Day 2 Nevada to Millbrae

The final day of our rush to the coast was uneventful with two exceptions. One, just after crossing the state line into California we stopped in Truckee for gas. The small town is in the mountains, it was raining and the smell of the trees was wonderful, however it was the first time the gas was over $3.00 a gallon. The next was the only unpleasant part of a most pleasant trip and that was the Bay Bridge, the bridge that gets you into San Francisco proper. There were 12 lanes into the toll booths and we were in the lines for over an hour. Some of the lines were prepay, called Fasttrak and some were cash. We got into one of the cash lines only to have it change to Fastrack after a few minutes, we crowded into another cash line and it changed and a Fastrak line at the other end changed to cash. People kept changing back and forth with much horn honking and finger waving. Finally I said "to hell with it" and stayed in one line. When we got to the boot it was Fastrak only, and I just stuffed my 4 bucks into an opening and said arrest me! Then the fun began. Twelve lanes goes back into 4 lanes to get onto the the bridge. After you pay the toll you move up about 200 yards and stop at a red light along with the vehicles in the other 11 lanes. Then it is a quick green light, red light all the way down the line and it turns into a virtual drag race, and I am stuck in an underpowered 4 cylinder station wagon with Becky, four dogs and completely frayed nerves. I took off like a bat out of hell and figured that the BMW on one side and the Lexus on the other would let me in because of the relative value of the vehicles should a crash occur. I was wrong. It is California you know, so I got squished and I was the first to blink.

Then all of the lane changing began on the bridge. I don't know why if the sign says Chinatown exit right 1 mile that the cars exiting to Chinatown can't start to merge over immediately, but no they wait until the last 400 yards and then make a mad dash for the exit. After the bridge it was easy cruisin' in a light mist from the 101 to the 280 and down the hill. One more thing and it is the most dangerous and amazing thing I have ever witnessed. It is completely legal for motorcycles to travel between lanes! That means when you are travelling in the next to the fast lane at 1o miles over the speed limit as everyone does and the guy next to you in the fast lane is doing the same, here come a motorcycle going 20 miles over the speed limit right between you. With all of the lane changing and crazy driving it had to be the most deadly thing I have witnessed and it is all legal according to everyone I used it as a conversation starter on.

Day one 13 hours to Nevada

Driving up I-25 we encountered the most severe rain/hailstorm I have ever seen. People were actually stopping on the interstate and stacking up 5 deep under the underpasses. I tucked in behind a Wal-Mart semi and rode it out. Later found out that it was the worst hailstorm in Pueblo, Colorado history. No damage to the Saturn. We stopped in Cheyenne to get gas (12 gallon tank) and turned west onto I-80. From there we drove through road construction that lasted for 10 to 15 miles and spread out about 5 miles apart. One lane, 35mph and not a road crew in sight all of the way through Wyoming and Utah. I swore we would not return by the same route and we didn't. 13 hours and 750 miles later we stopped for the night (morning?) in Wendover Utah/West Wendover, Nevada. The only interesting thing about the town was that there is a big Hotel and Casino right on the state line, with the hotel part on the Utah side and the casino on the Nevada side. Interesting. Passed the Bonneville Salt Flats at about midnight or I would have stopped to pick up a t shirt.

3,000 miles in a $1,500 car

Before I begin my diary about our vacation to Northern California I need to bring everyone up to date on a couple of things. First in a much earlier post I spoke of trading my beloved Harley Davidson in for a large used motorhome. While we had planned this trip for a long time, the motorhome was still undergoing some upgrading and refurbishment so we drove instead. During the last few months I began looking into what type of vehicle we should get for our "toad", the vehicle that is towed behind the motorhome to be used for in town driving after arriving at a destination. From my research and reading I knew that I didn't want to have to tow the unit on a trailer or a tow dolly, I wanted to tow with all four wheels on the ground (less resistance and easier to unhook to drive). The number of vehicles that can be towed with all four wheels on the ground is limited. Most require disconnection of the drive shaft or other modifications. We looked at Honda CRV's, Ford Escapes, Saturn Ion's and others, but spending $30,000 for a vehicle that was to be used little was not in the cards. Between the two of us we have eight vehicles and zero car payments and we want to keep it that way. I went back and researched vehicles that were suggested as toads 10 or so years ago and found out the the Saturn was the vehicle most mentioned. After a month of searching we found a 1995 Saturn station wagon, with 135,000 miles on it, 5-speed, airconditioning and a CD player and everything worked. We decided to take it on our vacation because of gas mileage considerations. We drove a total of 2,781 miles, used 84.5 gallons of gas, spent $245.50 for fuel and averaged 32.91 miles per gallon and we had a huge Yakima Sky Box on the roof so our four small dogs would have the entire back of the wagon or our mileage would have been even greater. I could not have been happier with the little car. Other than being a little underpowered with a 1.9L 4 cylinder engine and shifting more often than I liked going over many mountain passes it performed flawlessly. I had not owned a General Motors vehicle since I was aged 12 ( a 1936 Chevrolet pickup that I was allowed to drive in order to muck out horse stalls and drive out on the prairie and dump the stuff). I have never been a GM fan, but I sure have become a 1995 Saturn fan.

