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On seeing a man with a guide dog at Lowe’s

Consumption, Current Events, Mobile Blogging, Religion No Responses »

May 182013

I went to Lowe’s week before last. Hadn’t been in quite some time, because I’d been in this unhealthy, unreasonable, passive-aggressive sort of place about home maintenance.

But I’m climbing out of it. So I bought weatherstripping, primer, some screws, and stuff. I noticed a fellow with a guide dog inside. It was a striking German Shepherd, 80 pounds or so and a lovely brindle brown and black. (I actually thought “Seeing Eye dog” at the time, but net research for this post tells me I’m supposed to say “guide dog” now. So be it.)

I checked out, left with my stuff, and got in the Technical Writing Express. In the rear-view mirror, I noticed the guy with the guide dog walking my direction in the parking lot, but on the other side. He was well clear of me, so I shifted to R and started backing out.

The Shepherd stopped instantly. So, so did his master. There was no chance I was going to interfere with them. I looked carefully before I moved. Nevertheless, there they stood, motionless. There is a tremendous dignity in a German Shepherd that I don’t think is present in any other breed.

I completed the backing maneuver. Less than a second after I shifted to a forward gear and started moving, the guide dog resumed walking with his master.

I’ve been thinking about that encounter since. I’ve marveled at the dog’s extensive training. (That’s a complex situation I just described. The dog’s been trained to err on the side of caution. Very good, yes?)

More than that, it’s made me consider the weight of the cross I’m carrying. And, to be blunt, it’s really light compared with the crosses of many others. Getting a chance to see that man with his dog in an actual situation for which the dog is trained, I was granted an opportunity to appreciate what I have.

It was a routine encounter, but one that would require no specific attention from me. However, he needed his dog. Because he’s blind. He can’t see.

Whatever the situation, I’m trying very hard to think about whether I have a legitimate license to complain. I invite you to join me in that consideration.

Obama administration knew of IRS targeting conservative groups in June 2012

Annoyances, Current Events, Liberty, Politics 1 Response »

May 172013

Barack Obama’s presidency might not survive the IRS scandal.

That seemed a long-shot at the start of the week, but there were a couple of things that gave me hope that was a possibility. First, there is something subtle but unmistakably different in Obama’s conduct. He’ll “get to the bottom of it,” and he’s “outraged.”

But he’s not outraged. He very much has a “going through the motions” look about him. I found this notable because he’s been remarkably consistent. He’s only got a couple of demeanors, and the one he should logically have—the assertive, vaguely dismissive certainty—is absent. I speculate that it’s because he’s not sure he won’t get splattered, and that’s new territory for him.

So he’s a little more tentative, which really sticks out on him. There’s some loose end, somewhere—perhaps a bit of sloppiness enabled by hubris—that implicates him, and he hasn’t figured a way out of it.

Now when I say there might be a smoking gun, I’m not saying an email from Barack Obama, subject: Here is How We’re Going To Take Down the Right-Wingers Using the IRS, with a ten-point plan inside. I think it is likely to instead be that he learned of the effort and, recognizing it as advantageous, didn’t say anything. That’s not directing the effort, but it’s not very much above it ethically or morally, either.

How long might that time have been? Well, maybe about five months. This reporting this evening—in The New York Times, of all places—solidly indicates that knowledge of the IRS targeting was present in the White House in June 2012.

What’s the trail? How far to Barack Obama? Well, that’s the big question, isn’t it?

Expect a frenzied weekend, folks.

