 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Da Bugz's Blog |
June 2, 2010
Aw Shit! Memorial Day Weekend was memorable to say the least! Saturday I had the start of a great day going in the Sierra Nevadas. I was
collecting lots of insects, and found several pounds of Morels, and then I got stuck in the snow on a back road. I dug for three hours
before someone came along who had a jeep back at his cabin and offered to pull me out. I got home wet, muddy, and wore out! So
Sunday I was going to kick back, watch the racing and have Morels and steak with the friend I just rented the spare bedroom to. Well
shortly after noon I got a call from my roomie begging me to bail his ass out of jail! He had been arrested for DUI and expired tags. So I
spent my afternoon making calls and getting his ass out of jail. Then Monday I hauled him down to the Bail Bond office to get his
paperwork all set. Tuesday I took my afternoon off so we could get his car out of impound and get the process started for repairs so it
would pass smog. He owes me big time!!!
So if you noticed that the site was a bit slow in being updated I've been trying to keep caught up on work and keep my buddy out of
trouble!
May 12, 2010
Damn it when you come back to work they actually expect you to do something! Its been a very busy week, with all four counties that I
take care of needing help with export identifications. So I've been trying to piece together updates for the site. I think I got them all
except for the 800 Club, and that's gonna take some real free time to make up all the owed cars!
May 2, 2010
I'm getting a few last minute things taken care of before the trip to Philadelphia and decided to update the site before I left. There were a
ton of 800 scores this week. So for someone like Gypsy who just made it onto the top ten scoring list last week, she's gone this week
(even with her 820!). I'll be busy with building cars after I get back from the east coast!
Too bad that GR didn't qualify for today's truck race, but there's always Charlotte! Go #50!!
Everyone have a great week In THSland! See ya Saturday!
April 30, 2010
Another week is almost gone, and I need to get ready for my trip to Philly on Monday! I think I have most of what I need to take
assembled, but I still need to get it into the suitcase. Hopefully the weather will be decent and I can ditch the foul weather gear. While I'm
gone the temps here are supposed to be in the mid-80's. So when it turns pretty here I'm flying to the east coast and probably catching
up with the shitty weather that's just leaving us.
We've had a bit of fun on the SCC Board this week. When we started extolling GR's efforts in the truck race it seemed that our old
malcontents saw that as an effort to encourage people to join THS. So they decided to try and rain on our parade. Actually they end up
just making asses of themselves as usual, and reminded us of why we should be happier that they're no longer here to rain on our
parade every day. Don't forget that GR & the #50 will be racing at Kansas on Sunday afternoon. Here's to all the luck in the world that you
get to qualify and run the race! GO #50!!!!
April 26, 2010
On Saturday I help decorate and road on a parade float celebrating the fact that I graduated from high school forty years ago! It was
actually fun and we got a great reception from the crowd lining the streets for the Clovis Rodeo. It was a good day and I'm in a better
mood about attending the class reunion in August.
The Talladega race was a snoozer for the more part. I thought I heard cheers go up from the group with Jimmie got taken out. 'Dega's a
crap-shoot. So I'm not too upset! Now I need to get a car drawn up for Gypsy's 820 score! Way to go Patty!
April 20, 2010
Well I survived the stress test and they didn't put me in the hospital when they saw the results, so I must be doing fine. I go back for the
results when I return from Philadelphia.
I had a great weekend hunting Nightstalkers in the Sierra with a buddy from Florida. I got another species for my study and came to some
conclusions about how it relates to the other species in the region. The weather was gorgeous and the flowers were nice, so it was a
very pleasant couple of days.
The website has been updated with the information from the Texas race. Congrats to D. Hall on the weekly win!
April 15, 2010
Oh joy! Today I go in for my periodic stress test. When I had the heart attack thirteen years ago they only guaranteed the angioplasty for
five years, so I'm doing good. Hopefully I'll get the same good news I got in 2007.
April 13, 2010
The rain came down in buckets yesterday. I don't know when I've seen it rain so hard. Today the sky is filled with fluffy white clouds, so
maybe it will go back to feeling like spring instead of winter. I found some time this morning to update some of the side games, bank
account, track stats and the top ten/ROTY trackers. Yesterday I got the winner all fixed on the front page and then updated Da Hood.
There's always something to do on the website.
April 12, 2010
Well yesterday I did my taxes and got them filed and paid. Damn State of Kaleefournya takes more and more each year! The wind came up
and we had a big dust storm and then heavy rain. Spring just doesn't seem to be able to take hold. Still its nice to put off the 100F that's
coming. Today we're getting more rain, but the rest of the week will be sunny.
April 11, 2010
I took a drive Saturday to the Eastern Pacific, literally. I spent the day driving along the San Andreas Fault and daring the thing to make a
move! The wildflower displays were beautiful and I needed to go over and check on a couple of my experiments. We've got a storm
blowing in so it was windy, but the temps were decent. I took this
picture in Parkfield as I got back on my side of the border. I didn't
want to end up in the Pacific.
My NASCAR team did well enough to finally get me out of Da Hood
(at least for now!). Ah smell the fresh air! And guess who took my
place? None other than our illustrious ex-GL, Big E! Enjoy your
stay, and for God sake kiss Da Ring!
April 2, 2010
Its Friday! What a week! Okay, today is race day! GO #50! Yesterday we got most of what we wanted settled with NASCAR. We are an
official sponsor of the #50! GR and MAKE Motorsports can and will mention our sponsorship during interviews. MAKE has already
mentioned us on Twitter and Facebook, and GR has thanked us many times on radio. We have given GR a chance to run the whole race
and donated a chunk of money to Ronald McDonald House Charities. We've also had fun this week and made some noise. We might even
gain some new members through this in the long-run. So in my opinion its all good.
Our one remaining issue is our late start to trying to get this all done before Friday and getting past all the roadblocks thrown in our way.
So the sticker on the truck will have to wait until Charlotte. There's nothing to be done about it now, and MAKE Motorsports has said
they will work with us to get the sticker displayed at the next race. This may actually be better for us. There will be a lot more television
exposure during the week at Charlotte, so the chance of actually seeing the sticker on tv will be enhanced. I think we've already made
all the necessary changes to the website, and we will have time to make any additional changes well before the race.
None of that is really important anyway! What is important is that we are sponsoring our buddy GR Smith in his big NASCAR debut! GO
GRRRRRRR!!!! GO #50!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 1, 2010
Today we are still in negotiations with NASCAR over our sponsorship with MAKE Motorsports (Imagine that, we're in negotiations with
NASCAR!). It seems we have hit another minor bump in the road, but we hope to have it all smoothed out by this afternoon. Our own
ambassador of goodwill, Duke, will be on a conference call with MAKE Motorsports and a NASCAR official. If this doesn't work then we
will shoot for the Charlotte race. In any case its all good and exciting!
March 31, 2010
Well another month has come to an end and great things are going on at THS TBDGOTB&TV&Radio! Last week when I heard that GR Smith
was going to be making his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series on April 2nd I mentioned that it would be fun to see if we
could help sponsor his ride and get a little sticker on the car. Well what a difference a week makes! Czechmate and the rest of the gang
took the idea and ran with it. So now we are an official sponsor of a NASCAR racing team!! We had to act fast to make it happen in time for
this week's race so a few of us gathered together $1500 to both buy a set of tires so that GR could run the whole race and donate half to
Ronald McDonald House Charities. It never ceases to amaze me how this group of people from all over the country can come together
and make something really special happen. Now GR has the tires he needs to do more that just practice, qualify, and start the race. And
we get a big sticker placed on the rear of the car where cameras from other drivers will be seeing, "TheadHeadedStranger.com". Just to
be clear on this, no THS funds were used, and even though half the money goes to charity, no Relief Fund money was used either. This
is purely out of the pockets of members of THS. If GR doesn't qualify at Nashville then the deal carries over to Charlotte. Pictures of the
car to follow! This was a one time deal, but if any of you want to help GR and MAKE Motorsports out for the Charlotte race make
arrangements with Czechmate and Duke for the donations. When THS'ers put their minds to it anything is possible!
March 22, 2010
Thank God we had a weekend off, I've been so busy here at the office for the past few weeks that there was no way I was going to be
able to update the site. I've been taking Fridays off to try and get my vacation time down before the season gets real busy, and I've had a
couple of visiting bug guys to take out and show the sights of Sintral Kaleefournya. First there was a guy from New York, and last week I
had a visitor from Russia. This Friday I'm heading down over to the desert with a couple of buddies from Oregon, Florida, and northern
Kaleefournya. It will be a Bug Safari of the highest order! We're off to hunt Night Stalkers and Giant Tiger Beetles. Should be some good
times!
February 22, 2010
Well I scored a 704 this week at Fontana and made almost no movement in the group! All the high scores this week made my score
unremarkable! Damn.
On a brighter note I took my niece out to celebrate her 20th birthday at a dinner and show. We went to see The Producers performed in
dinner theater. The cast was great and the play was funny, plus I had seats at stage center front row. Close enough to get sweat dripped
on ya!
February 19, 2010
I've got to get around here more often. This was a short work week because of President's Day, but there were a lot of things packed
into it! The site is up to date (I think). If you see something that needs attention please let me know! Suggestion are always welcome
though I may not get around to it immediately.
Daytona always seems to rain on my parade, but.... I don't think I've ever had such across the board poor picks in any given week! The
prediction by some that the new game format would bunch everyone up sure didn't work that way. We've changed Da Hood Rulz so that
the bottom ten players will find themselves living in cardboard boxes and being subjected to intrusive searches by Madame Secretary.
February 8, 2010
Well we're about to start another season of NASCAR! I had a great weekend. Had fun on chat and watching the Bud Shootout! Then found
out that I won the game HOMRS set up! How cool is that. Maybe this is the Year of Da Bugz! Then the Saints won the Superbowl! WHO
DAT!!! Now if SCC hadn't screwed up the game all would be right with the world. Oh well, we'll get through this and move on like we
always do! Good Luck to one and all!
January 3, 2010
Another year has come and gone! I'm looking forward the start of a new season, and Jimmie's run at number five!. May all of your families
be happy and your health be excellent.
November 20, 2009
It looks like Jimmie's got the poll! Do I hear the fat lady singing???
GO JIMMIE!!!!
I agreed to host the kid I'm mentoring this weekend and take him out to learn more about the local insects and entomology in general. I
don't know if I can stand being away from the TV on Sunday!
November 18, 2009
The last race is upon us and the season is wrapping up! There's a lot to do in the off-season for the new Group Leader and his staff.
There's an old Chinese proverb, "May you live in interesting times." It can be looked at in two ways. One is that change will cause lots of
turmoil and stress, and the other is that change provides for new opportunities. I choose to follow the second path. THS needs to rally
around our new G/L, and help him provide those new opportunities for next season! Good Luck to everyone at Homestead!
GO JIMMIE!!!!
November 16, 2009
The 2010 Group Leader election is over! Congrats to HOMRS! As I've said before, "May God have mercy on your soul!" ;-) And even more
congratulations to Duke for losing (you lucky dog)! Now if you can just rein in that ruthless Webmaster!!!
And can you believe it, I won my 6th weekly win at Phoenix. That makes 11 flags for the Kali Krew with one race to go. Can we make it a
even dozen? Two wins in three races! I'm on a roll!!!! Go Jimmie!!!!
November 12, 2009
The final vote for Group Leader is underway, and it looks like a close race! Good Luck Gentlemen!!! Voting ends when the checkers fly
this weekend at Phoenix, so make your voices heard.
The weekend sees the start of the Segment 3 Special. You should have received an e-mail from Big E explaining the game and
encouraging you to vote for G/L. I have posted the game information to the THS Message Board under the Side Games Forum.
November 5, 2009
Well I won my fifth weekly at Talladega! Over the years I've averaged about one win a year. Last year I didn't manage anything! I blame the
COT. ;-) We start the final vote for Group Leader at the green flag at Texas. So don't forget to vote!
October 26, 2009
Another great weekend for Jimmie!!!! That and the G/L primaries are over! It looks like our two candidates for Group Leader will be Homrs
and Duke! Two great choices for the group. The final voting will begin at the drop of the green flag at Texas. We had 35 members who
voted). So lets see if we can't get an even bigger turnout for the big vote!
October 20, 2009
The primary election is well underway, and we have had some good participation so far (31 votes as of this morning)! Your vote is still
needed though. If you haven't voted yet, get your butt to the Message Board and do your civic duty! The newbie list for 2010 has three
members listed on it so far. If you have a friend who's interested in NASCAR, wants to play the SCC game, and have some fun in 2010 get
them signed up now.
October 17, 2009
Another Saturday at the office and more caterpillar butts to look at! Don't forget folks that this evening is the start of our elimination
round of voting. We have three fine candidates running for G/L; Bruce Sherrill, Geoffrey Trebec, and Jim Holmes, Sr. This week's vote
will determine which two will go on to the final campaign week and the vote for Supreme...I mean Group Leader of Thread Headed
Strangers, TBDGOTB&TV!
October 14, 2009
For those of you who haven't heard, we have an election for Group Leader going on. This week is the first week of campaigning. So
there's some interesting reading to be had on the THS Message Board. Now is the time to go over there and ask the candidates
questions if you have them. Big E will set up the vote in the Elections Forum to begin with the drop of the green flag at Lowe's. The
voting will continue all week. We have three candidates, so this first vote will weed out one. So if you don't have a members account for
the message board get off the couch and get er done!
October 13, 2009
Looks like Jessie is continuing her winning ways! Great Score Jessie! The Kali Krew had a great time at Fontana. I got to have dinner and
spend the night at Homrs and Janie's place in Grand Terrace. Its always a treat to spend time with the Holmes family. And then the next
morning run over to the track and link up with Ken and Kenny! Damn the kid is getting tall. I guess I can't call him a kid anymore! I
remember the first time we met at the track, he was just a little guy, but already had a great grasp of the drivers and what the game was
all about. Well I was happy with this year's finish! Jimmie won and Kenny's man Jeff came in second! RJ's driver came in somewhere
farther down the list (who really cares?)! ;-)
After the race we got together in the parking lot and barbecued dinner (Jay's version of Chicken Cordon Bleu) and drank beer and
toasted the race day with some Crown Royal! Ken and I also enjoyed the pleasure of a fine cigar! The prefect end to a great day at
Fontana. The next morning I got up and headed to my friend's in the Wrightwood area to check on how they made it through the fire.
Then it was the long drive home and back to work until 5 pm.
October 9, 2009
Damn how time flies when you're having fun. Work has been way too demanding. Don't they know I have a life outside of work! They're
cutting into my play time on the computer! So much has happened since the last time I posted. We completed another segment and
CONGRATS TO JESSIE for the Segment 2 win! She beat out Big E by a mere 28 points, but a win is a win!
So far Segment 3 has been a real challenge! Prices are so high it seems difficult for many members (me included) to put together a high
scoring team. Anyone who scores an 800 this segment will be a NASCAR Guru for sure!
The process has begun for the selection of the next Group Leader (G/L). Big E has decided not run for a second term, and we are taking
nominations on the THS Message Board. Nominations are open until the drop of the checkered flag this weekend at California. So if you
interested in putting your name in the hat or seeing who the potential leaders are get your butts over to the Elections Forum and take a
gander. If you are not a paid member the forum is closed to you for posting.
August 25, 2009
What a month! Work has been hectic and I've been out trying to finish up most of my research projects. I'm still finding new species and
need to spend some time this winter on descriptions and publication. I sat down and got some things written and sent off to my
co-author last week, so that one is progressing.
My domination of the Pentathlon Challenge this segment has slipped. Now I might still be able to pull off a win, but I'm thinking the
momentum has shifted to others. Michigan really hurt! I had Jimmie and Mark, and both pulled boner moves by not getting fuel so they
could make it to the end. The commentators were all aghast when Jr came in for fuel, but his final score was very decent (esp. for Jr).
Certainly it was better than being in the 30's! Damn! Oh well its been fun running near the top! And I'm now in the top ten in THS! The
group is so good that I consider being in the top ten a rewarding achievement in itself.
July 29, 2009
As most of you may have heard I took most of last week off on vacation (Thank God!). I have a college student who has asked me to
mentor him in entomology. He came down from northern California and we spent the week travelling to various habitats looking for
insects and discussing the specific adaptations necessary for success in tough environmental settings. It was a fun time, passing on
knowledge to someone with a bright future in the field.
