3 reasons why I endure life in a cubicle

In masks and gowns we haunt the street and knock on doors for trick or treat.

Today I am the Fairy Queen, for oh tonight it's Halloween!

Our box of blue The Fastlane in. It calls to us. The waves begin.

Yes, we love the Christmas time. Best of all the year. We have waited for it so long. Now, at last, it's here.

In masks and gowns we haunt the street and knock on doors for trick or treat.

The stench of chlorine assaulted my nose, crashing into the pool of water below.

Sharpened pencils, desks all in a row. It's the first day of school and ALL 3 kids must go.

Our Pez is cool. Our Pez is fun. Our Pez is loved by everyone.

The Skaggses brought me home today cradled in their arms. They cuddled me and smiled at me, and said I was full of charm.

For more pictures, click here.

LEAVE A COMMENT     July 3, 2009 - Ya know, trying to find some 12g 2-3/4" #4 Buck in this country is getting to be darn near impossible. Lots of stockpilers out there. July 1, 2009 - You can't borrow your way out of debt!? Really? But. But. The government seems to think we can. Could they be wrong!? I'm so confused! June 29, 2009 - Ran about 10 mi this afternoon on a really nice trail by my house. Unfortunately, my right achilles is really getting whacked. It hurts pretty badly now and I've been limping around since. I always knew the right would would go one of these days. So, one of these days must be now. It's probably near decision time. Do I try to hobble through the pain with half-assed training and lame race results. Or, do I suck it up, go get surgery and sit out another year while I heal? If I go with surgery, it'll take several months of doctor visits and preparations. I'll throw away more $ in prepaid race entry fees. It'll be August 2010 before I can think about running again. But, I'll only be 44. I should have 1 or 2 good years of hopefully high finishes ahead of me. That should be good enough, right? Oh, well. We'll see. June 29, 2009 - Bernie gets 150. His victims are pissed and rightfully so. People don't like being swindled by ponzi schemes. Makes me wonder why the entire US population isn't pissed at being swindled by the world's largest ever ponzi scheme. Bernanke and company purposely steal a few pennies worth of value out of your dollar every year by printing money. (The dollar is actually a Federal Reserve Note.  Says so on the front.  It's backed by nothing and is basically a really big scam.) So, why aren't people clamoring to lock Mr. Bernanke away for a century or two?  Answer:  You'll have to guess. My wife said my answer made me sound haughty! June 28, 2009 - Just when I thought it couldn't possibly get better, we move down to Del Mar. I'm living in Shangri La. There's no way I'm ever leaving this area. You gotcher cycling, trail running, surfing, triathlon, paddleboarding, sun, weather, restaurants, etc. etc. I'm hooked. Just got back from a round trip ride to Camp Pendleton. Heading out for a swim. Polish off the day with a little surfing. End the evening with a glass of Barolo. I love life. June 25, 2009 - The Governor Sanford infidelity story envelopes the news. Meanwhile, the fleecing of modern day Rome by its oligarchs continues. I listened with bemusement this morning while several South Carolinians were interviewed about the Sanford affair. It seems they no longer saw him fit for duty now that he's been busted in a lie. He's not trustworthy, you see. Come on, folks. Think big picture. How do you suppose one gets elected to public office? You have to be a sociopathic, pandering liar to begin with. And, to remain in office, you've got to be damn good at it.  So, yes, I agree he's unfit for the job.  Not because he lied, however. But, because he's such a lousy liar.  He should have stuck by his trail hiking story with a little more adlib. A real pro worthy of office would've spun a heroic yarn explaining incommunicado. He fell down a ravine during a blinding haboob.  Yes, the once per century Great Appalachian Haboob.  His cell phone broke during the fall.  Living on nothing but twigs and berries for days, he fought off wild boars with wooden spears crafted by hand.  But for brave ingenuity and clear resolve, he most certainly would have perished.  Alas, employing steely determination worthy of Sir Hillary's praise, he made it back to civilization, back to his people so that they may rejoice once again under the security of his overlordship.  An honorable governor, indeed.  Dude needs a lesson from Clinton.   