RFTP 1

At one time, I lived in Yosemite National Park (from 1995 - 2000). While there, I met a lot of people of differing ideals from those that I hold/held.

So, in August of 1995, I threw this huge employee party. Lots of people were at the party. Everything was going great, and I was having a good time. But things were going to get much better.

Before the party got too out of hand, I turned down the music, quieted the crowd, and announced the reason for the party.

"This party is in celebration of the death of Jerry Garcia, which happened earlier this week, and thus the Greatful Dead as well. Now I don't have to hear any more of their SHIT music!"

Fully two-thirds of the people got up and left. Under crying and boos from the departing. Which was just fine with me, more beer for my friends and I.

Remembrances From The Past Prologue

I have been asked by some friends to relate some of the stories/happenings that I have experienced in the past. So, some future posts will be labled as RFTP and a number. I hope that you like them as much as my friends do.

Freeway Driving

I drive on the freeway everyday. Weekday freeway drivers are, except for rush hours, pretty good at driving.

However, weekend drivers SUCK ASS! I was driving the freeway north this morning out of Fresno. I don't know what possesses people to slow down when passing a big rig or to drive below the speed limit. There was one driver doing 50 mph. 50! in a 65 mph zone. What are you an F'n moron?

I probably used the word Fuck 20 or 30 times on the road today. And I called too many people my new favorite word, shermota.

This whole thing is why I don't drive the freeway system when I am off of work, unless I have to.

Space

I have seen/heard from friends, news shows, and print media the quesion of our need to be in space. The main complaint being that it is a terrible waste of money to continue the space program. This latest mishap with the foam chunk that fell off on the Discovery launch and the subsequent grounding of future launches only strengthens their belief in this notion. Also, that the Space Station is a complete waste of time.

I, personally, believe that the space program is not only a needed program, but a necessary one. Think about this example, without the benefits of the space program, there would be no velcro. Think of all of the uses of this product in today's world. Also, think of the medicines, film materials, and near-perfect crystals developed from space flights.

However, I think that we should be back on the moon by now. It has been almost 30 years since we first went to the moon. This floating around our planet is getting a little old. Let's try to do something new.

As for the foam coming off of the fuel booster, I say, "Look at all of the previous missions on the shuttle. In most of those flights, foam has come off from somewhere. We lost one shuttle to foam. The astronauts all know the dangers of flying into space, yet there is a mile long line to be on the next mission."

Let the astronauts fly. Keep pushing the boundries. Quit crying about what could happen.

In My CD Player 25 July 2005

Mudvayne - "Lost and Found"
Full Scale - "Full Scale"
Bad Religion - "The Empire Strikes First"
Various Artists - "A Tribute to the Ramones"
Primer 55 - "(the) New Release"

Lying in Anger

So, this post is a little off the sarcasm and joy that I normally try to post on this site.

I work in an industry where you must be a "happy, happy, joy, joy" person. All day, every day. Each customer is seeing you for the first time, that day. It doesn't matter if you are having a crap day, either from the hardass people that I have previously dealt with or the physical pain that I have from doing the job. (Let alone the pain from previous and current injuries.)

I love my job, but invariably someone at some point in the day just pisses me off. More often than not, it is one person at one location. [For this person alone, I have used a word that I never used for another person before. The "C" word]. For several stops, thereafter, I am not real happy. And each person I see asks, "How are you doing?" They usually get one the following responses, "Great!", "Phenomenal!", or my favorite "Just peachy!" But really, I am just not happy.

To backstory this, I once had a terrible anger problem. It ate me up. For the most part, I have the anger under control, these days. It really takes a lot of shit to get me angry. And this person has given that out and more.

Really, the problems with this person are bordering on harassment. But that is another story.

I guess that the main reason for this post is that I am on the verge of going postal. But each morning I wake up with the hope that today will be a better day and I go to bed with such anxiety that the next day won't be as bad as today.

It is becoming so hard to put on the "smiley face" when I know that the crap is just a few hours away.

I guess that the only reprieve, this week, is that one of the problem persons is on vacation.