This week has been spent trying to dig out from under all the work that piled up while I was away! Yesterday we had a big meeting with
USDA and they announced that they are going to provide the County with some new equipment to help me identify specimens and teach
inspectors in the neighboring counties on insect, spider, and weed seed identification. They also want to provide me with some training
on the new equipment. That means they'll be sending me to Philadelphia, PA for three days this fall! Sometimes it pays to be good at what
you do! ;-)
July 16, 2009
Damn its been a hot week! This is mid-summer and we're now into the long spell without rain and days in 100's. This weekend NASCAR
take s a break and now what will we do with each other. Tradition tells us that "racing withdrawals" will bring out the best in the
membership ;-) ! I expect the usual drama, from the usual suspects!
July 6, 2009
Here's hoping everyone had a great Fourth of July! I spent the fourth up in the Sierras with buddy from Florida. The meadows were full of
flowers and the weather was perfect! We caught lots of insects for him to take home and he was very happy with the trip. I have a
reputation for be an excellent tour guide when it comes to finding interesting insects and that reputation is still intact! Anyway it was a
fun way to spend the weekend and I enjoyed the trips to the mountains. The highest elevation we visited was 8,200 feet. At that meadow
I found the head of a rare beetle. While I'd rather have the whole insect, at least I now know a place to look for it in the future.
June 22, 2009
I enjoyed watching the road course race, but I hate picking a team. I had two basic setups and couldn't decide which one to use. So I split
them between the various games. Unfortunately I placed the lesser team in THS. The other strategy earned about 100 more points, but I
certainly needed those points in Survivor! Oh well, on to Watkins Glen, and another sucky results!
June 19, 2009
Well here we are at Friday and another week is done! Thank God! I don't know why, but this year seems particularly busy! More new pests
to look for, more export programs to oversee, and the same old pests (you know who you are ;-) ) to deal with! Damn I need a Saturday
off, but I'm on call this weekend. Now for the really tough question, do I change my SCC team all around to try and score better on the
road course, or hold on to the cost savings I have on these drivers? Decisions, decisions! :-)
June 17, 2009
Monday they had me at the office until 7:00pm looking at worm butts! Yesterday was spent out walking nursery fields looking for plant
diseases and today is full of meetings on insect pests and citrus diseases. The work just keeps piling up! Oh well the pay is good! :-)
June 15, 2009
For those who care, I haven't been feeling well for the past couple of weeks. Nothing specific and the doctor can't find anything
particular. Probably just the meds not working well with one another. Last week my boss had a seizure and her assistant had a
respiratory infection, so I had to cover the office and try to be three people. Saturday found me running all over the hills with a friend
from Virginia. It was a nice day, but it really wore me out. Sunday I decided to just kick back and try to relax. Damn Jimmie had to run out
of gas on the last lap. I didn't feel like heading into the office to use the computer to see who won. Now I've got to deal with Jessie and
her bitching about no one posting Joanne's win on Sunday. Monday isn't soon enough I guess!
May 27, 2009
Well we got the Segment off to a rousing start! Looks like we have a tight race at the top with lots of 700 scores. Da Hood is occupied by
some old faces and a few new ones. We had a couple of teams that seemed to forget to pick their drivers and that will always see
spending lots of time in Da Hood! Welcome one and all to Segment 2, and may the racing gods be with you!
May 21, 2009
Yes!!! At last the break is over! Cup practice is this afternoon and qualifying for the 600 will be tonight! Don't forget to move your team to
the new segment group! Group name is "THS 2009 Segment 2". If you didn't get the password in an e-mail from Big E just send him an
e-mail or PM from the message board. Good Luck this weekend! Plus we're supposed to have a side game this weekend! So be sure and
get your teams in place!
May 15, 2009
Happy NASCAR Day!
Another sunny day here. It should get over 100F on Sunday, so tomorrow will be spent trying to get my research done before the real
heat hits! Good Luck with the All-Star Race and may your favorite driver be wicked fast!
May 11, 2009
The All Star Race is this weekend, and Duke has posted his All Star Challenge Game. The game will remain open for players until we get
all the positions filled or Friday @ 6:00 pm.
I went over to the coast on Saturday. The sky was overcast, but the it was nice with a little breeze. I had a great time at the beach and
managed to collect one of the insects that I had hoped to see. There was a black line in the sand marking the high tide, and at first I
thought it was tar or an oil spill. Then I got down and looked and it was black leaf bits and buds from the Santa Barbara fire. Apparently
the currents carried it up high enough that it was able to get blown out to sea and deposited on the beach. The foggy conditions seem
to be helping the firefighters get the upper hand on the fire.
May 7,2009
For those who use the Track Stats, the site has been updated, thanks Wetz!
Looks like I might make it through another week without killing myself! Its been crazy around here for the last two weeks with the boss
being gone and having to pick up the slack and do my own job. The new shipping season for stone fruit has begun so I'm back to looking
at worm butts and other insect unmentionables. My counterpart to the north decided to go on vacation to South America and do some
insect collecting down there. That leaves me covering six counties! The one good thing is that I certainly have job security!
May 4, 2009
I had a great Saturday. We had some good rain Friday night so everything was clean and damp when I got up Saturday morning. I was
feeling a little off, but decided I needed to get my research project caught up and drove the 250 miles to get all of my insect traps
serviced. While driving through the westside foothills I came across a female tarantula that had been drowned out of her burrow and
was sunning in the middle of the road. So I stopped and caught her for my boss. The hills were really very pretty and the temps were in
the mid-60's so it was a very pleasant day. The traps were full of the targeted insects so all in all it was a very productive time. I also got
home in time to catch the start of the race at Richmond. To bad Jimmie had his problems!
Sunday was spent working on the specimens from the traps and trying to deal with the issues on the board. Its times like this that make
me wonder why I ever agreed to do this.
Today is grey and breezy. My coworker who was sick last week called in with the flu this morning. The little girl that lives down the street
came back positive for Swine Flu. Hopefully he didn't bring it to the office. I have another employee who called in with the flu (worked
with her on Wednesday), but she tested negative for swine flu, just the normal seasonal flu.
May 1, 2009
The boss went to a conference this week and left me in charge. That means I have to do her job, her assistant's job (sick or vacation),
and my job. It certainly has kept me hoping! (sorry for the bug joke) The skies are clouding up and it looks like we can expect some more
rain, which is getting kind of late for this area. They expect us to stay in this drizzly pattern for about a week and during that time the rain
will spread right across the country. So don't be surprised if some of this comes your way too. Lets hope they get the race in at
Richmond this weekend.
In case you haven't noticed there is an open question to the group posted on the message board regarding its future. Look under Q & A
for the Webmaster. If you have any ideas or thoughts please let me know by either posting a response or through PM's and emails.
April 21, 2009
Boy have I been busy! Working hard all week and then running around on the weekends doing research on beetles. I got hooked up with
some grant funds and I wanted to earn as much extra cash as I could. They're paying me $100/day to do the survey work. This money will
help pay for the gas I use doing my summer research on Anambodera. Sorry I haven't been around the blog lately, but I have just had
enough time to update the website and read some on the forums.
March 27, 2009
What a week! It just flew by. I took a couple of days off last week and spent this one just trying to catch up. Last Sunday I took a fellow
entomologist from Florida on a collecting trip to the west side of the valley. While we were over there we got hit with sleet, rain, hail, and
snow. Each of these weather events were short lived but fun for sunny Kaleefournya. We also managed to get lots of the beetles we
were looking for. This was the storm that eventually caused all the trouble in Mississippi. Tomorrow I'll be heading back over to do a
little more survey work and set some insect traps.
Today is Nougat's first birthday! It was one year ago that I got the call in the middle of the night from friends asking how to deliver kittens
and begging for me to come over and help. I'll have to open a can of gourmet cat food for him this evening!
March 19, 2009
I had a beautiful day out in the foothills yesterday collecting insects. The area is so green now and the flowers are really starting to
bloom. I took off the day of vacation and will be doing the same thing tomorrow. This is best time of year around here.
March 17, 2009
I have a fellow entomologist visiting from Virginia. I took Friday off and we spent three days hiking and looking for insects! I wore myself
out walking (wouldn't be surprised if we cover more than 20 miles), but is was fun having someone to hang with who also talks bug! We'll
be getting together again tomorrow and doing some more hunting. We had a very fun and successful time over the weekend. The
weather continues to turn more spring-like and the wildflowers are starting to put on their annual show.
I got the scores updated today, and finished a few odds and ends on the website. I like the fact that we're seeing more posts on the
Fantasy and NASCAR Forums. It should be a significant part of the equation when it comes to what this group of misfits is all about.
Thanks Steeler. And thanks Big E for putting up with us!
March 12, 2009
The site has kept me sooo busy this week that I haven't had much time to get over here and post. Its time for spring cleaning and I've
been getting some of the projects I've put off completed. I got the site updated from the Atlanta race and then did some needed
reorganization and pruning of the Board. I have to go in and delete old posts every now and then just to keep the database from
becoming too full. It seems like every time we get to about 10,000 posts the "critical error" messages begin to show up. So I try to keep
the posts from building up. Also work has kept me hopping. I do need to keep the boss happy and under the illusion that I'm doing work.
Don't forget that tomorrow is Friday the 13th! Do try to be careful and watch out for black cats and ladders!
March 2, 2009
DAMN! Why did I drop McMurray for Kenseth? Another sorry score for another sorry week in Da Hood! I can't pick a good team for
nothing this season!
We're supposed to have a rainy week here in sunny Kaleefournya. We certainly need it! Yesterday while waiting from a call from my
buddy Homrs I was out front weeding and watering the plants. The phone rang I decided to run in and try and answer it before it went to
the answering machine. Unfortunately my feet were wet and when they hit the linoleum I went flying! I bent the toes on my left foot way
back and slammed my right foot into something hard. I didn't pay much attention to the right foot cause I thought I broke the left. Now the
left foot is fine (just a little sore), but the big toe of my right foot is all bruised and achy. Turned out it was just the drugstore calling to
say my prescription was ready. Had a nice chat with Homrs a little later on.
February 27, 2009
Damn, have I been away from this place that long? I've been very busy with the office and life! Spring is fast approaching and lot of stuff
needs to get taken care of and people are coming out of the wood work with stuff for me to do. The roommate moved out again! So that's
it for trying to have someone else around the place. Its actually kind of nice to have a lot less drama, and he was eating me out of house
and home without contributing as much $$ as he should have. I can already see the difference in my bank account. Who needs a
stimulus package, just get rid of the bottomless pit. My home computer is down and I still need to get it repaired. I thought I would be
lost without it at home, but its actually not a big loss. It does effect my game on THS though. It usually means that I don't have the chance
to make last minute changes or review my teams before the green flag. That bit me at Fontana. I thought I had changed my team on
Friday and apparently didn't. Big mistake! So now I'm stuck in Da Hood (the place is swarming with old friends though).
February 6, 2009
Sorry I've been away for the past two weeks, but the boss decided that I must need something more to do and has been throwing
everything at me except for the kitchen sink. She has me running from fire to fire to try and put out the flames. Then this week my home
computer crashed again and I just haven't had time to take it somewhere to get it fixed. Sometimes I hate computers!
January 23, 2009
Another short and busy week! My roommate showed up and wanted to move back in! Said he had made a terrible mistake and wouldn't
do it again. He is like an "adopted" son to me, so after making him sweat for a while I said okay. I really do like having someone around
the place. The new pills have finally kicked in and I'm feeling more like my old self. I've started cleaning the website up and spending
more time with you guys on the board. I hate to dump all of last year's games and things too quickly. It gives the newbies a good idea of
the kinds of things we do around here. Just remember that last season we only had one member win a week with a score in the 600's,
the rest were all in the 7-800's.
January 14, 2009
What a week so far. I came home from work on Monday to find that my roommate moved out during the day! No notice, he started the new
job and just moved. Oh well, nothing missing and I guess its best that he be on his own. The week has been killer so far, busy from dawn
to dusk, so I haven't had any real time to post anything here or on the board. Tonight I've got a meeting with the local Boy Scout Council.
Back in early December I agreed to help them with their annual fund raising program. Its just a dog and pony show that we take to
parents to ask them to chip in some funds for support of the local office and scout camp. It just makes for another full day.
January 9, 2009
Well today is Friday, and if I can get through the day I will have finished out the week with at least three day "worked". At least I'm here.
The roommate and I went grocery shopping last night. He paid so I let him get all the goodies he wanted. I'm going to have to keep an
eye on him and his splurge spending. He's like a big kid and is a bottomless pit. He's been helpful to have around though during the past
couple of weeks, so I can't complain. He starts his new job on Monday. The pills are slow to take effect, but they've cut out most of my
symptoms, so I'm making it day by day.
January 7, 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Some may have wondered what happened to Da Bugz? As some of you may know I had a mild stroke in 2001 (Bell's Palsy, couldn't talk,
couldn't write, trouble walking). I got over it and recovered so that no would guess that it happened, but it left me with some long term
issues. The most annoying of which is a chemical imbalance in the brain that results in periodic bouts of panic & anxiety attacks. This has
been under control for a number of years now and last summer I feeling so good that I told the doctor to shove his pills. Well the short
days and grey weather got me down and they came back with a vengeance! We tried going back on the old meds and they didn't seem to
help anymore. So now we've moved on to something new. So far it seems to be working and I've returned to work after a week off.
Better living through chemistry!
December 15, 2008
I decided to take in a new roommate. A buddy of mine had lost his job to the lousy economy and needed someplace cheap to stay until he
can get things together. I had a spare bedroom and his small income will allow him to help on the rent, which wont hurt me none. Anyway,
it helps to have someone around during the holidays when I tend get a bit morose anyway. It sure is disruptive though having someone
moving stuff in and shifting things around! I'm afraid I've gotten a bit set in my ways living alone. This will probably be good for me in the
long run. Kick me out of my rut!
December 4, 2008
For those of you who are interest, the Lifetime Scores have been updated on the website. Looks like I manage to make some modest
gains on CowboyDD (aka Redneck Racing). There's always next year.
December 2, 2008
Can you believe how rapidly the year is passing? Damn it seems like we started the racing season just the other day and now its over. I
plan to watch the Awards Dinner on December 5th, and see Jimmie receive all the honors deserved by a three time champion.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I caught a nasty cold just days before and didn't feel like traveling anywhere, so I stayed
home and had stuffed salmon. My mother (RIP) cooked turkey dry and I never found it that appetizing, so I usually try and avoid it.
Anyway, I just wanted to pop into the blog and let everyone know, "Its Alive!"
November 19, 2008
Yesterday was good. I think I'm getting caught up on the work and have been trying to get website cleaned up. I've been going through
the site and changing things to reflect the end of the season. And of course I've been updating the leadership to reflect the changes in
group leadership. We're going to be going into the winter months now and things tend to get quiet around here. Don't be strangers, visit
the message board and think about interesting side games and bets that you can use for next year! I'll be hanging around the place
posting to the Blog and making sure you are all proud of the site.
There's an old Chinese saying, "May you live in interesting times!" I'm not sure if its a blessing or a curse, but we certainly are living in
interesting times. So there's always plenty to talk about!
November 18, 2008
Last week was a fun time! Tuesday through Friday I took off to spend some time looking for tiger beetles with my buddy from Virginia. Its
always a crap shoot when you plan a trip well in advance, but everything worked out perfectly! Every day we set a goal and everyday we
either achieved the goal or out did it! Wednesday I got together with my son Rob to go have sushi (had to postpone it for one day), and
had a good time stuffing our faces at our favorite restrauant. I've been taking him there since he was born. When he was little his
favorite thing to do was eat the suckers off the octopus. Used to gross his big sister out!
This week I got back to the office to find the place full of work and things that need to be straightened out! Typical...you take a vacation
and then spend more time trying to get things back in order.
November 5, 2008
I had a fun evening. My son came over and watched the voting returns with me. That was certainly more than I would have hoped for last
year, so I'm a happy man this morning. Tomorrow is his 27th birthday. We decided to go out for sushi next Tuesday to celebrate his
birthday.
November 4, 2008
Get Out And Vote!!
Today is election day, so everyone needs to make their voices heard! If you don't vote you don't have any right to complain about the
outcome! Same goes for THS' Group Leader. Please make yourself heard by placing your vote at the Election Forum on the message
page! This morning I got most of site updated. If you count on Wetz's Stats be assured that they have been updated through Texas!