Hide your Beagles, Vick's an Eagle

How could Philadelphia, or any team think that they could become a better team by signing Micheal Vick?












I guess this has forced me back into blogging. I will try to keep everyone updated, especially as to my just completed vacation.

Government Motors is Running on Fumes

In 1953, when "Engine Charlie" Wilson was nominated for secretary of defense, the GM CEO famously told a Senate committee, "For years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors — and vice versa." His statement was misremembered as, "What's good for General Motors is good for America."
Even quoted correctly, it was a sloppy thought. Today, who would even think it?
This week, President Barack Obama effectively fired GM's boss. Some defenders of private capitalism have objected to this, but they are thinking of government as, well, government, and not as GM's primarily lender. As lender, Obama was simply exercising his prerogative by saying, in effect, "If you want any more money from us, you have to throw your CEO overboard."
Out the CEO went — and, it is reported, much of the board of directors will soon follow.
"Pet rocks," Forbes magazine's Jerry Flint calls the GM directors. The booted CEO, Rick Wagoner, was also stonelike in his performance. Since he became GM's head of North American operations in 1994, Wagoner has presided over the shrinkage of GM's market share by nearly half, from 33 percent to 18 percent.
Back when "Engine Charlie" made his famous comment, GM's market share had been 54 percent. It was still over half in the late 1960s, when my business professor argued that GM, Ford and Chrysler had oligopoly power, and might stay on top of the market forever.
Volkswagen had been buzzing around, and a company called Toyota had introduced a little made-in-Japan thing called the Corona, but Detroit would be able to defend itself. Already GM and Ford were introducing their import killers, the Vega and the Pinto, which turned out to be the two worst U.S. cars of the era.
Most of the moves by the U.S. companies were better than that. In my lifetime, they have phased out the chrome, the spongy suspensions, the feather-light power steering and plastic bench seats. Their cars are less thirsty and better built.
Trouble is, their rivals stayed ahead of them with fuel injection, disc brakes, hybrid technology, etc. Now the Japanese companies have 30 assembly plants in the United States. They are suffering right now, but they are not in the intensive-care unit.
The new boss of GM, Fred Henderson, says the company may have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which probably means it will file unless the U.S. Treasury agrees to more support. The question then arises: Should the Treasury do it?
It looks like a poor bet. GM is an old company, with old workers, and old union and old-thinking management. It has been in decline for most of 50 years. As of Dec. 31, its liabilities were double its assets, giving it a book value of negative $86 billion. Tuesday, its stock was selling at $1.94 a share.
The more the Treasury lends, the more GM will come to be Government Motors. In Obama's America, that will mean becoming a development project for electric cars, plug-in hybrids, or whatever it is the politicians want. The result might be wonderful, but the history of state-controlled companies suggests boondoggles are more likely.
The best thing is to let GM do what failing companies have always done: reorganize if possible, liquidate if necessary. The GM of "Engine Charlie" is no more. Let it go, and let investors put their money where the odds are better.

Say It Ain't So, Jerry

In 2006, when Jerry Jones brought wide receiver Terrell Owens to Dallas, no one was happier than me. I once again had reason to root against the Cowboys, an often entertaining pastime. And T.O., with his narcissistic whining, made rooting against “America’s Team” ever so worthwhile. Last year’s signing of the thuggish Pacman Jones was like adding whipped cream and cherries to an already mouthwatering sundae. Last season’s implosion — with Pacman’s suspension and Owens’ verbal undermining of certain Cowboys teammates — was especially delicious. But early in this off-season, Jerry Jones cut Pacman. And now he’s released Owens.I feel bereft. Who am I to root against now? Tony Romo — who stops and changes tires for strangers? I think not. And if the Cowboys owner is wising up about the importance of character and chemistry and essentially admitting his mistakes, what joy can I even get rooting against him?
Life is so unfair.

