03:04:00.003-05:00

My boss called me at home today. After asking pretty much everyone at work for my cell number. (Except, of course, the person who had it.) Apparently, he had heard I was about to blow a gasket over being kept in the dark about why I was still on nights, after being told it would only be a couple of weeks to train up a crew. So I will work Friday and Saturday night, then have Sunday and Monday off. Then starting Tuesday I will be back on days. Where I belong. I get to stay on the rotating schedule, which I have become accustom to and actually like.

I do have to admit, I will miss the night shift people. They are loadssssss more fun then the stuffed shirts on days. You didn't have to worry about watching your choice of words. And god knows the nights flew by, because even while working our tails off, we were having a blast teasing each other.

And talk about helpful people, wowza! They actually did their jobs like they were suppose to. And you didn't have to wait 2 hours for material.

So, hats off to the night shift workers. I will miss you. Just not the shift itself.

Quote of the Day

2010-06-03T01:39:00.003-05:00

" Yet not for a moment did I suppose myself actually dead. Such a supposition, notwithstanding what we read in fiction, is altogether inconsistent with real existence; -- but where and in what state was I? The condemned to death"

- from "The Pit and the Pendulum"

Tuckered out

2010-05-20T03:59:00.003-05:00

You have all heard the phrase "tuckered out". Well, this is what it looks like. My daughter took this picture tonight, of the pup we have, who just happens to be named Tucker.

3 o'clock in the morning

2010-05-17T03:04:00.008-05:00

It's 3 a.m and here I sit writing a blog post. I wish I could sleep normal hours on my day off, but that would really screw me up.
The following is what I worked last week.
Monday 5a.m. - 5p.m.
Tuesday 5a.m. - 5p.m.
Wednesday 5p.m. - 5a.m.
Thursday 5p.m. - 5a.m.
Friday 5p.m. - 5a.m.
Saturday 5p.m. - 5a.m.
Sunday OFF
If you add those wonderful shifts up, I worked 72 hours last week. And this week isn't looking any better. Although, I know I will have Friday off, because the kids and I are going to the Chris Daughtry concert in Green Bay.
They figure we will be super busy like this for at least 3-4 weeks. Until the Gulf Coast spill is under control and cleaned up.

See ya on the other side....

Night Shift

2010-05-11T21:47:00.004-05:00

Night shift, here I come. Today the supervisor pulled 3 of us aside, to tell us we would officially start running the boom line 24/7. Starting TOMORROW. And because of my ability to get things done in a timely manner (yick, knew that would come back and bite me on the a$$), I got picked to lead the night shift crew. I worked 5a.m.-5p.m. today, and tomorrow I will be flip flopping that to 5p.m.-5a.m. No chance of an adjustment period, just WHAM night shift. No extra pay, but the chance to pick up overtime. (don't I already pick up enough????) So I am valiantly trying to stay awake as late as possible tonight, to unsure I can sleep later tomorrow. Which is dayem hard, seeing as how I have been up since 3:30 this morning. Just the thought of driving TO work in rush hour traffic while 1/2 asleep is daunting. Hope all the good Coppers out there look the other way :P
Anyhow, thought I would give y'all a quick update.
See ya on the other side....

shoot me, do it NOW

2010-05-07T21:19:00.003-05:00

I can't take anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Meteorologist Tom Mahoney:

It is unusual but not out of the question. Snow in Wisconsin in May.

A Winter Weather Advisory will go into effect tonight in Northern Wisconsin from Oconto County northward. It will last until 7am tomorrow. While there may be 2"-4" of snow in the advisory area, there could also be up to 2" possible in Green Bay and the Fox Cities. The storm will exit tomorrow morning and will be followed by a sunny Mother's Day.

(click to enlarge)

Enough already!!

2010-05-07T20:30:00.004-05:00

After posting that second captcha, I went blog hopping, to catch up on all the blogs I read. When I got to JD's, I read the couple of posts I had missed there. Imagine my complete and utter shock, when I found this video, at the bottom of one of them!!

I am NOT finding this funny!

captcha 2

2010-05-06T18:10:00.002-05:00

And yet another one. I am sensing something in my future that probably shouldn't be there :D

Captcha of the day

2010-05-05T18:43:00.003-05:00

I thought I would share this captcha I got today with you.
(cuffs and a nightstick, oh my)

lol of the day

2010-04-22T21:19:00.002-05:00

sooo what's up

2010-04-11T16:44:00.003-05:00

Hi there. How you been? What have you been up to? How's life treating you?
I've been fine, thanks. Been up to a whole lot of nothing but work and playing an online game. Life is treating me just fine. Everyone is still alive and kicking, or in some cases smaxing. (some will get that reference others won't)

Mother Nature decided to have a little fun at out expense last week. She dropped 6 inches of that frozen white chit on the ground. It was not fun to drive in. It was wet and slushy, so of course the jeep wanted to go every which way. It was mostly gone the next day, but still. No snow, what so ever in March, then that.

Work has been hectic as usual. We are off mandatory overtime for now, but I still work 48-60 hours a week. The move to the plant on the other side of town is going along well. Our department should start moving next month. That will shorten my drive quite a bit time wise.

