September 25: A sojourner requested a place to stay because he came to visit someone in Canada on the bus but was not allowed to cross the border. The person did not have any money for lodging or food, so an officer transported him to the Mission.
September 22: An officer assisted Border Patrol agents by providing perimeter security while they took a foreign national into custody after he entered the U.S. illegally in a forested area.
September 15: Officers received a second noise disturbance call regarding a man parked at the curb loudly playing music in his car. Officers recontacted the car’s conductor and warned him additional calls might result in a quiet jail cell. He decided to go back inside the house and listen to his music tomorrow.
September 14: A social service representative went to an elderly resident’s home to talk with her about her well-being. The social worker called for police assistance when the resident hopped on her electric scooter and skedaddled down the street rather than chatting. An officer was able to broker a conversation between the two. From all appearances, the 94-year-old citizen’s batteries were well charged.
September 11: A teenager racing home on his mountain bike artfully jumped the curb from the sidewalk into the roadway of the H Street overpass. The landing was even more exciting than the jump as the bike’s front fork assembly and handlebars separated from the frame. The rider and his amazed expression were then ejected off the frame out onto the pavement in the westbound lane. The disintegration was witnessed by a passing police officer, who closed the roadway to check the victim for injuries and commiserate with his pain. He and his former bicycle were given a ride home.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
safety is relative
i have a vivid imagination, so it's pretty easy for me to half-way believe in sci-fi/fantasy stuff.
imagine my horror when i read about people who swim in lakes and mysteriously pick up an invisible ameoba which methodically begins eating their brain tissue until they die.
only this is not science fiction. this is reality on earth today. go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21034344/ to read the story.
i'm appalled and saddened that something so undetectable could creep up and latch onto someone you love, very quickly rendering them almost immediately terminal. and for some reason, males are infected more than females.
the article mentions one such incident at lake havasu in arizona last month. i think that's where My Younger Son went to vacation with a friend of his back in the 90's. eeeekk!! even 8 years later, it's still eeeekk!!
whatever the tiny creature is, the medical community has no way to fight it. apparently the first cases started showing up in the 1960's and since the bug is a heat-loving bug, its presence is probably going to start being apparent more and more. you know, with global warming and all.
goodness. we start thinking we are pretty safe, and something new comes along. be careful, you guys.
imagine my horror when i read about people who swim in lakes and mysteriously pick up an invisible ameoba which methodically begins eating their brain tissue until they die.
only this is not science fiction. this is reality on earth today. go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21034344/ to read the story.
i'm appalled and saddened that something so undetectable could creep up and latch onto someone you love, very quickly rendering them almost immediately terminal. and for some reason, males are infected more than females.
the article mentions one such incident at lake havasu in arizona last month. i think that's where My Younger Son went to vacation with a friend of his back in the 90's. eeeekk!! even 8 years later, it's still eeeekk!!
whatever the tiny creature is, the medical community has no way to fight it. apparently the first cases started showing up in the 1960's and since the bug is a heat-loving bug, its presence is probably going to start being apparent more and more. you know, with global warming and all.
goodness. we start thinking we are pretty safe, and something new comes along. be careful, you guys.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
bent spear --- broken arrow
bent spear and broken arrow. you don't know those terms? that's because you are young!
and if you haven't lived during prickly times like the cold war era, the cuban missile crisis, or the gary powers incident, you probably aren't too concerned about being careful around missiles.
still, it's pretty intriguing to think that nuclear missiles could be transported, undetected, and casually held for 36 hours with no one the wiser.
like, whoa, dude. no problem. this hang-over is killing me. whaddaya mean 'be careful'? you read too many comic books, dude ..... get real.
the unbelievable story here -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20926465/
and if you haven't lived during prickly times like the cold war era, the cuban missile crisis, or the gary powers incident, you probably aren't too concerned about being careful around missiles.
still, it's pretty intriguing to think that nuclear missiles could be transported, undetected, and casually held for 36 hours with no one the wiser.
like, whoa, dude. no problem. this hang-over is killing me. whaddaya mean 'be careful'? you read too many comic books, dude ..... get real.
the unbelievable story here -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20926465/
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
take a piece of meat with you....
i just had a few 'good morning' chuckles -- go to http://testpattern.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/09/19/368492.aspx and read about song lyrics that have been mis-heard. even if you don't know the songs, the results are entertaining.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
change
our sleepy little neighborhood is waking up. it's been very quiet for so long what with, at one time or another, ten houses being on the market in the last year. and there's only twenty in the neighborhood. but even with several of the houses being purchased, the area has still been very sober.
until now.
the house across the street (lovely 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath) was rented to a group of kids a couple of months ago. we wondered how that was going to turn out, but (except for one of them relieving himself off the balcony) generally they've been low-key. there are always five cars in front of the place, but they've been quiet.
