The annual cleaning of the latrine is complete

My dogs latrine is once again devoid of canine waste.

It's not a job I look forward to but now that it's done, I can go into what I call "maintenance mode". That's where I clean up after then every other day.

It's a lot easier doing it that way but it's impossible to do when there is 2 to 24 inches of snow on the ground.

⧫

The Red Sox won last night and I'm hoping they win again tonight.

Price pitched a great game so hopefully he's fully mended and back to what he was before he joined the Red Sox.

The batters hit well and most of the outs were what I call "loud outs". That means they were caught on the warning track. Just a bit further would have made them home runs.

Tonight we get to see what Porcello can do. I'm hoping he's back to his old form and is once again untouchable.

The game starts at 6:00 so I need to get focused.

If you can't tell, I'm kind of excited about this season.

⧫

While I watch the game, you can click the links:

• I suspect this is going to end badly for a lot of people.



• "We're gonna need a shitload of cookies, stat!"



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• This could very well be my new favorite website.

I went to a wake this evening

And then I went drinking with a bunch of people who were at the wake.

Now I'm home watching baseball.

That means I didn't spend a lot of time surfing the interwebs.

⧫

I did find these few things:

• 100 vs 3



• Yes, alcohol was involved. Also Florida.



• This is either going to be interesting as hell or a terrible idea.

Opening Day should be a federal holiday.

The first pitch of the MLB season was thrown by a guy named Jose Urena of the Miami Marlins.

I think the pitch was a belt-high fastball.

While I'm not entirely certain what kind of pitch was thrown, I am positive the pitch was promptly hit out of Marlins Park by Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs got off to a good start.

Not so much the Marlins.

As for the Red Sox, they played well but not well enough

Sale pitched a hell of a game. He went 6 innings, giving up 1 hit, 3 walks and getting 9 strike outs. That is some pretty damned good pitching for opening day. When he left, the score was 4-0 Red Sox.

Then Barnes came in to pitch the seventh. I always get a little edgy when Barnes pitches. I'm never comfortable with him because he seems to throw a lot of belt-high fastballs and hitters can send those things a mile.

Fortunately Barnes was spot on today and he threw a good inning, giving up no runs and leaving with the score still 4-0 Red Sox

After that, it was time for Kelly and his 100+mph fastball. NESN wasn't displaying the speed gun readout today so I have no idea how fast his pitches were but I do know that they are damned fast.

And that my friends is when the wheels came off.

Kelly gave up 4 hits and 2 runs with 1 out. When Cora took him out, the bases where loaded and the score was 4-2 Red Sox.

Smith came in and managed to get the second out before giving up a 3 run triple, making the score 4-5 Rays.

Smith gave up 1 more run before finally getting the third out, making the score 4-6 Rays with one inning left.

That inning wasn't enough for the Red Sox and the game ended 4-6 Rays.

The Red Sox did not get off to a good start.

⧫

So now I'm going to go make some dinner and watch bad television. Maybe some DVRs or something.

While I do that, you can click on these:

• Massachusetts: Our politicians are way more screwed up than your politicians.



• Key lie in this story: "Clark stated he was sorry for the incident."



• Florida!



• Who's there?



• I wonder if the Sheriff of Nottingham was involved.

A free evening.

No webinars, no visits with pickers and no late meetings.

Also, no baseball.

But tomorrow, things will be different.

I will be deeply focused on the opening day game tomorrow. I'll start by listening to it on my way home on the radio and then watching the remainder on my special coaching TV.

⧫

The news has been pretty interesting lately and if you haven't been paying attention to it, good for you.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sick and tired of hearing about Facebook, Trump, the Russians and snow storms.

I think I'd like to hear news stories about me winning the lottery.

⧫

You can enjoy these links if you want:

• It's the old, "There, are we good?" defense.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Key phrase in this story: "...consistent with something hot, like a burrito, striking her."



• Pfffttttt.... Rednecks.....

I have a webinar this evening.

Once again, my evening is occupied with stuff that prevents a lot of inteweb surfing. I will be sitting through a FAA webinar on stabilized landing approaches.

I feel that the more I know about stabilized landing approaches, the better I'll be at landing.