I guess that is all for now, until next time, watch your back America, someone is always watching.

wet

2010-03-13T19:46:00.004-06:00

It's been unseasonably warm lately, with a lot of rain. I have heard it will be a very active tornado season, and I can believe it. We don't normally get temps in the mid 40's for this long in March.

Work is still busy as heck, and the overtime keeps coming. Within the next few weeks they will start moving our department, over to the plant, on the other side of town. It will cut about 15 minutes off my commute to and from work. The only issue there is, we have heard that the supervisor is an asshat. He treats the sole female worker over there right now, like trash. I hate to tell him, but he has 14 more women, on the way :D And at least one of them (me), has NO intentions of being anyone's whipping post. Any one that knows me, knows I don't ever back down, no matter the rank of the person involved. I will fight for what is right, and I will take his sorry, woman hating a$$ to court, if need be.

My daughter takes her LPN board test the 19th of March. I will be taking off Thursday and she and I will drive down to Brookfield Thursday afternoon. I hate trying to navigate an unknown city at night, and there was no way I wanted to work 12 hours then drive down afterward. She has to be there at 7:30 Friday morning and it is almost a 3 hour drive from here.

I started a new physical therapy for my shoulder this week. Two hours a day, five days a week. It is something I could be doing at home, and not lose two hours worth of work each day. (what a waste) I did the circuit they had mapped out, that was suppose to last 2 hours, in under 90 minutes. (and never broke a sweat) The therapist was not a happy camper. And to all those that are thinking I should be enjoying the two hour break from work, buzz off. Some of us happen to love our jobs. Not to mention, we are so busy right now, that I just have to work twice as fast when I get back.

Other than that, I don't have a whole lot to say.
Stay safe out there America, it's a wicked world we live in.

Waves and stuff

2010-02-28T14:50:00.004-06:00

Yes, I am still alive. I have been darn busy lately. We're still on mandatory OT, and I have been fitting in physical therapy besides. The vet says, hopefully this coming Friday, I should be off light duty and back to regular work. (whatever that is nowadays)
Other than that, it's been a whole lot of same old, same old, for me and mine.
The world continues to turn, slowly, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day.

Good bye OT?

2010-02-10T19:35:00.004-06:00

The moving of machinery down to North Carolina is moving along nicely. We have 4 new people in our department, relocated to us when their machines were taken out. There is a slim chance we will be coming off mandatory overtime in the next couple weeks. Having been on overtime since last July, and mandatory OT since November, and being on light duty the last 3 weeks (2-4 more weeks to go :| ) I am actually looking forward to working a normal 40 hour week for a while. There is also a rumor going around that all departments will be going to a 12 hour swing shift. It would consist of 12 hour days 2/2/3. Which means never working more than 3 days in a row. I think I could get to like that. Not to mention every paycheck would have an automatic 8 hours of OT in it.

My new job

2010-01-23T13:12:00.001-06:00

This is what I will be looking like for the next few weeks.

It's Friday!!!!

2010-01-15T14:57:00.001-06:00

Yet another long week done and over with. The last two days sucked. They are removing the machines and in order to do that they need to have the big overhead doors open. Where do I work?? Directly across from them. I haven't been warm for two friggin days :(

Edgar Allan Poe

2010-01-02T21:55:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I posted a Poe quote, so here you go.

"And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave."

- from "The Pit and the Pendulum"

nights

2010-01-02T21:25:00.003-06:00

As you know, I have been putting in 12 hour shifts for many, many months now. This past week our boss dropped another bomb shell on a few of us. Due to the location of our machines, in relation to the machines they are moving out of the plant and down to the new mill in North Carolina, (our machines won't have power during the day while they are disassembling the other ones) we are being asked to work a week of 12 hour nights. From 5p.m. to 5a.m. One week of having our sleep patterns screwed up, one week of not knowing if we are coming or going. I couldn't even stay up to bring in the new year, this night stuff may be the end of me. So if during the week of January 11th I don't comment on your blogs, or post anything here, you'll know why.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T23:04:00.002-06:00

Here's hoping the new year outshines the past year.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T14:41:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours, from me and mine!

It's Friday :D

2009-12-18T16:40:00.003-06:00

Well I made it through another long week. (barely) On Thursday we had our annual company meeting. This is the meeting where the owner tells us how crappy the economy is, how sales are down (oh really? I couldn't tell), and how we are still on a wage freeze, until whenever. After giving us all the gloom and doom, they did manage to surprise us all. We got a Christmas bonus!! In fact after he told us we were getting a bonus and the amount, my voice clearly rang out with "HUH"? The owner laughed and said he thought our hearing was better than his. (He is clinically deaf without his hearing aids). Each and every full time employee received a $1000 bonus. I was floored.!!!!

