[Author's note: For now, the airport picture is late - see the pub ad instead. Next day - the pub sign was a popular post, so I left the jpeg here (below). The remaining pictures may not match the text, but this post got jumbled.]
Homeland security, my eye. We got Wallace to the airport but had no time for a coffee thanks to some alert level. (Like any self-respecting terrorist is going to go to the airport if he learns they are watching for him.) You step up to the e-ticket counter and punch in, except now you receive a message to wait until your name is called. This is so you can show your ID, thus negating the entire time savings gained by having the e-ticket system in the first place. Another classic example of how to pass the cost on to somebody else.
All of this takes time, and the parking is $1.00 per half hour. They ensure themselves of that and extra one by making the entrance and exit to the parking lot 31 minutes apart. Here is a picture of the parking lot at 6:45 AM (see the moon?). The lot is around a hundred feet from the terminal, and not patrolled in any way. Forget your bazooka, you could hit the nearest airplanes with a good slingshot. Your tax dollars at work, ensuring employment for ex-convicts.Back home, I tackled some of the database only to discover that the much-vaunted Vista has yet another unacceptable quirk. The 64-bit version of Excel (part of the Office 2007 suite) does not naturally produce a spreadsheet readable by any other version. It uses the extension sxls won’t even open with other software. I immediately called the car lot and told them not to continue entering data there until I find the workaround. I truly hope MS has shot itself in the foot this time.
This brings my plans to a standstill until tomorrow morning, so I went into the shop. I miss the fun parts. Last day some burglars went through the front window of the convenience store next door. They put a brick through the glass and made off with all the beer, wine and cigarettes. What makes this bad is that they set the alarm off at 11:30 at night. The owner pays ADT $45 per month to monitor the alarm. Guess what? Neither the alarm company nor the police responded to the call. The alarm was still ringing when the owner showed up at 6:30 AM to open up.My question is simple. What if he had been inside the store working late? That is not performance, ADT and police. The alarm company did not dispatch anyone or even call his house to ask if all was okay.
All my network computers are in operation, although I still have some non-functioning disk burners. I was in the shop all day getting the backlogs cleared up. I am making enough to upgrade to flatscreens but I think they will drop more in price within the month. Since we were all there, we decided to get the Runt (the new name for the G) off the airwaves and into a harmless list.
This was too easy, we just baited the guy over. He is a sick individual who must always have the last word, so it only took one post. I fear the man’s mental instability is reaching morbid proportions. He actually thinks he can argue and threaten the world into accepting his distorted views. It is clear he actually thinks he has fought all of us to a standstill and thinks he is winning. Then again, he has that brain disease that makes him think he’s bested you when you walk away in disgust because he will not listen to reason. He also believes he has a following on the new list, but this is as imaginary as all his other friends.My music class has expanded 50% and the new people are not able to entirely keep up. I was asked if new people could join next week. I’ll have to think that one over. I can accommodate everybody but I may instead start a new class. My advanced students (to their wide-eyed amazement because three weeks ago they had never played music) are already jamming to Skynyrd and I don’t allow beginners after the second class.
As predicted, two of the girls can sing. This discovery always takes a while but introduces an interesting perspective. They know the music but have never listened to it, and are stunned by how meaningful fifty year old lyrics can be (both girls are fifteen). By mid-lesson they were singing “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Chatahoochie”. Again, these are people who a month ago never imagined they would be playing in a band.
Which brings up the question of finances. I cannot ignore the quantity of money rolling in from the music lessons. I tripled my income this week alone and I’m only charging half what I was getting in 1988. The only free evening left is Wednesday. What to do? I mean, if the School Board pays, I’ll teach in the day, but I would insist on an Honorary [teaching degree] to work full time. I didn’t insist last time and had to start over.
What? You want the daily trivia? Okay, let me scout around here. I’ve collected 160 reference books since I arrived in Florida, so I’ll find something. Here we go, the Tamiami Trail was completed in 1928. That’s all you get. Except that it completely destroyed the way of life of the Seminoles.
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