Last week, when the temperatures were in the 80's, we started getting weather predictions of an Arctic Blast coming our way. Usually North Texas winters are somewhat mid. However we began hearing dire warnings of a big freeze. Temps down in the 20's, wind chill factors barely above zero.
I was thinking that it would be neat if w got a little snow. I love watching it fall, just don't care for driving in it, or shovel it. I was also hoping that Sandy would get the chance to see some snow. She has spent most of her life in Arizona, and other than going up to Flagstaff, hasn't seen much of the white stuff.
Well late last night, the temps started to drop, and this morning, we had to watch to see if Sandy's school was going to be open. It was, but they may be delayed tomorrow. At around 11:00 this morning, it started to sleet. Later it turned to snow. Sandy did get to see some snow falling from school.We didn't get much in the way of ground cover, but Sue and I tossed a couple of half assed snow balls at each other!
I suspect that although this storm petered out on us, that we may have a cold wet winter ahead.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Every man should have one!
I went to see my doctor today. Pretty much a standard checkup. One thing I needed to have done, was a prostate check. For anyone of the male persuasion who has not been initiated into this club, let me tell ya, It ain't exactly fun.
I am pushing 50, so it seemed like a good idea to have the old prostate checked, as I seem to be getting up in the middle of the night a little more often than I used to. Let me just say, I am not getting up for a late night snack, or to check my email. No it seems like every time I wake up in the middle of the night, my bladder says "Hey, dude... Guess what!!! It's that time again." Then I stand there, taking matters into hand as it were, and stand there, and sometimes, stand there some more. Then I look down at matters in hand, and remind him that this trip was his idea after all.
Well, that started me to wonder, along with the big 5 - oh staring me in the face, combined with the commercials I see for medications for enlarged prostates made me wonder if this was the problem.
SO there I am in the doctors office telling her ( yes I have a woman doctor) that I am concerned abut this possibility. She tells me "Well, you realize this means a rectal" Oh yes, I am aware. Oh boy, am I aware. I had a doctor in Phoenix, that seemed to want to do a rectal every time she saw me.( Yep, another woman doctor)
Anyway, I digress. She has to do something that under other circumstances ( and with the right person I might add, ) could be pleasurable. Not with a doctor. Let me just say, doctors do not exactly have a gentle touch. Oh well, at least I should be grateful she used K-Y!
I am pushing 50, so it seemed like a good idea to have the old prostate checked, as I seem to be getting up in the middle of the night a little more often than I used to. Let me just say, I am not getting up for a late night snack, or to check my email. No it seems like every time I wake up in the middle of the night, my bladder says "Hey, dude... Guess what!!! It's that time again." Then I stand there, taking matters into hand as it were, and stand there, and sometimes, stand there some more. Then I look down at matters in hand, and remind him that this trip was his idea after all.
Well, that started me to wonder, along with the big 5 - oh staring me in the face, combined with the commercials I see for medications for enlarged prostates made me wonder if this was the problem.
SO there I am in the doctors office telling her ( yes I have a woman doctor) that I am concerned abut this possibility. She tells me "Well, you realize this means a rectal" Oh yes, I am aware. Oh boy, am I aware. I had a doctor in Phoenix, that seemed to want to do a rectal every time she saw me.( Yep, another woman doctor)
Anyway, I digress. She has to do something that under other circumstances ( and with the right person I might add, ) could be pleasurable. Not with a doctor. Let me just say, doctors do not exactly have a gentle touch. Oh well, at least I should be grateful she used K-Y!
Monday, November 27, 2006
And now, a brief interlude.
While watching an episode of Mythbusters in which they were testing various methods of beating Police Radar guns, I was reminded of an unusual method I employed many years ago to beat a speeding ticket.
I was the Navy nearly 30 years ago, and was in training to become a Hospital Corpsman. We had a long weekend for Memorial Day, and as it turned out one of my classmates, Carolyn, who lived in New York, offered to give me a ride to Ohio for the weekend, and pick me up on the way back to Great Lakes (Chicago). We shared expenses and driving. We each had a nice weekend with our respective families, and on Monday morning, she picked me up and we started our journey back to Chicago.
It's important to know that Carolyn and I were not dating, or even all that close. At any rate, I was driving on the Turnpike. I glanced at the speedometer, and realized I was going around 80 miles per hour. Then I looked in the mirror and saw an Indiana State Trooper behind me with his lights flashing. Carolyn looked at me and said,
"You're driving, it's your ticket."
I was hoping he was going after someone else, as I was slowing down to the speed limit. My luck had run out. H was pulling me over. The trooper walked jauntily up to the car, and smiled at me.
"Tell me one I've never heard before!" he sad.
"Well, " I began. "My wife and I ( at the word 'wife' Carolyn started shaking her head saying under her breath" I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill him!") have been trying like hell to have a baby, and she just took her temperature, and she's ovulating! We were trying to get to the next toll plaza!"
