Bizarro Immigration

While I was without my desktop I still came across a few things I would have liked to post or write about had I had my computer.  Mostly my usual odd reposts, but one thing still stands out to me that I wanted to repost, enough so that I even emailed the author to get permission.  That was about a month ago now.  See, we've had an election since I'd been away, too, so politics reared it's ugly head and took over all media for some time.  I'm not apolitical, but I do not consider it my strong suit.  When I hear or read something that I agree with I clearly know it and sometimes wonder how anyone else cannot understand it like me.  I'm sure most people get that feeling and most probably do not agree with my views, but I like knowing there are others out there who generally do think like me.

I've been a Dan Piraro (Bizarro) fan for a long time now and for the last several years I have been following his blog.  He does more than post his daily comics, he has a bit of fun and shares just enough that you know what kind of guy he is - and I really like the guy (or at least his sense of humor!).  Here is his post on immigration, with comic, from November 6 that struck a nerve with me:

"If you find yourself tempted to believe that any substantial amount of America’s problems are being caused by illegal aliens, remind yourself that historically this is an ancient technique by dishonest governments to shift blame. And it almost always works. In this case, the corporations who run our country and their puppet politicians say, “Yes, things are lousy, but it isn’t our fault. It’s their fault!” Then they point to illegals, gay marriage, abortion clinics, terrorists, climate change scientists, whatever “other” they can find to unite the rest of us against something other than those in charge. Don’t fall for it. You’re smarter than that."

Dan Piraro, Bizarro Comic Blog
November 6, 2014


I encourage you to give him a visit at the link above or in the right column!  His new website is a work in progress at the moment, it will be better soon, I'm sure.

While I'm on the subject of comics, one of my all-time favorites is after the break!

Gobble Gobble

Short Break

I've decided to take advantage of the time I have spent away from this site for a bit longer.  I am going to take a short break from blogging for the rest of the year.  I may still post something for the holidays or if something comes along that I feel the need to say or post then I will, but until 2015 there will be no regular updates.  I've been doing this very regularly for over 5 years now and I want to get away from that feeling that I have to post something - sometimes anything - unless the urge hits me.

I may not have actual OCD - most people who say they do really do not have the obsessiveness of the real disorder - but I definitely do have OCD tendencies and I always have.  In fact, I used to be much more obsessive-compulsive than I am now.  This break is to help me make some changes in my day to day life.  I want to stop needing to check a list of websites daily, needing to post at least 7 times a month (I always have), needing to keep current on all my (soon to be fewer) favorite podcasts, and spend more time with my wife, read more books that I'm interested in and even work on more household chores and projects (but don't tell my wife I said that!).  This is a lofty goal for myself, I know, but I should think about it kind of like a head start on a New Year's resolution.

So I may not be posting much in the near future, but I will be around the 'net and even stop back here occasionally.  When I return I hope to be less anxious about everything and a little bit more in control.

Try not to mess the place up too much while I'm out, huh?

Happy Holidays,

Scoakat

P.S.  I feel better already just making this decision!

I'm Back!

This must be the longest I've gone without posting anything since I started this site.  Shortly after my last post the old computer was just done.  I couldn't get it to do anything.  She was a workhorse, used practically every day for around 4 and a half years.  Thankfully, I keep everything backed up on external hard drives so we lost nothing.

Then I had no desk top computer but I did have my phone and sometimes my wife's little laptop.  Either one is way too uncomfortable typing to put together any actual post, so my only online presence this past two weeks has been comments here and there on other sites.  Otherwise, at least I was able to keep current on the sites I like to visit daily.

The new computer is essentially the same as the last one - just a little less memory, which is fine because I do not need a terabyte of memory on the computer when I have my external hard drives already.  It also has only one disc drive.  I can't even remember the last time I used a disc drive, it was probably to play a DVD.  I had two disc drives on the last computer thinking it would be easier to copy discs.  That turned out to be about the time I went almost completely digital and I don't think the second one was ever used.  I still buy the CDs and DVDs of bands I want to support, out of loyalty, but it is actually easier to find that stuff online these days.  I wonder how many discs I have that have never been played?

I still have some things to do to get everything in order with this machine but the bulk of it is done.  Eventually it should get back to business as usual around here.  Not better, not worse.  Just as it was before, I suspect.

