The Old High Horse

I remember when old Jake (who was tired of my Dad trying to get him off the sauce) told My Dad to "get down off yer high horse".

At that age I didn't understand why he'd say that. We only had ponies and they were not 'specially high even for Welshes. One time when I was about four we had Dixie, a Quarterhorse - but that was in Alabama and Jake didn't even know us then. How come he'd want my dad off a pony even when he wasn't on one at the time.


As I got up in the middle school years, I grew to understand the expression, not only as the way Rich kids (who who thought their snot wasn't green) thought of me but also how I thought of kids who didn't go by the exacting moral code that I had known since my birth.

When kids would want to snitch drinks from the Duck Inn, I would tell them how stealing was wrong and how it would only hurt the family that owned the tiny country store.

Kids would tell me to get off my high horse.

I was talking with my Dad about why some people didn't do what was right and how many of these people never got caught and some unscruplous folks got rich doing it.

My dad, reflecting on how folks didn't quite understand why we always did what was right and why we spoke out against those that were wrong said this to me:
"When all you got is your high horse, it's perty durn hard to come down off it!"

Rainy day in paradise

Woke up at 8 to the sound of rain. Not the joyous sound of an afternoon thunderstorm - whoosh, boom, boom, cricketchirp it's over. The moanful sound of an all-day, Saturday, rain. Crap! Got to get the dogs out anyway before they crap, or whatever, after 8 hours inside.

Now the dogs come back in all happy to have peed and pooped. They are soaked, wringing and shaking themselves to no end then wallerin on their backs to make sure the carpet smells just as bad as they do.

Skittles has bounded across the bed to show Mommy how wet he is! "Look at my pawprints all over the quilt!"

Lock the dogs in Nathanga's room - he sleeps on the floor anyway, right in front of the TV. He won't mind if they soak his bed.

Woke up at noon to the sound of rain.

Get going for work today. Check the Boy. The dogs are all snuggled with him on the floor. Hard to tell where the shaggy dog leaves off and the shaggy boy starts.

Boy and dogs go outside to pee. All back in now and soaked.

Guess I better get to work!

Personal Property? not any more

The Supreme court called today and told me they were gonna give my house to some old lady who likes cats. - Because it would be nice for everybody in the community to have someone to hate.

I even said that I would start raising goats if that would make them happy but apparently goats aren't in the "best interest of the community".

Dang.

Well, What are you gonna do? You can't expect to just be able to live in the house you paid for and established!

Now if everyone in the 90210 zip code would just surrender their house so we can put in that Super-Duper Walmart.

My most peaceful day at the beach ever!

It Worked!

Since I commanded the sun come out it has (with a vengance!) Me and the boy hit the beach fer 1 hour the other day and was sunbernt (even with sunscreen) but it was great - the water is almost perfect, just a little cool but that goes away after you get yer first dunkin.

So as i got ready to head to work tonight Nathanga says he wants to switch his room with the back office because it's bigger. I say "okay" thinking we'll start measuring and analyzing where everything will go tomorrow morning.

Wife calls and say's he's nearbout done! When that kid gets somehting in his head - WATCHOUT! I just hope he don't start out like that when he starts noticin' girls or I'll be a grandpappy in no time.
YIKES!

There ya go flowers!

OK i think the flowers have got enough rain now. I got a faint glimpse of blue in the sky today. I blinked and it was gone. Grey! gray! greigh!

It will have to be sunny tomorrow. I will not tolerate one more day of rain!

I HAVE SPOKEN!

but if it rains tomorrow i'll just lay in bed and watch movies.

Defrag

I have two computers on my switch - as per usual one is being fixed. I am currently running defrag.

I love Defrag. I like to watch the screen while the magnetic particles rearange themselves into perfectly ordely patterns. I know that speeddisk does a much better job but i like watching the little rectangles flash on and off.
blinking
blinking
blinking
just like the way my turn signals go when i'm driving
bleen-king
bleen-king
bleen-king

I have become so enamored with the sound and corespoonding flashes of light that i now drive with blinkers on almost all the time. Mostly when driving straight. I don't likle to have the stirrin' wheel shut off my blinkie friends so i manually turn them off before making a turn. Otherwise it might cut off the blinking prematurely
bleen-king
bleen-king
bleen..... then nothing! aaarrrrrrrrgh! Just like when them queens stop the dang song without saying "of the wooooooooooooooorld!"

