reenactorNet

Ideations? Again? Now?

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Bosun, we shall beat to quarters! Get the stun'sls and t'gallents off her. Prepare to cut across their quarter and rake them as we bear...

Why do I feel so shitty? I just don't know. Money? Not right now. My boat/ No, pretty much caught up and have her squared right now. Work? Nah, it's okay right now... I'm handling things okay...though: it looks like I'm is be de' manager-person again, at least for awhile. Had a good talk w/ the boss man and he asked me if I could help. I replied I could. I shall endeavour to do my best for King and company! :-) Actually, things are going well and people are working together. I DO have good people and they know their jobs--it took some time for things to fall into place when we started here, but working well now. Still, I need some beer. And a couple vicodin would be nice.

So much BS!

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Wow! Our government sure puts out some BS! For that matter, am I alone (I know I'm not) in being tired of Orwellian double-speak coming from this administration and our congress. What lies. America these days is all form and no substance. Okay, there are still some good Americans, but SO MANY of them care only for their latest gadget, their new car, etc. Let's play xbox or watch MTV or the "Hitler Channel" and its History of Ketchup (or whatever blah non-historical crap they're showing).

It's sad. People talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. I worry for our country. Health care... what a complete load of unwanted shit. Oh, we want health care, we just don't want the government involved and we don't want to pay for it--people here all want something for nothing--the bigger better deal it's called. No one is ever happy w/ what they have and they always have to be better than the Jones.

Why is that?

Snow? Dammit NO. It's only friggin' October.

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Yes, I saw snow today. No, I was not amused. No, it wasn't sticking, but dammit, it's too early. I am only today reveling in getting my other car back from the shop after almost a WHOLE year. Yaaaaay! And it runs good too. Well, it does need some power steering fluid. So what. Not about to kill me like the other one.

So, anyway, stereo is not workign right either, but it's been so long since I was driving it (16 months) I forget how to use the overly-complicated stereo. Printed off the instructions again, so maybe I can get it. Have to register it tomorrow in PA. Ack, so much to do. Tied. Have to carry some of Wee's shit down and then take the beastii out for their evening constitutional. Speaking of constitutionals, I was listening to the satellite radio and am about fed up w/ frigging corrupt dickhead politicians who won't listen to us and keep trying to insert a public option thing in their health bill. What bullshit! How does a putz like Harry Reid get re-elected?

AND, I am told that idiot Arnold signed some bill so that when you buy gun ammo, you will have to fil out some kind of FFL paperwork. What a frigging ass-clown! He's not a republican, he's some kind of liberal hack. Just another Hollyweird ding-dong.

The Desolate World

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Desolation, some people can't deal with it. Out West,t he world can be very desolate. To many, who no no better, it seems a horrible place, dry. barren. brown. But to some, to a few, it has a majesty found no where else. To see far away. To feel the world as a primitive place, stripped of it's camouflage. Stripped to the world. Sometimes I miss the desolation.

Cold it is

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:44:00 +0000

Damn, it's been pretty much a cold summer and it seems like Fall is already here. Trees are turning in places... cold at night. I like the Fall! I just hope this doesn't mean we'll have a shitty-ass cold winter >:-( Winter is my least favourite season.

What's new? They're having a neighborhood yard sale this Saturday. So, Wendy will be selling stuff I paid big $$ for, for pennies. Joy. Yes, I AM a tightwad--so hate me, I guess.

Hoping that my other car will be done soon. It's been at the Mech's since LAST November... I even bought a new rear-end. I hope he can get to it. I need to go to the boat and can't w/ the one I'm driving--no oil pressure (go Lucas oil treatment!) and needs tires, PLUS it gets 10mpg, YES, 10! A frigging H1 Hummer prob gets better gas mileage. I shoulda went for the cash for clunkers thing, but... I didn't want a damned payment. New car would be nice, but ya know, not having another $300. bill each month is nicer. I will say this: yeah, I'm poor, but I don't have $50K in credit card debt like everyone else I know my age. D'OH!

Need to go take trash out and go to bed. Crap to do in the AM before work. Pay rent and meet someone. Oh, I put my check in and after the $200. the bank stole form me and paying my rent, I have a dollar, as in $1.00. Neat huh!? I DO wish to see banking reform happen and a banking customer Bill of Rights. Frigging thieves!!

Trust and having one's back

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:03:00 +0000

Actually, short of my dogs, I really don't have anyone that has my back. My brother maybe, but he lives thousands of miles away. I thought I did here, but not. Hell, I have lots of friends, but non I trust to really get drunk or something w/. Hell, my first WWII event, I got WASTED on beer and moonshine... they really messed w/ me while drunk--guys in my own UNIT did this. It sucked and while I was drunk, they ripped me off, so I won't get that way EVER again at a reenactment. Just can't trust people. And in life, you have friends, but anymore, people are only out for themselves. I get tired of people sitting there and giving me shit. One reason, I prefer dogs--they're loyal and they aren't back-stabbing snake-fuckers like many people nowadays.

