Monday, December 19, 2016

Number Of Days Until Obama Leaves

The country has a new president of the United States. May we all pray that he leads wisely, lawfully and within the constraints of the Constitution.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

A Good Old Fashioned Rant

Call comes in.  The support guy answers and the conversation goes something like this:

Tech: Hi, I'm upgrading my software today.
Support: Sure thing.  What's the problem?
Tech: Well, I need the software.
Support: ...

Call me "Old Fashioned" or perhaps years of tech support have blinded me to the realities of "Life in the Real World" but my check list would have been something like this:

Step 1: Download software

Especially if it is some old as crap stuff that hasn't been in use for ten years or so.  Why is the name of Cthulhu would you wait until the DAY OF YOUR UPGRADE to try to find the software?  So on the day of your upgrade (which happens to be a Sunday afternoon) you decide, "Well.  Might as well go dig up some software for the upgrade.  I guess once I've got that and FUBAR'd the upgrade destroying the database and server I can also read the instructions on the process to upgrade."

Honestly, this lets you know exactly how successful his upgrade will be.

The next time you sit in a queue for an hour or so, keep in mind the questions being asked.  Explaining to people that just because the feature isn't working the way they think it should work, the display doesn't look the they think it should and I don't know how to do this and I'm paying you money so why should I bother reading the documentation so just do it for me, are all likely ahead of your legitimate question.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Safe Spaces For All

It's been a while since I've posted anything.  Part of the problem is whenever I post I am so disturbed by something that I sound suicidal or deranged.  I am not.

I am, however, very frustrated.  The world is busy with trying to not insult anyone and if anyone is insulted it is the end of the world.  Unless that person happens to be a Christian.  If that person is a white Christian, then double points because we've caused all the pain and suffering in the world.

The way I see things, the world is trying to flip the scales so white people are on the bottom rung of society and minorities are in control.  Please don't take this as I'm saying white people should be in charge and I'm just waiting on Klan hoods to come back from the cleaners, my point is you cannot fix injustice with more injustice.

Charlotte is the latest example.  A black man was killed by police.  That is all we know.  The police say he had a gun, we know there was a gun at the scene.  The family says he was reading a book, the police say there was not a book at the scene.  That's really all we know.  From that we have three nights of protests and the first two nights the protests turned into riots and looting.  After the national guard was pulled in and a midnight to 6AM curfew was put in place the third night was apparently peaceful.

Do the people who are looting and rioting think that will "Avenge" the fallen?  Will it tip the scales in their favor?  Will it force those in authority to suddenly respect them?

It's hard to keep a sarcastic, humorous point of view while you watch society eat itself.

As for the upcoming election, this is the first one where I don't want to vote.  I know each candidate is terrible.  Do I vote to put an orange Cheeto into the White House, or a known liar with possible brain damage?  Do I not vote and let the cards fall where they may?

I'm still mulling that one over.

Anyway, I may have some new ideas on cartoons coming up.  Perhaps I can laugh my way through the Apocalypse.  We're all in this together.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

The Wonders Of A Beard

The other night I got my granddaughter out of her car seat and while I was carrying her into our home she began rubbing my chin.  She was grinning and just kept rubbing and rubbing it.

The little things mean so much.  I remember how fascinating it was for me as a kid to feel my dad's chin when he hadn't shaved.  The scratchy growth at first and then the tickle of the longer hair as his beard came in.  Her rubbing my beard and seeing the joy on her face took me back to my childhood and gave me a bright spot to get through another day.

I hope God gave you something to brighten your day too.  I'm hanging in there.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Adventures Of Chronic Pain - July 29, 2016

Yesterday was a good day.  I smiled, I visited my son, played with my granddaughter.  I didn't feel like every moment of my life was a warm up for dying.

Today, not so much, I'm back to the same old lower back pain and lethargy.  I'm ready to go to sleep at 1PM on a Wednesday and my back is killing me.

I began to consider that my diet may be impacting my pain, maybe fructose or sugar.  I had a cranberry drink yesterday and today, no coffee, no soda.  Drinking water and chewing up my meds.  In desperation I've thrown the Damn Yankees album on while I work and I am trying to ignore the dumb questions coming my way.

