Systematizing for Dummies

Another case of false advertising.  I cannot tell dummies how to get it right because I, myself, am a dummy who has great difficulty in organizing the most mundane and basic aspects of my life.

Fortunately, past experience has proven that, in certain business or product development contexts, I am capable of effective organization.  That goes only so far, though.  Modern times have seen my personal life become so disorganized that I hardly know where to start.

My observations of people who have made money and thrive in general, whether earning a living through their own business or by climbing the ladder at work, reveal that these people get there by not adopting an attitude that casts them in the role of victim.  They may have obstacles, but they adapt and overcome, or circumvent such road blocks.  The ones that thrive most, as far as I can tell, seem to have built a family or good relationship.  Everyone has their ups and downs, but some manage more ups.

It is easy to look at the political world and the massive universe of governments and see the idiocy, dishonesty and dangers.  However, I realize that, although I may be right in my assessments, I should prove that I can manage the small dictatorship of John0land rather than focus on that which is beyond my control.

Knowing that the universe or God or luck of the draw has favored me in many ways, and allowed me to be unusually lucky many times, when it mattered most, I can muster no good excuse for not thriving. I've thought of blaming my parents or George Bush, or even Obama and Harry Reid.   My parents are long gone and weren't really so bad.  In adulthood, it is best to realize that they did what they knew and I know at least one of them had her heart in the right place.

It won't do any good to blame Bush or Obama, although this healthcare mandate may create hardship and some dealing with government enterprise which I find quite abhorrent.  Cross that bridge when I get there.

First order of business; tackle the shovel ready jobs here in my world to organize my personal nation's infra structure.  Then we work on our version of sustainable revenue sources.  See?  I even include trendy buzz words.

It is important that I don't criticize myself for being lazy, negligent, and incompetent as I've recently learned those are code words for racist bigotry.  Wouldn't want to be making racist slurs against myself. Neither would I want to criticize myself for just being another white guy.  I see nothing wrong with that.

What is wrong is that I have mismanaged the revenue and resources at my disposal.  I'm pretty sure that being a white male has absolutely nothing to do with my choices which resulted in the present state of affairs.

The other reason for ignoring what They do is that I believe the era of runaway governmental insanity is upon us and what can I do about it if I can't run my own affairs any better than this?

So, here are some of the premises under which I hope to act.
1. It is possible to attain reasonable goals.
2. It does not matter if other things pose stumbling blocks.  Others have overcome greater obstacles.
3. It is possible to thrive.
4. My degree of contentment and happiness is pretty much up to me.

Lots of people look at me and think they would do better in my circumstances.  I think they may be right, but I am here, and they aren't.  I often think they could do things differently, too, but I am not so sure, in many cases, that I would manage better in their shoes.  I just know it can be done, and I assume they are better at doing that stuff than I am.

I do realize how fortunate I am.  I just don't want to let it all erode away before I take control and ensure sustainability.  There's that word again.  When government people use it, it is code for "rob Peter to pay Paul", and for corrupt cronyism.  My personal world has little room for that.


****all photos lifted from others.  I didn't keep track.  Both are from storm Sandy aftermath.  The kid is in NY somewhere directing traffic as measures are taken to get 'er done.  Pretty cool for a 12 year old.

What Was I Thinking?

There is this beautiful, insightful thought that is too good not to write down, which is what I sometimes do here--write thoughts, but I can't quite remember the thought, just the burning desire to jabber about it in print.  Yay.  That was a long and possibly coherent sentence.  Let me see what it says.  I understand it, so it may or may not be coherent.  Good enough for gummit work.

I should take a picture of pine valley.  They have trees with changing leaves.  I'm not sure what kind.  Not pine, that's for sure.

This is not a fall colors kind of place.  San Diego and west of here isn't. Out here things are different. But still incredibly hospitable climate.

I'll add getting a picture before it is too late to my list.  Maybe I'll actually do it.

What a bargain!  $3.73 for regularo petrol.  How sick is that?  This is way down from the 4.70 price of recent weeks.  4.70 plus or minus.  I couldn't make myself look at it and remember.

The good stuff about this state is mostly not due to the bulk of the way they spend their money.  The good is in spite of the nanny state of corruption.

Are food prices going up everywhere?  They are here.  It has been a steady increase for awhile now.  Good thing I'm one of the one percent who doesn't eat that much and can avoid the expense of meat without missing it.