In lighter news
My tomato plants actually have some red tomatoes on them... the cherry ones are almost gone though. The peppers got knocked off in a storm my wife says and so, all I have left are some bigger tomatoes. Good enough.

Migraines and such

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:39:00 +0000

So, today was a migraine day. Didn't much start off that way, but work, idiot co-workers and being called a liar tends to do that. Anyway, it was just a shitty day w/ a line being drawn downwards and covering the right side of my head and that arm. Maybe it's not a migraine, but I've had them and it sure felt that way to me.

Back in Cali, my doctor felt that truck driving was causing me to get migraines. I know there were a couple of times she had to inject me in the back of my head and neck before I could function. It was so bad, she thought I should seek re-training... and the state agreed!! However, I had to have a way to live while I went through the training. Since my wife doesn't work, nor drive (don't ask, just don't), that was kind of out of the question. Then, I went to work for this place. It was fun at first, although I DID still have a lot of migraines when I first moved here. When Wendy moved here, she kinda of helped me do stuff to make them stop, but before that, there were a number of times Kent would come home and I'd be laying on the floor w/ a bag of ice under my neck and one on my head :-O Sucks, it does.

I still wonder if there was someway I could have done the re-training... trucking is a dead-end field these days—it's not like the old days where it was a good profession. Well paying AND one you could count on. Now companies go under at the drop of a hat and you never can plan. Hell, looks like Roadway/Yellow Freight is gonna go belly up or so I read... :-O Scary!!! What would I do IF I did get re-trained? Damned if I know. HR maybe. I like working w/ people and helping them. I wanted to do that here, but the boss's wife said never. C'est La Vie! Besides, as a manager, I was told often that I took the driver's side waaaay too often. I've always been one of those people who believed that if you lookout for people, they'll look out for you. Mostly it's true, but there are scumbags in the world. Still, there's more good people than bad ones. People like to feel they're part of a team, not just a number or the owner's property.

Anyway, I felt I should blog this while I remembered it, not like anyone cares about my bloviations.

Angus is AWESOME!

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:08:00 +0000

Now, another story... this AM as I was taking dogs out for morning walk, we were talkign to neighbor behind. I let Angy off his leash to go as he is THE MOST persnickety dog when it comes to "dropping a deuce" (as Kent calls it). Anyway, after, he goes and says "HI!" to her. Zoey might do it different, so she stayed w/ Anyway, when time to go, I said to him to come back. Does he go around the big old drainage ditch, HELL NO! He went for it at a sudden distance, high-speed run... then, like some grand steeple chase horse, he leaps the whole damn thing in one go!!!! Just awesome. I could see the neighbor was impressed too, but tried to conceal it. I was damned impressed though!!! Just an Angy story.

Cats can be dumb

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:06:00 +0000

My cat is frigging stupid!! I was playing w/ him w/ a couple glow sticks while working on the computer, so, idiot bites one. I look p, see glowing cat, foaming mouth freaking out. Ack! Snatch his ass up, bust into bathroom and wash out mouth for awhile. Scrubbed out his mouth w/ water and my finger. Then he drank a little. I am pretty sure he's okay though, as he then ate some food and treats. Dumb-ass! Don't do that shit when I ain't got money for an e-vet visit :-0

Bank Fuckery

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Well, once again, I've been fucked by Orrstown Bank. A good couple of hundred, made for them by manipulating the way they pay checks. One of them was complaining to me about an overdraft (on my card mind you, not a frigging check) and all I could think was "Witht he amount of money you fucked me out of last year, you should be buying me a giant goddamned Thanksgiving turkey and an expensive bottle of French champagne. And my bank is not alone, now all banks it seems, do this kind of dishonest shit. The pay checks (or debit charges) NOT in the order they come in, but oh no... in the order of highest to lowest in order to maximize bounce. And, they run the checks BEFORE the deposits to again, maximize bounce. Fuckers.

Social bookmarks added!

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:41:00 +0000

I've been looking for a simple way to just have a button people can click and post this on their Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or whatever. This, of course, being on the odd chance I write something they will wish to remember... I couldn't find one that was simple and that I liked so... I grabbed some code and fooled w/ it and by jiminy, it seems to work. That's a new one. :-)

Anyway, I'm off to Gettysburg to meet someone for business and then maybe (if there aren't too many touronz there) visit the new visitor center. :-) Too hot to take Zoey though. Oh well. Will be back later, striving to get some actual work done on r.Net.

Stay tuned Kinder, more to come.

Ah, a calmer day

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Well, in many ways. Things on the Roman front have calmed down, but the RevWar thing... oh bugger it! I'd sooner just concentrate on people I know. You try to help people and they are never happy. You give them an inch (or in this case, a damned good deal) and they want a foot. Blark!

r.Net...
Our new mod is finished and should be installed in the next day or two--I am majorly excited as this will really help make running the time areas much easier. Right now, it is hard, but after the mod, it will be more automated, allowing units to upload their own link (which we approve, etc.) and their info. Much, much better.