The trooper stared at me for a full 30 seconds. This is quite a long time to have a cop stare at you, let me tell you!
Finally He busted out laughing, tossed his Smoky Bear hat on the ground, and finally when he could recompose himself, said to me still chuckling:
"Get the hell out of here, and keep it under 55!"
I have no doubt that the story was told around the State Troopers Barracks in Indiana for years!
I was the Navy nearly 30 years ago, and was in training to become a Hospital Corpsman. We had a long weekend for Memorial Day, and as it turned out one of my classmates, Carolyn, who lived in New York, offered to give me a ride to Ohio for the weekend, and pick me up on the way back to Great Lakes (Chicago). We shared expenses and driving. We each had a nice weekend with our respective families, and on Monday morning, she picked me up and we started our journey back to Chicago.
It's important to know that Carolyn and I were not dating, or even all that close. At any rate, I was driving on the Turnpike. I glanced at the speedometer, and realized I was going around 80 miles per hour. Then I looked in the mirror and saw an Indiana State Trooper behind me with his lights flashing. Carolyn looked at me and said,
"You're driving, it's your ticket."
I was hoping he was going after someone else, as I was slowing down to the speed limit. My luck had run out. H was pulling me over. The trooper walked jauntily up to the car, and smiled at me.
"Tell me one I've never heard before!" he sad.
"Well, " I began. "My wife and I ( at the word 'wife' Carolyn started shaking her head saying under her breath" I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill him!") have been trying like hell to have a baby, and she just took her temperature, and she's ovulating! We were trying to get to the next toll plaza!"
The trooper stared at me for a full 30 seconds. This is quite a long time to have a cop stare at you, let me tell you!
Finally He busted out laughing, tossed his Smoky Bear hat on the ground, and finally when he could recompose himself, said to me still chuckling:
"Get the hell out of here, and keep it under 55!"
I have no doubt that the story was told around the State Troopers Barracks in Indiana for years!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
The Great Car Hunt Continues!
For the last two weeks we have been fortunate to have the use of a car. The week before last, our Pastor was kind enough to loan us his car while he was away on a pastors' retreat. Last week, another friend who was out of town loaned us one of their cars. They are back this week, but are allowing us to continue to use the car.
As it turns out, the car we are currently using is a 1989 Acura. It runs well, and Bob and Jane are planning to sell it. We asked Bob about the possibility of buying it. He was reluctant. The car is old, and has over 140,000 miles on it. He is afraid that if he sold it to us, and something happened, that we might be upset. More to the point he would feel bad. We can understand that.
On the other hand, Bob is a pretty good hand at finding good used cars, and has offered his expertise in helping us to find one. He has suggested we look for something along the lines of a 7 or 8 year old Honda, or Toyota. Preferably with somewhere around 70,000 -80,000 miles or so on it. He thinks we should be able to find something like that for around $3500.00 or so. This coincides with our thoughts. We want to find a car for less than $5000.00.
So now we have yet another person willing to help us find a car. George, another friend from church had helped us find Vickie, our late lamented Crown Vic. He feels bad that she didn't last for us. We told him not to feel bad. He didn't hold a gun to our head to buy the car, we thought it was a good deal, and she did last us for several months. You can't have everything. The problem was we pretty much bought the first car we saw. This time we will be a little more picky.
I have faith that we will find a car soon that will fit our needs, and be able to get us around town, and hopefully around Texas next summer to visit some points of interest with the kids. More news when it becomes less available!
As it turns out, the car we are currently using is a 1989 Acura. It runs well, and Bob and Jane are planning to sell it. We asked Bob about the possibility of buying it. He was reluctant. The car is old, and has over 140,000 miles on it. He is afraid that if he sold it to us, and something happened, that we might be upset. More to the point he would feel bad. We can understand that.
On the other hand, Bob is a pretty good hand at finding good used cars, and has offered his expertise in helping us to find one. He has suggested we look for something along the lines of a 7 or 8 year old Honda, or Toyota. Preferably with somewhere around 70,000 -80,000 miles or so on it. He thinks we should be able to find something like that for around $3500.00 or so. This coincides with our thoughts. We want to find a car for less than $5000.00.
So now we have yet another person willing to help us find a car. George, another friend from church had helped us find Vickie, our late lamented Crown Vic. He feels bad that she didn't last for us. We told him not to feel bad. He didn't hold a gun to our head to buy the car, we thought it was a good deal, and she did last us for several months. You can't have everything. The problem was we pretty much bought the first car we saw. This time we will be a little more picky.
I have faith that we will find a car soon that will fit our needs, and be able to get us around town, and hopefully around Texas next summer to visit some points of interest with the kids. More news when it becomes less available!
