Open Thread ... Wednesday

Welcome to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion!

Please sign your comments, and please avoid profanity, as well as racially and sexually abusive language. And when you sign your comments, please use only one nickname. I read the OT, but if you need to contact me directly, my email is jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Comments

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Good morning, Mr. Abbott and my fellow Costellos.

Only 2 months and 2 days until Christmas eve, and the in-Santa-ty is already revving up. There should come a time in your life when you admit that Santa doesn't jump down the chimney, but burglars never learn. Firefighters in Manchester England rescued a NAKED suspected burglar stuck in a chimney.

Meanwhile, in the 'burbs of D.C., Santa has been fired. Terminated. Shiite-canned. Donald Trump'd. The "beloved" (no relation to PattyPV) Santa of 18 years at Tysons Corner Center has been replaced. Employers want ever cheaper labor, and they can get an undocumented guy to work a lot cheaper. Just tell the kids the accent is northern Canadian, eh.

[JUNGLE JIM]

Eat me! No, really. It's good for you...
Why eating males pays off... for spiders. Female spiders who eat would-be suitors produce more babies, and those babies are stronger and bigger, than spiders who stick to more mundane fare, researchers reported on Tuesday.

And the merciless mother spiders waited until they had mated with another -- ensuring they would hatch spiderlings -- before consuming their new beaux, the researchers found.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Good morning, Jungle Jim. Your spider story reminds me of Tommy Lee Jones jumping up and down and yelling, "Eat me!" in front of the intergalactic cockroach in "Men in Black." I love that movie.

[JUNGLE JIM]

It's probably the only chance I'll ever have to use that phrase on this blog. Can't pass up a golden opportunity like that.

[The Golfer]

Morning Keith, Jungle.

Hope yours is better than mine so far.
Long story.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Sorry to hear you're off to a bad start, Golfer. Remember, it's hump day, if that's any consolation.

[James Hart]

Morning, guys!

Golfer: I hope things even out for you. Sounds like somebody has screwed up something somewhere.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Good morning, Mr. Hart! I see from the posts you were busy last night!

[The Golfer]

Morning James.

Thanks for the good vibes. It is the daughter. We go by the dance studio for 20 MINUTES to pick up the recital DVD. And she turns into a thing since then. And I exploded this morning. She and I will have to talk. She is NOT going back, she thought about it last night, after this morning, I said no way in h*e*l*l.

[JUNGLE JIM]

The lengths predators will go for some hot teenaged flesh...
Man Gets 35 Years For Blackmailing Minors For Sex. A northwest suburban man who used a social-networking site to lure teenage victims into having sex, then threatened to post videos of the encounters online, was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in federal prison.

Michael Macalindong, 25, of Fox Lake was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman to 35 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.

He used the Facebook site to entice a minor into having sex with him in August 2006 and then threatened to expose the nude photos to the victim's friends and classmates online if the sexual encounters did not continue, the release said.

Macalindong also videotaped another minor victim on two occasions and threatened to show the nude images to the victim's high school football team, and post them on Facebook, if the sexual encounters did not continue, the release said.

[The Golfer]

Oh, and I put a hole in the sheet rock.

[James Hart]

Golfer: Dang, it sounds pretty intense. I guess pretty much everybody parent-child has at least one of those arguments, though, right?

Keith: It was weird how much news happened last night after hours. Didn't feel right waiting on some of it.

[The Golfer]

Yeah, she and I have to talk tonight. After we both have calmed down. She still thinks there is tons of money just lying around. I keep trying to explain with the economy it isn't but just not making it through. Yes, it was over money she thought I should just give her because she wanted it this morning.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Take deep breaths, Golfer. And count to 10. She's at an age where she will test you. Experience with my daughter taught me that calm was my best weapon. It's hard to remember that we were young, testing, pushing limits once, too. And she lives in a much different world than we grew up in. I don't envy her.

[James Hart]

I remember getting yelled at over money. I didn't know why my parents couldn't just buy me a computer when I was in high school. They suggested I could go out and buy my own damn computer.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

;-) How did that work out for you, James?

[The Golfer]

Yeah, and this kid has her own money that she has earned, but when something like this comes along, she is broke.

I know, I was so busy this morning with trash day on tap of the rest, getting the dog set up in the garage for the day since it is going to rain most of it, and feeding and getting her off to school that I simply did not have a very long fuse.

