240 – Just Another Friday…

Yep, just another Friday, on another rain filled week. Well, one thing we don’t have to worry about, is the reservoir’s being low. They’re overflowing! Flooding is a serious problem in Connecticut lately. The Connecticut River is swelling beyond past high levels. People that own motorcycles are really ticked off. This truly has been the summer from hell. Fruits and vegetables are rotting in the ground. Will it ever stop?

I hope to get a chance to meet Mark from the “Mark’s Regular Life” blog on the left of this page. He’s coming to the Boston area for work, and I probably will take a day off of work and meet him somewhere, so we can finally meet face-to-face!

Other than that, there’s not too much new here.

Not long ago, my brother sent me this link, of some great Apollo 11 pictures.

Now, for something funny:

Crazy things people say on job interviews:

Why did you leave your last job?

"I have a problem with authority." - Carrie Rocha, COO of HousingLink

Tell us about a problem you had with a co-worker and how you resolved it

"The resolution was we were both fired."- Jason Shindler, CEO, Curvine Web Solutions

What kind of computer software have you used?

"Computers? Are those the black boxes that sit on the floor next to the desks? My boss has one of those. He uses it. I don't have one. He just gives me my schedule and I follow it." - Greg Szymanski, director of human resources, Geonerco Management, Inc

What are your hobbies and interests?

"[He said] 'Well, as you can see, I'm a young, virile man and I'm single -- if you
ladies know what I'm saying.' Then he looked at one of the fair-haired board members nd said, 'I particularly like blondes.'" - Petri R.J. Darby, president, darbyDarnit Public Relations

Why should we hire you?

"I would be a great asset to the events team because I party all the time." - Bill
McGowan, founder, Clarity Media Group

Do you have any questions?

"Cross dressing isn't a problem is it?" - Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates

"If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?" - Megan Garnett, Articulate
Leadership Team, Articulate Communications Inc.

"What do you want me to do if I cannot walk to work if it's raining? Can you pick me up?" - Christine Pechstein, career coach

"I was a Chamber of Commerce Executive once hiring a secretary. [The candidate asked] 'What does a Chamber of Commerce do?'" - Mary Kurek, Mary Kurek, Inc. Visibility Consulting

"Can we wrap this up fairly quickly? I have someplace I have to go." - Bruce
Campbell, vice president of marketing, Clare Computer Solutions

"What is your company's policy on Monday absences?" - Campbell

"If this doesn't work out can I call you to go out sometime?" - Christine Bolzan,
founder of Graduate Career Coaching

"How big do the bonuses really get once you make associate? I hear it's some serious cash." - Bolzan

"[The candidate asked,] 'Can my dad call you to talk about the job and the training program? He is really upset I'm not going to medical school and wants someone to explain the Wall Street path to him.' The dad did call. Then that dad's friends called and I ended up doing a conference call with a group of concerned parents ... long story." - Bolzan

"If I get an offer, how long do I have before I have to take the drug test?" - Bolzan

"When you do background checks on candidates, do things like public drunkenness arrests come up?" - Bolzan

"Can I get a tour of the breast pumping room? I heard you have a great one here and while I don't plan on having children for at least 10 or 12 years, I will definitely breast feed and would want to use that room."- Bolzan

"So, how much do they pay you for doing these interviews?" -- Jodi R.R. Smith,
Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting

Why are you leaving your current job?

"Because I (expletive) my pants every time I enter the building." - Abbe Mortimore, Human Resources Manager, True Textiles, Inc.

"I was fired from my last job because they were forcing me to attend anger
management classes." - Smith

Why are you looking for a job?

"Cigarettes are getting more expensive, so I need another job." - Pechstein

"My parents told me I need to get a job so that is why I'm here." - McGowan

Why do you want to work for us?

"Just for the benefits." - Jennifer Juergens, JJ Communications

"My old boss didn't like me, so one day, I just left and never came back. And here I am!" - Matt Cowall, communications manager, Appia Communications

"I saw the job posted on Twitter and thought, why not?" - Rebecca Gertsmark Oren, Communications Director at The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

What are your assets? (as in strengths)

"Well, I do own a bike." - Pam Venné, principal, The Venné Group

What are your weaknesses?

"I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won't get mad at you." - Pechstein

"I had a job candidate tell me that she often oversleeps and has trouble getting out of bed in the morning." - Linda Yaffe, certified executive coach

"I am an alcoholic and do not deserve this job." - Deb Bailey, owner, Power Women Magazine & Radio Show

"I'm really not a big learner. You know ... some people love learning and are always picking up new things, but that's just not me. I'd much rather work at a place where the job is pretty stagnant and doesn't change a lot." -- Michaele Charles, Voice Communications

When have you demonstrated leadership skills?

