Habits

The hardest part about writing isn't coming up with something to say or a story to tell, it's sitting your can in a chair and blocking off the time to punch the keys. Now I have to get back up on that horse and write. *Sigh* Time to cowboy up. Long ago I promised myself I wouldn't lash out at people or my kids when they interrupt me. Unfortunately I've broken that promise. By telling the girls what I'm doing and asking for some time to work, I can mitigate disturbances. Having a child tug on your arm and ask for help tying their shoelaces isn't licence to vent. It doesn't work like that. It's not the action, it's the reaction that's important. You get more flies with honey rather than vinegar. My daughters shouldn't be afraid to come to me for anything.
Today the wife and I went to Best Buy to have them look at her notebook. While we were waiting for a geek squad tech to come over, I browsed the store to see the latest tech. Of course they were pushing Windows 10 and the iPhone6, but something else caught my interest. If you purchase Windows 10 and in thirty days decide it's not for you (i.e. it doesn't work.) you can switch back to your previous version of Windows. That should tell you a lot. Mainly the other companies aren't on the same page as Micro$oft.
I know a Facebook friend who downloaded Windows 10 and went back to Windows 7 just so he could play his games and do his work.
Memo to Micro$oft: if it's not broken, don't fix it. Release your latest version of software to your select partner corporations so they can write a driver for the printer or video card they make. That's a win/win. Seems they also should test the software under real world conditions. Wait a little bit in order to release a better product. The fact that they would have such an option says how much they back their new software.
On another note I was accosted three times in five minutes by the sales force. I understand customer service and reducing theft, but there are times where it's tempting to lisp a bit and say 'I read lips.' Feels like a cop out, but that poor sales guy backs the fuck off. One day they will actually use ASL and communicate, but I'm not holding my breath.

Dog days

Some days I like more than others. Tuesdays are my current least favorite days of the week. A lot of really tough things happen on those days, but I get through those days because I have to... and because I don't want the bad stuff to get the better of me. I'm an ornery bastard like that.

We have our scorching August heat here in Texas, but when it rains, all the stops are pulled out and it comes down all at once. No such thing as a gentle sprinkle here in town.

When it rains, it blows

This was a fence reinforced with a frame made with 2x4's and a corrugated tin roof to protect the drums from the elements. It was where we stored and secured the hazardous materials. See those plastic lined drum barrels? Yes, the managers know about it. No, they haven't gotten around to asking me or any of the other grunts to clean it up or fix it. I'm sure they'll ask us on Monday because that's how they operate.
Texas weather is unforgiving. Management is lethargic. Perhaps they're waiting for the insurance claim adjuster or something. This whole thing screams fire hazard to me. Never mind we have enough acid stored inside to melt the store... right underneath things that like to melt and burn.
In the past I've tried not to talk about my Clark Kent job, but I feel we crossed a line somewhere. It's not my call to make, but I would have taken care of this as soon as it was discovered.
There was a rant coming on and I deleted a paragraph or two because it would of broken a rule I made when I started this blog: Keep the personal and negative stuff out. I was about to start calling people out and write stuff that would be used against me. I go in. I work. I go home. Not one inch further. Call me disillusioned and you'd be right.
We all have our disappointments.
In a few weeks time school will begin. I'm officially a band dad doing the fundraising thing. Our very first game is at the end of August and I'm looking forward to it.
Ever the busy sort, my wife has something in the works and if all goes well, I will be flying solo for the month of September. Was that vague enough? Misleading perhaps? Remember the saying, insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. This is us doing something different. We'll know in a few weeks if that is the course we are taking.

Sort of back

Through the magic of old school tech, I'm back online. I made a Cat5 cable a few years back and it's worked faithfully for years on my old rig. Now it's continuing to be useful by connecting the laptop to my router directly. Wires are strewn across my living room as if I were setting up Christmas lights. The good news is that my back isn't turned to my family as I write this. Always thought that was a problem. Even if I'm writing, checking e-mail or playing the latest computer game, my back would be to my loved ones. Now my oldest child and lovely wife can be seen without turning my head. Of course, the wife has a habit of throwing pillows in my direction. Now I can duck when I see them coming.
Let's see whats happened while I was away from the soapbox.
We're still getting pictures of the Pluto flyby. Those will continue to come in throughout the fall. Here's the fun part: taking names for the features that are discovered. Seriously, take a gander at the suggested names on Charon. I nearly spilled my coffee on the screen when I read Mordor. The same went for Kirk, Spock and Sulu craters. Kubrik Mons and Clarke Mons are great names for new mountains, but didn't they already name stuff after the characters in Star Trek? On Pluto it's a bit more serious. Lowell and Tombaugh Regio is a great homage to the men who discovered the mini planet. I'll even go with Cousteau Rupes, to honor the great explorer Jacques Cousteau. There seems to be a theme of explorers going on with Pluto. I heartily endorse these suggested names, even Tartarus Dorsa, which is in keeping with the Greek and Roman mythology naming of the solar system. This brings up a point. We're gonna get silly with the names.
Sure there will be serious stuff like Hayabusa Terra and Eriksson Rupes, but Cthulhu Regio and Vadar Crater? I'm not offended and I think it's funny. Pop culture influencing the names of mountains and canyons. Who's to say what will be remembered in a few hundred years. Gallifrey Macula and Tardis Chasma?
Somewhere down the line there will be a planet that gets the name Tom's planet. I only know a few people named Tom. In fact, a cousin of mine goes by that name. This proves the point. There are so many places... Planets, Asteroids, Nebula, that we are going to get some funny names. We already have Truth or Consequences, New Mexico so Skywalker Crater shouldn't surprise anybody. 

