WARNING: Proceed with Caution

My kids just left with their female parental unit (FPU). Off for a few days in The DC area for the holiday and then onto Colorado. My son will return in about two weeks, but I will not see my daughter until I finish up some business here both professionally and personally, which hopefully will take a little over 5 weeks.

This will be the longest time I have spent away from my daughter since leaving her for a couple weeks and coming home early from her adoption in Viet Nam. I usually get to see her everyday and only go a few days without physical contact if she goes on short vacation with FPU. My son is different as he is older and has gone away and completed college, but I still miss him, even though he is off to start his 'adulthood.'

My usual mode of dealing with loss and sorrow is to get really sarcastic, and be outright mean to anyone and everyone. It is a mechanism that I have had from an early age, maybe it was the way I was raised, or maybe it is just natural programming. I do not know. I have not figured out how to avoid this behavior or how to change it. Maybe it can't be avoided.

So with that I apologize for any and every thing I will say until this hardship has passed.

People none of it is personal. And you can be just as whipped tongued back at me...I will not take it personally either.

Hopefully I can find things to keep me occupied and the time passes quickly, and I do not burn too many bridges....

Underrated IMHO

So the other day I posted the new RHCP (Red Hot Chili Peppers) video and someone commented that they are a very underrated band in the sense of their innovative style and longevity in the industry, so this got me thinking that maybe I should do a list of who I think are bands or musicians that are underrated, IMHO. With further ado....(in no particular order).

• So yes, the RHCP, solid musically and have remained true to their style and continue to produce great music. Never became that main stream, but many are aware of their songs.
• The Gorillaz, great concept (truly cutting edge in every way), and range over a variety of music genre. Hip-Hop, Rap, Techno, EDM, Jazz, Blues, and Rock. Again, not main stream, but people recognize their sounds.
  
• Traveling Wilburys, comprised of legends in the industry; Dylan, Orbison, Harrison, Lynne, and Petty. Short lived, but had all the right talent. And the collaborations from this grouping, unreal.
• Joan Jett, okay I am biased as I have met her and partied with her, but she was and still is one of the greatest female rockers of all time. Who doesn't love Rock-n-Roll.
• Living Colour, once again I am partial to these guys, as I have met them, partied with them, and I am in one of their videos. When the opened for the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels tour, they blew everyone away.
• Taylor Swift, just kidding...
• Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), underrated in so many ways, his anthology of music is huge and many are not aware of his sound track work, along with solo career and of course the Nottingham Hillbillies. 
• Violent Femmes, everyone knows a VF song, they just forget it until it is played and memories come flooding back.
• Stray Cats, nothing needs to be said here, pure hep cats.

I know I probably have more and everyone has their own opinion, but these are mine for now. Maybe I will do the most overrated IMHO next time...

Whose the #2?

These two scare me, children and most pets.

With the Hillz and the Trumpz the presumptive nominees for the respective parties, why hasn't either one of them announced or hinted at their running mate?

Trumpz is probably going with that element of surprise, and we all know how well that worked out for Ironsides McCain. We still can not get rid of that nightmare...I think he needs a political insider to gain the confidence of the party, but he doesn't listen and knows best, so it will be yuge...

The Hillz is another story, she needs a powerful partner. To rally the splintered party right now, it would be wise for her to join forces with Bernie or Warren, but we need to keep those two in the senate right now to counter and keep in check the establishment meat puppet that is the Hillz. O'Malley is way too smart to work for the Hillz and is not an establishment type. It would be a shame to waste and tarnish a young gun like Castro (although this would finish the Trumpz before the gates were even opened with the Latino vote) and tie him into the Hillz administration. So who does that leave...

• Sherrod Brown, see O'Malley and the fact that he has openly said no way..
• Corey Booker, see Castro, Sanders, Warren and O'Malley
• Charlie Crist, this would attract some of the GOPers that are jumping ship, and solidify the Hillz as a traditional Dixiecrat.
• Biden, too much friction in the past.
• Bill Clinton....(hehehehe) also too smart for the Hillz.
• Mark Warner, clean cut businessman, he is quiet, scandel free, this may work.
• John Hickenlooper, too liberal for the party right now.

Any thoughts people, let me know.

What is a Cubit?