What is reenacting?
Oh, I know what it is, but I mean to others. Most of the world sees us as "kooks" who dress up and like boring stuff. Of course, to most of US, those people are dorks and slaves to modern consumer BS. The latest x-box or cell phone. Oh, the coolest car or clothes. Hundreds for sports tickets and memorabilia. Whatever. And right now, when the world seems about to fly off the rails, really, do they even pay attention?

My Brother Jim
Jim will have a blog soon. Of all the people I can think of who SHOULD blog, Jim is the one. He is VERY astute about politics and he's more often right, than wrong. Jim called the price of gas crashing last year, well before any others did. Stay tuned and I'll announce his blog.

Health
Ack! My heels still hurt alot. I DO stretch them, but my job means they are set in one position for HOURS :-( This is very aggravating.

Dipshits!

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Fri, 15 May 2009 04:11:00 +0000

Where do I start? Okay, reenactors will work... first thing, we have this Potsdam musket we are trying to sell. Nice gun, made in India and pretty nice work! Good price, what do we get... some dipshit saying they have a welded barrel and they blow up >:-O Head clam shells open and green nuclear cloud comes out. Dumbshit guy meets the Flammenwerfer!

Roman: In the quest to improve our hobby, we are trying to make things more standardized--see Roman commands are not known... really, it was so long ago, they can only GUESS. Fine. We are trying to make simple "soldier Latin" as would be used and understood by new recruits from say, Outer B-F Egypt... Oh NO..... we have the Latin Scholar ding-dongs all saying it's WRONG and we need "PROPER" grammar. Oh SHUT UP STUPID! My dog has more common-sense in the tip of his penis than a couple of these guys do in their entire beings. Just absolute planks! I could go on... dolts, idiots, dipshits, etc. Now some of the reenactors are trying and I think we had a breakthrough tonight, but there's more out there. Way more >:-( Makes me really wish I could still smoke the demon marijuana!

Loyalty and Honor; the promised blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 03:44:00 +0000

Loyalty and Honor
Two subjects I have been meaning to blog on. It's amazing just how many people (especially those in "high" places) are ignorant of these two things.
Loyalty, a Definition:

loy⋅al⋅ty [loi-uhl-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.

the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.
faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.
an example or instance of faithfulness, adherence, or the like: a man with fierce loyalties.

Loyalty and ethics
The concept of loyalty is an important part of ethics. Plato originally said that only a man who is just can be loyal, and that loyalty is a condition of genuine philosophy. The philosopher Josiah Royce said it was the supreme moral good, and that one's devotion to an object mattered more than the merits of the object itself. Loyalty is a quality you look for in a friend.

Some thoughts from ME on loyalty: Loyalty is important! Many leaders just don't understand you can't drive people--leaders LEAD. They're so shallow and self-centered that they can't understand the concept AT ALL! >:-(

Loyalty works out like this: If you're loyal to your people, they'll be loyal to you! In fact, they will go to the ends of the earth for you. If you aren't loyal to them, if you think they're there to serve you (like you own them), well... they can make your life a misery. They can cost you money. They can ruin you. Loyalty is a two-way street. And last: Loyalty is EARNED, it is NOT given freely!!!

Honor
Let's define "honor" first:

Honour or Honor, (from the Latin word honos, honoris) is the evaluation of a person's trustworthiness and social status based on that individual's espousals and actions. Honor is deemed exactly what determines a person's character: whether or not the person reflects honesty, respect, integrity, or fairness.

Accordingly, individuals are assigned worth and stature based on the harmony of their actions, code of honour, and that of the society at large. Honor can be analyzed as a relativistic concept, i.e., conflicts between individuals and even cultures arising as a consequence of material circumstance and ambition, rather than fundamental differences in principle.

So, what are we talking about here Marsh?
Well, I think it's about one's honor as a human, one's honor as a man. Way too often these days, both in business AND in life, it is totally forgotten or ignored. Here's some thoughts on honor:

An honorable man does not lie.
An honorable man does not cheat.
An honorable man does not go back on his word once given.
An honorable man does not harm or attack those weaker than himself (women, children, the elderly, etc.)

If you lie, especially out of habit, you are NOT an honorable person. Bald-face lies are just that. Need I go on? It's people like this who are dooming our nation and society and they should be excised!

A Final Thought
Don't like what I say here? Have I offended you because you perchance DO these kinds of things? Well then: FUCK OFF! Don't come here! You're not welcome on my blog nor on my websites. I cannot stand back-stabbing snake fuckers, liars, cheats nor those without honor.

I have been musing on this theme for a long while and finally got it written... I doubt it will help things any, but who knows... if it saves one soul it'll be worth it.

The art sez it all!

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:11:00 +0000

My thoughts on a disturbing trend amongst young pick-em-up-truck owners. (We used to call 'em "Goat Ropers" back home)... You surely ain't gonna find a truck driver doing this stuff... and ya know, I just love that black smoke coming out of the stacks... can we say B_U_R_N_I_N_G___M_O_N_E_Y ???

