But I'm ticked off so I am. Recently I attached quite a few stickers to my vehicle. I'm a bit of a bumper sticker snob so I was planning this for quite a long time. I ordered all the round 3-4" bumper stickers that I wanted to use, layed out the placement, and once I was satisfied I put them on the rear bumper of DEERSLAYER. I had a rear left window sticker (MIZZOU) that was giving up the ghost so I bought a sticker to replace that one also. It is the left rear window sticker that this post is about. Even though I currently have 9 stickers on my car it is not overwhelming or tacky (as tacky-less as bumper stickers can be I guess). The replacement left rear window sticker was special ordered and I had to plead with the guy making them to make another for me because he had discontinued that line of stickers. It's black vinyl and goes on the outside of your window. It's a silhouette of a Schwinn Black Phantom bicycle with the words "Schwinn" above the main design and "Black Phantom" below the design. Yesterday I noticed that someone had peeled off the "B" and my sticker now read "lack Phantom". Reading this now, it does sound a bit funny to me. Yesterday I would have happily punched the vandal in the face, and laughed as they held their bloody nose. I don't understand the mindset of a vandal. I have never had the impulse to deface public property, spray paint anything on the side of a train car or steal a Christmas decoration from someones front yard.* It's destructive and mindless. The reason I wavered on whether to post about this or not is because I didn't want to spread the idea of their vandalism any more than the people that had already seen "lack Phantom" on the side of my car. Later I realized the Vandal wasn't only one that had a voice in this situation. So I'm posting. I scraped off the remaining letters below the main design so now my sticker just reads "Schwinn" above the silhouette of the Black Phantom bicycle. I wondered if I had encouraged the vandalism by having a sticker on my car. Or if I had encouraged the vandalism by having a sticker on the outside of my window. NUTS to that! Vandals do their property damage regardless of individual circumstances: cars get keyed, public workers have to remove stickers from signposts, people have to clean up the smashed pumpkins on the day after Halloween, etc. The good news is that I don't believe the Vandal will ever get any satisfaction from reading this blog posting because the odds are that they aren't the reading kind of person...
David<~~~~~~~~~~Likes the bumper stickers on his vehicle!
* CONFESSION: In college I had most of my classes in
the AG Building which had it's fair share of Rednecks &
Neanderthals. After reading this written in pen on the wall of a
stall in the Men's room: "AIDS is God's way of killing Queers".
I wrote in pencil below: "MS is God's way of killing Kids".
Well I waited too long to purchase the tickets to see Adam Ant and the venue is sold out. There are tickets available on the secondary market but they are EXPENSIVE! I'm still holding out to see if some cheaper tickets become available. If I cannot pick up any tickets to see Adam Ant then we will NOT do the Chicago trip. I realy want to go to Chicago to see Adam Ant perform. I have only seen him in concert twice. Adam is releasing a double CD in January and I cannot wait! Cross your fingers...
Any Teacher is more important than any professional sports figure.
Albert Pujols was featured in a TV Special where he vocalized that his feelings were hurt when he didn't go first in the draft and in fact he wasn't the most expensive Cardinal on the team.
TheCardinal Organization tried to bamboozle the citizens of STL into paying for the new baseball stadium by threatening to leave the city if not given tax breaks. It didn't work.
Albert gave the Cardinals Organization first shot at signing a new contract with him before he turned free agent and they blew it.
Another team was willing to pay Albert Pujols 250 million to play for them proving his worth as a baseball player.
The Cardinal Organization blew it again...
David<~~~~~not an expert on baseball but can recognize greed!
And it's hard. One of my less desirable personality traits is that I "blast" people. By that I mean that I instantly form an opinion about people I see out in public, on TV or hear talking on the radio and then I think or shout out something unpleasant towards them. Makes me look like a jerk. It's almost second nature to me and I am having a very hard time not doing that. I also cuss too much. And by cussing I also include my use of racial epitaphs. In a fit of aggression I use the worst word I can think of in regard to someones sexuality or national origin or handicap. It's petty and ugly. This is very embarrassing to me because I identify as a liberal and I'm often thinking or vocalizing things that are contrary to my personal beliefs system. I don't cuss out loud in public, usually it's while I'm watching TV but it's still not a good idea. So far I've been about half successful. The good news is that after the unsuccessful half of the time I'm immediately regretful and I recognize my failing. I'll keep you 'my faithful reader' updated on my efforts to change these unlikeable things about myself. Want to know what got me fired up? Read the following blog entry I've linked to here in my journal. It is really extraordinary and had a large impact on me...