How many times have we all sat through the end of that pop ballad only to be let down in the end by a lack of resolution after an early climax?


OOHHH! Defrag is done. Let me start it again!
bleen-king
bleen-king
bleen-king

Such a Headache

the phone won't stop ringing but is just kids who want to know how much they owe or how to get to the beach. I have only had a smidgeon of caffeine and my head is in a vice here...

The first Rose of Spring

It's barely spring and we already have our first rose! I cut it this evening on the way back from paying the waterbill. could our ancestors believe we pay for water?

Would they think it was a good deal? I mean it was free for Great Granpappy Zebadiah, but he had to hike down to the river and haul it ack in a bucket. One bucket at a time. It might take an hours work for 5 gallons of water and we pay about a tenth-of-a-cent per gallon for it to come into our house. If you make twenty dollars an hour and it takes an hour to get five gallon buckets from the river to your house that would be $5 per gallon.

Sounds like we got zeb beat all to heck on the cost of water - and there's hardly any bugs in it either!

Boohbah's Back - i think

So last night about 3am I was awakened in a start.
I had been dreaming of the freakin' Boohbah! I changed channels on the TV to 113 - nice boring history stuff. I gave Seachele a peck and nestled all snug.

BOOOOOOOBAAAAAAAAH!

What the heck? I wasn't even asleep yet and already I'm letting this thing get to me. It was still going - the whole boobah song. I got up and looked around partly to make sure I was awake and partly to make sure boohbah hadn't come back as an evil ghost boohbah (i've read about them but didn't believe it) to suck my brain out while I slept.

nothing

I turned on every light in the house and looked in every closet. I checked the dogs' water bowl to make sure it hadn't sucked it dry.

nothing

I went back and got in bed after making sure Nathanga was breathing and all the dogs were ok. I hadn't seen Maddy but sometimes she sleeps under the bed.

UNDER THE BED!

right about then the sound came back - the wiggly giggly song, the one he sings when you squeeze his foot - RIGHT UNDER THE BED!

I knew I heard it this time and jumped out of bed - there was Boohbah being chewed relentlessly by Maddy. She had hid him under the bed for a couple weeks and had been gnawing him to bits but he was still alive!

I put maddy in the cage and snuggled boohbah in bed with me. and slept.

booba?

My little boohbah is gone bye bye. I looked far and wide over hill and dale (is that dell?) Who's Dale? Whose dell is Dale in? This isn't a Dell, It's a custom-built gamer with a Soyo Moboand a tricked out GC.

Where did my boohbah go?

I searched high and low. I wasn't really high - maybe a little under the weather, but not intoxified in any way whatsoever. Whatever.

Has anyone seen my boohbah? My Maddy was playing with him - they had such fun plaing helicopter and tug of war and "shake the guts out of the boohbah". The other dogs watched Boohbah and Maddy play - they liked the way he sang!



But boohbah ran away. My dogs said he farted and flew across the house to an undisclosed destination. An infestation. The boohbah has hidden in my walls.
Skittle said Maddy ate Boohbah - Maddy said "don't be silly"

Skittles and Maddy have started to play now!



My wife said boohbah went to the boohbah land in the sky - but I know that's not true. Boohbah land is in the tv not in the sky, Oh My!

Where has my Boohbah gone? How will I carry on?

Has anybody seen my Boohbah??

Has anybody seen Maddy?

Boooohhh Baaaaahh

The boohbah is a pleasure to have around. It's constant musical interludes are welcomed by all, except...

Matti is almost a year old. We adopted her at Christmastime and she has been the center of our family life ever since. I'm not quite sure whether it was simple jealousy or the fact that the boohbah has been chattering away nonstop for the past three days, but suddenly, without provocation, the fearsome 12 pound canid launched a merciless attack upon the unsuspecting, lighter than air lemon fluff.

Boohbah!