The other day I made a snide comment and used the term cubit. I have known what a cubit is, but I thought I would share with everyone what it is and where it came from.

The term predates the bible and was used as a measurement by the Egyptians. Not sure if they used it for the erection of the pyramids, but probably for building at a smaller scale as it is not a large measurement.

The original Royal cubit was the length of the foreman's arm plus the palm of his hand. It was eventually standardized by the Pharaoh (not sure which one) and a black granite block was made and kept. All measuring tools were then calibrated to this instrument. The block measures out to about 20.67 inches in today's standard or 52.5 centimeters in the metric system.

Noah was told to build and ark and god gave Noah the dimensions as 300 cubits (length) by 50 cubits (width) by 30 cubits (height). Translating this out into modern dimensions, it would be 520' 8" long or 158.7m by 86'9.3" or 26.45m wide by 52' .8" or 15.87m high. And Noah had 7 days to build it. Noah was an Israelite and spoke Hebrew, why did god give him measurements in Egyptian? Noah was used to the finger-length, palm, span, ell, mil, and parasang in the measurement system of his time. Not only was the deadline tight, he was required to do some research and conversions, oy vey.

The Sumerians tell a similar flood story with a large boat that predates the bible, and there is no scientific evidence a flood of biblical proportions ever happening....

Please Send Prayers and Thoughts

With the most recent madman rampage in Orlando marking the milestone of 1,000 mass killings since Sandy Hook on December 14th, 2012 (that is just 3 1/2 years), many are asking for "prayers and thoughts." Let us bow our heads...amen.

Have those "prayers and thoughts" prevented any of those 1,000 mass killings? Maybe there were supposed to be twice as many in god's plan and we should be thankful that the number was reduced to a 1,000 because of "prayers and thoughts." Thank you everyone for not letting that number be 2,000, it was your selfless act of prayer that has kept that number to just 1,000. Everyone give a quick genuflect and we can continue to keep those numbers down...just few thousand more likes on social media for "prayers and thoughts" and Jesus and his father will reduce the number of mass killings.

Maybe your next selfless act should be to vote people into office that will be willing to truly make a difference in protecting people's life with sensible gun control via strict background checks, removing assault rifles and large capacity magazines from public availability, at least make the deranged psychopath stop and reload. Along with better training requirements for gun ownership and holding all gun manufacturers and dealers accountable for their products and distribution. Regulations and requirements of special taxes and insurance for gun ownership, nothing in the second amendment does it say those guns are free.

Well I guess I should go try some of that "prayers and thoughts" and save a few lives...btw people, you are welcome...

Random Observations...

Not really enough to do a whole blog (not that my stuff is ever long anyway), so here are some observations...

• Another hats off to the local police department (not my home town, but a neighboring one) for almost getting me hurt (again). Stop for traffic around construction, have my blinker on to make a left turn, police officer directs me to make the turn, as I make the turn across traffic his partner waves traffic through from the other direction and a near miss was created. Have a plan or at least a little communication.
• Rarely do I set up the female parental unit of my children, but I did today (not on purpose, but it felt good). Her turn to take the Maeve to riding, told my daughter to hurry up so there would be time for the 'pre-ride Coolata.' Other parental unit says she does not do that, that is my responsibility...nope not driving, not responsibility...the Maeve would not let it go and was demanding the 'pre-ride Coolata.' Not sure how that will turn out.
• Last full day with the 4th grade, scared them into thinking they had to take a spelling/vocab test on all the words they had this year...shear panic was seen in their eyes.

That is all I got for now.

Overheard

I took my mother (and daughter) out for lunch today and overheard (actually forced as they were talking so loud) a conversation between two older women. They seemed to have solved all the local, state and federal issues with the exception for a few.

One of them understands that there is a huge data warehouse in Utah that has collected and stored all the texts, emails, and electronic communications. The positive thing is that the government does not have the capability to 'sift' through it, so no one is paying attention to what is being transmitted. But maybe someday...

They were also discussing the political race and are excited about Hillary getting into the political office, but are amazed "that a black man got elected President before a woman, but then again black males were allowed to own property and vote before women, so..."

This then spun into a long winded loud tirade of the struggle of being a woman....and some how ended up with their history in high school and dating altar boys from the local catholic churches. Thanks for the chuckles ladies...