Remember that show with the 8th grader that was a doctor of some sort back in the 1980s? He either started or ended his show in front of a computer writing in his journal reflecting on what happened in the day.
Sometimes I feel like Dr. Doogie in front of my computer writing in my journal.
A corvette is more than a car. It's a culture and also a lifestyle. The corvette is the cost of admission to be part of the culture. I never really experience that while I had my corvette because I never really made time to be part of the community. Sure I went to a car show but that was so incredibly boring. Everyone there knew each other already and they were broken off into their little cliques. I stayed for about 30 minutes and left; not sure why I bothered to invest the time to attend.
There were cruises to check out the bluebonnets, but timing wasn't right. Or I didn't make time to go on the cruise.
Earlier this week I saw a post that there was a corvette cruise to go out to Mexia, TX for a special trip. A special trip to go see Big Boy - aka Union Pacific 4014 - a steam engine from a bygone era. The biggest steam engine ever built with a 4-8-8-4 configuration. Decommissioned in 1961 after having travelled over a million miles and fully restored by Union Pacific in 2019. She isn't a working train anymore but an exhibition piece that travels different parts of the country every so often.
While the corvette cruise is open to anyone, I decided to rent a C8 corvette to participate. I also took my youngest son out of school for the day so we could see the antiquated technology of yesterday while driving the state of the art technology of today. Well if it state of the art technology wouldn't it be electric car. No - electric cars were tried a long time ago and the technology was abandoned for the superior technology of the internal combustion engine.
It was quite a sight to see. The engine was enormous. Weighing a million pounds. Incapable of traveling more than 60 miles at a time because it has to be lubricated at that regular interval. They didn't have self lubricating parts back then. There were probably a thousand people gathered to see BigBoy's arrival. It made it difficult to get close to it and see what all they were doing during the stop.
After the train departed we decided to eat lunch with the covet crowd. It was quite enjoyable. I happened to with an a couple in their 80s. From from the 80s but 80 plus years old. The lady has pancreatic cancer was looked thin. Both of them were as nice and could be and enjoyed sharing conversation with them. Turns out the man (Edgar) went to TLC in the 60s and dropped out without graduating and after a hiatus tried a year at SWTSU. A path parallel to mine. He was also a conservative so we had plenty to talk about during lunch,
Prior to leaving for the trip the club met at a local donut shop. Everyone was visiting and discussing their cars and the day ahead.
Driving to the train stop was fun. 10 corvettes in a convoy going up the interstate. Quite a sight to see. All of us drove the car in similar fashion in acceleration patters, braking patterns, etc. I got the rental up to 106. I asked Edgar how fast he got up to and said 110. Another guy in the group got up to 120. No garage queens in that group.
It was a cool experience. I enjoyed the drive, the destination and the lunch. All the people were regular people. Not plastics. There were varying degrees of money in the group. We were all bonded by the car. It brought us together and gave us a common bond. I alway heard the corvette was not just a car but a culture. Having spent the day with them, that is so true. Looking back, I wish I had participated in more of these events when I had my corvette. But I didn't for two reasons - 1 - I was working shitty hours and was exhausted whenever I wasn't at work due to the shit schedule. 2 - I was afraid I wouldn't fit in. I felt like a poser when I had my corvette. It was a 2009 that I bought used. I was a family guy. What I realize is the ladder didn't matter. Having a corvette got you in the club. And having participated in an event I realize they are just normal people who appreciate their cars and share a bond around the car. I realize my perceptions were inaccurate and I should have gotten involved earlier.
Having experienced this event, it makes me want to add a little corvette back in my life. My wife loved the new corvette. Yes it's a great car. But the older models are way more practical - if you can say that about a two seater - and to me they are the only real corvettes. Front engine. Rear wheel drive. It may not be as capable as the C8, but it's still a corvette. And having driven three different iterations of the corvette, they all feel the same. When push comes to shove a corvette is an expensive toy that gets you admission into the club. I liked being part of the club - if only for a day.
I so wish my employer would give a sabbatical leave of absence if you've been employed for 15 or 20 year. Maybe a 3-6 month leave of absence. Maybe at partial salary or something. I don't know.