There is no God. Atheism is a non-issue for me personally. It's like stopping people in the street and telling them that unicorns don't exist. ::shrugs:: In High School I attended Church regularly and was very active in the Youth Programs. It just didn't seem real to me, I didn't become an Atheist as much as I quit pretending to be a Christian. Most Christians are harmless enough. On a daily basis I am exposed to their cheerful repetitions of what they have been told to say, and that is easy enough to put up with. The only time I get fired up and think about Atheism is when Christians try and impose their beliefs on other people. That is when I contemplate buying a shirt that reads "Atheist" or something similar in an effort to visualize the reality that 10% of Americans are not religious. I haven't so far, the negatives outweigh any positive benefits. Having said all that, the people I get along with the best are usually religious. I consider myself a Conservative-Liberal and we usually share the same morals and values. Go figure...
I hope everyone has an excellent holiday full of fun times with their family and friends and a belly full of turkey! I am thankful of the time I get to spend with my family and that biscuit I had this morning, it was a very good biscuit...
I'm watching the morally bankrupt students at Penn State gathering together to support Head Coach Joe Paterno and his Defensive Coach Jerry Sandusky. They are chanting the names Joe and Jerry and holding signs supporting them. Jerry Sandusky is accused of the systematic sexual abuse of young boys in the hallways and the locker rooms of the University Football facilities and Coach Joe Paterno knew about the abuse and did nothing. The students behavior is disgusting...
Everybody seems to have their own point of view
In time my friend there'll be another
Everybody wants to tell me what I should do
But I don't know if I'll recover
What did I do? Did I deserve it?
Have I been careless with you baby?
What can I do to make it better?
When I start to break it all down
When I start to break it all down
It's becoming perfectly clear to me
If I make it through the whole night
Everything's gonna be alright
I'm sure that it's the way that it should be
And when I start to break it all down
When I start to break it all down
It's becoming perfectly clear to me
Seems that I have reached a point of consciousness
Where my love was real and yours was tender
There is nothing else I know we could've done
'Cause I believe in sweet surrender
What did I do? Did I deserve it?
Have I been careless with you baby?
What can I do to make it better?
When I start to break it all down
When I start to break it all down
It's becoming perfectly clear to me
If I make it through the whole night
Everything's gonna be alright
I'm sure that it's the way that it should be
And when I start to break it all down
When I start to break it all down
It's becoming perfectly clear to me
I said oh
When I start to break it down
When I start to break it down
When I start to break it down, down, down, down
Woah, woah, woah
If I make it through the whole night
Everything's gonna be alright
I'm sure that it's the way that it should be
And when I start to break it all down
When I start to break it all down
It's becoming perfectly clear to me
And when I start to break it all down
When I start to break it all down
It's becoming perfectly clear to me
I used to think that an independent Conservative candidate was the best thing that could happen to a Democratic run for office. Now I'm not so sure. It seems that they are seriously allowing their lunatic fringe to dictate the actions of the whole Republican Party. What a HOOT! I don't think candidate Michele Bachmann knows enough to shut her mouth when her head is underwater. They also have another unintelligent Texas Governor, "I ain't related to no MONKEY!" running for the Presidency. You get "anal lube and fecal matter" when you google candidate Rick Santorum. And to top it all off on National Television the Tea Party cheers the idea of allowing an uninsured comatose man to just die. I almost feel bad for my Republican friends...
(almost)
David<~~~~~~~~~~~~laughing at the stupid people in the Tea Party!
I think it'd be funny if we gather up all the fringe groups, conspiracy theorists, and tinfoil hat lunatics into one room and let them gabber at each other.
I'm been out of sorts for about a week now and I was "officially" sick yesterday and that is what this post is all about. I woke up very dizzy. Stand up and walk straight into a wall dizzy. It happened last week also and I just slept in till it decided to go away on it's own. I have been diagnosed with Vertigo (not just a cool comic book label) and have pills for it and everything. Yesterday sleeping in was not an option because I had to go help the girlfriend's sister move into her new "department" (as Tif's niece says). So I get up wobbly as hell and take a shower while holding onto the wall with two hands at all times (try that some day). Thinking my dizziness might be related to my diabetes I eat some yogurt and half an apple so I can take my meds without them tearing up my stomach. Get dressed all in record time. I even have time to run by the Post Office to pick up a registered letter someone sent me. So I hop in 'Deerslayer' and head to downtown Vally Park. On the way my stomach starts to act weird. I'm a mind over matter kind of a guy and think no problem, I can handle this. Turning down the street to the Post Office I start to worry that I might throw up. I'd like to take a moment to let everyone know my personal vomit history. I rarely throw up. I don't drink alcohol and I'm rarely sick. When I am sick and I think I might have to throw up I can control the urge till I get to an appropriate place to throw up, like a bathroom toilet or in a pinch a sink. Never have I ever thrown up on myself or on anyone or anything that I later regretted. I'm a good vomiter...
