Are You Part of the Problem?

Here we are, just one week away from the midterm elections of 2010.  I think that these elections are the most anticipated since the 1994 midterms.  No matter what your political persuasion is, I think you'll have to grant that  next week will see a sea change amongst the electorate.  I have not seen this level of anger since 1994; I myself have not had this level of anger since 1994; however there is one significant factor in this midterm that did not exist in 1994:  and that is, the Tea Party Movement, as they are called.

The Tea Party is not a political party in a strict sense that the Republicans or Democrats are.  Yet they are a movement that has galvanized millions, and inspired people from all walks of life to run for office for the first time in their lives.  The Tea Party is ridiculed by the Democrats and the so-called "Mainstream Media", but what you are not being told by either the Democrats or the MSM is that both entities fear the Tea Party.  And they're not the only ones.  The Tea Party movement is also feared by the Establishment Republicans, and likely more so.  Make no mistake, the Tea Party is here, the Tea Party is real, and the Tea Party means business.

Whether or not you agree with them, I think you'll have to agree that one week from today, you will have an opportunity to bring about real change, provided of course, that you're qualified to vote.  I am not going to, in this post, tell you how to vote in terms of specific candidates, but I will make my very best attempt to give you something to think about.

Are you fed up with the direction that the country is going in?  Are you concerned about double digit umemployment?  Are you worried that your job, whatever it is, is going to be outsourced to China?  Does the amount of the federal deficit concern you?  Does the amount of the national debt concern you?  Do you know what your share of the national debt is?  Do you want to do something about some or all of the aforementioned?  Do you want to read on, and ask yourself the same questions that I'm about to ask of you now?  If so, please read on.  What you're about to read are some questions/musings from someone who is a registered independent.

Has the person that you're about to vote for contributed to our national debt?  Has that person, in Congress, voted for, at any time in his her career, for an increase in the statutory limit of the national debt?   If so, then you may be part of the problem.

Is the person that you're about to vote for, sympathetic to illegal aliens who are overrunning my state, my neighboring states, and possibly your state?  If so, then you may be part of the problem.

Do you think that in general, Congress is a corrupt institution stuffed to the gills with practicing criminals, but you somehow think that your incumbent Congressman/Congresswoman is one of the "good" guys?  If so, then you may be part of the problem.

Do you think that we need term limits, in order to ensure turnover in our Congress, but you yourself are too lazy to vote out your so-called representative?  Do you simply rubberstamp your representative back into office out of party loyalty, or because you think the person you're voting for is one of the "good" guys and not one of the "bums" that need to be voted out?  If so, then you may be part of the problem.

Did you stay home in the last election, thinking that your vote did not matter?  In that case, you're definitely part of the problem, and I would rather that you stay home next week and sit on your fat lazy ass and stay out of the way of those of us who give a damn about what's going on., and shut the H E double hockey sticks up the next time Congress does something that you don't like!

Now let's look at some other questions.

Is there a candidate, incumbent or not, who you feel accurately represents your values?  If you do not vote for that candidate, then you are part of the problem!


You have a choice next week.  It's right there in front of you.  If your choice is the lesser of two evils, and yes that frequently happens, then vote for the lesser of the two.  If you sit that one out, the worst of the two is likely going to get in.   Even if that other one is way ahead of the polls, what if everyone who felt the same way that you do shows up to vote the same way that you do?

In the meantime, get ready for the robo-calls.  Get ready for the gaffes.  Prepare yourselves for the literature in your mailbox that smears someone.  Prepare to get harassed by the exit pollster who demands to know how you voted, even though how you voted really isn't anybody's business but your own.

Before then, know this:  if you do not participate, then you are most definitely part of the problem!

To Portland and Back

Last weekend was the occasion for my annual trip to Portland.....the one in Oregon, that is.  Maybe some day I'll make to the one that's in Maine, but the one in Oregon is the one that I go to and I think I've now been there eight or nine times.

My flight left Tucson at 6:00 AM.  I took Southwest Airlines this time, mainly because Southwest doesn't charge for checked baggage.  Southwest also has the reputation of getting you where you need to go and getting you there on time, and they've never failed me in that regard.  You're not going to get an assigned seat from them, which at first I didn't like but now I think it's great that you have that option.  If you're walking down the aisle and you see some weirdo sitting at the window, you don't have to sit next to him if you're on Southwest.....unless of course, you're the last one on and that's the only seat available.

