09:05 – Barbara and I started watching the 1990 series Twin Peaks last night. As I said to Barbara, yet another series that involves young women being abducted and murdered. That gets old fast, but I suppose it makes for popular television because it plays on everyone’s fears.
Speaking of which, the paper this morning reports that authorities have found the body of Anna Marie Smith, a student at Appalachian State University up in Boone, NC. She disappeared about 10 days ago, and was found in a field. No word yet on whether the manner of death was natural causes, murder, suicide, or accident. Whichever it was, what a waste of a young life.
It’s hard to sympathy for these dipshits when they keep messing with North Korea. Why even go there in the first place.
The US could take a leaf out of Castro’s book and dump all the illegal immigrants on NK’s doorstep.
I figure we should send the
illegal immigrantsinvading army back to Mexico, one at a time. By catapult.Twin Peaks is an odd series. I suspect our host won’t like it much, because it’s got a fair bit of mysticism, and it peters out rather than ending on a good finale. That said, I do love some of the absurd humour from it.
I figure we should send the illegal immigrants invading army back to Mexico, one at a time. By catapult.
I am ashamed to say that I laughed and envisioned a field of trebuchets.
Oh, that is heartless!
“the body of Anna Marie Smith, a student at Appalachian State University up in Boone, NC. She disappeared about 10 days ago, and was found in a field. No word yet on whether the manner of death was natural causes, murder, suicide, or accident.”
Apparently, the reporters definition of a field would match my idea of a wooded slope or gulley.
A new young student this year, into self-mutilation according to photos, and had more-or-less cut loose since starting college a month ago. According to one witness, appeared to have suffocated herself, which seems hard to believe, particularly since there was a rapist active at the same time she disappeared.
And for whatever reason, as Bob said, a tragic waste.
Being raised on a farm, my grandmother subscribed to the ‘bad seed’ theory as including people, too. Her view was that bad seeds could not be stopped from doing their strange, often evil deeds with anything but being snuffed out, just like a bad seed growing. After a lifetime of thinking that was wrong, I am beginning to embrace her theory.
The mother of the Newtown killer kid described a truly frightening life, fearing for her own safety at times. I suspect the mental hospitals we once had — which were really jails — kept those people controlled and away from harming society, but those were eliminated for more jails, with the one in Tiny Town, being replaced directly by a new big penitentiary. Problem is, it was easier to put bad seeds in a mental institution than it is to get them in jail BEFORE they do something regrettable.
I echo eristicist’s comment about Bob not liking Twin Peaks. It’s not for everyone. It’s not even for most people. I liked it, but I’m weird as hell. The pie is exceptional, however.
Am I the only one getting emails and Facebook entry posts about 9-11 being a controlled demolition from start to finish — all 3 buildings? What is different about this year’s anniversary than last’s? Or is it just MY friends who are all going off in unison?
After a lifetime of thinking that was wrong, I am beginning to embrace her theory.”
Or to put it another way, there are truly evil people out there among us. The more people there are, as in this country’s population growth since I was kid, doubled, then double the number of evil peeps. And we emptied the mental hospitals in favor of “community-based” (read: government-based) treatment, which in many, if not most cases, was not up to the task. How many Hannibal Lechter or Richard Speck or Albert DeSalvo types did we cut loose over the past thirty or forty years? Conversely, how many people stayed locked up for decades when there was really nothing hugely wrong with them nor dangerous?
“I liked it, but I’m weird as hell.” Naw, you’re just Canadian.
“…9-11 being a controlled demolition from start to finish — all 3 buildings? What is different about this year’s anniversary than last’s?”
I’m mainly staying off FaceCrack and have for the past several weeks; just no time to preach to the choir of my own friends and be preached to likewise. But yeah, the controlled demo theory has been out there a long time now; ditto that very high elements (Dick Cheney) either orchestrated the whole caper and/or allowed it to happen. And there is still that troubling eyewitness testimony and footage somewhere of a bunch of Israelis jumping for joy on the opposite shore as they watched the towers go up in smoke. The official report, like the Warren Commission’s on JFK’s murder, is full of holes. And doesn’t mention the plethora of mil-spec aircraft exercises over the country that day.
What’s different about this year’s? Probably the supposed threats of ISIS, upcoming elections in various parts of the country, slow nooz day without the Kardashians, and the Red Sox in last place?
Here’s a good one for any Father Abraham buffs out there:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/what-would-lincoln-do/
We did not break 80 F all weekend here in the Land of Sugar. Very unusually low. Highly unusually low for September in South Texas. Was overcast and breezy all weekend but no rain. The wife and I went for a two mile walk at 330 pm and I did not break a sweat until the second mile. But the mosquitoes, oh my, they were vicious!
I advise preparing for a very cold winter with extended periods of below average temperatures. For us, this means 10 F for several days and the many external pipes must be wrapped. Including the bare pipes in the attics that did not break in 1989 when we visited 6 F for three days. All new houses since then around here have their attic pipes wrapped, thank goodness.