Thanks Wetz for the hard work! I know I check them out every week when trying to make my decision about who to run. Da Hoodlums
played musical chairs this week with only Kyle Ward escaping to visit friends up-town! That put our friend Joker in the 40th box. I still
need to come up with a picture for this player! Any help in this endeavour would be appreciated! Check out who is leading the Overall in
the group this week! You probably won't be too surprised to find out which of our excellent players has taken over the lead. Enjoy the
week and remember there's only two more races to go!
October 29, 2008
Outside of Gypsy it was a Western THS Chat last night. As usual a good time was had by all! Try and drop by for Chat next Tuesday and
see what all the fuss is! I'm heading out to do an inspection this morning, so I want to make a quick effort to get a few things updated on
the website before I go!
October 27, 2008
I survived another weekend! I didn't do much, I got up Saturday to find that I had a nail in the rear tire of my Explorer. I change the tire
(first time in the Explorer), which meant trying to find all the pieces of the jack. They provide you with a diagram where things are hidden,
but it didn't match up very well with my car. Anyway, I haul the thing down to WalMart to have it fixed. They said sure, no problem, come
back in an hour. I gave them two and when I returned I had to stand in line for half an hour to find out that they decided the nail was too
close to the side-wall. Bullshit!!! By then I couldn't find another tire store open on a Saturday afternoon! So Sunday morning I took it down
to Discount Tire Center and they said sure, no problem and fixed the damn thing. I think the WalMart crew just didn't want to mess with a
cheap service.
Then came Sunday's race and I was really bummed by Jimmie's speeding penalty, but did you see how he came back at the end? Go
Jimmie!!! Three in a row!!! Unfortunately my score of 698 didn't help me make any progress in my goal to make it into the top ten this
segment. Oh well, there's still three weeks to go!!!
October 24, 2008
Well we made it to Friday! I got my Yahoo Team set last night! And now we wait to see if the rain does indeed come to Atlanta today. It
would be nice to have a little more information to work with other than Wetz' excellent statistical review of past performance! Good Luck
to all the members of THS....TBDGOTB&TV!
October 23, 2008
We have another candidate for Group Leader! Kenny Houser, Jr is now going to join the campaign trail! Good Luck Kenny!
October 22, 2008
Wow! Has the board ever been lively for the past two days! It looks like a good start to some interesting discussions. Hopefully some
good ideas for the future of the group will come out of this process that the next G/L can use. Otherwise its just another bitchfest.
Those who didn't make it to chat last night missed out on a lot of fun! We had quite a mix of members old and new, and I think all had
"good times"! There wasn't a lot of politics (group or national) discussed, just a bunch of friends getting together for lively chatter and
drinks! Crown Royal seemed to be the drink of choice for the ladies, and the men were of varied tastes. We always say that we will do
this every Tuesday, but having such a large and animated crowd is rare! Next Week!!! Glad you're feeling better Swami!
October 20, 2008
Go Jimmie!! Three in a row!!!
I've nominated Big E for Group Leader. There are a number of members that would make a good GL, but Big E has shown through his
actions that he would put the time in to do the job right! He's also one of the newer members and I want to see more participation in
running the group by someone other than the same group of OLD members. The present leadership is doing a great job, and Big E has
been helping that group. He will come into the job with his eyes wide open, and knows exactly what to expect. Its time for a change (I
heard that somewhere recently)! VOTE BIG E FOR G/L!!
October 18, 2008
Yesterday evening I got bored and decided to do something I haven't done in ages. I went to downtown Visalia to check out the action. I
arrived at the first bar at 7:30 and was the only patron. Its a sports bar so I watched the football game for awhile and then gave up to
wander farther downtown. I ran into friends at the local Bistro and the woman tried to set me up with a date with a school teacher friend
of hers. Then I made it into a place called the Cellar Door. I had heard that they can have a fun crowd. The place was packed, but I
noticed that some of the women were dressed somewhat oddly (long dressing gown or kaftans). I couldn't believe all the people packed
in and then I found out why. I had stumbled into a belly dancing convention! God is good!!! I didn't know we had that many belly dancers
in the area. So I spent the rest of the evening watching and having a good time.
October 17, 2008
Well another week is almost over! I'm look forward to the weekend. Saturday I'm going to go out west of town and look for tiger beetles.
My buddy from Virginia will be here next week and I want to get an idea of whether the beetles are out yet. It may be a little early.
Hopefully I be able to put together a good team this week. I would dearly love to make it into the top ten in THS for this segment. So far
I've be loitering just outside in 11th or 12th.
October 15, 2008
Well tonight we get to hear the candidates go at it again! The debates have been rather boring, but its fun to see what the "news"
channels make of the outcome! Last time I thought both guys did okay, but that Obama probably did a little better. McCain came off a little
stiff and like he was wishing he didn't have to be there. I gave a slight nod to Obama. Watching FOX after the debate they thought that
MCCain smashed Obama to the ground and stomped all over him! I was left wondering whether I watched the same debate. CNN seemed
to have the best analysis, with people from both sides commenting on the outcome. They seemed to feel the same way I did. MSNBC of
course thought Obama had McCain by the neck, and choked the life from him!
October 14, 2008
Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving and I got an invite to a friend's house for dinner with his family. Far be it from me to turn down a
free meal. No one seemed to know why the Canadians celebrate on October 13th. It was suggested that since they have done so little
first when compared to the US that they decided to have their Thanksgiving before us. Well the food was good and the family was
certainly animated. It got difficult to keep track of the conversation with everyone talking at once, so I begged off and headed home after
dessert.
October 13, 2008
Today my uncle was buried in his beloved Colorado mountains. RIP
Over the weekend winter seemed to arrive in force! It was damn cold and breezy the whole weekend. The only good thing about it was
that I felt the urge to cook. For months it just been too hot to really get out the pots and pans. So I made a big pot of Hot and Sour Soup,
Ginger Chicken, and a stir-fry vegetable dish with crab meat. I made so much food I had to invite friends over to eat with me! One buddy
said he was shocked to find out that I could not only cook but make something that was delicious! All summer I cook on the grill outside
or do Healthy Choice microwave meals. Its easy and doesn't heat up my apartment. Anyway it was fun!
October 7, 2008
Nougat went in to see the vet this morning to have his nuggets removed! I feel badly for him, but... Anyway I get to pick him up at noon
and take him home. Today is supposed to get up to 89F. We'll be having a brief warm up and then another dip into the 70's. There were
worms waiting to be identified on my desk when I got in this morning, so it looks like another busy day. Better get my latex gloves on (the
ones that Da Secretary sent me) and start looking at worm butts!
October 6, 2008
Well, the shoe dropped. My dear Uncle Floyd passed on to his maker Saturday night. He told his daughter that he wasn't feeling very
good and she was going to help him to bed when he collapsed and died. His heart just stopped ticking. I good thing is that he got his
wish to be here for the 70th Anniversary party and to be able to share the love of his family all gathered together one last time. He was in
such good spirits when I left, and looked so happy that I deluded myself into hoping he would make it to 100 (when I knew that he was
living on borrowed time). He was a dear man and I will miss him.
October 3, 2008
Everything seems to be going my way lately. When I went north I was hating having to put everything on the credit card that I was just
about to pay off, but I figured I'd get it paid off someday, and a little debt wasn't going to stop me. A while back I helped an old friend with
a report he was writing as part of his biological survey company. I got a thank you card in the mail yesterday along with a check for $500.
Yippee! I had told him not to worry about it, but he apparently felt otherwise. Then another friend who has a nursery sent an email saying
he needed some help repotting some rare plants and wondered if I would consider helping out on Saturday. It sounded like fun, plus he
puts on a good spread when we get together, and I love talking plants. Turns out that I will get about $300+ in plants for the effort that I
can put on ebay. This along with some other projects I have in the works should end up paying for my trip in short order! Things are
going so well that I'm waiting for something to go wrong ;-).
October 2, 2008
Well I made it back from my five day trip to Walla Walla. I had a great time with the old folks and relatives. My aunt and uncle were thrilled
to see me and my visit made them very happy. They celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary with a renewal of their vows, feeding
each other cake and the required kisses. He's 98 and she's 92. On Sunday I went with my cousins on a Rattlesnake hunt. My cousin Alan
had never experienced a live buzzworm, so we went out to an old basalt flow area and poked around in the rocks. We were able to find
four, and everyone declared the effort a success. And no we didn't kill them or eat them. It was just an educational opportunity.
When I got home there was a ton of work waiting for me at the office! I was able to quickly update most of the site, but there are still
things I haven't gotten done. Tuesday night I heard a knock at my front door and when opened came face to face with a young man I
couldn't quite place. It was my son!!! I haven't heard from Rob for 1 1/2 years and I haven't seen him since he came home on leave from
Germany while he was in the Army. I gave him a big hug and dragged him into my apartment so we could have a nice chat. I think he had
been avoiding coming by because he thought I would be mad that he hadn't been around. I was just happy to know he was alive and
desperate to find out how things are going for him since he got out of the service. Hopefully now that he has broken the cycle of
procrastination and guilt he will be coming around more often.
September 22, 2008
Yesterday was an up and down day. I felt like shit most of the time. My blood pressure was fluctuating and I kept having to lay down to
keep from falling down. Today I feel better, but still don't feel like I'm firing on all cylinders. This is the week I fly north to visit the old
folks and get together with my cousins. I think its time to remove cousin GW from the family tree. He sure has screwed this country up.
We had a budget surplus when he took office and now we're planning to take the deficit to 13+ trillion! We're involved in multiple wars,
some justified, some not. The greedy bastards in corporate America got the green light from GW's administration and now we're being
asked to bail them out, and I doubt that any of them will loose much sleep or money in the deal. I think I will ask my cousins to run GW out
of the Haines clan on a rail. I think Barbara must of dropped him on his head when he was a baby. GrGrGrGrGrGrGrandpa Carlisle Haines
must be rolling in his grave!
September 17, 2008
I've already got 100 worm butts to review and its only 9:00am! That means I'll spend the whole morning on worms and reports. An old
friend called yesterday and said he wants to take me to see "Walking with dinosaurs" for my birthday, so I'm taking the afternoon off to
go with him to Fresno. He's 70 and thinks it will be exciting to see the puppet and animatronic dinosaurs. I'll tag along to make him happy.
September 15, 2008
Happy Birthday to ME!!! 56 years ago today the egg hatched and my parents were presented with a bouncing baby larva! It took me a long
time to grow up (some might say that I still haven't matured), but I did manage to survive to reproductive age.!
It may take me a while to get things updated this week. We still have members in the old group and I'll probably have to wait for Big E to
get me the official scores from Loudon.
September 12, 2008
What a week! I stood in line at the Dept of Motor Vehicles and got my license renewed. I also made sure to get my plane tickets for my
trip to Walla Walla at the end of the month. The worms, the worms! I'm still being inundated with worm identifications. Every identification
takes a little time, but the reports are what take forever to produce. And then they have to get to all the right people who have to ask
endless questions. I've had some time available to update the site, but its not as much as I really need to make sure I've got everything
rihgt. Congrats to all the segment winners, both in THS and the Side Games!!!
September 9, 2008
Yesterday morning I went in to the Dentist to have two crowns replaced. One had a cavity at the base of it. They were old and the metal
irritated the gums and trapped food. So they replaced them fixed the tooth and trimmed the gums. 3 hours in the chair, man was I sore.
Then when I got to the office my desk was covered with work and it never let up all day. I was achy and grumpy all afternoon.
I'm glad to see that DaBossman had the time to try and fix the message board. I was going to try to find the time today to see what could
be done, along with updating the site.
August 28, 2008
Oh Joy! It feels like I'm coming down with a summer cold. :-( I got up this morning to a scratchy throat and sinus drainage, now it feels like
I've got a fever going. I'll probably head home around noon.
Probably like everyone else in the group I'm keeping a close eye on Gustav and praying that Diane and Rusty don'e get hit again! And
now we have Jester down there too! Stay safe guys!
August 27, 2008
I had friends over for dinner last night, which made for a nice change. Had a pleasant evening. There was a nice breeze out. After they
left I got out a good book and read for a while. A pretty boring existence eh?
August 25, 2008
Another week, another crappy score! At least Kenny and I did better in TIAR! I've got to get busy and get the site updated. Have a great
week!
August 19, 2008
Yesterday I told the boss I'm taking some time off to visit with my Aunt and Uncle at the end of September. They said okay, so now I'm
finalizing my plans. My cousin thinks Uncle Floyd will be fine until then and I can go help them celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.
I'm looking forward to spending time with them and my cousins, but also thinking about how this will probably be our last visit together
on this earth.
I've already had busy morning full of worm butts (40 done so far). Yesterday afternoon I pulled the genitalia on the little beetles I
collected on Sunday, and this afternoon I have hundreds of ant lips that need to be checked to see if any are Red Imported Fire Ant. We
don't have RIFA here in Tulare County and certainly don't want to let them get established. So we place little traps baited with SPAM to
see what ants are here. AH! A day of worm butts and ant lips! Does it get any better?
August 18, 2008
What a weekend! Friday night I got an e-mail from my cousin in Washington State. She said that my Uncle Floyd had been going the to
hospital last week with weakness and his heart stopped twice while he was there. He's 98 and my Aunt Sylvia is 93. They're the last
old-timers from my father's family. They've been more like grandparents to me than Aunt and Uncle, so I was very concerned by the
news. I called my uncle on Saturday morning and he said, "My heart stopped a couple of times last week, but I'm ticking now! You know
Dennis I'm 98 years old. Never does any good to dwell on the negative, only by being positive can you hope to make a change. So I just
take what the Lord gives me one day at a time." You'd have to hear him to get the full impact. He's a quiet man, who talks very slowly and
deliberately. I've never known him to raise his voice or get too excited. Their 70th wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of
September and I'm hoping he keeps on ticking until then.
Saturday was spent working at the office, and then when my day was done I move my upstairs bedroom suite down and out of the
apartment and moved a new one upstairs. It was 101F! I was dripping sweat and worn out when I got done. Sunday I drove over to the
westside of the valley to check my traps and listen to the race on MRN. It seemed like every driver I picked either had a blown engine or
got into some kind of trouble during the race! I'm this week's recipient of the HUA Award!
August 15, 2008
Another super busy week! The boss was away at a conference all week and you would think that would mean I could play, but no! With
the boss gone that meant extra work for me. Then there were more issues than usual to deal with. So with the boss gone and the
retirement of one of my coworkers I was kept hoping all week. I'm scheduled to work again Saturday, so it will be another long week.
August 11, 2008
Not a bad score this weekend. It was good enough to keep me in 15th this segment (tied with my buddy Kenny). I sure would like to get
into the top ten after the sucky start to the segment. I almost dropped all the way into Da Hood. Who knows what Da Hoodlums would
have done to me had I had to spend the week with them? I stayed home this weekend and watched the Olympics and racing, not a bad
way to pass time! GO USA!!! GO JIMMIE!!! The wreck at The Glen was incredible! What a mess!
August 8, 2008
WORMS, WORMS, WORMS!!!
I am getting tired of worms! I've been giving interviews on the great Striped Armyworm invasion of Tulare all week! For those who don't
go to the message board you can see the interview I gave that made it to CNN here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/08/07/dnt.worm.invasion.kgpe . The week started off with a mild case of food poisoning, so I
felt crappy on Monday (no pun intended)! Eventually the imodium kicked in and I got feeling better. When I got to work on Tuesday I had
identifications backed up and all kinds of fires to put out. Then the boss sent me out to check for an unwanted insect pest at our biggest
ornamental nursery, Monrovia Growers. After that I started giving the interviews on the worm invasion and trying to get some work
done! I did manage to get the site updated between issues, and even had time to read the boards now and then.
The worm story was the big thing. There were all these irate homeowners being overrun by caterpillars. They were squishing them,
sweeping them, screaming at them, jumping up and down, scooping them out of their pools, and being bitten by them. We even had one
guy out there with a butane burner BBQ'ing them! The caterpillars are stupid and when they crawl up on you they nibble to see if you're
edible. While they don't draw blood or anything, it isn't pleasant. The worms had eaten up the alfalfa field next door and then decided to
look for greener pastures, migrating by the millions! The ick factor was extreme for the neighborhood.