Oh well, live and learn. I have finally had a chance to have breakfast at work, brought from home, had a decaf cup of coffee and have calmed down. I need yoga.

[James Hart]

Six years, a college degree and my own job later, I got my computer!

[JUNGLE JIM]

"This case has to do with a woman who is egocentric. She thinks the whole world should revolve around her"...
Prosecutor: Jealousy lit fuse for slaying. Mary Jane Fonder was a jealous woman whose emotional fuse was lit when members of her church paid attention to and helped a Hellertown woman and not her, a Bucks County prosecutor said Tuesday.

That burning fuse eventually led Fonder to fatally shoot Rhonda Smith in the head on Jan. 23 while she was working in Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Springfield Township, First Assistant District Attorney David W. Zellis said during his opening argument at Fonder's trial in county court.

Fonder, 66, of Springfield, is charged with first-degree murder and possession of a weapon.

When Smith was working in the church office on the morning of Jan. 23, ''the fuse that had been lit detonated in a complete and utter catastrophe,'' he said.

Fonder walked in with a handgun and fired two shots at Smith's head, he said; one bullet grazed off her forehead and the other went into her brain.

Fonder then closed the door, walked out of the church and got into her car and drove to Quakertown for a hair appointment and later went shopping for fabrics.

[JUNGLE JIM]

It's going to be one of those days....

[James Hart]

Be cool, Sodapop -- I took the duplicate down.

[The Golfer]

Need to check the astrology charts and bio-rhythms for today.

Or is it just the wind, rain, and the chill.

[JUNGLE JIM]

Short trip for police to make drug arrest. A Bucks County woman waiting to report a theft to police allegedly occupied her time by cutting up lines of heroin while parked outside the Pennridge Regional Police Department in West Rockhill Township around 1 a.m. Monday.

Paula M. Pisechko, 42, of Lower Barness Road, Warrington, was in the passenger seat of a van when a police officer walked up to the vehicle in time to see her cutting the heroin on a manila envelope, police said.

''It's not the arrest of the century, but it's a lot easier when they come to us,'' Police Chief David A. Mettin said.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

JJ, Bucks County sure is getting weird. I'm trying to work up a comment on the church/murder case with "Absence makes the heart grow, Fonder" but I just can't get it to gel.

[James Hart]

So, JIM, how is work going today?

[JUNGLE JIM]

48 years, 6 months & 26 days of life. First time I've ever been called "sodapop". It makes me feel all effervescent inside. Thanks, James.

UPDATE: Police in NC: Dead bear under Obama signs a prank. Authorities said Tuesday that a student prank, not a political statement, was the motivation for dumping a dead bear cub draped in Barack Obama signs on a North Carolina campus earlier this week.
Seven Western Carolina University students were involved, and possible charges were being discussed with the local prosecutor, said Campus Police Chief Tom Johnson. Police did not release the students' names.
The students told authorities they took political signs at random to cover the bear's wound and prevent blood from spilling into the bed of the truck they were driving.
They discovered a carcass of the cub, which had been shot in the head, while camping over the weekend and brought it back to a gathering at an apartment near campus Sunday night, according to a statement from the school.

[JUNGLE JIM]

Quiet around here. Mgmt. types have lots of meetings around this time of year. Busiest time is from mid-Nov. to mid-Jan.

[James Hart]

Because of tax time?

[JUNGLE JIM]

The final push to get the tax programs debugged and ready for release. I only work on the acutual program used in the offices, but other departments add "enhancements" and general data collection, security, web-base and cd-rom for retail, e-file etc.

[J]

Morning all

[James Hart]

Howdy, J! How are you today?

JIM: Do they introduce many unexpected headaches, too?

[The Golfer]

Morning J!!

[JoeJoe]

Morning all-
Good luck this afternoon Golfer. Keith said it best, your calm will win the day. And the answer to "Why," which she will ask 187 times, is, "Because I am your Father and I love you very much."

[James Hart]

Hear, hear, JoeJoe!

[Jellybean]

Golfer, I can soooooo relate to you today! At my house, I tell them, "because we're poor". When they ask why we're poor I tell them, "because our money is for you to go to college someday". They don't have a clue what that means yet - but they've memorized the mantra.