The flight landed at Las Vegas later that morning.  I've passed thru more airports than I can remember, but this was my first time at McCarran International Airport.  Yes, it's true, they have slot machines there.  I don't like to admit that I use these machines, but that morning I played a machine, set it to 1 cent plays, and walked away $2.00 richer.  You just have to know when to say when.

I found myself at PDX, that is, Portland International Airport right around noon.  I rented with Avis this time, and  I can't remember the make and model of the car that I got stuck with but I have to say that it was satisfactory in all respects except for one:  the brakes were squeaking, and with only 13 kilomiles on the odometer I figured that the manufacturer (now that I think about it it was a Chevy) has some problems with either their quality control, their reliability engineering, or both.  (OK, I have to digress.....in 2003 I was working with a former GM reliability engineer and he was the tops in his field.  He taught me a lot about reliabliltiy predicitons in digital circuits.  I don't think he wrote any books, but he should have....he knew that much).

After picking up my rental car, I made my way to Powell's Used Book Store in downtown Portland.  If you're ever in Portland, this place is a "must see".  Imagine a five story bookstore taking up a whole city block....well, that's Powell's.  And across the street from them is Powell's Technical Books, with new and used books in every technical field imaginable.  I filled in some holes in my want list with that visit (some sci-fi titles), and around 4:00 PM I was at the residence of Ken & Gillian and family.

They are all doing very well!  My godson, Alexander, is now 11.  Meredith is I think 13 this year (or will turn 13) and Felicity is 15, or will turn 15.  It's really been neat watching them grow up, and watching them practice their God-given talents on musical instruments.

The next day, Friday, saw me at Powell's again.  I know, I can't help myself in a used book store.  We have a chain in Arizona called Bookman's, and you'll see me there too, but Powell's is the undisputed granddaddy of used book stores.  I picked up a copy of Dracula which I read back in high school, and a new one called The Ruin of the Roman Empire.  I'm going to have to stop visiting bookstores so that I can work on the backlog of what's waiting to be read......and that's not a bad problem to have.

After my Powell's visit, I had lunch with Ken, and we had a neat discussion on the Universe where we discussed our beliefs in how it was created.  I wish Lynette's son Austin had been there to hear this discussion, and I'm also wishing it had now been recorded.  I could go further here, but that's beyond the scope of this trip report.

Saturday Ken and I went to the Portland Zoo, and later on we went bowling with Alexander, and Alexander's friend Gavin.  Gavin was very well-behaved, just like Alexander.  I think Alexander is hanging around with some very good people.

Sunday it was church, but on this occasion I did not get to meet my namesake.  He may have been off in Nigeria doing some mission work.  The pastor delivering the sermon though was a namesake to a famous drummer, that being Carl Palmer of Emerson Lake & Palmer fame.  Anyway, this Carl Palmer delivered a good message.

After church it was the Cedar Mills Cider Festival, which is an annual event for that weekend in October.  There's nothing like sipping on cider from fresh-pressed apples.  All of us walked back to Ken's house save for Gillian, who had to attend a church meeting.  It was a good walk and a means to burn off some calories.

On Monday I returned home, getting back here around 8:30ish.  I had to connect in Las Vegas again, and on the return leg home I walked off from this one slot machine some $4.85 richer.  Again, that was a case of knowing when to say when, but I also think that the outcome on that one would have been different in an adverse way if I had played dollars that time instead of nickels.

I've now been home for a few days, the Arizona weather is great, and we are now heading into fall.

Next weekend I'll be in Phoenix on Saturday, as that I've accepted an invitation for a Halloween party.  Costumes are optional, which is good, as that I'm not one to dress up for Halloween.  I think it's great that other people do that, but for me, well it's just not me.

I'd personally rather have people dress up for Halloween than to go out and rob liquor stores.

I think that's going to be it for now.

Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.

Wild Animals in the Neighborhood

One thing that happens with living in Tucson are sightings of urban wildlife.  Urban wildlife sightings are much more prevalent where I'm at than they are downtown, as that I'm on what used to be the eastern fringe of Tucson.  Walks in my neighborhood will usually result in sightings of rabbits (not really native to Arizona), desert quail, and mourning doves.  Once in a while I'll see a coyote on my street.  Coyotes are notionally nocturnal creatures, but they can and will operate 24/7.  I've seen them in broad daylight, in the early morning hours (which is when I usually see them) and at night.