two weeks ago, the notorious house next door got moved into. that was where the kid had played his drums at all hours and their dogs had used our yard as a bathroom. it's been nice to have them gone and i'm not sure what to think of the new neighbors. apparently it's two couples (one couple is older) plus a son. there are routinely four cars in front of the house and the weekends are filled with additional people playing outside. i think they must have an extensive family because there are always new faces.
the other house across the street (small 3 bedroom, 2 story) was just rented a couple of days ago -- they brought in a moving van load of stuff so they may be around awhile. which might not be bad -- i think that sweet dog lives there. i've only seen two cars parked at their place and their plates are from arizona.
so -- things are happening. hopefully the happenings will be happy.
until now.
the house across the street (lovely 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath) was rented to a group of kids a couple of months ago. we wondered how that was going to turn out, but (except for one of them relieving himself off the balcony) generally they've been low-key. there are always five cars in front of the place, but they've been quiet.
two weeks ago, the notorious house next door got moved into. that was where the kid had played his drums at all hours and their dogs had used our yard as a bathroom. it's been nice to have them gone and i'm not sure what to think of the new neighbors. apparently it's two couples (one couple is older) plus a son. there are routinely four cars in front of the house and the weekends are filled with additional people playing outside. i think they must have an extensive family because there are always new faces.
the other house across the street (small 3 bedroom, 2 story) was just rented a couple of days ago -- they brought in a moving van load of stuff so they may be around awhile. which might not be bad -- i think that sweet dog lives there. i've only seen two cars parked at their place and their plates are from arizona.
so -- things are happening. hopefully the happenings will be happy.
read the label
all that information about toys from china having lead paint or something else wrong prompted me to be really careful in trying to pick out little toys to put on the diaper wreath i made for my dau-in-law at her baby shower last week.
i enjoyed making the diaper wreath and it was cute, but i couldn't find a single toy thing that i thought was safe enough to add to it. of course, this is a very small town and the toy offerings from rite aid are pretty dismal, but every single toy for newborns was made in china.
sorry. not going to buy it. i am going to restrict my toy purchases to a company which is based in germany or somewhere in the european countries. there's just no sense in giving your child a toy from china. too many far-reaching effects if the toy is tainted.
and on that note, i overheard more stay-away-from-made-in-china-products news. it seems there is at least one brand of tooth paste which has been found to be laced with anti-freeze. i don't know any specifics, but i don't need any more reasons to look for the fine print on labels. no chinese products for me or purchases for anyone i love.
i enjoyed making the diaper wreath and it was cute, but i couldn't find a single toy thing that i thought was safe enough to add to it. of course, this is a very small town and the toy offerings from rite aid are pretty dismal, but every single toy for newborns was made in china.
sorry. not going to buy it. i am going to restrict my toy purchases to a company which is based in germany or somewhere in the european countries. there's just no sense in giving your child a toy from china. too many far-reaching effects if the toy is tainted.
and on that note, i overheard more stay-away-from-made-in-china-products news. it seems there is at least one brand of tooth paste which has been found to be laced with anti-freeze. i don't know any specifics, but i don't need any more reasons to look for the fine print on labels. no chinese products for me or purchases for anyone i love.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
dreadnaughts = draughts = chinook
much to my surprise, or i probably would have been surprised if i'd thought about it, a computer program has managed to come up with every single possible play in a game of checkers.
it took 18 years, and includes more than 500 billion billion moves, but this program will never be beaten because it has seen it all. if an equal opponent ever played the program, the result would be a draw.
the program, called Chinook and dreamed up by computer scientists in canada, will make great inroads in the artificial intelligence field. for more information see this article -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19839044/
it took 18 years, and includes more than 500 billion billion moves, but this program will never be beaten because it has seen it all. if an equal opponent ever played the program, the result would be a draw.
the program, called Chinook and dreamed up by computer scientists in canada, will make great inroads in the artificial intelligence field. for more information see this article -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19839044/
joie de vivre
i chanced across the sweetest dog this evening. i'd run over to a neighbor's to water her plants while she was out of town for a few days. as i was walking across her driveway toward home, i saw a brown sandy-dog peeking around the fence looking at me.
i said, "well, hi puppy. where did you come from?" his tongue hung out and he wagged his tail, making little happy-jumps, one time lunging at my hand with his nose and quickly retreating. he wanted to play!
but i had no idea who he was or where he'd come from so i decided i needed to ignore him and go on home. there were two cars in front of the nice heretofore unrented rental house across the street, so maybe he was theirs. in which case i'll get to see him again. maybe.
anyhow, it was fun to see his joy and for awhile i wished i was part of it.
i said, "well, hi puppy. where did you come from?" his tongue hung out and he wagged his tail, making little happy-jumps, one time lunging at my hand with his nose and quickly retreating. he wanted to play!
but i had no idea who he was or where he'd come from so i decided i needed to ignore him and go on home. there were two cars in front of the nice heretofore unrented rental house across the street, so maybe he was theirs. in which case i'll get to see him again. maybe.
anyhow, it was fun to see his joy and for awhile i wished i was part of it.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
true crime -- small town beat
September 3: A 16-year-old area youth who had warrants for his arrest turned himself in at the police department. The warrants were confirmed and the juvenile arrestee was placed into detention.