Always something to salvaged out of things.

Animals for the Ethical Treatment of People

Not a great acronym in that, AETP.  I guess you pronounce it, "eat pea".  Or not.

If this caught on, it could be a good thing.  Here on Ballistic mountain, coyotes have already been organizing, and policing some offenders.

They have been talking to rabbits and deer, who have survived egregious violations of right of way with automobiles.  You can't just slam into someone out of nowhere, then claim they didn't yield to a pedestrian.

So, the coyotes have taken several violators--those who don't respect property--to task.  And then they ate them.

Good Job, AETP

photo credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredhughey/5547007456/

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If power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, then I'd like to get some in case I find use for it.   What they really mean is, if you have power, and you are a man, then women will come out of the woodwork to distract you.  Probably the same if you're a woman, but not quite.

At any rate, I think the general's mistress is probably quite hot in person, but not one who cares if you destroy yourself stroking her ego.  And yours.   It is not so shocking.  I thought it was required for old school officers who've seen combat to sport around.   Well, I guess maybe not.

I figure a lot of this goes on in power circles.  More than in real life.  Not sure I care.  But it may not be good for the guy to be discussing business with a mistress.  It would be really cool if she were part of a spy ring.

What would make it extra confusing would be if she was working for a country like Canada or Australia.  Imagine all the spin and theory that would generate.  No one would be able to make sense of it.  If I ran those countries, I'd do that just to mess with people.

You don't want to get nabbed doing any real bigtime spying because they might do you in or lock you up forever.

OK.  People in power usually have extremely hungry egos.   It is so easy for a man to sucker for the other woman when ego, place, stress, etc all line up, which they do frequently.  After a few drinks, one may be convinced all those things have lined up whether or not they have.  In your confusion, you let the femme fatale lead you astray.  You turn to her for guidance and she compromises your virtue.

That's how it works.  Those who've lost all shred of direction do things like send emails which are self damning if read by anyone but the party who should be off limits anyway.  And, it seems bizarre, but all of a sudden, the whole world is talking about your dumb affair.

I still say she's hot just to look at without prior knowledge of her lust for power without risk.  All it can do is elevate her celebrity and possibly sell books.   Don't know if it will improve or damage her love life.

What if someone paid her to seduce him?  Someone tried to do that to me one time, believe it or don't.  I almost did.  The same people made sure I had plenty to drink.  The whole thing was actually planned by a psychopath coworker who saw me as a threat.

It is, and has been, a strange life.

But that is the way of nature.  The deer who bump into cars, then go limping off, get eaten up because they are dumb, inconsiderate and easier to catch than the smart deer who don't run into cars, end up out of the gene pool, and off the highway.  Thus, justice is served, yet the aggrieved are in no way reimbursed for their trouble and property damage.  This is nature.


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Meatless Mondays; next, Fools Fridays

This is enough to make me want to turn carnivore and devour city councils near and far.  The idiocy that is government baffles the mind.  The willingness of the public to continually elect and pay these people is totally incomprehensible, except that people tend to vote the way they think the resources of others will somehow be bent to their benefit.

Here it is from L.A.: “Be it resolved, that the Council of the City of Los Angeles hereby declares all Mondays as ‘Meatless Mondays’ in support of comprehensive sustainability efforts as well as to further encourage residents to eat a more varied plant-based diet to protect their health and protect animals.”

Buzz words spinning like a circular saw.  Sustainable.  Insanity and misuse of government in clear, eco-friendly, feel good color.  It's for us, and the animals.  They didn't mention the holy grail of excuses for overreaching governmental nonsense--THE CHILDREN.

Comprehensive sustainability is much like incomprehensible stupidity, I see.  Let's protect the animals, who would not be here and not be living if someone wasn't planning on eating them.  Set the cows free and you will have a mess.  Cows know almost nothing whatsoever.  But that wouldn't stop them from wandering into trouble as if they knew what they were doing.

No, best thing is to keep cows contained, fatten them up, then kill them, eat them, and make a pair of new shoes.

Oh, and we are protecting the health of the residents too, since they are too dumb to do it for themselves.  LA.  City of Angels who have one wing flapping in the sand.

