Tears In Heaven

I have been listening to the Avett Brothers since my daughter introduced me to them.  They are a group from North Carolina that have a country folk vibe.  Their later stuff is pretty catchy and has a message that you can appreciate.  Today I am appreciating their song from "The Carpenter" called Winter In My Heart.  I am having a blue day as I had to put down one of my best friends today.

On September 11, 2004, we went to pet adoption at the Pet Smart on Airport Highway.  A cute, border collie - whippet mix caught my eye.  My family fell in love with her and Oreo became a member of my family.  She had been abused as a puppy and kept in a cage 18 hours a day.  She had a cute little pink scar on her nose where she rubbed the cage to get out.  It was love at first sight.

Fast forward to October 25, 2014 and I am sorely missing the loss of my friend.  She developed congenital heart failure and we had to surrender her to the love of our Father.  All dogs go to heaven.  So I am feeling Winter In My Heart as I say goodbye to my Smorkie Poo.  Her last week was spent struggling for breath while laying in her bed with eyes begging for help.  Now, she is able to run and play with Brownie and Ritzy.  I will miss you.  Daddy loves you.

It must be winter in my heart
There's nothing warm in there at all
I miss the summer and the spring
The floating yellow leaves of fall
A million colours fill my eyes
The roman candles and the stars
Calendar says July 4th
But it's still winter in my heart
They say flowers bloom in Spring
Red and gold and blue and pink
They say seasons turn in time
Theirs are changing
Why won't mine?
It must be winter in my heart
There's nothing warm in there at all
I miss the summer and the spring
The floating yellow leaves of fall
The air in there is frigid cold
I don't know what the reasons are
Calender says August 1
But it's still winter in my heart
They say flowers bloom in Spring
Red and gold and blue and pink
They say seasons turn in time
Theirs are changing
Why won't mine?
It must be winter in my heart
it must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
I don't know what the reasons are
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
I don't know what the reasons are
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart

Icool

Cobb

Options Limited, Future In A Myopic Lens

It has been some time since I updated my blog.  I have not really had anything I wanted to say to the world.  Since the re-election of the President, I could not bring myself to even ponder the future.  He has forced a effed up health care scam on us and proven to be even more inept than W was.  The world views the US as a weak, pathetic paper doll.  How the hell did it come to this?

Our country decided that to put a freshman senator from Illinois with a naive view of the world in the seat of the greatest power on earth.  He put people with less intelligence than him in positions of authority and has been blessed with their ineptitude.  Kind of like putting Gomer Pyle in charge of the Battle of the Bulge and having General Patton singing in the platoon barbershop quartet.  Golly sarge.

It comes down to a waiting game.  How much more damage can Obama do in the next two years? There are plenty of executive orders that he can hand down.  I am still waiting for the regulation on carbon dioxide emissions that control breathing to come down.  Hopefully, the Republicans take the Senate in November.  I do not have faith in them either but at least if no laws are passed, it creates less stupidity from the Gomorrah that has become our nation's capital.  Heaven help us all!

Icobb

A 10% Solution

The experiment in representational democracy is starting to show signs of severe stress cracks. We have always been a nation that debated and eventually worked through our differences, if only until the unresolved situation flared up again. I believe the last time we had this much animosity in the halls of Congress, the outcome was the Missouri Compromise. Of course that lasted a few years and then it was North vs. South. I am not sure that the outcome of the American Civil War was a political success. It ended slavery in the South but cemented us on the slippery slope of central government as the alpha and omega for American citizens.

We have members of Congress that do not seem to understand that if you are out of money, you quit spending. If you can’t seem to get your head around only spending what you have money for, then you should quit spending when you have maxed out the available credit. When you increase spending in one area of your life, unless you are independently wealthy or have a rich aunt, you have to decrease it in another. Our Congressmen seem to be living in a land of lollipops and rainbows where you can make something from nothing and simply create an endless stream of spending. Sounds more like a trip to Asbury Park with Grace Slick and her pet rabbit.

The business world has a perfect solution to the coffers being empty. Yes, those horrible American Corporations that provide the jobs and stoke the engine of the American economy. They look at how much their future cash flow is declining and enact a cut proportional to that reduction. Let’s say you are an automotive supplier and there is a down turn at the car plants. If it is a 10% decline in business, you enact a 10% across the board cut. For those in Congress, that would mean that you cut spending by 10% and reduce your work force by 10%. It does not mean that we reduce the rate of increase by 10%. I have no clue how a reduction in the rate of increase creates a spending cut. A cut means that you have less than when you started.

Now the reverse is also true. Corporations take those times when business is growing and spend a greater portion of what they make on raises, bonuses, and growing the business. Our government has this part of the equation down pat. Somehow we need to send the message that spending our money should be done frugally and within the construct designated by the Constitution. After all, isn’t that the document that defines the roles of each branch of government? And then he woke up.

Icool

Cobb

Old Dogs and Children

Every year a good friend of mine puts on a golf outing for all of his DeMolay friends and those that he has picked up along life's journey. We get together and talk about all of the things we did in years gone by and of course drink alot. It is an event that I look forward to every year because the cast of characters are scattered all over the country and there is really no other way to see them.

The event started out over 20 years ago as a way for the guys to get together and spend a Saturday away from the family golfing and of course drinking. It evolved into a family event spanning the entire Labor Day weekend. Now it is evolving back into a guys only weekend. The children have grown up and have their own lives. They are either in college or would rather be somewhere that their parents aren't.