"Well my best example would be in the world of online video gaming. I pretty much run the show; it takes a lot to do that." - Rachel Croce

Is there anything else I should know about you?

"You should probably know I mud wrestle on the weekends." - Venne

When can you start?

"I need to check with my mom on that one." - Bolzan

Use three adjectives to describe yourself

"I hate questions like this." - Katrina Meistering, manager of outreach, National Fatherhood Initiative

Tell of a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it

"I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement."
Meistering

Have you submitted your two weeks' notice to your current employer?

"What is two weeks' notice? I've never quit a job before, I've always been fired." - Meistering

Random responses

"One guy [said] 'it would probably be best' if I didn't run a background check on him. Of course, I did, and learned all about his long, sordid past of law-breaking.
Our client actually offered him a job as a staff accountant, but quickly retracted the offer when I had to tell them all about his recent arrest for a meth lab in his basement." - Charles

"[A] guy said he did not have a mailing address, as he was living in a gypsy camp at the airport." -- Sandra L. Flippo, SPHR

"I went into the lobby to pick up a candidate. As he stood up, his trousers fell to the floor! [He said] 'Oh, my gosh -- they told me I needed a suit for the interview.
I've got no money -- so I borrowed this thing. It's too big!'" - Beth Ross,
executive and career coach

"Wow -- I'm not used to wearing dress shoes! My feet are killing me. Can I show you these bloody blisters?" - Bolzan

"May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last night."
- Smith

(During a telephone call to schedule the interview) "Can we meet next month? I am currently incarcerated."- Smith

"[A candidate] was asked whether he could advocate impartially on behalf of the various universities he would be representing since he had attended one of them. He responded, 'Well, I don't like to poop where I eat, but I thought my education sucked, so I certainly wouldn't put that school above the others.'"

Have a great weekend!

239 – Wordless Wednesday – My Favorite Wallpaper

 

Click on picture to ‘embiggen’

238 – A Completely Car Guy Post

I apologize in advance for this, but I AM a car guy.

This weekend at our cruise night, I found my new love.

To the right, is something
I had read about, but never even thought I’d see. It’s a 2000 Nissan Skyline GTR. An exotic Supercar from Japan. It was brought to our cruise night by a man named Pete from Porter and Chester Institute, a local specialty school and a new sponsor for our club’s cruise nights.

You say it doesn’t look very special? Well, under the hood is a rear wheel 480HP six cylinder, dual turbo-charged fire breathing engine. For the techies out there, that HP rating is at 9lbs boost. This car can go to a whopping 30lbs of boost at which time it’s over 600 HP.

 

At left is a picture of the Twin-Turbo engine. It’s a work of art for a car guy and there were a LOT of people looking at it at our cruise night. It’s a right hand drive car, as are all of them imported in to the US. As a matter of fact, it’s not really legal in the US as it sits so when one buys one of these, they have to ship the engine and transmission seperate from the body of the car, then put them together here, and title it as a “kit” car.

 

The gauges at right show a 9,000 redline (rare for a street car) and a 320KPH speedometer (about 198MPh). Did I mention, it’s all wheel drive, AND All Wheel Steering?

They’re so rare, there may be a couple of dozen of them in the US, and if this one were for sale on EBay, it’d bring over $100,000 for sure.

Ahh… perchance to dream…..

And for a couple of quick funnies:

 The word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary.

There are three kinds of people: Those who can count and those who can't.

As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools.

Why is it that when a door is open, it's ajar, but when a jar is open, it's not a door?

How many of you looked up gullible in the dictionary? *LOL*

Have a wonderful Monday all…!

ps. Merle, I’ll let you know.. *S*

237 – Friday at last…

Well, it’s been a long week. A very… long… week.

The summer TV shows are on, and there’s a few that the wife and I like. Of course we’re watching the 5 part Torchwood series this week, Burn Notice we like, Ghost Hunters International, The Closer and a few others. Right now, I’ve got enough on my DVR to last us a week!

Other than that, hopefully we get some good weather this weekend. To be honest, we really haven’t had a “summer” yet. I’m kinda worried we won’t get a summer at all.

Mark, btw I was agreeing with you in the comments of my Wednesday blog.

I’m also looking forward to my birthday in a few weeks! *S*

And now, for something funny:

Some funny Tweets from Twitter:

CraigTheRealOne

Guy walks in2 the psychiatrist’s wearing only clear wrap shorts. Shrink says, I can clearly see you're nuts

Grandad said new hearing aid is the best on the market, I asked What kind is it? he replied.. Half past 3 ?!?

Never take a blind date to a silent movie.