This morning I finally got to see javelina!  If you don't know what javelina are, they are piglike animals that are native to the Southwest.  There are javelina populations in New Mexico and Texas, and as far south as Central America.  The English name for them is "peccary" but here we call them javelina.

Javelina travel in herds, typically seven to fifteen in a herd.  This morning there were two of them.  It was daylight; the sun had not yet broken over the rim of the Rincons, but a new day was dawning and a beautiful one at that.  After I had backed out of my driveway, I saw some motion in the corner of my eye and I thought some dogs had gotten loose.

Instead it was two javelina, and rather big ones at that.  They were right next to my next door neighbor's house!  He usually leaves for work at the same time as I do, but apparently he had already left or had not yet left.  Meantime, I'm in my truck, and I'm transfixed at what I'm seeing.

The javelina went under the iron gate that the City of Tucson installed to wall off the wash that's behind my back wall.  I know javelina have been back there before but now I actually saw two of them get back there.

OK, so how do I know javelina have been back there?

Javelina like to eat prickly pear cacti pads.  When you're out hiking in the desert, prickly pear are common, and if you look closely you'll notice that some pads look like someone or something has taken a few bites out of them.  That's a sure sign that javelina live in the area, though a herd I think has a territory of a few square miles.  The prickly pear behind my back wall have been feasted upon by these interesting creatures, but it's hard to tell how recent a feeding has taken place.  The prickly pear just goes on as normal, not seeming to care that some wild animals have come up to feast on it.

There is one way to tell though if a javelina herd has recently been in the area.  They smell.  They smell bad.  They smell really bad.  They smell like skunks.

I wasn't aware of javelina smell until a few years ago when Todd and I were out hunting in Graham County about ten miles south of Safford.  We were on a hillside, and I smelled skunk smell and concluded that Pepe Le Pew had been in the area recently.  That's not necessarily an erroneous conclusion, as that we have skunks in the desert too, and I've seen them here before.  I mentioned something to Todd about it, and a half hour after that we were at my truck which was some 400 yards away.

We were fixing to leave; I think I was having a cold beverage while Todd was glassing the hillside.  (Glassing means using binoculars.....we hunters depend on specialized optics to spot game).  He said "Dave, there are javelina on that hillside!"  I took a look, and sure enough, there were, right where we had been just a half hour before!  There were about seven of them, and the apparent "boss" of the herd was the one on the far most left.  We watched them for about fifteen minutes or so.  Dusk was approaching, and they were out feeding.  We couldn't help but watch them.  I mean, how often do you get this kind of opportunity?

It wasn't my first time seeing them in the wild, and this morning's sighting won't be my last.  I've seen them in the grasslands near Harshaw, I've seen them over the back wall at a co-worker's place, I've seen them on resort grounds in the northwest of Tucson and I've even spooked one of them before while out hunting.

They can be very difficult to see in the wild.  During the day they tend to rest, and they're quite skilled at bedding down under trees, where their coloration blends in excellently well with the shadow of the tree that they're sleeping under.  It's possible to look right at one of them to not even know that they're there.

Javelina are considered game animals, and Fish & Game have a spring and fall season.  You have to get tags, and the seasons are two weeks long in the spring if my recollection is correct, and only one week in the fall.

I don't know how their meat is.  I've heard conflicting stories.  Some say it's good, others say it's gamey.

What I do know is that they have scent glands on their hind legs, which accounts for the skunk smell that they leave behind.  If you bag one, you have to cut that gland off before you field dress them.  If that gland squirts out and sprays the meat, then the meat for all practical purposes, is ruined.

Todd and I missed the boat on javelina tags this past spring, and for this fall, we decided that mule deer would be a better choice.  We should pay stricter attention to next year's seasons and get our tag applications in this time.

10/10/10

Around the world over, it is 10/10/10 as I write this.

I'm going to start off by wishing my brother Steve a happy birthday!

* * * * * * *

In Tucson this weekend, we had the "Tucson Meet Yourself" festival, which has been an annual event since 1974.  I didn't hear about this until last year, when I went with a good friend of mine from the singles group named Talena.  Talena and I went again last night, and this time we were joined by my housesitter Barb, who I also met from the singles group.

Barb called me on Friday, wanting to get out of her house at one point during the weekend to go "do something".  She mentioned the festival, and I thought yeah, let's do it, and I invited Talena to join us.