New Cars... why no one's buying

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Well really, it's the economy stupid. Partly anyway. Part of it is that what new cars cost is frigging ridiculous! Crazy. I am sorry, but I am NOT paying $20-30K for a car... absolute lunacy. And what do you get? Something better? No, not really. Most American cars are still kinda crappy and not that well built.

I saw the President on TV trying to encourage people to buy new American cars... ain't gonna work. When it costs $500. plus a month just in car PAYMENTS, that's too much. Waaay too much! For what? Something that get's dog shit fuel mileage... something that the tranny craps out in w/ in a couple years and then costs $3500. ?!? to repair. Do YOU have $3500. lying around? I don't. No, these idiots expect you to put it on your credit card and many do. No wonder our country is in the throes of reverting to a third world nation. "Oh, we gots ta give everyone EQUAL ability yo borrow money." What CRAP! This is why there's a huge housing crash... giving poor folks loans for houses that cost crazy money. "Oh, yes, $300,000 for this 2 bedroom house is a bargain." In WHAT friggin' reality? In my hometown, Atascadero, CA, for awhile, the median home price was over $600 THOUSAND dollars. Guess it ain't now.

We need a REAL President... like T.R. not Barry O.

Hey, what do I know, I'm just a stupid, dumb-ass truck driver. I'm no great minister of finance. However, I am also not in credit card debt of over $50k like a lot of folks my age. Wanna know an empire-shattering secret? What are they gonna do to you if you blow it all off? Put you in debtor's prison and make your kids work in a shoe factory? Uh, NO, this isn't 19th century England there Tiny Tim... The problem there is when you don't have credit anymore, you'll have to actually PAY for shit and you won't be able to. Kinda like goin' from doing a lot of coke to not doing ANY... can we say heavy-ass withdrawal :-O Better than at Citi Bank where they're sendingout a crack team of ninja assasins to kill me for revealing this secret. Just think if everyone did that... crash comes the house of cards (and that's ALL it is!)... It's all an illusion... ack! scream! teeth gnashing... gotta solution? I dunno... I'm not the President or a member of OUR corrupt and incompetant board of directors (called "Congress" by the mainstream media)... Good luck on that idiots.

I think corrupt politicians should be publicly stoned to death... it'd sure make them less likely to do this kinda crap. Idiots like Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a once-honorable man, would pay for their crimes for real, instead of sitting in a cell. And he thought "W" would pardon his corrupt, bribe-takin' ass... (yes, I met him, he was a dick!).
I'll stop now... Ende

Manners

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Manners
Why is it people don't have ANY manners anymore? I know some will blame the Internet--I don't. It's more than that. Yes, the ability to insult someone without them punching you in the nose is part of it, but I think it's more MTV and Nintendo to blame. "What? That fat bastard's high" you're thinking... au contraire, mi Amigos... MTV teaches kids/people that their actions don't really have consequences and Nintendo (PlayStation/X-Box/Wii/etc.) teaches them that violence is okay. "Hmmmmmm.... he's full of crap..." say you.

But think about it, people on the highway have this mentality of "Screw them, I'll speed up and not let him in..." or "I'll cut him off." You know I'm right too... I drive for a living and I see it every day. Rude assholes who think they and their jalopy are immune to damage!?

Strange Utterances Indeed!
The "F-Bomb" is in common usage, even by little old granny ladies and anything less, well it's okay... I remember when MY Grandma would have ripped off an earlobe for uttering such words. Now no one cares.

Perhaps it's the end of our civilization, I don't know. I DO know that when people had guns on their persons, there was a lot more politeness in evidence :-O Ooooohhhh guns, how icky... I'll stop there.

What do YOU think about this?

Truck Stop Women

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:05:00 +0000

Now there's a loaded topic... Women at truck stops and no, were not discussing "lot lizards" (hookers). The truck stops I go to seem to go through a lot of women working there and I can bet why. Being around most of these billy bobs would be damned scary! Alone in a truck for weeks at a time, the only women they see are the girls at the fuel desk or in the restaurant... you KNOW these guys are hitting these girls up CONSTANTLY. Ack! And the thing is, they think they're suave, debonair, a rogue... just irresistible to the girls... Actually, what they are is, again, a lot of bit scary.

It's like going to Hooters... ever been? Holy crap, those women could have a guy eating fried dog shit and PAYING them for the privilege of doing it. No, I am not kidding. They come, they sit down AT YOUR TABLE and talk to you... "Oh wow, so you're a proctologist... that's SO cool! What can I get you? Can we start you off with some wings?" Guys eat this stuff up. $20. tips are nothing. It's almost the same at a truck stop, it's just the women aren't wearing shorts and a low cut t-shirt nor sitting at your table. Aii carumba!!