Did you know that there is a cake out there that will stop women wanting sex..Its called wedding cake

GitRDoneLarry

Harry potter is kinda creepy. It was ok when he was little but now he's what, 35.. He looks a little like Radar O'reilly from M.A.S.H

That's like when I was a kid I thought that cousin Oliver on the Brady Bunch was John Denver

I also thought "Charlie" in Charlies Angels was also the Dad in Happy days.

 

That’s it for today… have a wonderful weekend!

236 – Wordless Wednesday – Artist in Paris

 

(Click on picture to ‘embiggen’)

235 – Where Were You?

On July 21, 1969 where were you?

I was camping with my family in a truck-camper in Houston, Texas. We brought along a small (sub-13 inch) black and white TV that ran off 12 volts (truck power).

It was a bit after midnight there I believe, and we had brought the TV outside on the picnic table. As we were watching, word got around the campsite that some people had a TV to watch man walk on the moon. By the time Neil Armstrong uttered those famous words, there was a large crowd behind us, silent as could be until that first step, then everyone broke out in applause. I was 13, and in awe as we could easily see the moon from outside that evening. Looking at the moon, then the TV, the moon, and back again.. it was amazing what we were witness to.

It’s something I’ll remember forever, and it feels like it was not so long ago.

Should we now go for Mars?

234 - With the Utmost Respect

I received what you'll read/watch below early this week. I can't make it through the video without crying, BUT I believe everyone should see it. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Turn up the volume as the music is great too.

Have a wonderful weekend:

Killed in action the week before, the body of Staff Sergeant First Class John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City , Georgia , just south of Atlanta , on June 11, 2009. The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough , Georgia . A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time.

Nowadays, one can be led to believe that America no longer respects and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains  one of those grateful places. The link below is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But you should only watch this if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored. Please share widely.

Click here to watch this very powerful video

233 – Wordless Wednesday – Car Show Pictures

Click on any picture to ‘embiggen’

1954 Pontiac Star Chief

Corvettes

232 - Busy Weekend...!

Well, Friday night my wife and I went to a car show in Torrington, had a wonderful time and saw a few people I used to work with that I hadn't seen in over 7 years! It was a great time and the weather was fantastic.

Saturday, I got a haircut, went to see mom with my daughter, then in the late afternoon went to our car club's cruise night. All in all, a nice day.

Sunday, we went to a very large car show in Simsbury CT, with 2 other guys in our car club and their wives and had an outstanding time. It was perfect weather in the low 80's and bright sunshine. I'll have some pictures of this show on Wednesday.

But, I promised pictures of my new NetBook, so here they are:

 

Click on any picture to 'embiggen'.

This picture shows the size difference between my normal 14.1 inch screen notebook and the NetBook. Big difference huh!

 

 

 

 

 

The picture at right shows a side by side comparison of the two. If you click to enlarge, you'll see that the keyboards are actually pretty close to the same size believe it or not!

 

 

 

At left, you can see the keyboard. the FN (function) key activates a wide range of things, like speed (it can actually be overclocked to 1.75GHz), wireless and/or bluetooth on or off, and a multitude of other things.

 

 

 

Next, at right you'll see I installed Windows 7 on it and everything worked right the first time (after loading the drivers on that came on a CD).

Keep in mind, I had to copy the CD onto a USB Key, and then move the data to the HDD to install as there's no CD drive in this.

 

 

Lastly, at left is the fully booted PC. Any blurriness is due to my shaking as the screen is crystal clear and gorgeous.

 

Well, that's it for now about my new toy... hope you enjoyed!

 

And now, a funny or two:

From Twitter:

I follow Larry, the Cable guy on Twitter and he had these gems this weekend:

Just woke up. Had a show last night at horse shoe casino. Never eat a patty melt and fries at 3 am. My glade plug in started a carpet fire!

What do ya call 6 woman with hugh Hefner? Pallbearers! That's funny I don't care who ya are!

Just to set the record straight about smarter than a fifth grader that I was on last night....

The 5th grader didn't know the awnser either so in reality I'm smarter than a 4th grader and JUST as smart as a 5th grader!

and my all time favorite:

If your late for special ed is it proper for the teacher to call you "tardy"?

Have a wonderful Monday all...!

231 – Busy Week

Today was my friend Dick’s funeral, and I attended as a pall bearer. I’ve known Dick since 1981 or so when we both helped form a computer club named BAUD. Dick was a HAM Radio Operator (KB1LE) and helped me get my license. I got to know his son Jeff also, and we were casual friends for about 5 years before Jeff passed away from a debilitating disease. Through it all, Dick was a good friend. Today, as Paul Harvey said, I learned “The Rest, of the Story”.

