tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30064502024-03-07T03:24:39.873-05:00TheCoolReport.netTrue tales of Steve Pack: merchant adventurer and ugly AmericanStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.comBlogger816125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-23422641686515860612013-03-10T15:06:00.000-04:002013-03-10T15:13:23.593-04:00The Man CodeBeing a man is not as complex as many make it out to be.While there are some subtleties we are, as a rule, pretty simple. We generally like certain things (boobs, fast things, explosions) and dislike others (ballet, cleaning gutters).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="vt-p" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzb6Timt5TwlLvCbpYWOeLLnsNU7lQpwv6IMoDzH2_f8Fxd7K4vQTbd-527J2bs4ef8BSLcQI0iBIuaf4R9YSW4OL4VPJGMBkgpWaSHshtI-5k_CaetkbNzyxjA-HKhob1Va_5A/s1600/wb-chainsaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzb6Timt5TwlLvCbpYWOeLLnsNU7lQpwv6IMoDzH2_f8Fxd7K4vQTbd-527J2bs4ef8BSLcQI0iBIuaf4R9YSW4OL4VPJGMBkgpWaSHshtI-5k_CaetkbNzyxjA-HKhob1Va_5A/s320/wb-chainsaw.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></div>
We also have certain responsibilities. One of those is cutting up wood. If there is a dead or fallen tree nearby, it is our duty to cut it up. It is, dare I say, a biological imperative. This is spelled out in The Great Book, also know as the Man Book or Man Code.<br /><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="vt-p" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sj0BR2CxiIOZ88gSGrdg9iGiRaWhcZwfenD-ZXvUoSytI3Zx-PQyTm4Sg6s85u9d4FCqtzzsMwQEGvk3NdmjM_rOMuzQRfa_06nRz78Ok1PR_dpDjUPDjF_BfDGqhrbNVyMmAQ/s1600/book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sj0BR2CxiIOZ88gSGrdg9iGiRaWhcZwfenD-ZXvUoSytI3Zx-PQyTm4Sg6s85u9d4FCqtzzsMwQEGvk3NdmjM_rOMuzQRfa_06nRz78Ok1PR_dpDjUPDjF_BfDGqhrbNVyMmAQ/s1600/book.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
So when a tree blew over a few weeks back, I knew what I had to do. Cut that fucker up. For when you cut up a tree, you get firewood. Firewood is for fires, another thing men are compelled to make (Under Man Rule #5). I went out to the barn and took out my beat up Homelite 240 chainsaw and with a few pulls, it fired right up. I hacked up the tree into several large pieces before I got tired, or distracted or something. I left the job about half done (Man Rule #18).<br />
<br />
Today I went out intent to finish the job. So of course the chain saw would not start. I pulled till I was blue in the face. Then I twiddled with the few knobs I could (Man Rule #25) Nothing. A reasonable person might be expected to try to find out why it wouldn't start. I am a (semi) reasonable person. A quick google offered no real help. CHAINSAW NO GO could have any cause. There are hundreds of possibilities. I looked at 2 (Guy Rule # 35) and walked away.<br />
<br />
Once again, a reasonable person might consider taking it to a repair guy. But Guy Rule #13 states that you better break out the tools first. Even if you have no fracking clue what you are doing you are obliged to use at least 4 tools (#37). It doesn't really matter what you do with them, only that you used them in the shop. I downloaded the owners manual off the web. Cleaned the air filter. Checked the fuel filter. Adjusted Hi and Lo screws. Fresh fuel. Cleaned spark plug.<br />
<br />
Now I smell like gas and oil. It is a good smell. A manly smell.<br />
<br />
With everything adjusted and topped off I yank the pull cord. She fires up like a kitten. And by fires up I mean it somehow managed to NOT work even MORE, which makes no sense unless you are a guy holding a lump of metal with a string on it that yesterday was a chainsaw.<br />
<br />
AT this point I have to give up. It isn't broken. I know this. But it doesn't matter. It's off to the shop. Do you know what they will do there? "Clean and adjust". Oh and charge me $60. Do you know what they will actually do to it? Tap it with a fucking magic wand is what. A magic wand that costs $60. I suspect there aren't actually any tools in the back room of my local repair shop. Only an array of wands. They have wands that range from $40 to $120. I'm sure my auto mechanic also has a magic wand but he only has the one that costs me $300 every time he waves it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a class="vt-p" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghyLgVBn_nFzpO8v2usKHbwHxpTnU3eTN0tn0u98M4mvrvYV9ycYtRSglZ0me0zEfZW5C948wF2PZjZvwKlMnSO7WwI4kBgdAt5hkKcXgiUeV_d08XebKGA8MHrvovzxRbP4-2Q/s1600/kymera-magic-wand-remote-control-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghyLgVBn_nFzpO8v2usKHbwHxpTnU3eTN0tn0u98M4mvrvYV9ycYtRSglZ0me0zEfZW5C948wF2PZjZvwKlMnSO7WwI4kBgdAt5hkKcXgiUeV_d08XebKGA8MHrvovzxRbP4-2Q/s320/kymera-magic-wand-remote-control-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It doesn't matter. I have fulfilled my obligations to the Code. Now if you will excuse me I must try to get the smell of gas and oil off me as I'm getting dizzy.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-57457205269109551992013-02-13T22:00:00.002-05:002013-02-14T00:16:33.774-05:00Between a rock and an icky place.It's possible that I may be vending at Dragon Con this year. The key work is <i>possible</i>. Dragon Con is a big con, with a lot of competition for dealer space. This year they have moved to a new space, which gave me a chance to get in. I'm excited at the chance and happily submitted my application. An event the size of Dragon Con can generate sales equal to the entire season of a small Ren Fair.<br />
<br />
So I was surprised to<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.dailydot.com/news/nancy-collins-dragoncon-kramer-boycott/" target="_blank"> hear about a boycott </a>that has been proposed by author Nancy Collins. She is upset that DragonCon is still associated with is co-creator Ed Kramer. Ed, it turns out has been arrested several times for possible child molestation. The first instance was in 2000 and most recently<i> last week</i>.<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.atlantamagazine.com/features/2012/09/01/dragoncon-ed-kramer-child-molestation/page/1" target="_blank"> Here is a long article</a>, but it gives out a lot of information about the cases. Reading it is like watching a train wreck You want to look away, but you're pulled back in. You wonder how this thing has gone on for so long. But its no mystery. Powerful and expensive lawyers were involved, health issues, lots of money, endless legal challenges and even claims of antisemitism.<br />
<br />
Conventions were a source of great joy for me growing up. And in my adulthood they are partly how I make my living. But I still enjoy them. Except now I question how much. This is beyond the petty bickering and politics involved in the running of a con, this has gone waaay into a dark dark place.<br />
<br />
Flashback time: It's 2000 and a group of friends and I go to Dragon Con for the first time. It's huge. We have a blast. There are all kinds of great tales told about that trip that have amused friends for years. In the course of the con, I actually meet Ed Kramer. It was in the semi-exclusive "Concierge Suite". He was a large man with an wild, unkempt beard stuffing his face with shrimp. I will be honest and say that he did not give off a particularly creepy vibe. Or at least, no more creepy than many of the people one meets at cons. Somehow Ed had heard of our performing group "The Magnificent Sloan Gypsies". We chatted briefly and he discussed the possibility of bringing us to the Con to perform. A paying gig! Hallelujah!<br />