[James Hart]

That's the best gift you can give your kids -- the understanding that spending all of their cash on every frigging thing that enchants them now is A VERY BAD IDEA. That delayed gratification can save your life.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Bird man 'shot neighbour dead in dispute over cats' reads the headline in the Times (U.K.) Snip:

Michael Stockton, 44, allegedly shot Susan Rondel, 48, in the chest at close range after blasting his way into her home. A gun enthusiast, he was said to have been locked in a long-running feud with Mrs Rondel, a mother of two who suspected him of poisoning her beloved cats with anti-freeze.

Nigel Baker, QC, opening the case for the prosecution at Birmingham Crown Court, said: “There had clearly been a lot of friction between the neighbours.

“Mrs Rondel was a cat-lover and she had long believed that Mr Stockton had been poisoning her cats. He was a pigeon-fancier and he believed she was aggravating his pigeons.”

At risk of sounding catty, this story if for the birds.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Hello, J, Joe Joe and Jellybean!

[JUNGLE JIM]

James-not a lot of headaches for us, mostly for the programmers that have to update things. We just check to make sure the system calculates and generates error messages correctly.

Jellybean-I have a paperback copy of "Murder in a Samll Town" I could mail you if you would give James your address.

[James Hart]

Jellybean: Were you asking about Greg Melton the other day? It turns out his death was self-inflicted, though police didn't say whether they think it was accidental or suicide.

Sorry about the delay in tracking this down.

[Jellybean]

I'm glad to hear that he wasn't the victim of a local crazy anyway. That kind of thing brings back some scary stuff for me. Thanks for tracking it down!

Thanks, JJ! I'm finishing something from the library and was going to check if they have it when I make this return. If not, I'll take you up on that offer. I appreciate it!

[Jellybean]

I'm just finishing Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar". It has not been the Feel Good Story of the Year.

[JUNGLE JIM]

Just let me know.

Snakes in a classroom!
Misidentified moccasin bites two E. Texas students. Two high school students -- bitten by a venomous snake in science class after their teacher said it was non-venomous -- are recovering at an East Texas hospital.

School officials in Big Sandy said the students were bitten by a cottonmouth water moccasin on Monday.

School officials are working to make sure there isn't a repeat of Monday's incident.

"We are talking about how we will handle students bringing in wild animals, and I believe we will now safely transport the animal to the Tyler Zoo, like we did the two snakes yesterday, to be properly identified," he (Superintendent Beene) said. "I don't know if we will allow snakes back into any of our classrooms."

[JUNGLE JIM]

Vandals run out of eggs. Neighborhood is very "alfredo" the punks...
Vandals bombard Frisco houses with spaghetti sauce. Frisco police are investigating at least eight incidents in which jars of spaghetti sauce have been thrown at cars and homes, causing several hundred dollars worth of damage.

In one incident, a jar of Great Value brand onions was thrown, along with a jar of garlic spaghetti sauce. “Maybe they were trying to make a good sauce,” Sgt. Meadors said.

[The Golfer]

Help me, production is falling all around me!! Problem right now is getting a non-tech boss to understand that the bounce we are doing is helping but may not be the root cause. Because it is improving, he blindly is calling everyone and telling them it is better. The cycle is only 50% done.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Good morning all!

Never attempt to buy land without seeing it, as well as completing the deal at a strip club. Something just may be up.

[aqua]

Now you tell me R2... :P

[James Hart]

Howdy, R2 and aqua -- how are you guys today?

BTW: I'm starting to price a Blu-Ray player for my dad as a possible gift. Sony has a $300 model, and Phillips has a $250 -- are those good models?

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Swedish hockey fans delay game with Dildo Downpour.

Honestly, you cannot come up with a better headline then what they had.

[Jellybean]

Is your boss's name Peter Principle?

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Honestly James, the PS3 is still the best Blu-Ray player on the market.

Its fully upgradeable as new technologies are released with it. You may want it to be 2.0 compliant as well, and those $300 models may not be all that upgradeable like the PS3 is.. (Plus you can use it to stream videos from your computer to your TV, as well as the built in web browser is pretty good)

[aqua]

Hi James :)

The rain makes me want to go back to bed.

As for the blue ray players, I have not looked into it yet. Everytime I deposit my check into the bank I hear a flushing sound...