I am tired.

Good night.

Armstrong Again!

Congrats to Lance Armstrong on Tour de France win number 7.

Most sports people that I have talked to, have no interest in the sport. But, come on! I seriously doubt that I will ever see someone else match seven wins in a row on the "Tour".

Smoking & Tatoos

What is the deal with all of the women that I meet?

They all have tats and/or are smokers. I know that it was the cool thing to get a tatoo, probably still is, but it is something that I wouldn't do. Most of the tats that I see on women are not feminine, if tats can be feminine.

And, smoking! What is cool about smoking? My father is a smoker. I have seen it all my life. I have never seen it as cool or, for a woman, as sexy. But, more and more people my age are hooked on it.

I just imagine a future time, where there are a ton of grandmothers and old ladies with smokers' lines and mottled droopy tats. What a world it will be!

A Laugher in San Diego

What is going on in the city of San Diego?

For those who don't know, the mayor of San Diego officially stepped down last week after serious allegations were drawn to him. The new assigned mayor took office on Friday. Then, today, two council members were scandalized and removed. The funny part of this is that one of the council members charged is now the new sworn in mayor.

Can you find someone down there that can govern the city without getting in trouble with the law?

We'll have to wait and see.

Race Night In Stockton

I went with my brother, a friend, and the friend's father to see the races in Stockton, CA. Most notably, we went to see Burney Lamar, who is second in the points race in the NASCAR Elite Division, Southwest Series. Burney is currently in the race camp of NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick. Under Kevin's tutelage, Burney is racing in five Busch Series races and five Craftman's Truck Series races.

The race was scheduled for a 2100 start time, with the race lasting 125 laps on the 1/4 mile track.

On lap 3 Burney blew a left front tire. [In this race, there are no pit stops]. So, Burney pulled the car onto the infield grass to get a tire change. It looked as though Burney got back into the race two laps down.

With a crash on lap 25, the field lined up, the cars on the lead lap to the outside and the lapped cars to the inside. Burney was next to the leader on the restart. For many laps, Burney battled the race leader and was finally able to get in front and thus gained a lap back. Then, there was a crash. The pace truck picked up the leader and Burney was able to come all the way around to line up next to the leader once more.

Again, Burney raced the leader hard. Again, he was able to get in front of the leader. And, again, there was another wreck. The fans of Burney were hootin' and hollerin'. Only to find out that Burney was originally three laps down, not two. So, with only 30 laps to go and Burney forced to the rear of the lead lap cars, the race towards the front wasn't nearly as exciting as we had hoped. Burney finished the race mid-pack.

All in all, though, it was an exciting evening of racing.

Although, I must say that getting home at 0000 was tough, with a 0400 wake up time for work.

Dirty Bombs

There has been talk of an upcoming book on terrorism by Williams. [Don't know the book name or the author's first name].

The gist of the talk has been about the possibility of 20 (twenty) dirty bombs already being in country. Those bombs most likely being placed in the top 20 most populated cities. I have talked to people that are either freaked of the possibilities or are blase about the issue. Those that are freaked want big walls to be built along the US borders. [Like that is going to provide any help for the bombs already here.] Something similar to the Berlin Wall. From Texas to California to protect us from Mexico and from Maine to Washington to protect us from Canada. While we are at it, have the U.S. Border Patrol start shooting anyone who tries to get over, around, or through the wall.

The blase folk just don't care about any of the hoopla.

I just think that people, in general, are looking at this in entirely the wrong light. If the top 20 cities go up in a radioactive cloud, then think of the land prices. I could afford a great big house for fairly cheap prices. Also, with 20 million less people in the U.S. there will be more places to live.

Oh, there would be some difficulties to the general population. For example, the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA) would have problems with both players and places to play. The major networks would also, probably, be out of commission.

What an interesting concept.

