Still kinda weird at work.

Today was what I think of as "clean up day" where those people that were on vacation last week came into work to find out that they were either laid off or working on a team with more work and fewer people.

Add to that, one of the people that was let go today is a person that I've known for years and in all honesty, I'm at a loss to understand what made her a target. She was intelligent, hard working and easy going. Those seem like qualities that any company would look for in an employee.

And this will be the last time I address that issue.

*

Here are a few links you can click on:

• Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new hero.



• In case you don't know where or how to vote in Tuesdays primary.



• I'm thinking they would actually improve tourism.



• I can't help but wonder if the Benny Hill theme song was playing in the background.

A nice quiet day.

I managed to almost nothing today which, when you think about it, is kinda dumb. I mean, I'm already fat enough so doing nothing means instead of burning of a few calories and maybe losing a pound or two, I probably gained a pound or two.

Then again, the dogs were right next to me, sleeping.

That means they didn't lose any weight either.

Oh well.

*

Here are today's links:

• Yea, this is what I do to "honor" my dead relatives.



• If this were the old west, he would be known as The Very Nice Teeth Kid.

Monday is coming.

On Monday, NESN will air a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Northeastern Huskies. It is the official start of my baseball season and I always look forward to it.

Monday is coming...

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Click on these:

• Only fourty?



• Only a half pound?



• You gotta love dogs.

Long Day = Short Post

So a bunch of us got together at some joint in downtown Springfield, or as I like to call, the outdoor shooting range in the heart of the city, for some beverages with the recent unemployed.

After 20 minutes of the downtown crowd, I decided I'd had more than enough and headed home.

As I was walking to my car, John sent me a text, one thing led to another and before you knew it, I was sitting at a bar with him, shooting the bull and laughing about nothing.

Right now, I'm tired and struggling to stay awake.

In other words, I'm slightly intoxicated.

*

Click on these.

Or not.

It's entirely your choice...

• Massachusetts needs the death penalty.



• Only in Florida.



• Stay classy New Jersey. Stay classy....



• Well, technically speaking, he is a farmer.

Everyone is kind of sad.

The loss of our coworkers has begun to sink in and everyone, while grateful that they have a job, is concerned about the folks that don't. And we miss them.

It's going to take several days or even weeks before we work everything out.

*

You can check out these links:

• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• Well, duh...



• Fish Farting would be a good name for a 1960s children's book.

Another stressful day

We lost two people off my team and another three people from a sub-unit.

Fortunately for me, it is now over for my group and I have once again survived.

I feel bad for my friends but I have survived.

*

So the bottom line here is that I am stressed out and tired. It's time for me to decompress.

While I do that, you can visit these links:

• Thank goodness this has been cleared up.



• Don't burp in Vienna.



• Key phrase in this story: "...nothing was stolen and no one was injured..."

It looks like I will survive,

So some of you know where I work and some of you may have read the recent news stories about my employer.

I am pleased to say that I remain gainfully employed and I anticpate doing so until the time comes for me to retire.

As for some of my friends, they did not fare quite so well but, for the most part, they don't have anything bad to say. That tells me that I work for a decent company that while it sucks to have to eliminate jobs, they are trying to do so with as little pain as possible.

And that is enough about that.

*

This is a picture of an audience member from the Bernie Sanders rally up at UMASS in Amherst:

Dude, Woodstock ended over 40 years ago. Get a haircut, put on some clean clothes and grown the f' up.

*

Here are a few links:

• I knew it! It's not the cheese balls and ice cream!



• This is just brilliant.



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• Only in Florida.

We need more three-day weekends.

There just aren't enough three-day weekends.

If I were stupid enough to ever get myself elected to an office of power, I would enact a law that says every other weekend must be three-days in length. I would leave it up to companies to decide if people should work four 10 hour days or only work 32 hours for that particular week.

Or even better, let's just have three-day weekends all the time.

