It's been a while

I guess it's time to check in, it's been a long while since we at BAR have posted to the blog.  Times have been busy for us both.  Kx59 with work, and me with home remodeling, estate handling for my Uncle who passed away a year and a half ago (what an ordeal that was) and just over all life.

I miss blogging and really should start again.  I just have to get my head out of WoW and back into the written word.  Yes I said WoW as in World of Warcraft.

My bestie turned me on to that game and I really can't get enough of it.  Nothing like killing stuff online to brighten the day..

Anyway hope everyone is having a great year so far and hope to be back around in short order.


Belle.

Saying goodbye to a legend - Prince

As everyone has heard, Prince Rogers Nelson (known as Prince and simply The Artist) passed away last week at his home in Minnesota.

I realize that Prince was not for everyone but his talent and his success is well known to pretty much everyone.  Even if he wasn't your thing or your genre, please look at the videos below which display his talent they are certainly worth the watch.

Much to my parents' dismay, I was a huge fan of his from my early teen years up to present day and age.  I drove my parents crazy cranking up his music in my bedroom.  Through the walls they could hear the backbeat of songs like Little Red Corvette, 1999, DMSR and of course his Purple Rain album, I wore out.

On vinyl, I sill have 1999, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign of the Times and Lovesexy (where he appears nude on the cover, was certainly worth the purchase price for that album).

Prince led a very quiet life and typically stayed out of the media.  He loved music and played 27 instruments proficiently.   Also, I've heard it told that he didn't really read music that well, his talent was just a gift...  a very special gift.

He loved his fans and the first video below not only displays his talent on the guitar, but also shows his playful nature when it comes to his fans.  It's an acoustic set of his and he's relaxed and really enjoying himself.

Only 5'2" tall, he was certainly bigger than life when it came to the stage and his ability to recognize true talent and nurture it was remarkable.

The second video I am posting up is a collaboration with Tom Petty and Steve Winwood as they all perform "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".  Prince is on lead guitar in this video and has an amazing solo.

The Third.. well there is a story behind that one...   in 1985 Prince performed at the American Music Awards his Grammy winning hit, Purple Rain.  I taped it on the VCR but wanted to watch it on the big TV live (I was 16 at the time) and my brother (8 years old then) was playing Nintendo on that TV and wouldn't give it up for 5 minutes...

Back then, Nintendo did not have memory cards so my brother left his game running all night so he could pick up where he left off...  well the next day, I got home from school and saw his game running and turned it off....     he came home from school and all hell broke loose....    oh he was angry.

Now I have the video on You Tube and so I get a laugh when I watch it....

To Prince's friends and family my heart goes out to them.  I loved him from afar and I can only imagine how deep his loss effects them.  I know that my heart is broken and the world has lost a fantastic artist and by all reports and all around good person.

Rest in Peace Prince Rogers Nelson, you were loved and you will be missed.

Until next time....

Belle

Rain AAR

So, I left a half hour before O'dark thirty for work this morning and ended up taking a very short tour in the local area, U turning three times and driving back home.
On the "bright side" a temporary shotcrete retaining wall on the side of an overpass under construction blew out in the storm yesterday. Two of three lanes inbound on 290 are closed until further notice.
This fail is between me, and 20,000 other people and my work, and the other 20,000 people's work.

Belle and I took a little reconnaissance drive a short while ago looking for a way to what's left of the freeway.*

Nope, not getting out that way

Nor that way

The third option I couldn't get a picture of water. I'm certain it was downstream of us somewhere, but someone had placed orange construction barrels closing the road.  The upside is my VPN connection is solid and I've been working from home.  I could get used to this, ya know?

Two bonus pics

Right around the corner from the BAR Corp HQ

The houses here are high and dry, in the back of this neighborhood,

not so much.

Neither "Infinity" nor "G7" mean waterproof in Japanese

Click to embiggen and you can see the waterline on the door.

All snark aside, this time, this is an inconvenience for me.  Many, many homes were flooded. A number of people lost their lives. Two people got trapped in two different deep underpasses, both of which I travel through frequently, and drowned. While there was less total rainfall than Tropical Storm Allison, there was more rain in a 24 hour period.  South of us there was 15 to 16 inches. A nearby blogger, Teke, is down there somewhere. I hope he and his are ok.
Close by, there was 11 to 14 inches.
Sobering.
I suspect I will have an unusual calm and patience on my circuitous commute in the morning. This is not a problem, this is an inconvenience.







*Freeway, there's a misnomer. How many hours of my life have I paid on that God forsaken treadmill?  

Done rained again

Forecast was for rain, but I don't think anyone expected this.
It rained less than tropical storm Allison*, but more in a 24 hour period.

Nearby to the BAR Corp HQ received about a foot of rain, per the nooz, over night as of about 8am this morning.  The official tally from the nonexistent BAR rain gauge is just a hair over a butt load.
The three nearest official rain gauges to us are showing 11.16", 12.76" and 14.04" for the last 24 hours.

Large areas of Houston are flooded once again.  The Corp HQ is dry...ish.  No water in the house but the ground is mush.
Forecast is for more rain tomorrow. I hope the weather man is wrong.

