Photo Blog

So I've been thinking about blogging about my goings-on on the weekend. That is if I do anything and if I take my camera with me when/if I do. This time I went right in and around my "backyard". This is very close... and yet very far away. I'd like to see if anyone could guess, but if you know where I live, well, it's not hard at all. Anyway let's just say we'll put this in the photo blog, (like this one and this one) and see what happens from there.

The first picture is actually the last. Upon coming out of the tidal flood zone we saw a tree, an oak tree that is growing somewhat sideways. According to my "master naturist" wife these are common, but I never saw one until this picture was taken, so there.

Out on the plain, we saw dead trees, I guess at one time it used to look different around here...

Here we have the "river" that comes up and down with the tide. I will have to come out again when it's high tide, just to see the difference.

Here is the sandy bottom that I thought would swallow my shoes and leave me barefoot, but alas, no pluff mud around here at least

Here is yet another dead tree. I don't know if it's nature or "man-made" the dictates the placement of the sticks and other stuff... but it is weird.

And finally, guess what bridge/road this is...

Board Meeting... Again

Oh my God. Why did we even do it? We sat through the entire 4 hour + school board meeting (6-10:30). Good lord, I don't think I've seen more political posturing and backslapping in my life. And the information that ran through the meeting, or I should say, misinformation was incredible.

I think the school board should either get on the same page as the rest of the state, or perhaps just start mugging people. But I think my wife has the answer to all this:

Build the school - This makes the black people happy (though watch it, they're already talking about how this is only half of what was promised)

In two or three years, close either the Whale Branch or Battery Creek High schools - this will make the numbers jive.

There is nothing for the tax payer, or white guy.... except maybe the District staying with ACE.

It just never ceases to amaze me, how you can have two groups of people and one always gets shit on (white) while the other demands to be put up on a pedestal (black). And I'm not trying to be racial, I'm really not. I grew up in New Orleans and joined the Army; I was always around black people. I've seen the good, and not so good, just like with everyone else, some try to take advantage.

I don't have any words of wisdom, but I wonder how much rope do we have to get before we either hang ourselves or hang the people we voted for. And the soliloquies... That is where you determine that most of the board is full of shit. And everybody was delivering them last night, a good hour to hour and a half was spent on just that, when they could have simply voted and talked after... but then people like me wouldn't have watched right?

Want Some Tuna?

Garden Update: Week 18

Well, I think it is just a few weeks away from harvest of the lettuce. Which makes me wonder... what are we going to do with all that lettuce. Anyway, we're in for a cold spell the next couple of days, but otherwise, gardenwise we're looking pretty good.

Police State

It seems that lately, and this is just me, which might just be me, but anyway it seems like there is a lot more people getting pulled over lately. Why is this? Well, I'm not really sure. It could be that more speeders or more instances of speeding have come to the area or the law officials have clamped down on on lawbreakers. Or, maybe the police are looking to bring in a bit of money in hard times.

That's fine, unless you're the one getting the ticket. Now I don't work in or around law enforcement and this may just be a skewed observation by me, but there have been break-ins and attacks, no doubt somewhat caused by the worsening of the economy. I really don't know if or how any of that ties together, but I am glad that I haven't been pulled over yet.

And that is no way to be. I feel restricted in the way I get around. I don't really know why, or how to put it into words, but I do feel caught up. I want to feel safe, but dang, I also want to feel like I can move.... know what I mean?

More On The Board

So it seems like the School Board is getting a bit of negative press lately. See here and here and here. It's tough to be a politician right now... or a superintendent. These same problems have always existed, just now that the economy is what it is... the problems seem much more dire, more serious, we should find a solution to them... blah, blah, blah.

But it's more than that. You have a contingent of people that have an out now. If this Whale Branch High School doesn't get built, then the kids have a free out, "I failed because, they didn't build the school I needed." And the people in that community can blame "the man" and continue to wallow in their own failure.

Nobody knows what will happen if they build it. But based on the other school's record, I just can't see them magically bringing grades up and lifting everyone from a dropout to a valedictorian. If anything, it will teach them that failure = more money, goods, services coming their way.

There is no right choice here, we voted to approve the school, the school was never really needed, but we said it was and voted for it 2 different times. This is because other plans were on the books that needed our attention. We could have told the School Board NO, and they would have to come up with something else, but we didn't.

So now we are forced to either take away something promised or go ahead with it, even if it will be very painful. No easy way out. But we will pay, we already knew that, but it does hurt.

Strokes, Dentists, and Being Cold

And so another dentist trip is done. I went to get my semi-annual cleaning, and I realized that this was just about a year ago, that I was coming back to work. Man I was a mess back then. But time has a way of hiding those things. The dentist says everything is fine, not that anyone cares, but he did say it.

My doctor visit the other day also had equally good results, though I was really looking for something wrong with me. I've been cold the past few months, like really cold. My doctor says my A1c is good (diabetes thing, it was 6.8, they want it to be lower than 7), bad cholesterol was 101 good cholesterol was 56... not too shabby, kidney and liver function look good, blood pressure is good. By all respects, I am a shining example of health..... for a 33-year-old male that has diabetes and a stroke.

But damn I'm cold, and I don't know why. Other than cold weather, which we have had our share this year. But I'm not willing to just blame the weather, but what else is there?