*

Here are some links:

• Yet another completely unemployable dipshit.



• Welcome to Northampton.



• Only in Florida. Or Ohio. I'm not entirely sure...



• And then Bambi staggered home....

Nice quiet day.

We watched The Martian today and if you haven't seen it, you should. I thought it was a pretty damned good movie.

And that is all I have to say about that.

•

Here are some links:

• Where were these teachers when I was in school.



• Only in Florida.



• Another member of the A-Team.

And I'm back...

As I said, the hard drive in my trusty old laptop decided to call it quits last Monday.

Fortunately, I had a duplicate hard drive available and I was able to instsall it and restore the laptop back to it's original configuration using the recovery process.

Unfortunately, I had scanned all of the pictures we found in my moms photo albums and never got around to backing them up. Also, I did my taxes and I never got around to backing those up either.

Fortunately, I have hard copies of both.

Unfortunately, I had to upgrade the OS from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and that took forever due to the huge number of updates that needed to be applied.

Fortunately, I let it run updates for several hours on Friday and now I once again have a functional, fully-supported operating system.

Unfortunately I have to reinstall Microsoft Office and my installation was on the old hard drive so I might not actually be able to reinstall it.

I live in both fortunate and unfortunate times....

•

Here's picture from March of 2008.

We were paying a lot for gasoline back then...

•

These are the links I've been collecting on my phone while I was living in a PC-free:

• Key phrase in this story: "Kimberly Hammond, 46, had been drinking..."



• Key phrase in this story: "We're told it doesn't hurt when you're shot with one of these..."



• I have two dogs so I'm somewhat knowledgeable regarding that species, I can tell you that this is not going to end well.



• Drunken Hooligans would be a fantastic name for a 1990s metal band.



• Next thing you know, they'll be legalizing picnics...



• This is the kind of thing that would normally happen only in Florida...



• He's a real ladies man.



• It might be time for me to move to Ohio.



• Key phrase in this story: "The important thing is it's not going to kill people's dogs and cats, it just makes a hell of a mess."



• Key phrase in this story: "The muddy sex doll also wears a yellow safety helmet..."



• They don't mention her name but whoever she is, she's the latest member of the A-Team.

I'm kinda, almost, sorta back

The laptop is running but I seem to be having difficulty getting it updated with the proper drivers and software. It's still running Windows 7 and for some reason, I'm having a problem upgrading it to Windows 10.

So anyways, I'm hoping to be back up and running this weekend.

No post today.

And probably for the next few days, The hard drive in my trusty old laptop passed away and I'm kinda pissed off about it.

I have backups but nothing recent. What pisses me off is that I have a lot of pictures on the drive that we collected after my mom died. I'm hoping I kind find a way to recover those pictures but things don't look good. The damn drive won't spin up which means this isn't a software issue, it's a hardware issue and getting the data off may be impossible.

You should go find your own links while I spend hours taking teeny-tiny screws out of my laptop and praying that I don't lose them.

It was a bit cold today.

I sure am glad I bought that half gallon of Friendly's Cherry Vanilla ice cream.

*

Here are today's links:

• This robot was only supposed to last 90 days.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminals of the Day.



• Key entry from our favorite police log: "1:53 p.m. A tractor was vandalized in Coram."

I am in need of a nap

Today was one seriously lazy day and I needed it.

I woke up at 5:00, let the dogs out, made the coffee and then fell back to sleep.

I woke up at 6:30, watched the news, read the interwebs, drank some coffee and then fell back to sleep.

I woke up at 9:45 when my wife announced she was going grocery shopping. I took a shower, drank some more coffee, helped put the groceries away and then spent the next few hours reviewing my federal taxes.

*

I hate doing my taxes.

We did them last weekend and since we owe, we won't be sending them in until April 18th. I figured I'd go over them one more time just to see if I missed something.

I didn't.

Once again, the middle-class, specifically me, gets screwed by the government....