On to the stuff my kids don't care about. 

How sweet it is

When I find a new recipe, I make a one gallon batch. If it's any good, I bump it up to five gallons. The mead on the left contains Serrano peppers. I'm going for a sweet and spicy drink. The one in the middle contains pineapple and ginger. That one should be good. The big thing on the left is the prickly pear mead that was so popular the last year. My family isn't quite so enthusiastic about my new hobby. The kids couldn't care less, and I'm okay with that. Children rarely think what their parents do is cool or interesting. The wife is indulgent of her husband's particularities. That's a nice way of saying she puts up with me.
If any of this stuff bores you gentle readers, than please let me know and I'll stop writing about it. For my part I find it interesting and a bit relaxing. The process of bringing this forth is satisfying to me. Cooking for large groups of friends or writing a story fulfills a creative need to put something out there for the world to see. The look on my friends face as they taste food, drink a beverage, or immerse themselves in a story, brings a sense of pride and joy to the relationship. 
These are the moments we treasure in our life. Our accomplishments that one can point to and say, 'I did that.' It's a good feeling to have. 

Tech glitches

Sorry for the lack of posts. I keep having to reset my wireless adapter and 75% of the time it doesn't take. I'm online for only a minutes before it decides to quit on me. A friend recommends I get a new laptop, but I'll have to shuffle the budget around before I go shopping for one.

History in the making

Tuesday, July 14th. Mark that day down. New Horizons is going to come within 12,500 km. of Pluto. That's like hitting a hole in one if the golf course was in California and starting tee is in Australia. Even that analogy doesn't come close because the distance is much farther. The craft is traveling 14 kilometers a second so it won't be able to enter orbit around Pluto. The best we can do is a flyby, taking as many pictures as we can along the way.
Here's some of the images our robot messenger has gathered so far. 
Well it's official. We now have portraits of all the classical planets in the solar system. In the last few years the debate arose, and justifiably so, that perhaps Pluto didn't qualify as a planet. Now that we're getting more than a blurry image of a dot, the question came up again. It is spherical, it's in orbit around our sun. (A highly unusual orbit, but an orbit nonetheless.) One could make the argument that it has cleared out the debris in it's orbital plane.
We've also determined that Pluto has a thin, but detectable atmosphere.
While I think the definition of what constitutes a planet should be loosened, I'm not sure Pluto qualifies. Right now I reserve the right to change my mind later in the week. Make no mistake: I want it to be a planet of our system. Those five moons, perhaps all tidally locked to the largest chunk of stone out there should come together to form a larger whole, but I'm not in charge of that.
Charon, while technically Pluto's moon, is such an influence that they orbit each other. Mass and gravity play a part in this celestial dance and it would seem that a nudge from an outside force would send them careening into one another. With a gravity 0.066 of Earth a 190 lb. person would weigh roughly 12.5 pounds. I freely admit I could be wrong about the math because the information available is changing as you read this. Up to this point we only had a rough idea of the size, composition and mass of that chunk of rock that's smaller than our own moon. Simply put: what we have is an estimate. A best guess. Even the first pictures that have been sent have forced the scientific community to reevaluate our tiny guard at the edge of nowhere. 
No, I do not have planet envy. Rather, I feel the Pluto system is lonely and isolated from it's celestial brothers. The red haired bastard child of the solar system should be welcomed by it's larger eight brothers. 
Personally, I'd love to see New Horizons snap a picture of a pyramid or tower on the surface of Pluto. It would drive the conspiracy theorists crazy and sci-fi writers would have a field day.

Weighing in

'Write what you know about.' That sentence seems simple enough. Take what you have learned or experienced and apply it to paper or the digital light of the computer screen.

