april stuff

Ah, where to start.  Scrappy and I just got back from an after-work walk that involved a "Scrappy's choice " tour of the woods along the greenway.  In this escapade, I give him a lot of leeway about the trail to be taken, as long as A) I can get through reasonably safely, and B) we keep out of the muck.  This is rarely all that good a thing for me.  Scrappy is pretty good at obeying "no" and will divert to "Doofus, what are you doing?", but "wait a minute " and "let Daddy get through " might as well be "kjyrfihgvkyhufjth do."  Still, he found us yet another orphaned golf ball in a spot I would have never gone to, and was a real good boy on the way home.  We cut back over into civilization at that point, and he was very good at not only stopping at all the crossings and sitting as I trained him ( his "sixth grade ejication"), but waiting for me to tell him to go again- which is typically hit and miss.  At least until we passed a puppy and his mistress, and the rest of the trip was "where did he mark?  I have to find where he marked so I can mark over it!"  He never did find any, despite a thorough effort.

Last night I think Laurie broke my record for passing a kidney stone.  My first stone began its journey about 8 am one day and passed sometime around 12:30 pm.  Laurie told me afterwards that she had felt a twinge on the way home from work (after the fact, so not too bad), but we had company last night and everything was fine until about 45 minutes after everyone left.  She came down in tears or close to them to inform me of the little darlin's approach.  I spent about 15 more minutes finishing what I was doing and giving Mr. Dog a last trip outside for the night, and when I went up to check on her, THE WHOLE THING WAS OVER.  My sister the human stone machine would kill for stones like that.  She gets one per kidney every six months- on a staggered schedule so that she's almost never without something on the way.  They put her on an experimental drug a few years back, and it worked good- for a little under a year, then it was back to the quarry.

And now, we bring you Martin's second and third laws, both based on work- one on a really rotten day and one on the realization that I tend to force my way through things that just don't work. Law number II:  Every person has the potenial to go to hell exactly once.  Therefore, the more of it you give me on earth, the less likely I am to give much of a damn.  Law number III: Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus say to move the mountain by pushing.

On the subject of Jesus, I was hit with a thought this morning about His words on the cross.  Specifically, "My God, my God, why have You abandoned Me?"  We all (?) know He was speaking to His father, who withdrew His grace from Him as He took upon Himself the sins of the world.  Now, flip it.  Say "My God, my God" like we usually do- as an exclamation and not an address.  Put that way, He's talking to US, the sinners whom He's going through all this for.  Why have we abandoned Him?  That puts a more personal spin upon the crucifixion, doesn't it?

Laurie's family is having an estate sale this weekend at her late father's place.  Lots of tools, some radio equipment- Bob was a big ham guy, although I think Chuck's already gotten shed of the big stuff on e-bay- and enough stuff that Laurie and her sister Mary have spent the last three weekends prepping it.  Location is in  New Haven on Dawkins Road (the former Indiana 14 east) right across from Robinson's Wrecker place.
Friday-Saturday, I believe is the plan.  I've stayed pretty much out of the way, because I'm a lazy cuss and have no real desire to work on my weekend, but I will be there at least Saturday depending on work schedules (now, how's THAT for a draw!  Meet the Tilting At Windmills guy!)

Oh, and just over the wire- UN is going to put Syria on the human rights committee!  Yep, right there with Iran!  Talk about that UN credibility.  Word is that Sec-Gen Ban the Moonie is a) too busy getting re-elected to give a hoot about Human Rights, and/or b) doesn't want to piss off the 56 votes he'll need from the UN's Islamic conference. IDK about you, but in a world where I can't say a prayer at my graduation or enjoy a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn, I'm a bit fed up with people telling me I need to kiss the Muslim butt.  You want to cut some waste out of the budget? Tear up that IOU the UN holds from us for $1.3 billion in dues, and tell the beggars "Don't let it hit you on the way out". That building would make a kickin' 39-story homeless shelter!

And Finally, we say goodbye to Phoebe Snow. Circumstances prevented her from having more top 40s than the #5 Poetry Man and the duet we had on TM a month or three ago with Paul Simon, Gone At Last.  With a voice like that, she should have undoubtedly had more.  I salute her courage when it became more important to her to take care of her daughter than to pad her Billboard stats.

Okay, guys, I think that's it for now. Enjoy you evening and watch the weather just in case.