My Poor Pussy Cat

It's springtime and the mocking bird have been mobbing him when he strolls outside.

Today, the Blue Angels are buzzing him and the shack. In fact, one almost landed on my culdesac seconds ago... almost killed myself trying to debolt the front door and take cover. (okay, okay, I was scrambling for a close up, but saw nothing but trees by the time I could stand up outside. :P )

Bogeys Everywhere

Having fun ogling all of the inbound air traffic to this weekend's airshow at Dobbins Air Force Reserve Airbase.

IT Futures Down on Rulng

as IT worker productivity plummets.



I agree with this in principle. I don't read a physical paper nowadays. I don't talk on a company phone. But playing games goes to far, unless it can reasonably be determined to be as part of a break or lunch time and is not impacting work performance.

I don't hang around the watercooler anymore, I only smoke when I'm on fire, I don't go find the gossip monger for the latest scoop. Instead, you'll find me, taking a little downtime here and there, to catch up on the news, blogs, gaming, etc. Oh, and I'll be at my desk, by my phone, awaiting that all important email in the process...

So, maybe our productivity won't really decrease afterall?

More Sex Industry Info Than You Can Shake a Stick At.

Found this Edinburgh paper's section rather interesting. Heh.

And it seems soccer hooligans aren't the only one's excited about the World Cup. Especially the DD Cups.

Digital, it even cures cancer,,,

not really. Hollywood relying on digital to save its bottom line.

Hollywood is burning, and its leaders think their consumers need a good fiddling. Don't get me wrong, I think digital medium is awesome and will provide some awfully nifty benefits, solve some age old problems and make the construction of movies more efficient.

But I'm turned off of Hollywood, not because of its analog medium. It's the total suspension of reality (obviously, I'm not discussing Sci-fi), the utter lack of quality writing (aka plot) and dialog, and a seeming reliance upon the wow factor more commonly known as digital special effects to bring in audiences.

Hey, Hollywood makes some awesome color pictures nowadays. But without quality story, dialog and originality, it's nothing more than cool art without a soul.

And while we're on the subject of Cameron's Titanic? A fun little love story, some cool effects, great costumes... but they couldn't spend a dime on getting DiCaprio to learn to talk like a mid 20th century boy from Wisconsin?

Soccer Fans Rejoice!

Finally, fans of domestic US soccer, aka Major League Soccer, can catch all the games on their computers.

Thankfully, for a number of years, ABC and ESPN have been doing a good job of television the US Men's National (or Nats as we like to call them) matches. But unless you lived in a city with a MLS franchise, you were pretty much S.O.L. in regard to watching your favorite team.

Now, MLS has set up a way for fans like me to watch the games not already televised by the networks. I can now catch the Wizards play Chicago even when the Little League Worlds series, celebrity poker or bowling dominates the sports airwaves.

THANKS MLS!

Now I'll have a hard time day dreaming about whether to get Fox Sports Channel or pay for the MLS package over broadband....

Welcome Home 48th

Our (and yours) soldiers have begun returning home. Good job guys (and gals) and welcome back.

Go Back to Europe

This is the first I've heard of the pro-reconquest sentiment "Go Back to Europe" in Atlanta.

A few protesters wore sombreros and held inflatable characters, including a jalapeño pepper with a "No amnesty" message. A small group of counterprotesters stood across the street, at least one with a sign reading, "Go Back to Europe."

It's one thing to want to become American. But the Mayan/Aztec descendants have no claim on Georgia. This garbage will turn more of America solidly against any middle of the road compromise. Anyone promoting this message does not want to become American. Pack his arse up in a container box and ship him back to the barrio he came from.

Once again, the anti-immigrant crowd pushed the taxation issue, highlighting a broken tax code.
"Most of us here don't have a problem with legal immigrants," said Newman, a construction contractor. "What we are here for is the illegals that don't pay their taxes."

Ah, I Was a Stud Once

I'm the one with the oar. Now, I'm just a spud-muffin.

Let's Go Beep Beep

Local band 13 Stories gets boost from Ford. I know one of the four members of the band. It's kinda cool to see them on TV getting some PR for their 'single'.

I'll Question Their Patriotism

Hattip to Instapundit:

The flotsam that passes for comments at Bert Stover's blog, Reporting for Duty, hosted by The Washington Post is amazing.

I did NOT like the fact that Europe wouldn't jump into Yugoslavia without our lead. I did not want US troops over there when I felt Europe could and should have handled it. By then, I was not a fan of Bill Clinton. But you can bet damn sure that my sentiment did not come anywhere near the vein of that expressed in Stover's comment section.