Tucson Meet Yourself takes place downtown, near the county and city government buildings.  They have booths set up with almost every kind of cuisine imaginable, from every ethnic group that's represented in Tucson.  A lot of these booths are set up by foreign students attending the University of Arizona, but other communities who are resident here get involved as well.  I saw food booths representing Mexico, El Salvador, Hungary, Greece, Croatia, Colombia, Lebanon, Sweden, Thailand, France, Denmark.....I know I'm leaving out several nations here.  I sampled an empanada from the Colombian food booth, which was manned by personnel from a local Colombian restaurant.  I didn't know that we had such a restaurant here but after that meat filled empanada last night I want to go check them out.

The highlight, in my opinion, is the Scottish bagpipe band sponsored by the Seven Pipers (? I hope I got that name right) of Tucson.  A parade of bagpipes and drums came up center aisle where the stage was set up, they got on stage, and treated us to a familiar bagpipe song which you know you've heard if you've ever listened to bagpipe ensembles.  I think it might be a national song of Scotland.

There were also some singers, dancers, a band with flutes, guitar, and percussion.  It was a real treat and a big hit with the crowd.  I saw them last year, and I definitely wanted us to see them this year too.  After that we wandered over one block, briefly watched a Cuban band, and then wandered over to another venue.

* * * * * * *

Also last night was "Second Saturday".  This is a monthly festival that started up downtown a few months back, and on the second Saturday night of each month downtown is treated to more booths, more food, street performers, and cars decorated in ways that you wouldn't think possible.  It's too bad we didn't have a camera with us!  The highlight of that was this street band called the "blahs".  They were all painted in silver paint, along with their musical instruments all painted in silver.  They stand stone still like statues, looking like statues with their paint, until someone drops a donation in the kitty.

Then they spring to life.  They play, and they sing, but all lyrics have only one word repeated over and over.  That word is "blah".  I couldn't help but think of The Gong Show; these guys would have been on it if they had been around in the 70s.

The three of us are planning on going downtown again next month for "Second Saturday".

* * * * * * *

The job situation is still unresolved, but I'm being kept busy.  I'm doing some work for a project that I did some work for in the front half of 2008.  My previous experience was a big help in landing this assignment, and the other help is that they have someone leaving the project and so I'm backfilling his position.

It is likely temporary as that funding alignments aren't done shifting, and I may find myself doing something different in three weeks.  Thus I'm identifying with the new Bachman & Turner song, "That's What It Is".  The nature of our business is in some churn right now as we're waiting for a new equilibrium to set in.  Yep, that's what it is.

* * * * * * *

It looks like I'll be heading up to San Jose for Christmas this year, and not Thanksgiving, as originally planned.  For a while I really thought I'd be having my first Christmas in Arizona since 2000, but it's easier for everyone if I come up for Christmas.

It's somewhat easier for me too, as that I will have a longer string of days off.  I may leave on the 17th again, like I've done the past two years, and arrive up there on the 18th, though it's possible I may wait until the 20th before leaving.  I don't know.

For the return, my plans are to leave on the 27th, and to stop in Barstow.  That will then give me the next day to drive the old US 66 from there to Needles, where I would stop again for the night, unless I get inspired to go to Kingman or down to Parker.

Day three would have me back in Tucson.

I've wanted to drive Route 66 for some time now, but my biggest regret about doing it will be not having company with me.  But that's my situation.   That's what it is.

* * * * * * *

Monsoon season finally wound down.  We had rain earlier this week but the clouds to the south have since stopped forming, and the temperatures are starting to ease down.  October can be a beautiful time to visit southern Arizona.

Meantime, I'm gearing up for my annual trip to Portland.  I'm really looking forward to it.

If I can, I'll check in from there next weekend.

If I can't, then this will be auf wiedersehen for now.

And don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.

Happy Birthday to Randy Bachman!

Randy Bachman is 67 years young today!

He was born on this date in 1943 in Winnipeg, and per one of his songs "I was born standing up with a guitar in my hand!".  He's best known for being the founder of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, but he was also a founding member of Al & the Silvertones, who later went on to become The Guess Who.

I was searching YouTube to see if I could provide a link to one of the songs off of his Axe album, which was recorded in 1970 (and also one you'll want to pick up if you stumble across it), but can't find any.

So, I'm going to leave you with another one of his tunes.

Undun (Live)

Bachman & Turner!