<br />
Not long after returning from the con word came through the grapevine about Kramer's arrest. Awesome. That year another convention director had contacted us, only to die rather suddenly before any kind of contract had been signed. Two well connected people had said we were great and wanted to hire us only for one of them to die and the other to be arrested as a child molester.<br />
<br />
That year Rossana and I started working Renaissance Festivals in earnest and it became almost impossible to attend Dragon Con. Other than being told how awesome a show it was by fellow dealers, I knew nothing of the con, or the fact that Ed Kramer was still part owner of the show.<br />
<br />
And so we come to today. A link leads me off to an article calling for the very people who are a big draw for the con to boycott the show. Artists, writers, media guests. That link led to the much longer article detailing what had been happening over the past 13 years since last I saw Ed Kramer. And that led to a strange conflict within me. I don't like child molesters or indeed people who do awful things to other people. I certainly don't want to help support one in any way.<br />
<br />
I like to bombastically declare that I am a Godless Capitalist. But the truth is that I have tried to never let my love of money overcome my personal beliefs in right and wrong. Ed Kramer is all kinds of wrong. So it would seem a pretty clear choice to pull out of this show and throw whatever weight I can into this boycott, right? But it is not that simple. Maybe for some it is. But as I pass 45 years on this Earth I have come to accept that some things aren't cut and dry.<br />
<br />
It is evident that Dragon Con and its owners are not willingly supporting Kramer. They have twice tried to buy him out and eventually stopped paying him (until Kramer sued). They are not secretly hoping he gets away with these crimes. I see no claims that anyone else involved with the Con helped him commit these crimes. For the past 13 years he has been <i>personae non grata</i>. Is it possible some of my dealer fee MAY eventually go to pay for Kramers layers. I suspect it is. But my money, indeed everybody's money goes to people and organizations that use money in ways we likely disapprove of. When I paid my taxes under Bush some of my money went to pay for Black sites used to torture people. My money has gone to Blackwater, to corrupt cops and politicians. It now pays for drones and bombs and bullets that have kill innocent people. This is an very unpleasant fact. But I'm not going to stop paying my taxes, even though a small amount of it funds things that are just wrong. I will not condemn my entire country for the actions of some of its citizens. The same applies to Dragon Con. You would be hard pressed to find ANY institution, club or organization that doesn't have some fucked up people belonging to it (or even co-founding it).<br />
<br />
So I'm going to work the show (if I get selected). Others will chose not to attend and I respect the hell out of their decision. But here is how it could play out. If enough people bring pressure to bear the co-owners will again try to buy out Kramer. Kramer will demand a huge amount, Dragon Con will offer much less. The process will drag on, piling up massive legal expenses. Those expenses, in combination with falling attendance from a boycott and bad press could very well kill the show. Congratulation, you will have gotten your wish. Kramer will no longer get any money. Neither will anyone else. While the Con itself doesn't have a large staff I guesstimate that between 200-300 people (dealers mostly) will loose a huge chunk of their livelihood.<br />
<br />
Mission Accomplished.<br />
<br />
I don't have to do this show, but I still want to. I had to turn it over in my mind a while. I don't like to think of myself as a bad person or someone who actively support bad people. But from where I stand DragonCon is in an unenviable position not of their making. If information comes out showing they somehow actively facilitated Kramer's crimes (other than paying him, which they were legally obliged to do) I may change my mind.<br />
<br />
Now I'm going to look at some pictures of goddamn bunnies. I have spent too much time analysing my own morals today.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-35156601569993672322012-08-23T01:35:00.003-04:002012-08-23T01:35:47.514-04:00The men by the roadWhen you get to Indianapolis for GenCon you are sent to a "marshaling yard". Since the docks can't fit everyone at once, you are sent to a warehouse district nearby to wait your turn. Its a gravel lot with a porta-john and not much else. When there's room at the docks, they call you and you can drive over.<br />
<br />
As I left the lot to make my way to the convention center I was worried about all manner of things. Were we on a good spot? Did I have enough stock? Did I forget something? Would our new minion work out? All of this stuff buzzes around. You can't help it. As I pulled out of the lot I took a side street that ran between a warehouse and a small river, and there, carved out of the weeds and brush, was a small tent city.<br />
<br />
It hadn't been there before. But there it was. There were signs it had been there some time. Months maybe. The tents were well worn. So were the men in them. A mixture of white and black, young and old. Living in Wellington I haven't seem homeless people in quite a while. It was a shock I suppose.<br />
<br />
There are panhandlers on the streets of Indy. A dozen or so around the convention center. I haven't given any money to them the last two years. I wondered as I drove past the tent city, why that was. I generally don't think that homeless people are lazy or unworthy of help or charity. I guess I just assumed the ones by the convention center were the pros. I've read about some panhandlers who make thousands per year. Then there are the slackers. The disheveled youth sitting near coffee shops with their dogs endlessly smoking and hanging out. There's no way to know if they are truly homeless or just apathetic.<br />
<br />
I thought I might take a closer look at the faces on the streets after we finished for the day. But every place to eat is jam packed in the city and we drove back to our motel a few miles away. It was the same story the next day, and the next. By the fourth day I was so tired from working. We finished the day and started teardown. They turn off the AC so it gets hot pretty quick. We pull apart our booths and pack away our stock. Eventually I have to head off to the marshaling yard to wait my turn at the docks. It's a long wait. I check my email, make a lost of shit that has to get done by the end of the week. After an hour I get the green light to go.<br />
<br />