Hot Part 2

"What's the weather out there like? It's hot, damn hot. It's so hot, I saw a little orange man burst into flame. It's that hot. What is it going to be like tonight? It is going to be hot and wet. That's good if you are with a woman, but bad if you are in the jungle!" - Goodmorning Vietnam

It didn't even get below 75 degrees last night. It is almost getting too hot to sleep, even with the a/c on. And this is only the beginning. Soon it will be even hotter.

It is supposed to be 107 here today, with a cooling trend to 101 by Tuesday of next week. [A "cooling trend"?] Anything over 100 is hot. What is the difference if it is 101 or 107? But now that I think about it, at 110, it gets almost unbearable. Then over that, it doesn't really matter.

Already, it is 90. I think that today may be a lounge in the pool day. I just hope that the whales are not out today.

"Follow Me To Certain Death"

I saw this bumber sticker on an off-road vehicle today.

That's the guy I want to go four wheeling with. How much fun is he going to have?

It just struck me as funny.

Random Thought 1

I have to keep these 'random thoughts' numbered. I have so many, but here is the thought I had today:

Let's say that you get cryogenically frozen. When you get thawed out, do you have freezer burn? Isn't there a risk of things falling off?

I mean you wake up, look at yourself, and go "Oh my God, my ______ is missing!"

Cursing in Arabic

At one of my stops, during the day, I call upon a customer from Syria. An employee of his and an employee of another place have been having me send verbal messages back and forth between them. All in good fun.

In the process, I have been learning to curse in another language. The latest phrase, and by far the worst of the bunch [at least to their culture], was loosely translated as "Suck my dick, whore!".

The older siblings and uncles are none to happy. I think that I am actually getting on the bad side of two in particular. But, it is funny to me and to the two principles involved.

So, I close with the phrase of the week, "Ala zubee, shermota!"

Hot

"It's hot! I didn't know it was going to be this hot! This is Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't stand this hot. It's that hot." - Biloxi Blues

Needless to say, but I will, it is hot! Try moving around in this heat in a big metal box on wheels, with no A/C. It is at least another 10 to 15 degrees hotter inside. 110 degrees to 115 degrees F for 12 hours. There has got to be a better way to make a living.

T-Shirt

I saw this shirt while doing my rounds today.

A female was wearing this: "I can eat box better than you!". Very funny, especially the looks that she got from passerbys. I thought that this grandmother was going to pass out.

It got me thinking, that you have to have a big set of balls to wear a shirt like that. Female or male. Because, there is always someone out there that is better than you, in anything you do.

Psychosis

My friend in San Diego, up until a couple of months ago, dated this woman in LA. She, having been born and raised outside of California, saw the LA /Hollywood scene as being the penultimate in life existence. Her whole life has been based on the dream of living and working in some field on the scene. This dream became an obsession and this obsession developed into delusional behavior.

Oh, she had a decent run in her chosen (and legal) field. She was even married to a short term Hollywood star. But, her delusional behavior broke that up as well. Just being at the scene, even if the scene was B or C, that was the life. She even made the trip to NY to talk to a radio personality there.

However, real life became the dream. She couldn't do anything on her own. Bills, food, and the necessities of life took a backseat to her perceived real world. She found the money to get a massage or her nails done, but could not find the money to pay for dinner or a hotel. Well, the hotel she could get for free, if she used her charms just right.

My friend went into this relationship not knowing any of these things. He saw the facade that she put up. For the most part, this kept them together for a while. But finally, the cracks in her armor became more pronounced. He saw what she called her "condition". Met her family and found out the true nature of her place in the world. The end was near.

But, she had such control over his emotions. More than once, she would call and he would make the trip to LA to see her. Sometimes in the middle of the night. Once he tried to leave, to return to work, she would twist him further into her web of lies. Finally (with the help of family and friends), he made the decision to break it off. She saw this as a personal attack and fell further into more delusional behavior.

Just recently, he started to receive emails from her again. She lost her apartment in the city [I wonder why?] and is living in a female group home. All she sees now are the negative sides of the relationship, not the positives.

It seems to me that she is trying to drag him back into her demented world. Have strength my friend. That life is not what you want or need.