After a week of turmoil on more than one front, I couldn't have asked for a better end to this week, as that in the mailbox this afternoon were the five copies of the new Bachman & Turner CD!  I haven't yet listened to all the tracks (I'm listening to it now as I type this) but I can already recommend this as a "must purchase".

The first thing that leaps out at me was how the essence of the 70's heavy duty rock has been captured by this.  There's a definite Hendrix influence on "Moonlight Rider" and a Not Fragile influence in the leadoff track "Rolling Along".  "Rolling Along" has been described as the "sequel" to "Roll On Down the Highway" and "Slave to the Rhythm" as a sequel to "Takin' Care of Business".

I look forward to emailing Fred Turner to tell him "well done, and can we have ten more like this please?"

Five thumbs up on this one!

On the Road....in Tucson?!

Greetings from the Coffee Xchange on Tanque Verde Road, near Camino Principal! Why am I here?

It's like this. A computer virus/malware infection surfaced on the home computer on Saturday, and after spending a lot of time yesterday trying to fight it I've decided to take it in. I'm taking a break from file backup to come out to the Coffee Xchange, so that I can download protection updates and at least keep the laptop as a viable option for maintaining what I can of being connected to that online realm we call "cyberspace".

My computer will be in the shop for a few days; they want to make sure that once the fix is in, that the fix really fixes the problem. At the worst I'm in for a complete disk wipe, at the best it'll be resolved quickly tomorrow.

* * * * * * *

On a more positive note, I placed an order for five copies of the new Bachman & Turner CD.

Yes, five copies.

One's for myself, and two others will be given as gifts to my housesitter/catsitter Barb and to my stepson Richard. That leaves two extra; hopefully I can get both those guys to autograph one of them if I can ever catch one of their shows.

They are playing in Coachella, California next month, where I can easily get to, but I'll be in Portland. Well those good people in Portland that I'm visiting are folks that I consider family, and family is more important. And Fred Turner told me several months ago that he thinks they'll play Arizona sometime.

* * * * * * *

I was about to report here that the monsoon season in southern Arizona is winding down. Rain is forecast for tonight, around midnight. We still have clouds gathering from the south and some wind gusts like it's about to start raining.

As it is, I think the monsoons are on the fade. This means that I can get some more outside painting done and perhaps a scouting run for mule deer down by Willcox.

* * * * * * *

Willcox is a small town along I-10 in southern Arizona. It's at a higher elevation than Tucson, and thus has different vegetation. You won't see saguaro cacti there.

Willcox is best known for its proximity to the Willcox Playa, which is where cranes come to visit, during the winter, I think. There's also an awesome pie place just north of I-10 that sells killer blueberry (and other) pies.

South of the freeway, on Rex Allen Drive, is La Salsa Fiesta Mexican restaurant, featuring New Mexico style cuisine. That comes highly recommended by two friends of mine and I will give this one the thumbs up too.

* * * * * * *

Willcox used to be linked to Tucson via the old Arizona state highway 86. A remnant of that old highway peels off from I-10 at exit 344, and passes to the south of Willcox until it rejoins Willcox some eight miles later. Along that strip are some buildings that used to be motels, back when 86 was the main drag thru town. I think that maybe one of them might still be in business but most of them folded, being overtaken by the chain hotels that are alongside I-10.

Whenever I drive by buildings like that, I can't help but think of what kind of stories those buildings would tell me if they could talk. They are from an era that is largely forgotten....an era of classic V-8 powered Chevrolets and Fords, and era of prosperity, an era where many of our greatest generation had been home from fighting the Nazis for a decade and were busy raising families.

The question I'm tempted to ask here, is what happened? Where did it all go?

Sometimes I ask that same question when I think about the 80s, the decade where I was launching my career and pursuing my aspirations. I'm still in my career, still pursuing aspirations, but sometimes there's this sense that some things are getting away from us, and I wonder if we'll be the better for it.

* * * * * * *

When I return home later this evening I've still got some work ahead of me, backing up photos and then getting in a little reading. Supper is also coming late as that I have not yet eaten aside from some light snacks. The computer repair place doesn't open until nine so I get a rare opportunity to sleep in......that is, to the extent that the cats will let me.

My cats are wonderful boys, but they like to manipulate the people that they own, and Moe especially can get quite vocal in the morning.

Whenever the food dish has one square inch of visible bottom surface, the cat considers the dish to be legally empty, and the cat reserves the right (and often exercises it) to let you know about it.

* * * * * * *

That's it for now. Good night.