What would I do if I had that opportunity? Immerse myself in Amish culture. Like to to Pennsylvania or Ohio and be part of their community for a while. To live without the modern technologies and conveniences we take for granted. Do things the old way. Do manual labor. Learn that we don't need all these new fangled things like TV, radio, social media, modern appliances, computers or cars. I think it'd be interesting to rely on face to face communication, community effort and living off the land.
When I worked in Florida, the amish people would be frequent visitors in the summer. There were two parts of time they would stay. It is interesting because they got there via airplane and often times one member of the family had a cell phone. Gasp.
Observation - the dressed simpler and they looked way healthier than any other group of people in the terminal. Probably because they don't consume the garbage of the modern world with their mouths, ears or eyes. Plus they don't rely on many modern technologies. They are industrious and productive people. Most of their efforts remain in the community - unless it's furniture, quilts or pies. That is exported out of their communities for the rest of us to consume. Interesting.
After arriving to work seeing a bunch of hoes, jocks and soy boys at the bar at 0830 in the morning, it finally dawned on me why I hate the city. It's full of a bunch of petulant kids. Kids just out of college or under 40. The entire airport is crawling with them. They're entitle, self important, think the world rotates around them. They're young. They're hip. They're annoying.
The city is also full of people from India or wherever that are young, working high tech. They think they're better than everyone. A bunch of brown people with beards. They all look the same. They're all flexing their Tesla.
I read the median age for people in this city is 34.2. Their brains are even fully developed.
Maybe that's why I was so happy living in Florida. The average age of people in Sarasota is 49.8. That explains everything. People in SRQ had tons of money. But they weren't flexing to keep off with the jones. They've matured beyond the idiotic lifestyle of youth.
One day these local twat waffles are going to grow up and realize their entire youth has been spent doing absolutely nothing but trying to socialize and impress people that don't give two shits about them.
Pro Tip - When researching a place to move, do research to see if the population is compatible with your own stage in life. Living among all these rotten kids sucks. All they do is social media, drink, dress like hoes and get tattoo while drinking Starbucks coffee. Then we have the soy boys that are one step away from being trans. All those quality make them losers to me. They are irrelevant. They suck. I hate this town.
ATX is a shithole.
I was recently asked how many cds I have in my collection. I'm guessing somewhere between six and seven hundred. Around 120 of them are JOHN WILLIAMS. Then there are the film scores, band and classical selections. Followed by rock, pop or country in nature. Then there is the new age or instrumental cds to the likes of Yanni, John Tesh and the like.
I've been collecting since approximately 1983 - more than 80% of my life. Those cds are the musical soundtrack of my life. Literally every chapter in my life has a sound. It's fun to occasionally be transported back in time to various stages of life. Whether it was fantasizing about dating some girl or reliving my childhood listening to Barry Manilow and John Denver as my parents would ofter listen to. Bach's toccata and fugue in D Minor that my dad would listen to... Then high school listen to the likes of Poison, Def Leppard or Journey. Then jumping to the soundtracks from movies like Top Gun, Footloose and Grease and going to Michael Jackson or Madonna. Or all the band music played over the years immortalized in memory and recording.
Does the music represent tragedy of any kind? No - not really. Just periods of my life. Memories anchored in sound.
Everyone has their vice. Drugs, pornography, tattoo, horsepower, religion... For most of my life, music has been my vice - whether in chasing sonic perfection or enjoying the sound track of my life.
I'm thankful the cd was invented. Loving taking an auditor stroll down memory lane.
If they really wanted to have meaningful reduction in human impact to the population, they should have done something a little more meaningful and targeted than Covid and the vaccine.
Here’s what I’m thinking - carcinogens in tattoo ink. That’s what I call a targeted and smart approach to population control. Yes. I am exhibiting bias and discrimination against people with tattoo. But with few exceptions, these are less desirable members of our population - at least here where I live. Maybe a notch above illegal immigrants - but still meaningful reduction to the less desirables.
What if I told you that wind turbines to generate electricity is the biggest deception in the green energy agenda. There's no wind yet you see a turbine turning. I bet they turn the supposed generator into a motor and feed it electricity to have the turbine turn at a slow rate of speed. It is an entire sham so energy companies and governments spent large amounts of money on sustainable energy online to line some democrat donor's pocked to funnel more donations back to the candidates.