See, when Dick was young, he was very much into scouting. He earned their highest honor, Eagle Scout while still young. He served in the US Army and spent some time in Germany. Unbeknownst to any of us, while there, he actually started up a Boy Scout unit in Germany. He was very giving, and giving of himself in this way was natural to him. I never realized just how giving he was, until he was gone.  He’ll be missed……

As I said on Wednesday, I got my new Netbook, and the optional 2GB of RAM is now installed. I put Windows 7 on it and it runs fantastic!  It’s fast enough for me, has 160GB of storage.. and I’m typing this on it! I’m really enjoying it.

Other than that, it looks already to be a busy weekend again. By far, this is the busiest year for weekends that I can remember.

Well, I hope you all are doing well, and have a wonderful weekend!

230 - Silent Key, KB1LE ···-·-

Another of the people that helped me get my HAM radio license passed away on Sunday night. He was an older guy, cranky as the day is long, but a good friend. He bought me my first manual for becoming a HAM. He let me play around with his radios, learning as I went. He used to work with my dad, and he always smiled when he told me the story of when he was sick one day, and my dad nicely offered to take him home.

Thursday is his funeral, and I’ll be a pall bearer for him. More at another time.

I’m typing this tonight on my brand spankey new NetBook! It’s an Asus 1005HA, with the N280 Atom Processor. It has a 10.1 inch screen, and a 160GB HDD with 1GB of RAM (I have 2GB on order). The best part, it gets over 10.5 hours of work on a single charge! I’m VERY impressed with it already, and will take some pictures of it in the near future.

Sorry, no funny today…. just not in the mood.

229 - Long Weekend Comes to a Close

Well, after a nice, 4 day weekend, it's time to go back to work on Monday.

Wednesday night, my friend Dave, TJ and I went to see Transformers. Personally, I liked it a lot. It was better than the reviews I saw, though the director tried a bit too much for laughs early on.

Thursday, I went and had a wonderful lunch with my brother at a place we both like (it rained), and we had a great time.

Friday, I spent with my wife and daughter looking for a new dining room table for her. After searching from 10am through 8pm, she ended up having one custom built to her specs, and it's going to be gorgeous, but she has to wait 8 weeks for it to be made and delivered (it's being made in Canada).

Saturday, we had a cook-out here at our house with all the family, and it was a nice day out. Clouds and sunshine, and around 75 degrees out.

But Sunday... well, it was 100% Sunshine, blue skies and nice. My wife and I went to a car show in Bethlehem CT and had a wonderful time. There, I saw something I hadn't seen before.

Back up to when I was 17, I bought a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T from a guy in town. It was my first "muscle car", and I loved it. For some odd reason, the guy who sold it to me, bought it back to me about a year and a half later (he had another one in his garage too). I've never, ever seen another one. Ever. Until Sunday.

 

At left, is a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T that arrived at the show, much to my surprise. Mine was midnight blue with white stripes around the back. (click on the picture to 'embiggen')

I talked to the owner, and I reminisced about mine, and it brought back memories.

 

 

Now, also at this show was my friend Robert's yellow 2009 Camaro SS. It's a gorgeous car, and I couldn't believe the size of the wheels (20"). Oh, and he's replacing them with 21" ones!

All in all, a perfect ending to a nice, long weekend.

 

And now, for some funnies:

Hollywood Squares: 
These great questions and answers are from the days when ' Hollywood Squares' game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now. Peter Marshall  was the host asking the questions, of course.. 

Q.  Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?
A. Paul Lynde (About fifteen minutes later):  Loneliness!
And the audience laughed for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be? 
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it. 

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a 
man or a woman? 
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake. 

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married? 
A. Rose Marie: No wait until morning. 

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older? 
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency. 

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty. 

Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment. 

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking? 
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily. 

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year? 
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries. 

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy. 

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures. 

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom. 

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls? 
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out. 

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark? 

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to? 
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark. 

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it? 
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do? 
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth. 

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex? 
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him... 

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions..What are they? 
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh

Have a great Monday all!

228 - Finally....

Finally we've had 2 days of no rain, and almost all of today up till a few minutes ago when the lightning began. Hopefully, we'll have some nice days this weekend.

Wednesday is my last day of work this week, as I have Thursday and Friday off, so there probably won't be a blog post on Friday this week.

Is anyone checking out the pictures on the front of the bing page lately? It's Microsoft's new search engine page and the pictures are breathtaking.

Check out the video on this page... I couldn't believe it! *S*

Not too much time tonight, so I'll leave you with a funny:

Murphy's Lesser Known Laws
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog
The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.
Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.
The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

That's it for today... have a great week and 4th of July!!!