Here we go again..........

RAGBRAI (Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) is coming back to SE Iowa and the best news is they'll be further north of our area than the last time they biked through here.

I don't have any problem with people who like to ride bicycles, what I do have a problem with is their lack of phucking manners when it comes to their stupid mindset that they own the highways and business as usual is taking place where their planned route is occurring every stinking year, but the natives who live here can't get around the jerks and get on with our lives, fcol. I also have a problem with assholes that have no respect for our roadsides and fields, taking liberty to urinate, defecate (no kidding, they will shit in your cornfield) and absolutely refuse to move over when the local residents have to navigate OUR roads to conduct our daily business. Every year when this event occurs, I think "Death Race 2000" and start thinking about "points". LOL

These people have less respect than leather-clad bikers on Harleys. I'm not kidding. It's like they have this overblown sense of entitlement when they bike from town to town and the only real reason any community on the route that is chosen every year puts up with this event is because of the revenue they generate, which if anyone really did do some serious accounting, cleaning up after them is more of an headache than what they feed into the local economy. And most of them are just sheer, unadulterated jerks. Come up on them on the highway and they don't even have the courtesy to move over to the side of the road, allowing local traffic to get past them.

Last time they went through our area, I made the conscious decision that if the trip was ever routed through here again, I would personally make it a point to run our entire herd of stock cows down the highway right after we feed them for about a week a diet in high protein or right after we turn them into the pastures on grass. Think liquid green shit, smeared all over the blacktop. Riding a bicycle through a cowshit covered blacktop would be a fairly strong message to a bunch of freaks that relieve themselves all over our cornfields what we think of their freakish sense of entitlement to take over our local roads.

On a national note, I'm still laughing my ass off over the recently ousted EX- Gov of Illinois. Watching this debacle during the last few weeks has been some seriously good entertainment. I'd really be curious to know what drugs he's getting his hands on, given the attitude he's been displaying over some fairly serious charges. Either he's inherently STOOPID or he's totally psychotic. Or both. Arrogance is always a clear indicator of stupidity and he has been proving my point all along.

Bye, bye Rod and don't let the door smack you in the ass. I'm sure you won't be missed and now you can go visit Dubya in Texas. The two of you ranting your deluded bullshit between yourselves would make for a really good sitcom. We'd all just have to either drink ourselves into oblivion or smoke some excellent hybrid bud to actually understand what the hell the two of you would be babbling about.

Here we go again..........

RAGBRAI (Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) is coming back to SE Iowa and the best news is they'll be further north of our area than the last time they biked through here.

I don't have any problem with people who like to ride bicycles, what I do have a problem with is their lack of phucking manners when it comes to their stupid mindset that they own the highways and business as usual is taking place where their planned route is occurring every stinking year, but the natives who live here can't get around the jerks and get on with our lives, fcol. I also have a problem with assholes that have no respect for our roadsides and fields, taking liberty to urinate, defecate (no kidding, they will shit in your cornfield) and absolutely refuse to move over when the local residents have to navigate OUR roads to conduct our daily business. Every year when this event occurs, I think "Death Race 2000" and start thinking about "points". LOL

These people have less respect than leather-clad bikers on Harley's. I'm not kidding.It's like they have this overblown sense of entitlement when they bike from town to town and the only real reason any community on the route that is chosen every year is because of the revenue they generate, which if anyone really did do some serious accounting, cleaning up after them is more of an expense than what they feed into the local economy. And most of them are just sheer, unadulterated jerks. Come up on them on the highway and they don't even have the courtesy to move over to the side of the road, allowing local traffic to get past them.

Last time they went through our area, I made the conscious decision that if the trip was ever routed through here again, I would personally make it a point to run our entire herd of stock cows down the highway right after we feed them for about a week a diet in high protein or right after we turn them into the pastures on grass. Think liquid green shit, smeared all over the blacktop. Riding a bicycle through a cowshit covered blacktop would be a fairly strong message to a bunch of freaks that think they can relieve themselves all over our cornfields what we think of their freakish sense of entitlement to take over our local roads.

On a national note, I'm still laughing my ass off over the recently ousted EX- Gov of Illinois. Watching this debacle during the last few weeks has been some seriously good entertainment. I'd really be curious to know what drugs he's getting his hands on, given the attitude he's been displaying over some fairly serious charges. Either he's inherently STOOPID or he's totally psychotic. Or both. Arrogance is always a clear indicator of stupidity and he has been proving my point all along.

Bye, bye Rod and don't let the door smack you in the ass. I'm sure you won't be missed and now you can go visit Dubya in Texas. The two of you ranting your deluded bullshit between yourselves would make for a really good sitcom. We'd all just have to either drink ourselves into oblivion or smoke some excellent hybrid bud to actually understand what the hell the two of you would be babbling about.

I think Google is collectively getting dumb and dumber

Or, I'm in the beginning stages of geriatric senility.


So, I had to get a new freaking account and start all over again.

Here's the link to the continuance of more bitching, moaning and glimpses into my head.

Bookmark it, because this one just has to lay down and die.