I heard the blades alone are a million dollars a piece. The probably cost 20,000 dollars to make. Plug up some cable and energize the motor and viola all the lemming praise the sustainable green initiative and it's a hoax. All of it.Suckers.
Why is the media making such a big deal about Trump saying the Haitians in Springfield are eating geese, dogs and ducks. No one has ever complained about the Chinese people eating cats hanging in the windows in Chinatown. Why is that and how is this any different?
Today is my wife's birthday. We decided to celebrate going to one of our favorite restaurants which was a 20 or so mile drive? We almost didn't make it. We were in the car and some nut job is in the center lane and swerved across two lanes of traffic to make a left turn. He almost tore off the front of my car. I slammed on the brakes and thankfully no one was behind us. I came within inches of hitting him. I lay on the horn ready to turn around and chase this mother fucker down and beat his ass. I couldn't. As it turns out, he got hit by someone on the other side of the road. Instant Karma for that bitch.
He was driving an older Honda civic. Not anymore.
My wife and I were talking about it. She thinks it was someone having an argument or something. I think it was either an illegal alien or someone under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. It really doesn't matter. He got his.
Which got me think to jobs illegal aliens have. I bet they work for DoorDash or UberEats. So many times you see some scuzzo looking immigrant hold his phone up to the restaurant worker waiting for them to read it and hand the order over so it can be delivered. No verbal exchange. Just a grunt, grab and go.
The apps used for errand running and ride sharing are perfect for illegal aliens that don't have drivers licenses. They don't have to talk, the phone communicates in their native language and all they do is drive around delivering fast food to stupid white people too fucking lazy to get their BigMac and fries themselves. Like having fast food delivered - isn't that the epitome of white privilege?
Anyway...
At the restaurant, my wife received an offer for a free piece of pie on her birthday. And luck should have it, today's her birthday. There was something wrong with the computer system at the eatery and they weren't going to honor the promotion. After hemming and hawing with the manager of the eatery, they reluctantly gave in after originally saying they would not honor the deal. It's a five dollar piece of pie. STFU and make the situation right. If it's that much of an inconvenience, don't even bother offering free pie. What a PITA.
My hometown hss been destroyed. It is a sewer of apartment complexes and housing developments. I came home from a business trip and took the back way as opposed to going all the way up on the interstate. The extreme outskirts of town are very country. But driving up 620 - there is NO VACANT LAND anywhere. The are car dealership, housing developments and apartment complexes. They say it's better to be part of a growing community rather than a contracting community. I guess that's true... But when the home you've known for 50 years of your life is not even recognizable anymore, there is something wrong.
This place has turned into a god forsaken wasteland of rich people. People with money coming out of their ears. Either that or poor people living paycheck to paycheck with gobs of debt trying to flex and keep up with the Jones's.
Why are people so afraid to pick up the phone and call someone when it has to do with work? So many people want to send an email or a message via teams. The world doesn't work via text message. Relationships are formed via text message. Pick up the phone, or if you have to, do a video call. This hiding behind text or message is lazy communication.
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be a construction worker back in the day when they were building Disneyland in CA or Magic Kingdom in FL... A place unlike any other in the world. A fantasy land. To take the Earth and shape it and build an entire world that has stood the test of time. I bet that was pretty neat to say you built Main Street USA or the castle or the lagoon... That would have been cool.
Who reads what is in the food they buy? I typically don't... but I think I'm gonna start. Acheta protein or acheta powder. Do you know what that is? It's secret code for insects. Crickets specifically. They're calling a nutrient dense substitute for flour. They're now getting people to eat bugs. A victory for Bill Gates and the liberal left. Apalling? Not really. Disgusting? For sure.
I don't think people even know this is happening unless they read the labels. Well I'm gonna start. Not putting that crap in my body. This is deception. This is offensive. And this is absolutely disgusting.
Sometimes I worry if we will get to the point of vigilante justice. Where there's a guy with a car stalled on the highway during five o'clock rush hour. Someone rolls up next to him, rolls down their window and shoots him. For causing serious back up delays. Is it too far fetched?
I don't think so. I recently read there is a Venezuelan gang holed up in an apartment complex in aurora Colorado. Gun wielding and terrorizing the residents. The police don't bother to show up.