Survived the storm

2009-12-12T12:43:00.002-06:00

Well, I had one day off from the blizzard. It was a nice break in the middle of the week. I worked 12 hours on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday then another 8 on Friday. About halfway through Friday my boss came over and asked if I was interested in working Saturday. Ummmmmm NO, I am not. I have been pulling between 50 and 60 hour weeks for months , because of the snow day I only had 44 hours this week. Apparently, we have been flooded with orders, which is a good thing, but I refuse to put in 70+ hours a week. It is not as if I have a sit down job. It is very physical and I really don't want to work myself into an early grave. Maybe it is time to hire on a second shift crew for this area.

first snow pics

2009-12-09T15:10:00.007-06:00

Here are the first pics of the season. We will add more when the darn wind dies down. These were taken by my daughter. Click on any of them to enlarge.

Blizzard Warning

2009-12-08T19:01:00.004-06:00

Mother Nature, in her extremely vengeful state, has decided to grace us with a full blown blizzard. Over a foot of snow and high winds, which will reduce visibility to 0. Don't you just love her wicked sense of humor? I, of course, will be a smart cat and stay home if we get the predicted forecast.

(click to enlarge)

Adam Lambert - Broken Open

2009-12-05T16:55:00.003-06:00

The first time I heard this song, I just sat back and listened. It is a very haunting melody. The second time I listened, I also read the lyrics, and it made the song even more so. It hits deep inside you and doesn't let go. Job well done Adam!

TGIF

2009-12-04T19:20:00.003-06:00

After working a 60 hour week, I am one whipped puppy ( or kitty as the case may be) .
We are officially on mandatory overtime starting Monday. ( can't tell the job market sucks in our company, but then again, we are a specialty area) People were given the option of working four twelve hour days, or working four ten's and eight on Friday. I, of course, opted for the third option, four twelves and 8-12 hours on Friday :)) This mandatory overtime is through the rest of the year, and the ones who never volunteer are screaminggggggg in pain about it. Sometimes, in times like this, I actually like my boss :D
It's about time the others start picking up their slack, we can't do everything all the time. I have been pulling OT for months, along with two of my co-workers. But then again, some of us like to be able to pay our bills and still have a couple nickles left over at the end of the week.

It's DONE!!!

2009-11-29T19:20:00.002-06:00

Wooohooo it is finally done. I have salvaged all my music off the other computer's slave drive, using Linux Mint :D
It is now safely on the new computer and I burned a copy to dvds. (all 15 of them :D )
I am now a veryyyyyy happy cat!

lolcat

2009-11-22T09:25:00.002-06:00

I almost choked on my coke when I saw this one :D

Here's an edited version of it, with sound.
If you offend easily Do Not Click on it.

celebrated too early

2009-11-21T21:42:00.003-06:00

I thought I was done working with a certain nameless asshat. I was informed late yesterday afternoon, after I had already made my last post, that I have to endure three more days this coming up week yet (@#&#@*&) I may need those "get out of jail free" cards yet.
(calm blue oceans only goes so far)

It's FRIDAY!

2009-11-20T13:14:00.002-06:00

Well, I survived the week from he11. (and no one ended up in the hospital from ~~a planned~~ an unforseen accident) I won't get into any details, suffice to say, never was I so happy to see the clock strike the hour.

Every Friday, when I get home from work, I play a specific song. I call it the Friday song. I though I would share it with you.

Enjoy!!

lolcat

2009-11-18T21:25:00.002-06:00

I was thinking that myself today. Backyard is getting awfully full.

fire safety

2009-11-14T20:30:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday we had our annual fire talk. What to do in case of a fire at the plant. It went kind of like this.....
instructor: What is the first thing you do in case of fire?
me: panic!
instructor: Ok then, what is the second thing you do in case of fire?
me: grab your purse and run.
Yes, both of my responses garnered some laughs. We are all a bunch of comedians there. But think about it, we work in a paper converting plant, if there was a fire what would you do?
My keys are in my purse and if there is a fire, there's a good chance we are going to be done for the day. I need my keys to drive home :P (not to mention my purse is always within five feet of me where ever I am at work.

Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon.......
I'm in my own little world, feeding scrap into the grinder when squeallll, screech, choke. OHHHHH $HIT! Jammed it up, but good. Reach over slap the power switch to off. Two seconds later sirens and flashing lights. Dayem, I set off the friggin alarms on the machine. First time that has happened since I started. My team leader comes over, looks at the flashing lights, looks at me and says "so, should we open it up and see if there are flames?" No flames, thank goodness, but a whole lot of acrid black smoke. Melted the belt :)) The maintenance guy just shook his head when he got there to fix it.

one of those kind of days

2009-11-14T20:23:00.002-06:00

I have had to format four times in the last three weeks. I think my computer is slowing croaking on me.

Veterans Day

2009-11-11T17:49:00.002-06:00

Many thanks to each and everyone who has served this country, and made her what she is today. A place of freedom.

Linux ROCKS!