A neighbor reported that the neighborhood directly to our east has pretty much all the streets under water.  Little Cypress Creek is out of its banks. The west end of our street has drained off. The east end I'm keeping an eye on. The water level seems to be rising.*

This morning we watched Mr. Ididn't Think Itwasthatdeep, drive his minivan into an underpass on a live TV shot and swim out of his vehicle as it sank...as in disappeared.
Belle commented that, "I bet that dumbass has driven that route every day on his way to work. How could he not know it wasn't "that deep"?"

So far, the extended BAR clan is good. Ya'll do an anti-rain dance for us.
pics later maybe, If I can brave the floating rafts of fire ants and displaced snakes.


* google that one.  This is actually being reported as a worse rain / flood event. Allison rained for three days, 36" total.

Lordy it's Dogfish time.

IPA that is.

Missed "Stair Day"

Belle and I drove out to the oldest daughter's place for the oldest granddaughter's birthday party.
She and her man rent this place.

I've no idea who built this house but they were apparently sick on the day " Introduction to stair building" was taught.
Now in their defense, math is hard, especially when all you have is a tape measure in feet and inches.

I am operating on the assumption that a tape measure was actually available.

Aside from the issues with that bottom riser not quite working out quite right,

 twice,  the 12" high steps are a bonus for a daily leg workout.

Missed the top riser on the porch stairs by just a smidgen there too.   Watch your step there, that will peel the sole right off your penny loafer if you catch it just right...

As an antidote to the previous post

88 Lines about 44 women.
I've known some of these.

Our current political process in 21 lines.

1) Romney robocalls for Kasich in Ohio.
2) Romney robocalls for  Rubio in Florida.
3) Now Romney is now "supporting" Ted Cruz" now.*
4) Romney is a dishonest, lying, divisive SOB. Good luck with the explanation at the pearly gates.
5) GOPe must create an opportunity for a brokered convention because teh open bar and free bacon wrapped shrimp and lands a titles.
6) Must stop Trump.
7) GOPe does not like the Trump.
8)  Media loves / hates Trump; good for ratings but "Republican!1!11ty"
9)  Media must incite mob violence because Trump is wearing thin, but teh RATINGS! and they are all democrats!
10) The  Trump does not play by the GOPe or Media's rules!
11)  senator Grassley, who mere days ago wanted to shoot Cruz on the floor of the Senate chambers now endorses teh Cruz.  whuuuut?
12)  The republicrat party is in total panic and has lost its ever loving mind.
13)  Do SOMETHING. Anything to keep Trump from getting the 1200 something delegates!
14) The democrats have a lazy layabout pot smoking socialist that has never held down an honest job** or a criminal for candidates.
15) The American people have had enough of the elite ruling class.
16) It's looking like we are going to get Trump.
17) Or, an unplanned and uninvited brokered suppository, Paul Ryan.***
18)  If so, Hillary will win the election and her first act as president will be to pardon herself.
19)  And perhaps Huma.  You don't actually think Wiener was instant messaging pics of his junk because Huma was like all hetero female do you?  Marriage of convenience?
20)  Hillary's bathroom email server IT guy is fucked beyond belief.****
21)  We are fucked.

If McConnell greases up, rolls over and presents his belly for a senate hearing and confirmation of Obama's  Supreme Court anti 2A nominee, things are going to get ugly.  There's still time between the nomination and the Obominoid's last day in office.  Just sayin.

Perilous times indeed.




* My attempt at cognitive dissonance in text. :) hat tip to the BAR department of redundancy department.
** Wait, they already did that.  Sanders, not Obama.
*** aka, John Bohner Jr. without the heavy drinking and uncontrollable weeping. Claims he will not accept. Snort, snarfle, spit, ever the "reluctant hero". yuh right.  where have I heard that before.  dickweed.
**** Never ever in his wildest imagination did he ever suspect when he took that moonlight IT gig that his very survival would hinge on a Republican winning the Presidential Election. Sucks to be you dude.  Screw prosecutorial immunity. I'd be having conversations with the FBI about the witness protection program.  Good luck.

oh, there's some good news....

I'll be there next week.

Police officer wounded as shots fired at Police Station.

No honor amongst thieves.*  What has this world come to.







*Yes. That was snark on both sides of the equation.

It is Time

Time for another Tito's mixer post.

aka scrounging for mixers or,

how to get Hydrated and Baked at the same time.

Doing the dirty work so you don't have to.

As a legal disclaimer, I highly recommend you do not do this with cheap bar Wodka.
Tito's rocks.

Actually, this is not bad at all. Going down quite smoothly. Now that I think about it...this could be quite dangerous.

Gatorade and Tito's.*

Not acidic like Wodka and orange juice. (acid reflux, yuk.)
No carbonation like the previous orange soda experiment, although, that was pretty tasty.

Yes, this is going to be very dangerous.




*  Tito's straight up is clean enough to sip straight up, or palatable as shots, but I don't want to stumble up the stairs just yet.  I might have some more complaining to do.