n-the-acorn: 2005

Friday, December 30, 2005

Can't sleep dogs will get me

So I just re-read my last blog and am disappointed with myself that
1-1-06 is 2 days away and I am no closer to quitting the real world as I was 3 months ago. Please don't take that as part of an ongoing character flaw that I never follow through with anything. My job is still frustrating as ever, but that is a blog for another time.

So 2005 is coming to an end and what do we have to show for ourselves. It has been over a year now without TV so I can't really reflect on the news of the year or celebrate who passed on. Even though I don't have real TV I stay current on all the great shows by the wonder of the DVD box set. I just recently finished the definitive season 6 of the Simpsons, the jumping the shark season 4 of Will and Grace, Home Movies season 2, and only the pilot episode of the most horrible show ever produced Nip/Tuck it makes baby Jesus cry as my sister an law likes to say, not about the show just in general. It was she who brought that wretched show into the house... not really it was a Christmas gift... from my wife! On my plate for the next month... Season 3 of Home Movies and the out of the blue surprise release of Simpsons season 7 where I can once again discover Who shot Mr Burns?.

It has been a tough year in the household... not the people or animals mind you but all the stuff that goes with managing a budget, owning a historic house and dealing with public utilities who like to announce they are having record profits(mostly because they are allowed to back bill you for 6 months.) How is it my fault that the meter reader was stupid and put down the wrong street address for the meter number they were reading?

Anyway we are still skipping along getting our stuff in order trying to get the lower part of the house returned to the original 1855 house plan. We did get some fortune this year that one of our neighbors has given us 14 of his turn of the century decorative cast iron radiators... only catch here is we need to move them. I should get my wife to tell the story of the ongoing move in her blog she has a better knack at that. My favorite part we bent the 800lbs rated dolly!

As for everything else that has happened in regards to my family
see Prix Madonna's updates.

Also in the last month I have re- discovered my DOS Version of Sid Meier's Civilization(much to my wife's displeasure when I am up at 4am playing.) I got this game back in 1992 and have been able to move it from hard drive to hard drive as I have updated my computers. I know there are excellent new versions out there, but there is nothing like playing the classic just look how Atari is making a comeback.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Test Scores

I am going to die at 71. When are you? Click here to find out!

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

pen is mightier than the sword

"Point that finger at me one more time and it will be the last time you point a finger"

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Call the police on me...

Let me introduce you to a daily ritual... THE WALKING OF THE DOGS!

A little background first. 25+lbs white chow mix "Little M", 45 lbs black Akita,shepherd,pit bull mix "Ms S", and her sister 45 lbs black & white shepherd,border collie mix "Ms Dog" (not their real names changed to protect the innocent) a 15 foot retractable leash and 2 6 foot leashes all held together by two carabiners. About 7:15 -7:45am the race is on down the stairs flies 3 dogs all racing towards the door. Little M is always very good about the leash part, Ms S and Ms Dog can be touchy about the leashes and a minute or so of calling them and using all the important dog words to cokes them back down the stairs (you know the ones park, walk, outside). Ok everyone is locked in and then a race out the door. Little M usually stops at the front lawn and then we move to the park. 15-20 minutes of a nice stroll gets everyone to do what they need to until later. Usually uneventful although I have been known to find things like stolen purses, bird feathers, and my own lost glasses.

So this morning I was just puttering about trying to encourage the dog business not really paying attention when I look over to see some guy trying to drive into the park. I guess he didn't see the sign "No Motorized Vehicles Beyond This Point." So I don't move knowing this is a walking path and I will be damned if I am going to let someone drive through. He rolls down his window and tells me to get out of the road. I tell him this is a walking path not a road and vehicles are not permitted in the park and alerted him to the sign he just drove past. He proceeded to tell me that he knows the sign and that he lives near the park so that it is OK for him to use the park as his personal turn around. I stood my ground trying to get him to back up and turn around on the street like a normal person. He kept telling me to move and I kept telling him about the sign. He finally told me if I had a problem with his driving to call the police on him and turned around on the grass.

