Grumpy like a piece of broken furniture with splinters!

16 Jul 20 

07:15 hrs

     That's what my Lobster called me. Grumpy like a piece of broken furniture with splinters. After eight late nights of which four were full blown graveyard shifts someone my age just might be a bit testy. Such is life deal with it.

     I spotted a great movie on Netflix that I hadn't seen in years - True Romance with Christian Slater. It came out in the 1990's and if you haven't seen it. Be prepared for lots of gun violence. Are there any winners? Not really.

     My outing in August is fast approaching. Some of the participants will not be coming because the border between us and the Hugh-ess will be closed to the el Touristas for another month. A good call on the part of the Boys on the Hill as the Beer Flu disinformation from the Tangerine Tyrant has allowed the infection and death rate to climb ever higher. In following the news cycle it is evident that the lower levels of civil administration - mayors and county leaders - are now beginning to follow the science and are ignoring the demands of the POTUS and his sychophant state governors to open businesses and schools. 

16 Jul 20

15:15 hrs

     The Oma-nator is still napping. The Jr. Loin Fruit has gone to hang with some members of the BOM and the Sr. Loin Fruit is deep within his Fortress Solitude. After my series of late nights I had a couple of days off. I'm back escorting tomorrow and then all next week. After that I only have another week or so until I'm Out in the Weeds. Am I excited? Is the Tangerine Tyrant morally corrupt?

     That being said I'm going fishing with my Friend from Over the Hump on Saturday. We'll go go back to our favourite fishing hole and drown a few more worms. There will be no need to cut the day short this time. Unless we limit out early which has been known to happen. I still have the fish from our last excursion and with what we catch on Saturday I will put in a brine and then smoke.

     Do you like Pink Floyd? Some their really really early stuff is very twisted. Have you listened to their song - Several species of small furry animals grooving together in a cave with a Pict - from the album Ummagamma. No? I have. It's kind strange but if you close your eyes while listening to it the title makes perfect sense.

     Cocoons! Not raccoons - bloody trash pandas. I'm talking about cocoons. That insulating wall that some individuals layer themselves in. Sometimes it's to shut out the hurt. Sometimes it's to avoid others including family members. Some people are able to tactically insulate themselves while others, like the Tangerine Tyrant, have the mental capacity of a small dirty soap dish and are quite capable of living in some alternative universe that is completely devoid of scientific fact which provides many layers of insulation. 

     I'm not saying that being able to back off from a situation in order to regroup is a bad thing. It's not but sometimes you can't wait and you must simply work through the situation. The Japanese use the Eight-fold fence as a mental distancing technique on a daily basis. 

Little Ones

07 Jul 20

20:45 hrs

     There have been a couple of new arrivals on this Third Rock that should be mentioned. First is the arrival of my Cuz'n's granddaughter. This particular Cuz'n and his branch of the family had been lost to antiquity only to be discovered in the late 1990's. 

     When I first met him and his mom, my aunt, and his brothers we were seated a big restaurant. He was at one end and I was at the other of a very long table. Looking at him was like looking in a mirror except he was a bit bigger and a fair bit younger than myself. A number of years later when we had moved out to the Left Coast I learned that he had unwittingly moved into the very same apartment,  not just the same complex or the same building but the very same unit that I had occupied before I got married to my Better Half. Now, isn't that weird coincidence? Now, he has a granddaughter who will be spoiled rotten and handed back to mom so she can deal with her. Just desserts.

     The second arrival, actually it's the second and third arrival - a set of twins - is to a friend of mine and the Couch Monkeys. She is a couple of years older than our Sr. Loin Fruit and has been a fixture in the local scouting movement for years. She is one person who could always be counted on to assist in just about any project and is a very warm and caring person. All of us who know her just know that she will be a great mom.

21:45 hrs

     I'm at work. Watching contractors. It's a no brainer but the squadron is conducting night ops. The engines are turning and the air is filled with the heady exhaust coming from the gas turbines. Years ago, when the airforce had more planes, you could smell it all over town and the sounds from airfield demonstrated that this was the best means of converting JP4 jet fuel into pure unadulterated noise as the jets thundered down the runways. 

08 Jul 20

17:15 hrs

      I'm waiting for my workers. Rain is threatening to fall here in the Valley but that's okay as we haven't had a good rain in quite some time. Last night, actually it was after my shift at O-Dark 30, the Dispatcher informed me that our neighbour - this Dispatcher lives a couple of doors down from the Wayward Inn  - had the same thing happen to his boat trailer as I did on mine. A blown bearing. He discovered it on his arrival back at home. His boat is much bigger than my 12 foot tinny and is designed for moving fast while towing some screaming Yard Apes on an inflatable device. His situation is much dire than mine was as the disintegration of the bearing scored the axle shaft. Such is life.