It's not to bad at first. I kid myself that my stomach is just rumbling because it's hungry. Then I kid myself that my stomach is just rumbling because I'm still a little bit dizzy. As I turn into the Post Office I get one of those little lurches that let you know, barfing is in your immediate future. I know the names of both of my mail carriers at my apartment and have my favorite postal employees that wait on me in the Post Office. I KNOW ALL THEIR NAMES and opening the car door in their parking lot was never an option. It's OK, I can control this. v-minus-10 Lurch, a little vomit in my mouth. v-minus-9 I can handle this. v-minus-8 Lurch, more vomit in my mouth. v-minus-7 Seeking alternative solutions. v-minus-6 Spot Wendy's cup on the passenger floorboard. v-minus-5 SALVATION! v-minus-4 Dive for cup. v-minus-3 Rip off lid. v-minus-2 Check to see if anyone is watching my impending embarrassment, NO ONE - YAY! v-minus-1 Look down at cup to see that the lid is still on...WHAT? v-minus-0
ROCKET VOMIT
Here is a partial list of what was affected:
My shirt
My shorts
My beard
My glasses
My hand
The Wendy's cup
The steering wheel
The center console
The gear shift
The rear view mirror
The windshield
The air conditioning vent
The radio
The dashboard
The passenger seat
The passenger seat floorboard
The passenger seat floorboard
The passenger door
The speaker face in the passenger door
and a little bit on the ceiling
The good news? I only vomited once in my car. The other three time I managed to barf in the Wendy's cup. Side note: Holding a cup full of warm vomit is one of the Life Experiences that I could have happily lived without. So now I have liquid apple chucks sprayed all over the interior of my car. So I drive to Tif's 2nd job and confess my embarrassment. Then drive home and curl up on the couch all day long except when I sit up twice to eat the fried chicken and chili dogs Tif brings me to eat. She's a good girlfriend like that...
While biking among the river giants.
I watch the dust dance in sunbeams.
A flash of yellow catches my eye.
A oriole swoops past the biketrail.
Leaves matted to the trail by dew.
Crunch as I ride over them up hill.
Geese sleep underneath the trees.
It's too hot to get all excited today.
Coasting downhill is my favorite.
The wind flows past my face.
And the air fills my lungs
I am alive and
happy
Yesterday Tiffany rode 3 miles with me on the Meramec Greenway, love that girl! This morning I got up early (100 degree days) and hit the Grants Trail for the first time. It's 8 miles long and I rode all the way to the end and then biked back to my car in 1 hour and 45 minutes...
THIS IS WHAT I LEARNED:
1st Half of my ride: Downhill baby!
2nd Half of my ride: All uphill dude...
1st Half of my ride: I feel like I'm 12 again!
2nd Half of my ride: I feel like I'm 45 years old...
1st Half of my ride: The Honeysuckle is intoxicatingly sweet! 2nd Half of my ride: The Honeysuckle is sickeningly sweet...
1st Half of my ride: Two people said "I love your bike!" 2nd Half of my ride: Nobody talks to you while biking...
1st Half of my ride: Love this old rusted Ironworks! 2nd Half of my ride: Already seen the old Ironworks...
1st Half of my ride: Goes by incredibly fast! 2nd Half of my ride: Goes by incredibly slow...
1st Half of my ride: My heart is singing! 2nd Half of my ride: My butt is complaining...
1st Half of my ride: I will definitely ride Grants Trail again! 2nd Half of my ride: I will definitely ride Grants Trail again...
Just got back from my second 9 mile ride on my new bike. Whew, it kicked my heiny. I got up earlier this morning but not as early as I planned. I messed up my alarm so I didn't get up at 5am to try biking in the dark (and at cooler temps.) I did get going before 7am so that was good. I love my new bike and I love riding. Just call me Rice Krispies...
Glen Beck is an entertainer, author, and talk show host. He is NOT a political commentator. He says things to sell his books and increase his rating because that makes him more money. I don't believe he believes half of what he says. Through past experience he knows he makes more money when he riles up the Tea Baggers and Conspiracy Theorists. It's just about the money people...
(I know, who would've thunk it?) The Manual is about 10% useful information and 90% DON'T DO THIS AND THEN SUE US! Currently listening to Duffy on my Amy Winehouse PANDORA Radio Station...