Tonight we left Nathanga at home with his Tron and schnuck out to get my boohbah!



I like my boohbah and my boohbah likes me. See how yellow he is - he sings and dances and farts like there's no tomorrow! He fills right up with air and PLBBBBBBBBBBBB - he flys across the room. Please help save the boohbahs! Some mean men are selling boobah fur for womens clothing While other inhumane meanies slaughter the boohbahs to serve in Chinese restaurants. New footballs are made from Boohbah colon (because it is so strong, stretchable and holds air so well) - I am planning on boycotting NFL games until Bulb Ceiling or whoever is in charge of those monsters in the NFL puts a stop to the insanity!

I wil not watch or even attend a pro football game until at least next August! If you are willing to keep this pledge with me let me know! I think we can get everyone in America to stay away from NFL Games for the next six months! Help me get the word out - SAVE THE BOOHBAHS!

Ding Dang Newfangled whatchamajigs

Well I haven't been on in a while because the box i put a new MoBo with high end graphix card and gigs O'Ram sudenly went belly up. The fans all spin but it won't beep nor spit nor nothing.

I have been so busy with our get-ready-for-spring push that i don't have much time to take it apart. and of course the pcmcia cardbus isn't recognizing cards at all - I've tried two different wireless and two different ethernet cards - it recognizes on elan card but won't load th drivers.

So it looks like time to do a little computer shopping.

Oh, In case you're in North Myrtle on a wednesday night you can get a half price nannersplit (if you bring your own nanner) at the Marble Slab Creamery in Gatorhole Plaza.

Tasty!

Ossie Davis, a Class Act

By HILLEL ITALIE, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Ossie Davis, the actor distinguished for roles dealing with racial injustice on stage, screen and in real life, has died, an aide said Friday. He was 87.

Davis, the husband and partner of actress Ruby Dee, was found dead Friday in his hotel room in Miami Beach, Fla., according to officials there. He was making a film called "Retirement," said Arminda Thomas, who works in his office in suburban New Rochelle and confirmed the death.

Davis, who wrote, acted, directed and produced for the theater and Hollywood, was a central figure among black performers of the last five decades. He and Dee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998 with the publication of a dual autobiography, "In This Life Together."

In Miami Beach, police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said Davis' grandson called the police shortly before 7 a.m. when his grandfather would not open the door to his room at the Shore Club Hotel. Davis was found dead and there does not appear to be any foul play, Hernandez said.

Davis had just started his movie on Monday, said Michael Livingston, his Hollywood agent.

"I'm shocked," Livingston said. "I'm absolutely shocked. He was the most wonderful man I've ever known. Such a classy, kindly man."



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Ever see the movie The Hill? He was great in that!

Pixar Does it Again!

Just when you think Hollywood was finished making good movies.

We took Nathanga to see the latest cartoon-type picture, I brought along Carl Hiaasen's Lucky You
and led keychain light, just in case. I didn't even pull the book from my pocket.

First off, I saw the Pixar logo - It had been a while since Finding Nemo, so that was a refreshing sight. As with all Pixar pics - we star with a short. It's called Boundin' It has a sheep and it's funny - Didn't want to spoil it for ya.

I won't tell you anything about the plot of The Incredibles because I hate it when people do that. What I will tell you is that it is completely original and, as always with Pixar, perfectly animated! Although Disney as a corporation is a far cry from what Walt had intended, Pixar has emerged as the resplendent Jewel on the rhinestone-encrusted Disney Crown.

Pixar has only released six films, beginning with Toy Story. They take their time - and with good reason. These films are uniquely designed and finely crafted. The female characters are not perversly oversexed as with Disney's "family movies" like Alladin and Little Mermaid. The plots are deep and well thought-out, yet simply presented. Layered like an onion - Kids get the laughs and adults giggle at the more advanced themes. Then when Kids grow up they will look back at the film and think, "Was that in there when I was a kid?"

Pixar's graphic presentation is so unique that you immediately take notice. The 3-D effect is not gimmicky - It just adds detail to the story.

The Incredibles was Directed by Brad Bird, who gave us Do the Bartman. Bird has worked on Animated series like The Simpsons, King of the Hill and The Critic You might also remember The Iron Giant
- Yeah, he wrote and directed that, too.