As I pull out of the lot I pass the tent city again. It's filling up. I had somehow managed to avoid the homeless outside the convention hall, but that didn't mean they had disappeared. They never disappear. They just get forgotten.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-30877713039063940162012-07-23T13:59:00.003-04:002012-07-23T14:03:07.743-04:00If I had one, I'd send it back...With the Boy Scouts of America deciding to<a class="vt-p" href="http://democratherald.com/news/headlines/boy-scouts-of-america-after-secret-review-reaffirms-ban-on/article_ddd0c90d-2faf-5579-8528-b1ce0cd0f5d1.html" target="_blank"> double down on their decision</a> to exclude gays from scouting there has been a notable backlash, culminating with some <a class="vt-p" href="http://boingboing.net/2012/07/23/eagle-scouts-stand-up-to-the-b.html" target="_blank">Eagle Scouts returning their badges</a>, which is a pretty big thing for them, considering how<a class="vt-p" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Scout_(Boy_Scouts_of_America)" target="_blank"> hard it is go earn that award</a>.<br />
<br />
I never made Eagle Scout, far from it. I never wanted to be a Scout at all, let alone an Eagle Scout. Yet somehow as a young man I found myself <b>drafted </b>into the Boy Scouts. That's right, drafted.<br />
<br />
When I was in Jr. High my grades were not what one would call "stellar". I was having a hard time for a number of reasons. My parents decided to send to to another school to get help, rather than see me fail a grade. When I arrived, my class was getting ready to head off on a camping trip. We would be canoeing 50 miles down the Mohican river.<br />
<br />
This would be a challenge for any young person who wasn't much of an outdoors type. Now lets add in a group of emotionally, developmentally and behaviorally maladjusted kids. Some of these kids had serious problems. And yet we were expected to, as a group, plan, purchase supplies, pack, unpack, canoe, make camp and cook for a 1 week trip. Needless to say, the trip did not go particularly smoothly. 2 kids smuggled along booze, one brought a gun. Several canoes flipped and got swamped. There were a few fights.<br />
<br />
When it was done, I was told we had earned a '<a class="vt-p" href="http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/fifty.aspx" target="_blank">50 miler award</a>'.<br />
<br />
"From who?" I asked.<br />
<br />
"From the Boy Scouts" our teacher replied.<br />
<br />
"I never joined the Boy Scouts."<br />
<br />
"You did when you joined this school." he answered.''<br />
<br />
And there it was. I had somehow joined the Scouts.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We did the trip again later, as well as camped in a log cabin in February. On another camping trip half the kids got ill from bad food or water. One time while building a bridge a saw popped out of the groove and cut my thumb wide open, necessitating stitches. <span style="background-color: white;"> I never saw that 50 miler badge, or any other badge. We had no uniforms, not even a beret. The school had no money for that and some of the kids came from poor neighborhoods.<br /><br />But a weird thing happened amongst all the misery. We worked as a team. Make no mistake, we didn't <i>want</i> to, but we <b>had </b>to. We learned, we overcame challenges. We dealt with other, even if we disliked - even <i>hated </i>each other sometimes.<br /><br />Unlike the men giving back their medals, I do not claim that Scouting made me the successful man I am today. But it did teach me a lot. And I believe it can have a positive affect on young peoples lives. At a time when 'playing' now consists of sitting in front on a computer for hours on end we need to get kids outside and physically active. In this age where so much interaction is carried on through "social media" we need kids to learn how to get along face-to-face in groups. Positive adult roll models always seem in short supply. We cannot protect our children by insulating them from the world and pretending people with different skin color, <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/6200/a_muslim_eagle_scout_on_boy_scouts%E2%80%99_exclusion_of_gays" target="_blank">religious beliefs</a> or sexuality don't exist. The rest of society is moving past this kind of bigotry. Young people already know gay people and see no reason they should be excluded from enjoying the same rights everyone else does. Our own military no longer discriminates against openly gay members.<br /><br />Yes, the BSA is a private group and they are allowed to have whatever policies they want. But with attendance down 20% since 1999 I would think they would be interested in doing everything they can to get people involved with scouting. There are signs that change may yet come. I hope it does. If not the BSA will likely go the way of the Dodo. It will exclude itself out of existence. Which would be a damn shame.<br /><br />Maybe if enough people, especially Scouts past and present, let the BSA know their feelings on the matter we will see some change. So consider my few badges and awards returned (even though I never got them) until such time as the BSA welcomes everyone into scouting.<br /></span></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-3715346440902979342012-07-17T14:21:00.000-04:002012-07-17T14:21:08.993-04:00Truth is cooler than fictionA few months ago I read about a letter a former slave supposedly sent his former master in the South. Is was amazing but didn't seem quite right. It was almost too good to be true. But after a lot of research it appears to be true.<br /><br /><a class="vt-p" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2174410/Pictured-The-freed-slave-moving-letter-old-master-asked-work-farm.html?ICO=most_read_module">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2174410/Pictured-The-freed-slave-moving-letter-old-master-asked-work-farm.html?ICO=most_read_module</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-51925124806504363472012-06-12T00:42:00.000-04:002012-06-12T00:42:36.164-04:00"And just like that, he was gone..."Tomorrow begins a new adventure to:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Africa, the Dark Continent.</span></b></div>
<br />
There can be no doubt that this is a schmaltzy line, but I don't care.Africa is a dramatic place. This trip represents a big leap for me. I would not dare to say that I have become jaded by travelling. But with age and experience I am a little more comfortable heading off to strange new places. I've come to see how people are usually pretty nice to other people no matter where you go. But Africa is different. Charming will not keep you from being eaten in Africa.<br /><br />I suppose that is why this trip will be so different. There won't be a lot of people to interact with at all. The group we are with will be very small. There are no ancient ruins or medieval architecture to explore. It is a place that has remained quite wild and untamed. It is a place of great political upheaval. It is a place where diseases unknown to us here run rampant still, killing tens of thousands. It is a land of crushing poverty and excessive greed as well as unspeakable beauty.<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-83004308933464504812012-05-06T17:14:00.004-04:002012-05-06T17:14:59.121-04:00I technically did nothing...and yet I am very tired. A literal stack of projects meets my gaze everywhere I look. My desk, in the garage, in the shop.<br />