There's something wrong when we're letting every other country's trash into our own country. Those people are different. They don't operate under the same moral code as the rest of us. Bang.
I see the days of the wild Wild West making a comeback with shootouts - literally guerrilla warfare on the streets.
Something needs to be done with OR without the governments help to tame these demons. Or exterminate them.
I'm like a broken record when it comes to John Williams. Not another John Williams entry.... John Williams is a fantastic composer and artist. I love his work. Did you know he produces his own albums? Which is interesting because most of them are hits. And some are misses.
The biggest miss is that of Close Encounters. I have three different version of this music. The original, an expanded and a 40th anniversary. The original and expanded editions are terrible. Terribly boring. Pedestrian. One of the only albums where I'd enjoy shaving my head with a cheese grater rather than listen to it.
John Williams holds Close Encounters and E.T. in the highest regard. Which is interesting. The original sound track recording to E.T. is not very good either. I don't even own the original sound track recording. I think there was an expanded issue at some point. I don't own it either. But, I do own the own the 35th Anniversary LaLaLand recording. And it's great!
Seeing how John Williams gushes on Close Encounters I've been keeping my eye out for the LaLaLand 40th anniversary recording. It either out of stock or out of print, but marked out of stock. Found it and received it today.
At first listen, it is actually pretty good. Way better than the other two versions. Why is that? Because all the music is included played in the order they appear in the movie. Not mishmashed together into a "more listenable" album - that what John Williams strives to do with his original soundtrack recordings. And it's also remastered with modern technology by John Williams guru Mike Matessino.
I much prefer the LaLaLand recordings compared to the more mainstream recordings. I wonder if the New World Order would consider this 'exhibiting bias?'
I am not interested in the LaLaLand cut of Schindler's List. There doesn't seem to be much difference from the OST recording. Eventually I'll get Empire of the Sun. Then the collection will be complete. It only took 40 years to assemble.
What is cool about Close Encounters is John Williams somehow manages to make the music feel at times eerie, other times frightening and even curious.... like the emotions one would experience interacting with an alien life form.
Another very good album that I wasn't keen on at first, but here I am finding myself enjoying this as a late discovery after multiple attempts.
Side note - James Earl Jones died today at 93. So long Vader, So long Mufasa. John Williams is 92. And James Earl Jones's death is getting a little too close for comfort to the orbit that is John Williams.
Tim Walz is a cross between an emotional support animal and a rodeo clown. Mocking white middle to late age men. He’s got a sprinkle of stereotypical used car salesman in him too.
I bet you thought I was going to say Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. But I'm not. Boeing. Boeing is a national embarrassment. On top of their airplanes having exit row plugs blowing out and wheels falling off during takeoff, they have 2 astronauts stuck in space. The Star Liner mission really cements Boeing's reputation of producing American made junk.
Like out of all the projects they have going on, they couldn't even make the most visible one a success. The launch was scrubbed multiple times and when they finally got the thing in the air and attached to the international space station, it's stuck there. One project. They could't even make one project be a success.
And on top of that Space X is going to have to come in and save the day. And Boeing's space suites aren't compatible with Space X suites. Boeing's probably look like what the astronaughts on the Apollo missions used. What a pile of trash.
That company is doomed. America is doomed, too. Garbage in. Garbage out. Kinda like digestion.
One of the biggest for of deception is courtesy of Estes Lauder and Loreal. Cosmetics. They cover a woman's natural face and make it look perfect. The use blush to highlight their cheek bones. Eyeline and eyeshadow to enhance the color of their eyes. They use curlers to change their hair. They groom their eyebrows, yada yada yada.
Have you seen another of those YouTube videos where some ugly chick applies makeup and becomes a supermodel. But underneath all those chemicals is one of the ugliest people you've ever seen?
Is it marketing or deception?
My wife wears some makeup. And she looks great. But my favorite look is the one not very many people get to see. The natural look with out all the camouflage. She's super pretty without make up.
In a way, I'm lucky to get to see here that way - just as she is. Maybe that look is just for me and everyone else get's the dressed up look.
Have you seen how ugly Hilary Clinton is with makeup? Imagine that old bag without make up. Ew.
Or Kamala Harris - if you can find a photo of her without make up she looks nothing like she does when she's made up.
And then when men wear make up. What a bunch of fruit cakes. Eyeliner, cover up, whatever.