Hope everyone else is having a decent Wednesday.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Hope For November

It's dangerous when I have to sit and wait while a server installs.

We all like to fart.  We all do.  It's a new day out there.

Joe looked lonely.  I shared one of my friends with him.  You can visit Rodney over at http://www.rodneylacroix.com/.

He indeed likes to fart.  He also writes books which you should buy.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Letting Go Of Being Bitter

I'm a long way from a perfect person but tonight I realized I am tired of sitting by and being unhappy because I go along with people's poor choices.  I'm ready to change that.

The long story is, I watched a band I loved in my youth called ALL.  Through the modern marvel known as YouTube I can watch videos from the early days of punk music through the modern era.  I have watched a show from the first tour I saw ALL on to a 2014 show in Austin and I have managed to feel a tiny bit of the spark that made me pick up music.

I realized I WANT TO PLAY.

Not just play, but play fast, loud and with energy.  I want to enjoy playing music again, not just do it because it's expected of me.

I've let my bad back, my job, my... whatever, insert your excuse here, block me from playing the music I love.  I've contented myself with playing for my church.  I've been blessed to do so, but I'm very, very frustrated with the direction we're taking.  We've changed music directors and I'm tired of the selection, there is no challenge to the music, there is no organization, there is no drive...  No one cares.  Christian music can be fun, energetic and challenging.  It doesn't all have to be music which sucks the life out of the musician to play.

We're supposed to be giving God our best and we aren't.  Every rehearsal I start the day off looking forward to showing up.  I know I get to play music and I get pumped, I drag out the Fender or the Epiphone, depending on my mood, and show up.  I set up my music and get ready and we start.  Immediately someone says, "How does this song go?"  Then we hear, "I haven't had a chance to rehearse this one." and on and on.

The guy running sound  either isn't listening, or is blaming the equipment because he can't figure out the monitor mix.  "I've got you cranked up all the way." or "This channel in the soundboard must be bad."is the excuses thrown out.  Of course, if someone goes up and changes the group settings on the monitor then *Light Shines From Heaven and Angels Sing*, it's a miracle, the monitors work.

We normally run through the songs once during rehearsal.  We may work on a bridge or transition, but there is no real guidance, no drive.  It seems like no one cares. We'll, I do and I'm tired of coming home upset because we sound like crap and play "Days of Elijah" every other week.  It's time.  I'm slinging on the Fender, breaking out the big rig (my Ampeg and the 2x15 cab) and getting out to play real music again.

I'm playing loud, fast and with drive again.  I can praise God with my music that doesn't suck.  I'm going to have fun again and my bad back can go to Hell.

Whew... I feel better now.  Thanks.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Where Am I

That whole work thing has been in the way of blogging and drawing.  I had to destroy my art desk setup to create a work station and I allowed myself to be sucked into work, work, work.

That's going to change.

Right now it's mid-day which is the time when my mood is at its best.  I've got a crappy Metallica concert running on my Surface tablet to provide some background music and I'm going back through my caselog trying to get things under control and keep my sanity.

I took a training trip to Rochester, NY so Darth Tater had a chance to threaten the masses.  Perhaps I will share.  After all, this place is supposed to be for giggles and random crap.  The political system is a mess, so I'm staying clear for now.

Everyone hold on to your butts.  It's going to be a bumpy ride!

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Flat-Footed

It's amazing what you discover when you read the Russian propaganda. The Russians have definitely taken note of how they caught us flat-footed when they joined the fight in Syria.

Don't be fooled. Daesh is a secondary concern for Russia. They are in Syria because they know we have been arming rebels to take out Assad. They are there to make sure Assad stays in power. They believe the fight won't get hotter as long as their troops are in Syria because further escalation could lead to a direct US and Russia confrontation. Russia is playing chess while we're playing checkers.

Our military has gotten far too wrapped up in our drones and technology. They foolishly believed the old ways of fighting wars was behind us. You would have thought the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq would have taught them something.