July 29, 2008
Worms kept me busy all weekend, and I even had to work late last night! Today is payday, so tonight I head to market to shop and restock
the beer supply! Hopefully I'll get home in time to join in on chat. Looks like I should move up in the group some more this week. I may
not be fight for access to Da Penthouse, but I'm not smelling stale Piss Meister either!
July 25, 2008
Its Friday and the cars will be back on the track! All is good with the world! May the racing gods be kind to one and all in TBDGOTB&TV!
July 24, 2008
Yesterday my desk was inundated with worms! One of my counties brought in 50 worms that needed to be manipulated and their tiny
little cheeks spread! The thought of Da Secretary and her treatment of Da Hoodlums passed through my mind several times as I worked
through the samples! Then there were the reports that had to generated and sent out. I love my job, but sometimes it all seems a little
perverse. And those were just the samples from the neighboring county. I had my own county samples to process too. Today I've already
had 30 worms brought in. I better get started spreading those cheeks! "Now this is going to feel a little uncomfortable."
July 22, 2008
Another day in paradise! For those who don't follow the drama on the Message Board, yesterday was another day of pointing out my
failings as the webmaster. Eventually Jessie decided that one of us had to be in charge of her board. I chose me! So when she dared me
to give her time out I did. She is on a one week suspension of all board privileges. She promised that I would have to deal with her gang
and suspend them too, but I'm hoping that they will see how childish she was and has been acting for some time now. The board is
supposed to be a place for all members of the group to be able to socialize and have fun, and lately not that many people seem to have
the stomach for all the drama and petty fights.
July 21, 2008
Well the weekend is over! I only had to go into the office twice on Saturday. Sunday was kinda strange without a cup race, but that means
its Monday and I don't have anything to update on the site! This morning isn't as cloudy as yesterday was, but there is a nice breeze and
its very nice outside! Maybe I can find an excuse to go to the field this morning!
July 17, 2008
It looks like they've finally gotten the upper hand on the wildfire south of us. As of this morning its 95% contained at just under 38,000
acres. The monsoon rains seem to have helped tremendously! The smoke seems to have cleared out a bit too. So we're now allowed to
breathe the air.
July 16, 2008
I finally got Wetz's track stats updated for the last few races. So those who use them in their decision making (I for one) can have the
latest info. The Bank Account has been updated (Thanks Linda), and I fixed the issues with the Relief Fund Account. If you missed it, Big
E has given me the rules for Blackjack at the Brickyard. They're posted on the Side Games page. Da Hoodlums are all in their boxes and
the Home and Scoring Pages are updated! All is well with the Website! I even managed to get my home computer to let me into the
Tuesday Chat! I must be doing something right!
July 15, 2008
My study area in Kern County continues to burn. The fire has now burned 37,000 acres, but the good news is that its 70% contained. The
bad news is that we're in the monsoon season and the afternoon thundershowers have been sending mud flows down the hill into the
little communities at the base of the mountain. We had a couple of days where they received three inches of rain in a short period of
time! So every evening we get the flash flood alerts from the weather service.
Today is pay day, so I get to eat again! Pay day is always a good day ;-) Tonite I need to go shopping and restock the frig and shelves at
home.
July 14, 2008
Another great racing weekend! Saturday was spent doing yard work and hanging around waiting for to see if anyone needed an
identification. I did get two calls for worms, so I made some money off the day. I did enjoy seeing the sunset from Chicagoland! That was
beautiful! Congrats to Steelerphann on a great win!
Sunday I made my way over the west side of the valley and serviced my traps. I got some good insects, so that makes the effort worth
while. It was 95F when I got finished and headed back to home. Today we're looking at another day just below 100.
July 11, 2008
Thank God its Friday! I went in to have my fasting blood test this morning. When I got out I went to get some food at McDonald's only to
fing out that I had $1.00 in my wallet. So breakfast was two apple pies.
The temp today is supposed to be a cool 100. Yesterday was hot, hot, hot at 109 by 6:00 pm. And the smoke continues to poor into the
valley from the burning hills to the north and south. I still haven't made my team selections for the week. With Q's being rained out and
limited practice I suppose I'll have to guess! Good Luck to everyone!
July 9, 2008
The doc was very good to me. He didn't grope or poke me at all! My blood pressure was good and all he did was set me up for a blood
test to check my cholesterol and liver function.
I was checking out my big beetles last night and sure enough they're emerging! I'll have to post a picture of them tomorrow. They're
around two inches in length and the males have nice horns! Maybe now I can put together "Bugz Burgers" for Da Hoodlums!
Its supposed to get up to 112 today and still smoky. Damn this is just too hot! I posted an update on the Relief Fund for Duke, in case
anyone is curious. I still need to get my money in for Rumble @ the Road Course. We have until just before the start of the race at
Watkins Glen, but if you're a procrastinator like me you better get it in now!
July 8, 2008
Its hot, its smoky, and I have my annual doctors visit today. They say we could get up 110 today. And the smoke from my study area is now
making its way into the valley. The fire has burned 31,000 acres in the mountains southeast of here. Looks like I'll have to forget about
going up there for a while. Next year!
Aw my annual visit to the doctor. Turn your head and cough, and then there's the probing! Oh joy! All this fun so that I can continue to
have my prescriptions filled. I hope he's gentler than Da Secretary!
July 3, 2008
It never ceases to amaze me that the website needs something done to it every day. There just always seems to be something that come
up.
Yesterday I found out that my study site up on Piute Mountain is burning! So far the fire has consumed over 13,000 acres in three days. I
have to hope that my study areas don't go up in smoke, but its not looking good. Sometimes fire can make things better, but it usually
takes a couple of years to recover. This site is on the edge of the desert so the dry conditions may make recovery slower.
July 2, 2008
This morning has been busy. I've already had worm butts to look at and weeds to identify. I just got out of meeting about Glasss-winged
Sharpshooter, and I need to get some information together for the state regarding potential local terrorist targets in agriculture. As they
say there is no rest for the wicked!
Speaking of wicked, my boss just got back from two weeks sailing in the British Virgin Islands. Because I helped hold down the fort here
and take care of a bunch of issues he brought me a bottle of rum. I had a drink last night and it went straight to my head! Good stuff!
Normally the gin wears off after a little while, but this rum gave me a buzz that wouldn't quit. I might have to restrict its use for Fridays
and weekends.
The first of the month means that I needed to change the Da Hood Calendar Girl! July's is a real stunner! Don't forget to drop by and say
hi to Da Hoodlums from time to time, but please no contraband!
June 30, 2008
I went over to the westside of the valley to check my traps on Sunday. When the race started I listened to it on MRN. I noticed that when
I'm listening to the race and driving on winding dirt roads I tend to go faster than necessary. I had several incidences where I was
loosing grip and sliding through the corners. The gas for the trip cost $4.64/gal.! I spent a total of $110 on gas yesterday! At least I came
home with a partial tank left.
I came around one corner behind Coalinga and found that a motorcyclist had gone off the road! His buddies were caring for him, but they
couldn't get any cell phone reception in the canyon and I went to the nearest farm house to call an ambulance. Fortunately he had been
wearing riding leathers and helmet, as he went through a barbed-wire fence and into the bushes. He was complaining that his shoulder
was hurting him, but otherwise looked okay. Anyway, once help arrived I went on about my bug hunt.
June 26, 2008
We're supposed avoid breathing again today! They now say its bad for healthy people too. My sinuses are starting to say that I shouldn't
be messing with this stuff. The light outside is more like sunset than midday! My lily didn't stink this morning. So it was just a short burst
of putridity! Today was trash day and I checked out the trash cans to make sure Jack wasn't being sent off to the landfill! ;-)
June 25, 2008
Another smoky day in Kaleefournya! They say its best that we don't breath the air!
I hadn't seen my neighbor, Jack, for a few days. His girlfriend says he's in jail for parole violation! The last time we saw him his girlfriend
was pounding on the door with a baseball bat in her hand! So we aren't sure if he's really in jail or if his body has been stuffed in the
trash can. To top it off this morning when I went down stairs I noticed the smell of death hanging in the air of my kitchen. At first I thought
the trash can needed to be taken out, so I did that. No effect on the smell. Then I clean the garbage disposal. No effect of
the smell. I closed the kitchen window and looked outside. The smell was stronger out there, and I began to wonder if
the joke about Jack being stuffed in the dumpster wasn't right! Then it dawned on me that my pink Voodoo Lily was
in bloom. Its a pretty flower, but it stinks to high heaven! The flies were thick. Here's a picture of the flower.
June 23, 2008
Time for my Monday morning lament! I suck at the damn game! I should have remembered that Gilliland was a hometown boy familiar with
the track at Sonoma! Ambrose was looking like a great pick and then... broken gear! I could have kill Harvick! oh well on to another track
and as Ben says, another loss!
What a miserably hot weekend. This morning was cooler, but the sky is brown from all the distant fires! Kaleefournya is burning while the
midwest drowns! Patty sent some pictures from her excursion to Dover and I'll get them posted to the Member's Pics page.
June 18, 2008
Yesterday was too crazy to make time to post on the blog. It was either update a couple of items on the website or babble here. So I did
the website. Duke's Rumble @ The Road Courses is scheduled to begin this weekend at Infineon. The prize is one of three COT diecasts.
See the Board or Side Game Page to get more info and sign up. Cost is $5 to play! The money goes to the Relief Fund.
No more flies have been found, so I'm hoping that this will all settle down here soon! I'm sorry to see Connie say he's quitting, but if he
doesn't like how the group is run... I try to do all I can to see that this place is available to the members of THS and represents them well.
With 50 friends playing the game there is always going to be some friction, but this year nerves seem to particularly sensitive!
June 16, 2008
I suck at this stupid game! I couldn't pick a good team if I knew who was going to win in advance!
The weekend was hectic and a mess. The State showed up on Saturday and I gave them all the assistance I could between looking at
worms. We got things organized and ready for Sunday's big effort to place as many Medfly traps in the area as possible. Sunday we got
all of the high priority traps in place and even a few of the next buffer. Normally we would be trying to place 1700, but the area where the
fly was found doesn't have a lot of lot material. I expect this to go pretty smoothly, but it is a hassle!
June 14, 2008
Friday the 13th lived up to its name! First I had to go out and inspect a nursery with field grown lilacs for Sudden Oak Death. They were
getting ready to irrigate and had just plowed between the rows, so I had to slog through powdery soil and 100F heat. I felt like "Pig Pen"
out there as I walked in my own little cloud of dust and sweat!
Then at 4:00 on Friday afternoon I got the word from the State that we had a confirmed fruit fly find in a little community along the
southern border of our county. Damn! That means we have to put out tons of traps and work all weekend! The State will send a crew
down tomorrow (Yes on Sunday) to help get 500 traps placed in a 9 square mile area. Today I have to try and find some of our staff who
are willing to spend their Sunday placing traps in the heat. The guy who is supposed to be in charge of the program seems to have
turned his phone off and isn't answering at home (smart). So that leaves me to pick up the pieces! I've increased my Paxil dosage to help
with the anxiety & panic attacks that always seem to come when I'm stressed. That's a little left over gift from the stroke I had a 6 years
ago.
I need to get my teams set. I can't let down my partner in TIAR! Let's kick some ass Kenny!
June 12, 2008
I spent yesterday pulling genitalia on small beetles and looking at worm butts. Ain't life great! My nieces graduation went off without a
hitch and she was so happy her Uncle Dennis was there to cheer her on! The wind was blowing very hard while we waited outside to be
let into the hall. My sister-in-law was standing under a tree that reached down in the wind and grabbed her wig! It near fell off and blew
away, but she managed to catch it and shove it back on. I had visions of chasing after it and stomping on it like some wild animal trying to
escape captivity! Needless to say my brother didn't notice a thing and missed out on all the fun! My niece got a tattoo on her arm for her
18th birthday and talked my 60 year old brother into get one as well! What is this world coming to?
June 10, 2008
Yesterday was windy and hot. The temp shot up to 97, and with the wind it was like walking into a blast furnace! I managed to get most of
the site updated, all the cars are there, and Da Hoodlums have their homes! Speaking of Da Hoodlums, the Pea Farmer managed to
escape! :-( In fact this is the first time this season that all Da Hoodlums are guys! This could cause a certain amount of problems at night
in Da Hood. Watch your back!
Tonight my niece graduates from high school! So its off to Fresno to be the good uncle! We'll get together as a family and head to dinner
and then head over to the concert center to see her in cap and gown!
June 9, 2008
Sunday was a busy day! I went on my bug hunt to the west side hills. The temps had been in the low 80's all week and I go over to hike
the dry hills and the temps shoot up to 92...go figure! My traps were a mixed bag, half of them were vandalized by animals, one was full of
dead bugs and the insects that feed on dead bugs. What a stinking mess. One had caught a mouse (dead of course). I did catch some of
the insects I was looking for in the remaining traps, and I caught two of the little buggers out flying around (a first for me). So it was a
long, but profitable day.
This morning I've got to get busy and build cars for Da 800 Club and start the process of updating the site for the week. Lady Di moved
up the list a bit, so I'm deeply disappointed! The only consolation is that I've got the Pea Farmer back in Da Hood, and Da Swami is visiting
to give a seminar to Da Hoodlums on picking winning teams! And while the Missus may have left Da Hood, Mr. Carter is back (other than
that scrawny pair of leg sticking out from under Linda.)
June 6, 2008
I wish I had the endless energy of a kitten. Or the ability to crash and sleep whenever I run out of that energy! Man am I tired today. I'm
trying to stop taking the Melatonin and for several nights I didn't see any difference without it. Hopefully last night was just the kitten
activity and I'll sleep better tonight.
Its Friday, but I have to be on call tomorrow in case anyone finds a worm during an inspection. We now also have the Australian
Inspector here and he is looking for weed seeds and insects in shipments of table grapes. It would be great to go to Australia one of
these days. I've made good friends with some of the Australian Inspector and they keep inviting me to come for a visit. It is tempting
when its cold and gray here to head down-under where they're having their summer.
Anyway, I'll be hanging out here in Tulare on Saturday waiting to see if I'm needed (might make a short trip just west of town for a bug
hunt). On Sunday I'll be heading over to the west side to check on my traps and see what's out. The wind is still blowing and the temps
are cool, so I don't know what to expect this year with the insects.
June 5, 2008
Da Hoodlums are all accounted for and in their places! Da Secretary escaped for another week, but moved one spot closer to her new
home in Da Hood. Da Godfather and I have to make sure we take special care of her needs! It may be time to launch my Bugz Burger in
honor of her arrival. See I haven't given up!
Yesterday was windy as hell and everything is drying up fast. We're looking at another nice day temperature wise and much calmer
breezes! I wish I could figure out Wetz' matrix when picking my team. My scores have been decent, but not good enough to compete with
those playing for Da Penthouse! It just seems so random to me from week to week. Oh well, I'll have to pick my Yahoo team this evening,
and then its wait and see how practice and qualifying goes.
June 3, 2008
I'm still struggling through all the new Hoodlums. Hopefully I'll get the rest of the boxes filled today. My counterpart to the north took two
weeks off to travel with his wife to Alaska. So I've been covering insect identifications for five counties. It sure has kept me hopping!
Worm butts galore! I need a couple of days off, but I'll have to wait until Dr. Smith returns.
Last night I had cats playing king of the hill on my butt! They're cute, but they like to be near daddy all the time. So I become the center of
their playground!
June 2, 2008
Damn Sadler, he's becoming the new Toad Bodine, a wreck waiting to happen! Otherwise the race was pretty boring. I have a new kitten
at home. He's one of those I helped birth about six weeks ago. I fell asleep during the race and he got hungry and decided to eat my ear!
I woke up in pain with my ear bleeding! Truffles sees him as a play thing, but Snickers sees him as a disgusting intruder. She wants to
beat the shit out of him, but then she'd have to touch him (disgusting thought). So she spits at him and then runs over and beats up
Truffles! Poor Truffles just looks like, "What was that for?"
May 30, 2008
FRIDAY! I finally got all the data from Big E and updated the site for last week's scores! They're were a lot of ties in the group. Da
Hoodlums are all in their proper boxes. I hope everyone is comfortable and recovering from their "handling" by Da Secretary. A friend of
mine recently went for his first prostate exam. Afterwards he said it was humiliating and wondered why the doctor had to use his finger?
I'm not sure what he wanted the doctor to use instead? Sorry my mind drifted after thinking about Da Secretary and her "examination".
