"Letters to Miss Emily..."

[RedDog]

So it came your way after all. Wow.

[backhoe]

So it came your way after all. Wow.

Well, except for one shot of lightning that caused my pansy dog to land on my pillows it's just been wind and rain...

I've been doing "thrill a minute" bachelor things like washing & bleaching and re-sorting my underwear... finding a new drawer to hide the Shark hand vacuum in that was one of the few pitiful things Emily brought home from 9 years at Honey Creek- they didn't even give her a gold watch I could hock at the pawn shop...

You take care of yourself.

Edit- let's take another look at Debby- sometime I'll have to tell you all a little more about the real Debby I knew- Helen's BFF with the rubber jugs- and how I avoided being snared by her. She wasn't "one of the good ones..."

[backhoe]

Housekeeping notes, 6-26-12

So far Debby has just been wet stuff & blowing air- kinda like that ghastly Debbie Wasserman-Schultz that the Dems are retiring. Pity about that- she was the perfect representative of the class & race warfare party...

Cole-boy has returned to my former side of the bed so I guess his doggish view is the storm isn't too bad- the cooler air is certainly welcome.

In a rare splurge of largess, I treated myself to ordering a case for my new netbook- Amazon had a warehouse deal that with shipping was only $20- so in a few days I'll be seeing one of these:



Not that I am likely to take it anywhere- the predecessor that I gave MaryAnn went from bed to porch and that was it- but should I want to take it with me I'll be equipped to do it.

It's funny how fast you get dependent on technology and never even notice it- ten years or so ago our household was on the Bleeding Edge when we hard-wired networked all the home PC's... today, everyone expects wireless net access anywhere they go. You can find it at the Krystal, for Gawd's sake.

It's amazing- and I still need to change the SSID from “netgear” to something whimsical like “Obama isn't Working” or “FBI Surveillance Van...”

-30-

[backhoe]

Housekeeping notes, 6-26-12

So far Debby has just been wet stuff & blowing air- kinda like that ghastly Debbie Wasserman-Schultz that the Dems are retiring. Pity about that- she was the perfect representative of the class & race warfare party...

AKA, "Jaws, 2012..."

http://twitchy.com/2012/06/25/debbies-wreak-havoc-across-fla/

One is a soggy blowhard moving aimlessly through the state of Florida and the other is a tropical storm.

It looks as though Democrats aren’t that fond of their current party leader Debbie Wasserman-Schultz anymore.

Javier at The Shark Tank blog broke the news over the weekend that these persistent rumors are valid.

[backhoe]

It's funny how a small thing can shift your mood...

Maybe it's Debby & the darkness... maybe it's just a mood- but as I was reheating some of that Mexican meal I tried to recall a poem I wrote shortly after Helen’s death and for a moment I couldn't do it.

Panic. It was written down of course- in that footlocker on the vanished sunporch of my vanished childhood home...

Then it came back to me and I'm pretty sure I wrote it down somewhere in “died” or “letters” but I wanted to reproduce it here just in case.

The brunch was good but I was feeling kind of low- the weather is so bad Cole wouldn't even chase his garbage truck.

When I got back here there was a message on facebook from MaryAnn- her home PC which she says is old, keeps locking up when she tries to look at my posts. I had a suggestion... and the lowness flew out the door.

Real world versus dead past. “More better...”

Still, let's write it back down- it was a part of a life, so long ago:

“Wings of Light”

Upon the wings of endless light
my love and my life were swept away
into a night
a cold still night
that some fools swear is day

And I swear too
and damn the Light
that took my child from me
and pray that in her endless flight
my babe still dreams of me

There's a whole lost universe in those ten lines. And yeah, I'm more better. More than I'd ever hoped for. But still?

I remember.

-30-

[Theresa]

“What do I do now?” You left me. Alone on this evil old world. You promised.

You.

Promised.

Then, you went away...

“What do I do now?”

I guess I go on. Throw it in to gear and drive, another day. Without you.