In My CD Player 11 July 2005

Spiderbait 'Tonight Alright'
The Union Underground 'an Education in Rebellion'
Skindred 'Babylon'
Queens of the Stone Age 'Lullabies to Paralyze'
Relative Ash 'our time with you...'

Seasons Part 2

If you have read my posts before, then this will make more sense.

It seems that my season is not going as planned and coincidently, my friend's season isn't either.

He is having no problems at the present. I, on the other hand, couldn't find the hole if I fell into it.

What a wierd year.

Audio Terrorism

I don't know about you, but I am sick of hearing (feeling) other people's music emanating from huge stereos on wheels.

I can fully appreciate that they have a right to hear what they want. But, I have the right to hear what I want as well with out interference from others.

In an interesting response in "The Playboy Advisor", the following was reported: "Last year a woman in St. Petersburg, Florida who claimed to be a victim of 'audio terrorism' sued a teenager who played rap in his car as he drove to school each morning at 0630. In a shocking turn of events he apologized and sold his system. In 2003 police in Lorain, Ohio began smashing the stereos of drivers who violated the local noise ordinance for a second time."

I am not a proponent of suing people over every little thing. However, something needs to set a precedent in California.

Sickness

It took me a while to write these new posts.

You see, I was sick. My guess is that I drank some of the water from the creek in which I played.

Oh, was I sick. I tried to call in sick on Sunday. But my boss made me work anyway. I must have puked twenty times in those hours. I slept when I got home.

I called in sick on Monday. My boss told me that I had to work anyway. I had mostly dry heaves all that day. Again, I came home and slept.

"Did you get to see any fireworks?"

"Yes", I would say. "I saw my puke hit the toilet all night. Those were my fireworks".

On Tuesday, I felt much better. But, the muscles around my stomach were so sore from the constant heaving.

But, having 'shirked my duty' as my boss said. I had a very long day. So, after arriving home, I went to bed.

Yesterday, was just as long and the sleep just as fast.

So, here I sit writing today.

London and the War

The tragedy in London is a terrible shame.

The United Kingdom was said to have been warned and threatened to get out of Afghanistan and Iraq.

I don't think that the terrorist groups follow history very well, though. The United Kingdom, as far as I know, has only lost two major wars (both to the US [Revolutionary War and the War of 1812]). She has never backed down to threats or attacks. Make no mistake about it, we are currently living through the third world war, whether it is called as such or not.

However, I wonder how this is going to effect the countries of Australia and Canada. Is there going to be a step up in military personnel from either country, in this war, in support of the United Kingdom?

Also, Denmark and Italy has been issued the same warning. How will this effect them?

I hope that I am wrong, but I really see the Italians going down the same path as the Spanish. "Boom! We're done!"

But, I don't see the Danes backing down at all.

This is war. Don't let the enemy dictate your actions. This is going to take time, let's see it through.

However, we have other options that we can use.

1. Give Israel free reign in the region. As the second largest standing army, arguably the best intelligence agency, and the best air force in the region, Israel could do some serious damage to their Muslim neighbors.

2. Tell the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq that they have X amount of time to find and destroy the terrorists in their respective countries. If they do not do it, we pull out our troops and nuke the whole country.

I imagine that either option would not be well received. But with either, it would be fun to see.

So, go on terrorists, push us and our allies. Maybe our options are becoming more clear.

Concession

I have to concede a point to a friend.

I can argue theology for hours. I made a point to this friend that has pushed him a bit too far, on this subject at least.

My point is that although the Bible has many problems, it is the only collection of documents to follow for the Christian faithful. Whether you believe it all or in part, it is the only thing that we have.

Keep the faith.

Goodbye Ms. Zeta-Jones

I don't know why I continue to see Catherine Zeta-Jones pitch cell phone ads. As of December 1st, T-Mobile is dropping out of the American market.

So, my spokesman can be the annoying "Can you here me, know?" guy? Or, be a part of the company that I left for cell usage, SBC/Cingular? Sprint, Nextell, AT&T, or Alltel?

All of the choices seem to be equal crap.