Hopefully I can stay away from Da Hood this segment, other than to help Da Godfather in his quest to keep yous all in line!
May 29, 2008
I tried to get the site updated a bit more. I went ahead and did Da Hood. Everyone may be off by one spot, but these are this week's
Hoodlums. Its always a challenge at the start of the segment to get the new members to Da Hood matched up with pictures, especially
newbies like Moss Boss. Hopefully everyone will settle in and enjoy their new surroundings! AA sent me the NASCARVANNA Banner
picture from the last race it attended with Jester and Lilmiss. So I added it to the History1 page for anyone who is interested in see it. He
also found the infamous RJ grabbing himself in the old Kali Krew photo (He says its his beer). I'll let you be the judge! I have my priorities
straight, I'm grabbing Lilmiss!
The big dude next to her is her
brother, so I had to be careful
what I grabbed! That's Kenny
looking over the top of my head.
May 28, 2008
Another crazy week! At least its Wednesday, half way home! The weekend was stormy and gray. It rained all day on Sunday and Memorial
Day was overcast and cool. It almost felt like coastal weather. This year is very strange when it comes to weather. A friend went up to his
cabin at Tahoe and had to spend the entire holiday holed up by the fireplace watching the snow come down.
Yesterday was full of meetings with foreign representatives and the USDA. I did manage to update the site between meetings and at
lunch. I'm still waiting on Big E for the final scores before updating Da Hoodlums. Depending on how many players we have I might have
to come up with a picture for Da Secretary!!! Who would get to search her?
May 23, 2008
Wind, Wind, Wind, with all the wind, blowing dust and smoke my head is bounding from sinus issues! Today is supposed to get up to 75
with a chance of thunderstorms. What a week, the work just hasn't stopped. And I just can't seem to catch up. I'd say I need another week
off, but then I'd never catch up!
Don't forget to set up all your teams for the side games. None of the should have changed since they don't require a segment payment,
but your teams will be emptied out by the SCC. So remember our mantra "SAVE ROSTER"!!
May 21, 2008
It looks like the cold desert winds have followed me home! It went from 102F to an expected high today in the mid-70's, and the winds
howled all night long.
I'm finally starting to catch up with all the work that piled up while I was on vacation. That always happens, you take some time off and
then work your butt off trying to catch up. Anyway they seem happy to have me back at the job. The fellow that tried to do the insect
identifications while I was off (PhD) was not as reliable, and seemed to think he had a life outside of work! They're now talking about
asking for a small raise in my salary! That would be nice!
May 20, 2008
Sorry I've been away from the blog for so long, but I took a week's vacation from the office and the computer in general. I made a mad
dash out into the Mojave Desert thinking I would have some good insect collecting and wildflower photography. The wildflowers were
there, but the wind was howling and the insects were hunkered down. My first issue was finding a plug in for my CPAP machine. The
motel that I had planned to stay in had burned, and the owners placed a "For Sale" sign on it. So that left me with camping in the
Panamint Mountains. This meant no power for the machine and an attempt at sleeping in the car with 30-40 mph winds howling outside.
The night time temperatures got down to 32F. Needless to say I spent a miserable night in the mountains. The next day I wander around
looking for some sheltered canyon that might have less wind, but that didn't exist. When the temperature started falling again I decided
it was time to move on. Here are some pictures I took of the nice flowers in the area.
Linda should have sent out the name of the 2nd Segment group and password to those who have paid. If you don't get it today please
feel free to let me or Linda know.
May 9, 2008
Friday at last! Today has been quieter than the rest of the week. I've covered at least 15 miles on foot this week, and helped to save the
citrus industry from a devastating disease! I've helped homeowners with their pest problems and looked at worm butts for our export
program to Mexico (that's one of the ways I tell one caterpillar species from another, look at their anus). I even tried to assure one lady
that the lizards on her walls and patios were not going to hurt her.
Another one of my duties as Staff Biologist is to review Environmental Impact Reports for projects that might impact local agriculture. So
today I'm reviewing the Tulare Motor Sports Complex. Its a 1 mile NASCAR track with seating for 53,000 and adjacent drag strip planned
for the land across from our office! Unfortunately my big boss is probably going to want me to issue a negative statement on the project
due to the loss of ag land and future impacts on growth in this area. I'm hoping the project moves forward myself! Maybe while I'm on
vacation he will write his own report on the project and I won't have to get involved. We just got the report and we've already received
inquiries as to what our position will be. I told them that we hadn't had the opportunity to fully study the report and would need to consult
with the Commissioner before making a statement.
May 8, 2008
Damn I've been busy this week! I must have walked 10 miles in the last two days, and its one wildfire to put out after another! I guess
that's always the way things go when you plan to take the next week off! And then there are the sickies! We have our very own NASCAR
Guru Da Swami in the hospital with a very serious medical issue (keep him in your prayers for a speedy recovery)!, and our all powerful
Gruop Leader Da BossMan with his pain in the groin! He'll be going under the knife next week! While he's under the influence he will
turn the reins of power over to ME!!!! Oh the incredible feeling of power! I'm begging you to play nice while Da Boss is away! :-)
Duke is preparing a new game for the All-Star Race at Lowes. I figured I'd give a few tries to explain it to the members before I set it in
cement on the website. That way I can get the best idea of how he wants it run, plus he hasn't quite settled on the entry fee. Anyway
watch for more info to come on the Side Games Page! There is a picture of Duke with the prize on the Home Page, so check it out!
May 5, 2008
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Friday was a good day! I enjoyed lunch and we had a chance to talk about life, etc. I think she had her eyes opened a bit when we were
chatting about our sons. Hers is 6 and mine is 26! I saw her swallow a bit harder with that information. Still, she says she wants to spend
more time with me, and like I said before it could be fun.
This morning has been busy, but I did get most of the site updated. Still have some screwed up results in Da Shed. Thanks ESPN! Let's all
have a great week!
May 2, 2008
Today should be an interesting day! I'm having lunch with one of the nice women who have expressed an interest in spending more time
with me. She told a friend that she thought it would nice to get to know me better. That friend talked to a friend of mine, who asked me
what I thought, and then got back to her friend, who told her. Isn't modern communication amazing! Anyway we're getting together for
lunch and chat one on one.
May 1, 2008
The wind has finally died down and today I must get out of my office and inspect another nursery. It should be a nice day for it!
I must be doing something right in my life! During the past week I've had two young (late 30's) women ask if I would be interested in
dating! While its a great ego boost, it makes me wonder why they would be interested in an old (mid 50's) fart like me? Still they are
attractive women (and I thought they were intelligent), and spending time with them would be interesting to say the least! Life is always
full of surprises!
April 30, 2008
I went out this morning to start my company car and nothing! It's a hybrid Honda, and thing said it had plenty of gas and stored power. All
that would happen was that all the lights on the dash would flash, along with all the idiot signals. I finally had to call the motorpool and
get a mechanic to come by and look at it. Dead battery! Not the big one, but the little one that does nothing but start the engine. He said
that there's a recall on them and I should have my car back when they get the replacement battery from the dealer!
The wind has been kicking up the dust and my sinuses are killing me along with the itchy eyes. They're telling people to avoid being
outdoors if you have allergies or asthma.
I still working on the THS History. I've gotten some more input from a few old-timers and am coming closer to posting it on the website.
April 29, 2008
Another dry and breezy day in Sintral Kaleefournya! We're supposed to cool a bit and then back to the 80's. I had a great weekend. I took
Friday off from work and got some things done at home. I had some bulbs that needed potting. Its finally got warm enough to plant the
Voodoo Lilies. So the last of them are in pots. I also got some more insect traps made and ready for use. Saturday was my bug hunt day,
so off I went to the west side of the valley. Things are drying very rapidly with no rain and breezy conditions. I spent the morning placing
traps at the sites I used last year. I need to get more of last year's good stuff, several new species there. So that meant hiking up and
down the steep hills. Damn I'm getting old! :-( I was worn out and only half way through the hunt. I was in an area that I could have either
turned around and gone out the same way I came in or try and make it over the dirt roads through the mountains. I chose the mountains!
Damn that road was rough! I had to spend so much of my time watching the road that I don't remember much of what the scenery looked
like! I really didn't see the kind of habitat I was looking for so I didn't put out any more of my traps (plus I really didn't want to drive the
"road" again). Still it was a nice day and I now know what's up that road!
Sunday was the race at Talladega, so I was able to kick back and let my legs rest (damn they were sore). My scores weren't half bad and I
didn't let my TIAR team mate down! On to Richmond!
April 22, 2008
Happy Earth Day!
At last I was able to get into chat last night! I had tried everything and then RJ suggested that I update my version of Java. Well I've tried
that before without success so I decided to reinstall the latest version. And it worked! I was able to have a good time talking to Gypsy,
Ben, Eric, and a whole host of characters from the group! I had forgotten how much fun could be had in chat! We learned all kinds of
things that can't be discussed here! Hopefully my problems with the damn program are solved.
April 21, 2008
Well by now all have heard that Homrs has stepped down as Group Leader. His reasons are his reasons, and I won't go into them. I just
want to say that I enjoyed working with him on making THS TBDGOTB &TV. He was very helpful when it came to trying to keep the
spammers off the board. That duty now takes me about an hour every evening and means that I don't have as much time to read the
posts or comment. So if the you see more bogus members on the list than usual, now you know one of the reasons. Another reason is
that I used to get on the board during my coffee breaks and delete bogus members. It turns out that my computer considers that to be a
visit at an adult site. I can't have that happening for obvious reasons, so now I can only do it from my home computer.
My weekend bug hunt was a bust! The temperatures dropped from 93F the previous weekend to 53F most of yesterday! The hills are
starting to dry up, but there are still plenty of beautiful flowers. I've got to get some work done! Have a great day!
April 16, 2008
I had been thinking about putting pictures of the winning drivers on the Home Page, and finally found all the pictures I needed last night.
So I hope you enjoy seeing the drivers you cheer for when they win.
I was checking out the news on the net when I came across an item about two acquaintances of mine who went to Australia to collect
insects. It seems they didn't bother getting the proper collecting permits and got caught trying to leave the country with 1300 dead
specimens of tiger beetles in their luggage. They now face fines of $93,000 and 10 years in prison. These are two guys in their 60's sitting
in jail for smuggling dead insects. Doesn't carry the mystique of saying I was arrested for smuggling drugs or diamonds!
April 15, 2008
TAX DAY!
Last night was a wild evening! When I got home there was a nice breeze blowing and it looked like it was going to be a nice evening for a
cigar, but first I thought I would check the boards to see if anyone was there. RJ came on and I was having a nice chat when I suddenly
heard a loud bang from downstairs. My first thought was that there was a home invasion going on, but it turned out that the wind had
suddenly picked up to gale force and blown my front door open! Stuff was blowing everywhere and the sky was brown with dust! The
wind howled all night and then just as suddenly as it had come it stopped. I went out this morning and my shades for the windows are
lying on the ground, and potted plants are knocked over. Today is expected to get to 67F, a far cry from the 93F we had on Sunday!
April 14, 2008
Yesterday was spent on another bug hunt. It got up to 93F and I was sweating like a pig on the first hot day of the year! A friend from the
east coast had made the trip out to the Kaleefournya a few weeks ago and placed some cup traps along the road I planned to visit this
weekend. Unfortunately he got sick and couldn't make it back to check the traps so he asked if I would try and find them. What a wild
goose chase! I didn't find a single trap, but I did find a guitar and a "coffee hound" mug. Still I got my work done and placed some more of
my insect traps out in an area that I need to check out.
Today the boss actually expects me to work, so I won't be able to do much with the site until this afternoon. If you see Da Govenator
lookin for me, tell him the check is in the mail! Taxes are due tomorrow!
April 9, 2008
Yesterday was a gray day, cold, cloudy, and windy. The wind stirred up all the pollen, dust and mold in the area so I coughed all night and
feel like hell this morning. I don't want to be here, but the big boss called for a management meeting today. Maybe today will shine
brighter than yesterday. I need more meds!
This is a friendly reminder to the group, the Phoenix race is being run on Caturday, so don't forget to make you team adjustments in time!
April 8, 2008
Last night I finally got around to doing my taxes. Every year I overpay the Feds and underpay the State. So it pretty much evens out with
a little left over for me! Another trend I've noticed is that each year my refund gets smaller and the check I send to the State gets larger.
And this from an administration that prides itself on cutting taxes!
Today is supposed to get up to 65, but the temperatures on the weekend are supposed to be approaching 90F. So it looks like spring will
be a short one. This is kind of typical of this part of Kaleefournya. I'll probably get out to the west side for a bug hunt on the weekend.
The heat should bring out the bugs!
April 3, 2008
Yesterday was supposed to rain in the afternoon, so I got out of the office early to get some of my inspections completed. Did it rain?
NO!! Anyway I had a nice morning in the field. The days are picking up as we get into spring. More calls each day from the public wanting
to know what kind of insect they've got or how to kill liverworts (poor little liverworts :-( ). As Nanna Rosanna Rosanna Danna says, "Its
always something!"
I also received a copy of my first book published as co-author. Its a technical work that was started by a friend who died of cancer in
2005. A group of us got together to correct and complete his work so that it could be published. It was his great desire to see this done.
So that's another project that gets moved from the "to be done" column!
April 1, 2008
Last night I spent the evening being a Science Fair judge. Its an annual chore that I usually get a kick out of, but lately the quality of the
projects leaves me wondering where the teacher was to advise the students. It really has gotten hard to find something nice to say
about a project that is incomplete and poorly thought out with no research or apparent effort. Its discouraging to see what No Child Left
Behind has done to the quality of science being taught in the public schools. And that no just me making that observation. The teachers
that were present and the administrators all say that the NCLB has sucked the life out of the science curiculum. All of the focus is
reading, math and social science.
March 31, 2008
Well I had a great weekend hunting bugs and spending time with the Kali Krew! The weather was cool and overcast, so the insects
weren't out in any great numbers. Still I managed to get a few new things for my reference collection so I consider the effort a success!
The racing on Sunday was pretty fun to watch! My guys ran up front most of the time and Dat Butchie was suckin' hind teat! So we kept
speculating on what Diane was going to come up with for poor RJ to post for the next month. Make it a good one Di!
Unbelievably I manage to squeeze out a score good enough to keep me out of Da Hood for another week! Can you believe it? I'm still in
38th place, so I haven't escaped completely. I hear Da Hood a calling!!
March 28, 2008
Snickers' oldest daughter Twix had kittens last night! I decided to go to bed early and get a good rest before my trip south, and around
10:30 I got a frantic call from my friends that I talked into taking Twix. "The cat screamed and had a kitten, and she is afraid of it! What do
we do? Will you come over and see if she's okay?" So off I go to see what's happening (fortunately only a couple of minutes away). I get
there and they're standing on one side of the room looking at the poor cat on the other. I got some towels and spread them out and put
her and the kitten on the towels and talked soothingly to Twix. I also had the helpless humans get me a warm wash cloth to clean the first
baby. By that time Twix was having more contraction and squeezed out another kitten. This time mother nature kicked in and she started
cleaning the kitten and felt more secure with Dennis there telling her everything was okay. So we went on like this until 1:00 am when
she had her fifth baby and I decided I had had enough of the miracle of life and went home (she may have still had another one to come).
I'll drop by and see how many she finally had, but there were no more frantic calls so I guess everything came out okay!
March 27, 2008
The clouds came in this morning along with some wind. Today is supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, but no rain in
sight. The Sierra snowpack is already down 2 feet, but still above normal for this time of year.
Today I have a group of gifted children coming into the office to hear the great biologist expound on the differences between
invertebrate and vertebrate animals. Why insects don't get big (bigger than they are)! That sort of thing. They usually go away suitably
impressed and always get a kick out the insect collection. I have some really impressive and colorful insects.
Aw NASCAR, what am I going to do about my lousy picks for the game? I figure this is the week I finally sink into the quagmire that is Da
Hood! I'm in 38th now and only a miracle will save me! Maybe I'll throw myself on the mercy of Kenny this coming Saturday and he will pity
me! NOT!!!
March 25, 2008
I wasn't going to post today cause there really isn't much new to say. But I did get an email from Tim Lear last night and he sounded like
he's feeling better and glad to be home. So keep sending good thoughts his way, its working!
