A Speedy Recovery

LC Jackboot is having surgery tomorrow for a shoulder that has been troubling him for a while. I'll have you in my prayers for a speedy recovery, JB.

The Kitchen Sink, Part Two.

Yeah, I finally got this done today, also, although the plumbing made me throw up my hands and call my father-in-law for some assistance, after two trips to McClendon's Hardware on my own. Antother trip, some sawing and cutting, an approach that messed with the pipes that were still there, and BAM! It works, and no leaks, either. I think the next thing I am tackling are the floors in the house.

Last Night's Movie Was?

The Guardian. Having grown up in Michigan, I have always had an appreciation for the men and women of the Coast Guard. If you have ever seen a November storm on the lakes, you have an idea of what it means to be staring down the full fury of nature. This was not very different. The Bering Sea in winter, a place where your time in the water can be measured in minutes. And rescue swimmers jump out of perfectly good helicopters, right into the full fury of it. I recommend it.

And Now...

The kids are finally in bed (way wound up from the birthday party, (and me with no patience left), I will sit down to watch a movie. Flags of Our Fathers, or The Guardian? I'll let you know.

And the Kitchen Sink!

Wednesday evening, while washing the dishes, I thought the sink lever felt a little funny. When I shut off the water, I knew why, because I ended up with this POS in my hand.

Thanks, MOEN, for ruining my weekend. (Buy it for life, my ass.) I was hoping to have just a little bit of time during the day to either do what I wanted, or to prepare for Heir No. Two's birthday party on Saturday evening. But thanks to the quality workmanship of MOEN, I have a project to take up my time. And it wasn't enough to replace the faucet. You see, I am married. Being married means never having to do the simple fix; instead, you get to UPGRADE. I mentioned something to Mrs. Blackiswhite Thursday about stopping at Home Depot on my way home to pick up a new faucet. The response: "You might as well wait. I want a new sink too." "Why?" "Because you can't put a new faucet on that old sink. It will look yucky." I took a deep breath. "And?" (Because I knew there was more.) "And because the one we have isn't deep enough. I can't wash the big pots in it." I sat silently, straining my brain to remember the last time I saw her wash any pot, let alone a big one. Those of you who have been married a while understand my conundrum. If you say what you are really thinking, you get to pay the consequences for a long time. If you get upset, you pay the consequences for a long time. Finally, I settled on "So you're taking a $75 repair job and turning it into a $450 dollar upgrade, and taking my weekend away at the same time?" "Yes." I hate the casual ease with which she can say that. Friday night, we went to the Home Depot, pcked out the Kohler 19 Gauge Stainless Steel with 8 inch deep sides, the Kohler Chrome Drains, and the Delta (That's D-E-L-T-A, not MOEN) Faucet, and casually dinging the plastic, I headed out the door.

Saturday morning, I climbed underneath the old no-name sink with some POS hardware attached, and did what I do best with tools: I took it apart. Naively, I believed that since the two sinks were the same size, the new one should drop right in. (You can insert the laughter here if you've played this game before.)

As it turns out, the first hole was never cut square to begin with, and then the self-rimming lip on the underside of the new sink is an inch longer and an inch wider than on the old one, so the beveled corners in the cutout are as useful as honesty in Congress.

Many adjusting cuts later, I have it so it is almost flat, and I think that once the clips are attached underneath, it'll be just fine. Tomorrow, I tackle the Plubming. Hooking the water up will be no big deal. The drains, and the dishwasher? We'll see.

A Long Week In Bizzaro World

This can sum it up, I think:

"Iran Detains 15 British Sailors"

After several late nights/early mornings having to write treatises on why the sun doesn't rise in the West because opposing counsel thinks that it is appropriate to respond to a default motion brought because they are 40 days late with a reply to counterclaims by filing a motion to strike certain allegations contained therein which is also 40 days late, rather than file the bloody answer with the predicatble denials, at least not until the eve of consideration. Then they failed to deliver discovery on either day promised in writing by opposing counsel, which was the straw that broke the camel's back. I was up preparing the motion to compel (with sanctions) because they made up push then for over forty days after they discovery was due to get the protective order I would not stipulate to, and then because I had to push continually for 40 days after they got an order. Stuff I'm entitled to, and I have to put in late nights in the theatre of the absurd because they don't feel the need to comply with the rules. "Civil" procedure indeed.

And now, I hear that the ragheads grabbed a bunch of sailors doing their jobs in that little corner of Hell, and HOURS pass with no response, other than negotiations? I freely admit that I am a Right-Wing Death Beast. I'm not upset at the Iranian's conduct. Being the subhuman, rock-worshipping misanthrops that they are, I expect no better of them. I am horrified at this latest demonstration that the Western world has lost its stones. There can only be one response to this, and unfortunately Dhimi Carter set the wrong example the last time that this happened. Grab 30 of their nationals. Not the average Achmed. No one will notice. Go into their embassy and grab 30 nationals. Put a bullet behind the temple of the 2nd most important one you grab. Make damn sure they know that it happens again in an hour, every hour, on the hour, until your people are returned, unharmed. Announce that if you go through all of them with no release, then their "capital" goes up in a flash of light.

When will the pinstriped weenies understand that we will never get them to respect us, but we can get them to respect what we can do to them? Such a course of action should have them acting like human beings in short order. And if it doesn't work, then they lose the privilege of drawing breath. It is that simple. If it isn't, then Western Civilization is finished.

Sleep Tight

Savage's guest yestday was dicussing the fact that Litvinov (The polonium tea guy) was a nuclear arms smuggler, an ancolyte of the Religion of Pus, and more likely poinsoned himself than was offed by the Russians, since Polonium is only produced in an amount of 7gr annually, making this about a 30 million dollar hit. All in a discussion of how suitcase nukes are real, USA Today's uber-reliable story notwithstanding.

Sleep tight.

Not As Bad As I Thought

Not as much pain as I thought this morning. Worked late tonight, so I'll go tomorrow night, and on Saturday, and Sunday.

Alex and his family are now settling in in England. He emailed me some photos today. He still doesn't have broadband at his home, so no posts at his site yet.

Started Working Out Again For The First Time In 5 Months.

I'm gonna hurt tomorrow.

The Result Is Slightly Wrong Based on the Fact I Only Had Two Choices for Each Question

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 90% Conservative, 10% Liberal

Social Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Ethics: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Disturbing (Yet Unsurprising) Thoughts

Today's sermon was on 2 Timothy. Of particular interst was 2 Timothy 3:1-3:5 :

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to their parents, unthankful, unhold, unliving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughtylovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And From such people turn away!"

The sacrastic side of me says "That doesn't realy leave me any place to turn."

But seriously, does the list remind you of any place and time?

I'd Listen To Her Sing The Phone Book!

This Video Made Me Want To Be A Singer