Happy Day of Stuffing (Your Face)

(VIA Daily Funnies)

Happy Mother's Day all you Mothers!

The Weekend after Easter

The Easter Bunny came late this year:

The Easter Spider was right on time, though:

"Carol of the Brains" — A Zombie Christmas parody by Not Literally Productions

Ah, Xmas. Lights and carols and . . . zombies?



(Via Not Literally Productions)

Happy Thanksgiving!

(via Savage Chickens)

The baking begins

With Thanksgiving coming tomorrow, and our daughter and grand daughter visiting from Redding, the baking has begun. My wife is bustling away in the kitchen right now, but here is my earliest contribution to the feast; a loaf of honey whole wheat bread infused with a coat of butter.

I have much to be thankful for, not the least of which is my family and the love we share. I wish you the best during this day of gratitude.

Fourth of July 2013 Mendocino Parade

Fourth of July 2013 Mendocino Parade, a set on Flickr.

It's a little late, but here are my pictures from the Mendocino 2013 4th of July parade. Click on the pictures to go to my Flickr feed and see larger versions. It a unique slice of Northern California life. Where else do the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Move to Amend folks walk side by side?

Happy INDEPENDENCE Day!

With Guantanamo, NSA, drones, and Snowden, it's maybe a little more important to remember that Independence is what this country was founded on. and that FREEDOM is not something to fear, but rather our

responsibility to cultivate.

Enjoy the day . . . .

Happy New Year, everyone!

Black Friday? No, thank you!

Today was the corporate media created feeding frenzy known as "Black Friday", and I spent the day with my grand daughter avoiding the consumer bullshit. I definitely avoided WalMart and Target (greedy corporate bastards), and we went on a walk this evening. She wanted to check out the nearby Ace Hardware store, where besides the two of us there were four employees and no one else. I remarked to one of the employees as he leaned on his register "Black Friday rush, huh?", which elicited a chuckle.

The insanity of our money grubbing culture and the way people are manipulated by the cheerleaders in the MSM is nowhere more evident than in this manufactured event. Take a break, folks, and remember what is really important about these holidays.

And to the bosses at WalMart and the other retailers forcing underpaid employees to leave their families at this time of year (and then who call the extra hours their employees are compelled to work "bonuses"), I say: fuck you very much. You got none of my money today, and while it may not have hurt you very much, it made me feel great.

Here's a Mother's Day Story for You:

Via Crooks and Liars

I have a fundamental problem with the Stand Your Ground laws popping up around the country--including a long-standing version already in place in my home state of California--which is that it essentially codifies vigilantism in the most dangerous of possible ways, resulting in what police organizations warned would be legalized hate crimes.
Unfortunately, you have the NRA and its ALEC compatriots wrapping SYG laws with the sacrosanct mantle of the Second Amendment so that any kind of nuanced, intellectually honest discussion is impossible. However, what makes these bills so heinous is how inconsistently they're applied. For someone like George Zimmerman, he simply invokes it in a police interview and he's released without an investigation even though he's killed an unarmed boy simply walking down the street. For someone like Marissa Alexander--who had direct knowledge of past acts of violence and a threat against her life by the man she shot a warning shot at--it's dismissed out of hand.

Why does this not surprise me? I thought at the time that if Trayvon had had a gun and shot Zimmerman (for which it would seem he would be justified), he would have IMMEDIATELY been arrested for murder. Color still makes a difference in this country, folks.

A cat and a laser---endless amusement

Here's a movie from the holidays: my Grand Daughter playing with her new kitty, Bender, and a laser pointer. The fun speaks for itself.

Happy Xmas . . . .

We're visiting our Grand Daughter and her Mom for Xmas. There's nothing that puts the "X" back in "Xmas" like getting milk and cookies ready for Santa:

She even put some carrots out for the reindeer, keeping all the participants covered. Of course, we tracked Santa via the NORAD site, and she had to hit the sack to avoid getting skipped by the big guy.