Landing is important.

⧫

I did want to say that today was the final spring training game. The Red Sox are off tomorrow and will be heading up to Tampa to where they will open the season on Thursday when they play the Rays at 4:00pm.

Personally, I think opening day should be a legal holiday so we can stay home and watch the games.

⧫

While I fill my brain with information from the FAA, you can click on these:

• Key phrase in this story: "Anybody that can’t see a big yellow van from half a mile away deserves three points and a fine..."



• Any story that ends in a Walmart in Alabama is a good story.



• Someone has some anger management issues.



• If you have been banned from going to prisons, you have made bad life decisions.

I'm watching baseball.

We spent some time meeting with someone who is interested in some things.

Now I'm watching baseball.

That means this is all you get.

Price actually looked pretty good today

I'm really hoping Price has put his bad attitude & injury-prone arm behind him and he is going to be an asset this season. He pitched a solid three inning today giving up 1 hit, 1 run 1 walk and 4 strike outs.

Not a bad line.

⧫

Here are todays links:

• This just keeps getting crazier and crazier.



• I'm pretty certain that if you sell your daughter for $20,000, you are a scumbag of the worst kind.



• If you have a Droid phone and you use the Facebook app, you should probably read this story.

Things have changed.

Here's an observation.

Whenever the terrified newscasters (TNs) start announcing that there are millions in the path of a storm, the government goes into hyperdrive and begins to do what governments do best - flail and run around.

The first thing they do is gather as many stern and dour-looking people (SDLP) as possible in a room and then they put the highest-ranking official (HRO) in front of them. They point cameras at the SDLP and the HRO. Next to the HRO is the Designated Flailer (DF):

The HRO proceeds to looking solemnly & sternly into the camera and reads a prepared statement explaining that there is nothing to fear because the government has things well in hand while the DF flails away.

Basically they are saying that we, the lowly and unintelligent masses (LUMs) should not leave our houses because we have no idea how to handle the snow/rain/wind that is coming our way. Only the government officials (GOs) and TNs know what to do. The rest of us are idiots who will die the minute we touch the snow/rain/wind.

This is a relatively new phenomenon. I'm not entirely sure why it started or how it started but every time it snows, this process takes place.

When I was a kid, that never happened. When it was going to snow, this guy told us it was going to snow:

There was no HRO, no DF and no SDLP, just John Quill.

John would say things like, "It's going to snow. We might get between 2 and 20 inches. Make sure you have your snow chains on your tires." He never mentioned schools being closed, he never said anything about staying home and he never told us to stock up on milk and batteries.

All he ever told us was what he thought it was going to do without any embellishment, no flailing and no intervention from the government.

⧫

The Red Sox managed to beat the Astros today but not without a cost. Chris Sale was struck in the hip by a line drive in the first inning and they took him out of the game.

It looks like he is okay, just a bruise. This is a good thing because losing him would be bad.

Very bad.

In other Red Sox news, they traded Marrero to the Diamondbacks today.

This is a good thing for Marrero, the Diamondbacks and the Red Sox. The Diamondbacks get a great infielder, Marrero gets to play a lot more baseball than he would have with the Red Sox and the Red Sox no longer have to decide what to do with both Marrero and Holt.

Now they just have to wonder what to do with Holt.

⧫

I'm being creative and building a dog door for the Small Emergency Backup Dog. This task involves wood, power tools, various adhesives and swearing.

While I continue that, you can work on these:

• Presenting the winner of the Father of the Year award.



• In case you were wondering.



• And if you're wondering what spot on the earth the Chinese satellite is gonna hit, wonder no more.



• Oh Canada.

They shut down the Yankees

The Red Sox took some of their regular players and a lot of their rookies up to Tampa to take on the big bad New York Aaron Judges starring Giancarlo Stanton. When the game ended, the Red Sox had beaten them 5-0.

Once again, I managed to pay attention to the game via MLB Game Day but it's not the same.

Tomorrow and Sunday will be different because not only will NESN carry those games, I will be watching them.

⧫

Speaking of baseball players...

I bet these guys have a great time playing the game.

⧫

The Stock Market took a major bath over the last two days.

Thanks goodness I'm not retired anymore.