It costs money every time some public committee or council does anything.  Those people get all kinds of perks and I guess, in CA, pensions or medicinal marijuana for life.  I can't even imagine the mind and philosophy of a person who would waste tax money and time on such a proposal.  They have similar proclamations in DC and San Francisco.  Fuquits.

We are living in a cartoonish, sci-fi story of a totalitarian state in which total nonsense is pandered as righteous thought, and soon the people voluntarily embrace the insanity and help it grow.

But it's for the CHILDREN, and the PLANET, and SUSTAINABILITY, and ANIMAL RIGHTS, and the CLIMATE

yeehah!!!!

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So Many Years in Solitary

Have you ever messed with the voicemail lady?  Even though you know she isn't real and isn't listening.

What is real big fun is to wait a little longer than suits her.  Push her patience.  Pretty soon she asks, "Are you still there?".  Ha, I'm not telling her yes or no.  She then starts into the options again.

I've yet to have her answer the question I ask her the most; What are you wearing?  Sooner or later she says, Good bye!, with a sing song finality that even a human couldn't equal.

Somehow this gives me a false kind of nostalgia for the days when I was being dumped left and right.   Good bye!, Mr Ballistic.  It is false because I never went through a run of that.  Once ever many years doesn't make a trend.  But if you think your rejectors did the smart thing, you definitely have the same opinion of yourself as you would have if it were a weekly thing.

So, I take it out on the voice mail lady when opportunity arises.  "Yea, so NOW you wonder if I'm still here.  Unless you tell me what you're wearing, you'll never know if I'm still here, or not."

"Am I still here?  Where are you when I need you?  Miss On-To-Greener-Pastures!"  I would say "on to bigger and better things", but I don't like the sound of that!

As reluctant as she is to actually engage, have to admit the voice mail lady has a nice voice.  Like she's probably highly attractive and intelligent.  Anyone got her number? She sounds single, but you never know. Is she?

Probably cycling, but coming out of the funk, and regaining confidence in the music scene.  Maybe it will last awhile and result in plenty of action on my part.  Wimmin being nice to me so I don't want to cloud myself away from that.

Wait, the arrangement of sentences, and maybe words, gives a wrong idea.  I mean action as in constructive enterprise, make my dwelling a welcome and materially minimalistic space, do a bunch of stuff I think of often but forgot at this moment.

So far, in about a month's time, I've been quizzed by border patrol twice and CA H.P. (spit) once at a couple of different overlook getaways I like.  CA Highway patrol, in this area, to me, is thought of the way the first off the boat Cubans felt about Castro, but it always sounded like they were saying, "Casssero! (spit spit)".  Not sure if they are stepping up their activities or just harassing people who obviously pose no threat, and who have no witnesses in the car.

Border Patrol gets in so much trouble for doing their job, I give them a pass.  But the whole federal cop thing, and stopping everyone on the highway at their check points is another story.  There's a permanent check point on I-8 about ten miles from here.

My theory is that a cop is more likely to stop a solo driver in a medium class car because they can pay a ticket but maybe not a lawyer, and they pick people who don't look dangerous.  Easier than busting Mercedes and other high end car owners.  They may have power.  And safer than confronting real criminals who might start shooting.

In The 40s!!!

It not only rained some, but here in SoCal, the temperatures have dropped all the way down to the 40's.   This may be a crisis.  I remember when I first moved here, and in the coastal area near Ocean Beach they had safe places for people to get out of the heat because it was in the 80's for a day or two.

Soon, I realized that being spoiled doesn't account for the panic whenever the weather stays from sunny and 70 degrees.  There is something about the place that quickly removes all immunity to even the slightest variation in temperature and/or humidity.  The closer to the coast you get, the more acute the condition.

It is probably an undetected chemical in the air.  Maybe brain wave frequencies emanating from the many big rocks.  Whatever the source of influence, something is certainly up.  I think that is why this state is known for being nuts.  I suspect San Francisco has whatever it is that influences us, plus extra doses of something.

LA, I have no explanation for them.

Considering the conditions in much of the northeast, no wonder they seem edgy and California is reputed to be laid back.

I guess they are.  I'm not sure that aspect of the culture isn't changing.

The more east you go, the more things vary, so we're used to extreme cold, like this, and legitimately hot, like 90 to 100 deg. temps.  It's a fairly dry heat.  Still hot, though.