I'm looking forward to the coming weekend (and its only Tuesday!). I'm heading down to Riverside for a bug hunt. I'm going to be looking
for a fly that eats spiders! Now there's a twist on what you usually expect from Mother Nature. RJ and Kenny plan to join me in my
expedition and we all plan to descend upon Homrs for the Sunday race at Martinsville. That means spending Sunday in Da Shed and
tossing back a few! Fun will be had by all (especially if Da Buschie crashes) !
March 24, 2008
I hope everyone had a lovely Easter celebration full of family and friends! I had a great day on Saturday looking for beetles amongst the
wildflowers of the mountains to the west. These are usually dry, so this year's rain has really brought out the flowers!
Speaking of friends, our beloved Mayor, Tim Lear, spent Easter in the hospital. Seems he hasn't been feeling well and having problems
getting enough oxygen in. So lets all send out our good thoughts and prayers to DA MAYOR for a speedy recovery!
UPDATE ON TIM! The doctors let him go home today, much to the relief of Tim & Bet! So he's feeling better. There's nothing worse than
spending time in a hospital, the lousy food, and all that poking and prodding! I'm glad you're doing better!
March 21, 2008
Yesterday was so quiet around the office I couldn't stand it and took the afternoon off. First I went home and ate lunch and then fell
asleep on the couch. I'm still having trouble sleeping at night I guess. Then I jumped in my car and went on a quick bug hunt west of
town to get some more specimens of the new beetle. I was successful in my hunt, but that will be the last trip for that species this year.
Their activity season appears to be over. I took some pictures of the beasty.
HAPPY EASTER!!!
March 19, 2008
Today I have another presentation to give at an industry meeting. My boss is going along to make sure that I don't get out of control with
my statements. Any way its a free lunch!
Here's some more pictures of my girls! Truffles is almost 4 months old now. She still has big feet and long legs! Snickers must be part
Siamese, with her smallness and short hair.
March 18, 2008
I had one of those nights where you have weird and vivid dreams! I was travelling with old friends in Colorado (of all places), we decided
to stop and go backpacking. I had to climb down a cliff (I hate unprotected heights). At the bottom of the cliff I find a parking lot that we
could have driven to! When we get to the camp its a tent city with a McDonalds in the middle (not exactly my idea of camping). I was so
tired from hiking back and forth helping people during the dream that my legs wouldn't work anymore.... and then I woke up! I am soooo
tired this morning!
Today I need to prepare for a meeting tomorrow, and I may get out of the office for a while. Easter is right around the corner. I hope you
all have plans for the holiday. I will probably head out to see what's blooming on the west side of the valley. It should be a pretty year!
March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I wore my green today in honor of my gr,gr,gr,...great grandfather John Nickell (b. 1720 in Ulster, Co. Tyrone,
Ireland). He was one of those who chose to immigrate to this fine land in the early days of the colonies!
And another weekend of continuing my slow descent into Da Hood! I'm now in 38th position. Please help me find a suitable picture to
best illustrate what you think Da Bugz should look like as a Hoodlum! I just can't seem to get a handle on picking a winning team this
segment. Hopefully that will improve by next segment!
March 14, 2008
Yesterday I had to go to the field again. Another day out walking nursery stock looking for plant diseases and insects. Of course I didn't
find anything significant, but I get to say that I looked and can certify to quality of the stock. It also meant another opportunity to spend
lunch looking at some of the local wildflower displays along the foothills. The flowers included Bird's Eye, Lupine, Owl's Clover, and Blue
Fiesta Flower.
Well Friday is here at last! The weather is supposed to be a bit unsettled this weekend with a chance of showers and temps in the 60's .
Tht still probably means I can get out and do some collecting when the sun is out. Who knows I may just be lazy and stay home watching
the races and NASCAR shows on TV. Anyway, the work week is almost over and I'm looking forward to the time off! Good Luck to
everyone at Bristol! Yesterday I also got all of Wetz's Stats for Segment 1 updated (for those who care).
March 13, 2008
This morning we're experiencing sprinkles, but yesterday the boss made me go out in the field, damn her! She forced me into the
outdoors! Just think of it, me having to go out into the cold, harsh world. I've included a few pictures that I took on my lunch hour near
the nursery I had to inspect. It was really tough being out and about for a change!
The pictures show some of the local wildflowers that are starting to bloom. They include Fiddleneck (orange), Blue Dicks, and Rockpile
Monkeyflowers. The hill is also an old sacred site to the local native peoples (Yokuts), and the rocks are covered with paintings from 200
years ago. Its a rocky knob that is located at the edge of the valley. They used to come here to perform their initiation rituals for the
young men and women. There's a rock pile on the side of the hill where the kids had to slide beneath a suspended boulder. The rock
below the boulder is worn smooth from generations of kids being "born" into their society.
Aw Shit! Memorial Day Weekend was memorable to say the least! Saturday I had the start of a great day going in the Sierra Nevadas. I was
collecting lots of insects, and found several pounds of Morels, and then I got stuck in the snow on a back road. I dug for three hours
before someone came along who had a jeep back at his cabin and offered to pull me out. I got home wet, muddy, and wore out! So
Sunday I was going to kick back, watch the racing and have Morels and steak with the friend I just rented the spare bedroom to. Well
shortly after noon I got a call from my roomie begging me to bail his ass out of jail! He had been arrested for DUI and expired tags. So I
spent my afternoon making calls and getting his ass out of jail. Then Monday I hauled him down to the Bail Bond office to get his
paperwork all set. Tuesday I took my afternoon off so we could get his car out of impound and get the process started for repairs so it
would pass smog. He owes me big time!!!
So if you noticed that the site was a bit slow in being updated I've been trying to keep caught up on work and keep my buddy out of
trouble!
May 12, 2010
Damn it when you come back to work they actually expect you to do something! Its been a very busy week, with all four counties that I
take care of needing help with export identifications. So I've been trying to piece together updates for the site. I think I got them all
except for the 800 Club, and that's gonna take some real free time to make up all the owed cars!
May 2, 2010
I'm getting a few last minute things taken care of before the trip to Philadelphia and decided to update the site before I left. There were a
ton of 800 scores this week. So for someone like Gypsy who just made it onto the top ten scoring list last week, she's gone this week
(even with her 820!). I'll be busy with building cars after I get back from the east coast!
Too bad that GR didn't qualify for today's truck race, but there's always Charlotte! Go #50!!
Everyone have a great week In THSland! See ya Saturday!
April 30, 2010
Another week is almost gone, and I need to get ready for my trip to Philly on Monday! I think I have most of what I need to take
assembled, but I still need to get it into the suitcase. Hopefully the weather will be decent and I can ditch the foul weather gear. While I'm
gone the temps here are supposed to be in the mid-80's. So when it turns pretty here I'm flying to the east coast and probably catching
up with the shitty weather that's just leaving us.
We've had a bit of fun on the SCC Board this week. When we started extolling GR's efforts in the truck race it seemed that our old
malcontents saw that as an effort to encourage people to join THS. So they decided to try and rain on our parade. Actually they end up
just making asses of themselves as usual, and reminded us of why we should be happier that they're no longer here to rain on our
parade every day. Don't forget that GR & the #50 will be racing at Kansas on Sunday afternoon. Here's to all the luck in the world that you
get to qualify and run the race! GO #50!!!!
April 26, 2010
On Saturday I help decorate and road on a parade float celebrating the fact that I graduated from high school forty years ago! It was
actually fun and we got a great reception from the crowd lining the streets for the Clovis Rodeo. It was a good day and I'm in a better
mood about attending the class reunion in August.
The Talladega race was a snoozer for the more part. I thought I heard cheers go up from the group with Jimmie got taken out. 'Dega's a
crap-shoot. So I'm not too upset! Now I need to get a car drawn up for Gypsy's 820 score! Way to go Patty!
April 20, 2010
Well I survived the stress test and they didn't put me in the hospital when they saw the results, so I must be doing fine. I go back for the
results when I return from Philadelphia.
I had a great weekend hunting Nightstalkers in the Sierra with a buddy from Florida. I got another species for my study and came to some
conclusions about how it relates to the other species in the region. The weather was gorgeous and the flowers were nice, so it was a
very pleasant couple of days.
The website has been updated with the information from the Texas race. Congrats to D. Hall on the weekly win!
April 15, 2010
Oh joy! Today I go in for my periodic stress test. When I had the heart attack thirteen years ago they only guaranteed the angioplasty for
five years, so I'm doing good. Hopefully I'll get the same good news I got in 2007.
April 13, 2010
The rain came down in buckets yesterday. I don't know when I've seen it rain so hard. Today the sky is filled with fluffy white clouds, so
maybe it will go back to feeling like spring instead of winter. I found some time this morning to update some of the side games, bank
account, track stats and the top ten/ROTY trackers. Yesterday I got the winner all fixed on the front page and then updated Da Hood.
There's always something to do on the website.
April 12, 2010
Well yesterday I did my taxes and got them filed and paid. Damn State of Kaleefournya takes more and more each year! The wind came up
and we had a big dust storm and then heavy rain. Spring just doesn't seem to be able to take hold. Still its nice to put off the 100F that's
coming. Today we're getting more rain, but the rest of the week will be sunny.
April 11, 2010
I took a drive Saturday to the Eastern Pacific, literally. I spent the day driving along the San Andreas Fault and daring the thing to make a
move! The wildflower displays were beautiful and I needed to go over and check on a couple of my experiments. We've got a storm
blowing in so it was windy, but the temps were decent. I took this
picture in Parkfield as I got back on my side of the border. I didn't
want to end up in the Pacific.
My NASCAR team did well enough to finally get me out of Da Hood
(at least for now!). Ah smell the fresh air! And guess who took my
place? None other than our illustrious ex-GL, Big E! Enjoy your
stay, and for God sake kiss Da Ring!
April 2, 2010
Its Friday! What a week! Okay, today is race day! GO #50! Yesterday we got most of what we wanted settled with NASCAR. We are an
official sponsor of the #50! GR and MAKE Motorsports can and will mention our sponsorship during interviews. MAKE has already
mentioned us on Twitter and Facebook, and GR has thanked us many times on radio. We have given GR a chance to run the whole race
and donated a chunk of money to Ronald McDonald House Charities. We've also had fun this week and made some noise. We might even
gain some new members through this in the long-run. So in my opinion its all good.
Our one remaining issue is our late start to trying to get this all done before Friday and getting past all the roadblocks thrown in our way.
So the sticker on the truck will have to wait until Charlotte. There's nothing to be done about it now, and MAKE Motorsports has said
they will work with us to get the sticker displayed at the next race. This may actually be better for us. There will be a lot more television
exposure during the week at Charlotte, so the chance of actually seeing the sticker on tv will be enhanced. I think we've already made
all the necessary changes to the website, and we will have time to make any additional changes well before the race.
None of that is really important anyway! What is important is that we are sponsoring our buddy GR Smith in his big NASCAR debut! GO
GRRRRRRR!!!! GO #50!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 1, 2010
Today we are still in negotiations with NASCAR over our sponsorship with MAKE Motorsports (Imagine that, we're in negotiations with
NASCAR!). It seems we have hit another minor bump in the road, but we hope to have it all smoothed out by this afternoon. Our own
ambassador of goodwill, Duke, will be on a conference call with MAKE Motorsports and a NASCAR official. If this doesn't work then we
will shoot for the Charlotte race. In any case its all good and exciting!
March 31, 2010
Well another month has come to an end and great things are going on at THS TBDGOTB&TV&Radio! Last week when I heard that GR Smith
was going to be making his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series on April 2nd I mentioned that it would be fun to see if we
could help sponsor his ride and get a little sticker on the car. Well what a difference a week makes! Czechmate and the rest of the gang
took the idea and ran with it. So now we are an official sponsor of a NASCAR racing team!! We had to act fast to make it happen in time for
this week's race so a few of us gathered together $1500 to both buy a set of tires so that GR could run the whole race and donate half to
Ronald McDonald House Charities. It never ceases to amaze me how this group of people from all over the country can come together
and make something really special happen. Now GR has the tires he needs to do more that just practice, qualify, and start the race. And
we get a big sticker placed on the rear of the car where cameras from other drivers will be seeing, "TheadHeadedStranger.com". Just to
be clear on this, no THS funds were used, and even though half the money goes to charity, no Relief Fund money was used either. This
is purely out of the pockets of members of THS. If GR doesn't qualify at Nashville then the deal carries over to Charlotte. Pictures of the
car to follow! This was a one time deal, but if any of you want to help GR and MAKE Motorsports out for the Charlotte race make
arrangements with Czechmate and Duke for the donations. When THS'ers put their minds to it anything is possible!
March 22, 2010
Thank God we had a weekend off, I've been so busy here at the office for the past few weeks that there was no way I was going to be
able to update the site. I've been taking Fridays off to try and get my vacation time down before the season gets real busy, and I've had a
couple of visiting bug guys to take out and show the sights of Sintral Kaleefournya. First there was a guy from New York, and last week I
had a visitor from Russia. This Friday I'm heading down over to the desert with a couple of buddies from Oregon, Florida, and northern
Kaleefournya. It will be a Bug Safari of the highest order! We're off to hunt Night Stalkers and Giant Tiger Beetles. Should be some good
times!
February 22, 2010
Well I scored a 704 this week at Fontana and made almost no movement in the group! All the high scores this week made my score
unremarkable! Damn.
On a brighter note I took my niece out to celebrate her 20th birthday at a dinner and show. We went to see The Producers performed in
dinner theater. The cast was great and the play was funny, plus I had seats at stage center front row. Close enough to get sweat dripped
on ya!
February 19, 2010
I've got to get around here more often. This was a short work week because of President's Day, but there were a lot of things packed
into it! The site is up to date (I think). If you see something that needs attention please let me know! Suggestion are always welcome
though I may not get around to it immediately.
Daytona always seems to rain on my parade, but.... I don't think I've ever had such across the board poor picks in any given week! The
prediction by some that the new game format would bunch everyone up sure didn't work that way. We've changed Da Hood Rulz so that
the bottom ten players will find themselves living in cardboard boxes and being subjected to intrusive searches by Madame Secretary.
February 8, 2010
Well we're about to start another season of NASCAR! I had a great weekend. Had fun on chat and watching the Bud Shootout! Then found
out that I won the game HOMRS set up! How cool is that. Maybe this is the Year of Da Bugz! Then the Saints won the Superbowl! WHO
DAT!!! Now if SCC hadn't screwed up the game all would be right with the world. Oh well, we'll get through this and move on like we
always do! Good Luck to one and all!
January 3, 2010
Another year has come and gone! I'm looking forward the start of a new season, and Jimmie's run at number five!. May all of your families
be happy and your health be excellent.
November 20, 2009
It looks like Jimmie's got the poll! Do I hear the fat lady singing???
GO JIMMIE!!!!
I agreed to host the kid I'm mentoring this weekend and take him out to learn more about the local insects and entomology in general. I
don't know if I can stand being away from the TV on Sunday!
November 18, 2009
The last race is upon us and the season is wrapping up! There's a lot to do in the off-season for the new Group Leader and his staff.
There's an old Chinese proverb, "May you live in interesting times." It can be looked at in two ways. One is that change will cause lots of
turmoil and stress, and the other is that change provides for new opportunities. I choose to follow the second path. THS needs to rally
around our new G/L, and help him provide those new opportunities for next season! Good Luck to everyone at Homestead!
GO JIMMIE!!!!
November 16, 2009
The 2010 Group Leader election is over! Congrats to HOMRS! As I've said before, "May God have mercy on your soul!" ;-) And even more
congratulations to Duke for losing (you lucky dog)! Now if you can just rein in that ruthless Webmaster!!!
And can you believe it, I won my 6th weekly win at Phoenix. That makes 11 flags for the Kali Krew with one race to go. Can we make it a
even dozen? Two wins in three races! I'm on a roll!!!! Go Jimmie!!!!
November 12, 2009
The final vote for Group Leader is underway, and it looks like a close race! Good Luck Gentlemen!!! Voting ends when the checkers fly
this weekend at Phoenix, so make your voices heard.
The weekend sees the start of the Segment 3 Special. You should have received an e-mail from Big E explaining the game and
encouraging you to vote for G/L. I have posted the game information to the THS Message Board under the Side Games Forum.
November 5, 2009
Well I won my fifth weekly at Talladega! Over the years I've averaged about one win a year. Last year I didn't manage anything! I blame the
COT. ;-) We start the final vote for Group Leader at the green flag at Texas. So don't forget to vote!
