Planning a Grand Vacation

I did not leave the house yesterday.

And, if I am lucky, I won't leave the house today either. Part of it is the weather; cold and snowy. And part of it is me being me; I have said many times that my idea of a perfect vacation is not leaving my property, unless I run out of beer.

Yes; I am the consummate homebody, bordering on the agoraphobic.

My wife, on the other hand, spends all week at home, and on Saturday and Sunday needs to get out of the house. If I spent all week inside these walls maybe I would feel the same. But I doubt it.

I have never been one of those people who needs to see and do. I find no attraction in beaches, resorts or theme parks. Yes, I do think there are interesting things in the world to visit, but most of them aren't worth the cost of the visit. Take the Statue of Liberty. I would love to visit the Monument, but that would mean going to New York City.

And that ain't gonna happen. When I can land a float plane next to Bedloe's Island step ashore and see the place and then back into my plane and head for home, I'll go. But if visiting the Statue means setting foot in the miserable mess they call New York City, I'll be content with pictures. The cost does not equal the value of the visit.

To me anyway. I am not a people person, and NYC equals people. Lots and lots and loads of people. Strange people, who are also strangers. Who talk funny.

It's not that I hate people. In the abstract anyway. I like the concept that there are 3 billion of us in this world and each of us is different.

Just don't put me in a room with any of those 3 billion.

And God Forbid that any one of those 3 billion show up at my place and ruin my vacation.

New Year's Resolutions

I have found the perfect way to not break a New Year's Resolution.

I don't make any.

It's not because I am already perfect- depending on who you ask either I am durn near or far from the ideal- but because I have realized nobody keeps the Resolution they have created.

Sometimes the change they are making is not well thought out. Sometimes the liquor induced resolve of New Years Eve evaporates in the light of New Years Day. Sometimes events conspire against the Resolution, like when your resolve to lose weight runs up against a buy one get one free sale on Big Macs.

I have usually failed to keep a Resolution because the goal I set one day seems irrelevant the next. Yes, losing weight is a great goal. But compared with working toward World Peace? Can't hold a candle.

Really; think about it. Could you sacrifice losing 10 pounds in order to work toward World Peace? Isn't the goal of World Peace worth almost any cost?

Besides, working toward World Peace will help you meet Miss America, or Miss USA, or Miss World. Aren't all of those young women working toward World Peace? Think about it; when they are asked what they hope to accomplish in their year as Miss Whatever, have you ever seen ONE of them declare that they hope to lose 10 pounds?

Nope; they're all working toward World Peace. Or ending hunger. Ending hunger is easy; see the aforementioned BOGO Big Mac Sale.

Yes, I am kidding.

Another reason Resolutions aren't kept; they are too esoteric. You have all met the individual who has decided to "become a better person".

Really?

Based on what standard?

Right now I am a better person than at least half the world ; especially if the half I am compared to involves anyone in Washington DC.

And then we need to look at what makes me better. After all; there are some changes that in one group's eyes would improve me, and in another group's eyes would devalue me. Going on the Atkins diet would be a great move in some circles.

But not if that circle is full of vegans.

Everything is relative; even losing weight. Ever seen a Ruben's painting? If any of those girls would have dropped 10 pounds they would have been out of a job. Sumo wrestler? 10 pounds is the difference between winning and getting thrown out of the ring.

All in all though improving yourself is a worthy goal. My criticizing the goals folks have set for themselves is probably overly judgmental.

I could resolve to be less judgmental, but I'll bet if I did this is the year I would be called for jury duty.

Friday Night At The Movies VI

Last night was another DVD night. After last week's post about Macho movies I did some thinking about the most Macho movie and added to the post that I thought John Wayne's last film, The Shootist, was about the most Macho movie around. So last night I watched it again.

Briefly, Wayne's character is an aging gunfighter who has just had a diagnosis of terminal cancer. After his doctor describes what his last days will be like, he plans a birthday party and invites the three best gunslingers in town. The shoot'em up is inevitable, and in the course of the battle, The Shootist is killed, dying the way he wanted to, not in a bed having strangers tend his every need.

Set in January of 1901, the movie sets up the death of one era, and the beginning of another. The age of the Gunfighter in the Old West is over. Civilization, Law and Order and Technology have arrived. Carson City Nevada has paved streets, indoor plumbing, electric lights and motor cars. The lawless West that created men like Wayne's character, J.B. Books, is disappearing, and soon so will the men themselves.