There are other things going on, I just felt like saying nothing and alerting whoever to our extreme weather issues.

Protest Tip

If an election didn't go your way, and there is no present evidence that all the necessary votes were illegitimate,  grin and bear it.  Protesting makes zero sense.  Your vote contrary to the majority is your protest.  What, you think you have a right to make the rest of the world conform to your choices?  That's my objection to the current power structure.  It would be hypocritical of me to protest.

I guess there hasn't been much of it.  A bunch of drunks at U of Mississippi.   Then that spwned a bigger protest which was supposed to be a "let's all get along" demonstration to protest protest #1.  The reportedly drew 700 people and the first one drew 400.

If you are going to protest, protest something that has a chance greater than zero out of infinity of being changed.

It is so rare that I can support a demonstration.  For one thing it is rare that I'm in agreement with the effort, and for another, it is rare that they don't block roads and doorways and generally inconvenience strangers.

Protests of this nature cause people to think the opposite of what you are saying must be right.  And it gives a pass to the myriad of groups and individuals who threatened worse mob action had things gone otherwise.  No one from Ol' Miss will read this so once again, I'm relieving myself in the wind.

Geez, I could protest half the stuff, and almost all the elected officials that Californians voted in.   They suckered for the tax the rich scheme which doesn't require you be all that rich, but it will retard the hiring process with small businesses.  They suckered for all kinds of things.

Here, they always claim it is for the schools, but they spend money on so much fluff and garbage that they'll never be solvent.  They are definitely crazy.  Not everyone, of course, but obviously a majority of the voters, dead and alive, are not thinking of long term good.  Just short term payback in corrupt little schemes.

I may end up having to run from CA before running from the feds.   It's so nice here, though, so as long as I can find a way to keep this deal going, I'm staying put.   At this rate it is possible that they may make it illegal for people of my ilk to be of my ilk, but that hasn't happened yet.  I am getting fed up with harassment from border patrol and highway patrol when I decide to chill out at one or another scenic overlook.  It is happening regularly, lately.

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Fake Oil

OK.  So I'm wondering why different brands of full synthetic oil vary in price so much.  They all say it meets the specs of a bunch of initials that probably stand for something.  And it's synthetic.  It all looks alike, and I bet it tastes alike.

I've gone with the bargain brand a couple of times and it seems OK.  I think fake oil is probably not much different from container to container, no matter what the label says.  I hope so.  If I am wrong on this, I'd rather be told now so I don't feel compelled to do oil fake oil research.

Comrade comrade Comrade

Just practicing.

Yes, I'm one of the wackos who really thinks America has itself almost fully installed in the straightjacket of over-regulation, and creeping totalitarianism.   Even the arguments are mostly about things that ought not even be on the table.

When one group can control another's wealth, no good results.  What does result is bankruptcy,  precedent setting rights erosion, and divisive unreasoned attitudes of class hatred.

To say I'm happy to have a guy who strikes me as very much a top down sort of power monger in for four more years would be a lie.  I don't think the other one would have been as prone to skirt the law with executive order, and to push the collectivist view of life.  But that side does have some stupid causes, most of which have no business being discussed on the federal level, and probably not local by my thinking.  Not on federal because it isn't the job of federal government--ideally, and in non-creative constitutional application.  It has been applied very creatively to justify power creep for quite some time.

Discussions of gay marriage and any number of things which are not the proper functions of government, especially at federal level, dominate these campaigns.  It provides just the cover needed to put you in chains while smiling and claiming to set you free.  Ha. A Biden line, but I'm referring to everyone not one race.  Of course the worst hit think the are reaping the greatest benefit.

When you see how grubby, greedy and moronic that people can be, it is no surprise that things as they are and that we let whoever conducts the best circus to control our military.

But people actually believed the election had to do with birth control products and other things not actually relevant or within the true scope of the job.

This does not bode well for me, as I am not very close to the mainstream.  When I can afford to live and be insured both, I will.  In the mean time I will ignore all directives which claim to have authority to force me.  I see that as one example of the tyranny the American people have welcomed, and for which they seem to thirst.  Well half of them, anyway.

Half of America is philosophically OK with Marxism--ends justifies means. To each according to need, from each according to ability.   Of the other half, probably half of them are just as far from accepting freedom in any real sense.  And 70% of people are simply very dimwitted.  But they often make enough money or have any number of government jobs and/or pensions.