A neat interactive program of the Obama Inauguration using Microsoft Photosynth

For those of you who have never used Microsoft Photosynth or even played around with it, click this link and look at the 360 degree view of the inauguration using over 1000 still pictures.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/44.president/inauguration/themoment/

take the tour and download the free version of Photosynth here: http://photosynth.net/Default.aspx

Neat map and link to technology concerns in the Puget Sount area

Colorado can brag all it wants about being tech savvy, but it will never mach the Seattle area.

go here for an interacative map ot the area http://wtia.micromaps.com/. the static picture of the map is here:

The Second Most Glorious Day in My Military Service 36 Years Ago Today

Some Things I've Learned

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

5. You should not confuse your career with your life.

6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. (This one is very important)

7. Never lick a steak knife

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.

12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender,religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person.(This is very important. Pay attention. It NEVER fails.)

14. Your friends love you anyway.

15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

16. Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes; and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with

Inauguration Day

First Walkman Invented over 50 years ago

The secret history of the walkman revealed: Paul Johnson of Jacksonville, Fla invented this one-tube radio (powered by two dry cells) in 1957, to keep him entertained while he did yard-work. In terms of design aesthetics, I'm willing to say that this is the coolest, mad-scientist-looking-est headset ever to grace the head of a human.

If I would have known this I could have been delivering papers on my Schwinn Corvette while listening to Little Richard instead of trying to tune in KOMA in Oklahoma City (1520 on your dial) on my trusty Philco at bedtime.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2009

They've just announced the inductions for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2009, and as always, the list of honorees includes a few no-brainers as well as a few head-scratchers.

The only boilerplate "ground rule" for eligibility in the performer's category is that it must be at least 25 years since your debut recording, and since, unlike say, a sports Hall of Fame where statistical standards can be used to assist voters in their assessments, the Rock Hall voting process is a fairly nebulous one.

The nominees this year, in alphabetical order were: Jeff Beck; Chic; Wanda Jackson; Little Anthony & the Imperials; Metallica; Run D.M.C; the Stooges; War; and Bobby Womack.

Of the nine, five--guitarist Beck, doo-woppers Little Anthony & the Imperials, thrashers Metallica, rappers Run D.M.C. and r'n'ber Womack--have been elected as performers, with rockabilly vocalist Jackson to be inducted in the "Early Influence" category. (Additionally, former Elvis Presley accompanists Bill Black (bass), and D.J. Fontana (drums), along with Southern soul keyboardist Spooner Oldham, are being inducted in the non-voted upon "Sideman" category).

I'm probably most satisfied that Little Anthony & the Imperials finally got in, and that Wanda Jackson is finally being, as it were, "semi"-inducted. That's because, as more time goes by and we get further and further down that 25-year rule slope, more older artists who haven't yet been duly recognized for their achievements in increasingly bygone eras will be less likely to get nominated, let alone elected. And unless the Rock Hall establishes some kind of Veteran's Committee a la the Baseball Hall of Fame, that trend may well continue.

More problematic, of course, are artists like Jeff Beck, who, like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, has now been elected as a solo artist in addition to being inducted as a member of the seminal '60s band the Yardbirds. Plenty of precedence for this, of course: For example, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison went in as Beatles and as solos, Curtis Mayfield as a member of the Impressions and a solo, Neil Young as a Buffalo Springfielder and a solo, and (my favorite) Paul Simon as half of Simon & Garfunkel and by himself. And Eric Clapton, if I'm not mistaken, has the hall of fame record for being voted in three times (Yardbirds, Cream and solo).

Much as I think Jeff Beck is one of the greatest and most influential rock 'n' rollers of all time, it does seem to me that once a musician gets voted in, either as a part of a group or as a solo artist, that should be the end of it. I'm not holding my breath for any big rule change, though. Especially since Halls of Fame of any sort aren't exactly the kinds of places where you check your ego at the door; they're more the places you get them stamped.

Kids Today Have No Idea What a Real "Beater" Was.

Reminscing with a group of high school friends we got around to discussing our high school cars and decided that our kids have no idea what a true "beater car" was. I wrote down the comments in no particular order (on the back of a napkin.) # 24 is my favorite,

1. You have to either pay someone to get you an illegal inspection sticker or you have to doctor your existing one with graphic arts supplies.

2. Your floorboards have rotted out and you have wedged a stolen highway sign into the floorpan so you won't fall through.