*

Here are some links you can click on while I contemplate the fact that pitchers and catchers report to spring training this coming Thursday:

• This is gonna be me in a few years. Or months. Or now.



• I have GOT to see this movie.



• We're an odd species.

Interesting day at work.

I won't go into details because, to be honest with you, I don't really have any details. I will say that it looks like there will be some downsizing activity taking place in the next few weeks.

This will be bad for some people and less than good for other people.

The remainder will be happy to have a job and life will go on for them.

I'm hoping I'm in the remainder.

*

The final vet school visit took place today when my daughter flew down to Philadelphia at 7:00 this morning and flew back home at 7:20 this evening. Well, actually, she flew back at 9:00 tonight because it wouldn't be a vet school trip without a flight delay!

Now she waits to hear from all the schools she interviewed with.

Hopes are high that she has multiple choices.

*

Here are some links:

• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminals of the Year.
• 
  
• Women: Don't mess with their hair...
• 
  
• This is wrong on many levels.
• 
  
• Only in Florida.

Just call me tech support.

I utilized one of Pats special tools to save some private data for a young lady who is being home schooled. The hard drive on her laptop died the other day and I was able to mount the drive on a different computer using a USB device and get all of her data transferred off.

Then I used a recovery disk sent by Dell to reinstall the OS. Problem is, the OS that Dell sent was Windows 8.1 and now they have to upgrade to Windows 10.

When I left, the OS was installing and the private data was safely sitting on two different devices, I talked to her grandfather this evening and he said the machine was working perfectly and he was going through the Windows 10 upgrade and then the reinstall of Microsoft Office.

When all is said and done, the young lady will once again be able to continue her studies and get int the college of her dreams.

*

Here are a few links that you might enjoy:

• Whatever you do, don't mess with the spiders in Australia.



• The United States is slowly but surely losing it's position as a world leader.



• Welcome to New Hampshire!

The old man is gone.

Our 18 year old cat took his last breath today and my daughter came home to find the dogs guarding his body.

I like to think we gave him a nice comfortable life.

*

You want to know why Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders won their respective party primaries? Because people are sick and tired of both the democrats and the republicans, that's why. Those two parties, that claim to represent their constituents, are no different than ISIS in their ideology.

Granted, neither the republicans or the democrats are cutting the heads off of people that disagree with their beliefs but they are just as stubborn about people that don't agree with them. Neither the democrats nor the republicans are willing to listen to anyone that isn't one of them them.

If you say, "We should not live in a country where widows and orphans live in cardboard huts in the woods off the highway", the tea party will call you lily-livered liberal who wants socialism.

If you say, "No, I don't think we should be giving free cell phones to people", the democrats will call you a cold-hearted bastard with no sense of decency.

They border on tribal in their thinking and that my friends is a bad thing.

The republicans, being driven forward by the tea party, refuse to accept the reality that some people need our help. They are quick to lump everyone that isn't like them into a group and blame that group for all of our woes.

The democrats, being driven by the Clintons/Obamas, refuse to accept the reality that some people don't need our help. They are quick to assume that every culture on the planet is just like ours and there are no cultural differences.

If I were ever asked to address a joint session of congress and the president, here's what I would say:

People are sick and tired of being fondled by authorities with blue gloves because we are so afraid to "profile".

People are sick and tired of being told what to do, when to do it and how to do it.

The average citizen is more concerned about the unemployment rate than they are about terrorism.

The average citizen is more concerned about the number of things that they can go to jail for than they are about global warming.

I hate to say it but we are going to end up with Donald Freakin' Trump as a president because people have had it with the bullshit our government keeps heaping on us.

The problem is, we will quickly regret that. Donald Trump is a business man and a government run like a business results in things like babies in Flint Michigan being poisoned by their drinking water.

*

Here are some links to click on:

• Only in Wilbraham.



• It's the old "Beer-Battered Fish" defense.



• Only in Florida.