A Damned Interesting Investment Idea
Here's an idea a Hooters Truckstop... LOL! Actually, it'd make money, scads of it, but all that money would all be used up cleaning up the blood and damage from crazed truck drivers in lust. What carnage it would be :-o

Anyway, the women at truck stops, for the most part, TRY to be nice to drivers... well, at first they do, but after a few months, Wow! They can sure be nasty (think of just how nasty a woman can be when she wants to be). But really, is there a place for some rude-ass wench at a truck stop treating a driver that way? You really DO see some serious contempt for drivers at these places... I find that offensive. Not much I can do considering just how rude and low-class some of my "brethren" are >:-(

Parkin'
Of course, drivers are kinda stuck, as most Wally World's (or other big stores) won't let you park there. In fact, most places won't and in the Communistwealth of Virginia, they'll wake you up at a rest area and make you drive illegally (and unsafely) to some other place. What friggin' bastards! Oh, they say it's about safety, but it's really about "revenue enhancement." Personally, were I an owner operator, I'd NEVER go to or through Virginia. If they ALL did this and maybe grew a set, this kind of shit would stop.

The French
Ya know, it's popular in America to make fun of the French, to call them cowards or losers. Well, let me ask you this: how come when French truck drivers go on strike, they get EVERYTHING they want? I'll tell you why, because they have BALLS and aren't afraid to lock it up-- to block on ramps, to block fuel islands, intersections, etc. Here in the "Land of the Free" well, most of us won't participate because "Ah got's ta pay me ma pickemup payment or fer ma quads. I gots to buy ma kids that thar xbox, so I don't dare rock the boat." blah, blah, blah! Company drivers, well were in a bad spot because we CAN'T decide to strike unless some kind of wacky violence happens... sucks really!

Hey jackasses, don't insult the French anymore... they HAVE cojones... unlike many American drivers (ooh, bad me for callin' a spade a spade!)... Alas, our country has become all form and NO SUBSTANCE :-(
Ende

French Truckers on STRIKE!

Old Skewl Truckin'

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Yeah, I think most truckers nowadays are a bunch of cry babies and posers. Back in the day, when I learned, these guys were real. They didn't need, nor have, a/c, cd players, AUTO-frigging-matic transmissions, power steering, etc. Hell, we drove CABOVERS (they sucked BTW!)

Back when, we didn't have the standardized trannies we have now... there were multi-sticks like a 4x4 and that stuff was hard to learn. 13 speeds were common. Now, it's all 9's and 10's. You give some of these pussies a super 10 or a double-over tranny and they just can't do it. "But ah done been me to truckin' school..."

I sometimes look at trucker forums and just have to burst out into laughter. And they have special forums to bitch about big companies like J.B. Hunt, Swift, etc. And INVARIABLY, you will see some Billy-Bob's wife going on about how her wonderful other half got fired by this meanie company -- of course, when it comes out, he had 3 accidents right out of trucking school, but two wern't his fault... Spare me, dumbasses! These big companies go through some drivers now. And they Do fire people because they are self-insured. They get to work them hard and stuff because THEY (the big company) train them and take on the onus of putting some doofus who JUST GOT HIS LICENSE into a $85,000 tractor hauling expensive loads. Guess what, do you really think they're safe? Do you really?? I've been driving a tractor trailer for 24 years now and know that I learn something EACH day I go out. You don't know that when you start... you think you got it. You don't.

And BTW, don't think the CDL program is making things safer. It ain't. These companies just teach the billies how to get a license, not how to drive--you can't teach it in a classroom, you have to go out and DRIVE. And yes, that's true. It's all a buch of crap... like America has become, all form and no substance.

Did you know that the DOT has intentionally made it more unsafe? Oh yeah! It used to be teams could drive 5 hours, sleep 5 hours. NOW, w/ the new rules, oh no, you have to drive 10-11 hours before you then MUST take 10 hours off. And once you start "
on duty," 14 hours later, that's it, you MUST go off duty and cannot drive over the 14th hour and have to be off duty for 10 more hours. Totally unsafe, but it appears good tot he suits and ignoramuses in Congress, so let's keep it.

Why am I ranting, I dunno, probably because I talked to a friend I knew back when I started trucking and remembered his Dad (now passed away) ; he was a real trucker, from back in the day. I mean it. An owner operator when that meant something. I learned some things from him. Actually, I learned from a few good drivers back then. Things like you NEVER use the clutch except to start and stop. You certainly don't shift with it. You stop and help other drivers out. If there's a car (or truck or cop) on the shoulder, you get over in the other lane. You ALWAYS do this; ALWAYS!!! The modern inbreds we have driving today don't do this shit nowadays.

You waved at the other drivers you passed (or when they passed you). You cleared them w/ your lights day and night when passing and you'd NEVER do something so frigging retarded as to pull behind someone backing up at a truck stop (union drivers like those at Roadway and Yellow Freight are famous for this).

I learned how to back up from Mr. Coley at the Washington DC post office. I have NEVER seen a better person for backing up. I saw him blind-side a trailer into a hole INSIDE a tunnel inside the North Cap Post Office under Union Station in almost pitch black conditions!?! :-o The thought of ME trying that still makes my asshole pucker TO THIS DAY.

Just know this: It isn't better. It's not close to better and no matter what the DOT idiots and Congress (and the ATA dipshits) will tell you, it's not. It's still easy for some dumbshit to get a license and these dipshits still drive waaaay too fast and aren't really in control of their rigs. No, I'm not making it up and I'm not paranoid. I'm a truck driver -- I damn well know of what I speak. Be careful on the road and give these Billies (especially from the big companies) a WIDE berth.