<br />
But today I ignored almost all of it. With the onset of an early spring Bag End has begun its annual growth spurt. All manner of vegetation, some friendly, some hostile, have begin to race for the sky. I have been on the mower it seems, every 20 minutes or so trying to keep the verge in check. But that always leaves the rough edges as it were. So yesterday and today was trimming day.<br />
<br />
With weed wacker and loping sheers I wandered the countryside. In my wake are piles of limbs, weeds and thorn bushes. If there is a comfortable weed wacker I have never seen it. But when its done... ah.. well that makes it worth it.<br />
<br />
I should have knuckled under and kept my nose to the grindstone. So much to do. Ren faire coming up. Repacking, organizing, restocking. And yet I feel not one whit of guilt for spending the day outside. I am covered in millions of little gobbets of green gore and scratches but I came by them honestly. I'm tired but I think it the best kind of tired.<br />
<br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-57497567065055108612012-02-04T00:19:00.000-05:002012-02-04T00:19:35.975-05:00Well THAT'S a first...So there I was, cruising along on Facebook when BAM, suddenly there's a picture of looks like a dead baby. Wow. Pretty goddamn graphic. Along with the image in a short note about how a friend had miscarried a child at about that age and they had mourned. Then there was the obligatory "Please share if you want to stop abortion".<br />
<br />
The image had just been posted and there were no comments. I looked at the name and it wasn't very familiar. I think it was someone I had just friend-ed through mutual acquaintanceship. Suddenly the following image came to mind:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="vt-p" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNHeLDzJCX4_Ugw-X5aC_yPFR9CAlScAE5YxEmEFRlll_Z_a22hGPn6e3DoURaNQ7LjqF2H2PXQWd9CXe2Ug739zRmQGU_Yowk6CKkqIGvxPvdcFZ5rBa-vZYihqZIE1uIwtr9Q/s1600/duty_calls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNHeLDzJCX4_Ugw-X5aC_yPFR9CAlScAE5YxEmEFRlll_Z_a22hGPn6e3DoURaNQ7LjqF2H2PXQWd9CXe2Ug739zRmQGU_Yowk6CKkqIGvxPvdcFZ5rBa-vZYihqZIE1uIwtr9Q/s320/duty_calls.png" width="290" /></a></div><br />
So I cracked my knuckles and fired off a reply. It touched on several subjects such as how making abortion illegal would not stop abortion, only make it more dangerous (and thus risking lives). I mentioned that many people do not want a child or don't have the resources to raise a child, which might mean that are pretty miserable for most of their lives. I also touched on the hypocrisy of wanting to send doctors who perform abortions to jail, while saying that the mother should not (this is a common belief of abortion opponents).<br />
<br />
I also discussed how my mother had been involved with public health in the suburbs of Michigan, where abortion (and sex ed) was widely reviled yet these same mothers would bring their own daughters for the procedure.<br />
<br />
Because all abortion is wrong, except for <i>their </i>abortion.<br />
<br />
I posted my rant and then want off to eat dinner. When I came back I was surprised to see no replies to the post. There was a message from the woman who posted it. She said she removed the post because "facebook should be for happy things".<br />
<br />
I sighed. Yes, it was nice that the picture was gone. But she seemed to miss what I was doing. Facebook doesn't have to be only for "happy things". It's a place for all kinds of things. Good and bad. In the past year friends have posted about relationships beginning and ending. Great joy and great sadness. Health scares, injuries, business ups and downs. It's been a slug fest of vastly differing opinions on many different subjects. And that's what I like.<br />
<br />
I wrote back and told her that while I disagreed with her position, she shouldn't be afraid to express it. There's a saying that people should discuss religion or politics at parties. I could not disagree more. I don't go to as many parties as I used to. So I don't get to engage in debate as much.That's a shame because they can be a blast (just make sure everyone keeps it civil and you hide the knives) Luckily Facebook is there, in all it's glory. From pictures of kittens to vocal Christians. From freethinkers to gun lovers. All of it blurted out in one place, like a big noisy party. A party where people keep poking you and asking you for shit to make their farm better).Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-90352070733813065602012-01-25T23:35:00.000-05:002012-01-25T23:35:25.860-05:00A long string of crazyWatching the Republican candidates on tv is getting to be an exercise futility. There are no new ideas, only the same bleating about taxes and regulation. None of the candidates hold my interest at all. Ron Paul, the only one with some sane ideas, is overshadowed by his crazy ideas about getting rid of the EPA and going back to the gold standard. Oy.<br />
<br />
The great thing about it is that Americans are starting to see these guys a little more clearer now. And what do we see? Another batch of rich white guys. Seriously, Mitt Romney is worth 200 million. How can a man this rich say he understands the working class, the "average Joe". He comes from money, and he has tons of money. He gives some of his money to charity. I respect that. It's the Mormon church, I respect that less. So he's a rich guy with magic underwear.<br />
<br />
Newt? Good god that man is repugnant. He is the ugly American. He is loud and unashamed of anything he says (or does). Hey, people get divorced. Ok. Sometimes more than once. But the stories about his behavior during these divorces? Remember McCain? He was a charmer too. Comes back from Nam to a wife who is no longer pretty and its off to the rodeo to find a new trophy wife.<br />
<br />
These guys just give me the creeps.<br />
<br />
I don;t think Obama is perfect. There are many things he has done that go against the grain of a progressive. Guantanamo still open? The NDAA? Cracking down on medical marijuana? But he's also make a lot of good moves.<br />
<br />
With no real third party I believe I'll be voting to Obama again. Now all have to do is survive the camaign season and the elections. That should be fun.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-76158330907377390132011-12-12T22:04:00.007-05:002011-12-12T22:11:10.665-05:00An awkward moment...<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/12/mitt-romney-gay-marriage_n_1143460.html">Here's a short read.</a> It details Mitt Romney sitting down at a restaurant after noticing a mans Vietnam Vet hat. It should have been a quick photo and press the flesh op. What transpires is a wonderfully refreshing moment of honesty showing how Romney, like the rest of the Republican candidates, will never consider letting gays have equal rights.<br />
<br />
Why? Because ," I think at the time the Constitution was written it was pretty clear that marriage is between a man and a woman"<br />
<br />
<br />
That's it. <br />
<br />
To Mitt and other's of his ilk, anything that wasn't okay at the time of the writing of the Constitution is just WRONG. Period. I'd like to you think about that position for a moment. Can we see the flaw in that argument?<br />