I'm just about done with it.  I don't think anything has changed.  It is just now a confirmed sure shot that I am screwed under the laws of the land.  I already was, but there was a chance things would ease up, or even that laws would get repealed.

Health mandates are just the tip of the iceberg.  I don't think people will be happy until we are truly third world in standard of living and quality of life.  But that has been coming forever.

In the mean time, people will continue to worry about abortion which has nothing to do with them, about getting free contraception--which someone pays for.  I used to just use a garbage bag.  Or I would merely annoy all women until they ran away.  And not once did I experience and unplanned pregnancy.

But who cares?   Goddam contraception is not my concern, and not my obligation.  The big problem with benevolence when someone else is paying at gunpoint, is that someone else is paying whether they like it or not.   The line between true social need and theft is certainly crossed easily.  We crossed that line long ago.  And at least half the people revere and canonize the creep(s) who pushed us the furthest past that line.

They all have a point and I see it, but they don't quite accept that the social democrats of the world roped in the dopes as they actually padded the pockets of special interests and many of the fat cats they pretended to assail.

Prices for food a gas out here have gone up steadily and rather quickly.  I can't wait until they start in with carbon taxes.  Dumb idiot, obamaphone toting morons will actually believe it somehow puts the filthy rich in their place while enriching the useless little morons who think of themselves as the holy little people.

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So, maybe I'll move to an anyone-can-buy-it marijuana state and numb myself to this beehive, ant farm society that those in power appear to want.

I wasn't going to say anything, but I had to rant.  If only I had a Che shirt to ceremoniously burn in pubic.  If I burned an Obama poster or a hope and change logo, I'd be accused of being racist and maybe a threat.  If wanting to fire the guy and never wanting to hire him in the first place makes me racist, OK.  Of course it doesn't.  I think he coddles and encourages racists himself.

I'm grateful he is president and not his wife, and not Joe Biden.  He chose his VP wisely--gave detractors a motive to keep him healthy.  Oh God, please don't tell me we have four more years of Michele at the breakfast, lunch, and dinner tables.  Maybe she'll come up with a new cause.  Perhaps she can go on a crusade against circumcision or something equally not her business.

I don't find royalty in America appealing.  I think that sums that up.

On the up side, we aren't arguing over hanging chads, and Romney conceded in a classy way.  We don't have to deal with the promised riots by those who think force is good if it deals with the resources of others.

And I know from the obvious trend that I need to adjust things in my life or I'll be crushed by the state in next few years.

I wonder what will be the next riot excuse.  The Great Pretense is alive and well.  Chris Matthews thinks the storm was a godsend, and that it has all been handled admirably.  People are nuts.  I knew that but for some reason this brought me to accept that knowledge.

Obama represents what has been in play for more years than I have.  He isn't the sudden embodiment of some new oppression and scam on the people.

Ever notice he doesn't like to call people "people" or "individuals"?  It's always "folks".  Everyone is a folk.   We've been folked.

People fear freedom and love the edge they perceive is offered by government; from the phone whores to businesses in "partnership" with government.  All the same thing--living large on what comes out of the pockets of others.

Maybe when I get my life running right I'll view all this differently.  Half, or more, of my friends support some or all of the current bolshevik trend.  Maybe they are right and I'm in another dimension--out in left or right field.


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No Riots?

Well, at least I didn't see people come out with Che shirts.  Maybe that is because I didn't watch.  

So far I guess riots have not ensued.  I don't think republicans are prone to it, but you never know.  The way things split it seems that the two big parties got together and divvied up which rights each would abuse.  So, I decide which way I think I can hold on to most freedom.  That is not the thinking of the majority.

It may actually be evolution.  Maybe some deep force has decided that survival of our species requires us to be more like ants, toiling under a ruling hierarchy with all for the good of the queen and the colony as a whole.  It does not sound like fun to me, but it does to some.

In any case,  I still haven't learned or even listened to Orange Blossom Special, but I guess I will.  My ego demands vindication.

How I manage to feel guilty for not playing something that doesn't motivate me, I don't know.  As well as the ego issue, I feel as if I've committed some sort of infraction by not ever learning and loving that tune.

If only I could get the tune labeled an affront to the Prophet, pbuh, then others would riot and no one would play it or expect me to.


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