We arent even going to talk about all the inbred, rude scumbags on the CB radio nowdays :-( I am disgusted with them--they make me EMBARRASSED to be a truck driver :'-( The only good thing is the CB is kinda dying off as most have cell phones and satellite radios. I could go on about states that think talking on a cell phone (and I mean w/ a hand-free) is bad... what stupidity! MANY the times my cell phone and me yapping to someone on it, has kept me awake and not hitting a bridge abutment. Oh, but holding a CB mic is okay... dumbasses.

I should take a second to mention another disturbing trend: truck stacks on pickups... I'll just print the really cool bumper sticker my friend Kenny saw:

"Stacks are for semis...DUMB ASS!"

Nowadays, drivers are just a bunch of whiners and pussies. Oh, wait, this is where we came in.
Ende

This is about the vintage truck I started hauling Mail in--a 1964 White Freightliner cabover (COE) w/ a 180 Cummins engine. The crybabies of today would NOT be able to deal w/ this. It WAS a 10 speed, but had a double over and NO power steering or a/c. The radio worked sometimes and the wipers were AIR powered--this meant they sucked (and didn't work well). Spring suspension you wimps!

Movies...

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Okay, so I am weird. I like happy endings and such. Hell, chick flicks are usually okay. Some anyway. Some are just a waste of digital space. Sex and the City the movie or whatever it is. I always thought that was a dumb show on TV and ya know what... the red head, I could SWEAR I met her one night in a strip club on Times Square. This chick, who I remember as looking JUST LIKE her, was "in acting" and wouldn't let anyone take her pix. It was at some live sex show that Ricky Jackson and Brian wanted to go see. Hmmmmm. I digress.

I like stuff like Love Actually, The Holiday, Under the Tuscan Sun... chick flicks all--oh well... that oughta give Rich some ammo :-Þ Now don't get me wrong, I DO like a good war movie, but the problem is, the Hollywood dipshits don't make good war stuff anymore. We have Tom Cruise bullshit. Or it's always got to be PC and show the evyil Nazis and such. F-that! Why not remake The Longest Day? Oh, I know, because today's crop of shithead commies wouldn't be par tof an ensemble cast.

Lord of the Rings was cool... in The Two Towers, the ride out of Helm's Deep by the Rohirrin is just too goddamned cool! I mean Theoden and his men just ride out and take on the whole frigging orc army and then as it happens, the Rohirrin led by Gandalf, ride down the mountain and just ride the damend Orcs under. So cool!!!! However, I doubt well see good war movies anymore. I know, let's make us some dumb shit stuff liek a U.S. Navy crew stealing a U-Boat to get the code machine (complete witha black sailor how PC... even though the Navy was not integrated in WWII). Let's forget that it was the POLISH who got the Enigma code machine... Or let's have Tom Cruise as Count von Stauffenberg?! Where's a good actor liek John Wayne or Sean Connery when you need him. Even the new James Bond is in some stupid partisan flick. I suppose redoing the Battle of the Bulge into something accurate, rather than the hollywierd "splendor" that it became would be out of the question. Why, it might show how the war was. How real men fought and died for their countries.

I'll stop now.

The BITCH! Oh, the BITCH!

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 03:07:00 +0000

I bet you were thinking this was about something else... it's about m dog Zoey. She's a Australian Cattle Dog, or, as many call them, a Red Heeler (or Queensland Heeler). She's smart, I'll give her that. She's a good dog, but... if you're out side her family group or on her street... watch out! Tonight we were walking and a neighbor girl was walking her dog... Zoey goes nuts!! Nothing new, I made her sit. I took Angus in and figured we'd walk around... they come back around the block and I sit her down (I was holding her as she doesn't like that)... so, I am kneeling there, holding her and she starts snarling and all. I (foolishly) put my hand around her snout and BAM, she got me. Good too. OWWWWWW. That earned her a bit of a spanking (sorry Jessica) and I picked her up and carried her back to the house, head down (she really doesn't like that). And bad me, I bit her a couple of times... making sure she couldn't bite back--a Heeler specialty. I know, the "experten" say you shouldn't do it. Sometimes I do.

She has this temper around other dogs--it's a Heeler thing. However, she needs to chill and I gues it will be muzzle time on walks now :-( Kills me too as she gets a lot of joy from it. I need to buy her a basket muzzle... always about money. She's always pretty lovey. The times she get sme are when I get in the way. I need to NOT try and grab her mouth, just rein her in and take her away. MY BAD! Oh well, I'm sure I'll remember. But will she?

A New President...

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:24:00 +0000

So, today Barrack Obama was sworn in. Amongst all the pomp and ceremony, all the tradition and of course, all the political nastiness. I for one, thought his speech was pretty good. Did I vote for him? No, not in the general election; I'm not a big fan of Biden... However, saying that, I'm an American. Barrack Obama is now MY president and I will follow him and give him my support until he proves that support is unworthy.