<br />
Here are some things that were just peachy at the time of the writing of the Constitution:<br />
<ul><li>Slavery </li>
<li>Women not having the right to vote </li>
<li>Blacks and whites being able to marry </li>
<li>Blacks being able to vote </li>
<li>Women serving in the military </li>
</ul><br />
<br />
And remember all that "States rights" bullshit they keep spouting? That baaaaad bad federal gub'mint? Well they were okay with states settling gay rights up until they thought they could get the brass ring of the White House. Now? Federal Law must be used to stop Teh Ghays.<br />
<br />
The constitution isn't a perfect document. That's why we've had amendments to it. We, as a country, have grown and changed. We will never go back to that non-existant Reagan wet-dream past where Coke was a nickel and those uppity minorities could be beaten or ignored. <br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://baptistplanet.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/ssm8810.png?w=400&h=300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://baptistplanet.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/ssm8810.png?w=400&h=300" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Take a look, you knuckle dragging neanderthals. This battle is not going to go your way. So why are you spending SO MUCH time, money and effort dragging this out and making everyone's lives miserable?Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-52756315114180844372011-11-30T01:05:00.002-05:002011-11-30T01:05:16.711-05:00Coolest. Toy. EVAR><a href="http://www.wimp.com/coolesttoy/">http://www.wimp.com/coolesttoy/</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-71243086353893723992011-10-29T22:38:00.000-04:002011-10-29T22:38:49.036-04:00There's a huge fucking difference...Scott Olson the young former Marine who was shot in the head with a teargas grenade is doing better. He has a fractured skull and brain swelling. He may need surgery. He can communicate only with a notepad right now, but will likely live.<br />
<br />
It's looking more and more like the was not an accident. The flash grenade that was thrown into the group that was trying to help him certainly wasn't. In looking at footage of the march it appears to me that the protesters were peaceable. This didn't have to happen. It was the police who ratcheted up the pressure, who escalated the situation.<br />
<br />
In looking over various blogs I noticed that several right wing outlets are saying that Olsen created a website called ihatethemarinecorps.com. They point to the OWS and liberals and shout "your 'War Hero' hated the Marines!" and by extension, he hated his country. <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/10/good-grief-leftie-hero-scott-olsen-is-founder-of-i-hate-the-marines-com/">The hate is thick over there</a>. While the site no longer exists I could easily believe that Scott might have created this site. At first, it might appear that Scott is being turned into a political pawn by the left and OWS in the same way that Pat Tilman was used to sell the War on Terror.<br />
<br />
But there are some huge fucking differences here. I haven't read anything from ANYONE in OWS calling him a hero, only that he served two tours in Iraq and was part a group called <a class="vt-p" href="http://www.veteransforpeace.org/">Veterans for Peace</a>. People are outraged that a young man who attended a peaceful rally, exercising his constitutional rights was assaulted by the police of his own country. People are upset by the irony and injustice of this. Pat Tilman, on the other hand, was killed by friendly fire. The incident was officially covered up, and then the White House and Pentagon prostituted his memory with flag drenched ceremonies and called his death a noble sacrifice for God and country, which is amazing considering he was killed by his fellow soldiers and was an atheist.<br />
<br />
It's possible that Scott truly hated the Marine Corps and the War by the time he left the service. And you know what? That is his goddamn right. That doesn't make him a traitor or a bad person. His experiences with a war that didn't have to happen and the military machine used to fight it left him angry. This somehow makes his service and sacrifice unworthy in the eyes of his critics. To them, he is scum. John Kerry got the same treatment. It didn't matter that he actually went and fought in the war. He disagreed with America's foreign policy. He saw that Vietnam was a waste of young American lives and protested against it.That somehow made him a coward. To these people it is impossible to love your country but still hate the things it does.<br />
<br />
Winter is coming, and with the cold and snow the protesters may go away, but the anger with the way things are run certainly won't. I wish that our leaders would pull their heads out of their collected asses and try to work together. But I'm not holding my breath.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-1942920242215342682011-10-28T21:40:00.000-04:002011-10-28T21:40:50.035-04:00Not bad, just not great.I just finished the video Game Dead Island. It wasn't bad but it certainly didn't live up to all the hype. Some of the highlights were (of course) offing zombies in a variety of ways. From axes and machetes to driving over them with an armored car (he he). The environments looked very nice. Large and open. Lots of details. You could wander around for days I suppose.<br />
<br />
But the drawbacks kept me from really enjoying the game. The inventory system was pretty rough. And selecting weapons was an exercise if frustration. In almost every other game I can use the scroll wheel to select another weapon, or use the number keys. Not so here. Of course, there are a LOT of different weapons. And they can be modified with stuff you find around the island. Except that I found waaaaay too much of some stuff and not enough of what i needed to make many mods. Also, weapons decay pretty fast with use and you have to constantly repair them. Even something as simple as an axe becomes useless after taking out a dozen undead. Really?<br />
<br />
Lots of the elements in the game were also in use in FarCry 2 which I played a while back. But where FarCry 2 was awesome and very immersive, Dead Island constantly took you out of the game. To select upgrades, to look at the map, to check quests. And for a brand new game the faces weren't very expressive. Maybe half of the characters looked any good. The voice acting wasn't bad though.<br />
<br />
The game is unique because you can drop in and out of cooperative play. With more people, you have more firepower, and more zombies. But upon completing quests there's usually a bit of story line material. Sadly, anyone in the group can push a button and skip this. That's annoying. You don't need to hear this exposition, but again, it helps the feel of the game. As with many games, there were several escourt missions where you have to get another character from point A to point B alive. This is where some of the roughest edges showed up. At one point, facing a large group of zombies I threw a Molotov cocktail to make my life easier. My escourtee then runs right into the group and sets themselves on fire. Wow. Also, while early side quests could be taken or ignored, when you get near the finale you are on a pretty narrow rail with few choices.<br />