September 1: An officer investigated several 911 hang-ups coming from an apartment complex. Contact was made with two residents. The caller was surprised to learn that punching the numbers on 911 on your phone works even when you think your telephone service is disconnected.
August 31: A citizen reported a possibly intoxicated man with facial injuries was waiting for a bus in front of city hall. Officers and fire personnel contacted the victim. He described himself as a clumsy alcoholic who falls all the time. The man had a fresh bandage on his cut and refused treatment.
August 31: Customs and Border Protection called to report a motorist backing south on I-5 in the northbound lanes. An officer contacted the driver who admitted to the offense because he had forgotten his passport at home. The driver was trying to find a place to turn around, as he was afraid to approach Canada Customs without proper documentation.
September 1: An officer investigated several 911 hang-ups coming from an apartment complex. Contact was made with two residents. The caller was surprised to learn that punching the numbers on 911 on your phone works even when you think your telephone service is disconnected.
August 31: A citizen reported a possibly intoxicated man with facial injuries was waiting for a bus in front of city hall. Officers and fire personnel contacted the victim. He described himself as a clumsy alcoholic who falls all the time. The man had a fresh bandage on his cut and refused treatment.
August 31: Customs and Border Protection called to report a motorist backing south on I-5 in the northbound lanes. An officer contacted the driver who admitted to the offense because he had forgotten his passport at home. The driver was trying to find a place to turn around, as he was afraid to approach Canada Customs without proper documentation.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
hot!!
and this is what that very same sweetie looks like now ....
well, actually, that was about three years ago.
now he looks like this:
Sunday, August 26, 2007
the business of play
when he was little, My Younger Son was very serious about his work.
and when he took a notion to get serious, he was serious. for example, during the whole year of his 5th grade, he decided to wear a button-down shirt and tie to school. it was just a regular school with no dress code. i had to wash and iron shirts, and buy ties for my 5th grader. impressive.
and when he took a notion to get serious, he was serious. for example, during the whole year of his 5th grade, he decided to wear a button-down shirt and tie to school. it was just a regular school with no dress code. i had to wash and iron shirts, and buy ties for my 5th grader. impressive.
Friday, August 24, 2007
not again
... uhhnnnn .... wanna go back to bed ... can't wait until tomorrow morning -- think i'll set my alarm so i can turn it off and ignore it ... HA, ha, h... zzzzz
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
shoot 'em up, blow 'em up
remember The Rock? we watched it again the other night. it was great. lots of suspense, good music, and not bad acting.
sometimes when you watch a movie years after it was made, it really stinks. even if you loved it before. i remember thinking It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World was terrific. then we watched it about thirty years later. double raspberries.
but a number of movies hold up pretty well -- Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Star Wars (1977), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Grease (1978), Man From Snowy River (1982), Princess Bride (1987), Roxanne (1987) and of course many more.
take a minute and tell me the ones you still like ...
sometimes when you watch a movie years after it was made, it really stinks. even if you loved it before. i remember thinking It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World was terrific. then we watched it about thirty years later. double raspberries.
but a number of movies hold up pretty well -- Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Star Wars (1977), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Grease (1978), Man From Snowy River (1982), Princess Bride (1987), Roxanne (1987) and of course many more.
take a minute and tell me the ones you still like ...
Monday, August 20, 2007
my nose is bigger than your nose
we went down to My Older Son's for a barbeque with him, his wife, and his inlaws. plus their little dog, charlie. we had a lovely time -- good food, great company, and light-hearted enjoyment.
i got a few pictures, but it's time to head for bed, so i'll just put on one of charlie.
voila!
it's not photoshopped, i swear!
i got a few pictures, but it's time to head for bed, so i'll just put on one of charlie.
voila!
it's not photoshopped, i swear!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
quotes
"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." -Rita Rudner
"People in motion tend to stay in motion. People at rest tend to rust." - Tim Lane
"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." -Thomas Edison
"I'll tell ya how to stay young: Hang around with older people." -Bob Hope
"I took a course in speed waiting. Now I can wait an hour in only ten minutes." -Steven Wright
"I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes --and six months later you have to start all over again." -Joan Rivers
"People in motion tend to stay in motion. People at rest tend to rust." - Tim Lane
"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." -Thomas Edison
"I'll tell ya how to stay young: Hang around with older people." -Bob Hope
"I took a course in speed waiting. Now I can wait an hour in only ten minutes." -Steven Wright
"I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes --and six months later you have to start all over again." -Joan Rivers
maybe i should retire. oh, wait ...