And why does the orange man were orange make up? Why does he dye his hair? Because he's just about as old as Joe Biden. What a fraud.
I usually get to work early and sit in my car for about 15 minutes. I just don't want to get out of the car, walk through the terminal and start doing my job. Chasing metrics or reducing cost. That's pretty much all I do. That and maintain positive relationships with other stakeholders and business partners. That's fun to a degree - but justifying all the other "failures" when getting a plane here on time is a rarity instead of a basic expectation. But whatever.
A friend of mine says "Work is a four letter word." He's right about that. I sometimes wonder if I made the right decision to pursue my current position. I was so much happier in my previous role, living minutes from the ocean. Being able to walk on the beach whenever I wanted for free - when there are other people spending thousands of dollars to do the same thing. It was a charmed life.
And it got boring after a while. The professional challenges weren't there. The station was running like clockwork.
Should have stuck to the original plan and had my wife join me at the end of the last school year and just live a simple/semi-retired life.
Instead - I chose to come back to a city I hate with segments of the population I despise. I don't like the liberal polyticks or the progressive fruit cake culture.
I am waiting for the day my former colleague gets promoted and I will apply for my old job. Either that or quit all together and go do something else.
Bidenomics is a complete disaster unless you're poor or "under represented." Something had to give to maintain a semblance of our former economic position in society. And this is it.
Life was so much better for that demented communist took office. He destroyed America as we know it in 3.5 years. With the help of his cronies. Is it past the point of no return? Almost? Probably? I don't know.
Unleash energy production in America. Prices will fall for nearly everything. The GND is communist. Those who champion the GND are either mentally ill enviroterrorists or pollyannas wishing for a world with reduced greenhouse gasses. Dummies. They should concentrate on planting trees and preserving greenspaces. It's probably the best thing they could do for the environment. The only thing liberals see about the green new deal is dollar signs, tax revenue and modification of behavior they don't like because they'll do everything in their power to make it cost prohibitive.
Oil is bad. News flash. Every thing you eat, buy, wear or moved uses oil or is made from an oil byproduct. EVERYTHING. Unless you planted an appleseed and watered it - everthing is reliant on oil. Potato chips are in plastic bags. People are idiots.
I stand by my previous statement. Celebrities (encompassing all actors, most singers and songwriters), athletes and politicians are all cut from the same piece of trash. Every single one of them. They're all communists or of some other cult setting out to destroy conservative American values.
So I went to see the Reagan movie. It's not a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination. It probably won't have a broad viewership. It's pretty underwhelming. Dennis Quaid wasn't terrible. But he wasn't a home run either.
What I found interesting about the movie was the theme of communism. Which, I liken to today's theme of socialism. Two sides of the same coin. And here we are with the democrats pushing socialism and the republicans pushing freedom and rights.
Another theme - was even though Reagan and Tip Oneal were opposed politically, they were bonded by their shared belief in God.
Interesting comment in the movie - and I wish I could remember it - but it was something about removing God from our culture and replacing it with communism. Minimizing the presence of God and christian principles erodes the fabric of our society. It's how some of this other stuff that I typically write about has shaped our culture.
Which brings home that america was founded on the tenets of christianity - and the evil that walk among us are working overtime to push christianity and religion to the side - and the failing of America is directly linked to the collective moral decline in our culture.
I wish I wrote immediately after I saw the movie as my thoughts were deeper than I am able to express at the moment.
There are three things I'd like to add to my cd collection. The first is Beethoven's symphony cycle conducted by a black man. The second is Beethoven's symphony cycle conducted by a woman. I'm curious what their perspective would bring to his work.
The third - which is a unicorn - is an album entitled "John Williams and the President's Own." This cd is a two disc compilation was given away at a concert John Williams conducted. John Williams also conducted both cds 2008/2003. It was literally given away to those who were fortunate enough to attend the concert last year. It's not available for purpose. I religiously watch the second hand market and it's never come up. It is a CD I would be willing to pay an obscene amount of money for - it would be the crown jewel of my collection due to the elusiveness and exclusivity of this album.