⧫

Enjoy these links:

• You need a license to own a dog, a license to drive a car and a license to get married but they'll let any asshole be a parent.



• If this is what you look like, you have made poor life decisions.



• Only in Florida.



• This is one of the most Worcester things you will see today.



• Key phrase in this story: "...grandmother's birthday party at Golden Corral..."

They lost today

I paid attention to this afternoons game using that Gameday thing on MLB and it looked like they had it in the bag. Then the pitching collapsed and the Orioles managed to make a pretty huge comeback.

NESN is running the game tonight at 8:00 so I'll watch it then.

Knowing the outcome won't make it any less fun to watch.

⧫

If you haven't heard yet, the DJIA dropped almost 3% today.

I'm afraid to go look at my retirement account....

⧫

You can visit these links if you would like:

• This thing was designed to last 3 months.



• Key phrase in this Only in Florida story: "Take the baby! Take the baby!"
  (That's what I used to yell to my wife all the time.)



• Looks like the drunk lawnmower guy is going to jail.



• It's only a matter of time before they outlaw these things.



• Our school administrators in action.

So much for the snow

As I type this there is absolutely no sign of snow falling.

I'm guessing the weather dweebs may have overstated this storm.

⧫

I was kind of busy today which means I didn't spend a lot of time reading the news.

I do know that they stopped the Austin Bomber.

I also know that Mark Zuckerberg is full of shit and he could care less about your privacy. He's only concerned about his money.

And last but not least, I know that Joe Biden considers himself a tough guy.

But that's all I had time to know today.

⧫

I did manage to scrape up a link or four for you:

• Mr. Baseball is my hero.



• Attention smugglers: You probably shouldn't draw attention to yourself by going 90 in a 55.



• No one told me this was an Olympic sport now! I wonder if NBC will cover the events...



• Only in Florida.

Happy first day of spring!

Enjoy it while you can 'cuz it's gonna snow tomorrow....

⧫

The Red Sox won their eighth game in a row today.

This is looking pretty damned good. It's looking so good that I can't help but wonder who Cora is going to send down to the minors over the next few days. Opening day is in seven days and the 25-man roster needs to be finalized before then.

It doesn't suck that he has more talent than he needs but since he can't keep them all, he's got some tough decisions to make.

⧫

I found these for you:

• Hey, maybe she had to get to an important bingo game.



• Driving & Puking would be a great name for a Irish drive-thru pub.



• Only in Florida.



• I thought they just sold hamburgers there.

My hands still hurt

After years of sitting at a desk, typing and writing, I can tell you with no qualms that I am not cut out for manual labor.

My back and hands hurt.

A lot.

⧫

Chris Sale had an unusually bad outing against the Phillies today when he went five innings, gave up five hits and four runs.

The Red Sox, however, managed to overcome that and beat the Phillies 6-5 for their seventh win in a row.

I'm liking the way this team is playing...

⧫

Enjoy these links:

• They eat a lot of fish in Sweden. A lot...



• I'm convinced that celebrities are stupid. Just plain stupid....



• I always liked him.



• These people need to burn in hell.

I'm still tired.

I fell asleep around 9:30 or 10:00 last night and slept until 6:30 this morning which should be more than enough sleep.

Problem is I only got about 5 hours of sleep the night before.

Either that or I'm old and I just need more naps that I used to.

⧫

The Red Sox won their sixth game in a row by beating the Pirates this afternoon.

It was a fun game to watch.

⧫

My wife has been working her butt off trying to clean out her moms house before May. The goal is to get the house cleaned out before she has a realtor list it.

Problem is my mother-in-law collected a lot of stuff over the years and figuring out what to do about that stuff is not easy.

There are three types "collectors" in this world.

1. There are people who collect things because they think those things are useful.
2. There are people who collect things because they like the thing they collect and are happy having it.
3. There are people who collect things because they think those things might one day have value.

I fall into the first group. I save 'stuff' because I say to myself, "Hmm. That's in pretty good shape. I'll hold on to it in case I ever need one." This explains the four or five electric motors I have sitting on my workbench from old vacuum cleaners, fans or pumps. Or the hundreds of old memory sticks and hard drives I have sitting in drawers in the basement. Hell, I still have two or three 3.5 inch floppy drives sitting in a cabinet.