The world we enter on this journey is just plain fun - perfectly crafted, richer than double fudge and deeper than Socrates. It's one of those movies you just wish you could be in. Twice I got up and dove into the screen in an attempt to enter that world. I was bruised but not discouraged. The Story is fun for kids but has the depth that forty-something superheroes like myself will appreciate.

I urge you to watch this in the Moviehouse - it's too big to be fully appreciated in your living room. The kids in the audience laughing and even toddlers talking about the things they notice add to the experience.

I would also buy the DVD when it comes out.

March Spring Break Events

This is an excerpt from the Myrtle Beach Events Calendar just so we know What's happening in March.

March 10 - April 24
Spring Break in Myrtle Beach
When Spring Break is brought up one thing comes to mind: the beach. And, what better place to visit a beach on Spring Break than the town named after one. Myrtle Beach boasts 60 miles of beach front to allow for everyone to fit, nicely, into the fun. Enjoy all your hours soaking up the sun and water, or visit one of the other many attractions. Whether through golfing, amusement parks, or the traditional beach, Myrtle Beach has spring fun for all.

Mar. 10 - 13
National Shag Dance Competition
Every spring Myrtle Beach becomes host to the National Shag Dance Competition, and the cult-like following that comes with it. If you're looking to merely soak in the sights and sounds that is perfectly fine. And, if you're looking for a dance competition that can truly showcase your talents this is a can't miss opportunity. Past winners have gone on to appear on television shows such as "Good Morning America".

Mar. 12
17th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival

The Myrtle Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival kicks off at 9 a.m. with a parade. After the parade has come and gone the fun isn't over though. With two entertainment stages, a children's area, and a number of arts and crafts vendors the fun will go on and on. Come for the parade, stay for the festivities, and relax in the comforts of Myrtle Beach.

Mar. 12 - 20
The Canadian-American Days Festival
This action pack week on the beach is, in part, to show a hospitable hand to Canada. This doesn't mean the average American can't enjoy themselves during this festive week. With a shag dance competition, international kite fest, little olympics, and a YMCA soccer invitational as just the starting off point for the Can-Am Festival this is sure to be a week for all to enjoy.

If you plan on coming and want to share your spring break pics - send 'em on and we'll make sure everybody sees them.

One of our faithful readers recieved this response from Mary C. Gurrola of Firehouse Subs

Dear Dr. XXXXX,

Thank you for your email and for letting us know of the unfortunate
placement of our inflatable fire hydrant at our Gator Hole store. It can
be said that we make an awesome sub but just like anyone else we can
sometimes be insensitive to the needs of others. We are glad you made us
aware of this before any more time went by so we could insure no
disabled person was inconvenienced.
We instructed the owner of the store to take the inflatable fire hydrant
down immediately which he has done.

Again, thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Sincerely,

Mary C. Gurrola
Guest Relations Liaison
Firehouse Subs Restaurant Group, Inc.
800.388.3473
mgurrola@firehousesubs.com

Thank you Firehouse for handling this in a timely manner - You didn't have to remove the Hydrant altogether, you could have jut moved it from the handicap parking space!

Firehouse subs snubs Bubs with hubs

Firehouse Subs has blocked access for the disabled.


The restaurant chain has a new marketing gimmick - the twenty-foot-tall fireplug.

Great Idea - as long as you're not setting the thing up in a handicapped parking space.

Not only did they use the space, but they covered the parking marking with extra cement block (were they trying to hide the marking? ) they used the signpost to designate this spot as parking for the disabled to tye down the big hydrant.

Full Story here



Feel free to email them and let them know how you feel about this.

this happened - really!

Strolling through the Bass Pro Shop tonight I was taken aback. Not shocked but befuddled. Right there on the aisle was a stack of boxes piled shoulder high. On each box in big letters was a phrase I had never seen before. I skidded to a halt and spun around to make sure my eyes were not fibbin. As I looked at Seachele I noticed that he had a smile on his face, too.
We went back and sure enough there was a stack of the miracle product for the new millenium.
"Jerky Master"