2009-11-07T16:51:00.005-06:00

Many know what kind of problems I have been having with my computer since I got it back from the technicians. The latest is my slave drive. For the last few weeks I have been trying, without luck, to recover my files from it. Every time I would boot the computer up with both master and slave installed, it would say error loading OS. I was running Windows XP on the master, with no OS on the slave. I tried switching jumper pins, moving the slave drive into an external usb enclosure, a boot manager, everything I, and several others, could think of. I even downloaded a trial version of a program called Getdataback, which could actually see the files. The only problem with the recovery program was cost. In order to move those files I had to buy an $80 license key, which I was loathe to do. So a friend of mine suggested trying a Linux live cd. He suggested Linux Mint, which he uses at his cafe. (thank you Anton!) IT WORKED! Not only could I see the files, but I could also transfer them to a flash drive, and it didn't cost a single cent! Why didn't I just burn them directly off the drive using Linux you ask? Quite simple, I only have 1 dvdburner, and the Linux Live cd was in it. I'm still not sure what exactly happened to the drive, and right now I don't particularly care anymore. I only have to get my music off the slave drive yet, everything else has already been moved. Then I will format it. (if it will let me)

It's FRIDAY!!!

2009-11-06T19:58:00.001-06:00

TGIF! Hopefully I wont have to go anywhere this weekend. Other than a few long weekends in September, we have been running 48+ hours a week, for over 5 months now. Yes, the extra money is nice, but I miss my 3 day weekends :| zzzzzzzzz

Four way stop........ optional?

2009-11-04T19:19:00.003-06:00

On my way home from work today, I came up to a 4-way stop. I checked to the left, right, then left again. No one was coming from the right, 5 vehicles were approaching from the left. I took my foot off the brake, started into the intersection and promptly slammed my foot back on the brake. The lead car, coming from the left, a silver suv, decided that the bright red STOP sign must have been an option, because they blew right through it. Missing my vehicle by a couple of feet and never once tapping their brakes. (Asshat) Had it not been for quick reflexes, good brakes, and dry pavement, I would have been part of a jeep parfait tonight.

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate my drive home? Oh, I have? Well guess what....... IT HASN'T CHANGED!!

what I do

2009-11-02T20:21:00.006-06:00

I work in a paper converting plant that makes specialty spill kits. We make pads, rolls, socks, booms, chemical kits, you name it, we probably make it. I have mentioned, on occasion, the amount of weight I lift each and every day. Usually around 2-3 ton. By hand, and no, not all at once :P
I took a couple of pictures today, to give you an idea of what the raw product starts out as, and what the finished product looks like.
The scrap comes to me in many shapes and sizes. The ones pictured below are 6" end cuts from a 4 foot diameter roll. I send all that through a grinder/shredder and fill the bags you see. The average weight of each bag is 35 pounds. Once I am done bagging the grind, someone else takes those bags and fills the socks (the end product), using a hopper and blower system. The material shown here is called "oil only". Meaning it will float on water and not absorb any of it. It will only absorb oil.

bright lights

2009-11-02T18:06:00.003-06:00

It's 5:00p.m. The sun is just setting. You are in the middle of town, with the street lights on. Do you really need your friggin BRIGHTS on??????

You're traveling down a major highway. The posted speed limit is 55. Is it really necessary to do 25 friggin miles per hour????

Somedays I hate the drive home!

lolcat

2009-11-01T21:15:00.002-06:00

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Blessed Samhain

2009-10-31T17:04:00.003-05:00

Blessed Samhain everyone!

More can be read about Samhain at the following links. Enjoy. :D
Here and here.

Changes at work

2009-10-28T20:13:00.003-05:00

At shift's end today, everyone was told to gather in the break room for a short meeting with the Big Boss Man (The owner of the company) When we have these meetings, speculation runs rampant, on what it is about. We have been on a hiring and pay freeze since last December. Since then, they have purchased 2 new paper machines, a wrapper and a case packer. Some folks were angry about this. A couple of us, who have been through layoffs with other companies were too dayem happy to know we still had jobs to be bothered. One of the rumors going around today was that they would be talking about a pay raise. Imagine our surprise to find out the company had just purchased a paper mill. Yep, a major, major purchase. The mill is located in North Carolina of all places. Some of our embosser machines will be shipped down there, and the employees currently running them will be moved to other areas of the plant. No permanent employees will be laid off, although we will be getting rid of 10-12 temps. We are still waiting to find out if they will lift the pay freeze. Only time will tell what happens next.

blah!

2009-10-24T13:21:00.004-05:00

Someone stop the world!!! I want off.
It's been a cold, wet, miserable week. In more ways then one. The flu bug seems to be hammering the state especially hard, with schools being closed left and right. I'm not too worried about whether I will get it. I can usually avoid things like that. Not to mention, I have more than enough other things to stress over right now. We are still working almost 50 hours a week, trying to keep up with the orders piling in. Hubby's health is questionable right now. The economy still sucks, and Obama is still President. And I am about out of juice. Just once I would like to have a relatively quiet life. I don't think that is too much to ask for.
Stay warm and dry out there.

Why

2009-10-17T19:29:00.000-05:00

Have you ever just wondered WHY?

lolcat of the day

2009-10-14T19:54:00.003-05:00

Personally, I would have said pants optional, heh!

cute dog pics

2009-10-12T20:28:00.007-05:00

Can't have cat pics without the dog pics, now can I?