Something is seriously phucked up, again

This is nuts, and google sucks.

Don't ask

So, if I can't access this soon, I'm creating a whole new deal.........

Aren't we getting off to a great start this year?

I started a 1/365 group on Flickr. Egads.

I chose my team well, or so I thought and things got off to a rough start, but the turd in the punchbowl was flushed, finally and now things are actually looking better.

The idea of these 1/365 groups are to inspire people to take photos with their cameras and upload them for each day of the year, for that specific day.

No one is ever happy, they assume too much, think it is a contest, but gripe when they must post a photo a day. So, a few of us thought it would be cool if there were no pressures, nothing but fun and inspiration, but mandating some rules to make sure the group was on the same track.

And the whining started immediately. "I can't upload every day", "my computer is being worked on, so I can't upload my photos for a week" and on and on. And for GAWD'S sake, never deviate from a rule that will benefit the group as a whole, much less the work load on Admins/Moderators. When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro (thanks, Hunter- for that profound observation)

For the better part, most play by the rules and just want to submit their work, never complain and cooperate if we have a question about EXIF data, etc.

The attention whores are just that and the most vocal of them all. Nothing is ever good enough, they see everything as a competition, yet those are the ones that are just so-so photographers. The really GOOD ones are quiet, happy to join and understand the work that goes into a project like this. People not only with a really good eye, but with a brain as well. God bless them. They are what inspire the rest of us to take better photographs, without competing.

On a national scale, things are getting off to a very rough start with the new Presidential administration. Bill Richardson is getting dogged by a federal investigation and has made the decision to step down as Sec'y of Commerce due to this latest headache he's going to have to endure. Shame that, because I really genuinely liked the man when I had the pleasure of meeting him in the fall of '07. He struck me as a no nonsense, straight shooter, had some common sense and some fair ideas of fixing some of the messes this last administration has gotten us into.

Blessing of the day: My one and only female admin for our Flickr group stuck with me all weekend, keeping the submissions of photos rolling through and was a real friend when things got really stupid. God bless her. She's a godsend when it comes to dealing with these:

Day One

Of the new year. And some major changes are taking effect:

Trading these for these:



Which isn't working out the greatest, after several hours (6-7), panic set in. In today's Washington Post, the article Kick the Habit was published and I just had to giggle at the ALA's advice on quitting:

Discuss over-the-counter and prescription medications to help you quit
smoking with your doctor or pharmacist.

I can think of several combination's of medications that would probably be more effective than half the crap they prescribe. The first 48h are the absolute worst, the rest is mental and total sedation for a year would cinch the deal. Oh, and don't forget residency in a rubber room for about a week.


Pick a date to quit, preferably
at a time when stress will not be at a peak, mark it on the calendar
and stick to it.

I haven't had a stress-free day in 40 phucking years. What planet are these advisers from? Life is stressful, for God's sake!


Exercise daily. Exercise not only combats the weight
gain that often comes with quitting smoking but it also helps to
improve your mood and energy levels. Even just walking helps ease the
stress of quitting.

Sure, when it's not 30° or below. IMO, easing stress amounts to kicking the living crap out of some moron at this point. Much more satisfying.


Maintain a balanced diet, drink lots of water and
get plenty of sleep.

Does consuming a massive intake of nuts count? I mean, I have this "hand to mouth" thing that has been a behavior for almost 41 years, fcol. And sleep? I've not had a decent night's sleep since I was on treatment and doped beyond what I consider recreational, much less enjoyable.

Seek help and support from family, friends and
co-workers. Consider joining a stop-smoking program or support group.


Here's a clue, just seek help, period. Do your family, friends and co-workers a favor. Leave them out of it. They put up with your horrendous habit for years and now you want to project withdrawal symptoms on them? Support groups can be weird, too. Ex-smokers can be as bad as ex-drinkers. Even worse when they discover religion.

Holiday Ambivalence

I could easily start ranting about the stress of the holidays, which I attribute to a myriad of issues that have literally killed the meaning of Yule in a most insidious manner. In consideration that the so-called Christian conversion of a holiday that is deeply rooted in paganism, I'm finding that the contradictions of what the holiday is about is simply revolting.

1. If this is supposed to be a holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, just what the hell are we doing focusing on materialistic crap? We've taken this as far from the philosophy that Christ was trying to teach negating it to the point we're willing to fall into the madness of commercialization to the point we'll kill a human to get that "bargain".
2. Christmas has become a holiday of extravagance- we're bombarded with sale pitches and every kiss starts with a Kay. Gag me with a pitchfork, please.
3. Everyone is freakin' irate. Everyone is bitching if their ice cream is cold. People actually get angry when their flights are canceled when snow and ice ground their planes during the month of December, for crying out loud!

However, the holidays do bring us some small blessings and joy. A short, but sweet visit with someone we're close to, but never get to really see one another. Overnight guests, still full of youth and optimism, providing some "light" into what has really become a very depressing time. Yes, this time of year does have some real positive moments, even in the midst of chaos.

Blessing of the day: Knowing that the younger ones still find happiness in such a fucked up world.