3. There is at least one section that has a pop-riveted piece of aluminum over a section of the car that would fall off otherwise.

4. There are "tricks" to getting the car started, in gear, turning in the right direction or stopped.

5. You are adding oil, power steering fluid, transmission fluid or water/anti-freeze to the car on a daily basis.

6. Your windshield washer pump no longer works, and you are forced to throw water onto your windshield in the winter to clean it off.

7. Your windshield wiper motor is dead.

8. You have to drive the car at night so that cops don't get a good look at the car.

9. The "Checque thine engine soone!" torch keeps igniting.

10. When you park, you have to put a "Vehicle Not Abandoned" sign in the window.

11. You got your fourth speeding ticket this week as a result of inaccurate conversions from the tachometer RPM’s to MPH.

12. Your mechanic charges you a "pain and suffering" fee.

13. Your factory-installed GPS keeps warning you that you're about to fall off the edge of the Earth.

14. Tires by Firestone; brakes by Flintstone.

15. The only thing in the dash that still functions is the 8-track tape player, and your Sly and Family Stone tape is almost worn out.

16. The only thing holding the back bumper together is your "All the Way With LBJ" sticker.

17. Your inquiries to the Studebaker factory are returned unopened

18. Your genuine stegosaurus-hide upholstery is beginning to crack. Not only isn't the in-dash Victrola XM-ready, it also skips a hell of a lot.

19.You can't make it smell fresh and lovely anymore, no matter how much Summer's Eve you use.

20. Your exhaust trail has caused so much environmental damage, Al Gore turned in his Nobel Peace Prize and headed straight for a gun shop.

21. Bedrock Motors placard fell off and broke your wife Wilma's toe.

22. The manufacturer issued a recall because of a defect they found in the brains of the people who buy them.

23. The neighborhood dogs don't consider it worth chasing.

24. McGyver couldn't make this piece of crap run if he had an entire auto shop and six weeks at his disposal.

25.The car uses more oil than gas ( in the old days you could buy oil drained out of a crankcase at the gas station, it cost about 25 cents/quart)

26. Fenders or other important body components held on by duct tape.

27. You have to get in through the hatchback because all the doors were frozen shut in the winter.I had to keep a large box end wrench under the seat because the starter solenoid would stick. Sometime I would have to jump out, pop the hood and give the solenoid a good whack to get the starter to disengage.

28. It also had a wiring problem that prevented the heater fan from working so I would have to scrape the inside of the windows as I drove to work in Colorado winters.

29. The ECM would over heat sometimes after about 30 minutes of driving and the car would just turn off for an hour or so.

30. The rear seal went out on my transmission while driving over Monument Hill, by the time the drive shaft stopped bashing about the entire output shaft was visible.

31. smog pump seized

32. leaked like Michael Jackson at a cub scout meeting

33. The ball joints were shot so it would wander all over the road

34. Horn died in a front end collision.

35. Insurance company said that the salvage value is $300.

36.If you slam on the brakes too hard it will sometimes want to drift sideways.
37. The fan only works on high and the heater sometimes doesn't switch on so don't change the temp during cold weather or you might be without heat.
38. The exhaust system leaks so make sure to have plenty of airflow through the passenger area if you don't want carbon monoxide poisoning.

39. Car won't start when it's "damp" outside

40. You've got 4 or more specialty tools in your garage, including the special wrench to get # 8 spark plug out.

41. Baling wire holds a permanent place in your trunk toolbox.

42. You've discovered that "no parking" signs work great as floorboard replacements.

43. You got at least one door, hood, trunk or body panel that is mismatched in color with the rest of the vehicle.

44. Soup/pop/beer cans are currently in line as part of your exhaust system.

45. Your battery cables aren't so much "connected" to battery as they are "dissolved" into it.

46. Your local salvage yard owner knows you on a first name basis, and you've got your own key to the yard for after hours scavenging
47. your date is actually interested in you, not your car.

48. you can pay liability insurance since you are a very careful and good driver and you don't want to be forced to pay full coverage that will amount to more than the value of the car in 1 year.

49. you're smart and prefer to have savings rather than the coolest car. you understand that the car is reliable and gets you from point A to point B. you laugh to the bank while your buddie with the nice car gets repossessed because he can no longer pay the bank every month.
50. You're not spending the equivalent of a new iPod Touch/Wii/case of good wine per month on a tin box that goes at the same speed as the 10 year old beater you used to have.

51. got no AC, and lost the power steering when the AC died, it's all on the same belt & wheel.