After thirty years I still have a re-ocurring dream. My mother, who had a fatal asthma attack when I was 20, shows up out of the blue. In my dream she never died she just up and left us one day . When she returns in my dream I am angry with her because she just abandoned us.

[backhoe]

Theresa! Gee, it's good to see you- regarding this?

“What do I do now?” You left me. Alone on this evil old world. You promised.

You.

Promised.

Then, you went away...

“What do I do now?”

I guess I go on. Throw it in to gear and drive, another day. Without you.

After thirty years I still have a re-occurring dream. My mother, who had a fatal asthma attack when I was 20, shows up out of the blue. In my dream she never died she just up and left us one day . When she returns in my dream I am angry with her because she just abandoned us.

Yeah... when you lose someone you love you may, you can feel every emotion a human being can generate- from loss and sorrow and futile regrets and grieving to white hot fury. Hurt and anger. Hell, hate and anger- they hurt you. About as badly as you can be hurt.

It's a very toxic stew- and while a lot of people who have walked this road understand, many do not want to know about it- it makes them feel bad and in this narcissistic “culture” we have, God Forbid! you make anybody feel bad.

The widow MaryAnn ran into that a lot with friends and associates and business partners- not just because of the “made them feel bad” part- her husband's death was an inescapable reminder that we all die. Most people don't like to confront that.

I'm infinitely better- better than I ever would have believed possible. Still have bad times. Can't be avoided, you just have to ride it until it burns out.

You know there's a part of me that can't believe Emily's dead- even though no one knows better than I how very dead she was. You learn to live with the dichotomy.. You go on. And every once in a while the awfulness of all of it comes flying in and knocks you flat.

Then you get up and go on.

I can't tell you how much your pointing me to “Miss Emily's Picture” has meant to me over the last two years. I bowdlerized it slightly and I used it as a therapeutic tool, a crutch, a meme. I sang it in Wal-Mart's parking lot and people probably thought a mad man was loose- one slight advantage to losing all you had left to love is not giving much of a damn what anyone else thinks.

It's very liberating to be free to speak and act without fear or favor. Though in truth I have always been that way, just a little more circumspect in the past.

“Free at last...”

I thank you Miss Theresa from the bottom of my dark little heart...

And?

♪♪ "...and I straighten
Miss Emily's picture
on the wall..." ♪♪



-30-

[Theresa]

Your far too kind.

During the years, when I frequented more often, I felt like I knew Miss Emily somewhat because when you spoke of her it was with the utmost respect. I am certain that somewhere on this forum either I or some else asked a question and she responded personally using your signature.

[backhoe]

You're far too kind.

During the years, when I frequented more often, I felt like I knew Miss Emily somewhat because when you spoke of her it was with the utmost respect. I am certain that somewhere on this forum either I or some else asked a question and she responded personally using your signature.

Life, and the living of it is a very strange adventure- back then Emily sat exactly where I am now- in her place in the bed in the great bay window of the central room downstairs- and my station was a smaller bay in the kitchen.

We worked different parts of the internet-- she was involved with things of the Episcopal Church and I followed political things, mostly on Free Republic.

Our machines- her netbook, my desktop-- were left open and running 24/7... if one of us wandered by and saw something on the other's machine we felt like commenting on we would and sign it “John Here” or “Emily Here” or something like that to let you you “the other side” was chiming it.

We didn't keep secrets from each other besides the usual ones people who have been married a long time know how to do....

“Do these jeans make my ass look fat?” You'll never get an honest answer out of me for that one...

Respect her? Yeah, I adored her. And she had a million faults, too. Just another Fallen Angel or maybe an Angel with a Dirty Face...

But love her I did. My first dead wife Helen once asked me a question so profoundly stupid I had no answer for it then and I have none now...
( To clarify it was stupid because she was the one who divorced him- her first husband. It was profound because there really is no answer... )

“Where does all that love go?”

I still have not figured that question out, so “I straighten the pictures of all my girls on the wall...”