You know what we have in America, perhaps even the world? A crisis in confidence. What I mean by that is people no longer have confidence in so many parts of our society, culture and professions. DEI. Diversity, equity and inclusion. Didn't earn it. DEI is the antithesis of meritocracy. Yet the problem is compounded by changes in the work force, economic growth across various sectors of the economy.
When my mom was in the hospital, I heard a side conversation about how many nurses are not properly trained or qualified for their positions, in large part due to AI and googling everything they need to know to pass exams. There is not adequate practical experience these gained by these entry level employees before being hired. That is concerning.
I was visiting with some pilot friends recently. They were talking about some of these new first officers that have 1500 hours of flying under their belt. Just flying around in straight lines logging hours without gaining critical experience required to maintain control of their aircraft in various weather/flying scenarios. The captain typically has to take control when things get dicy to land the aircraft safely. And there is conflict between captains and first officers on how job duties are to be performed. There's a reason there is a door between the flight deck and the cabin of the aircraft. It also came out during our conversation that many new first officers are being mandatorily upgraded to captain once they're eligible whether or not they are fit for or comfortable in the role. Many people in positions they are not qualified for in life experience but in meeting required minimums. Think a guy that's been flying E175s for a few years getting hired on a mainline and going straight into the left seat of a B767. There's a huge difference in operating those two types of aircraft.
I used to think having the youngest doctor was a good idea because they've received the latest and greatest training. They're up to date on the latest techniques and treatment methodologies. That may sound good in theory, but I'd rather have a surgeon who's done hundreds if not thousands of procedures than the guy fresh out of medical school fulfilling his residency. No learning hospital for me. Thank you.
I wonder how many things go wrong that are swept under the rug in both professions. It's disturbing to think about.
We also have a crisis in confidence in our institutions, such as government, police, WHO, media, etc. They are no longer operating in the best interests of the citizenry. They're either operating in their own interests or to whoever will pay top dollar. - I guess that's their own interest, but it is not in the best interest of commoner.
This became apparently obvious in the snipers of the Kamala Harris interview on CNN. Dana Brash was a horrible interviewer - leading Kamala into answers. Giving her options instead of making her think and answer for herself. America wants to hear the candidate defend themselves. Not some softball interview carrying the candidate as long and as far as possible in hopes of getting them elected. The media treats Harris different than they treat Trump. Does anyone else notice? Why? Because they despise the mean orange man.
After the covid hoax, no one believe the NIH or the WHO or the CDC. They overstepped their boundaries. They took our rights from under us. All in the name of protecting the greater good. I adamantly disagree.
There are too many people on the planet and the growth is unsustainable. Too many people need services without enough trained people to provide them.
I was also listening to the radio and they were talking about the days of affordable housing and other goods are gone due to the amount of money infused into the economy, not only by printing it, but subsidizing all sorts of nonsense. The days of a high quality pair of shoes costing 100-150 bucks are gone. Now a pair of good shoes costs 150-225 dollars. Being able to eat a fast food meal for 7 bucks are gone too. Now days a shit sandwich from McDonalds is 10-15 bucks. Gas for two bucks a gallon? Never again. It's all part of the plan to motivate you to purchase a piece of shit electric car. Our economy has forever been damaged by democrat policies - subsidies, hand outs, loan forgiveness, wars, etc. All of it has destroyed the American way of life. Most unfortunate to see the greatest country on earth teetering on the brink of becoming a third world shithole like venezuela.
But hey - at least the typical grocery store in america probably carries 20,000 different items... who buys the fancy stuff vs those of us scraping by purchasing peanut butter and jelly and bread.
America's future is bright. Maybe if you're some illegal alien coming here from BFE. For the typical American citizen, this country is in decline. Thanks to immigration of illegals into our land. I hate Joe Biden for what he's done to the United States of America.
I learned a new phrase today capturing my opinion of people jumping on the bandwagon of drug use, tattoo, gender issues, political ideologies, etc. Weak minded. Weak minded individuals go wherever the wind blows them. They lack moral character and conviction of any kind and just sorta wander into these things - like tattoo, piercings, wearing pajamas in public, Painting their hair green or whatever it might be.
Also, I highly suspect there is a HIGH correlation between tattoo, body piercing, drinking alcohol, illegal drug use and food stamps. Chances are good if someone is on food stamps or some other form of public assistance, they participate in those things listed above. Why is that? Because they're weak minded individuals.
