An Irish Wedding Party!!

e mail of the week!


I have no doubt this is true!




An Irish Wedding Party!!

Mike and Kathleen were married and there was an Irish Wedding Party.

At the wedding someone yelled, "All the married men please stand next
to the one person who has made your life worth living."

The bartender was almost crushed to death


and how a cold beer salute to good bartenders everywhere
and I used to be one of them
a long time ago


ray

Why is there Junk Mail? Because it works!

Everyday everyone gets spam and junk mail and you wonder why would any one bother. 60 Minutes did a feature on it awhile a go. 8 computers sending out millions of e mails each day would after all is said and done net about $8,000 a day. Doesn't sound like much? That is $8,000 each day, seven days a week.

We laugh that how could someone be so naive to believe that it is true, but everyday it happens.

for instance:

COMPENSATION OFFICE DEPARTMENT

UNITED NATIONS FRAUD MONITORING UNIT

SCAM VICTIMS COMPENSATIONS PAYMENTS 2012.

ATTENTION:BENEFICIARY,

         REF/PAYMENTS CODE: FGN/PHBPLC/06654/12 ($450,000,00 USD)

     This is to bring to your notice that we are delegated from the UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL FRAUD MONITORING UNIT, I wish to notify you that the COMPENSATION OFFICE DEPARTMENT has been authorized to pay out to 40 innocent victims of the widely know internet scam called Advanced Fee Fraud (419) the sum of USD$450,000,00 (Four hundred and fifty Thousand Dollars Only each).You have been listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims.

      On these faithful recommendations, we want you to know that during the last U.N. This meeting was first held on the 8th of April 2011 as it has come to an alarming proportion based on reports from different victims, some of these victims have almost lost their lives, families, properties, and friends. The most alarming aspect of the issue was on the amount money lost by these various innocent individuals to scams artists operating in syndicates all over the world today, and in other to compensate victims, the UNITED NATIONS Body in conjunction with the newly elected government in Nigerian has agreed to pay 50 victims $450,000,00 dollars each in accordance with the UNITED NATIONS.so you are adviced to submit your following details.

            SCAMMED VICTIM/REF/PAYMENTS CODE: FGN/PHBPLC/06654/12

       Amount: $450,000,00 DOLLARS ONLY

1) Your full name and residential address,

2) Your direct phone number,

3) Your file reference number,

4) Your nominated account details where your funds will be transferred into.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr.James Cambell,

PAYMENT OFFICER.

I certainty could use the money!

OR

this warm letter from a sex starved working girl

beware, this is R rated, not to offend anyone!


One problem, I am not Abe!

Here is this warm letter from Paige!