The big yellow lab is my psycho mutt. The little, hyper, chocolate lab belongs to my daughter.

kitty pics

2009-10-10T19:48:00.005-05:00

Autumn is here

2009-10-10T10:23:00.004-05:00

The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder. Summer is officially gone for the year. (like we had much of one anyhow) This morning it was 34 degrees and windy. Our lawn is littered with dying yellow leaves from the maple trees. The dirty rotten weatherman has already mentioned the four letter S word, for as soon as Monday.

Work has been extremely busy for the last couple of months, with me putting in between 48 and 56 hours each week. I love the paychecks but the body isn't much liking it. We have gotten several new customers, mostly from overseas, and they are ordering huge amounts of product. Which makes me feel a lot more secure with my job. I have been bounced around to a few different areas of the plant to help cover the influx of orders, which makes each day a surprise, because I never know where I'll end up. Then it's back to my own area, trying to catch up, because no was else was doing my job while I was away helping others.

Daughter finished up her ob clinical and did very, very well. Now it's on to med/surg. Should be interesting to see what they let student nurses do there :D

We picked up a couple more steers, one Hereford and one red Angus. Got them for a song. Beef market sucks the big one, right now. It's a buyers market, but definitely not a sellers one. The hog we raised was taken in last Tuesday and should be back soon. The butcher said he looked terrific :D Can't wait to have fresh ham steak for breakfast (yum, yum, yum) The best thing about raising your own meat is you know what they ate, and how old they are. No stinky pork that you know is from an old hog, and no tasteless beef that was sure to have come from a dairy cow past it's prime.

Stay warm out there.

I'm Backkkkkkk

2009-10-04T10:42:00.006-05:00

Sorry for my absence. My computer was stricken with the swine flu.

One bad enough even I couldn't make it better. So into the vet it went. And even then, the technicians working on it, were stumped for days. In fact, when I called to inquire how it was going, I was told my computer was being "stubborn". Um, just how is a machine suppose to be stubborn? Anyhow, I picked it up Saturday morning, after I was assured it was now virus free. I was told it would need to be formatted as some things were broke during the fix. Such as my windows updates :| Go figure, you bring something in to be fixed and it comes back in worse shape. Hopefully things will return to normal, and I can catch up on reading everyone's blogs.

cute dog pics

2009-09-25T17:41:00.004-05:00

My daughter was playing with the new camera and snapped the following "awwwwwww" moment pictures. Including the one of her and Tucker. (note the actual grin on her face, it is NOT something you see often :P )

morning laugh

2009-09-20T07:59:00.003-05:00

I received the following in an email from a friend
(yes I have a couple :P )

If you need a good laugh, try reading through these children's science exam answers...

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (Brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery. (The kid gets an A+ for this answer!)

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.G., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does 'varicose' mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome.

Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

Is Your Baby Racist?

2009-09-18T10:38:00.005-05:00

The latest headline from Newsweek magazine. I was floored when I saw the title. Like we don't have enough people screaming about this, now they claim your baby judges people on the color of their skin as early as 6 months old. Don't we, as a collective society, have more than enough to deal with right now, than to worry about how an infant judges someone???? Like how the government is trampling the Constitution of the United States. Or how a majority of politicians are more corrupt then the criminals sitting in prison right now? Or how about that national healthcare bill they are trying to shove down our throats. Or maybe that bailout of billions upon billions of dollars that was suppose to some how rejuvenate the now crippled economy. Nahhhhhhhhhh, let's worry about how 6 month old babies relate to someone. That is so much more important.

The full article can be found here .

(wanders off mumbling ...................where the heck did Wyatt put that duct tape)

ouchie

2009-09-16T18:51:00.004-05:00

What do a box clamp, a table, a utility knife, and a cardboard box have in common?
They all got a chunk of me today. It seems every time I turned around today, I was getting cut, bruised or scratched. Thank gawd tomorrow is Thursday.

Patrick Swayze succumbs to pancreatic cancer

2009-09-14T19:28:00.002-05:00

Probably his best known performance was in Dirty Dancing. I know that is the one movie that shoots to the front of my mind when I hear his name. The man was tough, really tough. He continued working through it all. And even refused pain killers during the filming of "The Beast".

More can be found here

9-11 where were you?

2009-09-11T08:28:00.003-05:00

Remember

Like anyone will ever forget, where they were, or what they were doing. I was currently laid off from one job, and filling in at my part time job at the restaurant. I was heading to work that morning, when they came on the radio with the news. I actually had to fight with myself not to turn around and head back home. Once I got to work, I tried calling my family on my cell phone, but it wouldn't go through. We had the televisions going, so we saw exactly what was going on. There were a few customers in that morning, but they too were more interested in what was on the tv, then their breakfast. The only sound was the reporter and the live feed of the destruction, as it happened.
The Eagle Tear picture I am posting was created back then. I truly wish I knew who designed it, because I would love to give them full credit.

Nothing new

2009-09-10T13:37:00.002-05:00

It's been relatively uneventful here, which is always a good thing. I managed to watch part of the Presidential speech last night, without falling asleep. Although I did make a few comments about how many time Pelosi jumped to her feet. Does that woman have springs in her shoes or what? They could have shaved 20 minutes off of the time needed, had they just let the man talk without interrupting him every other sentence with applause. Oh well, we'll see what happens now.

