Another truck, another 100k miles

100k miles, again

100k miles, again.

I’ve owned a few Ford trucks. For a long time, I was very brand loyal to Ford– but that’s another story. This story is about my ass sitting behind the wheel for 100,000 miles, again. It may be the first time that this truck hit the 100k mark… but it’s not mine. :(

The first car I took past 100k was my 86′ Toyota Celica. Got that car used in 1990 (30k miles) and drove it until the axle disintegrated around 150k. I bought my Ford Ranger new off the lot in ’96. At 150k, I traded her in towards the Expedition I’m driving now. Bubba was a good ride… protected me when I got hit by a Greyhound bus, and Forrest just loved sticking his head out the rear window. Continue reading

Happy Thanksgiving (2010)

For me, each year revolves around the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving remains my New Year’s Eve, my Christmas, my Hallmark moment. From the four corners of the earth, members of my family gather at my parent’s home in Fort Lauderdale for the festive meal– but it’s more than just a plate full of turkey and a side of dressing.

For my family, Thanksgiving provides us the perfect opportunity for a homecoming. In my childhood, the majority of us lived in just one state– generally at most a few hundred miles from each other. In today’s world, we find ourselves spread over the many continents. Each November, we gather in Fort Lauderdale with no plans whatsoever. There’s no agenda, no itinerary, no master plan. In fact, only a Thursday dinner remains certain. Continue reading

TSA and the Sacrifice of Freedom

There’s no big secret where I’m going here. Not too much of a secret where I’ve been either. Most everyone knows that I’m a former police officer — if you didn’t, well you do now. I’m not one to label myself a conservative, liberal, or anything like that. I’m registered NPA (no party affiliation) and that’s exactly like I like it. When I vote, I vote for whom I like, although lately that seems an impossible task… but as usual… I digress.

If I were to lean one way or another, I’d most likely say my beliefs are somewhat libertarian. I believe that government is necessary, but must be severely limited. I want government out of my house, away from my body, and focused on protecting our nation from those that would cause us harm. Continue reading

Shibboleth

xkcd.com

xkcd.com Shibboleth

There are many things in this world that I like. If you’ve talked with me for any amount of time, the fact that I like eggs surely came up in conversation. Back in 2000, I really (and I mean REALLY) liked The West Wing. (I cannot believe 2000 was ten years ago)

My good friend Patrick and I most likely bonded over our enjoyment of The West Wing, and how the early episodes were written so fantastically that it made us want to (each) be full time writers. We’ve talked about this endlessly on VoIP Tech Chat, but I digress. Continue reading

Obama, BP, and the Killing of the Gulf of Mexico

Back in the 90’s, one of my favorite commercials used the tagline, “At BASF, we don’t make a lot of the products you buy; we make a lot of the products you buy better.” Well my friends, when thinking about our government’s response to the continued pouring of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, I can only think that our government didn’t make the crisis in the Gulf; they made the crisis in the Gulf more catastrophic.

First, let’s ask the most simple question. How much oil is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico?

Continue reading

Yet Another Reason to Hate Airlines

Spirit Airlines drank some Kool Aid and decided to charge passengers for carry-on bags that do not fit under the seat. The fee will only apply to bags placed in the overhead bin. “Bring less; pay less. It’s simple,” Spirit’s Chief Operating Officer Ken McKenzie said in a statement. (Which by the way beats their first attempt at the slogan: Bring less, pay less, fuck you.)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, although this time I’ll say it differently. When I was a kid, I absolutely loved everything about flying. After taking someone to the airport, my family would walk to the window and we’d watch (from the gate) as our loved one’s plane taxied out to the runway and would stay until we saw that plane leave the ground and take off into the sky. When I’d actually get to fly, I looked forward to it. I’d pick out a good magazine, try to get a pillow, and look forward to some pretzels and a nice drink. Continue reading

Google Search Scares Me

I’m sure you’ve googled. Who hasn’t. Well, based of course on the popularity of what others across our great world are searching, Google often “suggests” what you might want to search for; based on what you’ve typed in that google search box. Well… what others are searching for doesn’t just scare me, it scares the bejesus out of me. But now I understand exactly where we may be heading.

Today I made the mistake of typing why does in the google search… and well, I was presented with:

Click for Full Size

Don’t get me wrong. I love poop questions as much as the next guy… but really? So then I started to see what others were looking for and well, here’s a few examples:   Continue reading