October 26, 2009
Another great weekend for Jimmie!!!! That and the G/L primaries are over! It looks like our two candidates for Group Leader will be Homrs
and Duke! Two great choices for the group. The final voting will begin at the drop of the green flag at Texas. We had 35 members who
voted). So lets see if we can't get an even bigger turnout for the big vote!
October 20, 2009
The primary election is well underway, and we have had some good participation so far (31 votes as of this morning)! Your vote is still
needed though. If you haven't voted yet, get your butt to the Message Board and do your civic duty! The newbie list for 2010 has three
members listed on it so far. If you have a friend who's interested in NASCAR, wants to play the SCC game, and have some fun in 2010 get
them signed up now.
October 17, 2009
Another Saturday at the office and more caterpillar butts to look at! Don't forget folks that this evening is the start of our elimination
round of voting. We have three fine candidates running for G/L; Bruce Sherrill, Geoffrey Trebec, and Jim Holmes, Sr. This week's vote
will determine which two will go on to the final campaign week and the vote for Supreme...I mean Group Leader of Thread Headed
Strangers, TBDGOTB&TV!
October 14, 2009
For those of you who haven't heard, we have an election for Group Leader going on. This week is the first week of campaigning. So
there's some interesting reading to be had on the THS Message Board. Now is the time to go over there and ask the candidates
questions if you have them. Big E will set up the vote in the Elections Forum to begin with the drop of the green flag at Lowe's. The
voting will continue all week. We have three candidates, so this first vote will weed out one. So if you don't have a members account for
the message board get off the couch and get er done!
October 13, 2009
Looks like Jessie is continuing her winning ways! Great Score Jessie! The Kali Krew had a great time at Fontana. I got to have dinner and
spend the night at Homrs and Janie's place in Grand Terrace. Its always a treat to spend time with the Holmes family. And then the next
morning run over to the track and link up with Ken and Kenny! Damn the kid is getting tall. I guess I can't call him a kid anymore! I
remember the first time we met at the track, he was just a little guy, but already had a great grasp of the drivers and what the game was
all about. Well I was happy with this year's finish! Jimmie won and Kenny's man Jeff came in second! RJ's driver came in somewhere
farther down the list (who really cares?)! ;-)
After the race we got together in the parking lot and barbecued dinner (Jay's version of Chicken Cordon Bleu) and drank beer and
toasted the race day with some Crown Royal! Ken and I also enjoyed the pleasure of a fine cigar! The prefect end to a great day at
Fontana. The next morning I got up and headed to my friend's in the Wrightwood area to check on how they made it through the fire.
Then it was the long drive home and back to work until 5 pm.
October 9, 2009
Damn how time flies when you're having fun. Work has been way too demanding. Don't they know I have a life outside of work! They're
cutting into my play time on the computer! So much has happened since the last time I posted. We completed another segment and
CONGRATS TO JESSIE for the Segment 2 win! She beat out Big E by a mere 28 points, but a win is a win!
So far Segment 3 has been a real challenge! Prices are so high it seems difficult for many members (me included) to put together a high
scoring team. Anyone who scores an 800 this segment will be a NASCAR Guru for sure!
The process has begun for the selection of the next Group Leader (G/L). Big E has decided not run for a second term, and we are taking
nominations on the THS Message Board. Nominations are open until the drop of the checkered flag this weekend at California. So if you
interested in putting your name in the hat or seeing who the potential leaders are get your butts over to the Elections Forum and take a
gander. If you are not a paid member the forum is closed to you for posting.
August 25, 2009
What a month! Work has been hectic and I've been out trying to finish up most of my research projects. I'm still finding new species and
need to spend some time this winter on descriptions and publication. I sat down and got some things written and sent off to my
co-author last week, so that one is progressing.
My domination of the Pentathlon Challenge this segment has slipped. Now I might still be able to pull off a win, but I'm thinking the
momentum has shifted to others. Michigan really hurt! I had Jimmie and Mark, and both pulled boner moves by not getting fuel so they
could make it to the end. The commentators were all aghast when Jr came in for fuel, but his final score was very decent (esp. for Jr).
Certainly it was better than being in the 30's! Damn! Oh well its been fun running near the top! And I'm now in the top ten in THS! The
group is so good that I consider being in the top ten a rewarding achievement in itself.
July 29, 2009
As most of you may have heard I took most of last week off on vacation (Thank God!). I have a college student who has asked me to
mentor him in entomology. He came down from northern California and we spent the week travelling to various habitats looking for
insects and discussing the specific adaptations necessary for success in tough environmental settings. It was a fun time, passing on
knowledge to someone with a bright future in the field.
This week has been spent trying to dig out from under all the work that piled up while I was away! Yesterday we had a big meeting with
USDA and they announced that they are going to provide the County with some new equipment to help me identify specimens and teach
inspectors in the neighboring counties on insect, spider, and weed seed identification. They also want to provide me with some training
on the new equipment. That means they'll be sending me to Philadelphia, PA for three days this fall! Sometimes it pays to be good at what
you do! ;-)
July 16, 2009
Damn its been a hot week! This is mid-summer and we're now into the long spell without rain and days in 100's. This weekend NASCAR
take s a break and now what will we do with each other. Tradition tells us that "racing withdrawals" will bring out the best in the
membership ;-) ! I expect the usual drama, from the usual suspects!
July 6, 2009
Here's hoping everyone had a great Fourth of July! I spent the fourth up in the Sierras with buddy from Florida. The meadows were full of
flowers and the weather was perfect! We caught lots of insects for him to take home and he was very happy with the trip. I have a
reputation for be an excellent tour guide when it comes to finding interesting insects and that reputation is still intact! Anyway it was a
fun way to spend the weekend and I enjoyed the trips to the mountains. The highest elevation we visited was 8,200 feet. At that meadow
I found the head of a rare beetle. While I'd rather have the whole insect, at least I now know a place to look for it in the future.
June 22, 2009
I enjoyed watching the road course race, but I hate picking a team. I had two basic setups and couldn't decide which one to use. So I split
them between the various games. Unfortunately I placed the lesser team in THS. The other strategy earned about 100 more points, but I
certainly needed those points in Survivor! Oh well, on to Watkins Glen, and another sucky results!
June 19, 2009
Well here we are at Friday and another week is done! Thank God! I don't know why, but this year seems particularly busy! More new pests
to look for, more export programs to oversee, and the same old pests (you know who you are ;-) ) to deal with! Damn I need a Saturday
off, but I'm on call this weekend. Now for the really tough question, do I change my SCC team all around to try and score better on the
road course, or hold on to the cost savings I have on these drivers? Decisions, decisions! :-)
June 17, 2009
Monday they had me at the office until 7:00pm looking at worm butts! Yesterday was spent out walking nursery fields looking for plant
diseases and today is full of meetings on insect pests and citrus diseases. The work just keeps piling up! Oh well the pay is good! :-)
June 15, 2009
For those who care, I haven't been feeling well for the past couple of weeks. Nothing specific and the doctor can't find anything
particular. Probably just the meds not working well with one another. Last week my boss had a seizure and her assistant had a
respiratory infection, so I had to cover the office and try to be three people. Saturday found me running all over the hills with a friend
from Virginia. It was a nice day, but it really wore me out. Sunday I decided to just kick back and try to relax. Damn Jimmie had to run out
of gas on the last lap. I didn't feel like heading into the office to use the computer to see who won. Now I've got to deal with Jessie and
her bitching about no one posting Joanne's win on Sunday. Monday isn't soon enough I guess!
May 27, 2009
Well we got the Segment off to a rousing start! Looks like we have a tight race at the top with lots of 700 scores. Da Hood is occupied by
some old faces and a few new ones. We had a couple of teams that seemed to forget to pick their drivers and that will always see
spending lots of time in Da Hood! Welcome one and all to Segment 2, and may the racing gods be with you!
May 21, 2009
Yes!!! At last the break is over! Cup practice is this afternoon and qualifying for the 600 will be tonight! Don't forget to move your team to
the new segment group! Group name is "THS 2009 Segment 2". If you didn't get the password in an e-mail from Big E just send him an
e-mail or PM from the message board. Good Luck this weekend! Plus we're supposed to have a side game this weekend! So be sure and
get your teams in place!
May 15, 2009
Happy NASCAR Day!
Another sunny day here. It should get over 100F on Sunday, so tomorrow will be spent trying to get my research done before the real
heat hits! Good Luck with the All-Star Race and may your favorite driver be wicked fast!
May 11, 2009
The All Star Race is this weekend, and Duke has posted his All Star Challenge Game. The game will remain open for players until we get
all the positions filled or Friday @ 6:00 pm.
I went over to the coast on Saturday. The sky was overcast, but the it was nice with a little breeze. I had a great time at the beach and
managed to collect one of the insects that I had hoped to see. There was a black line in the sand marking the high tide, and at first I
thought it was tar or an oil spill. Then I got down and looked and it was black leaf bits and buds from the Santa Barbara fire. Apparently
the currents carried it up high enough that it was able to get blown out to sea and deposited on the beach. The foggy conditions seem
to be helping the firefighters get the upper hand on the fire.
May 7,2009
For those who use the Track Stats, the site has been updated, thanks Wetz!
Looks like I might make it through another week without killing myself! Its been crazy around here for the last two weeks with the boss
being gone and having to pick up the slack and do my own job. The new shipping season for stone fruit has begun so I'm back to looking
at worm butts and other insect unmentionables. My counterpart to the north decided to go on vacation to South America and do some
insect collecting down there. That leaves me covering six counties! The one good thing is that I certainly have job security!
May 4, 2009
I had a great Saturday. We had some good rain Friday night so everything was clean and damp when I got up Saturday morning. I was
feeling a little off, but decided I needed to get my research project caught up and drove the 250 miles to get all of my insect traps
serviced. While driving through the westside foothills I came across a female tarantula that had been drowned out of her burrow and
was sunning in the middle of the road. So I stopped and caught her for my boss. The hills were really very pretty and the temps were in
the mid-60's so it was a very pleasant day. The traps were full of the targeted insects so all in all it was a very productive time. I also got
home in time to catch the start of the race at Richmond. To bad Jimmie had his problems!
Sunday was spent working on the specimens from the traps and trying to deal with the issues on the board. Its times like this that make
me wonder why I ever agreed to do this.
Today is grey and breezy. My coworker who was sick last week called in with the flu this morning. The little girl that lives down the street
came back positive for Swine Flu. Hopefully he didn't bring it to the office. I have another employee who called in with the flu (worked
with her on Wednesday), but she tested negative for swine flu, just the normal seasonal flu.
May 1, 2009
The boss went to a conference this week and left me in charge. That means I have to do her job, her assistant's job (sick or vacation),
and my job. It certainly has kept me hoping! (sorry for the bug joke) The skies are clouding up and it looks like we can expect some more
rain, which is getting kind of late for this area. They expect us to stay in this drizzly pattern for about a week and during that time the rain
will spread right across the country. So don't be surprised if some of this comes your way too. Lets hope they get the race in at
Richmond this weekend.
In case you haven't noticed there is an open question to the group posted on the message board regarding its future. Look under Q & A
for the Webmaster. If you have any ideas or thoughts please let me know by either posting a response or through PM's and emails.
April 21, 2009
Boy have I been busy! Working hard all week and then running around on the weekends doing research on beetles. I got hooked up with
some grant funds and I wanted to earn as much extra cash as I could. They're paying me $100/day to do the survey work. This money will
help pay for the gas I use doing my summer research on Anambodera. Sorry I haven't been around the blog lately, but I have just had
enough time to update the website and read some on the forums.
March 27, 2009
What a week! It just flew by. I took a couple of days off last week and spent this one just trying to catch up. Last Sunday I took a fellow
entomologist from Florida on a collecting trip to the west side of the valley. While we were over there we got hit with sleet, rain, hail, and
snow. Each of these weather events were short lived but fun for sunny Kaleefournya. We also managed to get lots of the beetles we
were looking for. This was the storm that eventually caused all the trouble in Mississippi. Tomorrow I'll be heading back over to do a
little more survey work and set some insect traps.
Today is Nougat's first birthday! It was one year ago that I got the call in the middle of the night from friends asking how to deliver kittens
and begging for me to come over and help. I'll have to open a can of gourmet cat food for him this evening!
March 19, 2009
I had a beautiful day out in the foothills yesterday collecting insects. The area is so green now and the flowers are really starting to
bloom. I took off the day of vacation and will be doing the same thing tomorrow. This is best time of year around here.
March 17, 2009
I have a fellow entomologist visiting from Virginia. I took Friday off and we spent three days hiking and looking for insects! I wore myself
out walking (wouldn't be surprised if we cover more than 20 miles), but is was fun having someone to hang with who also talks bug! We'll
be getting together again tomorrow and doing some more hunting. We had a very fun and successful time over the weekend. The
weather continues to turn more spring-like and the wildflowers are starting to put on their annual show.
I got the scores updated today, and finished a few odds and ends on the website. I like the fact that we're seeing more posts on the
Fantasy and NASCAR Forums. It should be a significant part of the equation when it comes to what this group of misfits is all about.
Thanks Steeler. And thanks Big E for putting up with us!
March 12, 2009
The site has kept me sooo busy this week that I haven't had much time to get over here and post. Its time for spring cleaning and I've
been getting some of the projects I've put off completed. I got the site updated from the Atlanta race and then did some needed
reorganization and pruning of the Board. I have to go in and delete old posts every now and then just to keep the database from
becoming too full. It seems like every time we get to about 10,000 posts the "critical error" messages begin to show up. So I try to keep
the posts from building up. Also work has kept me hopping. I do need to keep the boss happy and under the illusion that I'm doing work.
Don't forget that tomorrow is Friday the 13th! Do try to be careful and watch out for black cats and ladders!
March 2, 2009
DAMN! Why did I drop McMurray for Kenseth? Another sorry score for another sorry week in Da Hood! I can't pick a good team for
nothing this season!
We're supposed to have a rainy week here in sunny Kaleefournya. We certainly need it! Yesterday while waiting from a call from my
buddy Homrs I was out front weeding and watering the plants. The phone rang I decided to run in and try and answer it before it went to
the answering machine. Unfortunately my feet were wet and when they hit the linoleum I went flying! I bent the toes on my left foot way
back and slammed my right foot into something hard. I didn't pay much attention to the right foot cause I thought I broke the left. Now the
left foot is fine (just a little sore), but the big toe of my right foot is all bruised and achy. Turned out it was just the drugstore calling to
say my prescription was ready. Had a nice chat with Homrs a little later on.
February 27, 2009
Damn, have I been away from this place that long? I've been very busy with the office and life! Spring is fast approaching and lot of stuff
needs to get taken care of and people are coming out of the wood work with stuff for me to do. The roommate moved out again! So that's
it for trying to have someone else around the place. Its actually kind of nice to have a lot less drama, and he was eating me out of house
and home without contributing as much $$ as he should have. I can already see the difference in my bank account. Who needs a
stimulus package, just get rid of the bottomless pit. My home computer is down and I still need to get it repaired. I thought I would be
lost without it at home, but its actually not a big loss. It does effect my game on THS though. It usually means that I don't have the chance
to make last minute changes or review my teams before the green flag. That bit me at Fontana. I thought I had changed my team on
Friday and apparently didn't. Big mistake! So now I'm stuck in Da Hood (the place is swarming with old friends though).
February 6, 2009
Sorry I've been away for the past two weeks, but the boss decided that I must need something more to do and has been throwing
everything at me except for the kitchen sink. She has me running from fire to fire to try and put out the flames. Then this week my home
computer crashed again and I just haven't had time to take it somewhere to get it fixed. Sometimes I hate computers!
January 23, 2009
Another short and busy week! My roommate showed up and wanted to move back in! Said he had made a terrible mistake and wouldn't
do it again. He is like an "adopted" son to me, so after making him sweat for a while I said okay. I really do like having someone around
the place. The new pills have finally kicked in and I'm feeling more like my old self. I've started cleaning the website up and spending
more time with you guys on the board. I hate to dump all of last year's games and things too quickly. It gives the newbies a good idea of
the kinds of things we do around here. Just remember that last season we only had one member win a week with a score in the 600's,
the rest were all in the 7-800's.
