Existing In BFE

Today on Existing in BFE, we stray from our usual Wednesday "Pictures"  feature to provide you with something else, a bit of history, nostalgia and a perhaps an opportunity to hail the loss of tradition from our cousins across the ocean.  Today, in the British Navy, such as it is in the 21st century, is Black Tot Day.  Today marks the 49th Anniversary of the end of Naval forces providing a daily ration of rum aboard ship. Prior to the 18th century a gallon of beer was dispensed daily to the Royal sailors.  But that was a lot of beer to store, so the Empire went with a rum ration instead.  Two centuries later, due to a changing of perception for alcohol, and disciplinary problems from sailors, the Royal Navy decided to end its daily rations.  July 30th, 1970.  Alcohol and press gangs no longer enticed young men to join up. In the 1700's the Admiral's Grog Committee, aren't the British cute?,  decided because of drunkenness that the rum should be di

“Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein, Culture and Value ++++++++++ ++++++++++ At the moment you are reading this, I have 11 more days of babysitting duty.  More or less about 55 hours of actual watching.  Some say I will miss it.  They would be wrong. I feel like dancing. ++++++++++     ++++++++++ This video system on Blogger is horrible.  I've never had one work. Betcha it doesn't work. ++++++++++ This says Fox News on the header so you can take it with a grain of salt.  It also said this happened in Florida, so that much has to be true.  When the chicken you are served tried to leave the table, that is some fresh meat. ++++++++++   ++++++++++ ++++++++++ For Alfred's birthday we all went to Ford's Garage. The place is cleverly made to resemble an auto garage with engines placed here and there, Henry Ford sayings (the non

I know this is sudden, and those of you with subscriptions will get a refund, but I have decided to take this week off.  Here are the reasons: 1.  I have this week off from babysitting.  Kenzie and Drew are taking the week off, so, I am off as well.  This is a good thing.  It means that I have about twelve more days left of sitting. At about 5 hours a day it means approximately 60 hours left.  This is a very good thing. 2.  Today I am off to Weeki-Wachee to kayak with Kenze and Drew and family.  This constitutes Fun in Florida, a seldom and rare event. 3.  Birthday week:  Ayla had a birthday last Sunday and Drew has one on Thursday.   4.  I don't have a Hell of a lot of stuff to post anyway.   5.  Met's suck and I need to get away. I will return on the 30th with lots of great new stuff (are you really falling for that?).     

This is a re-post of March 23, 2012 Today is a mish-mash of things.  First off, a couple of newspaper clippings that I have.  The first two are oldies from Marj who clipped them when something made her laugh. Marj had a fistful of things she cut out of the paper.  Here are just a couple.  One of these days I'll find the others.  Some are really hilarious. OK, now wait for it, wait for it..........get it?  Ahem.  I said I would explain some of last weeks' high school pictures, so here we have another, and hopefully, final word on that little matter.  Uh, no, I think it deserves its own day.  So this will whet your appetite and I'll sate it in a few days.     This is a fairly recent debate in Indiana.  Michael giving me a kiss a few years ago. Railroad Days Car Show article from 2003.  That's me on the right.  For a few years when Keith Nyman (L) was president of the Western Illinois Antique Auto Club,  he a

The Importance of Being Stupid I have an acquaintance who won't go into Best Buy because it makes them feel stupid.  He/She (privacy must be maintained, they are frequent readers of this blog) told me the place makes them feel stupid.  This I can understand.  Those of us of a certain age are pioneers of gigabytes but have been trampled by the steady progress of exobytes, and yottabytes.  It's like some of us "came, saw, and were conquered".  I'd like to offer a treatise on the importance of being stupid.  Not just about computers but in all things. This acquaintance is smart in most ways and is a college grad.  Now we all know that that isn't necessarily a proof of once brilliance, but it does mean a certain proficiency.  He/she has conquered many things but in the area of computer science, they have simply fallen on their sword rather than do battle.  I also have a friend I worked with who decided not to engage in computer stuff.  And they seem to na

This is a fantastic picture.  Dark sky, dimly lit subject, red roof.  Is that a lightly lit yellow window?  Spookily fantastic.  If I was there, I'd be beatin' cheeks getting away.  Then again, I scare myself just looking in the rear view mirror.  I didn't take it.   The guy who did take it had a drone with a light attached and he flew it up to get this eerie abandoned old house in the middle of a field somewhere.  I don't know how much photoshopping he had to do when he got home, but in my eyes, this is an almost perfect picture.  Almost, hell.  It is a perfect picture of its kind.  Sure wish I'd taken it.   It makes me want to get a cheap drone and try something like this in Northlandia.  But I need to have someone with me.  You know, someone to watch my back so nothing creeps up on me.  I know a couple old buildings that might work and maybe those bins in BFE. Yup.  Gonna do it.    

++++++++++ ++++++++++ Hello,Here is a funny thing i found!.   ++++++++++ Kenzie snapped this pic of a gator in a retention pond along where Whizzy and I walk every morning.  He was outside the pond then slipped back in when she got out to take the picture.  That's him looking at her.  He isn't a big one, about 4 feet long, but it means a couple things maybe.  One, mom and or dad might be around, and two, better be careful walking that sidewalk in the mornings.   ++++++++++ ++++++++++ I have mentioned that You Tube has been acting up lately.  These oversized vids are just one example.  Stay tuned, maybe I can fix it, maybe not.   Anyway, on our walk last week,  we were first spooked by the streetlight that was blinking.  In supernatural horror movies this mean there is some kind of evil force nearby.   And if that wasn't enough, another mile down the road, across from

These were taken sometime in September 2010, and posted on September 15, 2010.  We went to Treasure Island beach, back when doing that was fun.