<br />
I think with another few months of testing and polishing this game could have been better. It has a fun concept. It's solid. Just not quite soup yet.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-19915838244509428572011-10-07T00:05:00.000-04:002011-10-07T00:05:17.234-04:00The turn of the tide...Damn you facebook! I find it very difficult to post here when it's so easy to fire off a quick link of pithy note. If they allowed longer posts I might abandon blogging entirely, as so many other have done. Google plus allows long posts, but it doesn't feel quite right. Something is off and I can't put my finger on it.<br />
<br />
Anyway...<br />
<br />
I'm thinking of going to New York to join the Occupy Wall Street protests. It seems to be gaining momentum, not slowing. Of course, Winter is approaching. I can't see this lasting long after the first snowfall. And what exactly are the demands of this movement? They are many I'll grant you. Even if some kind of miracle occurred and Wall Street could somehow capitulate to this movement, what would we ask of them? And yet I still feel a need to be a part of this. I want the multinationals, the global banks and our elected leaders to know that I am right pissed. I don't want to take their money by force. I do not want them destroyed. I want the government to stop letting banks continue to create and profit from convoluted and risky financial instruments. I want banks to be responsible lenders. I want strong oversite of these weasels. I'd like the wealthiest 1% of Americans and the multinationals to pay a little more in taxes. I'd like our government to stop attacking labor unions.<br />
<br />
That's it.<br />
I don't want to overthrow capitalism. I don't want to eat the rich. I don't want to destroy banks.I do not want to become part of an angry mod. I'd just like to see some goddamn common sense at the higher levels of business and government. Looking at that sentence I can see that this could be a long wait. I suppose that's why I want to go. I want to help push things along. I want to stir the pot. I want to make people think. I want to rattle some cages.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I do NOT want to get maced or beaten with a baton or arrested. Is this movement worth the risk of those things?Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-46607635905509793302011-09-07T00:51:00.000-04:002011-09-07T00:51:10.229-04:00A hell of a balancing act.Right now I am really struggling to keep my brain from assploding. This season has been a pretty good one, but things can change pretty quick. Right now, I am facing a critical lack of shit to sell. I ordered stuff. I ordered a LOT of stuff. Stuff I PAID for. Stuff that was supposed to get to me in a timely manner. But that shit isn't happening.<br />
<br />
So I wait. In the mean time I loose a minion who I was counting on. Another minion seems to have forgotten that she committed to working for me and seems to be wandering off like a toddler with ADD. Seriously, what the fuck? I call an old worker who says she can help. Great. I need to know what dates are a problem. A goddamn WEEK passes. We live in the fucking information age. How hard is it to look up your schedule?<br />
<br />
My blood pressure starts to skyrocket. Then I see that friends of mine was in an accident coming back from Dragon Con. They are ok. This is good. It easily could have gone very bad. I go outside and start mowing the lawn. The air is cool, not the 90-something of the past week. I clear my head. There are more important things. I calm down. I'm still pissed. I'm still backed up with shit to do. But I will force myself to chill out a little and try to keep some perspective.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-48511826054583665562011-08-17T00:34:00.000-04:002011-08-17T00:34:23.284-04:00Like a barren desert.So long since posting... Face book and now on Google+ (which doesn't seem to have as many functions as facebook. No events? No instant messaging in the app? I don't think anyone I know is still blogging.<br />
<br />
So alone...<br />
<br />
Anyway. Back from Pennsic and other events and eager to get into the shop to do some cool stuff. I just need some time to do it. I did try today. The mower ran out of gas but the van needed to be unloaded and then reloaded. I got out to the shop for a little while, but then I remembered I had to get some paperwork done and pay sales tax to Indiana. Always fun that.<br />
<br />
Spent 1/2 an hour trying to find some bronze bits I bought at Pennsic with no luck. Crap, I better unpack that shipment of skirts and get rid of those shipping boxes. Hey! There's those CD's I bought from that funny guy! Oops, time for dinner. Wow, we recorded a lot of stuff while we were gone.<br />
<br />
Productivity= 0<br />
<br />
Of well, tomorrow is another day.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-73083717749873714442011-07-07T00:27:00.000-04:002011-07-07T00:27:22.292-04:00An uncomfortable feeling.I'm playing a new game called Far Cry 2. Unlike Massive Multiplayer games like World of Warcraft or First Person shooters this game has a HUGE open world and no rigid plot. You can go wherever you want. Despite the game being a few years old its still gorgeous. And the developers did a great job of keeping the game mechanics hidden. No heads up displays. To look at the map you physically pull out a map. Same with getting in and out of cars. All smoothly animated. It helps keep the world feeling real. There's changing weather and cycles of day and night. If you are injured you have to stop and perform first aid on yourself.<br />
<br />
And while all that is great I'm having a hard time continuing the game. It's set in a fictional African Nation in a brutal civil war. I've been sent in to kill "The Jackal". A shadowy arms dealer supplying both factions. But in the process of gathering intel I am forced to work with both factions doing fairly horrible things. Destroying important infrastructure, assassinating citizens and political leaders. Yes, some of them are corrupt, but others...who can tell? Arms dealers hire me to knock off competition. An occasional phone call from a faceless voice sends me off to kill someone without any context of who they are.There seems to be an underground attempting to get people out of the way of the fighting, but helping them does nothing to slow the conflict.<br />
<br />
Yes, it's just a game. I've killed thousands of mutants, aliens, zombies and faceless soldiers in other games. This is different. The militias wear no uniforms. Mercenaries roam the countryside. They speak in thick South African accents and seem to delight in the conflict and the money they are making. (The local currency is uncut diamonds, another nod to an all too bloody reality of Africa) It all strikes a little too close to reality. I'm not very keen to keep going on missions for these thugs that are partnered with or controlled by foreign mercenaries.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xAmg61qzrcI" width="560"></iframe>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-12158360913587298162011-06-30T00:31:00.000-04:002011-06-30T00:31:33.213-04:00It's Deja Vu all over again.It seemed a little odd getting a call from my father. We had talked only a few days ago. He seemed up and chipper. We chatted about this and that. Then he let me know that he's had another motorcycle accident. You may recall that last year, en route to Bag End, my Dad dropped the bike and broke his clavicle. It also messed up the bike quite a bit. He's spent mush of the year tinkering with it and has been riding again over the past few weeks.<br />