52. The rear doors don't open, so only kids and midgets can get in the back, climbing behind the front seats like a 2-door.

53.The antenna is gone.

54. There's a dent in the front hood I slid into a fencepost one of my first times driving in snow.

55. It dies from being driven in the rain.

56. The headlights are the always-on kind, but you have to turn the switch just to the first parking lights/dashboard notch, because if you turn it all the way, they go out. The lights also go out when the parking brake is applied.

57. Driver door exterior handle broken, door could only be opened from inside. If the door was slammed the window would jump its track and fall down into the door.

58. Brake master cylinder leaked. Heater core leaked. Engine leaked oil, a lot of oil. Clutch operating mechanism was so poorly designed and had been cobbled so many times it had only an inch of travel above the floor from "in" to "out",

59. Starter would work fine when engine was cold (fortunate because the gas would sometimes drain out of the carb overnight), but would barely turn over when hot.

60. Both rear wheel bearings and the diff played loud tunes, while the radio tuner was stuck on one station (religious).

61. Items that didn't work included horn, emergency brake and heater fan. The ignition key could be removed while the engine was running (useful, as sometimes the switch could not be moved from the "run" position)

62. I took it to 3 junkyards, none of whom would take it even after I offered to pay a fee.Finally a friend of a friend said he would take it and he is still driving it.

63. You never even need to take part in discussions about who's going to drive among your friends

64. When it rains you have to run outside and cover your car with a tarp or, if you're too lazy, use the "bail out" cup you keep in the backseat when you come out in the morning

65. No one can start it but you, not even the tow truck drivers

66. A police officer has come out to help you push it up a hill because once you get to the top "it'll get rolling on it's own"

67. You have keep 5 or 6 bottles of oil in the trunk at all times

68. You've put $2000 into it over 3 years and it is still worth $200

Minimum Wage Boosted, Low Wage Workers Hardest Hit

Colorado's 26 cent increase in the minimum wage has sparked a boost in prices at grocery stores and gas stations as employers attempt to recoup the cost of the higher wages they must now pay their entry-level employees.
As a result, many minimum wage workers can no longer afford the groceries they sack, nor the fuel dispensed at the convenience stores where they work.
Democrats who pushed the minimum wage hike through Congress last year, said they plan to address the problem by requiring retailers to raise their prices so they can afford to pay their workers enough to buy the pricier products, Colorado Democrats are expected to follow suit.

And Even More Apocalypse News!

SPEARFISH, S.D. – The activist animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked school officials to change the name of Spearfish High School to "Sea Kitten High School." The new name would "reflect the gentle nature of its current marine namesake," the organization said in a letter to Steve Morford, Spearfish High School principal.
PETA said the letter is part of a new Sea Kitten campaign aimed at children.
If children were taught to refer to fish as "sea kittens," reflecting that fish, like cats and dogs, are "individuals" that "do have friendships," fewer fish might be killed for food or sport, said Pulin Modi, a PETA spokesman.
"We want people to realize that more fish are killed each year than all animals combined," he said. "They don't have the sympathy of more popular animals like cats and dogs."

More News the Apocalypse is Upon Us

NY man demands estranged wife pay him for kidney

A Long Island surgeon embroiled in a nearly four-year divorce proceeding wants his estranged wife to return the kidney he donated to her, although he says he'll settle for $1.5 million in compensation.

Dr. Richard Batista, a surgeon at Nassau University Medical Center, told reporters at his lawyer's Long Island office Wednesday that he decided to go public with his demand for kidney compensation because he has grown frustrated with the negotiations with his estranged wife.

"This is my last resort; I did not want to do this publicly," Batista said.

Apocalypse News

As stores close, Starbucks buys a jet
Starbucks bought a $45 million corporate jet last month at about the same time it told employees that it is reconsidering how much it will match in their 401(k) plans this year. The new jet, a Gulfstream 550, spent its first two weeks under Starbucks ownership in Hawaii, according to flight records at FlightAware.com.