If electricity is important to you then you might consider a QUIET generator with a weeks worth of fuel. Since I consider that the cause of the electric grid failure in the winter time will probably be the collapse of the natural gas system, I advise gasoline, propane or diesel. If diesel, be sure to purchase the winter mix as the summer diesel starts to congeal at zero F. Gasoline separates after a month so your storage must freshened monthly if your gasoline has ethanol in it.
And do not run your generator inside the house! Nor your propane or kerosene heater! Each winter, somebody’s family dies around here due to carbon monoxide poisoning with a combustion heater.
Conversely, how many people stayed locked up for decades when there was really nothing hugely wrong with them nor dangerous?
I always think of the movie “Harvey” when this subject comes up. I consider this to be James Stewart’s finest work closely followed by “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_%28film%29
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042546/
I’m still prepping us to the level that we could sustain subzero temps for a week or two with no juice; then I hope to get us eventually to the point we could do it for three months, then six months. We’ll keep our oil tank topped off and order another two or three cords of firewood; more wicks and lamp oil, candles and matches; manual pump for the well; lotsa batteries for flashlights and radios, plus battery chargers; and a stockpile of food in the fridge, freezer and canned goods. We’d also close off most of the house except for the living room, where the woodstove is, and tighten up the air flow around the windows and doors considerably.
Back to the salt mine in the morning; off to read myself to the Land of Nod again…
What are the best pocket long sleeve tshirts that anyone has found? I have a couple of these in XXL and XXL tall ($28 each, oh my) and white:
http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/classic-fit-long-sleeve-legend-wash-pocket-t-shirt/13302250/_/A-ebSku_0336291175000060__13302250_catalog10002_en__US?isRedirect=true
The regular versions are a little short and the tall versions a little too long. I prefer too big so tall it is.
Stuff like this: http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/530631/gene-silencing-drugs-finally-show-promise/
is why this century will be the Biology century, where last Century was the Physics century. (Of course a couple of the major physics discoveries are why the Biologists are able to make the progress they will – notably computers and various imaging/sensing technologies.)
I was most happy with shirts from C&A in Berlin. They now have a store in Indy, but it has not been there long enough for me to evaluate whether it is the same stuff that was available in Germany. Good styling and quality that is good for at least a few years. Germans buy new clothes every season, but do not maintain a great assortment. It is normal for people to wear the same clothes to work every day for a week, but everyone changes clothes when they get home or go to the gym after work
I loved the jackets from C&A, which I think is a Swedish company (like IKEA). They had pockets in just the right places for all my stuff — like iPod, phone, pocket calendar, etc.
Most everyone in Berlin wears layers in winter, including long sleeve undershirts and long underpants. They are lightweight, though, unlike the long underwear here, where manufacturers assume you are camping at 40 below zero. Hopefully the new C&A has long underwear of reasonable thickness. The stuff I brought back is wearing out.
I am not hopeful that I will find the things I liked in Berlin, though. Styles are radically different. Europeans wear tailored clothes, none of the baggy hip-hop stuff so prevalent here — although that is thankfully beginning to fade. Males in Germany wear pants cut just below the knee, seen only on women as ‘capri pants’ here. That length is the style of age-old Lederhosen, so no one would dare think it is a woman’s style.
Same with bicycles. There are two styles we know: men’s with the bar horizontal at crotch level, and women’s with the bar angled down toward the pedals, ostensibly so they can ride in dresses. Over there, they are just two different styles, not attached to either sex, and you see men and women interchangeably riding either.
Lynn (and Bob, and Dave, et al), a good source for large sizes is
http://www.kingsizedirect.com/
I can’t say they are the best (or not), but they are good, convenient, inexpensive, and their sizes are accurate. If you can find what you want in their sale section, they can get VERY inexpensive, particularly towards end-of-line sellout.
Lynn: I use the following shirts for uniform & personal use. Decent quality (but not made in USA), comfortable, durable, and easy to wash.
http://www.shoparamark.com/subcategory-Shirts-Long+Sleeve+Tshirt-503692-9608-52028
And re: [snip] We did not break 80 F all weekend here in the Land of Sugar. [snip]
Bush’s fault!
Lynn wrote:
“And do not run your generator inside the house! Nor your propane or kerosene heater!”
Boy, I haven’t seen a kerosine heater since the Sixties! Never knew they were dangerous, unless you knocked one over.
As to petrol separating, I’d heard that it goes off after a while but didn’t know why. I don’t use ethanol in petrol – my car doesn’t like it – but I think it’s bad economy anyway. So if I have a petrol mower that hasn’t been used for years and I want to start using it again I should get rid of the petrol in it (assuming it hasn’t evaporated?
Chuck wrote:
“It is normal for people to wear the same clothes to work every day for a week, but everyone changes clothes when they get home or go to the gym after work”
A grot I worked with in 1983 wore the same t-shirt to work every day for a week. I didn’t notice, but one of the women did. I was disgusted: I only occasionally re-use a shirt without washing it, even though I change when I come home.