Harvest This !

2009-09-06T10:40:00.005-05:00

Found this little gem over at Beat and Release.
Obama now wants to hire a contractor to monitor what is said concerning the govt on social networking sites like twitter, facebook and so forth. Like asking citizens to turn in dissenters on his health care bill wasn't enough.

The National Legal and Policy Center, or NLPC, revealed the White House New Media team is seeking to hire a technology vendor to collect data such as comments, tag lines, e-mail, audio and video from any place where the White House "maintains a presence" – for a period of up to eight years.
"The contractor shall provide the necessary services to capture, store, extract to approved formats, and transfer content published by EOP (Executive Office of the President) on publicly-accessible web sites, along with information posted by non-EOP persons on publicly-accessible web sites where the EOP offices under PRA (Presidential Records Act) maintains a presence," the posting states.

Full article can be found here.

So, freedom of speech is being carefully monitored (we knew that), and copyright laws are being trampled into the ground. Because as most people know or SHOULD know, you own the copyright to any picture you personally take. That includes video and audio (the law says so right there) IT IS YOURS. No one has the right to borrow/store or use it in the future, without your permission.

If the great and powerful Obamasiah wants to go on an all expense paid (for by the US citizens) fishing trip, he is going to need much better bait.

modern society?

2009-09-04T18:57:00.003-05:00

I was surfing the web for a quote or poem and came across this little gem. When I was done reading it I pondered how closely it relates to current society's thinking. A world full of people, who think they are entitled to everything for nothing.

Momma Welfare Roll by Maya Angelou

Her arms semaphore fat triangles,
Pudgy HANDS bunched on layered hips
Where bones idle under years of fatback
And lima beans.

Her jowls shiver in accusation
Of crimes cliched by Repetition.
Her children, strangers
To childhood's TOYS, play
Best the games of darkened doorways,
Rooftop tag, and know the slick feel of
Other people's property.

Too fat to whore,
Too mad to work,
Searches her dreams for the
Lucky sign and walks bare-handed
Into a den of bureaucrats for her portion.

'They don't give me welfare.
I take it.'

Beautiful weekend

2009-09-04T10:13:00.003-05:00

Who could ask for more beautiful weather for a four day weekend. Not me, that's for sure! I think I will open all the windows and let mother nature in for the next few days. Get some fall cleaning done, maybe spruce the yard up some also.

The weekend

2009-09-03T17:51:00.000-05:00

It is officially the start of a four day weekend :D

THE RECLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE

2009-08-30T08:13:00.008-05:00

FAILURE TO TAKE HEED AND ACT ACCORDINGLY FROM THIS POINT FORWARD IS UNDERTAKEN AT YOUR PERIL.

THE RECLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE

(used with permission from Blackiswhite, Imperial Consigliere )

WHEN IN THE GENERATIONS SUCCEEDING the one that pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to usher in the birth of the world’s only truly free nation, Liberty’s Progeny incrementally ceded their birthright to the government conceived and designed to serve a free people, and not be its servant, this generation is awakening to the terrible mistake that we, and our ancestors allowed to happen. Charged with the terrible knowledge that comes with opened eyes, we now take up the long abdicated duty to rouse our fellow citizens and actively wrest the power and the liberties that have been progressively talked, cajoled, threatened, wheedled, and extorted from us, not only by those who ostensibly served us, but by their supporters and enablers who, by accident or design, saw fit to usurp and disdain such freedoms, that they might be withheld, and where impossible to withhold, might be condemned, until a corrosive contempt for these liberties, wrapped in velvet gloves, might so suffocate the circulation of them that this nation, conceived in liberty and the providence of a wise and benevolent creator, might indeed perish from the earth, plunging the rightful heirs of a proud and noble heritage in the the darkened waters of chaos, despair, and evil that surround them, a dank deluge that even today, other human beings actively seek to escape from in the inspiring embrace of this blessed and free country.

We, the awakened and aware, freely accept the charge that the architects of this republic passed on to us over two centuries before, in the hope that all who partook in the blessings made possible by nation they created would somberly undertake the duties of citizens, and so appropriately train themselves in virtue, and educate themselves in the workings of the precepts and ideals set forth in their foundational documents that they would possess enough wisdom to recognize that not all threats to our freedom would come from without our ranks, the knowledge to recognize that not every chain and shackle menacing us will immediately appear to be what it actually is, and the humility not to assume that the ingenuity and innovation that has been the hallmark of American success has been the product of man alone.

To this end, we hereby identify and reclaim our independence from the tools used to slowly enslave a free people and usurp the freedoms that we could not be persuaded to freely give up, or voluntarily suppress the free exercise of on our own:

1. We reclaim our independence from the tyranny of ‘Political Correctness’.

The Constitution does not now, nor has it ever guaranteed a right to be free from being offended. Early successes in causing the disruption of free speech by insisting on the use of words or terms stripped of their meaning or altered by redefinition and deliberate use of ephemism, in order to avoid offending more delicate sensibilities lead to its use to deliberately avoid, delay, or prevent the free exchange and communication of ideas because we allowed ourselves to be more afraid of offending someone or being branded with a label chosen to imply that there was a problem with the offending speaker, rather than the intended recipient.