<br />
He was riding with another Pacific Coast rider when the guy in front stopped at a yellow and Dad had to hit the brakes suddenly. He stopped fine, but the bike tipped and when he put his leg out to stop the 700 pound bike from going over, he broke his ankle.<br />
<br />
He'll be laid up for 6 weeks. The bike took a few nicks again. Our respective wives have engaged in some gratuitous eye rolling. There is some distinct muttering, My Dad is 73. Should he be riding at his age? Are his reflexes up tot he task? Last year I said "No problem". Everyone who rides WILL have an accident (likely several). This is a FACT.Having an accident in a car doesn't mean you stop driving does it?<br />
<br />
But I cannot help but be a little worried. Time robs of of our facilities by inches. At 73 you just don't bounce back from injuries. Maybe he should listen to assorted friends and relatives, play it safe and give it up.<br />
<br />
Or maybe everyone can just shut their mouth. The man has been riding for decades. On all kinds of bikes. That's an ass load of experience. I won't be the one to tell him to stop doing something he loves. It's possible continuing to ride will kill him. I'd be especially depressed if the accident that ends his live hurts others. But having just watched my wife's father meekly shuffle off the mortal coil I would argue that anything is better than "the straw death" as the Vikings called it.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-57639695422443750142011-05-26T23:43:00.000-04:002011-05-26T23:43:18.363-04:00Suck with a side of suck.The cool thing about having a blog is that you can vent your spleen and save thousands on therapists or lawyers fees. It's been a while since I've posted but, y'know, I've been busy and shit. Working...and stuff. And then there's the dreaded facebook, which makes it so easy to just toss out a quick line or pithy statement or link. No depth.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo I'm getting ready for MarCon. Rossana will be at Virginia. Both shows are going to suffer because I'm low on corset stock. I shouldn't be. But I am. Once again my supplier has dropped the fucking ball. Admittedly, I dropped a huge order on him. But I did it 6 weeks ago. And what do I have so far? Seven corsets. Seven.<br />
<br />
Calls were make, some bad language was used. Excuses were made. Yadda yadda yadda. I'm sick of it. I want my stock. I want to be able to sell corsets. I'm pretty good at it, but I can't sell what I don't have. Luckily about half our sales come from smaller, non-corset items now. Thanks the gods. If I had to rely solely on high end corsets I'd be in a world of hurt.<br />
<br />
So to beef up my supply of non corset stuff I spent the last two weeks in the shop with my friend Tony working hard. Any time the rain let up I'd try to get out and clean up the yard. Stuff got made, but not as much as I'd like. I also haven't had time to make any new stuff. Maybe next week. I so want to learn leather tooling.<br />
<br />
With luck and hard work we'll make some sales this weekend. Also training up 2 new temp minions. I need people I can call on to help at shows if needed like this weekend. Both are great girls so i think it will work out well.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-27196277926752375372011-05-04T23:42:00.000-04:002011-05-04T23:42:39.326-04:00A victim of our own success.It didn't take long for the mentally challenged among us to start with the "If Osama is really dead, where's the PROOF?" chorus.<br />
<br />
Really? The president of the US of A tells you we killed him. We have pictures and do a DNA test. But despite the fact that faking or lying about something like this would be monumentally stupid the question remains.Where's the proof?<br />
<br />
But lets hold on a second here. Maybe these idiots are on to something. They are doubting their leaders. They are doubting the mass media. They are asking questions. And while they are doing it for all the wrong reasons they are showing signs of rudimentary skepticism. A skepticism we really could have used, say, 10 years ago.<br />
<br />
Back then, we took the government at their word. We took political leaders at their word. Not about everything, they were still politicians. But in matters of national security and the act of going to war, well, that's some <i>serious shit.</i> You don't fuck around with that kind of thing. You get your smartest people together and think real hard before pulling the trigger, so to speak.<br />
<br />
But we didn't do that. Did we? We somehow associated Bin Laden with Iraq and then ignored reality and all kinds of experts by making Saddam Husein a nuclear armed super genius with his finger literally on the button. We went to war and then brought in morons to oversee reconstruction. We poured billions of dollars and thousands of lives into that pit.<br />
<br />
We declared war on a <i>concept</i>. We passed the patriot act. We created the TSA. We did these things to help us be <i>safe</i>. We did these things because we were told it was <i>necessary</i>. Then the cracks started to show. Were there WMD's in Iraq? Yes! (No) Did the phone companies pass info to the government without warrants? NO (Yes). Did the Bush admin out a CIA agent? No! (Yes) Are the prisoners at Gitmo being tortured? NO! (Yes), Did we get good intel? Yes! (No) Were the prisoners at Abu Garaib tortured? No! (Yes) Are there secret CIA black sites where rendition victims are taken and tortured? NO!! (Yes).<br />
<br />
Are you seeing a pattern here? The fact is we were misled or outright lied to about some pretty huge things over the past 10 years. By our leaders and by our government. And that may have finally trickled down to the unwashed masses. Maybe that's why some people question Obama's birth certificate. And maybe that's why there's a cry for graphic proof of Osama's death. Because we simply can't trust the people we put in charge to tell us the truth. Even on simple things like "This guy is dead".<br />
<br />
And that is a sad state of affairs.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-50436514724719889342011-04-21T10:37:00.000-04:002011-04-21T10:37:00.482-04:00The print on the page...Yesterday we visited the Guttenburg museum. We had to endure a truly awful walking tour with a Fin who didn't speak very good English to get there. The cool part was that I got to take part in a demo of a Guttenburg screw press. She was a beauty. Printed out a page from a Guttenburg bible in 3 colors on good quality Amalfi paper.<br />
<br />
