I'm no Ralph Nader, but....

Truth in advertising - is there such a thing?. . . Smart car wants us to believe their car is strong, durable and safe. Call me a skeptic, disbeliever, cynic & etc, but.... (The builders of Smart actually admitted this was "a photo-shop picture" ~ only after being asked for accountability on it.)
A picture is worth a thousand words (and then some!) really holds true here.

If you're asking yourself. . . yes sadly, this was a fatal accident.

More from the courtroom

In court again today, arrived at 9 am, left at 11:45, thought I’d give y’all some interesting tidbits reference our wonderful criminal justice system in action. Packed audience as usual. Luckily, I could still sit in the back row reserved for cops. I kept my eye out for creepy-crawlies that could still make their way across the wooden benches & dirty carpeted floor to me from this gallery of out-on-bail defendants, family members, victims and witnesses. I only started keeping track when, while, doing my crosswords not paying too much attention to the proceedings, I’d heard several plea bargains in a row. In brief:
~ Guilty plea of Misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance from Felony PCS & PCS with intent to sell – which means this subject had a more than personal-use quantity of dope on him. $500 fine, drug counseling and SOOT (Stay Out Of Trouble)
~ Guilty plea of Misdemeanor Possession of Stolen Property from Felony PSP; credit for time served
~ Guilty plea of Attempt possession of stolen vehicle from Auto Theft (three defendants, each with their own attorney- reminded me of the see, speak & hear no evil three monkeys standing side by side)
~ Guilty plea of Misdemeanor possession of unregistered fire arm from Felony Burglary, Firing weapon in occupied structure and Assault with Deadly Weapon – SOOT, $250 fine, 90 day status check
~ Guilty plea of Carry Concealed Weapon from Gross Misdemeanor, CCW, forfeit the metal knuckles, 25 hours community service, SOOT and 90 day status check
~ Guilty plea of convicted sex offender failure to register, Misdemeanor, credit time served (unknown time in Henderson jail)
~ Guilty plea of Misdemeanor possession of drugs not be introduced into interstate commerce, (don’t ask/confusing ref to FDA) drug counseling, from Felony, two counts PSC.
~ Guilty plea of forgery, felony, waived prelim hearing and right to face his accused, goes straight to District Court for sentencing – combined with two other cases already scheduled for hearing in District Court
~ Guilty, speeding; 10 mph over the limit, credit for time served, from reckless driving.
~ Too numerous of jump-suit wearing good citizens who when asked, can not afford an attorney & are afforded the opportunity of free legal counsel
*My case – unlicensed contractor with prior(s). I submitted case, asking for home owner restitution $5600. GUILTY; contracting without license and pay restitution $5400 & $200 investigative costs. 90 day status check and get licensed. (this won’t happen!) no plea bargain, hallelujah!
SOOT all…….

Sister biker chicks of yore

Feeling the need to blog-a-new since my last so-called, tacky post, I checked my photo archives and these two pictures caught my eye.
Does this street really exist? (This is in Park City, UT, I took one early morning in 2003.)
The next best thing is the real street below with biker-chicks in So Utah.

One of my favorite pictures that don't have the Monkey Boys in them :-)

A Big whopper liar for 9/19 holiday

As an example of two things; one being Big Whopper Liar Day is Saturday, the other being is that I've nothing else to currently blog about; I thought I'd share this. Or, it could just be in poor taste? . ? . ?

On a better note, remember to talk like a pirate today as you enjoy Wife Appreciation Day. (not at the same time, of course) I appreciate Carol more than she knows!

Hope your day is better

As I exited 215 this morning, I saw the off ramp backed up more than usual. Being the trained driver that I am, I quickly assessed the situation, decided on an alternate route and made a split second decision, I drove around the backed up traffic. I soon saw the cause. The lady on the phone (in the picture) will no doubt be listed as "Vehicle #1" on the accident report. I only wonder if the cell phone she is using was a contributing factor. If you look closely, you can see the damage to both vehicles is extensive. Her off ramp speed must have been greater than the 25 mph recommendation. I saw no skid marks. No one seemed injured. Driver of "Vehicle #2" had been rubbing the back of her neck earlier. I yelled out my window as I was stopped if they needed any help. I was told it was okay, they'd called 911 already. And I was griping to myself about the delay! It's all relevant. You never want to be to be vehicle #1 on an accident report. It means 'you are at fault.' Now you know.

Ahoy! A few September holidays

September marks several not-so-well-known holidays. Here's a sampling of just Sept 19th. (I wonder if Big Whopper Liar Day and Wife appreciation day are suppose to share this day? ) Fact:

Boys’ and Girls’ club day for kids, National POW/MIA recognition day, Talk like a Pirate Day, (http://www.talklikeapirate.com/sounds/TLAPD_smith.html) Big Whopper Liar Day, International Eat an Apple Day, International coastal cleanup day, National child seat check Saturday ~ good idea!(http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.9f8c7d6359e0e9bbbf30811060008a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_viewID=detail_view&itemID=ce45e2542a964110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD&viewType=standard), Responsible dog ownership day (http://www.akc.org/clubs/rdod/index.cfm) , Rosh Hashanah, and finally: Wife Appreciation Day~sources conflict on exact date, but it's still this month!

At any rate, anyway you want to say it, believe it or not, I agree with the saying, "Behind every successful man is a good wife." I consider myself successful even without the BMW, yacht, French Riviera summer home and six figure savings account. Factoid: At Carol's insistence, we bought our first home, rather than rent as I suspected we'd do, to move into after we were married, returning from our honeymoon early just to get a start on playing house. And, we're still playing house thanks to Carol. I'm all for coastal clean up and recognition of POW/MIAs but I think Liar Recognition Day should be changed to Election Day...what say ye, mateys?