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thanksgiving Movies
I missed writing in the blog yesterday, due to helping to cook Thanksgiving dinner. We had a nice turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. As is usual on holidays, I ate too much. Ah well, that is the nature of holidays! Happy Turkey Day!
Special Thanksgiving Edition
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Pick acts as both a mythic telling of the band's origins and a grand adventure in this loose, loutish film.
Déjà Vu
A federal agent (Denzel Washington) investigates a ferry bombing in this vintage Tony Scott flick.
The Fountain
The lack of character development makes it hard to care about a man's 1,000-year journey to save his wife.
Deck the Halls
The Christmas arms race between Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito is a leaden slice of fruitcake.
Bobby (opens Thursday)
Engaging ensemble piece follows folks the day Bobby Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel.
Unknown (opens Friday)
This tale of five trapped amnesiacs comes together in the end, but doesn't let the audience play along.
More movie reviews
Read about all the movies now playing in local theaters.
Opening Friday, Dec. 1
Bug
A paranoid veteran sees bugs everywhere he looks.
The Nativity Story
Keisha Castle-Hughes stars in this tale of Jesus' birth.
Paper Dolls
Doc follows a group of transvestites working in Israel.
The Architect
An architect clashes with a person living in his building.
Cave of the Yellow Dog
A girl befriends a dog in this Mongolian film.
Turistas
A backpacking trip takes a wrong turn in a Brazilian jungle.
Sleeping Dogs Lie
A relationship changes when a woman reveals her past.
Special Thanksgiving Edition
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Pick acts as both a mythic telling of the band's origins and a grand adventure in this loose, loutish film.
Déjà Vu
A federal agent (Denzel Washington) investigates a ferry bombing in this vintage Tony Scott flick.
The Fountain
The lack of character development makes it hard to care about a man's 1,000-year journey to save his wife.
Deck the Halls
The Christmas arms race between Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito is a leaden slice of fruitcake.
Bobby (opens Thursday)
Engaging ensemble piece follows folks the day Bobby Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel.
Unknown (opens Friday)
This tale of five trapped amnesiacs comes together in the end, but doesn't let the audience play along.
More movie reviews
Read about all the movies now playing in local theaters.
Opening Friday, Dec. 1
Bug
A paranoid veteran sees bugs everywhere he looks.
The Nativity Story
Keisha Castle-Hughes stars in this tale of Jesus' birth.
Paper Dolls
Doc follows a group of transvestites working in Israel.
The Architect
An architect clashes with a person living in his building.
Cave of the Yellow Dog
A girl befriends a dog in this Mongolian film.
Turistas
A backpacking trip takes a wrong turn in a Brazilian jungle.
Sleeping Dogs Lie
A relationship changes when a woman reveals her past.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Paging Alfred Hitchcock!
We were heading out to Golden Corral tonight for dinner. It was about 5:00. As we were at a stop light waiting to turn left, we spotted some birds heading south. A lot of birds. My first thought was: "It's a bit late to be heading south for the winter isn't it?"
As I made the left turn, we saw what at first glance was hundreds of birds flying south. Wrong! It was closer to thousands! I cannot in recent memory remember seeing that many birds flying all at once. It took us about 10 minutes to get to the place we were turning into to get to the restaurant. All that time, the birds continued to pass by. We saw them stopped for a few minutes on power lines, atop telephone poles, and alight on buildings. We thought perhaps they were looking for a place to roost for the night. Then the mas flight started up again.
We turned into the Wal Mart lot ( which leads to Golden Corral) As we were slowly winding our way through the parking lot, we saw birds teeming on the trees in the parking lot. They were acting aggressively flitting here and there, and all but dive bombing customers of the store as they came and went.
We got to Golden Corral, and while we were eating, two birds got inside the restaurant. They were flying back and froth, and finally an employee managed to get hold of some type of a net. She was still attempting to catch the errant avians as we left. Good luck with that, Hon!
As I made the left turn, we saw what at first glance was hundreds of birds flying south. Wrong! It was closer to thousands! I cannot in recent memory remember seeing that many birds flying all at once. It took us about 10 minutes to get to the place we were turning into to get to the restaurant. All that time, the birds continued to pass by. We saw them stopped for a few minutes on power lines, atop telephone poles, and alight on buildings. We thought perhaps they were looking for a place to roost for the night. Then the mas flight started up again.
We turned into the Wal Mart lot ( which leads to Golden Corral) As we were slowly winding our way through the parking lot, we saw birds teeming on the trees in the parking lot. They were acting aggressively flitting here and there, and all but dive bombing customers of the store as they came and went.
We got to Golden Corral, and while we were eating, two birds got inside the restaurant. They were flying back and froth, and finally an employee managed to get hold of some type of a net. She was still attempting to catch the errant avians as we left. Good luck with that, Hon!