My Christmas Present

I know, I know, Christmas was two weeks ago but I have used that two weeks to thoroughly road test my Christmas present. It is an Acer Aspire One Netbook. Tutelidge here, first there was a laptop, some with a big 17" screen (I have one of those and it is wonderful, but at about 8 pounds). Then came the Notebook with it's 12" screen and then presto! it shrunk into a Netbook with a 9" screen. My little netbook is sapphire blue, has a 160GB HDD and 3 USB 2.0 ports. It utilizes Windows XP (thank heavens) and has built in wi-fi, and........it weighs just a hair over two pounds. In it's leather sleeve it is about as big as a John Grisham hardback. The only drawback, and I am told by several of my children that it is not a drawback is that there is no optical drive. No CD, no DVD just 3 USB ports for a myriad of thumb drives. they are so cheap now that I went out and bought a half a dozen 4GB and a couple of 8GB ones. I keep my photos, documents and other stuff downloaded from my desktop on them. The wi-fi works seamlessly and if all of my neighbors (and the college across the street) hadn't encrypted their wireless networks I could piggyback off of theirs all day and night. The screen is bright and with the new Intel Atom processor it is surprisingly fast. The only small downside is the 2 hour maximum in battery mode. For me it is much easier to check emails and surf the web on this little jewel than to do it on my Blackberry. Plus I can write a document (the keyboard is 92% of a regular keyboard), so even my fat fingers can manage. I can even whip together a PowerPoint while having coffee and a scone. All of this for under $350! I am happy.

Bill Clinton: CIA Pick Panetta Can Keep a Secret

Concerns about the readiness of President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for director of Central Intelligence were put to rest today when former President Bill Clinton called his old Chief of Staff Leon Panetta “the perfect pick to head the CIA.”

Mr. Panetta has no previous experience in the intelligence community and served 16 years as a U.S. Congressman, raising questions at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA, about his ability to guard the nation’s secrets.

However, President Clinton, called him “a trustworthy public servant who knows how to keep his mouth shut.”

“Leon was by my side for two and half years,” said Mr. Clinton. “About 14 months of his service came during the time that I was not having sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky, in the White House. During all those months, no one ever knew what my chief of staff knew or didn’t know, nor do they know it now.”

Mr. Panetta has also been a vocal opponent of the use of torture, but Mr. Clinton said “that’s likely just a lasting effect of his close contact with the former First Lady.”

“Hillary made an impact on a lot of people that way,” he said. “Personally, I still can’t stand the thought that another human would have to endure loud, harsh noises and or the continual drip, drip, drip of Chinese water torture. She’s made Leon and me much more merciful toward even our enemies.”

Inventor of Hawaiian Shirt Dies

Those of you that know me know of my propensity for Hawaiian shirts and shorts 11 months out of the year. While I am no Tom Sellick (I guess I tend toward a rotund Jimmy Buffett) I like the look and feel of the shirt and I own about 40 of them just like Magnum P.I.

So it is with sadness that I pass on this news article.

You'd be forgiven for never hearing of designer Alfred Shaheen.
Yet he inspired one of the most colourful, amusing and unforgettable styles of fashion ever known - the Hawaiian shirt.
Sadly the pioneering textile manufacturer has died at age 86, his family have confirmed.
As tourists from the US to Hawaii after World War II, many began to bring home colorful but cheesy looking shirts and sundresses that would be cause for much amusement among friends.
Shaheen began to change that in 1948 when he opened Shaheen's of Honolulu and began designing, printing and producing "aloha" shirts, dresses and other ready-to-wear clothing of better quality.
Among those seen in Shaheen-designed shirts of that era was Elvis Presley, who wore one for the cover of his 1961 soundtrack album "Blue Hawaii."
Such Shaheen originals now sell for more than $500.
"Before Shaheen came along, there was no Hawaii garment industry. There were mom and pop stores but no real modern industry," Linda Arthur, a professor of textiles and clothing at Washington State University said.
By 1959, the year Hawaii became a state, he had more than 400 employees working for him and was grossing more than $4 million a year as the major player in the islands' garment industry.

Road Trip!

Finally after 5 months of searching I finally found a motorhome that I could afford and had the amenities that I wanted. I looked at a lot of them over the last 4 or 5 months some were nice, but something did not work (usually the refrigerator, a $1,500 item or the generator, about the same). Some were real dogs and some looked like dogs had lived in them. This one is a 1991 Pace Arrow 34 ft. model L. It has a little over 34,000 actual miles and to give you some idea of it's cost when new, the original buyer put down $29,000 and financed the balance for 12 years at $514 a month! If the original contract wouldn't have been included in the paperwork I wouldn't have believed it. The only thing missing in the 2" stack of papers and manuals was the owners manual, the holy grail of manuals that tells me where everything is and how to work it. (I keep having flashbacks to the movie RV when Robin Williams was trying to empty the sewer tank for the first time, not a pleasant rememberance.) I guess I will have to search eBay and Craigslist for awhile.