My wife falls into the second group. She collects things simply because she likes the thing. Her things fall into what I call the knick-knack category. She doesn't expect those things to ever be useful or valuable, she just plain old likes them and enjoys looking at them.

The problem with the third type of collector is that what is valuable today turns out to be fairly worthless later on. For instance, all the people that collected Beanie Babies or Cabbage Patch Kids are now stuck with hundreds of worthless, unwanted stuffed toys.

My mother-in-law was one of those people who liked to go "antiquing". She collected old thing-a-ma-bobs and widgets because she saw value in the objects. Problem is what she collected back in the 1960s and 70s is now considered fairly worthless.

This puts my wife in the position of figuring out what to do with all of this stuff that her mom thinks is valuable.

It's not easy but my wife managed to corral some "pickers" this weekend and we met up with them today. As a result, my mother-in-law may not be rich but at least no one has to pay to dispose of a lot of stuff.

⧫

So anyways, we spent far more time this weekend moving stuff around and hauling it out of the house. My back hurts, my hands hurt and I'm tired.

While I complain about my maladies, you can visit these links:

• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Orville is in much better shape than I am.



• Hey, they had 11 hours to kill.

And just like that, they're gone.

At 4:30 this morning, we got out of bed, washed up, poured coffee into travel mugs and headed for the airport.

Once we got there, my daughter and her little angel, the small emergency backup dog, boarded a plane to Iowa.

They arrived safely back at her apartment this afternoon but she indicated that several other people weren't quite that safe. She passed several cars that had gone off the highway and were in the process of being towed. I guess there was a some frozen precipitation that caused slippery road conditions.

Fortunately for her, the road was fine when she got there.

Then again, having spent some time in Iowa, I'm not entirely sure those people know how to drive in bad weather.

⧫

The Red Sox managed to win again today and I managed to watch the game.

Life is good.

⧫

These links are here for you to enjoy:

• It's the old, "I'm actually a cartoon character" defense.



• Only in Florida.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, steals your parking space.



• I'm pretty sure I'm never flying United.



• Oh Canada.
  (Actually, it's kind of a cute story.)



• Key line in this story: "I’m very proud of my son."

Getting that itch to fly...

Between the strong winds, the snow and the rains we keep seeing, my flying time has been curtailed.

When I started the training, I flew twice a week. Once I was allowed to solo, I flew three times a week. After I got my license, I flew once every other week. Then winter hit and the damned weather decided to become crappy.

I managed to fly on December 27 and again on March 1. April is fast approaching and I'm hoping to get some time in the air soon. I'd like to try and get back to the flying every other week thing.

I like flying.

⧫

The Red Sox are playing this evening and I will be watching the game.

It starts in a few minutes so I'm going to finish this off and press the publish button.

⧫

While I watch baseball, you can click on these links:

• Irishmen: Slightly crazy and heavily alcoholic. At least, that's the rumor...



• Thank you, Amateur Canadian Scientists.



• Well, I guess that settles that.



• I'm more concerned about the Chinese, the Koreans and the Russians.



• Only in Florida.

Sorry about yesterday

I didn't get home until fairly late and didn't feel like surfing the interwebs.

Let's see what we can do to make up for that today.

⧫

The Red Sox man aged to win again today.

Price stayed on the mound for 4 innings which is a freakin' miracle for him. I'm really hoping this is a preview of how his season will go because the Red Sox need him to be good again.

And less childish.

That would be good too.

⧫

Here are a few links:

• Only in Florida.



• Apparently it's against the law to "work" in France.



• I can assure you that I do not have a stuffed toy.



• This kind of stuff does not happen where I fly.

Not much to say today

I visited with some friends this evening and that means I'm tired. I will say that Chris Sale pitched 5 great innings today which means we can expect him to be pretty damned good come opening day.

I'll post links tomorrow.

So much for the 7-10 inches.

I'm pretty sure we ended up with about 3 inches of snow which is less than half what they predicted.

Still, I'm glad I have The Beast. It took me about 20 minutes to clear my driveway.