Kitty Shenanigans
(Sorry, I missed yesterday)
Yesterday morning, Sue went to feed the kitties, and Shadow ran out into the garage. ( We have to keep the food out there since Jenny got up on the fridge, and knocked it down. Cat food went everywhere! )
She decided if he wanted out there so darn bad, he could just stay there! So she fed Mac, and Jenny, and then put down Shadow's food. She let him in and he began snarfing. Mac decided he was still hungry, and stuck his head into Shadow's dish. Shadow growled hissed, spit and Sue was sure that pawticuffs were about to commence. Shadow asserted himself and violence was averted.
These cats antics certainly keep us entertained.
Yesterday morning, Sue went to feed the kitties, and Shadow ran out into the garage. ( We have to keep the food out there since Jenny got up on the fridge, and knocked it down. Cat food went everywhere! )
She decided if he wanted out there so darn bad, he could just stay there! So she fed Mac, and Jenny, and then put down Shadow's food. She let him in and he began snarfing. Mac decided he was still hungry, and stuck his head into Shadow's dish. Shadow growled hissed, spit and Sue was sure that pawticuffs were about to commence. Shadow asserted himself and violence was averted.
These cats antics certainly keep us entertained.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Celebrity Crap!
The Headline reads: TomKat ties knot at Italian Castle! Frankly MikeSue couldn't give a rats hairy butt! What is all this Hero worship we seem to heap on Actors, actresses, sports figures and the like. Some politicians, like Barak Obama even get the star treatment. Why? I ask.
What makes them so damn special? These people put their clothes on the same way that you or I do. ( Okay, some of them are so pampered they may even have servants to help them pull on their socks and wipe their soft pampered butts!)Still they sweat, they belch, and believe it or not, they even have to go to the bathroom to eliminate their bodily waste. (I'm sure if they could figure out a way to pay someone to do that for them, they would!)
These people are not heroes, They are not worthy of our adulation. They are well paid to do what they do for a living. Period. They have chosen to work in jobs that certainly pay a lot, and give them a certain amount of exposure to the world, but again this doesn't make them HEROES!!!!
What is a hero? How about the firemen that risk their lives putting out fires caused by idiots who fall asleep smoking in bed? How about a cop that pulls over someone for a speeding ticket, not knowing if he or she is going to live through the encounter? How about the men and women in uniform that are in foreign countries dying every day for wars started by idiots who don't have to go die for their political ambitions? These are heroes.
On this same subject I get sick of hearing celebrities complain about having to encounter the public. Okay when they are eating dinner and are obviously engaged in a private conversation they have have same rights as anyone to be left alone. But to have them scream and complain when a fan asks for an autograph is ridiculous. Or to use their celebrity to get preferential treatment (Right Madonna?) If they are in the public eye, for the most part they wanted to be there. So having strangers walk up to them and ask for a few seconds of their time to write their name on a piece of paper kind of comes with the territory. So either get out of the business, and become a hermit, or learn to deal with it. After all are not these people who come up and bug the celebs the same ones who go to their movies, games, and concerts? So in effect these people are paying for that 25 Million dollar home on the beach, or that 90 day stay in rehab.
Just the same remember to pay homage to those real heroes I mentioned earlier. Want a real hero to worship? Try the One who died for your sins 2000 years ago.
What makes them so damn special? These people put their clothes on the same way that you or I do. ( Okay, some of them are so pampered they may even have servants to help them pull on their socks and wipe their soft pampered butts!)Still they sweat, they belch, and believe it or not, they even have to go to the bathroom to eliminate their bodily waste. (I'm sure if they could figure out a way to pay someone to do that for them, they would!)
These people are not heroes, They are not worthy of our adulation. They are well paid to do what they do for a living. Period. They have chosen to work in jobs that certainly pay a lot, and give them a certain amount of exposure to the world, but again this doesn't make them HEROES!!!!
What is a hero? How about the firemen that risk their lives putting out fires caused by idiots who fall asleep smoking in bed? How about a cop that pulls over someone for a speeding ticket, not knowing if he or she is going to live through the encounter? How about the men and women in uniform that are in foreign countries dying every day for wars started by idiots who don't have to go die for their political ambitions? These are heroes.
On this same subject I get sick of hearing celebrities complain about having to encounter the public. Okay when they are eating dinner and are obviously engaged in a private conversation they have have same rights as anyone to be left alone. But to have them scream and complain when a fan asks for an autograph is ridiculous. Or to use their celebrity to get preferential treatment (Right Madonna?) If they are in the public eye, for the most part they wanted to be there. So having strangers walk up to them and ask for a few seconds of their time to write their name on a piece of paper kind of comes with the territory. So either get out of the business, and become a hermit, or learn to deal with it. After all are not these people who come up and bug the celebs the same ones who go to their movies, games, and concerts? So in effect these people are paying for that 25 Million dollar home on the beach, or that 90 day stay in rehab.