[James Hart]

You know, I hadn't thought about a PS3 -- mostly because all he would use it for would be movies. Didn't realize there was a 2.0 either!

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Jellybean, Peter has no Principle. No brain, either.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Yep... it's the newest format, and PS3 always rolls out updates to it that many times will improve the performance of the player.

Even though it also plays video games, many have gone with it because it's a great player that is fully upgradeable, something that many of the standalones aren't.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

aqua, Joe the Plumber would be glad to help you out with that flushing sound.

[Jellybean]

Aqua- Do you really play Toontown? I bought it for my kids and thought I'd build up a character for them. Now, I won't let them touch my Toon. lol. I feel like such the geek that I am.

[The Golfer]

Does Wii play Blu-ray?

[James Hart]

Golfer: Nope, unfortunately.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Washington Post has an AP report on a robbery-gone-wrong at a local brothel. One guy left with cash but left his thumb. At least they're saying it was his thumb. Snip:

Police said 22-year-old Bryan Perez and an accomplice made off with hundreds of dollars in cash in the Oct. 11 raid. According to charging documents, one of the victims took control of Perez's silver machete and hacked off his right thumb.

[blueberry]

Jellybean that cracks me up. I set my kiddo up with Pirates of the Caribbean Online and now he whines because I won't let him get on :)

[JUNGLE JIM]

Woman: "Kiss me, you fool."
Man: "But, I'm not blind!"
No kiss for woman, but battery charged in Port St. Lucie incident. A 26-year-old woman is facing charges after allegedly beating a man Monday who told her to leave when she tried to kiss him, according to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday.

Priceless mugshot!

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Nope Golfer... The PS3 is the only gaming machine that has Blu-Ray. The Xbox 360 did have the HD-DVD format, but that is a dead format now.

And I'll tell you James, you haven't seen anything until you've seen some action movie in Blu-Ray, like I Am Legend.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

61 year old woman gets in a fight with a deer after it attacked her poodle.

After a few well placed punches, the deer retreated. I want to see a picture of this lady, and better yet, a video of the fight. :)

[Jellybean]

Don't tell me that, Blueberry! My kids have been asking me to sign them up for that too! I really really can't afford any more addictions that keep me from doing my yardwork and laundry!

[The Golfer]

Good heavens, she is ugly too!!

Time to read the deer story.

[The Golfer]

From the deer story, sounds like the deer was in the yard and the dog went at the deer and the deer defended itself.

Could be wrong, but I doubt it.

[The Golfer]

Yeah, but The Omega Man was better then I Am Legend. Needle, needle.

[*sexy*]

hello.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

I'm sure you are right Golfer... Dogs like that tend to pick fights with animals that are far bigger then they are and far more dangerous.

Also, I found this story of a lovely "young" lady who is looking to lose her virginity. Aqua, would you like to help Maria out?

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

HIya Sexy!

[*sexy*]

R 2 you cant tell me you didnt think about helping her out! Shes a looker let me tell ya!

[James Hart]

Howdy, Sexy! What's the good word?

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

I have to be a good man... I have a good woman to be faithful to, and I'd feel guilty taking something that ancient.

[The Golfer]

Afternoon "sexy"

And catch you later. Have to head out to take the kid to the orthodontist for some work. Leaving at 1 pm.

Oh my goodness, what a face. Stay down lunch, stay down.

Might try to stop later, but busy day coming.

[Patty PV]

Hello all! Golfer, our thoughts will be with you. Trust me - you're not alone.

I remember more than once my stepson got to me. While I never damaged sheetrock, I did once go out to our woodpile, and methodically threw each log across the yard in the snow. By the time I came in, I looked pretty scary, red-faced, covered in bits of bark - walked in the door, he looked up at me, I gave him the Stare of Death

And after that, the stepson took great care never to provoke me again.

[James Hart]

Jebus! What did he do?

[*sexy*]

hey fellas! I hear ya R2! D and I are back together. We are planning on moving in together the end of next year.

[Patty PV]

James: He had a habit, over Christmas break, of using every pot/pan/dish/glass in the house. He would carefully stack them in the sink. They never got washed, or put in the dishwasher.