Our military and our volunteers in the military is not perfect. They make mistakes. But I want them to perform their duties to the best of their abilities and try to come home in one piece. And if that meant fighting and succeeding in a conflict that I didn't agree with, so be it. I want our troops to do well. Always.

New Baby!

Revisited. Sis-in-law just is in the middle of a difficult weight-loss program (aka hysterectomy) and needed some sanity and a spare hand. SO... I picked up the niece and she's now fast asleep in our 'nook' here at the shack. My kids are stoked, totally. Probably ask if we can get our own kid sibling to torture and mold as we see fit.

Guess we'll have to pick one up at Babies R Us or something cause my tree's been pruned.

The Economy MUST Be Up

I've seen more Ferraris around town the past month than I have in many many (2+ years?) months. I even saw a Lamborghini. I'm discounting the Lotus Esprit I walk by in my corporate parking deck 'frequently'.

Pirates 1 - Ninjas 0

HA

Didn't expect the police to figure into this contest. Everyone knows Pirates have more fun.

Effective Yellow Jacket Trap

Well, my home-made Yellow Jacket trap worked!

No, I didn't dare them to correct my definition of Pi.

I poked a mostly peeled apple four times with equal lengths of a bamboo skewer, effectively creating an apple quadraped. I then filled up a metal pie-plate with soapy water - watch the bubbles! - and stood the apple in the middle of the pie-plate. Then, in the dawning hours of this chilly spring morning, I laid the trap beside their lair.

I just got back home to discover about 20 yellow jackets doing the backstroke in my pie-plate pool of soapy water.

Hat-tip to Do Your Own Pest Control, eHow.com, and Alaska Outdoor Journal

Hispanic Protests Cripple America

This just in.

The American economy is in total collapse today as hispanic protesters walked off their jobs to demand citizenship. As a result, lawns got hairy (raising sheep futures), the quality of food service dropped (making self service fast food the rage), families were denied new homes (raising prices of existing homes) and people had to pick/grow their own produce.

Yeah, we won't survive. It wouldn't be the same without my hispanic neighbors (might be much quieter), but we'll survive without them. If they don't want to join the country or obtain fully documented worker status, I'll make do.

US Soccer Hates the South.

Or at least that's the message I get from US Soccer when they keep scheduling US National Team matches on weeknights. Numerous times in the past 'qualifying season', the organization has scheduled friendlies and qualifying matches in Birmingham, Nashville, Cary NC and played them on a work/school night.

I could understand this in the height of southern collegiate football season. I'm a BIG football and a BIG futbol(aka Soccer) fan. You'd be silly to try and do a match for the fans and make any money off of it while UGA plays the St. Mary's Catholic School for Blind Girls. Heck, baseball season hasn't even started yet, and NBA basketball? Pfftptpt!

Give us a break US Soccer. We want to support you, but why do you have to make it so damn hard?

8 Card "Go Fish"

Playing go fish with my 5 year old son tonight while dinner cooks. Was curious to see where this went. We had a 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and two number 2s. We kept putting the matching twos into the discard pile and pulling them back out. My boy noticed what was going on but we kept playing, waiting to see who'd give up first. He won, but only because I didn't want dinner to burn. :)

A Modest Immigration Proposal

If it's good enough for Mexico, surely it'd be good enough for America's illegial aliens.

Exercising Demons

Well my intrepid followers, I'm back. If you missed the world-wide (..er Mississippi Delta to Georgian Hinterlands) tour, I'm sorry. I wish I could go someplace more exciting like some people

Went outside to exercise my demons. Got out the garden scythe and practiced my golf swing on my crop of daisies. My once a year golf pilgramage is fast approaching. Figured swinging a heavy tool would work the appropriate muscles and work off any of frustration from any of my three family trips this past week.

While working on the front porch, trying to prevent more erosion around one of the footings, I discovered a yeller jacket burrow. Thankfully, I was quickly done with my business and was able to stand back and observe the 20-odd flying demons and try to figure out where I'd gone wrong. All so I can go back and finish the job once and for all. Think a gallon of gasoline and a match would do the trick? Hmmm. How dry is my house....

Not much to pick up in the yard now that the two local tornados blew everything away. Now some poor neighbor will have to clean up my yard trash. Nice of nature to take care of that bit o' business for us.

Anyway, it's nice to be home and back at 'work'.

The GaMongrel USA Tour Almost Over

Spring Break began this week. I traveled cross country to see my kinfolk, only to turn right around a day later and high-tail it to my ancestral home to bury my grandmother. She was a wonderful "farmer's wife" that took great pride in caring for and serving her family. She will be missed but is in a much better place and condition now that she has passed on to greener pastures.

There's one last stop on our tour. It's going to be a big surprise to a member of the family on the other side of the family tree.

Tickets still available. :P