Upstairs in their treasury they had several amazing books including 2 original Guttenburg Bibles. Each was slightly different as their owners had requested extra illumination to decorate some of the pages. They said it was hard to estimate their value but it was certainly in the millions. Depite being such an important figure a lot about his life is unknown. Although it does seem he was a terrible businessman. Several lawsuits and a few unpaid loans. He did gain some status later in life but didnt live long enough to enjoy it. The museum also has a wing dedicated to the Chinese, who, contrary to what I had learned, also developed some movable type (although impractical due to Chinese being a pictographic language requiring thousands of blocks). I knew they had done block printing, but movable type was a surprise. <br />
<br />
We dumped the latter half of our walking tour to go back and just gawk at the amazing presses and books (both hand written and printed). When we left I noticed a print shop next-door to the musuem that appeared to be associated with it, but there was no time to find out for sure.<br />
<br />
Although there is no evidence to supporso such a thing, I sometimes get a strong feeling that I was somehow associated with printing and books in some previous life. It's uncanny.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-52881092333056827242011-04-19T11:33:00.001-04:002011-04-19T11:33:51.831-04:00The bonds of the seaLast night we officially began cruising on the Main river. The ship is almost silent and very little disturbs it. We are travelling down river and this requires passing through a number of locks. After dinner I went up on deck as night fell and witnessed this process first hand. The First and Second captain (there are three) were sipping drinks which alarmed me at first.I mean this IS Germany and they do drink a lot, but apparently their shift was over and they were just relaxing before going below. The third Captain wasnt actually in the pilot house. He was posted at a set of controls port side. There is a matching set starboard. Although the ship is fairly narrow there is no room for error in entering the locks. <br />
<br />
As the ship moved forward the captain made dozens of small adjustments using bow thrusters. Inside the pilot house a mate and a sailor watch the radar and use binoculars to keep an eye out for obstructions and other craft. Not only is the ship a tight squeeze side to side but top to bottom. Some of the locks and bridges are so low that the pilot house and a sun screen must be lowered in order to make it underneath them. This was done as we entered the lock. The pilot house lowered about three feet into the body of the ship.<br />
<br />
About five of us male passengers stood on deck for this, despite the cold. A woman popped up top and asked what we were doing looking so intense. <br />
<br />
" We are sharing the bond to our seagoing ancestors" I said.<br />
<br />
"What?"<br />
<br />
"We're ready, at a moments notice, to unfurl sails, or heave to on the mainbrace. Should there be call, we will waltz the capstain and climb the mizzen."<br />
<br />
The woman looked at us like we were mad, shivered, and went below.<br />
<br />
The man folk kept our vigil.<br />
<br />
"Does this ship have any of those things?" asked the man next to me, as we narrowly passed below a gangway on the lock.<br />
<br />
"No. But but thats not the point, is it? We could."Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-80733784235185962032011-04-18T02:30:00.000-04:002011-04-18T02:30:27.816-04:00All aboard.We have left Prague behind. I wish we could have had at least 1 more day to explore. We boarded a bus and drove to Nurenburg, a walled city we have visited before. It being Sunday most of the shops were closed but there was a market day in the town square. Sausages and kraut!<br />
<br />
We had an all too short walking tour of part ofnthe walls before rebounding the bus and driving past the buildings were the post war Nazi trials were held. Then we visited the massive parade grounds were the glory of Nazi Germany marched by their Messiah. These must have been awesome and terrible sights to behold. Today, the stands where Hitler stood are crumbling away and the encircling spectator stands are mostly overgrown except for one corset which is apparently a soccer field. The area around and in front of the stands is a park where people rollerblade, play with RC cars and show off their motorcycles and pimped out rides.<br />
<br />
<br />
We left Nuremburg and finally arrived in Wurtzburg to board our ship. Our cabin is a small and efficient affair. Two single beds. A bathroom that doubles as a shower. We are right above the water line which is freaking Rossana out a little bit. Our fellow travelers are, for the most part, an older lot. But interesting. There's a couple from Cuban I'm keen to speak to.<br />
<br />
Today we will visit the Residence palace and then take an excursion to Rothenburg, one of my favorite cities. Last time we were here, we abandoned our group and spent the day enjoying the city and the medieval market. Alas, we can't do that today as we need to get back to out boat before it leaves without us.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-85711430689421039672011-04-16T07:45:00.000-04:002011-04-16T07:45:45.848-04:00PragueWe arrived if fairly good shape thanks to<br />
Air Canada. From Frankfurt we had a short flight to Prague. Lufthansa does not fuck around when they fly. I swear we tAxied at 30 mph. As soon as we hit the main runway Bam we were off like a damn shot. <br />
<br />
By the time we made it to the hotel I was getting shaky. I never sleep on planes so I'd been up quite a while. Crashed for a few hours before going out and<br />
Exploring. <br />
<br />
Prague is a lovely city I wish we had at least another day. The Old Toen is very picturesque. Everything is decorated for Easter. Lots of temporary food stalls serving all kinds of tasty dishes. Visited the old Jewish quarter but being Saturday everything was closed. Many of the synagogues here are now museums. After the war only 3% of the Jews returned.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006450.post-70126813662405345012011-04-14T11:03:00.000-04:002011-04-14T11:03:57.301-04:00Up up and awaaaaaay.We head out soon and the first issue I'm going to have to deal with are the new scanners at the airport. This is our first trip since their installation and since the entire project has been a fiasco that has proven to be unreliable (and potentially less safe than claimed) I have decided that if possible, I will opt out.<br />
<br />
I've been patted down in several countries. But only in America do people tell of having TSA agents shove their hand down your pants. I'm not cool with that. But rather than complain without any experience I'm going to see how things are run in Cleveland. It's not a good statistical sample but hey.<br />
<br />
The interesting question is whether I'll actually do it. There's something called Implied Authority Syndrome. It states that most people will do something if they think someone in authority is telling them to do it. So when a person in a semi-police looking uniform tells me to step into the scanner will I say no, or chicken out?Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636260045189046146noreply@blogger.com1