     My Lobster saw in the local cage liner that there will be another 40+ unit town house development going up in our portion of the Valley. That's a good and bad news scenario. Good as we could do with more residents and bad that it isn't more affordable rental units that we so desperately need.

     The Oma-nator has been with us eight months now and we have conservatively played over 500 games of Trouble. Think about that for a while.

Your morning spew!

03 Jul 20

08:30 hrs

     I was always wondering when it would happen and I always wondered if I would be a witness. If I was a witness I knew that I would just have to laugh especially since I had been there myself.

     Two nights ago our Sr. Couch Monkey and a friend went out to a local watering hole. My Better Half advised him to maintain social distancing because the Beer Flu is still a potential threat to life and limb. Not a problem he says. And if you need a ride home just call. Thanks, we're gonna walk there but I'll call if we need a ride. Be safe. We will. 

     And, off they go.

     Now, I was working evenings and they were all home at the Wayward Inn by the time I got home. In the morning my Lobster went off to the salt mines and I lounged in bed until 06:45 hrs when I got up to make coffee. About twenty minutes later the Sr. Loin Fruit wanders downstairs dressed in his house coat. He's rumpled and has a head like a ten pound Smartie. 

     How was your evening?

     Pretty good. How was yours?

     Boring. Is your friend still here?

     Yeah, she's upstairs.

     Okay. What did you drink last night?

     I had two beers and a whiskey sour.

     Okay.

     And with that he wandered back upstairs to his cave. Eight o'clock rolls by and the Oma-nator comes out of the Princess Suite. We were sitting across from each other at the dining room table having breakfast when the Sr. Loin Fruit suddenly barrels down the stairs. His robe streaming behind him like a superhero's cape. The cape was shucked off as he knelt before the throne. But his timing was off and he didn't get the seat raised in time. At least not for the first hurl.

     What was that? asked the Oma-nator. The action had occurred behind her. She couldn't see it but she could hear it.

     That was the Sr. Couch Monkey. He's sick. I said with a grin.

     In fact, he was very sick several times over the course next ten minutes. Which was followed by a large glass of water and the bucket of cleaning supplies. There's nothing like cleaning your own reverse peristalsis to clear your head.

     It was a good personal lesson for him to learn. And I'm sure he's going to learn it several times more. Maybe it was the mixing of alcohol types or maybe he was drinking on an empty stomach. Who knows. Everyone has their own tipping point. As for myself I will neither confirm nor deny that I have made a collect call from the Great White Telephone on four different continents. For some of us lessons are harder to learn and some of you know better than to ask foolish questions. 

     

a final Goodbye

25 Jun 20

01:55 hrs.

     Dear Readers, I am writing this short blog to tell you of the loss of a family member at the Wayward Inn. Mr. Teddy Buttnuggets was sent on his way yesterday evening and due to my work requirements I was not able to attend his passing. 

     It all started about three weeks or so ago when after I had come back from checking out the site for Base Camp when I saw, and learned from my Better Half, that Teddy wasn't doing so well. He was listless, uncoordinated, had lost weight and wanted to refrain from human contact. I quickly made an appointment for him with the vet. Now, I had thought he was having bowel issues, which he had in the past and which we had remedied with a higher fibre diet. But this turned out not to be the case. After a thorough check it was found that he had a fever and his blood smear test showed no white blood cells. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that a fever denotes an infection of some kind but with no white blood cells how could he fight an infection. The concern was there was something wrong with his bone marrow and it was hoped that by treating the mysterious infection with a spectrum of antibiotics that it would give some relief to the bone marrow. 

     Teddy remained overnight and was rehydrated. The course of meds got rid of the fever and over the next ten days or so he regained strength, weight and looked to be on to a path to recovery. The vet had us bring him in to recheck his blood and it was discovered that his white blood cell count was still near zero. The vet had us continue the oral dosage of steroids which would drive him to eat fuelling his body and hopefully restarting the bone marrow. Sadly, it didn't work.

     On Sunday he had eaten supper but appeared stand oafish. Monday morning he never came around for breakfast and when I retrieved him from upstairs he ate very little. I worked graveyard shift that night and he did not greet me when I got home at Oh-Dark-30. Nor did he come for breakfast later on. Something was certainly amiss.

     Throughout the day Teddy had kept himself hidden away. Animals will do that when they feel the end is near especially predators. It's an instinctual behavior that they all exhibit and our housecat was no different than a cougar in this respect. When my Better Half came home we discussed the options and knowing that there was only one she took up the banner and called the vet for an appointment. Early in the evening she, the Sr. Couch Monkey and the Oma-nator escorted Teddy on his final trip. Later my Lobster told me that he must have known that we were helping him with his pain as he was calm and purring up a storm.