His dad and I decided to let it all keep stacking to see what would happen. There was a veritable mountain of assorted used things in the sink. One night I came home from work, and the kid said, "What's for dinner?" I sweetly said, "Well, let me go into the kitchen and see what we have." Once in the kitchen, I told him I could not even begin to cook because the kitchen was full of dirty dishes, and would he please get up from reading his book to take care of it so I could start dinner?

Whereupon he replied, "No. Those aren't my dishes, so I'm not going to clean them up."

To the moon, Alice! I knew enough to just immediately go out the back door. The wood stack was the first thing I could find to vent my frustration.

Coincidentally, when I came back in, he was washing dishes.

[James Hart]

I'm still laughing over the mental picture of you throwing firewood across the back yard like a crazy woman!

[*sexy*]

HAHAHAH man i need to tell my kids that when they dont help me keep the kitchen picked up!

[Patty PV]

And when he ever balked at school work, we asked him, Do you want to spend your brilliant career repeating the phrase "Do you want fries with that?" over and over and over again?

It got to the point where we would just say, do you want fries with that?

[*sexy*]

very good point!!

[Patty PV]

Then, there was the computer. We got a computer, which lived in the room he was in on the days he spent with us. We acquainted him with it, showed him we knew how to Google and search for naughty things. We told him to never do this - and certainly never to think he was clever enough to make purchases online with our info (which he never did.)

The following day, the kid managed to lock up the computer. He felt awful. I went in there and fixed whatever it was; then I turned to the beloved and said, "Let's see what the darling boy has been looking at on the Internet." The kid did not have a clue that there was a "history" button for websites. Man oh man - there were so many of them - with such interesting URLS as teenaged sluts. So he was busted, big time, and tried the Bart Simpson excuse ("I didn't do it and you can't prove I did") so we asked him who else was in the house between 11 pm and 1 am using the computer? It was pretty funny!

[James Hart]

That is hilarious ...

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

That's why you only surf for porn through a proxy on a computer you don't want to leave a trail on. ;)

[Patty PV]

Wha' - ? R2, you're talking 'bout things I dunno. Or, maybe, never needed to. What is a proxy?

[James Hart]

It begins ...

[*sexy*]

HAHAh BAD r2 teaching kids how to skirt around parentals! LOL

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Ahhhh.. it can be amusing on a slow day to play Devils Advocate. :)

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Oh... I'm not teachign them anything. :) They have to figure it out.

Basically Patty, a Proxy is a server that you can log into via a web borwser, or directly. basically when you tunnel into it, the only thing that shows up is the site, but no record of the sites that were visited, since you are technically using another computer to access the sites without leaving a trail behind on your own.

Of course, many don't know how to really do this without leaving a trace, which can still be found if not done properly.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Here's a good link on what a proxy is and how it works.

Just in case you want to know Patty. :) Although, unless your kid is rather nerdy/technologly intelligent and very computer savvy, he likely won't know how to do it.

[John Boy]

r2 - you can even trace that, for instance if you have goodled a site, many times it will remember that search, and for instance, if you goodled John Wayne, when you type in Jo - - John Wayne would pop up in a past search list.

[John Boy]

googled - not goodled....silly me...

[*sexy*]

yean and you must remember to delete past history and cookies as well!

[John Boy]

deleting history and cookies will clear those up, but there are those of us that know how to find "deleted" files. Files are not actually deleted until that space is written over. The space you "delete" is simply internally labeled available for reuse. But until those files are actually written over, people with the know how, can find that info.

[Jellybean]

I have to worry even though my kids don't do it on purpose. My 7 year old has accidently come across sites she shouldn't have. Time for me to change some controls, and start the individual log-in profiles at home.

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Hiya, PattyPV and *sexy* and John Boy and R2D2. Found THIS and thought I'd pass it on to all.

[John Boy]

Yea, my 16 month old grandson in DC was punching buttons on the cordless phone, next thing my son knows, several police cars in front of his house, wanting to know the problem. Seems Aiden punched in 9-1-1 on the phone, and when dispatch got no response, they sent the police.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Woman dressed as a star wars character wanted in Bank robbery.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

John Boy... Not necessarily. If I were to install a browser, like Firefox, onto a flash drive, it would leave no incriminating evidence behind on that computer. :)

[John Boy]

I have Firefox, and use ask jeeves. My info is still there until I delete history.

