- The beautiful weather we had on Saturday was a head fake. We had freezing rain and snow with lows in the 20’s again last night.
- Apparently I have been designated the “safe” place when the cats are playing grabass in the evening.
- There I am, just minding my own business, and suddenly I have one Siamese standing on my chest, claws dug in, meowling at the other Siamese to leave her the hell alone.
- Irish Woman has come down with the same crud I am getting over. Her trip to the doc-in-the-box was as quick and painless as mine.
- I hate to say this, but I love that cigarettes-and-whiskey voice she always gets when she has a cold.
- Dinner tonight was a roasted chicken with steamed peas, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
- The carcass is already in the crockpot with bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and onions to be stewed for soup tomorrow night. I’ll start it tomorrow morning and finish it with either rice or noodles tomorrow after work.
- I’m trying to show Girlie Bear how to cook good food without having to work too hard or spend a lot of money.
- Plus, it’s February. I need warm, filling comfort food to ward off bad thoughts.
- I took Girlie Bear to get a cup of coffee today after an appointment. She pronounced that the coffee shop we visited was a bit on the hippie side, and remarked how the other one we go to is more of a neighborhood coffee shop. I’ve never been so proud.
Thoughts on the Day
Posted by daddybear71 on February 24, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/24/thoughts-on-the-day-215/
Movie Quotes – Day 55 – II
Janine Melnitz: You are so kind to take care of that man. You know, you’re a real humanitarian.
Dr. Egon Spengler: I don’t think he’s human.
Rest in Peace, Harold Ramis. You brought a lot of joy to a world that desperately needed it.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 24, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/24/movie-quotes-day-55-ii/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on February 24, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/24/todays-earworm-479/
Movie Quotes – Day 55
Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away? — Aliens
Did you ever get the sneaky feeling that Idiocracy was prophetic? Our grandfathers had Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. We got Clinton, the Bushes, and Obama. The civil rights leaders of our parents were Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. We got Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The TV shows of my childhood were Gunsmoke and MASH, which were somewhat complex and made you think. Nowadays we have HoneyBooBoo and The Biggest Loser. We went from Abbott and Costello to Smokey and the Bandit to Dumb and Dumber.
I don’t understand it. We are standing on the shoulders of giants, but we are accomplishing little. The information revolution we are enjoying is an outgrowth of research that happened in the 1970’s. We can’t put a man into low earth orbit without going to the Russians.
What in the heck happened?
Posted by daddybear71 on February 24, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/24/movie-quotes-day-55-2/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on February 23, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/23/todays-earworm-478/
Advice to a Young Soldier
Recently, a friend told me that her son was joining the Army, and asked if I had any words of wisdom for him. I told her I’d speak with him if she wanted, or I could put together a few thoughts that she could pass on.
Here’s what I came up with.
- Don’t be stupid. To paraphrase John Wayne, you’ve chosen a hard life, and it will get a lot harder if you don’t use your head for something other than to keep your ears apart.
- Don’t ever do anything that would make your grandmother ashamed of you.
- Learn everything you can, no matter how trivial. There is no such thing as useless knowledge or a useless skill. That boring class you go to or that manual lying around the day room might be what points you in the direction of your chosen profession.
- Volunteer. Yeah, I know, never volunteer. But getting exposure to new things will help with rule 3, and the most interesting and fun things you ever do will probably come because you put your hand up and said “I’ll do it.”
- Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. The military tends to have a rigid social structure based on rank and time in service. It’s also a harsh meritocracy, where experience is everything. For the first year or so, you will be at the bottom of both ladders. You will know when you’ve started climbing either of them.
- On the other hand, if you don’t understand, ask. It’s better to take crap for not getting it the first time it’s explained than to catch hell for failure.
- For at least the first few years in the military, you can live without the following items (See rule 1):
- Any vehicle that you cannot afford to pay cash for.
- A huge stereo or TV.
- An STD. See rule #2 and wrap that rascal.
- A DUI or any other criminal record. See rule 1 and 2.
- A credit card that you can’t afford to pay off every month.
- Cigarettes or chewing tobacco
- The following people are not your friends (See rules 1 and 2):
- Car salesmen
- That pretty young thing trying to get you to sign up for a credit card
- Pawn shop and tattoo parlor owners
- Strippers
- The guy who brings drugs to the party
- The bar owner who doesn’t card for underage drinkers
- If they’re worth marrying, they’re worth waiting for. Getting married in a hurry is rarely a good idea. (See rule 1)
- Beware the potential spouse who knows way too much about the benefits for married people in the military.
- Someday, it will end. It may be after one enlistment where all you get is a handshake and a DD214, or it may end after 30 years where you get a few hundred men and women pass in review to honor you. But it will end. Be prepared for that day, because how you handle it will impact the rest of your life.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 23, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/23/advice-to-a-young-soldier/
Movie Quotes – Day 54
Therefore, if we all work together, together it’ll all work out. Are you with me? Now, get out there! All right! Score some, uh, points! Hey, you missed practice again today! I think you better sit down and think about how that made me feel. — Buffy The Vampire Slayer
One of the things that I really suck at is motivating others. It’s one of the reasons that I decided to not seek leadership or management positions. I’m pretty good at motivating myself, at least most of the time. But it’s a crucial skill for a leader to be able to motivate subordinates, and I just can’t do it. I’m pretty good at explaining what needs to be done and why it’s important. But when I try to convince others that it should be important to them that something be done, I tend to fail spectacularly. I will never be mistaken for being charismatic or evangelistic, but I think I can accept that.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 23, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/23/movie-quotes-day-54-2/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on February 22, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/22/todays-earworm-477/
Thoughts on the Day
- The day started off with a trip to a game farm in Indiana to shoot pheasant with my brother-in-law. It ended with an evening alone with my youngest son. It was a good day.
- Quote of the day goes to our host at the farm: You can make all the plans you want, but all you really do is follow the dog.
- It’s been a long time since I hunted birds with a shotgun. It’s good to see that I can still hit the broad side of a barn.
- An inexpensive Morakniv is an excellent tool for removing breasts from pheasants.
- I took Boo to the park this evening to take advantage of the nice weather. There was quite a crowd. I heard people speaking English in a variety of accents, Spanish, and Hindi. I guess suburban Kentucky is a bastion of intolerance and exclusion.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 22, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/22/thoughts-on-the-day-214/
Movie Quotes – Day 53
Paden: Here’s to the good stuff.
Stella: May it last a long time.
Like I said the other day, there are shades of gray when it comes to bourbon in our house. In that and a lot of other things, Irish Woman and I prefer to buy the best that we can afford. I’m not saying that we always buy the best that is on the market, because that rarely happens. What I’m saying is that if I can afford the Remington 1911, I buy the Remington 1911. But if all I can afford is the surplus Makarov, then that’s what I buy. The same goes for food, electronics, entertainment, and transportation. I’m not going to let us live beyond our means, but I am going to get the best value for what we can afford. We put money back into savings and investments, but we also make sure that we are getting some enjoyment and piece of mind out of our money, too.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 22, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/02/22/movie-quotes-day-53-2/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 