Just the same remember to pay homage to those real heroes I mentioned earlier. Want a real hero to worship? Try the One who died for your sins 2000 years ago.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Friday Movies
Sorry, I missed yesterday. No car yet, but we have a couple of people at the church working on it now as well as us.
Here are the movies opening today. One is "Casino Royale", the new Bond movie with the new Bond, Danial Craig - Looks like the best Bond since Sean Connery We'll see! . Another is what looks like the stupidest comedy ever put on film, "Let's go to Prison" (No review on that one, but the trailer is enough to make me want to gag )- Chi McBride, usually an excellent actor- all I can figure is he must have lost a bet. From the trailer:
Would you like some Merlot? I make it in the toilet!" EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig ushers in a mature and invigorating tone for a franchise in need of a new direction.
Happy Feet
There's a lot to charm in this tale of a penguin named Mumble who is an outcast because he can't sing.
For Your Consideration
Much of the humor in Christopher Guest's parody of movie-awards season will be lost on general audiences.
Come Early Morning
This tidy tale of personal triumph follows a woman's (Ashley Judd) journey to find fulfillment in life.
Fast Food Nation
Adaptation of the Eric Schlosser book is a humorless, glum, multicharacter melodrama.
Wrestling With Angels
Documentary of Tony Kushner is best approached as an admiring portrait of a likable, creative powerhouse.
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Nicole Kidman stars in this audacious make-believe snapshot of the photographer's life.
Let's Go to Prison
A criminal heads to prison to seek revenge in this comedy starring Will Arnett and Dax Shepard. This film was not screened in advance for critics.
Here are the movies opening today. One is "Casino Royale", the new Bond movie with the new Bond, Danial Craig - Looks like the best Bond since Sean Connery We'll see! . Another is what looks like the stupidest comedy ever put on film, "Let's go to Prison" (No review on that one, but the trailer is enough to make me want to gag )- Chi McBride, usually an excellent actor- all I can figure is he must have lost a bet. From the trailer:
Would you like some Merlot? I make it in the toilet!" EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig ushers in a mature and invigorating tone for a franchise in need of a new direction.
Happy Feet
There's a lot to charm in this tale of a penguin named Mumble who is an outcast because he can't sing.
For Your Consideration
Much of the humor in Christopher Guest's parody of movie-awards season will be lost on general audiences.
Come Early Morning
This tidy tale of personal triumph follows a woman's (Ashley Judd) journey to find fulfillment in life.
Fast Food Nation
Adaptation of the Eric Schlosser book is a humorless, glum, multicharacter melodrama.
Wrestling With Angels
Documentary of Tony Kushner is best approached as an admiring portrait of a likable, creative powerhouse.
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Nicole Kidman stars in this audacious make-believe snapshot of the photographer's life.
Let's Go to Prison
A criminal heads to prison to seek revenge in this comedy starring Will Arnett and Dax Shepard. This film was not screened in advance for critics.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Mid week car hunting blues
Well, not really blues. We did go out looking today, and stopped at a Big name car dealer to see if we would get laughed off of the lot. Actually, they were fairly decent to us. We told them our limitations, and they did make the attempt to accommodate us. The downside is that the only car they had currently that we might have been able to get, was a 2003 Ford Taurus. It was a light green, a nice color. The Price was $8995.
The guy ran our info and told us that they could approve us. The downside was that to get the payments we can afford we would have to come up with a down payment of $4000 to $4500. We may be able to get help from the church but I doubt that we could get that much help. Oh well.
The good thing is that we now can be relatively assured that we will be able to get a loan. So we have gotten some good news. We will keep looking. Something tells me that soon we will get ourselves a car. God will help us, as long as we keep the faith!
The guy ran our info and told us that they could approve us. The downside was that to get the payments we can afford we would have to come up with a down payment of $4000 to $4500. We may be able to get help from the church but I doubt that we could get that much help. Oh well.
The good thing is that we now can be relatively assured that we will be able to get a loan. So we have gotten some good news. We will keep looking. Something tells me that soon we will get ourselves a car. God will help us, as long as we keep the faith!
Monday, November 13, 2006
The Car Hunt Continues!
Well here it is, a new week. Time to go car shopping. We have the use of a car for the week. The Pastor of our church is away on a Pastor's retreat in San Francisco ( The City by the Bay according to the Journey song) and he and his wife decided that since he isn't here that we could use the car instead of it sitting in the garage. What wonderful people!
We are in the process of figuring out just what we want and then breaking that down into what can we afford. We have a couple ideas, we just have two attributes that are non-negotiable. Air conditioning ( we are not going through another Texas Summer without A/C in a car ) and Automatic Transmission.
SO tomorrow we will be checking out the legitimate dealers. Then we will probably have to check out the Rip off houses that will charge us 20% interest and up... You know, legal Loan Sharks...