Beliefs
I grow tired of those who won't even give the man a chance. I too worry about his plans for gun ownership. I worry about this big new economic stimulus... WHERE will the money come from? However, I am not President, nor am I a member of the Congress. I will let them do their jobs, but I still keep an aye on what they do in MY Name. I wish my fellow countrymen did this too. I wish they wouldn't let frigging Oprah or Rush or whomever tell them how to vote, what to vote for and what to believe. Alas... it's sad--so many people in this country just don't know and what's really scary is they don't care; don't give a shit, actually >:-O Most don't even deserve the right to vote, but we have to let 'em. I often wish there was a test they had to pass before getting to vote.

Time to Work
The time for hatred and animosity has passed. It is now time to move forward, to join together and work WITH each other instead of against one another. Think about it... things have become so acrimonious here that we have to HATE, literally HATE the other side... well, I don't. I have friends on both sides and I respect their opinions (even when I know they're friggin' crazy).

Please feel free to comment on this blog. I don't need to just hear I'm wrong, tell me why.

So, where we're at now...

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Let's see. First, the move is done. Ack! I don't wish to do that for a LONG time. We have too much stuff. I donated a LOT to thrift stores. Still a bunch of crap in the back of my pickup. Am very happy to have moved. My old landlord was a good guy, the house was close to work, but... it had oil heat and I am not at all thrilled w/ oil. Was real expensive, but has come down. New place is waaaaaaaay cheaper to heat. High-tech!! Alas, the garage is FULL. I have to dig in and start clearing stuff and finding it... maybe tomorrow I can find W's comp. And with that...

Computer Probs
My main comp is down. The video stopped working, so, I put in a new video card. Guess what... still no signal. >:-o Most computer Volk concur it's the motherboard, but the local shop tells me they have to "diagnose" the problem first, and that's $70. >:-( Anyway, so I take it in last Monday; "We have a 3 day backlog sir. You should buy a Mac." I wait and call on Thursday. Oh no... not yet. That afternoon I am told "It's on the bench. You should buy a Mac sir." Closing time on Thursday: "It will be running tests all night, we'll know in the morning. You should buy a Mac sir." Friday at NOON (I even waited): "He's still working on it sir, but KNOWS to call you. You should buy a Mac sir." Friday at CLOSING: "Well sir, that technician was out on an offsite call. It was previosuly scheduled. It won't be done today. No, we're not back until Monday." "Oh..." thinks I, this means he really WASN'T working on my comp at ALL and they were lying to me. Nice... and I should have them do the repair work on it... WHY? At least they've stopped for now trying to sell me a f-ing Mac. And yes, I have told them I NEED that comp... unreal. Almost like a hospital--they ignore what you have to say and tell you what they think you should hear.

Weather
Cold. As in ice coating on the outside world most of the day. I layed about (annoying the wife) on my day OFF. Took dogs out a while ago and of course, the guy across the street (a cop) lets his dog out offleash... don't know them at all, but kinda not kosher. Z wanted to go into attack mode. I averted it but still... why? I'll stop now.

Life
What's to talk about? I see no sense in mentioning my job... I haven't got around to blocking IP addresses yet. Anyway, there's nothing to talk about there. And... I try not to think of work when I'm off--that's how you grow old and have a heart attack. As for MY stuff, well, it's damned hard to work on websites off of a laptop. Damned hard and this one is slow. I have it hooked to a regular monitor, mouse and keyboard, but still, it's SLOW. Click something and wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-ACTION. Then click and wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-ACTION. Very friggin' annoying. Might just buy a new desktop... we'll see. They're cheap now-a-days.

Need to get off of here and go downstairs. My hip hurts badly (twisted it getting out of the big truck yesterday)... this seat hurts. I can go down and spend some time w/ Pacha. Really, if it weren't for the animals, I doubt I'd care much about life.

And it still goes on...

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:31:00 +0000

So, the move is almost done, but like every move I've ever made, the end-stage drags on and on. I have to go to the dump—at least once, prob twice. I wish the construction dumpster here wasn't full, I'd give it a bunch of old boxes (especially now they've been rained on). Ack! Prob two dump runs will be needed... :-(

A Date Which Will Live in INFAMY
At the old place, it is mainly just clean-up, very little left there. Alas though, the back porch DOES have a lot of crap there and I think much of it is destined for the dump. We'll see. We have too much shit! Way too much! Last Sunday, December 7th, two thousand and eight, a date which will live in INFAMY, we moved most of the basement. Of COURSE, it had to be the coldest day it's been so far, like in the teens w/ a strong wind blowing. :-( The next day was not much better. Luckily, we had some help from great friends!! Tuesday, I was able to hire a couple of movers to help get most of rest. Soooo much stuff >:-( One note on moving: U-Haul... $39.95 a day... yeah, isn't it interesting how that morphs into $282. for 3 days on a local move?! How I used about 120 miles and it became 152 and last, how they tell you to make sure the gas gauge is where it was when you got it—fine, but it was broken and I ended up putting $40. in the tank... and I'll say this I AM A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER and I had trouble keeping that truck on the road—how can some normal schmoe do it? It drove like a drunken porpoise and when I used the cargo light, it killed the battery; when we ended up jumping it, we found the truck had a CAR battery in it... no wonder. Rant, rant, rant. Nice people, nice boxes and supplies, but sometimes ya just wanna scream.