[John Boy]

I should specify - on my home computer, not here. Here I use internet explorer and google.

[winkyb2me]

I wish to thank my son for all my computer know-how. He was one of those snotty goth teenaged hackers that required me to learn WAY more than I ever wanted to know about computers just to try to stay one step ahead of him (and the law)...

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

JOhn boy, not if you have it installed on a flash drive and then plug it into any computer, double click the "launcher" and you are saving all info on the flash card, not the PC you are at. ;)

[JUNGLE JIM]

Not to stir the pot or anything...
Student Sentenced To Federal Prison For Crashing Server. A federal judge questioned Tuesday why a white Ivy League student found with thousands of images of child pornography during a computer hacking probe was not charged with that crime -- and was spared the decade-long sentence looming over a black convicted child pornographer at the same hearing.

University of Pennsylvania senior Ryan Goldstein, 22, of Ambler, will spend three months in prison and five years on federal probation for a hacking scheme that caused a Penn engineering server to crash in 2006.

Goldstein pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and worked long hours helping the FBI investigate a worldwide hacking enterprise, lawyers on both sides agreed.

The judge, voicing concerns about fairness, took the unusual step of sentencing Goldstein alongside a Philadelphia man, Derrick Williams, who was facing eight to 10 years for child pornography in an unrelated case.

Both men were found with several thousand images of child pornography, and each had copied some of the images -- although Williams had also posted about 15 of them on a Web site, prosecutors said.

The judge said he could not help noting that Williams is black and Goldstein is white.

[John Boy]

ok, I dont have it on a flash drive. Thats why It doesnt go away until I erase history.

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Yep... However, the history will be kept on the history of the flash drive program until it's deleted there as well. ;)

[Patty PV]

Sad - just found out an original Ink Spot, Earl "The Pearl" Gibson, died in St. Louis last week. Here's a poor video of him singing his favorite song.

And here they are back in the day; this is the only tune my mom could play on the piano. She was tone-deaf, so singing was never an option . . . not even Happy Birthday, unfortunately . . .

But everyone else probably remembers their tune from Shawshank Redemption.

[Larry]

Tonight more than ever we must give thanks for 810WHB, the local sports-radio station. They're broadcasting the World Series.

I don't know how many of you have tried to listen to Joe Buck and the other Ya-Hoo with him -- sounds like McCarver, but they're terrible.

Buck only made three mistakes in the bottom half of the first, which I happened to catch because I needed the sound on so I wouldn't miss Keith Olbermann -- the only honest and sane commentator on TV at 7 p.m. CDT. (I guess I could have said "honest OR sane," since O'Reilly and Grace are neither.)

[James Hart]

Good evening to anybody who's up and around!

[Larry]

How could a guy sleep with the Phillies ahead?

[Larry]

... unless he was to get so relaxed and comfortable, knowing Olbermann is keeping an eye on everything, and nod off in utter contentment?

... until the Philies turn a double-play and ruin the whole mood.

What a tragedy.

There's not enough Shiner Bock in Kansas to cope with this latest disaster.

[James Hart]

What's the score, Larry? My TV is in the other room.

[AH]

Evening James. Your comment about frozen foods yesterday made me want to give you suggestions. If you do not like one brand try a different one. Sometimes the cheapest taste better. I like Westpac peas, corn, and mixed veggies but most of Birdseye become over cooked. I find that the amount of moisture is enough to cook them in the micro without over cooking. The steamer bags are good for cooking. You can purchase in the baggie section. The frozen in steamer bags are tasty but unless on sale too expensive.

Save all of your left over veggies then cook in a soup or stew. Good way to get rid of the dibs and dabs and you can nap while cooking.

[AH]

Larry, let us know if there is a stolen base. I have a craving for tacos.

[James Hart]

That's a really good idea, AH -- I wished I started that last week, so I'd have stuff for when I do my stew this weekend.

How's retirement treating you?

[AH]

I am starting to become bored. My plan was to sleep 2-3 weeks then garden until cold weather then clean house. I am not cut out to be a housewife. I may have to find a job to relax

[James Hart]

I know the IRS is looking for seasonal help.

Or maybe you could get a job as a Wal-Mart greeter. That always looked like a stress-free job.

[AH]

If I get a job at IRS would have to go through the retirement process again because I was a fed employee. Some years if there are not enough people applying they except fed retirees.

