Category Archives: General Posts

Sports, relationships, parenting, literature, education, and more. If it catches my interest that day, I’ll write about it.

Tuesday Morning Ramblings

Warning: this entry will contain lots of profanity and is not suitable for children, naive idealists, emotionally sensitive precious snowflakes, and most Democrats.

To the cowardly backstabbing Democrats who are now criticizing the president for compromising with Republicans on tax-cuts, let me ask you a few questions?  If this issue was so goddamned important to you, why did you delay voting on it until after the fucking elections?  The answer is because you inaccurately thought that by not taking a stand before the elections you wouldn’t marginalize the electorate and wouldn’t offend voters.  How did that strategy work out for you?  In 2008, you were elected by a populous that expected and demanded a change in how leadership acted, and in 2010, you were kicked out for being spineless wimps with no ability to demonstrate executive-level decision making on tough issues.  No, the compromise the president agreed to is not perfect, but compromises by their very nature are not perfect.  At least the president had the fucking balls to act.  You pathetic sniveling cowards can’t say the same.

I’m as hard and critical of conservatives as anyone.  I have pissed off and alienated friends who can vouch for that, but I’ll give conservatives this much: they know how to draw a line in the sand and say this is our fucking turf.  Democrats cannot say the same.  For two years you controlled House, the Senate, and the White House, and you still couldn’t get your heads out of your asses well enough to pass legislation that you now claim is vital to the survival of the middle class.  If you cared so much about the middle class, maybe, just maybe, you would’ve acted before the elections and shown some goddamned leadership, instead of doing the politically expedient thing and delaying action.  That’s the same old same old that we voted against in 2008 and again in 2010.  Guess what?  We’ll do the same motherfucking thing in 2012, so every single spineless, gutless, wishy-washy motherfucker in Washington had better take notice that we want action, not bullshit.

Also, why the fuck should the president stand with you bastards on anything?  You sure as fuck haven’t stood by him.  How many of you tried to distance yourselves from him leading up to the election because his popularity had waned?  That’s self-interest, not loyalty, so don’t be surprised when the person you turned your back on during a tough fight does the same to you.  You are a disgusting bunch of elitist pricks who maneuver and contort for whatever seems to be the most politically advantageous at that moment.  That’s not leadership.

I applaud the president for working with Republicans to find a solution.  Raising taxes on anyone, right now still asshole deep in a recession, is stupid.  Extending unemployment benefits for people who desperately need to survive until more jobs are created is smart, so the president gave a little to get a little.  See how this works?  Get your fucking self-serving heads out of your liberal-guilt-ridden asses, stop wringing your manicured hands, and get this motherfucking country moving again.  We have real problems that need to be addressed, and we need leaders who are willing to take action, even at the risk of it not being popular. That is leadership.  Get it?

Monday Morning Ramblings

Thanks to a little snow in the mountains, Sevier County Schools are closed today, so I get an unexpected break from dual enrollment.  In end-of-the-semester terms, that means I get three extra hours to grade, which is as good of a blessing as I could ask for.  I can’t wait for this semester to be over.  I’m about as tired as a person can be.  Under no circumstances will I ever take another overload course in the same semester that I’m teaching dual enrollment.  It’s simply too much.

Okay, time to find a cup of coffee and dive back in to the pile of essays.  I think I can; I think I can; I think I can.

Sunday Morning Ramblings

I woke up early this morning from a nightmare about heights and couldn’t go back to sleep.  Not being ready to dive back into the pile of grading, I’ve spent the morning researching the crops we’re gonna focus on.  So far, we’re strongly leaning towards cauliflower, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, and lettuce, and most of my research this morning has been on the particular strains of each we want to specialize in.  The variety is staggering, but I think I’ve got it narrowed down to 2-3 of each.  I’m so excited I can barely contain myself.  While I have no delusions about the hard work ahead, I’m looking forward to it.

The prototype is shaping up nicely, too.  I’ve got the basic frame and irrigation network put together.  Now, I just need a pump, a holding tank, and the lighting unit.  The lights will be by far the most expensive component, so I have to get the right unit that will give the best return on overall price and operating expense.  I think I’ve found the best choice, but I’ll wait until I’ve tested it before I give any endorsement.  On the other end of the spectrum, the water pumps won’t be nearly as expensive as I had originally thought, so that will help out quite a bit.

Also, as we get the aeroponic units operational, we’re gonna work on installing the solar panels.  To me, this is the most crucial step of the farm.  My goal is eventually to have a 100% self-sufficient farm, and the most important aspect of that is energy consumption.  While aeroponic farming is much more efficient, it’s also requires considerable electricity to operate the lights, pumps, fans, and climate control elements, so if we can produce at least as much energy as we consume, the farm will be much more sustainable than if we rely on the grid.

Okay, I’ve stalled long enough.  Back to the pile of grading.