And you can't beat the cast: John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Richard Boone, Harry Morgan and Ron Howard. Made in 1976, it was Wayne's last movie, and one of his best. My basic criteria are met- a good story competently told- and as usual the film is beautifully photographed.

Why do I consider this the greatest Macho movie? First, J.B. Books, has a very natural reaction to his diagnosis, and his progression from the diagnosis to his final actions are logically made. A man who has faced down many enemies is given another battle. This one he knows he cannot win, so he redefines what winning will be. Even so, in the end, although his wish is to die in a gun fight, and he has set up a battle against 3 gunmen, his will to live causes him to defend himself. Almost too well.

Second, John Wayne had fought and beat cancer in the late 1960's, and was diagnosed with the cancer that killed him a couple of years later. He knew the fight his character was fighting was personal, and knew it personally. Just how much was real and how much was character is anybody's guess. You also have to read into the movie if Wayne knew this would be his last film or not.

I think he knew. He was almost 70 at the time, and the making of a movie is a long and arduous process. By that point he had made over 250 movies, starring in over 140, and I think he wanted to go out well, not as a has been. He wanted his last film to be the culmination of his career, not the last gasp of a wanna be has-been.

This film is that. From the opening sequences- clips from some of his older movies, starting with Red River- through his various talks with Ron Howard's character Gillom Rogers, J. B. Books becomes John Wayne, not the reverse. I forget who said it, but someone once said the greatest character John Wayne ever created was John Wayne. You knew what he stood for, and would defend that position to the best of his ability.

Third, this movie is about a man who has lived his life on his terms, always in control. He was now facing not death- death he was always prepared for- but facing a loss of being in control. So while he is in control he decides to control everything he can, including the end.

And it almost works. Books does die at the end of the final gunfight, but not from the bullets of competent men, but shot in the back by a shotgun-toting bartender.  The final scenes are integral to the movie, and to the message. J. B. Books lived his own way, and died his own way.

But it was his way. It was a way of life developed for a specific time, and that time had passed as well.

Macho has taken on a definition that includes crazy and ignorant actions. I'm not a fan of that definition, and I think it has been developed to emasculate men. You want a true definition of Macho? Watch The Shootist.

I Remember Them Days

You have to wonder if it was intentional, accidental or a useful by-product of something else.

Oh; sorry; you don't know what I am talking about, do you?

I just read this post over at Truth About Cars, and it hit a nerve. Basically, masculinity ain't what it used to be.

The question is, where did it go, and why? Was masculinity intentionally forced out of the American male; was it's demise an accident, and not an intended consequence, or is this new lack of masculinity something that will be happily accepted as as a by-product of some other nefarious scheme?

 It used to be the gender roles were pretty well assigned, and everybody knew their place. I don't mean that in a chauvinistic way, I mean that a man held a door for a woman; she accepted the courtesy and we all went home happy.

Then came Feminism. And what was once a courtesy became an insult.

So now what's a poor guy to do? Say you have two boxes to carry with a female co-worker. In the old days it was easy. YOU DIDN'T HAVE A FEMALE CO-WORKER!

Sorry; just kidding. In the old days it was easy. The man stacked the boxes and carried them both, chatted with the woman and handled opening the doors with his foot. It wasn't chauvinistic (the dreaded "C" word); it was masculine (the accursed "M" word).

Then came Feminism. Obviously, the man only carried one box; to do all of the work was the "C" word. Then it became more complex; do you carry the heavy box (damn "C" word again), or the light one? Do you see where, possibly incrementally, being masculine made you chauvinistic? But, the obvious choice- let her carry both boxes- was also seen as the dreaded "C" word.

And of course you still had some woman who considered you a neanderthal if you expected her to carry either box, or even open a few doors on the way. So, instead of a decisive, masculine, American Male, we became Wilbur Milquetoast, waiting for the woman to determine our next course of action, so we could avoid causing any offense to anyone.

This has become the default mode. Men went from getting haircuts to getting hair styles. Then came the facials. And now most males are considered Metro-sexual; feminine right down to their Manis and Pedis.

And cars have not helped; they have hurt. Once upon a time a Man spent a Saturday afternoon getting dirty. The car needed something done to it; oil change; grease job; tune-up; new bearings or bushings or brakes or bulbs. it was always something, and something you could do in the driveway.

Now checking the oil (never mind changing it) requires a factory trained service technician. Everything is covered up with a plastic shield, held down with a fastener you have never seen before, undone with a tool that is $49.95.

On Sale.

At Pep Boys.