Anyway. Check back on the blog to read about the continuing car hunt..
We are in the process of figuring out just what we want and then breaking that down into what can we afford. We have a couple ideas, we just have two attributes that are non-negotiable. Air conditioning ( we are not going through another Texas Summer without A/C in a car ) and Automatic Transmission.
SO tomorrow we will be checking out the legitimate dealers. Then we will probably have to check out the Rip off houses that will charge us 20% interest and up... You know, legal Loan Sharks...
Anyway. Check back on the blog to read about the continuing car hunt..
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Veteran's Day (Yeah I know it was officially yesterday)
We had our Veteran's Day Pot Luck at church today. I came up with the idea a few months ago, and got Session approval to do it. With the generous help of several people in the church. I managed to drop the ball due to the car issues last week.
We had a nice set up, there were small flags on the tables, poked through some upside down Styrofoam coffee cups! You use what you have. It worked. We had some patriotic music, and we honored all our veterans. During Church service, all the vets were asked to stand up, and the youth handed out ribbons with pins that had a space for us to put our names, ranks, branch and dates of service. We are going to use this information to put out a booklet.
I am hoping to make this a yearly event. Anyway. Happy Veteran's Day to all those who once wore a uniform to defend our country. We salute you, and those who are still in uniform, fighting, and shedding their blood for us all.
We had a nice set up, there were small flags on the tables, poked through some upside down Styrofoam coffee cups! You use what you have. It worked. We had some patriotic music, and we honored all our veterans. During Church service, all the vets were asked to stand up, and the youth handed out ribbons with pins that had a space for us to put our names, ranks, branch and dates of service. We are going to use this information to put out a booklet.
I am hoping to make this a yearly event. Anyway. Happy Veteran's Day to all those who once wore a uniform to defend our country. We salute you, and those who are still in uniform, fighting, and shedding their blood for us all.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The great auto search begins
We start by looking in the paper. Well there are a couple of cars in the paper today that may be affordable... At least under 5 grand. Actually there are a couple showing up under 3 grand. One is an 89 Nissan Maxima. Possible, I guess. We are going to start by looking online, then segue into seeing if we can get somebody to take us around to a couple of car lots.
Then, the fun starts! If we can find a car that we like, we gotta see if we can talk them into dealing with us with little or no money down. Haa! That ought to be good for a laugh! Well, if it comes down to it, Terry did say we shouldn't worry too much about that.The downside is that tomorrow, he is going to be out of town for a week at a Pastor's retreat. I don't know what the process will be if we are able to find a car before he gets back that we need help with as far as getting help with the down payment.... We shall see what we shall see.
We have figured that we can afford a car payment of $100 - $120 a month. We would prefer not to have to pay a used car dealership, or bank or anything like that, but if we must, we must... In the meantime we are praying that we will get something soon, that we can afford, that won;t completely break the bank. (Hmm. Department of redundancy department there!)
As my old friend Claude LeMorte used to say... "More News, when it becomes less available!"
Then, the fun starts! If we can find a car that we like, we gotta see if we can talk them into dealing with us with little or no money down. Haa! That ought to be good for a laugh! Well, if it comes down to it, Terry did say we shouldn't worry too much about that.The downside is that tomorrow, he is going to be out of town for a week at a Pastor's retreat. I don't know what the process will be if we are able to find a car before he gets back that we need help with as far as getting help with the down payment.... We shall see what we shall see.
We have figured that we can afford a car payment of $100 - $120 a month. We would prefer not to have to pay a used car dealership, or bank or anything like that, but if we must, we must... In the meantime we are praying that we will get something soon, that we can afford, that won;t completely break the bank. (Hmm. Department of redundancy department there!)
As my old friend Claude LeMorte used to say... "More News, when it becomes less available!"
Friday, November 10, 2006
Movie Friday
Here are the movies opening today. Last week the number one box office draw was "Borat" staring Sacha Baron Cohen. My opinion: The trailer for this"mocumentary" looked so stupid it wasn't even funny. Oh well. I guess there's no accounting for taste. The dumb thing will probably end up winning Best Pic at the Oscars.
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Stranger Than Fiction
Brainy Will Ferrell plays an IRS agent who discovers he's a novelist's character and his time might be short.
Shut Up and Sing
Documentary follows the Dixie Chicks in the aftermath of Natalie Maines' infamous anti-Bush remark in London.
A Good Year
Russell Crowe inherits a French vineyard, but there may be questions as to who its rightful owner is.
The Bridesmaid
Beautiful, damaged people hint at unspeakable things in director Claude Chabrol’s subtle French thriller.
Color of the Cross
Some call it controversial, but it simply states the possibility that Christ was a man of color.
Copying Beethoven
Factually liberal tale of Ludwig van Beethoven falls flat when the music's not playing.