A “reception for our organist before her wedding”-- Miss Emily & me, my Mom, her Mom...

All gone, forever, to the Sea...

-30-

[RedDog]

There was a day you could always spot the working man at a function. The one with the necktie tucked into the shirt out of habit should he be called into the plant or out to a piece of equipment in the yard to address an issue.

[backhoe]

There was a day you could always spot the working man at a function. The one with the necktie tucked into the shirt out of habit should he be called into the plant or out to a piece of equipment in the yard to address an issue.

Family secret- I learned that from my Mom... the old Drill Sarge & Judo instructor. She taught me how to tie a four-in-hand too.

[backhoe]

One of the little sideshows here is TSPLOST- I will be voting against it.

Go to traffictruth.net for more info- here is their fact sheet from a PDF:

THE FACTS ABOUT T-SPLOST

Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC
http://www.traffictruth.net
ARC CLAIM FACT
T-SPLOST is a temporary sales
tax that will expire in 10 years.
The initial 10-year tax will only raise enough for studies, surveys, and
initial-phase completion of projects in some instances. Two examples:
• TIA-GW-031 for the I-85N corridor states that the $95 million project
pays for studies and reviews with “possible initial right-of-way
acquisition and construction elements”. Construction completion
unknown; “funds will be used throughout the 2013 – 2022 timeframe.”
• TIA-CL-002 for Atlanta to Griffin rail states the $20 million project
pays for planning, preliminary engineering, and rail readiness
activities. The project construction is not currently planned.
T-SPLOST pays for transit
operating & maintenance costs.
There is no identified source for on-going operation (and possible
completion as referenced above) for the projects identified after 10 years.
There is no Plan B. 1. The Transportation Investment Act, which authorized the T-SPLOST,
provides that if the voters in any region vote down T-SPLOST, that
region can put together another projects list to bring back to the
voters in 2 years. That’s a Plan B.
2. Another Plan B: Localities can impose their own local T-SPLOST.
3. Georgia law (Code 32-5-30 Congressional District Balancing) calls for
equal distribution of all state and federal tax dollars to be distributed
equally across all Georgia congressional districts. The Georgia
Legislature can change the law so that the funds are used where they
are needed to alleviate traffic congestion and make necessary
improvements across the state. That’s Plan B+
Rail & transit takes cars off the
road.
1. The latest GDOT commuter survey states that only 2% of commuters
ride buses; 3% ride trains. ARC’s “Travel Impacts of the
Transportation Referendum, 2013-2040” estimates that ALL
proposed new transit projects will only carry less that 2% of regional
commuters. Yet, 52% of the T-SPLOST taxes collected are
earmarked for new transit.
2. The 2010 U.S. Census reported a 20% population increase in metro
Atlanta. Yet, MARTA’s own 2011 financial report states that,
ridership declined as follows:
Train: -7% Bus: -23%
3. The 2010 Atlanta Regional Commuter Survey reflects that
teleworking is on the rise with 27% of respondents stating that they
telework on a regular basis, up +7% from 2007.
Rail & transit reduce emissions. Per Passenger Mile BTU Pounds CO2
Bus – metro Atlanta 5,800 1.02
Bus – GRTA region 3,370 0.54
Bus – Buckhead 13,419 2.37
Paratransit 17,848 2.88
Rail 1,697 0.23
Auto 3,514 0.55
At first glance, this info appears to show that rail is lower in energy
consumption and emissions. However, these facts are only true at full
occupancy. The average transit bus in Georgia fills only 22% of its seats;
counting standing room they operate an average of about one-sixth full.
The Atlanta rail system fills an average of 39% of its seats; counting its
ample standing-room capacity it operates only about one-eighth full.
Additionally, these figures do not include the energy costs required to
build it.
The average commuter pays a
“congestion tax” of $924 per
year in “wasted fuel and lost time
as a result of traffic congestion.
Fulton & DeKalb residents have been paying additional 1% sales tax for
MARTA since 1971. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Atlanta households spend $45,941 on consumer expenditures. The
current 1% sales tax amounts to $459 per year BEFORE you take your
first ride. An additional 1% amounts to a total of $918 per year BEFORE
you take your first ride. Then add the cost to ride: $2.50 each way: $25
per week or $1,250 per year per person (allowing 2 weeks of vacation /
year). Cost per person = $2,168; Two-person working family = $3,418.
“Congestion Tax “ without T-SPLOST = $924
True Cost with T-SPLOST = $2,168 (“wasted time” excluded) OTHER KEY FACTS ABOUT T-SPLOST

Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC
http://www.traffictruth.net

LOSS OF “HOME RULE”
Home rule is just local self-government. The Constitution of the State of Georgia advocates
home rule. The core principle is that local authorities or populations seek a measure of freedom
from the state legislature.
If T-SPLOST passes, the new era of regional governance and taxation will curtail the autonomy
local counties have possessed to control their own taxes and destinies.
If the 2012 TIA referendum passes this July 31st
, a brand new layer of government is likely to be
formed to govern the multitude of separate bus & train authorities that now exist. This passage
will mean that problems created by another county will become your county’s financial
burden.
SALES TAX INCREASES BY COUNTY

IMPORTANT QUOTES
“Passed by the Legislature to relieve traffic congestion in metro Atlanta, the heavily
Atlanta Regional Commission-influenced project list allocates more than 50 percent of
the region’s $6.14 Billion to fund transit projects that by objective accounts will do little
to relieve traffic congestion.”
State Representative Ed Setzler, AJC, January 23, 2012
(Rep Setzler voted in favor of TIA in 2010)

“Proponents are campaigning hard. Unfortunately, the plan barely translates into
improved regional mobility. Operating in an if-you-build-it-they-will-come fugue, regional
leaders allocate more than half the expected funds to expensive transit projects, most of
which would not offer congestion relief within 10 years, if ever.”
Benita Dodd, Vice President, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

It's pork, slush and yet another tax that will mostly go in the pockets of big cities- and fund more worthless boondoggles.

And it's another tax- did I mention that? And loss of local control. And another tax...

It's pork, pure & simple.

[backhoe]

[backhoe]

Engine turning...

When I gave MaryAnn the retired Acer I included the lapdesk I'd made for it from an old weathered piece of plywood and which had a piece of copper flashing glued to it for heat dissipation- it runs kind of hot. The newer one I made for her and gave her didn't have one- I didn't think I had another piece of flashing large enough- but lo! I got stirring around and found one last night.

Engine turning is about as basic a machining operation as there is- you chuck a suction cup in a drill press, load the cup with valve grinding compound and go down row after row creating a swirl pattern. Long ago when aircraft & cars had aluminum dashboards it was common- besides being pretty it breaks reflections from the dash up. It's also a damn mess since valve grinding compound is grit mixed in heavy grease.

I did this three times on the flashing I'd found, and was not satisfied with it each time. The flashing, being old, was heavily corroded and dented and it just wasn't cleaning up the way I'd have liked. Then doofus me remembered something- I'd had the same problem when I engine turned that first plate- and solved it by using the Scotch-Brite polishing roundrels from my brake lathe setup.

It took more stirring about- the last time I'd seen them was 2009 when I made the first lapboard for Emily- but once I found them the flashing cleaned right up. It's sitting on the discarded sofabed with a coat of Krylon drying- hopefully that will keep it bright.

-30-

[backhoe]

For my larger audience? Not telling you what to do- just what I did- I bought a copy of the fella's book- he's terminal...via:http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/

SOME AWFULLY BAD NEWS http://warlocketx.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/its-lung-cancer/ for blogger Ric Locke, who’s also the author of Temporary Duty. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00531CPHC/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwviolentkicom&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399701&creativeASIN=B00531CPHC I hit his tip jar. You might want to as well. There’s no PayPal logo — it’s in the upper left and just says “donations.” That’s the PayPal link. (Bumped).

Then again? We all are...