No more.

Words have meaning and names have power. But truth overcomes, when it is given the opportunity to exist unfettered by the artificial restraints that those who fear it would place upon it. The Founding Fathers knew this, which is why they favored the “marketplace of ideas” approach. And we now ratify and affirm this concept, having borne witness to the damage and impaired decision making that results when we remain silent and let others avoid any real discussion of topics, events, and ideas out of the fear that we might offend someone.

2. We reclaim our independence from your victimhood.

For too long, we have stood by silently, and allowed some to increasingly balkanize this country with sob stories of how one thing or another makes them a victim, and therefore they deserve some special deference, special preference, and recognition that they are special. We watched for too long, with growing alarm, as the hyphenated-Americans increasingly failed to take it upon themselves to overcome their victim status, yet continually expect to be rewarded for it as they brandished their victimhood like a cudgel, ready to bludgeon any who dared to question their entitlements and almost rapacious appetites to expand them.

No more.

One of the many unique blessings that this country has to offer is the presence of second and third and fourth chances. Others know this, and rather than think that the good things available to those who work for them were something that they were simply entitled to by virtue of their sob story, real or imagined, they decided to man up, and overcome. That doesn’t happen through accepting help and deciding to continually demand more. We are a generous people, but there are limits. Decide of your own accord to know the satisfaction of making your own destiny, rather than subsistence on the labor of others. You might be surprised at what you accomplish, or how that might come to benefit your fellow citizen in ways that you cannot even imagine.

3. We reclaim our independence from the myth of a compelling interest in diversity at the cost of excellence.

The latest affront to the ‘American Exceptionalism’ that our current President feels the need to apologize for in foreign capitols is the recent notion of a “compelling interest in diversity in our government, our institutions, and our culture”. This is the bastard child of Political Correctness and victimhood, which would not have been possible without the misapprehension of the concept of equality as enshrined in our law, the correct interpretation being that citizens of this country have equality of opportunity and equality in stature in the eyes of the laws that govern us. Once the “right” of offense took hold and started keeping company with victimhood, those benefiting from the employment of both decided that equality really meant that everyone had a right to be to be surrounded in all walks of life by people who looked just like them, whether those people were qualified to fulfill those roles or not.

No more.

Americans rose to prominence in the world in no small part due to the idea of merit and the pursuit of excellence. This was embodied in our government and institutions as much as in the private sector. Civil Service exams for public sector jobs ensured not only that people could do the work required of them, but that the best qualified were hired to do the job. Now, the standard in many fire departments, police departments, government agencies, and university staffs is not excellence, but the color of skin, gender, or sexual preference. The identity has eclipsed ability and we are all the poorer for it. Prepare for a change.

4. We reclaim our independence from the contempt of our citizenship.

For too long, we have silently permitted others to use the appeal of emotion to exact our acquiescence in their actively allowing people who have violated our laws to come here to live and work among us without asking permission to do so, or obeying our laws in doing so. We have allowed others to cajole us into allowing these persons to use our resources, and take benefits intended for citizens, without them being required to become citizens or apply for residence. We have been too long silent as others continually advocate for the application of the protections that are conferred upon us as our birthright to those who are not citizens and have tried to kill citizens, or have expressed a deep-seated desire to do so.

No more.

No sane person so despises something of value that is theirs by virtue of “the accident of birth” that they simply would give it away to others who want it and yet show contempt for those who have it by stealing it from them. Likewise, no sane person so dishonors a gift purchased with the blood of others that they will give it to those who only desire to kill or enslave them. No longer will we be silent as others confer all the benefits and protections of citizenship upon those who disrespect it, or would steal such benefits and protections without assuming the responsibility to pay for them, or worse yet, murder us because we have them.

5. We reclaim our independence from the “Freedom from religion” that has erroneously been read into the Constitution.

From the institution of Thanksgiving, to the architecture of our public buildings and monuments, the opening of government proceedings, down to the acknowledgment on our currency, this country has very deep and undeniable judeo-christian roots, and has been governed by leaders who unashamedly proclaimed their according personal beliefs while in office. It has influenced our laws and been the bedrock of every ideal that has allowed this nation to grow and prosper. This heritage has been the target of a decades long campaign to shove God out of the public square and exile him from congress with our elected officials by people who have refused the notion of a higher authority, because their own beliefs and desires are in contravention to those expressed by that higher authority.

No more.