As far as Walmart I am not old enough. Most look to be in their 70-80's.

[James Hart]

Blackjack dealer? The movie "Croupier" made it look very glamorous.

[AH]

I think I will start planning next years garden. Many seed companies start updating their websites about now. With the economy as it is there may be a lack of seeds if too many people put in a garden. My problem with vegetable gardening is that the clubs I belong to have too many activities from late May to mid June. By the time I can pull weeds the poor plants have suffered.

[AH]

Glamour is for tall willowy things not short and dumpy. Could become one of the sign holders that stand on corners. Not the ones begging for money but the ones with the store closing signs.

I do remember some of the earlier recessions start watching for some of your dream items to be reduced. When no one buys at regular prices the sales are sometimes very good.

[James Hart]

One of the money blogs I read suggested building a 3x6 "garden" that you can keep on your patio/deck. Which I now have. Is there a particular Web site where you can buy seeds?

[James Hart]

Oh, that's how I got my new leather chair! Or as I've started calling it "my recession chair."

This is the one that I was going to get back in August, when I was moving. But I got stickershocked -- it was like $550-$575 with delivery.

It was probably worth that, but I wanted to have my money saved first.

Since then? It's come down to about $400, delivery included. And I've saved some, and I've found a little freelance work to cover it. I'm still on track to meet my year-end savings goal.

[AH]

There are several. Depends on if you are looking for cooks ingrediants or just veggies. I like Rene's Garden seeds because you can look on the website see what you want then when you see a seed display grab what you wanted. They have several packages of mixed veggies, all within the same family. Normally three or more types in a package. I like the three zucchini squashes and the mixed lettuces.

Rareseeds.com is down by Springfield and have many odd seeds many of the seeds are oriental greens and squash.

Cooks Garden has some of the more kitchen friendly seeds like small baby veggies, filet green beans. This would be a favorite of Patty PV's.

If you are just starting look at walmart, cvs and your local hardware store right after the new year. Most have a sale of 10 packets of seed for a $1.00. The packets have a small amount of seeds in them but will give you experience to build on.

[James Hart]

Yeah, I'm just a baby gardener. I almost wonder if I'd better off growing stuff in old milk jugs.

[AH]

Good about the chair. I purchased my microwave, first large size tv, and lots of expensive cookware watching the sales.

Watch the stores right before christmas for unadvertized sales of things you want. In a year like this one the stores would rather sell before the holiday rather than after. I used to purchase my jackets at this time. Nothing like a $300 jacket marked down to $45.00.

Luckily I have most of the things I need so I am only shopping wants like drinking chocolate.

[John Boy]

Old milk jugs are great for moonshine

[AH]

Some of the seeds on the market are for container gardening. You can plant a whole lot of lettuce in your milk jugs then plant something for later as lettuce like cooler weather.

[AH]

JohnBoy You have to keep the bottoms in the milk jugs for that.

[James Hart]

AH: What about computers? I'd been thinking about updating my system, but was thinking I'd wait until spring, when I get my tax refund. If there's a good deal, though ...

JB: You think everything is great for moonshine!

[John Boy]

Pop bottles, too, pop cans, juice bottles, water glasses, etc.

[AH]

Not certain about computers but keep looking.

A company called Gardeners Supply www.gardeners.com have planter containers for various veggies and other things. They only have a few on their website at this time but good turn arround when you do order. Had a great sale on books this fall including several out of print that I had been looking for.

Can't buy much until I receive the final amount of my monthly pension. First several months you only receive about 3/4 just in case you have charges that have not shown up. Be about January before I am finally free.

[AH]

JB how was Nebraskie

[James Hart]

It's been good visiting with you guys, but I'm calling it a day. Have a good one! Thanks for the advice, AH -- I might pick your brain over the next few months ...

[AH]

Take care, James.

[John Boy]

AH - Nebraska was great. Good time with the wife's siblings. I have a great bunch of in-laws.

[AH]

Were you aware that when you reach your full SS age you can make as much $$$ as you want without it effecting your SS?

Just found that out. I had always thought the magic age was 70.

I think I will be calling it a night. Fandango should be posting shortly but need to check on drier.

[John Boy]

Yea, did know that. But thanks for reminding me.