June 24, 2009 - Zero Hedge is my new favorite website. Lots of good info over there. Currently, he's compiling some good stuff ahead of tomorrow's House Committee hearings on the Fed/Treasury role in the whole sordid B of A / Merrill affair. The heat is coming down and I really hope it ultimately leads to heads on stakes. Specifically Paulson, Bernanke, Geithner, Lewis, Thain, etc., etc. That would be soooo sweet. I wanna see some darn frog marches. And, soon!...Relative levels of freedom amongst the 50 states.  Notice the map. I find it interesting that our more left leaning states tend to be less free.  Why am I not surprised?  Oh, that's right.  Hard to be free when you're enveloped by government loving socialists. June 23, 2009 - Yes, it's true. We are moving again. This time, to Del Mar, CA. I am actually very excited. There was a time when I didn't take kindly to change. Now that I'm older, I (pardon the cliche) embrace it. It spices the meats of life. Makes things interesting. I often think how boring life might be if we just stayed in the same old place doing the same old things for years on end. Today's Rob cannot live like that. He needs movement.  He doesn't like stale bread.  As a strong believer in the concept that stability breeds instability, I'd rather be the creator of my instability than have it thrust upon me against my will.  Being a renter is conducive to managing change.  You're never shackled to stucco.  Giddyup. Anyhow, I received a great job offer. I'm still in wind power. Gonna be fun. Donna's going to love the move, too. She's just a bit whacked about all the recent changes. But, we're over the hump and by Thursday evening, she'll be as snug as a bug in a rug.  Southern California rocks and there's no place I'd rather be.  Our new digs are about five miles from the beach.  I can't wait to start surfing again. June 17, 2009 - This is why I do my best to filter out the words of bureaucrats. They speak gibberish wrapped in a patina of dishonesty. June 16, 2009 - So, if Donna and I exercise our 1st amendment rights and collectively hold our middle fingers high, aimed toward Leviathan we are, as per the Department of Defense low level terrorists. Ain't that grand? Have you read Orwell lately? Can you say the word 'dystopia' five times fast? At the moment, both of my middle fingers are flying high. I suppose I'm now a mid-level terrorist. Sigh. America does need to grow a pair before it's too late. (It's probably already too late, so get back to your American Idol, lumpenproles.) What would Jefferson and Franklin say? June 16, 2009 - I'm not buying into Bernanke's green shoots theory. Not one bit. Call me jaded. But, having witnessed two stock bubbles and one housing bubble within a decade methinks you'd have to be a blind idiot to believe this current rally is really the next bull market. Nothing fundamental has changed. Our government and it's banskter puppet masters are still the same. Pilfering more money from taxpayers. Printing more money to continue profligate spending. They're only getting worse. It ultimately ends very badly. We're Rome in about 35 BC. Anyhow, I'm in this camp as it relates to things. I believe if you're 'all-in' in this market, you'd better be nimble. June 15, 2009 - What looks like a dirtbag usually is a dirtbag. And, like cockroaches, where there's one dirtbag, there's usually many more. Ergo, congress is infested with dirtbags. Unfortunately, American Idol is on and so it's bread and circuses for the masses. June 12, 2009 - I put fifty bucks in my tank tonight. It's starting to feel a little like last summer. I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction. The second half of 09 economic recovery everyone's talking about will be anemic and short. The combination of the impending commercial real estate implosion with the residential option arm wave of foreclosures, high energy prices and increasing unemployment will be too much for our fragile system. The stock market will be lower on 12/31/09 than it is today. June 11, 2009 - It seems Uncle Ben has lost control of the mortgage market. And, TBT screams higher today. Print, baby, print! June 11, 2009 - Hurry kids! The bubble blowing, pandering parasites are making free lunches again! Unbelievable. Perhaps they should spend an evening reading this.  "If you wish to destroy a nation you must corrupt its currency." The continuous stream of perceived free lunches emanating from the stinking bowels of Washington is doing just that. There are no free lunches!  