I am not talented or patient enough to attempt to assemble my new bike on my own. I have to borrow the considerable talents of Tiffany's Dad in order to ride my bike. It arrived today via UPS and I carried all 63 lbs of it down to my apartment. I opened the box to look at it but I did not remove any parts so that it will travel safely to Imperial MO for assembly. So I won't be able to actually ride the bike untill Thursday morning at the earliest. Cross your fingers. Today my rear tail light showed up and after Mickey Dee's I'm heading to the hardware store to find a replacement bolt for the reflector that I'm installing on my back fender. Needless to say, I am very excited about my new bike...
David<~~~~~~was shaking when I opened the shipping box
And I can't wait! Tonight Tif & I are meeting friends at the Barenaked Ladies Concert underneath the STL Arch. It should be lots of fun, a good excuse to eat some fair food anyway. Just in case you have forgotten what my new bike looks like here is the photo again...
Tonight I'm heading to St. Charles to see CAPTAIN AMERICA-The First Avenger at midnight with my buddy. Should be a great movie. This is the first in a series of movies about the Avengers and I cannot wait to see Iron Man, Capt America, the Hulk, and Thor all on the same screen. Going to be cool! I do hope they put Giant-Man and the Wasp in the movie also, that would be perfect. Am I a nerd? You decide...
I have a program that runs on my journal that tracks who visits my site and from where they visit and what they look at. I like following the links backwards and seeing what people googled and how they ended up at my joint. I can pretty much can figure out which visitors are my friends and which ones are strangers to my strange world. Having said that I came across something today that I didn't expect (nor even knew was possible). I followed a STL link to discover that someone had translated my journal to Spanish, I assume so they could read it. Cool huh? I have lots of international visitors (thank you Samurai Knitter), and quite a few of my Facebook buddies that read my Journal. It just never crossed my mind that I could click on a link and see everything that I had written, in Spanish. ::shakes head::
David<~~I'm not internationally known. But I'm known to rock the microphone!
EARLY tomorrow morning I head down to Tejas to shepard mi Mama to the Sedation Dentistry office in Austin TX. She's going to have about 2 months worth of work done in 2 hours. Then I get to drive her home and nurse her back to her normal self. If she rambles incoherently I promise to put the video on YouTube...
My Grandmother has passed away so Tif and I will be traveling down to the Bootheel this weekend. The first week in July my Mom is having Oral Surgery and I'll be traveling down to TX to help drive her around and stuff. Lots of trips in my immediate future...
Or rather I pick up my old Ray-Ban sunglasses with my new perscriptions installed. Tiffany took a picture of me in my new gear and sent it to me 2 hours ago. As soon as it comes through I'll add it to this post...
I have to have my eyes checked regularly due to my Diabetes. Yesterday my Eye Doc was surprised at how much my eye glasses prescription had changed. It was really noticeable during the eye exam. Good news is that there is still no sign of any Diabetic eye damage. I purchased new frames to go with my Progressive lenses (yes I'm olde), and had the shop pop new lenses into my Ray Ban Sunglasses (the frames were still fine). So I'm hunky dory in relation to my eye glasses. A bit ago I purchased a pair of Pince Nez spectacles to go with my older costumes. I may take them down and have actual prescription lenses put in so I can see while wearing them, I know, I'm so particular. I'll take a picture of my new glasses when they arrive in about a week. To tide all my faithful readers over, here is a stock photo of my spectacles...
(these are worn with my "Buttermilk Dave" and "Excused Duty" costumes)
I also purchased two new back tires, they were sorrily needed and the weird noise from the previously non-balanced tire is completely gone, yay me! I should have had them rotate the front tires backwards and put the new ones on the front. Lesson learned...
When I ride I follow the Meramec River on the bike trails. They are all paved and in pretty good condition (unless they are covered by flood mud). "The Powers That Be" are connecting all the individual bike trails into a web of paved trails that will become the Meramec Greenway. You will be able to completely circle St. Louis and ride all the way around just on the Greenway. Today Tiffany walked 1/3 of my normal bike route and I ended up biking the same route twice (4.5 miles). It was nice exercising with the girlfriend. On a daily basis I get to see deer, frogs, cardinals, meadowlarks, bluebirds and various other wild birds. The worst hazard I have come across is trying NOT to inhale the floating cottonwood seeds, they tickle going up your nose. At the moment 1/3 of my usual bike route hasn't been cleared of mud from the last flood. Of course this section is my favorite part to bike, it reminds me of Ft. Riley, KS. This part of the trail is maintained by the City of Kirkwood and they are failing in their duties. Two other smaller cities they have parts of the trial within their boundaries have done a better job clearing the mud and branches off of the trail and the parking lots. Kirkwood can kiss my shiny heiney. Even when I'm tired or not feeling like biking, as soon as I feel the wind in my face all is forgotten and I'm loving life. Today I averaged 7 miles per hour, not one of my better days, but it was fun. As soon as the Meramec River is down some I hope for a nice big thunderstorm to wash the trails clean of dirt/mud/leaves and small branches. I've decided to replace my $200 Schwinn with a $500 Worksman bicycle. After delivery charges it'll be a six hundred bike. I'm going with the Retro Cruiser and will supplement the factory features with a set of flashing pedals and winged reflective hubcaps. I'm not going to trick out the new bike like my first one but it will have spoke lights and a head light and tail light of some sort. Here is a picture of the mentioned bike...