Unpacking
Wendy has been unpacking and putting stuff away. Without her, I'd be lost. Of course, right now, we have the garage stacked floor to ceiling and my office is mostly stacks of boxes. It's just so stressful moving and why is it every time I turn around, something else is costing me $200.??? Get's old, ya know!! I DO like the new place though. Like the neighborhood, I like it being close to town. I like ELECTRIC heat vs. oil >:-( I just need for one of my days off to be that... not something where I have to work all day humping boxes, etc.

X-Mas Rush
Well, one good thing this year... I have a run, I don't have to go to a P.O. in fact, I don't have to deal w/ them in ANY way, what-so-ever this year :-) Warms the heart it does! Not that I hate the P.O., I just hate chaos and the P.O. during X-mas Rush is a lot of chaos. Common sense and organization make jobs easier... when companies just don't plan, it makes it waaaaay harder and waaaaay more expensive... why do they do that? They know it's coming, why not plan ahead of time?? I will say this, one of the Postal Contractors I used to work for would hire all the X-Mas temps in November... when the Rush started (they called it "Peak Season") things were already smoothly (if you can call anything dealing with X-Mas in the P.O. "smooth") rolling along. I think a lot of it had to do with the manager there at the time, Steve Pratt... He's a good guy and made things easier by planning and common sense. Of course, no planning can account for the P.O. doing things like neglecting to have a place for drivers to wait (trucks around the block), not enough help or deciding there will be "no overtime" (something I am told they've said this year--their dock workers have been telling my fellow drivers this as to why things are late...).

Can It Be Done?
And of course, often, things will be scheduled so as to be impossible to run. It's all well and nice to say "We'll run legally" until you get a run that can't be. And the P.O. doesn't really care—they just want it done. "Oh, and we don't care if your driver doesn't have any hours left because we've held him at our facility for an extra hour or two... make it so!" Little Timmy needs his present from Grandma, the cards must go out, gifts must arrive (not to mention the normal mass of junk mail, welfare checks and credit card bills that the Postal sytem is snowed under with). And even then, Postal volume seems down. My PERSONAL opinion is that now-a-days many people order online and those places tend to use UPS or FedEx (we won't even go into the P.O.'s unholy alliance w/ FedEx right now).

Ende
So, a blog that started about moving has ended w/ me blathering about the P.O. A final note on this though: for all the irritations, all the problems, I still think the USPS does a damn fine job—they're better than any other nation's postal system and they're cheaper. And really, most Postal contractors do a great job, an awesome job of making it work. I just think sometimes it could be better. And, as always, this is my blog, my PERSONAL blog. It's MY opinion, it's not an agenda. The only agenda's I have are to pay my boat slip payment, make my websites better and get my life stabilized—oh and to keep my wife and animals happy. :-)

Moving blows

noreply@blogger.com (Sturmkatze) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 05:04:00 +0000

Okay, real quick... the move is almost there and done. Just a small amount of crap at old place and the clean-up. Ack! It has sucked. I am stressed and every time I turn around, something else is costing me $200.

We have SO MUCH SHIT! Crazy horrible. I don't want to move again for at least TWO DECADES. Anyway, I don't have time to really write, as she who is my wife, needs me to carry MORE boxes upstairs... I, on the other hand, need a long soak in the "love tub" ... since it's in her room, she's being possessive about it :-(

Tonite's Fiasco
I was off the 'Net for a week and a half... literally THOUSANDS of e-mails to wade through, mostly spam... tired... very tired and still sore. PLUS, when walking dogs tonite, Angus bumped my hand and Zoey's retractable popped out of my hand... so, off she goes. Me yelling "treats" here going "F-you Daddy" and heading for the fields w/ the retractable dragging behind. Across the new house pad, me tripping over rocks and debris in the dark, trying to pull up my pants (falling off due to me losing weight in this horrible move)... down into the drainage area where there is, of course, MUD. Freezing mud and straw. Off she goes, up the hill, leash trailing. Dark, butt-ass cold. Holding pants, other leash w/ Angus on it (him trying to run off too) SS fur hat on my head. Up the other side, me moving fast so I don't sink into the semi-frozen mud. Shit, SHIT, SHIT-- Zoey!!! Damit!

Over hill and dale through the mud, around the field, taking off each time the fat one closes in on her position. Finally, we smell something dead or nicely stinky and as we stop and smell, up runs the heavily panting, pants-falling-off, WWII German fur hat wearing fat one, who barely manages to stomp on the leash, standing there, breathing hard and cursing dogs, all dogs. And women too, just for good measure. >:-( Not funny. Mud everywhere. Shoes, pants, dog feets... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Night for now...