     As the boys interned him at the Wayward Inn near the blueberry bushes a CC-115 Buffalo rescue plane soared over the house. I would like to think that Teddy was now safe from his pains.

     God Speed. 

When four hours of fishing lasts 22 hours!

18 Jun 20

16:15 hrs

     Last Sunday my Friend from over the Hump and I headed out to drown a few worms. We had already tried twice to go but both times we had issues the motor/fuel that culminated in yours truly doing a whole bunch of rowing. After flushing the fuel lines and having the motor serviced we decided to risk the journey to out favourite lake once again. 

     An hour and a half after leaving the Wayward Inn we were backing down the ramp when my friend said, "I think there's a problem with your trailer!" We launched the boat and gingerly parked the trailer. Our inspection revealed that the wheel bearing had completely disintegrated. The grease cap had blown off and grease coated the wheel rim. Now, we knew we would have to fix it but we had worms to drown first. Four hours and about a dozen fish between us - we kept only four - we returned to our mechanical mess.

     We actually loaded the boat onto the trailer - why not as the wheel was still turning - and reparked the trailer on a semi level spot. We loosened the wheel from the hub and beat the split pin off of the castle nut. After jacking up the trailer we were able to remove the hub from the axle with the touch of a finger because the bearings were non existent. The only thing left were the sleeves from the inner and outer bearing races and the inner sleeve was seized on. For the next hour we tried to remove the ring with meager tools that were in the Ram. No joy.

     So, it was a half hour road trip to River City in the search for parts at the nearest Crappy Tire Store. 

     We would do two more trips back and forth from the lake to River City and by the end of the day the sleeve was still on the axle shaft. So, we took the motor off the boat and went home. 

     The next day we returned to the boat with more tools, a pair of jack stands and a cordless angle grinder. With the new tool the ring was quickly removed from the axle shaft. We tried the new bearings and...No Joy! They were just a smidgen too small in diameter. 

     Over the course of the day we made four trips from the lake to River City. On the penultimate trip we took the entire axle off the trailer to an rv marine shop and asked them to rebuild it. Compatible bearings were finally found at another outlet. After the rebuild we returned to the trailer, bolted the axle to the frame, added the tires and headed for the Wayward Inn. 

     I would like to thank my Friend from over the Hump for all of his assistance and for the RV shop for rebuilding the axle.

20 Jun 20

06:45 hrs

     Today, the Onion will be coming for supper at the Wayward Inn. It may be her last supper with us as she will be going home to her homeland. She hope's to return to the Great White North to continue her studies. Time will tell.

     Locally, there is still some snow high on the tops of the Beauforts but it is melting fast. There's still plenty on the glacier though. Construction of the latest seniors residence facility is progressing on a daily basis but there is still a lack of housing for our Residentially Challenged persons. For my own projects I have a wheelchair to fix, bearings on the Mobile Wayward Inn to inspect, a courier tray, a dual battery box and a coffin to build. The coffin will be for Mr. Teddy Buttnuggets. He's not doing so well and the vet has told us that the day will come. We don't know when but it will be sooner than later.

in the face of science...

10 June 20

08:30 hrs

     No apology.

     No acknowledgment of being wrong.

     No common dog.

     There is a contractor that I have been minding for the past six months. Now, he is a citizen of the Great White North but he is also a huge follower of the Tangerine Tyrant. I know it's weird but what are you going to do. This morning we were talking about coffee and I had mentioned that my friend, the Big Swede, makes this roof tar espresso that keeps us going all night when we are Out in the Weeds. The contractor emphatically stated that regular drip coffee has more caffeine than espresso. SAY WHAT?

     I quickly googled it and found that coffee has 40 mg of caffeine per cup and espresso has 212 mg of caffeine for the same amount. Five times the amount. A scientific fact. Did he believe me? Not a chance. I checked multiple sources. FDA, Canuck Food and Drug and others. They all say the same thing. But to him facts don't matter. Now imagine having to deal with the Sycophants over something important like Black Lives Matter?

22:00 hrs

     If you have been following the entertainment news lately the highly successful cable show COPS has been canceled after 33 years. At one time it was entertaining but now in today's climate it's time to call it quits.

     In a major northern Hugh-ess city a senior citizen was pushed backwards onto the ground where he struck his head. He lay bleeding from a head wound as the police marched by. There was no empathy from the Tangerine Tyrant either when he said that it looked as if the victim fell harder than he was pushed. Yeah, as if a 75 year old man goes around hurling himself to the ground in order to make the police look bad. 

