38 Things that I have learned in 38 years

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. In the spirit of celebration I have listed 38 things that I have learned in the last 38 years. 1. Hugs don't cost a thing but are worth millions. 2. The words "I'm sorry" are as powerful as "I love you." 3. You can get a prescription for a Chihuahua if you have asthma. 4. New socks feel good on my feet. 5. Budweiser and pickled eggs makes for a rank fart in the morning. 6. Dune is a great movie. 7. Paste still tastes good. 8. Gay marriage is okay as long as both chicks are hot. 9. The coyote never wins but he never gives up. 10. The sound of fire hose "flaking off" the back of a pumper is sweet! 11. Dance like nobody is looking even when nobody is looking. 12. Mojo is stronger than the force. 13. Government cheese is good on animal crackers. 14. God is in the details. 15. For everything you loose, something new will replace it. You just may not notice it yet. 16. Japanese people have funny names. 17. Jack Lambert was one mean football player. 18. Moderation is only good in moderation. 19. God has his "A" game on when he made the female body. 20. All men are created equal, women are created better. 21. Sosa's are damn fine cigars. 22. Hearing "I love you daddy" opens my eyes, softens my hearts, and empties my wallet. 23. Seeing a guy getting hit in the balls with a wiffle-ball bat is still very funny. 24. That gooey-yellow thing in "pork-n-Beans" is the "pork." 25. Herbie Hancock and Earle Clugh are musical masters. 26. There is "something" out there. 27. Rock-n-roll ain't noise pollution. 28. A hemi cuda will smoke a big block camaro. 29. Going to bed with an itchy butt will cause you to wake up with smelly fingers. 30. I like sleeping on top of the covers. 31. Ice cream is better served cold. 32. Revenge is a dish best kept in the back of the fridge until it turns green and hairy and then you throw it away. 33. The best way to handle conflict is to confront it. 34. Houdini rhymes with weenie. 35. The smell of my wife's hair makes me sleep better. 36. It is easier to pee sitting down when you are sleepy. 37. Dogs are good. 38. A rich man invests in his family. Keep it real yo.

Life is good today.

We all have times in our lives that sometime just plain suck. But there also times when things are going good. Today things are good. Very good. We had a get together for my birthday today. It was family and friends and it was so very nice. My buddy Jay helped me install crown molding in the living room and it looks good. I had to buy a new finish nail gun. It came in a box along with a brad nailer. I already had a brad nailer so I gave the new one to Jay. Mojo is good when good mojo gets past along. Ms. Jay made me a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. It was awsome. My little bride has fluttered around me allday. I feel special. As MUD stated the storms are getting bad but it is that time of year. All that I can say for our Kansas family is "RUN!" Keep safe and watch out for each other.

Okay, Okay, it is almost my birthday.....

Well kids guess what.....I gotta a laptop, I gotta a laptop, all to myself. My little bride got me one. I am as happy as a puppy with 2 peters..... So now I can blog anytime.

The White Trash Yacht Club

The guys and me at the firehouse have started the White Trash Yacht Club. Our first regata is scheduled for May 5. We are all planning to go set "jug" lines and catch a bunch of catfish. This all started when Booger, our rookie, brought his boat to the station one shift so that we could work on it. Next Eric brings his. So, I got one. Oh they are fine vessels. Booger and Eric's are jon-boats with 20 hp motors. Mine is an old 14 foot aluminum modified vee that I aguired from Lloyd Allen. It is a fixer-upper for sure. We are all pretty excited about it. We missed a few tornadoes today. Wall clouds everywhere, but no funnels. talk to you soon.

I messed up a bit and Larry king is an ass.

I think that I have mentioned it before but for those of us older than 35 here it is again. You gotta be careful when you load your colon. Case in point: Last night my little bride made us nice leafy salad with all of the good stuff. I ate it. It was good. Now the problem. This morning I had, without properly thinking it through, a piece of rye toast, a cup of strong coffee, and...wait for it...a bowl of raisin bran. You guessed I O-F'd (over fibered). About 11 this morning I bent down to pick up a wrench and felt a "gurgle-gurgle" in my belly. With little haste and even less fanfare I hot lapped it to the shop bathroom. If you have never been in a mechanic shop's bathroom you have never seen filth in such magnitude. After a some "nesting" I, well, you know. Needless to say it was impressive. The aroma was of level that was a rival to any firehouse bunk room after chilidog night. I peeked out of the doorway to see if anybody was around. The coast was clear and I left in a stealth like manor. After about 5 minutes I had to go to parts and get a hose and hydraulic fittings. The bathroom is on the way to the parts counter. Another mechanic that works there, Sam, was a few feet ahead of me. As he passed the bathroom he exclaimed "Dear God, what is that awful smell!" Not to tell on myself I said "It was Darrold, that old bastard ain't right." Sam replied "I know, that man can stink-up a bathroom like nobody else." I kept walking. Now Larry King. Last night we watched him interview family and survivors of the Virgina Tech shootings. He is about as talented as a spider monkey. His questions were small minded and of poor taste. "Did you see your friends get shot?", "Were you scared?", "Can I have some more grape juice?" Oh well. Talk to you later...uh oh....Gurgle Gurgle......

Wow, over a month.

Well kids, I've been rather busy. Sorry to keep myself away from the blogs but the world needs John Deere tractors and It is my other job to set them up. It is kinda of funny that at this point in my professional life it get as excited about doing a dyno test on a John Deere 5103 with a SCV as I would about a fire. I still have my "love" for the job, I am just a little tired of dealing with city hall. I just finished teaching a "Fire Service Instructor Level One" class for a group of firefighters from around the state. It was a very good class and everybody passed their certification exams. Lets see what else is going on. I am having an article published in Fire Engineering Magazine titled "Self Directed Learning: A new approach to company level training." And I have been asked to prepare a paper for presentation at the Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indiana next spring. Kind of neat. I am disappointed with the IAFF supporting Hillary Clinton so early. I know that big labor always backs the Dems, but come on brothers and sisters. It is baseball season, does anybody care? I feel that the boys of Summer have never really recovered after the strike. Speaking of sports, what about Don Imus. OOPS! I was watching the NFL network recently. They were showing the NFL combine.This where NFL hopefuls demonstrate their skills prior to the draft. This year there was a difference. A new factor played into what round the athlete would be drafted in. It was how much legal trouble he had been in or is in. Apparently drugs and domestic violence can knock you down a few spots. Attempted murder or A&B on a cop can move you up a few. Well that is about it. Everybody is doing fine. Keep in touch.

Sunday Morning on Spring Street

Every year Rebecca and I go to a little place around Eureka Springs for our anniversery. We usually get there on Friday and leave on Sunday. We do a lot of stuff while there. One of my favorite things to do (besides the obvious) is to go to downtown Eureka Springs on a Sunday morning. The streets are not very crowded and there is little traffic. The shop owners are usually just opening up and the whole town seems "slower." The town has a charm at that time of day that is very unique. Remember to change the batteries in your smoke detector.