So, while on the subject of real estate one might wish to peruse this presentation from T2 Partners. Check out pages 63-64.  Don't fall for the corrupt NAR spin this summer when they call a housing bottom yet again.  And, for California news.  The state runs out of money again at the end of July.  I think it's time they stop spending money they don't have on $400,000/yr cops and $200,000/yr prison guards, both a.k.a armed tax consumers.   Oh, and before I forget, here's a beautiful article skewering the King of Corruption. Warning - some foul language. June 10, 2009 - hhh. The little nuances within a definition. I was schooled today by someone whose intelligence I respect. He kindly referred me to the definition of proven reserves. Notice the phrase, "under existing economic and operating conditions." That can have quite a bearing on time frame. In other words, if/when oil goes to $500/barrel, for example, the amount of proven reserves could rise leading to an extension of time. However, I'm going to wager that the well effectively runs dry for many before 42 (or whatever) years - perhaps not for those fortunate souls who can afford $30/gal gasoline or $25 Big Macs. I guess we'll have a better clue in about twenty years, eh? June 10, 2009 - Forty two years. The effects will be felt long before this. The Average Joe is sleepwalking into the future. Do you own a McMansion is exurbia? June 8, 2009 - Our clan went to the local Imax last night to see the movie, Up. This was the first 3-D movie I'd been to since Friday the 13th Part III - way back in like 1983ish at the theater located in The Falls shopping mall down in Miami where I used to hang out on weekends as a teenager. Thankfully, the former was nothing like the latter. In fact, this was a really good movie. Very uplifting. It made Donna cry. It also made her laugh and I love hearing her laugh in movies. She's got a belly laugh that can be heard for blocks. Renee didn't care for it which is a testament that this is not your typical kid's cartoon. It will touch you especially if you are happily married as are Donna and I. I'll admit that even I got a bit teary eyed. I downright bawled after paying the $70 for our tickets. June 6, 2009 - Some people (aka suckers, proles, lumpenproles, take your pick) never learn, do they? Whether it's condos, McMansions, concert tickets or phones, unless you are a kid who doesn't know any better, only the foolish camp out in line. Unless, of course, it's a bread line and you're starving.  Speaking of bread lines, I can't believe 1 in 9 Americans are receiving food stamps. How can I get a few of those? My weekly grocery bill is insane. What happens if that ratio worsens? Like up to 5 out of 9? It's be a downright strange world if half the population worked to feed the other half. I might be inclined to stop working. Heck, I already spend half my working day paying taxes to sate the insatiable Leviathan. I suppose my feelings of generosity wouldn't be so dampened if we weren't borrowing and pissing so much money on military adventurism or Lloyd Blankfein's bonus.  Food for thought...Alright, we just spent 48 hours in moving hell. Worked like Trojans, I tell ya. I even moved a refrigerator all by myself. But, we got it done. We moved enough stuff to fill a 3,700 sf home into a 1,300 sf home with two trips in a 24' Uhaul. All for a grand total of $228 (Yes, I am a cheap s.o.b. Just ask Donna.).  Uhaul is the pits. This has to be one of the absolute worst run businesses in America. Well, except for the auto companies and a bunch of banks. Still, their service and product are terrible. I really wonder why a competitor hasn't come in and clobbered them? It would be easy. Anyhow, we're finally settled in and it is a darling little home. It's nice, too, that the five of us are packed in tightly. Very homey. Though, we do now look like the typical California family with a crap filled garage and cars parked on the street. Why do we have so much crap!? June 3, 2009 - Imagine. The Russians are calling us red!....Can this happen in the U.S.? Will the Fed be able to absorb the $2 trillion in treasuries this year the government has yet to float? I suppose anything is possible when you've got access to a nuclear powered printing press that can run 24/7........ Americans should have heeded H.L. Mencken's words of 1920 back in 2001: " ... all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most easily (and) adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." June 1, 2009 - Stocks are rocking!  Meanwhile, the cancer builds.

more posts