So here is to golf and how it brings old friends together. We pretend that the golf is the reason we get together but it is really just the chance to relive 40 years of memories and try to create a few new ones. We spend a few hours on the golf course, drink a few beers, smoke a cigar or two and hit this little ball all over Hell's half acre. It don't get much better than that.

Icool

Cobb

The Land of Painted Caves

The last installment of the adventures of Ayla, the prehistoric version of Wonder Woman, is a major disappointment. What started as a riveting story in The Clan of the Cave Bear and proceeded through two well told stories in The Valley of Horses and The Mammoth Hunters has come to a screeching halt in the final installment of the series. It should have been obvious from the previous book in the series (The Shelters of Stone) that The Land of Painted Caves would be a book about how the characters do what they do and not about characters doing anything.

One could only hope for a return to any kind of story line. Ayla is married and has a daughter in the previous book. In this book she gets on the job training to finish her education for what the Cro-Magnon would call a priestesses. Unfortunately, the book is mostly filled with how to perform day to day activities or flash backs to the five previous books. The author repeatedly drones on to give you the history on why someone does what they do or how the horses and wolf act they way they act. I found that I skipped over large sections of the book simply so I would not have to re-read the same thing yet again. I looked forward to something really big from Ayla. I thought maybe sailing to America or founding Atlantis.

Unfortunately, The Land of Painted Caves does little more than provide an alternative to Ambien. It reminds me of the begats in the Bible. You read them and it gives you a sense of the history but the sheer repetition of the process provides very little to the overall story. If Jean Auel does decide to add to this series, take a lesson from the earlier books. Characters must do something for the book to be interesting. Reading about the ingredients of tea for the umpteenth time might be exciting in Great Britain but bored the daylights out of me.

Icool

Cobb

What A Difference A Year Makes

It has been almost a year since I last posted. My big concern then was health care and the descent into socialism being crammed down our throats. I realized that I was reacting with too much emotion to effectively continue to post coherent comments. I have even tried on several occasions to get back in the saddle and write something worth reading. It was what my children refer to as Epic Fail. So what has changed?

There is a glimmer of hope coming out of several areas. The elections in the fall broke the monopoly the Democrats had on the reins of our nation. The judge in Florida that gave the health care law a shove toward being declared unconstitutional was a good start. Although the law is still on the books, at least it is being fast tracked to the Supreme Court. Next was the elimination of collective bargaining for government employees. Could you even imagine going after unions with Obama in the Whitehouse? Wisconsin had the courage to step up to the plate and make the change. Hopefully Ohio will not falter in its goal to reduce the power of the unions.

All of this is a step in the right direction. A ray of hope. The true test will be the elections of 2012. If we can get America focused on being the land of the free and home of the brave instead of the land of the free hand outs and the home of brave union protestors, we may take some of our issues out of the governments hands and put them back into the true problem solvers; American citizens. Hopefully a leader will emerge from the current pack and provide the vision and back bone to make it so.

Icool

Cobb

Hey You Whitehouse

Ha, Ha, charade you are. I know that Pink Floyd was not thinking about our current governmental slit trench mentality when they wrote those words for their album Animals. We had just come off of the Watergate, Richard Nixon days and any foreigner would look at our executive branch and think it was corrupt and inept. What Richard Nixon did pales in comparison to what Obama and his communist cronies have foisted on the American people. We were surprised that our politicians could act in a criminal manner. We are shocked that our President could ignore the Constitution and pass a bill that violates its basic tenants.

We now have every American being forced to purchase a commodity. There are stiff penalties for not purchasing the product and they are using the IRS which is akin to the Nazi Gestapo or the Soviet KGB in American's view. Yes, we are now forced to purchase health care. And just like the legal system, if you cannot afford it, it will be provided for you courtesy of the tax payers. Yes, those who work are once again paying for those who won't. But since this is socialism who cares. "Obama gonna make my house payment for me."

Sorry I had to leave for a moment but the bout of vomiting has passed. There is concern that since we have lost round one in the New Deal of the 21st century, we will become soft and ignore the illegality that is covering our every move. If Obama holds true to form, he will push his communist agenda even more and it will look like the mob chasing the Frankenstein monster when November finally hits. Any member of Congress that has even imagined collaboration with our illustrious Comrade in charge will be looking for a Washington a lobbyist job. That will be the only connection they will have to their former seats of power. Bye bye to bad trash.

Here is Pigs (three different ones)

Big man, pig man, ha ha charade you are.
You well heeled big wheel, ha ha charade you are.
And when your hand is on your heart,
You're nearly a good laugh,
Almost a joker,
With your head down in the pig bin,
Saying "Keep on digging."
Pig stain on your fat chin.
What do you hope to find.
When you're down in the pig mine.
You're nearly a laugh,You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry.

Bus stop rat bag, ha ha charade you are.
You fucked up old hag, ha ha charade you are.
You radiate cold shafts of broken glass.
You're nearly a good laugh,
Almost worth a quick grin.
You like the feel of steel,
You're hot stuff with a hatpin,
And good fun with a hand gun.
You're nearly a laugh,You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry.

Hey you, Whitehouse,
Ha ha charade you are.
You house proud town mouse,
Ha ha charade you are
You're trying to keep our feelings off the street.
You're nearly a real treat,
All tight lips and cold feet
And do you feel abused?.....! .....! .....! .....!
You gotta stem the evil tide,
And keep it all on the inside.
Mary you're nearly a treat,
Mary you're nearly a treat
But you're really a cry.

Icool

Cobb