⧫

No work today.

Have I mentioned that I like working at a college?

⧫

No baseball today.

Tomorrow they take on the Twins and Sale will be the stating pitcher. I'll be very curious to see how he does.

⧫

Try these links out for size:

• This commercial makes me want to buy their product.



• Looks like they don't really want to stop people from speeding, they just want to collect the fines.



• Everybody in Florida is originally from New Jersey.



• Mr. Steele, you are not helping. Not helping at all.

Not sure if I'll be working tomorrow

The weather dweebs are claiming we are going to get between 7 and 10 inches of snow tonight into tomorrow. This may cause the powers that be at the college to decide on closing tomorrow.

Personally, I'm voting for closure. The recent change over to daylight savings time is messing with my sleep habits and I'm freakin' exhausted.

⧫

The Red Sox managed to win today, making up for their loss yesterday.

I realize it's Spring Training and none of this matters but it's still nice when they win.

⧫

Here are a few links you can visit:

• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Week.



• Only in Florida.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, kills ya if you wait long enough.



• Why would you do this to yourself.

Missed most of the game today

The Red Sox ended up losing to the Orioles today and I managed to catch the last 2 innings.

According to my buddy Walt, who was in attendance at the game, they played pretty well but just couldn't get the win.

⧫

My youngest and his girlfriend came in from Keene last night to hang out with us. They spent the night and headed back home this afternoon.

It was a nice visit and they are once again safe and sound back in Keene.

⧫

The clock change messed with us and I'm tired. Because of that, you get a short post.

Here are a couple of links:

• I'll believe her after the 2020 election is over with.



• You gotta give her credit, she displays persistence and determination.

They're home

My daughter and the small emergency backup dog arrived last night and they will be spending the week with us. The large main dog seems happy to have his girlfriend home and my daughter seems happy to be anywhere other than school for the week.

My wife and I are just happy to have them home for a while.

⧫

The Red Sox stunk the joint up this afternoon but they managed to escape without a loss.

At the end of the hour-long first inning, the score was 10-0 in favor of the Twins.

By the third inning, it wasn't very much better and that was when the rain arrived.

They called the game after 3 innings which is considered a cancellation during spring training. This means despite getting their ass kicked, the Red Sox don't carry the loss.

They got lucky.

⧫

You can click on these if you want:

• He was apparently not happy with the placement of her finger.



• Encounter with a Drag Performer's Fake Breast would be a great name for a 1970's Ken Kesey novel.



• Mexico might need that wall more than we do.



• New York City has a new way to deal with the homeless.

Trump is gonna talk to Krazy Kim

I'm not sure if I should be worried about this or if I should be happy about it.

Trump isn't known for having a firewall between his brain and mouth. That could result in him saying something insulting to Kim that causes North Korea to go to a war footing.

Krazy Kim is not the most stable person on the planet. We're talking about a guy who executes his relatives using anti-aircraft guns.

⧫

You can enjoy these links:

• Seems to me that their mistake was taking the thieves to the police.



• They have some interesting news in Zimbabwe.



• Could have used these at my old employer.



• We don't pay cops enough.



• Attention San Francisco area armed robbers: Here's a safe space for you.

Short day today

At 6:00 this morning, the college powers-that-be sent out a message telling everyone to stay home until at least 9:30. That means I had more than enough time to clear the snow off my driveway.

It also means I worked a short day today and those are always nice.

⧫

Man, that snow was heavy this morning...

Thank goodness for The Beast. It ate the snow and slush up without a problem.

As for my son in New Hampshire, who is now in possession of the Pre-Beast, he indicated via several text messages that he was pretty damned glad to have that little machine. It had a few problems with the really heavy stuff at the end of the driveway but he said he was able to clear most of it without a problem.

In his own words, it was way better than shoveling.

I love snow blowers.

⧫

The links are here:

• Attention heavily armed drug dealers: Do not excessively honk your horn.



• His picture is now in the dictionary next to the word "constipation".



• Australia: If nothing is trying to kill ya, you try to kill yourself.



• Only in Florida.

No work for me today

The college decided to close today so I got to go to my doctors appointment without using any vacation time.

