Watching "Dirty Jobs"

I've been watching Mike Rowe, and his crew, on the television this morning. His show: "Dirty Jobs" was, and still is, popular to many. I've seen some episodes more than once, but always  enjoy seeing them again. Why? The show reveals the tremendous amount of manual labor required to keep what we call "modern society" on the rails.

While the lure of higher education keeps many thinking it will bring wealth, and success, both may not be what people want, or need. Wealth doesn't buy happiness, and success isn't always measured in the accumulation of things. Neither guarantees health, and neither always endears a person to others.

I've observed the caliber of young new hires for the last few decades. At one time, they were more acclimated to working, and taking on responsibility. That, and they weren't thin skinned like those found today.

I'm finding I have less patience with dealing with youngsters given too many things in life, and never forced to understand their feelings sometimes need to be placed on hold. I don't have to cater to their emotions. There's work to be done, and they're expected to do the work without reacting like an emotional third grader.

There are many opportunities for young folks willing to get their hands dirty. For too many, dirty hands will be a first time experience; even though they're in their early twenties. All they have to do is pay attention, do the menial tasks first, and learn a trade that may allow them more wages than many professionals. Whether enough take this path is to be seen. If they don't, there are many Mexicans standing in line for the opportunity.

Some Things You Can't Buy

Around the time of Hurricane Harvey, my wife started a quilt for me. It involved cutting multiple pieces of fabric into 2 inch square, pinning the squares into a pattern, sewing the squares together, placing batten, sewing the backing fabric, sewing the border, and finally the part she likes: sewing the quilting pattern to hold it all together.

This was when she had it all the pieces pinned together:

This is the final quilt:

She spent many hours on this project. She'd be inspired, put it away for awhile, and for some months, she didn't even want to keep quilting. The bug hit her again, so she finished, and is starting another project.

I think she's an artist, but she can pick out every tiny detail she doesn't like. That's the artist in her, and doesn't lessen the fantastic thing she made out of love.

I'm blessed.

Where's the Rabbit?

Magicians will pull a rabbit out their hat. It's an old trick, but satisfies the audience, when they see something that confirms the magician is not a fake. That's what should be happening today with the current administration. The audience of concerned citizens watches the show, knows there needs to be something to address the criminals of the past administration, and wait for the prosecutions of known crimes.

There's an article about this in the American Thinker. It's a good article, and mirrors my thoughts. The great republic is falling due to the actions of rogue politicians, and the public is becoming restless. Regardless of political affiliation, corruption is frowned upon, and the corruption of the last administration is a glaring example of the need for enforcing laws.

You Can't Trust Polls

Why? Because you can't trust pollsters, the media, and those that use corrupted data in the attempt to control people.

Learning New Things

I use a total station occasionally. It's a wonderful device, and amazes me with how easy it is to establish points on a project that are more accurate than anything I can measure any other way. That's a good thing; especially since I have a computer program that allows me to create points, transfer them to the total station, and then stake the points out on a project.

I've had a problem the last few days. My computer, and total station, are not communicating as they did in the past. I suspected many things, and was frustrated, when I had to load points into the total station manually with the onerous keypad. To make things worse, when I thought my problems were over, and I managed to upload field points into my computer, I was not happy with what I saw.

Nothing was fitting as it was supposed to fit, and checking the raw data to what was transferred didn't show the same coordinates. Entering the data manually into the program in my PC led to plots that reflected what was envisioned.

So, after some research, I found my Radio Shack USB to serial converter may have a problem. It appears the chips can have problems, data can be corrupted, and communication between the devices is flaky, if non-existent.

Now, I'll have to find a dependable adapter - I guess. It's the starting point in determining the actual problem. How this plays out is yet to be seen, but it's another one of those problems that make me want to pull out what little hair I have left.

How Far Can This Go?

It's obvious, the House is willing to do anything to circumvent law, cause national problems, and expose the United States to conditions that can be described as an emergency. I don't think they realize an emergency of this type allows the President to declare martial law, which would effectively allow the seditionists to be rounded up and imprisoned.

I think it's time for Barr to either join the seditionists, or start the criminal proceedings against the known high-ranking officials. The results will lead to some interesting times, but I think it's necessary. I don't like martial law, but I like criminals running the country even less.

It's the Little Things

My wife, and I, were sitting on the porch this morning, enjoying the cooler air, and beautiful clear skies. The mist on the pond was dancing along the surface, and the rays of the rising sun glistened on the almost still water.

We were looking at a new arrival; a red-shouldered hawk perched on the top a neighbor's power pole. It would swoop down to the ground, and return with a small morsel, which we guessed was one of the numerous small frogs that appeared after the last flood.

As we sat, a young doe left the woods, eased up to the road, and stood for a few seconds before returning to the safety of the woods. It looked lost, or attempting to find a companion. Its ears were in constant motion, and skittish is too bland of a word to describe its behavior.

So, it's the little things that make the day. With a pleasant start, a good cup of coffee, and the smell of bacon frying, the day started on a grand note. How it progresses is yet to be seen, but my attitude demands I'll make the best of what it brings.

I Couldn't Be President

Why? Because I would have had a few dozen bureaucrats waterboarded, until I found their handlers. Some might find this harsh, but we're effectively at war with seditionists attempting to overthrow the United States. Harsh times require harsh measures.