Thursday miscellanea #236

Menagerie No Responses »

May 162013

I thought it would be fun to grow my hair out a bit. I let it get as long as it’s been in probably five years, and then decided no, I’m a buzz-cut guy. Know why, more than any other reason? Because it got to be mid-May, and I remembered that having hair is hot.
From one of the best defensive stars ever at Alabama, to unanimous All-American, to NFL starter, to complete bust in less than four years. Really, Rolando McClain? Wow. How disappointing.
When I was putting up a shovel on Sunday, I noticed a smooth egg sac in a spider web in the corner of the shed. Hmmm. A little survey revealed at least five black widows around the shed perimeter, three of them guarding egg sacs. I’m going to see about some photos tomorrow or Saturday, and then they’ll be mercilessly shop-vaced. Live and let live and all that, but I’m not sharing space that belongs to me and that I want to use with dangerous arachnids.
I read today about a company that rents you disabled people who pretend they’re part of your family to enable you to jump to the front of the line at Disney World. Opinion is varied. Some people decry the abuse of the system, while others say it’s a great way for the disabled to make good money. Notably absent from any reaction I saw is that you shouldn’t do it because it’s LYING!
I missed Texas chili at Anaheim Chili this week because I was at a school function on Tuesday. Went today, and ordered my very first non-chili item ever: the grilled cheese with roasted peppers. It was tasty enough, but I wished I’d gotten a cup of red, a cup of green, and a cup of black bean instead. (I did have a cup of red with my grilled cheese.)
When he hasn’t seen me all day, Aaron still runs to me with a big smile on his face and leaps into my arms. I love that. It’s so awesome. And I get teary thinking about how soon he’s going to be too cool for it.
Dick Trickle committed suicide today. He was 71. RIP.

Review: 3rd Base Grill

Consumption, Current Events, Leisure No Responses »

May 152013

Our quest for a truly great wing joint in Huntsville continues. There are 400,000+ people here, and somehow we’ve had trouble lining up great food, great service, and a reasonable price.

That seems wrong, doesn’t it?

Today my colleagues and I checked out 3rd Base Grill on South Parkway. The net press was good. Guess what? The wings are good, too. They are of eminently desirable size, and cooked to perfection.

That’s an eight-piece lunch special, ordered at the Insane heat level ($1 extra). They got there largely with habaneros, and I’m here to say, they’re not playing. This was a pretty seriously hot restaurant item, though rather flavorful as well. It wasn’t hot for the sake of hot. In addition, there was a fruity, peppery complexity that was worth the ride to experience.

Additionally, the service was excellent. One woman was servicing four tables, and I have no complaints with her demeanor, efficiency, or anything else. She got better than 20% out of me reflexively.

Hi, Jim!

OK, that’s the (substantial) good. Ready for the bad? Here goes. The ambience sucks hard. It’s a smoky, somewhat run-down bar. I didn’t see/smell anyone smoking when we were there, but the smell hung in the air just the same. (I do have to say, it wasn’t such a big deal once olfactory fatigue took over.) Still, this is an unambiguous dive. This is not a first date place.

Our experience at 3rd Base Grill was much more positive than negative, and I suspect we’ll find ourselves back there again.

(I do wish they’d drop a grand at Home Depot and a weekend of sweat equity on the place, though.)

7/10

IRS scandal metastasizes; Carney sticks with “if proven true”

Annoyances, Current Events, History, Language, Liberty, Politics 3 Responses »

May 142013

It’s amazing how much more I’m enjoying following the news now that the Obama administration is under sustained political attack.

(Poor Barry, though. He must feel so betrayed. Et tu, CNN?)

As quickly as I’d start thinking about a post today, more major developments would come. Benghazi is only getting worse, but the IRS scandal is beginning to yawn like a chasm. There’s no telling where the bottom of this thing is.

Guess what? The IRS released confidential application data of tea party and patriot groups to ProPublica, an “independent” (yeah, right) corporation concerning itself with investigative journalism.

Guess what else? Senate Democrats actively and extensively called for exactly what the IRS has admitted doing.

The inspector general’s report hasn’t even been released yet. All of this is swirling ahead of it.

With all that has already emerged against the backdrop of Jay Carney’s unintentionally hilarious press briefing today—catch how he kept saying things like “if proven true” when the IRS has already admitted it?—it’s seeming not so ridiculous to me to wonder whether this path does eventually lead directly to the Oval Office.

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