For those of you in uniform, deployed, CONUS, or whatever, thank you for what you do. It’s because of people like you that my family can sleep soundly at night.
Armed Forces Day
Posted by daddybear71 on May 19, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/19/armed-forces-day/
Thoughts on the Day
- Painting and drawing on a big cardboard box with Boo was almost as much fun as it was when I was 4.
- If you leave the cover off of the sand box overnight in a neighborhood with a lot of stray cats, you don’t get to be angry with your husband when you find the inevitable results.
- A sign of parental love: Volunteering to use the minivan to transport multiple teenage girls to the mall and back.
- Teenage girls, when grouped together in an enclosed space such as a minivan, become just as goofy as teenage boys.
- Not quite as obnoxious, but much more talkative.
- I got in touch with my inner hipster this afternoon and checked out Trader Joes.
- Not bad. Kind of a lower-cost Whole Foods
- Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter on a sliced granny smith apple is an outstanding snack. I must be careful.
- This stuff is almost as addictive as Nutella.
- So is extra spicy ginger beer.
- While sitting on a bench at a nexus of the mall and waiting for the girls to meet me at the appointed time to be transported home, I noted that I could smell Starbucks, Cinnabon, a perfume store, and Abercrombie & Fitch. That is not a combination that I ever thought I would encounter, and one that I hope I never encounter again.
- Sitting and people watching at the mall for half an hour will remind you why you consider yourself a misanthrope.
- When going up to the feed store to get a new water dish for the dogs, Boo was fascinated with the prods and crops used for training and controlling horses. I’m not sure what that portends, but it’s probably not something I want to think about.
- I don’t know if it’s in the Guy Code, but “Thou shalt not make a suggestion about home improvements to another man’s wife that will make that man spend three times as much money, time, and sweat to get to a satisfactory end state” sure as heck ought to be listed in there somewhere.
- Mental note – Universal ceiling fan remotes aren’t.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 19, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/19/thoughts-on-the-day-29/
Overheard in the House
Irish Woman, after noticing that I’ve put my gun on my belt – Why are you putting that on? You’re just taking Boo to the hardware store and dropping Girlie Bear off at the mall.
DaddyBear – Because, darlin’, you won’t be there to protect me and bad things can happen
Irish Woman – ………..
Yeah, I’m a smartass, but that one got her thinking.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 19, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/19/overheard-in-the-house-6/
30 Days of Dune – Day 15
Anger is one thing, violence another. — Count Fenring to Baron Harkonnen
My Take – We all feel anger. It can be a minor irritation or it can be red-tinged tunnel vision and everything in between. The key is to control your anger before it overtakes your reason. If violence is necessary, try to do it without allowing your passions, either fear or anger, driving you to it. “He pissed me off” is rarely a good excuse, as much as we would like it to be sometimes.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 19, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/19/30-days-of-dune-day-15/
Restaurant Bleg
Does anyone know of a good restaurant in Annapolis Maryland? Nothing too nice and definitely nothing too expensive, but somewhere I can get some of the local fare. Looks like I’m heading there for business soon.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 19, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/19/restaurant-bleg/
Dear Crayola
As a parent, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to your organization for your decision to make your crayons and markers in such a way that they can be washed off of a freshly painted living room wall with nothing more than a wet rag and some elbow grease. It is very much appreciated. It is amazing how creative a young boy can be with your products in the two minutes it takes to go into the kitchen to get a second cup of coffee, and the relief felt when the blue, green, yellow, and red marks came off was wonderful
Sincerely,
Daddy J. Bear
P.S. What happened to the razor blade thing on the big box of crayons? I’ve had to use my EDC knife to sharpen crayons all morning.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 19, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/19/dear-crayola/
Dear Saint Xavier High School of Louisville
I wanted to thank you for helping our family make a very important decision. You see, Irish Woman and I have been struggling as to which direction to take the BooBoo’s education. We live in an area with excellent public schools, a well-regarded secular K-12 school, and a Catholic K-8 school that feeds to the Catholic high schools, including y’all. I am a product of public schools, and I know that with hard work by both Irish Woman and I we can make sure that Boo gets a good education in the public school system. Irish Woman is a product of the Catholic school system here in Louisville, and even went to your sister high school for girls.
To be honest, we have been in disagreement over which way to go. I favor the secular private school or the public schools. Irish Woman wants to put him in Catholic schools. It’s really a difference of opinion at this point. With enough work and pushing, he can get a good education in public schools, and I know that both the secular and Catholic private schools can provide an excellent start to his life. I had been leaning toward dropping my opposition to the Catholic school system due to the importance that Irish Woman places on it.
But after reading this, I have to regretfully tell you all this:
It will be a cold day in hell before a dime of our families money, a drop of our sweat, or a second of our lives are spent in support of your school or the schools that feed students to you.
You see, I have been that boy. Halfway through my senior year of high school, I decided to postpone college and enter the military. I signed up for the delayed entry program, finished high school, then left for basic training. I wore the promotional tee shirt and all that to school, and took all the crap my Bay Area teachers and fellow students could hand out. I was harangued by my English teacher and guidance counselor about how I was throwing my life away. My ‘friends’ tried to convince me that I was going to be a killer. Exactly two people in the entire school acted like I was more than a bastard at the family reunion: the janitor and the vice-principal.