ABE... i guess your not getting any of my email huh? ive been
tryign to email u so many times but this dam laptop is such a piece of
garbage and keeps freezing.. anyways how u been? In case u dont know
who this is its ME PAIGE.. we used to chat a bit on facebook and then
I think u deleted me :( haha.. anyways guess what... I got 2 things to
tell u.. both good news.. 1) im single now.. yup me and my bf broke up
about 3 months ago... and 2) guess where im moving? RIGHT EFFING NEAR
U.. lol... ur actually the only person im gonna know there.. well 3
cousins too but i cant chill with them lol..I remember when we chatted
u told me u thought i was cute and u wanted to chill so now we finally
can HAHA! im kinda scared to move.. im hoping this email addy is still
the one you use and u can chat with me ebfore i get there.. maybe even
help me move my shit in...are u still on facebook? i cudnt find ui was
soo confused...anyways im gonna need someone to show me the town and
take me out so u better be around bebe...we only chatted a couple
times but i remember thinking to myself i wanted to get ot know u
better when i was single....... well im 23.. virgo.. love the outdoors and 
love to socialize, go out for drinks, restaurants, movies etc.. travel.. . 
uhhh oh im a super horny gurl too but every gurl is they just wont admit it. 
so ilove watching p0rn and all that.. love sex etc blah blah blah...who 
doesnt... i hope u remmeber me and still wanna chill and arent
married yet lol.. OH YA also.. i need to find a job when i get there..
do u have any hookups or know anybody hiring? i
currently work from home and well thats cool but i need ot be out
meeting people.. oh wait. i dont think i ever actually told u what i
did? hmm shud i......???? ok WELLLL... and dont get all weirded out
on me.. i work on a webcam chat community site and i get paid to chat
with people and get naked HHAHA... BOMB right :)? I KNOW.. anyways i hope u 
dont look down on that and NO THATS NOT WHY IM CONTACTING U RELAX URSELF lol... 
i actually need help once i move and i remembered u live there so im reaching 
out.... ive tried ot send this email to u maybe 3 times already and im
hopign this time i can hit SEND before i run into trouble lol..
ANYWAYS.. heres the deal....every month natalie (my boss) gives each
of us 3 VIP codes to give out to whoever we want.. so with this code u
can lgoin to watch me at work for free and dont have to pay like
everyone else... the only way i can give u one of the codes (so we can
chat) is if you absolutey DO NOT give it out to anyone else and u ONLY
USE IT FOR URSELF... i only get 3 a month and she gets pissed if more
than 3 people use them so DONT SHARE IT MISTER... i figured u cud
always email me back instead but my email account doesnt even let me
login half the time.. so the bets palce ot chat me is my chat room...
if theres anyone else logged in when u sign in ill boot them out.. but
remember DONT SHARE THIS PASSWORD PLEASE BABE IM BEGGING U.. I TRUST
U... im online most of the day now to try and save money for my move..
anyways ive rambled on and on now and ur probably
soooo annnoyed with me so ill stop now.. im gonna go start work.. i
really hope u come chat me. it wud make my day and releive a lot of my
stress about the move... REALLY i mean that....anyways once i see u in
insdie ill shoot u myc ell number and u can gimme yours.. if u dont
wanna come chat i understand but its really the only palce to find me
now days.. if u email me abck ill probably get it once i get there
after my internet is setup so about 2-3 weeks fomr now.. but im hopign
to see u in my chat room.. rmemeber its 100% free with this code im
gonna give u.. just DONT GIVE IT OUT OR ILL KICK U IN THE B#LLS
INSTEAD OF LICK U IN THE B#LLS WHEN IS EE U hahahahha...k babe im out
for now... chat ya soon.. kisses xoxo PAIGE 
FREE VIP BYPASS LINK------>> 

Paige sure is chit chatty isn't she.

Not that I believe in you Paige!

Just some examples of my spam mail.

Now when I get that check I think I will be calling on Paige, as soon as the pills come in from that discount drug place!

time for a solitary cup of coffee!

ray

I am not sure what is real any more... Amazing isn't it

The 40th Anniversary Of The Godfather, The Bestest Movie Of All Time!

Okay, I know bestest isn't a word, but it should be to describe this movie. I have watched it hundreds of times over the years and read the book so many times that it fell apart and I had to replace it.

By the way, reading the book fills in the gaps that movie doesn't touch on and vice versa.
And of course, you must watch Godfather II as good at the first. Godfather III is not as good, but it does touch on the Vatican banking scandals.

Each time I read and watch I find myself immersed in the story of the of the Italian immigrant and the paths that his life took to the present time of the movie.

Many times I use quotes from the movie, but on occasion catch myself, realizing that they have not seen the movie and the quote is useless.

A quick note of sorts, every time you see oranges, someone or something dies! except once.

If you click on the title of the post it will take you to Wikipedia for more information.

the movie trailer



the opening scene

A Tale Of Two Scales

I have used for the longest time a bathroom scale, a basic model that one that you adjust to center on zero, stand, look down and shrug. Maybe it is true, shoes are 5 lbs each? Kidding, I think. But it didn't seem right the last time I used it. A visit to the doctors office confirmed that it was wrong and it was time for a change.

Off to the local store. I looked for the best one they had, reading the box it showed a digital readout, bone mass. and fat index. Yep that is the one to get.

It will take some time fiddling with it, but nothing like the bright lights of reality looking up at you, unblinking, stating the obvious. I have a ways to go.

I lost over 40 lbs last year and I must do it again this year.  Overall health is important and being at the right weight will be a big help.

I thought I had bought a defective machine as I stepped on the scale and it read "One person at a time please!" Ouch.

and now it is time for the usual coffee
black, no cream, no sugar
keep them coming!

after all, I have a pair of size 34 jeans waiting on stand by!

ray

Really? I Am Starting On My Fourth Year Of Blogging?

A quick note, February 15th 2009 

was my first day of blogging,

  or whatever it is that I do.

 I can't believe it!

Who knew?

It has had it's ups and downs

But I have had fun.

Hope you have enjoyed it.

