Daynotes On A Budget, V6.0

I sure get tired of all of the "oh, I can't be offensive" crap.   And next door, the land of cheese and beer just dropped the beer - and put the cheese inside the skull.  It seems many are horrified by the idea that people might be able to live together without hate.   Why else would they decide to ban first graders of singing about how great a world would be if we could live without hate?  Seems the thin-skinned administration of Waukesha County schools in Wisconsin are upset by rainbows .  How long before the munchkins are tossed onto the trash heap as well?   I mean, I do understand.  Judy Garland was born in Minnesota, so God Forbid cheese-loving Wisconnie school children learn that a Minnesota girl in a gingham dress can destroy armies of flying monkeys.  I mean, If they trade that other thin-skinned needle-phobe who sometimes plays quarterback for the cheeseheads (lower case deliberately chosen), then I guess no flying monkey ...

I found myself marveling, the other day, at the outright bigoted actions of Ron Desantis and other people complaining about "Woke".   So I started trying to figure out what the heck they're upset about. And it literally sickened me all over again.  Because it's so sad and so ... damned predictable. I really shouldn't have to repeat this, but it seems I might need to explain where I'm coming from. As a kid, I grew up in what was one of the least integrated regions of the country.  Central Minnesota, specifically around St. Cloud, Minnesota.  Which is where I can point out that my high school year books which provide a bit of an overview of the population.  I have pictures of around 150 graduating students for four years, and that final yearbook includes the three years of students after my class.  In those 7 years of students, there is one Black face.  it belongs to Charles White, who was a few years ahead of me.  And I am a bit ashamed to poi...

 Lately, in watching the news and marveling at the nitwits who seem to be rising like shit floats, I find myself thinking of one of my favorite Robert A Heinlein quotes: “Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.” I know. Heinlein was the product of his times and his own experience, but I still agree with that sentiment.  Any time anyone tells you there's something that must be banned, it must not be read, it must be withheld from impressionable ...

 Well, I learned something today.  Here I was thinking that the IOC in Thomas Bach's title stood for International Olympic Committee.  Turns out it's Idiot Out Clueless.   Seems Bach is not a student of history OR the Olympic movement, as it turns out.  I'm sure everyone remembers the 1940 and 1944 Olympic games.  You know, those great huge gatherings of athletes and their coaches, trainers, support staff, and the like.  1940 was pretty disorganized, but the 1944 games turned out to be a pretty solid offensive to permit those athletes to end the Second World War. Bach should, I suppose, be forgiven for forgetting that it was HIS NATION which was the aggressor, which meant it was his home nation which took one hell of a beating.  Mind you, they even lost in that regard to the Japanese, who took two pretty massive blows before they gave up.  Germany just decided they'd had enough with the lunatic running the show after said lunatic died fr...

 I do know a little bit about saying something so stupid those around you immediately lower their respect for your ... well, not intelligence so much as that which comes out of your mouth without losing respect for you, individually.  In my case, it was a particular situation where my children were playing catch, indoors, with a dog toy.  One of their errant throws bounced this toy, which was not a light, fluffy thing, but neither was it so heavy that it caused severe damage, off my forehead.  This upset me. So, in my best fatherly tone, I announced in that "angry father" voice "THERE WILL BE NO MORE THROWING OF DOG TOYS IN THIS HOUSE.  IS THAT CLEAR?"  This is what the brain sent to the mouth.  Mouth, unfortunately, chose to miss the key point on that last word, and instead, replaced "clear" with "queer".  Please note that this was not an attempt to slight any individual or group or philosophy or way of life, it was my mouth following it's r...

 Had I known a week or more ago that there was about 3000 miles of driving ahead of me, I might have had a full-on nervous breakdown.  Or worse. On March 3, 2023, we packed the car.  On March 4, 2023, my wife took the kids to the airport.  She came home, we packed all of the items we needed to bring, and we planted our butts in the car.  Along with Cheyanne.  We drove from Burnsville, Minnesota to Iowa City, picked up some camera equipment, then continued on to the Day's Inn in Hannibal, Missouri.  The next morning, Sunday, March 5th, we got up, hopped into the car, and drove from Hannibal to Atlanta, where we had dinner with a high school friend of Ann's and his wife. On Monday, March 6th, we got up in Atlanta and drove from there to Ocala, Florida.  We unloaded the car, then turned around and drove about 6 miles to the Publix supermarket, picked up some basic groceries (including Havarti Onion Cheese, yum).  The next day we had dinner with ...