Actually, it wasn't so much a doctors appointment as it was a CT scan.

Two years ago, my doctor got me into this study for ex-smokers. They do a low-grade CT scan of my chest and lungs every year and compare the scans from year to year.

The assumption is that they will see anything bad while it is still small and curable.

The report they send you in the mail is graded one through four where one is what a baby's lungs would be like and a four would be a dead guy.

For the record, last years report showed my lungs were a two which is what anyone who has every breathed. If this years comes back the same way, I'm gonna stop the study.

Last thing I want is to get irradiated every year for no reason.

⧫

Here are a few links you can click on if you want:

• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• It's the old, "Zombies made me do it" defense.



• Key line from our favorite police log: "The dispatcher noted that not a lot about the conversation made sense."



• Attention ladies: If you are doing this, it's time to put the Maybelline down and step away from the mirror.



• The Japanese have secured their position of the weirdest people on the planet.

Nothing to say.

My old employer is once again treating their employees like spare change and I spent a couple of hours with some folks that are going to be looking for new jobs soon.

With that in mind, I'm done for the night.

Perhaps there will be links tomorrow.

Storms a'comin' Rufus. Best be gettin' the cows in the barn.

They claim we are going to get 10-12 inches of snow on Wednesday evening.

They also claim that when you quit smoking, the cravings eventually go away.

I can say with clarity that the craving does not go away and "they" are full of shit.

⧫

No baseball today. They will pick it up again tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Rays.

⧫

You can click on these:

• Looks like the KGB may be back in business...



• When I read this headline, the first thing that crossed my mind was this.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, sneaks up on ya while your eating.



• This is normal for Los Angeles.

Another loss

They took an early 6-0 lead but ended up losing 10-8. There were a lot of home runs hit in todays game and it was fun to watch.

⧫

I sat through a class this morning put on by a flight instructor up at Northampton Airport. It was about the latest technology available for the private pilot.

There was a lot of cool stuff and since I already have half of it, I'm thinking about going all the way and picking up the rest.

Guess we'll have to see how the budget looks over the next few months.

⧫

Here are a few links you can click on of you want:

• He's 61. She's 25. Together they form a couple of assholes.



• This is why I don't gamble.



• "...as I come up the driveway, he pees on my tires and then hops up in the cab for a treat."

Pretty good game of baseball today

The Red Sox lost to the Yankees but not because they didn't play well.

They traded leads during the game but the Yankees held on long enough to win 5-3 when a great catch up against the right field wall ended the game.

Tomorrow they take on the Orioles.

I'm sure that will also be a fun game to watch.

⧫

I managed to find you a few links to click on:

• In America, we call them McNuggets.



• Are they saying there are researchers who are tasked with looking for poop from space?



• I guess it's a little windy and icy in Alberta, Canada.

Just a bit windy today

Walking across campus was interesting but since I have a hands-free umbrella (my hat), I managed to keep my bald spot dry. Forget the umbrella because the wind was turning those things inside out.

Out near Boston, they had wind gusts of 80mph.

That's hurricane speeds.

Umbrellas are a complete waste of time in hurricanes.

⧫

The Red Sox are nine games into spring training and their record is 7-2.

Not bad.

Hopefully it stays that way in the regular season.

⧫

You can click on these. Or not. Your choice:

• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• I'm pretty sure this was an episode of The Sopranos.



• Who's a good boy? He's a good boy!



• I gotta wonder what led up to this.

I managed to go flying today!

When I got to work this morning and I was walking across the campus to my office, I couldn't help but notice that it was a beautiful day. Once I was in my office, I decided to check the weather for the afternoon and it was still going to be beautiful.

I called the airport and was able to schedule a plane. Then I told my boss I was taking the afternoon off. Then I got everything done I wanted to get done and headed home.

There was a bit of a crosswind at the airport but I managed to get 4 full stop landings with one go-around. I was a little sloppy on my downwind leg but I'm not unhappy with my performance given that I haven't been flying since the last week of December.

So now that I'm home, safe and sound, I can post some links for you:

• Where were these teachers when I was in high school....



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Day
  (Yes, they have video cameras in all interrogation rooms)



• He was probably trying to get to the pub.