Assaulting our national heritage with such dubious legal notions such as a separation of church and state that forbids any mention of God or expression of religion on or in state-owned property, and dismantling existing law with the fallacious statement “You can’t legislate morality” does violence to our history and demonstrates weak logic and understanding of what law is. The Founding Fathers’ intent with the Establishment Clause was the prevention of any one church gaining the favor and sanction of the Federal Government. A ban on ANY expression of religion or belief in God was never their intention, and the evidence of that is still surrounding us to this day. The current state of the law is based on a false premise that can be easily dismissed by a simple walk around the monuments and buildings in the District of Columbia, and taking out you wallet to pay for an ice cream cone. As for the “You can’t legislate morality” canard, this is also false. The law is, in its most simple essence, an expression of morality, codified. The question that then arises is whose morality should be expressed in the law? Those of people who can point to no particular belief system that has certain valuable virtues at its core, or those that can?

6. We reclaim independence from the cynical attempts to use shame to stop us from speaking out.

We have all felt this. The accusations that we are poor Christians because we refuse to give the government power not granted to it in the Constitution and go along with the currently contemplated healthcare reform bill. The charges that we hate the Earth and our children, because we oppose the highest single tax increase ever, combined with the deleterious effect on American jobs that would result in the passage of the Cap and Tax bill, which owes its existence to the myth of man-made global warming and the fact that it feeds the Federal Government its two favorite entrees: money and power. The charges that we are bad, greedy, selfish people for not supporting the idea that government and welfare entitlements are the way to improve the lives of Americans who are struggling, whatever the reason. The charges of “Racism” whenever we raise a provocative question or level a criticism at a person, policy, or idea that might happen to involve a person or persons who are not Caucasian.

No more.

Charges like “racist” and “racism” made without objective, quantitative support, and only the subjective justification of emotion will be ignored. The race card is maxed out, and the bank is no longer willing to extend the credit line. As for attacking our faith, or our practice thereof, we will no longer be held to account by people who do not understand the faith they would use as a weapon against believers, when the wielder subscribes to no belief system at all. Those who rely only on themselves for the regulation of their conduct and ethics no longer get to condemn those who answer to a higher authority. Not any more. We reclaim control of the shame that you have opted out of, and we will no longer allow you to use it to make us answer to you.

7. We reclaim independence from the notion that the Federal Government is the solution to every problem and the answer to every question.

For too long, we stood by and allowed debate and action on all matters, predicated upon on a destructive and dangerous idea: That the Federal Government is the only way to meet a need, fix a problem, or prevent a problem. In time it became a security blanket, and we became a nation of thumbsuckers, eager to give the federal Government more power and more money, if only it would keep us safe from life and the living of it as free people, until we no longer looked to it for protection from others who would have our liberties or destroy them; we looked to it for protection from the consequences of our own actions.

No more.

We were so fixated in seeking the federal government’s assistance with every aspect of our daily lives, no one within or without the Federal Government ever exercised restraint and said “No. The Constitution does not give the Federal Government the authority to do that.” And now that people are alert to the fact that the Federal Government is poised on the cusp of the largest power grab it has ever made with the health care bill, some of us are finally saying “No. You do not have the authority.” The stakes have never been more obvious. Met with the anger of constituents who are actually paying attention, elected officials are employing various means to intimidate these citizens who are expressing their disgust and anger that a government that serves them would ever feel so entitled to our money and our data in the passage of something so clearly opposed by those who wold have to live under it, these servants have resorted to insulting their constituents, calling them shills in the pay of their political opponents, calling them stupid and saying that they simply did not understand the printed words on the pages of the bill, brazenly lying to them outright about what they have proposed and are considering, and filling audiences at public meetings with rent-a-mobs from the SEIU, ACORN, and others, so that they will face a friendly audience that is also hostile to the voters opposed to this latest demonstration of government of its leash. The days of promising good governance but delivering graft, corruption, and self serving sinecures are over. We do not care about your party; both have proven themselves reckless and dishonest. We demand that you act responsibly, that you do the people’s business, not your own, and we demand that you act within the confines of the Constitution. No more will we simply accept legislation that exceeds the authority strictly enumerated in the Constitution. No more will we accept interpretations of the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause that are so tortured and stretched beyond reason or recognition as to be unrecognizable to anyone who has read the Constitution. No longer will we accept legislation from the bench that relies not on interpretation of the Constitution, but mystical divination of mysterious penumbras that only a few ‘right-minded’ jurists can see. Those days are over, and you can return usurped powers to the states and the individual citizens in whom the Constitution rightfully places them, or you can have them stripped from you.

We, those who have come together in virtual congress to reclaim our independence from those who have by various means obtained it from us, realize that this probably wasn’t the HOPE! and CHANGE! that those persons had in mind, but nevertheless, the time has come.

Easily Lost

Free Citizen of the United States of America,

August 29, 2009

long week

2009-08-28T20:53:00.002-05:00

Well I made it through the work week. All 56 hours worth. Now some may say that isn't a lot of hours, but when you figure in the amount of material I move by hand each and every day, it gets exhausting. The average amount is 200 pounds an hour, and you lift it twice. Once into the grinder, then again at the other end to stack the full bags up. If you subtract my breaks it adds up to 20,800 pounds of material this week. (dayem that sounds bad, now that I did the math) I plan on sleeping lateeeeeee tomorrow. At least until 8. Have a great Friday.

lolcat

2009-08-28T20:45:00.003-05:00

And you thought the dogs were digging up old animal bones :P