Nice normal productive day for me today.

I did not have to work late nor did I have to struggle with people who don't know what they are doing.

It's nice to get a lot done without any frustrations. I should do this more often.

*

Today is New Hampshire primary day and I can't figure out why that should matter to me.

*

Special note to Cam Newton -

My Uncle Marino wrote a lot of stories about Arnold Palmer. As a matter of fact, I think it's safe to say that my Uncle Marino is a friend of Arnold Palmer.

Back in 2005, Marino wrote a tribute article about Arnold for the 66th Senior PGA Tournament.

This was the final paragraph from that article:

When Arnie Palmer shoots 80-something in the Masters, you go talk to him. This was the case in the early 80s. A small group of us found Palmer sitting at his locker, head down, dejected, discouraged, whipped. Finally, one writer broke the taut, embarrassing silence.

"Arnie," the guy said, "we hate to have to talk to you at a time like this."

Palmer looked up and said:

"Fellas -- we talked when times were good, we'll talk when times are bad."

That is how a champion behaves.

*

While you are waiting for the New Hampshire poll results to roll in, you can click on these links:

• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• Only in Florida.



• Key phrase in this story that explains why women live longer than men: "James was able to snap one picture before his wife pulled him away."



• Only in Pennsylvania.

More snow!

Hey, at least I didn't have to drive to the airport in the snow. Also, it's not last year when we got 2 feet of snow every day for most of February and March.

*

Har!

*

Try these links:

• This is going to be the best Olympics ever!!!



• I wasn't aware that women are required to vote for other women.



• Parents of the Year.

And she's home

Her flight landed right on time and we were home before half-time. Compared to her trip out there, the return home was a snap.

*

Pretty soon, there will be no one left alive who has walked on another planet. We should be ashamed of ourselves for that.

What happened to our sense of adventure? Our desire to find new things?

We no longer explore the "final frontier". Instead, we catch a ride on a russian space ship to the International Space Station were we fall around our planet and experiment on things like gecko sex or solutions mixed in micro-gravity.

What happened to us?

*

You can click on these:

• If you are going to rob your classmates, you should do it before your senior picture is published in the year book.



• Key phrase in this story: "Yes, I have fantasized about a Darth Vader-shaped dildo."



• Oh, by the way, Part 2 of the NFL Bad Lip Reading is out. You can thank me later.

Another interview under her belt,

She said that this interview was the one that made her the most nervous but she also said she thought the people were nice.

This one was at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and one of her college friends is a vet student there. That means if she attends school there, she'll have a friend to help her get started.

Personally, I'm hoping for Tufts out in Grafton. If she gets in there, she'll be an hour from home and only 30 minutes from her older brother.

It would be nice to have family nearby for an occasional break from the vigor of school.

*

You might enjoy these links:

• More felons should use Facebook to taunt the police.



• Key phrase in this story: "...three unusually principled hit men..."



• Only in Florida.



• I've said it before and I'll say it again: We, as a species, should apologize to all other species for the 1970s...

Not the best of days for my girl.

We got to the airport in plenty of time for her to board her flight...

...and sit on the plane for more than an hour while it, and every other plane at Bradley airport, was being de-iced and delayed by bad weather.

At some point in the morning, it became clear that she was going to miss her 11:00 am connecting flight in Charlotte but American Airlines called the house and my wife was able to get her on a 2;50 flight from Charlotte to Minneapolis.

She arrived in Charlotte at 11:30 or so. Plenty of time to catch the 2:50 flight that she had been rebooked on. She found a comfortable seat where she...

...sat until 4:00 pm which is what time her 2:50 flight actually took off.

I'm not sure, since I wasn't with her, but I'm betting my poor daughter was not really enjoying all of her time in airports.

But I'm happy to report that she is safely at her friends apartment and will be at her interview for the University of Minnesota Veterinary School tomorrow morning.

*

You can visit these links:

• Only in Florida.