Harsh Times
Christian Bale plays a cop with a quick trigger finger in this gritty amble through the rough side of L.A.
The Return
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a woman drawn to the scene of a 15-year-old murder. This film was not screened in advance for critics.
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Stranger Than Fiction
Brainy Will Ferrell plays an IRS agent who discovers he's a novelist's character and his time might be short.
Shut Up and Sing
Documentary follows the Dixie Chicks in the aftermath of Natalie Maines' infamous anti-Bush remark in London.
A Good Year
Russell Crowe inherits a French vineyard, but there may be questions as to who its rightful owner is.
The Bridesmaid
Beautiful, damaged people hint at unspeakable things in director Claude Chabrol’s subtle French thriller.
Color of the Cross
Some call it controversial, but it simply states the possibility that Christ was a man of color.
Copying Beethoven
Factually liberal tale of Ludwig van Beethoven falls flat when the music's not playing.
Harsh Times
Christian Bale plays a cop with a quick trigger finger in this gritty amble through the rough side of L.A.
The Return
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a woman drawn to the scene of a 15-year-old murder. This film was not screened in advance for critics.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Near the end of another week
Man is it weird not to look outside and see the car in the driveway. Of course we are still getting used to having a driveway, but that's another story. We had to take Sandy to an appointment, so we had to rely on Mary's Taxi Service... We are lucky to have a church full of people who are willing to help us get around, but this really sucks not being able to jump in the car and go where we want or need to. I made the comment of possible walking to a couple of places, but hoo boy, you would have thought I had suggested I was going to jump off the roof of the tallest building in downtown Dallas. Talk about a major W.G.
Oh well, the truth be told, I can't make the walks I used to be able to make any more. The old body ain't what it used to be that's for damn sure. The bottom line is, tomorrow, we gotta start looking for a car seriously. ( As opposed to humorously!)
We took a quick look at Carmax.com today, interesting. We can possible keep our payments down to $120 bucks, if we get a loan for 6 years. Well, we have to start somewhere.
Tomorrows Blog: The Great Car Hunt begins!!!
Oh well, the truth be told, I can't make the walks I used to be able to make any more. The old body ain't what it used to be that's for damn sure. The bottom line is, tomorrow, we gotta start looking for a car seriously. ( As opposed to humorously!)
We took a quick look at Carmax.com today, interesting. We can possible keep our payments down to $120 bucks, if we get a loan for 6 years. Well, we have to start somewhere.
Tomorrows Blog: The Great Car Hunt begins!!!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Ford Crown Victoria "Vickie" Bacon 1989 - 2006
Our car, affectionately known as "Vickie" (Hey she was a Ford Crown Victoria, what would you call her Fred?) has gone to that Great Car Lot in the Sky. Okay she went to the Auto Bone-yard! Sheesh. Let me grieve in peace will ya? Any way, the guy I talked to on the phone came through, and we were able to get her sold and towed. Now comes the fun part.
Now we get to either:
A. Hope and pray somebody at our church will have a car we can work a deal out with them for or:
B. Go the used car route. Fortunately we should be able to get an auto loan. The bitch is gonna be trying to figure out how much we can spend a month on a car loan. Not a lot of fun. We are looking into something economical, and something that has an Automatic (Non- negotiable) and A/C (Also Non-negotiable!)
We will find something. I know we will and soon. The funny thing is how well I am handling this. I don't know if it's grace on my part or what, but ( and this sounds a little arrogant maybe) but I am kind of proud of how well I am handling it.
Anyway I will keep a running story up here of the search for the car.
Now we get to either:
A. Hope and pray somebody at our church will have a car we can work a deal out with them for or:
B. Go the used car route. Fortunately we should be able to get an auto loan. The bitch is gonna be trying to figure out how much we can spend a month on a car loan. Not a lot of fun. We are looking into something economical, and something that has an Automatic (Non- negotiable) and A/C (Also Non-negotiable!)
We will find something. I know we will and soon. The funny thing is how well I am handling this. I don't know if it's grace on my part or what, but ( and this sounds a little arrogant maybe) but I am kind of proud of how well I am handling it.
Anyway I will keep a running story up here of the search for the car.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Broken Car Part Deaux
I missed blogging yesterday, dealing with Vickie. I called our mechanic, and told him what happened, and he feels that the engine has seized. Oh well, as they say on Earth, C'est La Vie ( Kirk to Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) So i started looking for a car salvage place that could come and pick up the car and buy it off of us for salvage.
I found a place, hemmed and hawed over price, and then the guy said bring it in. Obviously, he didn't understand the part where I told him the engine had seized. I guess I wasn't talking to a rocket scientist, but you would think a guy that runs a salvage yard would have understood that a seized engine wasn't going any where!