Hard Drive Failure Imminent

It's hit or miss trying to get this computer up and going these days.  More miss than hit, and even then it is really slow.  Two days ago I ordered a new computer, much the same as this one - and with Windows 7, not the troublesome 8!  That may take a while so I may be mostly away for another week and a half.  Last night I saw a message when trying to start it up:  Hard Drive Failure Imminent - Backup and Replace.  Yup, no going back now. 

Wish me luck, but this transition should be easier than the defective computer I bought (and returned) a couple months ago.


Oh, Happy Halloween!

The Suitsy

I found this hilarious!  Even more funny is that I can't think of one good reason why the hell not?!

via

Still muddling through with this old computer but ordered a new one this evening.

Elvira - Two Big Pumpkins

via SG

And if you like your cheesiness with a little odd and funny, see Elvira's Big Top 2014 Complete Show at Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt.  

Halloween Ghost?

This old computer is about to give up the ghost.  I have had all sorts of trouble today - besides a back ache and such.  Everything seemed normal, it started okay, but after a bit it got slower.  At this point I had the mind to back up what little has not been backed up yet.  I did a restart and it took a while, but still lagged.  Enough that I couldn't connect to the internet at one point.  Later I left it and went to the store and when I came back the screen saver was froze and nothing woke it up.  I had to do a hard shut down.  I tried restarting a couple times but it would freeze.  I finally was able to restore the system to a few days ago.  So, it works for the moment but it still lags.

I think the inevitable has arrived.  Unless I get pretty lucky I'll be checking in from my phone.


Then again, I hope it's not that &*#%!ing Microsoft office update that I have been declining for several days now...  It just popped up again while writing this after the computer lagged again, and - having already given up - I went ahead and let it update.  Seems better now.  WTF!?  Should I be happy or mad?!

Yardwork Afternoon, Part II

Actually it was yardwork late morning into just after noon, but then the title would be too long.  Easier to go with the same title part two.

Yes, we took advantage of the nice weather this weekend to do some fall chores.  I was thinking that it may be a bit too early to start mulching, but this morning I thought differently.  There were a lot of leaves out front and Kate wanted mulch over the bulbs she planted, so we started out front raking the leaves into a couple big piles then I vacuumed them up with my handy dandy leaf vac/mulcher/blower.  I dumped several bags of mulched up leaves over the bulbs in front, on either side of the steps as seen in the pic on the right, and throughout the flower beds in the yard.

In the back I mowed to mulch those leaves.  The black walnut trees next door have lost all their leaves already - I thought they started dropping strangely early, and the nuts did not seem as plentiful as years past - so the back yard leaves were fine for using, but we had enough leaf mulch already for the flowerbeds. 

Besides, as the picture below shows, there are plenty of leaves to fall yet, out front and in back.  Our silver maple is usually the last to drop all it's leaves.  Next year will be vastly different....

Kate also did a lot of work in the garden, I'll talk a little about it and dump more pictures from today over at the garden site.

Yardwork Afternoon

After the big win by the Badgers this afternoon it was time for some work around the yard and garden.  The sun was shining and the temperature made it comfortable without a jacket.  We're supposed to get more of the same tomorrow and then we get cold again.  I had just received a very nice sweater jacket that I had ordered, too, but I have to return it.  It says it is XXL but wears like a L.  I was very disappointed.

But the point of this is to post pictures.  Starting with the burning bush, with it's leaves aflame in red this time of year.  It was very overgrown when we moved in, and I have trimmed it since to try to get some underneath growth.  It took a big hit during the drought of a few summers ago, we weren't sure it would survive.  What you see is what is left after I cut out the dead parts.  In fact, we burnt up the last of the dead trunks that I removed during the fire pit last weekend (see last post).  I don't know how it will look in a few years, but I'm hoping to encourage enough undergrowth that I can get it to be more bush than tree.

The compost bin that I built a couple years ago has been working out wonderfully.  It is attractive in the yard and keeps critters from making a mess.  Alternating sides each year works out perfectly so we always have fresh soil to add to the garden in the fall.  Today I added most of the compost from last year, which was just nutrient rich soil now, into the garden where Kate raked it out evenly amongst the plants we're keeping.  There's even another bucket or two left for elsewhere in the yard.  It will surely get put somewhere eventually this fall yet so we can start depositing in that side and, once all the fall clean up is in, let the left side start breaking down to be next year's garden enrichment.  We added quite a bit today so I gave it a little turn with the pitchfork which is what you see above. 

I'll post more pictures over at the garden site later tonight.