Which is another damn thing. Auto Parts Houses used to be a bastion of masculinity. Now? Unicorn shaped danglely air fresheners instead of bins of lock washers and pink frou-frou floor mats and seat covers instead of creepers and jackstands. Oh they still carry creepers and jackstands. They just hide them in the back of the store, like their ashamed that they actually still are forced to sell actual, you know.... tools.

Sorry, but everything feminism has touched it has drained the masculinity out of; Auto Parts Houses are just one of them.

And now, apparently Lamborghini. No more testosterone fueled engine and steering wheel loosely coupled together by some low and sexy bodywork capable of screaming down a twisty two lane.

Now we have room for a couple of car seats and a DVD player for 'Lets Learn to POTTY!'.

Yep. Masculinity is dead.

Have you Ever Seen Dirty Jobs?

I found this on Instapundit this morning.

The first 8 minutes or so talk about the castration of sheep; the last half gets a little more esoteric. How many times have heard someone talk about Greek philosophy and sheep castration in the same sentence?

But Mike has the same idea that I do. Hard work is what built this country. Why don't we encourage more young people to do a little of it?

Its almost axiomatic that there are no great hereditary fortunes in this country. Its because the first generation makes it, the second generation conserves it and the third generation squanders it.

Gen 1 worked hard to amass that fortune; sometimes starting off in a very physical occupation and working long physical hours. Gen 2, never being forced to earn what they are spending, doesn't squander, but they also don't know the value of RISK, and don't grow he fortune. Gen 3, never having saw the fortune being built, has no concept of its worth, takes there ownership of wealth as a birthright, and promptly spends without thought of earning. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but I can probably name more followers off the top of my head than you can exceptions.

How does this equate to the lack of expertise in hard work today?

Well, we are the third generation. Not physically, but metaphorically. We enjoy the fruits of the prior generations, but we haven't worked to build the country; we didn't conserve what we were given, and we sure haven't worked to earn what we've spent.

Through regulation and over education we have driven manufacturing from this country, and we have not yet even begun to pay the price for its loss.

Grant didn't win the Civil War by out managing or out maneuvering Lee; he won by out manufacturing him. For every cannon Lee destroyed, Grant was able to field 2 more, and have them delivered quickly by railroad. the more agrarian South could do what the industrial North could; hence we all speak Yankee now.

The Great War wasn't won by military strategy; it was won by American production, just like WWII was. Who ever can replace a lost element fastest wins. If you replace every two soldiers with one, how long until you can no longer fight?

And that is what we have been doing for 40 years; replacing every two manufacturing jobs lost to other countries with one new one. Because we have trained our young, collectively, that dirty work is for people who are less than ideal. You are somehow 'substandard' if you are forced to work with your hands.

My Dad worked with his hands his entire life, and could also quote Greek poets. Working with your hands is not a sign of stupidity; not being able to work with your hands is.

The Right Place, At The Right Time Isn't Enough

Do you ever watch The Antiques Roadshow?

Almost every episode they have somebody who found an antique worth thousands of dollars for a few bucks at a yard sale, charity auction, Goodwill store or something similar.

How many other people were at the same sale? They were in the Right Place; Right Time, but came away without this bargain. Why was that?

Probably because they were missing the vital third component that nobody wants to talk about: Right Information.

Right Place, Right Time is easy; it is also an excuse. It basically means 'You got LUCKY'.

But adding Right Information, then it's not luck; it's preparation.

Like looking for a job; everybody in the area is in the right place at the right time. How many have the right information, as in knowledge of the opening and the job skills required, to become "lucky"?

I was at a Lowe's one time as the manager rolled out a massive cart, 4 shelves high, full of assorted miscellaneous junk. Basically, these were leftovers from larger lots- like 6 rolls of mis-matched wallpaper- returns, like a router and a grinder missing some small parts, and things that just didn't sell- like plug cutting bits.

I bought the whole rack for $30. 3 people in front of me turned down the offer. I took it. The receipt totaled almost $1100 before the discount kicked in.

Yeah, I hauled home a bunch of stuff I wound up throwing out, but I knew how to replace the missing bits on the tools, and got a $250 router and a $120 angle grinder for $15 apiece.

Which means everything else I got for free. So if you need one roll of Floral pattern wall paper for some reason, let me know. I've 6 to choose from, and I'll let them go cheap.

See? if you need cheap wallpaper your in the right place at the right time- and you have the right information!

Outside My Front Door

I thought about flying my flag upside down when Obama got elected; but talked myself out of it.

When they started talking about Cap and Trade, I was ready, but we dodged that bullet, at least temporarily.

