mek.highcroft.com

Big Honkin' Chain Saw

If you did not see it already, this video shows, without a doubt, what happens when you mix too much time with spare parts and a lot of machismo. This file is approximately 3.5 mb.

Ultimatum

Going to war. A horrible prospect in any era, but one that has presented itself to our leaders as the only remaining option in what appears to be failed diplomacy.

Last night, President Bush gave Saddam Hussein and his regeime 48 hours to get out of Iraq or face military action. Somehow I knew it would come to this, but it never hit as close to home before John said he'd requested an assignment at the forward Command. Now I know a couple people who will be involved in this conflict and pray for their safety, and the safety of all our troops. Something tells me Saddam will fight to the last, and that despite my hopes to the contrary, that he will use the weapons we've been working so hard to remove from his hands.

I'm not sure if I agree with the reasons our country is preparing for war, and I feel that the consequences and ramifications have not been fully considered, but, as a citizen of the United States, I feel it is important to offer my support to those doing the fighting.

We'll see how far this road leads us. Hopefully it will lead us to a better tomorrow, and that if the US-led coalition succceeds in their puch to unseat Saddam, that the people of Iraq will be able to choose their own leader.

Anyhow, good luck, troops. We're praying for your safe return.

Feels Like Spring

Today felt like Spring had arrived. Mid morning temperature was in the low sixties, and I was excited to be outside for part of the day.

I had planned that today would be a productive day on the home-improvement front, but I ended up finishing only about half of the tings I wanted to do. I got a haircut. I put in some new light fixtures in the breezeway. Slapped up what will hopefully be the last coat of joint compound in the masterbedroom. Cleaned up the garage a bit. I just could not wait to get outside today, and I found myself in that part of the house more than planned.

I think the motorcycle was calling to me.

Many of our neighbors own motorcycles. Everything from crotch-rockets to top of the line Gold Wings, to fully dressed out Harleys. It's great to have neighblrs who share your interests. And who wave with enthusiasm when they see that you've gotten the bike all cleaned up and out of the garage for the first ride of the year. I was not alone in heading out onto the roads today with the bike.

It's interesting that most motorcyclists will give a little wave to each other as they pass in opposite directions. I thought this was just something Corvette owners did, but I'm finding the just about everyone who owns a motorcycle will give a little wave. Makes you feel like you are part of a little club, with a secret handshake and everything. It's just not the same to hop in the Stratus and wave to other Stratus owners. They look at you funny.

But not motorcyclists. Sure, some are teens on race-ready crotch-rockets, and some are fully leather-clad, bearded long-timers, but riders seems to share the enthusiasm of the open road with a quiet, subtle respect. Like a cowboy tipping his hat. It's a great club, even if I never get to talk to most of the members. I expect they feel much the same.

Not Me, but Kartoo!

This morning I jumped on Kartoo to see what I could find. It's an interesting search site, and the "maps" it displays are somtimes interesting, sometimes weird, and always a bit of a surprise. I mean, just seeing how the engine visualizes the connections between things is, well, interesting to me.

So, I did a search on some names of friends, and a few different personal hobbies. A few of them came up with a fairly accurate map of info. I figured I'd display a little narcissism and do a Kartoo search on my own name.

Well, one of the results returned was the Matthew Kelly Foundation. Definitely does not look like me, and needless to say, this is not me, but it was fun to see the results of the search nonethelss. I've been tooling around looking at other Matthew Kelly sites. It's a fun little diversion.

Kartoo gives a very different presentation of the web than other search engines, and I really don't use it very much because it does not organize the results the way I would normally expect. Maybe it's a good thing, because it streches my mind a bit. Then again, maybe it's just the change that I find engaging. Who knows.

I'd better dive back into work.

(splash)