Just a thought

IF only this could really happen; Cartoon Network, et al, dispose of, toss in the alley, (like this picture) eradicate, or otherwise cancel, Sponge Bob Square Pants and lessen my anguish ~ (as Shayla's - worse than fingernails on a chalk board agony over a few songs) To me, this cartoon is soooo non-entertaining, mind-numbing & brainless; worse than "one call does it all" (no offense to any attorney friends - if they read this), more unpleasant than a wet toilet seat, worse than a carpet burn, a pine needle between your toes in a tennis shoe, a neighbor's poodle yapping, a soggy grilled cheese sandwich, the wrong camera position during sumo wrestling when you're channel surfing, seeing OJ go free (the first time), . . . It is just tasteless televised entertainment! Maybe watching it, snuggled with a monkey-boy helps. . . Just a thought.

B.S. and historical message - Rated PG13

I made the picture as small as possible not to offend any 'over-the-shoulder-blog-viewers' This is a real book. The First Amendment in action. Nuff said...well....... maybe not. Aaacheeewww. McCrazy! It won't be on my Shelfari.

Quick change of thought ~ On 9/11/1776, the Continental Congress decided to change our country's name to the United States from the United Congress. We coulda been the UCA. (we'd sound like some college!) Strange what simple changes can do. Let's hope any BO's changes currently will turn out as well for us, and that no one I know buys that book shown above. . . .

A day for us old folks...

Sunday, 9/13/09, is National Grandparents Day. Does this mean we get presents? Have a special cake? Served a phenomenal dinner? Naw, everyday for me is Grandparents Day. I don't need that stuff. Everyday I experience the joy of hugs, laughter, love, being down on the floor building imaginary towers with blocks, drawing monsters on an etch-a-sketch, getting good night kisses and "good morning doo-dah's," diaper changing (okay, not really a joy) being a living trampoline for the Monkey boys, teaching them life's "little lessons" and a myriad of other life-fulfilling events I never imagined it would be like; things I have no memories of experiencing with my own grandparents. (although, some may have occurred, I'm sure) Becoming a grandparent is a strange & natural transition from being 'just a parent,' no longer being too busy with day to day life, seeing your heritage in yet another generation, one you aren't totally responsible for, where you can re-live those moments of your own kids early years and try to do better at, taking time to more fully enjoy the little things and not see them become problems. It's much harder to say "no" to a grandson with tears in his eyes. I heard it said, "Don't kill your kids, you'll miss the joy of being a grandparent." or "If I'd known being a grandparent would have been this much fun, I'd have just had grand kids." (I know I know, impossible) I have a new saying:, "Enjoying your grand kids is a privilege God only gives us older folks. These joys offset all the aches & pains we never had and weird sounds we never used to make." Ron Swift, circa 2009.

I CAN'T SAY THIS ANYMORE?

I heard this blurb on the radio today (KNPR). It seems there's one more word I have to erase from my vocabulary. Although it was never my favorite word to describe an idea I didn't agree with, an item, person or subject I thought was stoopid, it never bothered me when I heard it used by others. After all, it's not like the N word. Not like the G word. Not like the F word. Not like the S word. Not like calling some one a Dumb Pollock. (just a sampling of the words that were common that I used without giving them a second thought in my younger years before politically correctness became buzz words) The R word is to be banned ~ Retarded used to be a run-of-the-mill slang word, with no particular slam to anyone (in my opinion), but it may be the next candidate for prime-time bleeping. Some activists are campaigning against the word "retard." To them, it's not a hilarious put-down; it's hate speech. (one such activist has a daughter with down syndrome - I can see his point!) The word has been retired by medical and social service organizations, which prefer the term "intellectual disabilities" instead. So now we can say, "She/He/That's so Intellectually Disabled." (Hmmmm, looses any effectiveness, not sure this will work.) The activists petition TV networks and comedians, and organize against movies like last summer's hit film Tropic Thunder, which coined the term "full retard" hoping to keep them off the Oscar selection list, just because of their use of the R word...

To be safe, I'll stick with "That's sooo dumb...or That's sooo blond..." :-)

PS. I used the "G" word while in and immediately after Vietnam - so you can probably guess this one. The "S" word I learned in Jr High School before I learned it was a slam against our South American friends - another hint to my abbreviations. The others I'm sure you know already.

SOURCE: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112479383&ps=cprs

My bike ride

The rain storm had just passed & the sun was beginning to break through the clouds. Cool temp.

Several miles down the road I come down into Hurricane.

My first rest stop, refill water bottle and take a carb fuel gel, @ 1/3 of ride behind me. (no, I never tried the conti breakfast)

Hurricane city street, heading out towards the mountain in the distance where road turns in behind Sand Hollow Reservoir, past farms and peace and quiet.

Country road heading out of Hurricane.

Donkey gawking at me in the farm country. The only living thing I'd seen in awhile.

View from the top above Sand Hollow.

Down hill on the back side of Sand Hollow. (No, I wasn't gonna crash, just held camera wrong.)

Here's proof I'm a contender for Tour de France...........naw, I was back with traffic...yuck.

My nemesis; @2-mile Purgatory Hill and 29 miles into the ride. I vary from 8 to 12 mph up this.

I'm relaxing now, ride almost over. (car hood visible as camera didn't take last pictures ~ user error ~ but wanted to complete the ride with pictures.)

Right turn here and a few minutes from home. No longer cool temps and 31 miles later.

It's unfortunate that some pictures didn't take and the views I actually saw, aren't as scenic via the camera as naked eye, but you get the picture....

Found it....

...the perfect Christmas gift. Vibram Five Fingers. (but, they're toes) Sizes everyone?