On to the fourth year!

and now we will return

to our regularly

scheduled

program

and an off day

 morning 

beer

or two

or three

ray

Floating Washing Machine Uses Dry Ice to Clean Clothes in Minutes

Please click on title for full story

I know this sounds like a commercial, but it is not. I got this from the folks a Treehugger. Being that I sell appliances for a living and knowing how far along in efficiency washers and dishwashers have come, this was very intriguing.

Now I do run into some customers who could care less about saving water, and they are quite proud of it.

Most do though, if not because of the environment but to save money on their water bill.

From the pictures, it seems so George Jetson like, so far into the future, but it is here now.

It almost looks like something Dyson would come up with

Next step will to have energy efficient dryers. 

Oops, we do, it's called a clothes line!

and now for a no surgery, no meds,  giant cup of coffee

ray

Knee Surgery Postponed

It is kind of sad really and funny at the same time. Working with workman's comp has been a nightmare. An authorization had been given for the doctor to go ahead with the surgery on my knee. I had gotten my medication yesterday knowing I would need it after surgery today. I had my daughter drive me this morning. I checked in, signed my life away and proceeded to the prep room. I put on the very stylish gown, laid back in the bed and the nurse hooked me up in to the I.V.  And like a scene from a bad movie, the doctor walked in with a sheet of paper that said the authorization had been nullified and the surgery had been canceled. Almost like a call from the governor issuing a stay of execution except in this case I was denied.

WTF

This has been 22 months since I hurt myself at work. I won't go in to the how details but one would agree it has been awhile.

I have learned to be patient over the years. We are not done yet.

to be continued
a surgical beer is needed

ray

I Will Take One In The Knee For The Team!

Finally!

Knee Surgery

Arrive for surgery

6:00 am?

check in

start cutting at 7:00 am

torn meniscus

right knee

hey

I said right knee!

clean things up a bit too

1-2 weeks off from work

hope it helps

I got plans!!

wish me luck

coffee time!

ray

Chipotle Story - How it All Started

I am not a big fast food eater any more but the times I have eaten at Chipotle I have been satisfied with the food, taste, and the service. What caught my eye is the founder, Steve Ells is against factory farming, which I think is important. His story on how he started is interesting, related and unrelated moments becoming an epiphany of sorts. I think I am getting hungry!

Chipotle Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO, Steve Ells, takes a trip down memory lane to discuss Chipotle's early years.

morning coffee time

and some thinking

ray

Hey! I have the right to change my mind too!

About a week ago I said that I would stop talking about health issues and crappy food and my favorite music and that it didn't seem to matter if I did. Well looking at the stats page I noticed people stopping by to see those same subjects. I was wrong. People do read it.

Besides it interests me.

So I will do all the above once again. It makes me happy. And that is what it is all about, isn't it?

and now for an ego boosting beer or two!

ray

RJ Explains How Tools Work...

I do a lot of odd jobs around the house and having the right tool for the job is important. But sometimes it can be a bit confusing on which tool to use and for what reason. Consider this a tutorial of sorts, I hope you find it helpful.



DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal
bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings
your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had
carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the
workbench with the speed of light . Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned
calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh shit!'

SKIL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of
blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up
jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board
principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion,
and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future
becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads.
If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense
welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable
objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the
wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood
projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you
have installed your new brake shoes , trapping the jack handle firmly under
the bumper.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut
good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash
can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of
everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or
for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt;
but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to
convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your
palms.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket
you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used
as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the
object we are trying to hit. It is especially valuable at being able to find
the EXACT location of the thumb or index finger of the other hand. 

UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard
cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents
such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector
magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for
slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

SON-OF-A-BITCH TOOL: (A personal favorite!) Any handy tool that you grab and
throw across the garage while yelling 'Son of a BITCH!' at the top of your
lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Hope you found this informative. 
THINK SAFETY 


coffee time
of course


ray

Really? A Great Hair Day?

Yes it's true, it looks so good I wish I have the nerve to take a I wish I looked good in a photo picture! But since I didn't, you will have to trust me on this.
I am fortunate to have a full head of hair, going a bit gray okay maybe it is more than a bit grey, but never the less.
It has been awhile since I got a haircut and it has grown out a bit. All this means that soon it will be time for a trim and soon it will be too long to look good.