This young man has decided to to start his adult life by doing something more honorable than partying, blowing off classes, trying to figure out how to sneak booze into the dorm, and participating in the annual re-enactment of Animal House. He’s choosing to give up his youth to do something for all of us, and you shamed him for celebrating that decision. No matter what policy you change now that you’ve been called out for your behavior, your attitude that anyone who decides that college isn’t the most important thing in life is less of a person won’t change.
So thank you for simplifying our decision. We are now down to a choice between two options for our child’s education, and we won’t be bothering you with our quaint belief in such things as selfless service, duty, and honor.
Yours truly,
Daddy J. Bear
Posted by daddybear71 on May 18, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/18/dear-saint-xavier-high-school-of-louisville/
News Roundup
- From the “Property Rights or Just A Jerk?” Department – A man in Texas is being investigated for pointing a handgun at a helicopter that was preparing to land on his ranch. The pilot believed he was landing on a National Guard training area, and landed after the accused pointed a gun at him and his passenger. My take – This guy messed up. Unless the pilot was using the tail rotor to try to kill him or damage his property, he wasn’t justified in drawing his pistol, his land or no. Additionally, if he’s not the best pistol shot in the world, hitting a helicopter or its occupants with a pistol shot is a matter of extreme luck. If you’re going to threaten a chopper, you’re going to need something a bit longer and heavier.
- From the “Bill of Attainder” Department – Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania are proposing a bill that would charge rich Americans who renounce their citizenship to avoid paying high tax rates double the going rate. I think if you’re punitively taxing someone who is trying to avoid our already punitive taxes, you’re kind of missing the point. How about this: The salaries of Senators and Congressmen should be taxed at double either the corporate tax rate or highest personal income tax rate, whichever is greater. That alone might convince them to cut tax rates.
- From the “I’ve Been There” Department – A man in Russia had to be rescued from his building’s garbage chute after trying to use it to hide from his girlfriend. That’s funny, I thought my ex’s family was from Poland, not Russia. I’m not admitting anything, but one of my favorite places on earth used to be a rock shelf that was on the opposite side of the mountain above our home in Arizona. Yes, I was basically baking myself in a huge solar oven, but at least it was quiet.
- From the “Slow and Steady” Department – The shell and skull of a huge turtle has been found in a coal mine in Colombia. The shell measures 172cm, which is about as big as Girlie Bear. Due to the size of the skull and its jaw, scientists believe the turtle was capable of eating anything that lived in its environment, including crocodiles. So basically, we’re looking at an 8 foot long snapping turtle. Those of you who’ve ever had a snapper come after you, hopefully missing, can imagine what that looked like. I’m just wondering what steaks from an 8 foot long turtle tasted like.
- From the “Preventable Condition” Department – A man in Tennessee, who has fathered 30 children with 11 women, is asking the state to help him pay his child support. The state is currently taking half of his pay for child support. To this guy, as a man who has paid child support, all I can is this: My heart bleeds purple panther piss for you, you irresponsible jerk. Don’t come whining to me about how hard it is to pay to feed all 30 of your children when condoms are cheap and vasectomies are affordable. To tell you the truth, we’d all be better off if someone had given your father the same advice about 35 years ago. Get off your butt, get a couple more minimum wage jobs, and take responsiblity for yourself, you waste of of an ovum. Either that or do your kids a favor and walk in front of a speeding train.
- From the “Get Thee To A Physician” Department – The CDC is urging all Americans born between 1945 and 1965 to get tested for hepatitis C. Apparently HepC was running rampant among young adults during the 1970’s and 1980’s, and baby boomers might be walking around with the infection of the liver without knowing about it. Getting tested would allow those afflicted with hepatitis to get treated. I urge any of y’all who fit that description to get tested. I need every reader I can get, and sclerosis and liver cancer are ugly ways to go when they can be treated if caught early.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 18, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/18/news-roundup-119/
30 Days of Dune – Day 14
The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it. — Paul-Muad’Dib
My Take – “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.” — Gerald Ford
This line of thinking is why we should fight tooth and nail against government regulation of any part of our rights, no matter which amendment to the Constitution guarantees them. When we allow others to tell us where, when, and how we may exercise our rights, we are taking the first steps to giving them up entirely. Unfortunately, that particular frog has been in a nice warm bath for a very long time, and it’s not long before it boils.
Second Take – Those who would restrict your rights place no more value on the rest of your life than they do on the part of your life they want to take away.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 18, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/18/30-days-of-dune-day-14/
Thought for the Day
Just a few reflections before bedtime
- Alton Brown, of the Food Network, is a shooter. I did not know that.
- Peanut butter fudge ice cream is an excellent headache cure
- Potato plants are as cute as little kittens when they first pop up.
- To a house cat, a frog on the porch is better than cable TV.
- After a blind taste test, I can now say that my dog prefers the crusts off of the pepperoni pizza over those of a cheese pizza by a margin of almost two to one.
- Boo knows how to climb trees.
- The siamese is quite capable of opening the trash can and fishing out whatever it is she didn’t get when she was meowing her fool head off.
- If the 4 year old doesn’t have pizza sauce on his lips but the labrador retriever does, you have every right to be suspicious
Posted by daddybear71 on May 17, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/17/thought-for-the-day-143/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 