today was a stressful day. one of the new tasks they've given me has taken up a LOT of my time lately. i simply HAVE to get this one particular job done for another boss, but something always comes along which has temporary precedence. so, tomorrow i am going to get a few little things out of the way then finish up 'this particular job' and have it completed before i go home at 4:30. i will try to stay cool and calm and take lots of deep, relaxing breaths.
opposing that thought however is this: my boss sent me an e-mail wondering if i'd be interested in heading up the united way fund this year. me interested?? hell nooooooooooooooooo!!!!! i would totally hate doing that and if i am 'encouraged' to do it anyway, it will totally stress me out. she wanted to talk to me about it tomorrow so we'll see what she says.
i plan to start a new habit of recalling the wonderful advice My Older Son gave me recently -- "Remember to slow down and take care of yourself."
like taking deep breaths ... relaxing breaths ... (and maybe turning off the phones)
opposing that thought however is this: my boss sent me an e-mail wondering if i'd be interested in heading up the united way fund this year. me interested?? hell nooooooooooooooooo!!!!! i would totally hate doing that and if i am 'encouraged' to do it anyway, it will totally stress me out. she wanted to talk to me about it tomorrow so we'll see what she says.
i plan to start a new habit of recalling the wonderful advice My Older Son gave me recently -- "Remember to slow down and take care of yourself."
like taking deep breaths ... relaxing breaths ... (and maybe turning off the phones)
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
just trying to do their job
there was a letter to the editor of our little newspaper last week. it seems a canadian woman has made a point over the years of coming down and spending time (days? weeks?) at one of our shoreline places. she has always enjoyed doing that however her last trip across the border left her with ill-will. apparently one of the officers, as he was conversing about her reasons for coming to the states, said "don't they have beaches in canada?"
she was miffed about his question and the way he said it. my thought is: these guys have been working overtime (double-shifts) and are tired and probably sick of everyone's shit -- be glad their weapons are holstered. there are a LOT of people who try to bring drugs across the border -- do you have something illegal in your trunk? there are a LOT of people who think they have a right to come into the states and feel they shouldn't have to put up with a lot of questions -- a lot of people are jerks. there are a LOT of people who get tired of the long waiting lines at the border -- hmmm ... who's causing these long lines? those aren't american plates on those cars. and frankly, i think they teach them to ask questions like that -- at one of my crossings they asked me, "why don't you just go to the costco in bellingham?"
my experience with canadians (with one exception) is as follows: they are cranky and rude; they never smile; courtesy, manners, and pleasantness are lacking; they carry around an air of entitlement; seven out of every ten canadian cars i've seen in my last three trips on the interstate have been exceeding the speed limit, and not by just 5 mph; the long lines at the border are canadians coming to the states to speed.
i used to be all for multi-culturalism, sharing, universal love, etc. but anymore my thought is .... don't they have beaches in canada?
she was miffed about his question and the way he said it. my thought is: these guys have been working overtime (double-shifts) and are tired and probably sick of everyone's shit -- be glad their weapons are holstered. there are a LOT of people who try to bring drugs across the border -- do you have something illegal in your trunk? there are a LOT of people who think they have a right to come into the states and feel they shouldn't have to put up with a lot of questions -- a lot of people are jerks. there are a LOT of people who get tired of the long waiting lines at the border -- hmmm ... who's causing these long lines? those aren't american plates on those cars. and frankly, i think they teach them to ask questions like that -- at one of my crossings they asked me, "why don't you just go to the costco in bellingham?"
my experience with canadians (with one exception) is as follows: they are cranky and rude; they never smile; courtesy, manners, and pleasantness are lacking; they carry around an air of entitlement; seven out of every ten canadian cars i've seen in my last three trips on the interstate have been exceeding the speed limit, and not by just 5 mph; the long lines at the border are canadians coming to the states to speed.
i used to be all for multi-culturalism, sharing, universal love, etc. but anymore my thought is .... don't they have beaches in canada?
Monday, August 13, 2007
danger, will robinson...
obviously i do not have a criminal mentality because this particular ploy has never occurred to me: you get a virus, it locks up your computer, you send the masterminds money for the unlock code. insidious, eh? yes, it is.
so ... what can you do? the article says to be sure to back up your data. but what if the back-up file also contains the virus?
for myself i prefer to depend on Symantec's Norton Antivirus. we've used that program for years and haven't had any reason to switch. it's our tarzan in that jungle out there.
do you have your own tarzan?
so ... what can you do? the article says to be sure to back up your data. but what if the back-up file also contains the virus?
for myself i prefer to depend on Symantec's Norton Antivirus. we've used that program for years and haven't had any reason to switch. it's our tarzan in that jungle out there.
do you have your own tarzan?
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