But last Sunday, when they passed Socialized medicine I went ahead and started flying my distress flag.

I also have made up my mind not to buy a new flag as long as the Democratistas are in power.

It took a lot of thought to get to this point. I have an absolute love and deep respect for my country's flag. I know what it means to those who have fought for it.

And I also know what is happening to the country it represents right now. The country I fought for is becoming too much like the country I fought against.

When we take my country back I'll get a new flag.

And a taller pole to fly it from.

Southern Poverty Law Center

What exactly does that mean? It sounds to me like some dam fool strung together a bunch of words that are meant to sound impressive, but mean absolutely nothing. About like the subject line in a SPAM email put together by somebody who doesn’t speak English.

Shall we parse it?

Southern Poverty. Are they fer it or agin it? Since they sound like a bunch of Yankees, my guess is that they are fer it, and we deserve it anyway.

Poverty Law. Based on what I’ve seen on their website, they have about the poorest set of lawyers, so maybe this makes sense.

Law Center. Again, their version of the law isn’t Center, but decidedly left. As 180 degrees out as you can get.

Southern Poverty Law Center. Even put together, it doesn’t make sense. Are they trying to fight poverty by suing it? Or maybe they expect poverty not to be able to afford a lawyer anyway?

A friend of mine sent me this link this morning; what a way to ruin a Wednesday.

I almost hate to include the link and increase these idiots traffic, but I figure it this way: One you need to see the drivel tehat passes for news, and I figure if half of my readers follow the link it will only increase their traffic but maybe 3 hits.

I read the basics of what they were saying and responded with this email:

I am angry that we have a minority president. Not because of his racial minority, but because of his ideological minority. Had ANYBODY put a viable candidate (Hillary Clinton is the BEST the Dems had?!?! And don’t get me started on McCain- the only thing keeping him from being a Democrat is the fact they probably don’t really want him) we would not be stuck with this socialist in the White House.

But see, that is the usefulness of a minority president. No matter how crappy his ideas, anyone who is against his policies is a ‘RACIST’. Any group formed to counter his proposals to slide us into socialism are “dangerous’; ‘violent’ and ‘anti-American’.

Do you think for a minute that had Hillary gotten the final nod (had the ass kissing media actually questioned any of Obama’s qualifications) from the Dems and was now in the Oval Office, that things would be different? Except instead of being racists, any opposition to her policies would have made us sexist.

I really don’t think the militia groups disappeared in the last 8 years; they just didn’t fit the MSM narrative (kinda like all the homeless disappear when a Democrat is President, and come crawling back out the shelters once the Republicans are back in- NOBODY is homeless when the Dems are in charge). I don’t think they are any more dangerous than they were 8 years ago (and of the hundreds of militia groups there are probably the same number of nut cases as there are in the general population. Maybe less, because I doubt any of them are Democrats), I don’t think there are more of them and I certainly don’t think they are the rebirth of the KKK because we have a minority president.

They are the same as they were 10 years ago. Folks who want to keep their Constitutional rights (ALL of them, not just the ones convenient for the government to let us have), and to be left the Hell alone by a meddling Federal Politburo.

Hell, if those are the criteria, then I must be militia material. Do they have a local recruiting office or do I need to find one in Idaho?

Sorry for the rant, but this outfit makes it sound like it is the people outside of Washington who are destroying the American way of life- not the people inside the I-495 Beltway.

And I mean it.

Who the Hell am I?

Just who (or what) is An Edjamikated Redneck?

First you take an ole country boy and let him work with his hands and back for a living for 20 years. Then you take away that living and force him back to school as an adult. Let him spend the next 6 years in various classrooms earning 2-1/2 degrees (I'm still a few credits short of the last one).

Then throw a Socialist in the White House.

Shake well and serve over ice with a premium bourbon.

What you wind up with is somebody who would rather get his hands dirty than keep them clean; somebody who would rather shoot his supper than eat a damn crab and somebody who would rather the government get the Hell outta his way than try to force feed him an approved diet.

And somebody who has to keep his hands clean for clients, eat crab for clients and drop fried foods to maintain a reasonable weight for clients- to earn a living with the education he was forced to get.

Now he needs to fight back, in a way that is socially acceptable. The "IMPEACH OBAMA" sign in the front yard is just to piss off the neighbors. The 4X4 pickup truck is to piss of the liberals and the bacon and eggs is to piss off the wife. She wants me to live forever.

So she isn't stuck with the kids and the mortgage.

Like I'm gonna LET her die first.