• Welcome to Walmart.

Just great

I am driving my daughter to the airport tomorrow morning and they are predicting snow stating at midnight tonight.

Oh goodie - we get to enjoy a drive down 91 at 6:00 am in a snowstorm.

*

Here are a few links you can visit:

• Hey! We're gonna get buzzed!



• Why? Do they not have indoor plumbing or outhouses in Chattanooga?



• Brilliant. Simply brilliant...



• Don't you just want to slap this little puke.

Quiet day today.

Nothing good, or bad, is really happening so how about we get to the links:

• It should be legal to shoot anyone that has one of these things. Or anyone that sells them. Or anyone that buys them. Or anyone that gives them away. Or anyone that makes them. Or anyone that has ever thought about getting one.



• I'm going to utilize this. You should too.



• Some college students are actually pretty damned smart.

This is getting interesting.

So Donald Trump, a man with no political background, no filter between his brain and his mouth and the single most ridiculous hair style ever conceived of basically tied for the win in the first political campaign of the presidential race.

Think about that and see if you can figure out why Trump was able to do that.

Forget about all the news stories saying, "Trump gets beat?" or "Cruz wins!" because those aren't true. The results are Cruz: 28% vs Trump: 24% vs Rubio: 23%.

That, my friends, is a three-way tie if ever I've seen one.

So how does a guy who has never held office, get into a three-way tie with professional politicians for the most powerful seat in the nation?

I'll tell you how - his big mouth, that's how.

Americans in general are sick and tired of all the politically-correct bullshit we are forced to swallow every time we turn around. People are getting fed up being told what to do and how to act. We, as a society, have become a collection of entitled spoiled brats with overly-sensitive feelings.

Admit it, you all throw up in your mouth a little bit every time someone uses the word "inclusion".

We need to stop with all the hurt feelings crap and just suck it up buttercup because when a government spends more time worrying about your feelings than your freedom, we've all got a problem. We need to stop looking at other cultures and thinking that they are just like us. They aren't like. They are nothing like us.

*

There are only 16 days left until pitchers and catchers report for spring training.

Just sayin' is all.

*

Here are some links you can click on:

• Add this to the list of ways I don't want to die.



• There is no information if he felt it was too small or too big, just that he was "yellowing" about it.



• Have I mentioned that the Japanese are freakin' insane?



• "We're gonna put the ball at the third and whatever. I don't wanna measure."

What the hell is a caucus?

So I decided to see if I can figure out what the whole "Iowa caucus" thing is all about and this is what I found out:

Those people are crazy.

Turns out that the entire population of Iowa gets together in small groups in barns, churches, houses, general stores, outhouses, etc... and they talk about who they want to be president. Once they figure out who they want, they elect a "delegate" (or was it a delicate...) to represent them at the county level.

There are 99 counties so that means there are 99 "delegates". These people get together in places that I assume are not outhouses and say things to each other like, "My people want Hillary!" or "My people want Donald!" or "Your people are doody heads!" (They are very polite in Iowa).

After politely saying things to each other for a few hours, they vote to elect...

...more delegates.

Those delegates get to go to the national convention and say things like, "Mr Chairman! The great state of Iowa, flat and windy though it may be, is pleased and proud to say that we have all politely agreed to cast our six votes for (insert name here)! Also, we brought you some corn!"

At least, I think that's what happens.

Whatever it is that's happening, I do know that according to CNN, this is the most excitement that Iowans can have with their clothes on. Assuming of course they ever take their clothes off. These are some of the most seriously polite and reserved people on the planet.

*

Here are some links you can click on:

• Sounds to me like some people in Maricopa County, AZ need to learn to shut up.



• Maybe he just needed to make a lot of phone calls all at once...



• The Boss of the Year award goes to...



• That's a lot of slaw....



• Key phrase in this story: "...out of an abundance of caution."



• Judge Dennis Curran is my newest hero.