     My Better Half and I walked over to a different book house to drop off some the peices from our little libraries and to see what it had to offer. I was impressed.  It's about four time the size of my book house. It has solar lighting but mine has shingles, a gutter, a rain chain, a sky light and a chimney (non-functioning). Mind you, I could see the larger one being built some day by the Wayward Inn. 

11 Jun 20

07:00 hrs

     The Beer Flu has now claimed over 130,000 victims in the Hugh-ess with 1,300+ falling on Tuesday. Yesterday's numbers weren't any better. Kind of scary as the Tangerine Tyrant pushes for more businesses to open. I can see our southern border remaining closed to all but commercial traffic. 

     Speaking of things Southern, last night the citizens in one southern state yanked down the statue of a Confederate general and the rebel flag has been band from being flown, sold or displayed at motor speedway. Additionally,  a 250 year old slave auction block has finally been removed from in front of a southern state capital. All of this activity reminds me of when The Wall fell in 1990/91 and how the citizens,  oppressed by nearly 50 years of being under the thumb of the Hammer and Sickle smashed the symbols of that regime. Of course, not all of the countries were fully freed of their chains. The great Motherland was quickly usurped by another tyrant who then squashed any hope of democracy for his own benefit. Look for the book Red Notice.

     Another great book to look for is American War. It's written by Egyptian Canadian Omar el Akkad. Set in the not so distant future, the Hugh-ess has erupted into a civil war over the use of fossil fuels. It's pretty compelling. 

12 Jun 20

04:45 hrs

     Good Morning Kidlettes! Did you get enough rest? I did but I should still be racked out. After getting up at this time several days in a row to be ready for work a person's internal clock kinda gets set to it. Then there is the massive rainstorm outside and household noises inside. With four other adults inside the Wayward Inn there is bound to be noises that may tip the scales towards.....screw it! I might as well get up! 

     Yesterday I said goodbye to the contractors and when I got home the Sr. Couch Monkey stripped the battery from his car. It had mysteriously died twice and since it was the original battery from 2013 it had to be changed. We went to Crappy Tire where he bought a replacement and once home we dropped it into place. No issues. All good. There is nothing wrong with twisting wrenches to bring people together.

     We're having the Onion over for supper on Saturday. She is still suffering from a vicious cycle of high anxiety followed by deep depression to the point where she is almost non functioning. As such, her parents are flying her home in two weeks. The Onion says that she will return to the Great White North but something inside of me says that her foray to the Western World will be done.

     Well Dear Readers,  the coffee is ready. Take care and enjoy your day.

Plain Olde Insanity

03 Jun 20

05:00 hrs

     There is no other way to convey my feelings of what has been happening in the Hugh-ess over the past few days but I will make the Grand Attempt.

     It would seem that basic human decency and common sense was not instilled, taught or issued to the police when in the course of the arrest of an unarmed African American, who was suspected in writing a forged cheque at a convenience store. This individual was removed from his vehicle and handcuffed behind his back. In the process of putting him into the patrol vehicle he collapsed - he had an underlying medical condition. Now, maybe the attending officers believed that this was a feint, I don't know. I'm sure they had seen every kind of dodge that there is but it was not an excuse for three of the officers to kneel on the individual, one of whom was on the guy's neck. For chrissakes, the man is handcuffed and lying prone on the ground. Where the hell is he going to go? The suspect passes out and dies enroute to a hospital. The suspect was black and the cops, three of them anyways, are white. 

     This tragedy followed on the heels of a black jogger who was pursued and killed by a retired cop because someone thought he was the perp in a string of residential break ins two weeks earlier. And another incident where a SWAT team broke down the door to an apartment and shot and killed an innocent black woman. Oops, sorry we had the wrong address. 

     These acts and others have galvanized the people of the Hugh-ess to fight for what is right. Fair and just treatment by law enforcement officials. It's bad enough that racism still exists in that country, or any country for that matter, but when scales of justice are tipped against a group of people simply because of the colour of their skin is it any wonder that they have said, "Enough is Enough!" 

     The riots and protests are into the 8th or 9th day now. And they have spread in solidarity to the Great White North and across the pond to the Olde Country. Through it all the Tangerine Tyrant has deflected and skewed the blame to anyone whose downfall would benefit his re-election. Empathy and open dialogue are not in his wheelhouse and the words spewing out of his face have caused even more harm to the point that mayors, police chiefs, governors and priests have all said that they wish he would just shut the hell up!

     I wish them well South of the 49th. It's their mess. They can clean it. I'm not saying we're not perfect either but we can all start by turning off the idiot box, put down the gaming system and get to know your neighbour regardless if they are white, brown, yellow or black.