I only need five brush I just pretended to brush my hair strokes and I am done, no spray, no jell ever. I am lucky in that regard.

But right now, I will bask in the happy happy joy joy hair day. Soon off to work!

one last morning narcissistic cup of coffee!

ray

A Great Idea, A Drop-off Daycare For Husbands!

Who said that there weren't kind, 

caring

and creative people

out there!

What we won't do to make you happy!

too early for a beer (work day)
coffee time

ray

World's Shortest Fairy Tale

click on title for link

Father Knows Best? How Do You Know If You Don't Ask?

There was a TV show called Father Knows Best. The dad was looked at as the wise one with all the answers to life's troubling questions. In reality, that rarely happens. Everyone knows more then me, or so it appears.

They will ask friends, friends parents and of course the internet. There is a wealth of knowledge to be tapped out there. Me, I only have life experiences of almost 60 years. It doesn't count for all that much now, doesn't it.

A long time ago, being older counted for something. Now a-days, not so much.
Maybe it is that I am older but not wiser.
sniff

time for a knowledgeable cup of coffee!

ray

The One Good Commercial Of This Year's Super Bowl

I was some what disappointed with the outcome of the game. The commercials were very boring this year and/or stupid except for this one. It makes me want to pack my bags and head to Italy where I am sure I would get many face slaps! English sub-titles please!



coffee time

ray

Did You Ever Wonder When Car Radios Came To Be?

I love to learn about stuff. This is one of those stories. I hope you enjoy!

Radios are so much a part of the driving experience, it seems like cars have always had them. But they didn’t. Here’s the story.

SUNDOWN

One evening in 1929 two young men named William Lear and Elmer Wavering drove their girlfriends to a lookout point high above the Mississippi River town of Quincy, Illinois, to watch the sunset. It was a romantic night to be sure, but one of the women observed that it would be even nicer if they could listen to music in the car.

Lear and Wavering liked the idea. Both men had tinkered with radios – Lear had served as a radio operator in the U. S. Navy during World War I – and it wasn’t long before they were taking apart a home radio and trying to get it to work in a car. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds: automobiles have ignition switches, generators, spark plugs, and other electrical equipment that generate noisy static interference, making it nearly impossible to listen to the radio when the engine was running.

SIGNING ON

One by one, Lear and Wavering identified and eliminated each source of electrical interference. When they finally got their radio to work, they took it to a radio convention in Chicago . There they met Paul Galvin, owner of Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. He made a product called a “battery eliminator” a device that allowed battery-powered radios to run on household AC current. But as more homes were wired for electricity, more radio manufacturers made AC-powered radios. Galvin needed a new product to manufacture. When he met Lear and Wavering at the radio convention, he found it. He believed that mass-produced, affordable car radios had the potential to become a huge business.

Lear and Wavering set up shop in Galvin’s factory, and when they perfected their first radio, they installed it in his Studebaker. Then Galvin went to a local banker to apply for a loan. Thinking it might sweeten the deal, he had his men install a radio in the banker’s Packard. Good idea, but it didn’t work – half an hour after the installation, the banker’s Packard caught on fire. (They didn’t get the loan.) Galvin didn’t give up. He drove his Studebaker nearly 800 miles to Atlantic City to show off the radio at the 1930 Radio Manufacturers Association convention. Too broke to afford a booth, he parked the car outside the convention hall and cranked up the radio so that passing conventioneers could hear it. That idea worked – he got enough orders to put the radio into production.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

That first production model was called the 5T71. Galvin decided he needed to come up with something a little catchier. In those days many companies in the phonograph and radio businesses used the suffix “ola” for their names – Radiola, Columbiola, and Victrola were three of the biggest. Galvin decided to do the same thing, and since his radio was intended for use in a motor vehicle, he decided to call it the Motorola.

But even with the name change, the radio still had problems:

When Motorola went on sale in 1930, it cost about $110 uninstalled, at a time when you could buy a brand-new car for $650, and the country was sliding into the Great Depression. (By that measure, a radio for a new car would cost about $3,000 today.) In 1930 it took two men several days to put in a car radio – the dashboard had to be taken apart so that the receiver and a single speaker could be installed, and the ceiling had to be cut open to install the antenna. These early radios ran on their own batteries, not on the car battery, so holes had to be cut into the floorboard to accommodate them. The installation manual had eight complete diagrams and 28 pages of instructions.