It's such a wonderful time for children. I wish it would never end. Happy Holidays, everyone!

The perfect gift for the alcoholic on your Xmas list:

(via Stumbleupon)

Are you a parent? Do you have a child who is old enough to drive? Let's face it, when our kids are first out on their own, they are exposed on a refular basis to things they have never seen before and have to make choices they have never had to make before. We can't go everywhere with them and help them make those choices, but we can equip them to make the best decisions possible when they are out on their own. How much better woudl you feel if you not only educated your kids about alcohol, but gave them a tool like a breathalyzer to help them deal with it?  

That is just one scenario, but you get the idea. A breathalyzer makes a great gift for all the right reasons for any adult in your life, on any occassion that calls for a gift. The only question you have to ask is, "which breathalyzer is right for this gift"? Our feedback has shown that this is the hardest part of the buying decision for most people. The question is not IF to ourchase a breathalyzer, but rather which one?

*SNIP*

On the other hand, you might want to give that important person in your life a tool to use to make decisions that involve things like driving after having a couple of drinks. This is where having a large margin of error simply will not do. A professional grade breathalyzer gives the security you are looking for in this situation. BACtrack offers 3 different professional grade breathalyzer choices. Once again, there are trade offs within that class. The BACtrack S80 is the most accurate breathalyzer offered, and is used by law enforcement and medical professionals across the nation. For a few dollars less you can purchase the BACtrack S75. The S75 is a little more compact, but has a slightly larger plus or minus range for the readings it will provide. Finally, the BACtrack Element is made to be more sleek and compact than the other 2 choices, but still has a fuel cell sensor that provides professional grade results. The overall accuracy of this model is about the same as the S75.

Hey, I'm all for anything that will keep drunks off the road, but if someone is wasted, the chances of them deciding not to drive because a keychain device says they shouldn't are between slim and none. Hell, the chances they will be able to figure out how to use it are low.

The Soul of Patience

My grand daughter exhibits great patience here, waiting for me to record the moment before chowing down on Thanksgiving dinner:

And here she defers taking the first bite of grandma's homemade pumpkin pie so I can snap a shot. What a cooperative subject!

Once again, Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, I'm giving thanks for my family, my friends, and my sobriety. Oh, and thaks for the 99%ers who are finally standing up for their rights. Now THAT is the true American spirit!

Happy Mother's Day from John Lennon

Out with the old, in with the new:

Okay, one more chance to post in 2010, so here it is:

I gotta say this year on balance sucked, both personally and in general. I am willing to admit that acceptance is the key to being satisfied in this life, but it felt like the more I would accept, the more that was doled out. But it wasn't ALL bad.

DADT got shit canned (about time!), and some other morsels were thrown to the masses. But we seem to have a President who spends more time negotiating with the pols who hate him than listening to the ones who supported him. I mean, I'm all for compromise when it is necessary, but aren't there SOME principles that shouldn't be bargained away?

I lost a job after being employed almost two years (after being unemployed for two years.) Then, almost immediately, I found another job in the midst of some of the highest unemployment this country has seen in a long time. So yes, I am grateful.

Banks and the people who own them seem to be in charge of the country now, though think that probably wasn't what the Founders had in mind when they started this Republic (just the opposite, actually.)

I hope to see some more positive stuff happening this year. Hell, I'd like to be prosperous enough to tell my credit card companies to go fuck themselves, too. We'll see.

Anyway, Happy New Year. Let's stay optomistic until we learn otherwise, eh?

Quote for the Day (Cartoonista Division)

"Christmas is the time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ." – Bart Simpson

Duckies on the Fourth of July

Time for an update on the three duckies at my boss' house. They are growing bigger by the day, and making some pretty impressive attempts at flying (within the enclosed coop yard.) They also are manifesting some very strong personalities, which come through quite clearly in these pictures, taken around sunset today:

They are still quite cute, and it would take a harder heart than mine to do anything but love these sweet little critters.

So, for those of you who still find things to be proud about in this country, have a ducky 4th of July weekend!