I found another place. The first guy takes our number, and says he has to have the boss call us. Time goes by. More time goes by. And then after even more time went by, I called back. I got the boss on the phone, we hemmed and hawed, and agreed on $100.00. He said he would call me back after he checked with his tow truck driver. After calling back another couple of times, I gave up on him. The last time I talked to him, he got pissy with me.
Terry, our Pastor, had a neighbor that had sold a car like that, he finally was able to find the info, I called them and we have an agreement to deal with the car today. Hopefully it's still in the Blockbuster lot. More news when it becomes less available!
I found a place, hemmed and hawed over price, and then the guy said bring it in. Obviously, he didn't understand the part where I told him the engine had seized. I guess I wasn't talking to a rocket scientist, but you would think a guy that runs a salvage yard would have understood that a seized engine wasn't going any where!
I found another place. The first guy takes our number, and says he has to have the boss call us. Time goes by. More time goes by. And then after even more time went by, I called back. I got the boss on the phone, we hemmed and hawed, and agreed on $100.00. He said he would call me back after he checked with his tow truck driver. After calling back another couple of times, I gave up on him. The last time I talked to him, he got pissy with me.
Terry, our Pastor, had a neighbor that had sold a car like that, he finally was able to find the info, I called them and we have an agreement to deal with the car today. Hopefully it's still in the Blockbuster lot. More news when it becomes less available!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Broken Car
This will be a short blog entry, as we have storms around the area. What a day. Our car broke down today, after leaving a meeting at church. The strange thing is that in the past, when things like this have happened to me, I get very upset, rant and rave, and generally blister paint. Today, when Vickie ( We have a Ford Crown Vic, so we have dubbed her "Vickie") started making funny noises, clanking and clattering, I didn't even swear. I am strangely not really upset about it. It is going to be an inconvenience, we have to determiner if the car is fixable or not, and if not we will likely have to get a car loan. We wanted to get a new car, as Vickie doesn't have A/C. We wanted to get a couple of other bills caught up first though, but alas it may not be.
Is this grace? I wonder. The fact that I am handling this better than I normally do makes me wonder. Have I tamed my temper? Or is this a fluke.
Stay tuned.
Is this grace? I wonder. The fact that I am handling this better than I normally do makes me wonder. Have I tamed my temper? Or is this a fluke.
Stay tuned.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Friday Movies
I missed yesterday. What the heck, there are only two of us reading this anyway!
Here are todays' opening movies:
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Borat
Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakhstan TV journalist's trip across America would be offensive if it wasn't so funny.
Flushed Away
Animated tale is a bit rushed and contrived as a pampered pet rat scrambles to survive in the sewers.
Babel
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu tries too hard in this gorgeous yet scattered tale of disconnection.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Third installment in the Santa series is a cheesy, no-laugh dud as Jack Frost tries to usurp St. Nick.
American Hardcore
Enthusiastic documentary is all over the map as it celebrates the loud, rude bands of the Reagan era.
Paradise, Texas
An actor (Timothy Bottoms) returns to his Texas hometown in this stirring family film.
The Great Warming
Alanis Morisette and Keanu Reeves narrate this documentary that offers no solutions to global warming.
Here are todays' opening movies:
New releases this week
Click on the film's title to read a full review.
Borat
Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakhstan TV journalist's trip across America would be offensive if it wasn't so funny.
Flushed Away
Animated tale is a bit rushed and contrived as a pampered pet rat scrambles to survive in the sewers.
Babel
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu tries too hard in this gorgeous yet scattered tale of disconnection.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Third installment in the Santa series is a cheesy, no-laugh dud as Jack Frost tries to usurp St. Nick.
American Hardcore
Enthusiastic documentary is all over the map as it celebrates the loud, rude bands of the Reagan era.
Paradise, Texas
An actor (Timothy Bottoms) returns to his Texas hometown in this stirring family film.
The Great Warming
Alanis Morisette and Keanu Reeves narrate this documentary that offers no solutions to global warming.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Short, sweet and to the point!
Here it is Wednesday. Lost day. We now have learned that Ben supposedly has a tumor on his spine, and wants Jack to operate on him. Juliette, managed to let Jack know that Ben is a liar, and that it would be best for him to let Ben die on the table and no one would know... I don't trust or believe either of them. So much for lost today. O yeah, Locke, and some others found that someone was watching them from another station when they went to the Pearl station. The plot thickens. We also saw the critter again, and know no more than before!
We are getting closer to the end of the week, and having money again. Hopefully all of our money will actually be usable by us and not a bank. At least we have changed banks, so we will soon see. The day after tomorrow we will see that is.
As I said in the title, short sweet and to the point. Okay nothing really sweet about this post.. SO I lied!
We are getting closer to the end of the week, and having money again. Hopefully all of our money will actually be usable by us and not a bank. At least we have changed banks, so we will soon see. The day after tomorrow we will see that is.
As I said in the title, short sweet and to the point. Okay nothing really sweet about this post.. SO I lied!
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