HIT THE ROAD

Selling complicated car radios that cost 20 percent of the price of a brand-new car wouldn’t have been easy in the best of times, let alone during the Great Depression – Galvin lost money in 1930 and struggled for a couple of years after that. But things picked up in 1933 when Ford began offering Motorola's pre-installed at the factory. In 1934 they got another boost when Galvin struck a deal with B. F. Goodrich tire company to sell and install them in its chain of tire stores. By then the price of the radio, installation included, had dropped to $55. The Motorola car radio was off and running. (The name of the company would be officially changed from Galvin Manufacturing to “Motorola” in 1947.) 

In the meantime, Galvin continued to develop new uses for car radios. In 1936, the same year that it introduced push-button tuning, it also introduced the Motorola Police Cruiser, a standard car radio that was factory preset to a single frequency to pick up police broadcasts. In 1940 he developed with the first handheld two-way radio – the Handie-Talkie – for the U. S. Army.

A lot of the communications technologies that we take for granted today were born in Motorola labs in the years that followed World War II. In 1947 they came out with the first television to sell under $200. In 1956 the company introduced the world’s first pager; in 1969 it supplied the radio and television equipment that was used to televise Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon. In 1973 it invented the world’s first handheld cellular phone. Today Motorola is one of the second-largest cell phone manufacturer in the world. And it all started with the car radio.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO….

The two men who installed the first radio in Paul Galvin’s car, Elmer Wavering and William Lear, ended up taking very different paths in life. Wavering stayed with Motorola. In the 1950’s he helped change the automobile experience again when he developed the first automotive alternator, replacing inefficient and unreliable generators. The invention lead to such luxuries as power windows, power seats, and, eventually, air-conditioning.

Lear also continued inventing. He holds more than 150 patents. Remember eight-track tape players? Lear invented that. But what he’s really famous for are his contributions to the field of aviation. He invented radio direction finders for planes, aided in the invention of the autopilot, designed the first fully automatic aircraft landing system, and in 1963 introduced his most famous invention of all, the Lear Jet, the world’s first mass-produced, affordable business jet. (Not bad for a guy who dropped out of school after the eighth grade.)

Some of us have been fortunate to have met both of these gentlemen and they were - gentlemen.

 

http://antiqueradiomuseum.org/thecarradio.htm

 

 

What was it like back then...

This photo is from 1935. One notices the prices and how inexpensive they are by todays standards. But then you can see that the barbershop is empty, no customers in sight.

The food prices are super low, but this picture was taken during the great depression when yearly wages averaged $750 and farmers averaged $250. All of a sudden 10 cents for a haircut and a pork chop seems like a lot of money. 

A little look into the past. Not quite sure if it was the good old days.

ray

Fitchburg, Masachusetts.- The Fitchburg Art Museum is proud to present "Pioneers in American 20th Century Photography", on view at the museum through March 18th. A rare and recently acquired Alfred Stieglitz image "The Steerage" (1907), is the centerpiece of this exhibition featuring early 20th Century American photography. This seminal photograph, printed on Japanese tissue paper, is one of only eight existing in the world. It has been hailed as one of the greatest photographs of all time because it captures in a single image both a formative document of its time and one of the first works of artistic modernism.

Another Reason Why I Love Dogs!

the only way this would be more perfect

if the dog was a black lab!

no offense cat people

borrowed
from
pinterest

Lowered Expectations, It's A Two Way Street

I think over time I have lowered my expectations of people and their actions and thoughts and how it affects myself. I do this so as not to be hurt emotionaly I guess. But thinking about a little further I am betting that people do the same when my name is brought up into a conservation.

I am nicely surprised when someone does something good for me but not when something bad is done against me. There are varing degrees of each, like being nibbled by ducks, not enough to put you down but it can still make you weary.

People always try to interpert what do you mean and why did he say that. Written language lacks the face to face meaning, smiles, twinkle in the eye, facial obeservations that complete the thought process.  It is what it is.

Lower the bar enough times and I may finally exceed your expectations.
And then, it is your turn...

cold coffee time

ray

Is This the Most Beautiful Street in the World?

click on the title of the post for the link to the article

How cool is this!

If all streets were like this, would it still be as wonderful to see?

Wouldn't it be nice to find out?

As you will read in the story, someone wanted to really "pave paradise and put up a parking lot" and the people said no!

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/most-beautiful-street-world.html?campaign=daily_nl