I should get rid of the petrol in it
Drain the tank and replace with fresh fuel. Also good to add some fuel stabilizer to the gas. Try and start the engine. Low compression engines such as used on mowers are quite tolerant of less than ideal fuel. You may be surprised that it will start.
If you have problems, remove the plug, choke the engine and pull it through several times. Replace the plug and try again.
If that does not work pull the plug and check for spark as you pull it through. If you have spark then the carb is probably mucked up and needs dis-assembly and cleaning.
Sometimes it is not worth the effort to clean the carb and you just buy a new one. If that is not cost effective toss the entire mower.
Thanks for the tips Ray. I have such a small lawn here that I just get a gardening guy in every month during the warm half of the year. I was thinking of doing it myself again.
Boy, I haven’t seen a kerosine heater since the Sixties! Never knew they were dangerous, unless you knocked one over.
Any heater that relies upon combustion is horribly dangerous in an enclosed space. Just a few ppm of carbon monoxide will kill everyone in an enclosed space. Your heater should be outside the enclosed space and using a forced air heat exchanger to blow inward. The latest heaters all use vent blowers to pull a vacuum on the combustion side and I endorse those heartily.
Well, as I said, I haven’t seen one for 45 years. Nor would I have one in my home under any circumstances. I’d love a wood fire, but they’re too expensive and the wood’s getting hard to find.
I have such a small lawn here
I have a 50″ ZTR mower and it takes me 1.5 hours to do the mowing for my property.
My home is on 1/3 of an acre in an HOA and a guy mows, weed eats, trims the bushes and blows the solid surfaced areas weekly for $200 per month.
My office is on 9 acres plus my IRA owns the five acres south of the nine acres. I get it all mowed by three to five guys using ZTR mowers once per month for $630 per month. They also weed eat all the buildings and trees and blow the concrete surface areas.
Mowing is expensive!
Whoa! I can get my meagre lawn mowed for $100/mo if weekly, but it only needs it about twice a month, so I would really be wasting half that amount. $20 is the going rate for mowing, trimming, blowing on city-sized lots in Tiny Town. My cousin had a Snapper riding and it took him 2 hours to mow his suburban property. Old mower failed and he bought a new ZTR Snapper. It is a 45 minute job now. ZTR really does make a big difference.
Speaking of Cheney: what a slip-up!
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/09/correction-week-president-cheney
ZTR really does make a big difference.
Indeed it does. Cut my time in half.
When I first moved in all I had was a 22″ self-propelled walk behind mower. It would take me about 7 hours to do the mowing. Following year I got a riding mower, a 36″ cut. Time was down to about 3.5 hours. After many years I moved up to a 46″ riding tractor and that got me down to 3 hours.
When I talked with a salesperson about a ZTR he said it would cut my mowing time in half. I did not believe him. A friend had one so I borrowed it. Sure enough, time was cut in half. I bought one the very next day.
“Twin Peaks” has a lot more going on than the abduction/murder of a teenage girl.
Most fans think the network ruined the series when the execs insisted that Lynch/Frost present a resolution to the mystery of what happened to Laura Palmer in the second season.
We lived in WA State from 2010 until just recently. “Twin Peaks”-oriented tourism is still big business, and even the slightest hint of a revival of the series will generate headlines in the local papers.
I mentioned to Barbara that I’d heard from several readers who thought we wouldn’t like it. We’re only two episodes in, and she wants to give it a shot before we stop watching it.
I’m not totally opposed to fantasy/mysticism, as long as it’s not presented seriously. I mean, Barbara and I both really liked Buffy/Angel and watched couple of other fantasy series like Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls.
If you liked Dead Like Me, then I will retract my comment. Twin Peaks does not take itself seriously, at all.
We also watched Pushing Daisies, which was more than a bit odd.
“Lynn (and Bob, and Dave, et al), a good source for large sizes is
http://www.kingsizedirect.com/”
Wow, they’re still around? I used to see their magazine ads MANY years ago. They were based back then in Brockton, MA, if memory serves, formerly the Shoe Capital of the World! We lived in a suburb of that city when I was 10-12 years old, within walking distance of lotsa woods and granite and marble quarries.
Apparently I now take 2XLT for stuff. And I’ve lost thirty pounds. I guess it would be 3XLT if I hadn’t….
Apparently I now take 2XLT for stuff. And I’ve lost thirty pounds. I guess it would be 3XLT if I hadn’t….
Wow, you might have been dangerously close to the husky weight class.
“The five levels are (from lightest to heaviest) “Big,” “Healthy,” “Husky,” “Fluffy,” and “D—!” A sixth level, dubbed “OH HELL NO!”, was added later. ChaCha often!”
http://www.chacha.com/question/what-are-gabriel-iglesias%27s-6-levels-of-fat
“Oh hell no” is 6’8″ and 618 lbs. That is a 5XLT.
“Wow, you might have been dangerously close to the husky weight class.”
I’m just a stick now.
6’5″ and about 250. NFL tight end if I was 35 years younger and in perfect shape. Which I wasn’t even then, but a tad better than now, dat’s fo shoo.