WAIT A SECOND.... CALL THE POLICE? I guess he hasn't heard about my reputation yet... heck my wife jokes that I have a direct line to them I call them so much, she loves to tell the story how I called the police on old ladies cause they were blocking my driveway. I am a one man neighborhood watch so yes I do call the police. His statement wasn't calling my bluff that statement was challenging me to go ahead and do it. You better watch it Mr. I have chased down a drug dealer, busted a guy setting up a field day finish line, and shut down an illegal yard sale. I don't take kindly to people not respecting their surroundings.

Sadly I had more important things to do when I go back to the house this morning so I choose not to call the police today. I have chosen to do the next best thing I am immortalizing his jerky behavior for the whole world to see.

Yes that's right the whole world now knows what a jerk you are, and me I now have your plate number so next time you use the park as your personal turn around the police will get called. You have been warned and your behavior will not be tolerated in Ms S's park.

UPDATE: SUMMER 2007 Things have changed in the park and I no longer feel the need for public shaming. The names of this person was removed because this crank's heart grew three times that day.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

What's a ferry ride?

If nothing else I will try to update this when I do something interesting.

Today my other half and I went on an excursion of sorts. As part of my annual growth goals I need to visit 3 different historical sights and "borrow" or steal ideas that will help me do my job. The term is "achieve operational excellence."

Ok who are we fooling here this term is so loaded with BS that the bull is going to eat two bars of ex lax not just the 2 squares that the package recommends. Anyway I digress "operational excellence" will need to be a topic for another time let me tell you about today.

In case no one has told you the state of Virginia runs a free (yes, I said FREE) ferry from Scotland, VA to Jamestown, VA. Why it costs $3.00 to travel 5 miles from Richmond to the airport on a road, but you can take a 5+ mile ferry ride for free is beyond me, but I digress again. So the state runs this ferry which is well worth the trip just to ride back and forth, and if it were up to me that would be something I would like to see as part of our "operational excellence."

Ok this train has derailed, getting back to the story we had a really cool ferry ride which I recommend to everyone, and although I am really Gung-Ho in selling history (just ask my wife) I was really disappointed by the lack of care given to that task today.

I have sought to run our gift shop with a sense of historical accuracy and care for the mission of the park. My belief is that just because it has the park logo on it or a confederate flag doesn't mean we need to sell it. I have spent the first part of this year trimming the crap from the shelves expecting to find something great to put in its place. I learned a hard lesson today... unless you have a big bank-roll to fund your exclusive products all you have to work with is the same "Made in China" historical crap that everyone will buy because it is cheap.

What's wrong with people don't they want nice things for the money they spend? How ironic it is to go to a place that is preserving history only to buy something that is disposable when you realize you have too much crap already. It is probably stuff that will never be passed on to the next generation, and even if it does they aren't going to hold the significance of it and toss it away.

I think about the pottery shard I picked up on Mars Hill in Athens. Significant to me. Kind of cool right? To an outside observer just some broken thing. 1000 years from now an important artifact.

That's where I am right now. I want the things I bring into the store to be those important finds 50-100 years from now. I want my snow globes to stand up to the scrutiny of Antique's Roadshow and be worth more than it was when it was new. I am not the guy who is going to stock the item in which the Naval Jack is being carried into battle or the 1st National Flag is being carried at the Battle of Gettysburg. I certainly would have had the knowledge not to sell native American dream catchers (as my wife pointed out) at a historical sight dealing with the eastern woodland tribes. .

That is my rant today it is for those people who don't take the time to outfit that store with products that have sight meaning, but also is researched for its historical value. Also for the people who then buy this bad stuff to keep the store stocking it.

Friday, July 22, 2005

It was back in July of 2005 ...

Ok lets see if I can get this right...

Welcome to my little corner of the world where dreams come true and rants get said. Where everyone is a target for a verbal wounding.

From this day forward this will become my soap box for the things in this world I plan on changing and the people or events that piss me off (you know who you are stamps.com, people parking in my driveway.)

This little corner will also be a place where I can respond to comments made about me by a certain other diary land member who knows who she is.

If you came here expecting perfect spelling or proper grammar these pages are going to drive you nuts, so put away your red markers cause it will only make your monitor hard to read.

The universe started with a bang...
The revolution with a shot...
but this page will begin with a kind Welcome.