Pretty cool huh? I've already named the bike and I don't even own it yet. I am going to stick to a bell instead of a horn. Horns are funny but WAY too obnoxious for polite usage. Zoom Zoom...
I've been watching CNN a lot lately and really getting fired up as The Donald attacks the President. Not for one second do I believe that The Donald believes anything he is saying. He is cynically playing to the lunatic fringe (re: THE BIRTHERS) of the GOP in an attempt to gather up their support prior to his Presidential Run announcement. But it is dangerous to ally yourself with the racist BIRTHERS (whose main chant seems to be: "Obama's middle name is Hussain so he can't be an American and Hawaii isn't a State anyway") and not be painted with the same Racist paintbrush. The Donald has painted himself into a corner and even if he shouts down the questions of the reporters, the American Public can happily answer the questions about his behaviour that The Donald doesn't want to address. The Donald is a bad joke who's punchline can only be: Trump/Palin in 2012. And I'm laughing and laughing and laughing...
David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~watching the GOP implode!
(My Apt. is completely clean and ready for my Mom's visit)
Tiffany and I had a blast in TX. San Antonio was beautiful (if a bit crowded on Spring Break). Loved the Alamo, the Riverwalk, the Marketplace, the Mall. Not so much the Zoo, it was old school with animals behind bars and in non educations enclosures. We also spent a day in Waco and went to the Dr. Pepper Museum (everyone should go see this world class site), the Waco Zoo (wonderful boutique Zoo), and on the way home we stopped back at the Dr. Pepper Museum to dine at their Soda Foutain. Helping Mom move from the Ranch to Town kicked my keister. She downsized from 5 bedroom to 3 bedroom and I love her new place. The new owners of the Ranch seem nice and I hope they appreciate the beautiful Ranch House my Father designed. Lately I've been cleaning my apartment with help from Tiffany, I know right? Let's all sing together from the FIDDLER ON THE ROOF songbook: "Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles..."!
Tif is stressed out and I'm almost done with laundry and packing. I still have to clean the car, clean the dog kennel, clean the dog, and pack the car. Wish me luck...
I love my brother Mark. I don't say that enough but I do. Today is a big day in my brother's life and I couldn't be prouder of him. But first I want to tell a story on my little brother. I'm not sure of the date but this conversation took place either at the end of Mark's college years or shortly there after. Mom was driving the car, I was in the passenger seat and Mark was in the back seat. Mark had scooted up and was sitting in the middle of the back seat so he could be in the conversation. I have not idea what we were originally talking about, but the conversation went something like this: ME talking to MARK, "blah blah blah I was named after Dad and you were named after Mom." MARK, "No I wasn't." ME, "What? Dad is Jerry Austin Smith and I'm David Austin Smith, Mom is Martha Ann Smith and you're Mark Andrew Smith. You are named after Mom." MARK, "No I wasn't." MOM, "Yes you were." ME, "Bwhahahahahhahhahaahah." Today is the day that my brother Mark is being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. So not only is Mark named after Mom but he is now officially LTC Mark Andrew Smith. I love you Mark, and I could not be prouder!
When I'm building an army in Warhammer 40K I try to make mine stand out. My Imperial Guard Army is based on the British Colonial Army during the Zulu War, Lawrence of Arabia, & the Gurkas. My Tyranid Army is based on HR Giger and a corrupted Inquisitor. My Space Marine Army is based on the Mark 8 'Errant' Armor and references to my Father's military career. When I needed Terminators of course I wanted to do something original. I discovered the first three Terminator armor designs, picked my favorite and managed to scrounge together 5 for a small unit. I never imagined that I'd ever be able to expand that number to a proper Terminator squad or have two Terminator squads. Enter Ebay. I have now acquired 7 additional original Terminators and am 3 away from a standard 10 man squad and a 5 man Terminator Assault Squad. Here is the fist published picture of the Space Marine Terminators. The design I picked is the top right one...
