Whew! It's been a busy two weeks. I've been trying to sit down and bang out a few words, but nothing seemed to stick. So, just for the sake of brevity, I will hit the highlights over the past week or so.
I'm back to juggling cats again. Since we last chatted, I've been fighting with the taxman (lost cause), conducted two supplier audits (local), working to wrap up several key (but late) projects before our year end (this week), attended a scotch tasting extravaganza, went camping at a local state park with the wife, two dogs and some amorous alligators, been looking at a new set of wheels, working on getting quotes for a new driveway, planing a day trip to the hill country for some bluebonnet shots, almost got another dog, was making plans to attend an old swap meet in North Texas that I haven't been to in 10+ years. Hmmm. And I thought that, when the kid left, things would slow down. I could expound upon each of these ad nauseum, but I'll let y'all tell me which story you'd rather hear about.
In the meanwhile, I'll regale you with a minor thought of mine that's been on the tip of my tongue. If you drive a lot (and I know some of you do), you see lots of things on the road that draw your attention. Wrecks, traffic jams, moving/rolling billboards, flying advertisements, political signs, roadrageous acts, thunderstorms, stupid drivers, etc. Things that tend to make the trip interesting. Of course, some signs we take for granted. You see them day after day, year after year, on your normal commute. They become part of the background, a landmark you use to mentally mark your trip. I tend to use these like orienteering markers in my travels so I don't have to refer to the map (or the Garmin). Houston's has had it's fair share of cultural icons/landmarks. The Astrodome (now rotting away), Astroworld (now gone), the Galleria, Transco Tower, Herman Park, the Beer Can House, Johnson Space Center, the Orange Show, all tend to lend to the character of the city. It sadden me to read the other day that one of our cultural icons is gone. For many years, there was a company sign posted on a small building overlooking the southwest freeway. Billboard sized, at 25 feet long, it was one of those overly large, tacky neon jobs that advertised the company's business. It stood out day and night as a beacon in the sky on a spot on the freeway that, in my mind, marked the point where the uptown area started. We've grown used to seeing it as we passed by at 70+ MPH on our way into the city. A few years ago, the sign was taken down as part of a company name change and renovation. The company had said it was going to refurb it and put it back up, but, alas, that was not to be. I just heard a few weeks ago that the sign, which has been sitting in a warehouse for a few years, was sold off for scrap and dismantled. To some, it was an ugly, tacky sign that cluttered up the landscape. To a few of us, it was part of the unique, sometimes weird background that the city interesting.
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| Tacky or Chic? |
We are all a product of our life experiences.
As I have grown older (not up), I’ve picked up a few sayings/expressions/phrases along the way. Some from college, some from the Army (not all can be repeated in public), some from Germany, some from Scouts, some from work, some from home. A number are a mishmash of German/French/Spanish/Army. Even though I graduated from school many, many decades ago, I am always learning new things/expressions as I encounter new people and situations. Occasionally, a few old sayings will crop up in my conversations with others as the situation presents itself.
Of course, as I hear or encounter new expressions, I will make a mental note of the special ones for future reference/use.
A few of the “jewels” I’ve collected over the years:
- That idea is like a fart in church (nobody wants to claim it)
- Busier than a one armed paper hanger with an itch (one of my favorites)
- If we were having any more fun, we’d have to pay admission to get in the door
- If Barnum and Bailey ever found this place, they’d throw a tent over it and charge admission
- Who’s in charge of this Mickey Mouse operation? Goofy?
- That idea will float like a rock
- That’s about as useful as a screen door on a submarine (an old one)
- I’m not your momma (from the Scouts)
- You’ve mistaken me for someone who cares. I’m a feeling kind of guy, not a caring one. I feel bad, but I just don’t care. (ref Grace Under Fire)
- Sometimes you’re the bug, sometimes you’re the windshield
- Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail
- Sometimes you’re the dog, sometimes you’re the fire hydrant (my favorite)
- Time to cowboy up and get back in the saddle
- Time to put on your big boy pants
- That’s about as easy as herding cats
- The problem with the Gene pool is there aren't any lifeguards
- Ever stopped to consider some people’s existence is to serve as a warning to others?
- He’s got that seagull style of management down pat (flies in, dumps on everyone, flies off)
- Macht nichts to me (doesn’t matter to me)
- À bientôt (see you later)
- D ‘accord (ok, or I agree)
Macht Nichts to me. I used this earlier today in an e-mail exchange with a couple of engineers. Most ignored it (I doubt they got it) but my buyer came to me on the side and asked me what the hell I said. Sometimes I’ll lapse into my old Army expressions just to get a rise out of people.
How about it? Any expressions you use ad nauseum?
À bientôt!
34 years is a long time. It's been a good run, but it had to end some time.
I've been accused of holding on things well past their prime. I tend to get attached to things/stuff/junk and have a hard time letting it go (or so says my better half). Remember: One man's trash is another man's treasure? It sorta runs in the family.
Way, way, way back in the stone age, when I was a kid in college, my parents bought me a cube refrigerator for my dorm room. Nothing fancy, just a plain old brown fridge for $89 at the local Sears for me to store milk and fresh vegetables (hops is a vegtable, right?)that I could consume while I studied hard. Got lots of use during my 4 years at that institution. After I graduated, I left it with my folks since I couldn't haul it overseas to Germany. They never chose to get rid of it and I eventually reclaimed it for a while when we lived in Dallas (made a good garage refridge). When my brother's kids wound up at the same college, I passed it along to them to use. It made the rounds through 4 boys and eventually wound up back at my brother's house serving as a beverage chilling device for many long, hot Texas summers. Each kid would add their own statement to the door/side with a bumper sticker (or two). Sarge finally sucumbed to old age last week and my brother sent him off with all the dignity and recognition befitting his years of service.
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| Old Sarge |
Wake to be held.
Side note: The wife chided me that "you need to let things go". I gently reminded her that I've known her as long as old Sarge...
You never know what you see when walking your dog. Especially in the early pre-dawn light. I will confess. I have been dumpster diving. More than once. I like to find something that a person has lost interest in or found no further use for and tossed on the trash pile. When we lived in Germany in the 80's, they used to have trash day where everyone would put out their big items for pick up and all of the neighbors would pick over the collection to see what they want. We picked up a chair and end table one week. Anyway, every week, people toss out their garbage/items. When I walk the dog (dogs, when Claire is off restriction) early in the morning, I tend to walk past certain collections to see if there is anything of interest. More than once I have returned home with some trophy. A solid kitchen chair (with junior in Austin), a set of platic storage boxes, several plastic lawn chairs (to replace mine), an off road bicycle, a vacuum cleaner (exact model of our older cleaner - had plans to cannibalize the motor/housing to keep our running). Some treasures have found a place/use, others have kinda wound their way back out into our trash pile. Was going to use the older vacuum as spare parts for ours, but never finished up the deal. I gotta admit, I'm a pack rat at heart. I am always collecting things for future use. Never know when you'll need that special nut or widget for some future problem. Anyway, this morning's score was epic. Was walking Grayson way earlier than I intended this morning (0500 - can we sleep in this morning, boy?) and I spoted the latest score. What do ya think?