A long time ago, I wrote in about same sex marriage. While it is a subject that I have no personal knowledge of, I can handle the thought process as an abstract. It's a no-brainer for me. Give everyone the same rights I enjoy. 

Last weeks Supreme Court decision made many people (including myself) overjoyed. Many people were also bitterly disappointed. Governors, Attorney Generals and Court Clerks were all about 'religious freedom' and the right to discriminate. Yes, I'm looking at you, Greg Abbott. I am ashamed of the politicians in Austin, much like a parent is ashamed when their toddler throws a temper tantrum in the grocery store.

A reminder to the not-so-civil servants holding down a taxpayer funded job. You work for all the people and are there to uphold the law, not to instill your personal beliefs and dictate your private agenda.

Let's see what happened in the week that followed the SCOTUS decision.

A  renounced his citizenship. (The joke is on him. Many countries recognize same-sex marriage.) 

People protested this was the end of the world. (No, it's not.)

Oh yeah, and a bunch of people got married.

Here's what hasn't changed:

My coffee tastes the same.

My wife looks more beautiful than ever, but that's a biased opinion.

My job stayed the same.

My kids are doing the normal stuff kids do on summer break.

A lot of the same arguments used today were once used many years ago against inter-racial marriage. 'Those negros and white folk can't marry,' the said. 'It will lead to bestiality and people wanting to marry their toasters.'

Ah... Nope.

I have friends of all colors, shapes and backgrounds. It doesn't matter to me. I'm not so petty that I can't see past a persons skin. I'm certainly not so prejudiced that I forget one of the first rules I learned from Mr. Red Skelton: I won't ask for any rights if they take away some of yours. My rights end where yours begin.

The pundits out there who are spewing this garbage are missing the point.

If you are single or married: this law doesn't apply to you.

If you are straight: this law doesn't apply to you.

If you are Christian: this law doesn't apply to you.

Notice how the loudest dissenters are Christian. I haven't heard from the mainstream Muslim, Jewish, or Buddhist communities about any protests.

Yesterday my daughter went to a Pride festival/celebration/parade, (I've heard all three terms being used.) When I asked her what she did she replied; "I recorded a mass wedding."

The rest of it is unimportant. She had a good time, was with friends and was home in plenty of time for dinner and a fourth of July fireworks show.

I don't do fear.

That's not ego or bragging. Fox news trying to instill fear about the 'gay agenda' makes me laugh. It's ridiculous. There is a meme floating around Facebook about the alleged gay agenda. It goes something like; 'When was the last time a couple of gays came up to your door and asked if you had heard the good news about Elton John?'

If you are going to be spouting hate and bigotry, you deserve to be mocked.

Hill Country winery tour part two

Creating a beverage or meal is a creative process that speaks to a very select few individuals.
Chefs can and do become world famous for their expertise. The Japanese have elevated meals to a beautiful art form. The aesthetics are truly inspiring.
Not a lot of people think about the process it takes to produce wine. I'm going to tell you in pictures and words about my weekend jaunt through central Texas.
Our first stop was a place called Pedernales Cellars. The winery is located in Stonewall, Texas. That's about an hour away from Austin and about 15 minutes away from Fredricksburg.
I'd like to take a moment here to clarify something. Texans measure distance in hours, not miles. This may seem weird, I know. In miles, it is a little over 65 miles west of Austin. But like that Northern saying goes: you can't get there from here. It's not a straight shot. Be thankful you have a map on your phone or an app to help you find your way around. Paper maps might have become a thing of the past, but just try and imagine finding your way around without your phone. Scary thought, huh?
The second place we visited is called Lewis Wines located on 'wine' road 290 in Johnson City. That's near Fredricksburg... Some of you have no idea where I'm talking about. 'Sigh', here goes... Find a picture of Texas. Now point to the middle of the state. Imagine you're trying to find the balance point. If you were to take Texas and put it up on a huge triangle the places I'm talking about would be right where that top point would be. Got that? Good.
We then stopped for lunch in Wye, Texas, because why not? Sorry, couldn't resist. Lot of wine and local craft beers made and sold there. It's a small town and I'm not sure it's incorporated as a town. My Google-fu has failed me. However, I had a great rueben and a craft ale to wash it down with. Awesome and worth the time to investigate.
Our final stop was the Becker Vineyards near Fredricksburg. They could hold a wedding and reception out there. A gorgeous farm where they produce lavender alongside the wines. Ah, to sit in a chair on the back porch. An overhead fan gently blows a breeze of sweet herbs and fruit. You sip your wine as you gaze out over the long fields of grape vines. This whole week could have made me a fan of red wines. Indeed my appreciation for them grew with each new place I discovered.