January 14, 2009
What a week so far. I came home from work on Monday to find that my roommate moved out during the day! No notice, he started the new
job and just moved. Oh well, nothing missing and I guess its best that he be on his own. The week has been killer so far, busy from dawn
to dusk, so I haven't had any real time to post anything here or on the board. Tonight I've got a meeting with the local Boy Scout Council.
Back in early December I agreed to help them with their annual fund raising program. Its just a dog and pony show that we take to
parents to ask them to chip in some funds for support of the local office and scout camp. It just makes for another full day.
January 9, 2009
Well today is Friday, and if I can get through the day I will have finished out the week with at least three day "worked". At least I'm here.
The roommate and I went grocery shopping last night. He paid so I let him get all the goodies he wanted. I'm going to have to keep an
eye on him and his splurge spending. He's like a big kid and is a bottomless pit. He's been helpful to have around though during the past
couple of weeks, so I can't complain. He starts his new job on Monday. The pills are slow to take effect, but they've cut out most of my
symptoms, so I'm making it day by day.
January 7, 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Some may have wondered what happened to Da Bugz? As some of you may know I had a mild stroke in 2001 (Bell's Palsy, couldn't talk,
couldn't write, trouble walking). I got over it and recovered so that no would guess that it happened, but it left me with some long term
issues. The most annoying of which is a chemical imbalance in the brain that results in periodic bouts of panic & anxiety attacks. This has
been under control for a number of years now and last summer I feeling so good that I told the doctor to shove his pills. Well the short
days and grey weather got me down and they came back with a vengeance! We tried going back on the old meds and they didn't seem to
help anymore. So now we've moved on to something new. So far it seems to be working and I've returned to work after a week off.
Better living through chemistry!
December 15, 2008
I decided to take in a new roommate. A buddy of mine had lost his job to the lousy economy and needed someplace cheap to stay until he
can get things together. I had a spare bedroom and his small income will allow him to help on the rent, which wont hurt me none. Anyway,
it helps to have someone around during the holidays when I tend get a bit morose anyway. It sure is disruptive though having someone
moving stuff in and shifting things around! I'm afraid I've gotten a bit set in my ways living alone. This will probably be good for me in the
long run. Kick me out of my rut!
December 4, 2008
For those of you who are interest, the Lifetime Scores have been updated on the website. Looks like I manage to make some modest
gains on CowboyDD (aka Redneck Racing). There's always next year.
December 2, 2008
Can you believe how rapidly the year is passing? Damn it seems like we started the racing season just the other day and now its over. I
plan to watch the Awards Dinner on December 5th, and see Jimmie receive all the honors deserved by a three time champion.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I caught a nasty cold just days before and didn't feel like traveling anywhere, so I stayed
home and had stuffed salmon. My mother (RIP) cooked turkey dry and I never found it that appetizing, so I usually try and avoid it.
Anyway, I just wanted to pop into the blog and let everyone know, "Its Alive!"
November 19, 2008
Yesterday was good. I think I'm getting caught up on the work and have been trying to get website cleaned up. I've been going through
the site and changing things to reflect the end of the season. And of course I've been updating the leadership to reflect the changes in
group leadership. We're going to be going into the winter months now and things tend to get quiet around here. Don't be strangers, visit
the message board and think about interesting side games and bets that you can use for next year! I'll be hanging around the place
posting to the Blog and making sure you are all proud of the site.
There's an old Chinese saying, "May you live in interesting times!" I'm not sure if its a blessing or a curse, but we certainly are living in
interesting times. So there's always plenty to talk about!
November 18, 2008
Last week was a fun time! Tuesday through Friday I took off to spend some time looking for tiger beetles with my buddy from Virginia. Its
always a crap shoot when you plan a trip well in advance, but everything worked out perfectly! Every day we set a goal and everyday we
either achieved the goal or out did it! Wednesday I got together with my son Rob to go have sushi (had to postpone it for one day), and
had a good time stuffing our faces at our favorite restrauant. I've been taking him there since he was born. When he was little his
favorite thing to do was eat the suckers off the octopus. Used to gross his big sister out!
This week I got back to the office to find the place full of work and things that need to be straightened out! Typical...you take a vacation
and then spend more time trying to get things back in order.
November 5, 2008
I had a fun evening. My son came over and watched the voting returns with me. That was certainly more than I would have hoped for last
year, so I'm a happy man this morning. Tomorrow is his 27th birthday. We decided to go out for sushi next Tuesday to celebrate his
birthday.
November 4, 2008
Get Out And Vote!!
Today is election day, so everyone needs to make their voices heard! If you don't vote you don't have any right to complain about the
outcome! Same goes for THS' Group Leader. Please make yourself heard by placing your vote at the Election Forum on the message
page! This morning I got most of site updated. If you count on Wetz's Stats be assured that they have been updated through Texas!
Thanks Wetz for the hard work! I know I check them out every week when trying to make my decision about who to run. Da Hoodlums
played musical chairs this week with only Kyle Ward escaping to visit friends up-town! That put our friend Joker in the 40th box. I still
need to come up with a picture for this player! Any help in this endeavour would be appreciated! Check out who is leading the Overall in
the group this week! You probably won't be too surprised to find out which of our excellent players has taken over the lead. Enjoy the
week and remember there's only two more races to go!
October 29, 2008
Outside of Gypsy it was a Western THS Chat last night. As usual a good time was had by all! Try and drop by for Chat next Tuesday and
see what all the fuss is! I'm heading out to do an inspection this morning, so I want to make a quick effort to get a few things updated on
the website before I go!
October 27, 2008
I survived another weekend! I didn't do much, I got up Saturday to find that I had a nail in the rear tire of my Explorer. I change the tire
(first time in the Explorer), which meant trying to find all the pieces of the jack. They provide you with a diagram where things are hidden,
but it didn't match up very well with my car. Anyway, I haul the thing down to WalMart to have it fixed. They said sure, no problem, come
back in an hour. I gave them two and when I returned I had to stand in line for half an hour to find out that they decided the nail was too
close to the side-wall. Bullshit!!! By then I couldn't find another tire store open on a Saturday afternoon! So Sunday morning I took it down
to Discount Tire Center and they said sure, no problem and fixed the damn thing. I think the WalMart crew just didn't want to mess with a
cheap service.
Then came Sunday's race and I was really bummed by Jimmie's speeding penalty, but did you see how he came back at the end? Go
Jimmie!!! Three in a row!!! Unfortunately my score of 698 didn't help me make any progress in my goal to make it into the top ten this
segment. Oh well, there's still three weeks to go!!!
October 24, 2008
Well we made it to Friday! I got my Yahoo Team set last night! And now we wait to see if the rain does indeed come to Atlanta today. It
would be nice to have a little more information to work with other than Wetz' excellent statistical review of past performance! Good Luck
to all the members of THS....TBDGOTB&TV!
October 23, 2008
We have another candidate for Group Leader! Kenny Houser, Jr is now going to join the campaign trail! Good Luck Kenny!
October 22, 2008
Wow! Has the board ever been lively for the past two days! It looks like a good start to some interesting discussions. Hopefully some
good ideas for the future of the group will come out of this process that the next G/L can use. Otherwise its just another bitchfest.
Those who didn't make it to chat last night missed out on a lot of fun! We had quite a mix of members old and new, and I think all had
"good times"! There wasn't a lot of politics (group or national) discussed, just a bunch of friends getting together for lively chatter and
drinks! Crown Royal seemed to be the drink of choice for the ladies, and the men were of varied tastes. We always say that we will do
this every Tuesday, but having such a large and animated crowd is rare! Next Week!!! Glad you're feeling better Swami!
October 20, 2008
Go Jimmie!! Three in a row!!!
I've nominated Big E for Group Leader. There are a number of members that would make a good GL, but Big E has shown through his
actions that he would put the time in to do the job right! He's also one of the newer members and I want to see more participation in
running the group by someone other than the same group of OLD members. The present leadership is doing a great job, and Big E has
been helping that group. He will come into the job with his eyes wide open, and knows exactly what to expect. Its time for a change (I
heard that somewhere recently)! VOTE BIG E FOR G/L!!
October 18, 2008
Yesterday evening I got bored and decided to do something I haven't done in ages. I went to downtown Visalia to check out the action. I
arrived at the first bar at 7:30 and was the only patron. Its a sports bar so I watched the football game for awhile and then gave up to
wander farther downtown. I ran into friends at the local Bistro and the woman tried to set me up with a date with a school teacher friend
of hers. Then I made it into a place called the Cellar Door. I had heard that they can have a fun crowd. The place was packed, but I
noticed that some of the women were dressed somewhat oddly (long dressing gown or kaftans). I couldn't believe all the people packed
in and then I found out why. I had stumbled into a belly dancing convention! God is good!!! I didn't know we had that many belly dancers
in the area. So I spent the rest of the evening watching and having a good time.
October 17, 2008
Well another week is almost over! I'm look forward to the weekend. Saturday I'm going to go out west of town and look for tiger beetles.
My buddy from Virginia will be here next week and I want to get an idea of whether the beetles are out yet. It may be a little early.
Hopefully I be able to put together a good team this week. I would dearly love to make it into the top ten in THS for this segment. So far
I've be loitering just outside in 11th or 12th.
October 15, 2008
Well tonight we get to hear the candidates go at it again! The debates have been rather boring, but its fun to see what the "news"
channels make of the outcome! Last time I thought both guys did okay, but that Obama probably did a little better. McCain came off a little
stiff and like he was wishing he didn't have to be there. I gave a slight nod to Obama. Watching FOX after the debate they thought that
MCCain smashed Obama to the ground and stomped all over him! I was left wondering whether I watched the same debate. CNN seemed
to have the best analysis, with people from both sides commenting on the outcome. They seemed to feel the same way I did. MSNBC of
course thought Obama had McCain by the neck, and choked the life from him!
October 14, 2008
Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving and I got an invite to a friend's house for dinner with his family. Far be it from me to turn down a
free meal. No one seemed to know why the Canadians celebrate on October 13th. It was suggested that since they have done so little
first when compared to the US that they decided to have their Thanksgiving before us. Well the food was good and the family was
certainly animated. It got difficult to keep track of the conversation with everyone talking at once, so I begged off and headed home after
dessert.
October 13, 2008
Today my uncle was buried in his beloved Colorado mountains. RIP
Over the weekend winter seemed to arrive in force! It was damn cold and breezy the whole weekend. The only good thing about it was
that I felt the urge to cook. For months it just been too hot to really get out the pots and pans. So I made a big pot of Hot and Sour Soup,
Ginger Chicken, and a stir-fry vegetable dish with crab meat. I made so much food I had to invite friends over to eat with me! One buddy
said he was shocked to find out that I could not only cook but make something that was delicious! All summer I cook on the grill outside
or do Healthy Choice microwave meals. Its easy and doesn't heat up my apartment. Anyway it was fun!
October 7, 2008
Nougat went in to see the vet this morning to have his nuggets removed! I feel badly for him, but... Anyway I get to pick him up at noon
and take him home. Today is supposed to get up to 89F. We'll be having a brief warm up and then another dip into the 70's. There were
worms waiting to be identified on my desk when I got in this morning, so it looks like another busy day. Better get my latex gloves on (the
ones that Da Secretary sent me) and start looking at worm butts!
October 6, 2008
Well, the shoe dropped. My dear Uncle Floyd passed on to his maker Saturday night. He told his daughter that he wasn't feeling very
good and she was going to help him to bed when he collapsed and died. His heart just stopped ticking. I good thing is that he got his
wish to be here for the 70th Anniversary party and to be able to share the love of his family all gathered together one last time. He was in
such good spirits when I left, and looked so happy that I deluded myself into hoping he would make it to 100 (when I knew that he was
living on borrowed time). He was a dear man and I will miss him.
October 3, 2008
Everything seems to be going my way lately. When I went north I was hating having to put everything on the credit card that I was just
about to pay off, but I figured I'd get it paid off someday, and a little debt wasn't going to stop me. A while back I helped an old friend with
a report he was writing as part of his biological survey company. I got a thank you card in the mail yesterday along with a check for $500.
Yippee! I had told him not to worry about it, but he apparently felt otherwise. Then another friend who has a nursery sent an email saying
he needed some help repotting some rare plants and wondered if I would consider helping out on Saturday. It sounded like fun, plus he
puts on a good spread when we get together, and I love talking plants. Turns out that I will get about $300+ in plants for the effort that I
can put on ebay. This along with some other projects I have in the works should end up paying for my trip in short order! Things are
going so well that I'm waiting for something to go wrong ;-).
October 2, 2008
Well I made it back from my five day trip to Walla Walla. I had a great time with the old folks and relatives. My aunt and uncle were thrilled
to see me and my visit made them very happy. They celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary with a renewal of their vows, feeding
each other cake and the required kisses. He's 98 and she's 92. On Sunday I went with my cousins on a Rattlesnake hunt. My cousin Alan
had never experienced a live buzzworm, so we went out to an old basalt flow area and poked around in the rocks. We were able to find
four, and everyone declared the effort a success. And no we didn't kill them or eat them. It was just an educational opportunity.
When I got home there was a ton of work waiting for me at the office! I was able to quickly update most of the site, but there are still
things I haven't gotten done. Tuesday night I heard a knock at my front door and when opened came face to face with a young man I
couldn't quite place. It was my son!!! I haven't heard from Rob for 1 1/2 years and I haven't seen him since he came home on leave from
Germany while he was in the Army. I gave him a big hug and dragged him into my apartment so we could have a nice chat. I think he had
been avoiding coming by because he thought I would be mad that he hadn't been around. I was just happy to know he was alive and
desperate to find out how things are going for him since he got out of the service. Hopefully now that he has broken the cycle of
procrastination and guilt he will be coming around more often.
September 22, 2008
Yesterday was an up and down day. I felt like shit most of the time. My blood pressure was fluctuating and I kept having to lay down to
keep from falling down. Today I feel better, but still don't feel like I'm firing on all cylinders. This is the week I fly north to visit the old
folks and get together with my cousins. I think its time to remove cousin GW from the family tree. He sure has screwed this country up.
We had a budget surplus when he took office and now we're planning to take the deficit to 13+ trillion! We're involved in multiple wars,
some justified, some not. The greedy bastards in corporate America got the green light from GW's administration and now we're being
asked to bail them out, and I doubt that any of them will loose much sleep or money in the deal. I think I will ask my cousins to run GW out
of the Haines clan on a rail. I think Barbara must of dropped him on his head when he was a baby. GrGrGrGrGrGrGrandpa Carlisle Haines
must be rolling in his grave!
September 17, 2008
I've already got 100 worm butts to review and its only 9:00am! That means I'll spend the whole morning on worms and reports. An old
friend called yesterday and said he wants to take me to see "Walking with dinosaurs" for my birthday, so I'm taking the afternoon off to
go with him to Fresno. He's 70 and thinks it will be exciting to see the puppet and animatronic dinosaurs. I'll tag along to make him happy.
September 15, 2008
Happy Birthday to ME!!! 56 years ago today the egg hatched and my parents were presented with a bouncing baby larva! It took me a long
time to grow up (some might say that I still haven't matured), but I did manage to survive to reproductive age.!
It may take me a while to get things updated this week. We still have members in the old group and I'll probably have to wait for Big E to
get me the official scores from Loudon.
September 12, 2008
What a week! I stood in line at the Dept of Motor Vehicles and got my license renewed. I also made sure to get my plane tickets for my
trip to Walla Walla at the end of the month. The worms, the worms! I'm still being inundated with worm identifications. Every identification
takes a little time, but the reports are what take forever to produce. And then they have to get to all the right people who have to ask
endless questions. I've had some time available to update the site, but its not as much as I really need to make sure I've got everything
rihgt. Congrats to all the segment winners, both in THS and the Side Games!!!
September 9, 2008
Yesterday morning I went in to the Dentist to have two crowns replaced. One had a cavity at the base of it. They were old and the metal
irritated the gums and trapped food. So they replaced them fixed the tooth and trimmed the gums. 3 hours in the chair, man was I sore.
Then when I got to the office my desk was covered with work and it never let up all day. I was achy and grumpy all afternoon.
I'm glad to see that DaBossman had the time to try and fix the message board. I was going to try to find the time today to see what could
be done, along with updating the site.
August 28, 2008
Oh Joy! It feels like I'm coming down with a summer cold. :-( I got up this morning to a scratchy throat and sinus drainage, now it feels like
I've got a fever going. I'll probably head home around noon.
Probably like everyone else in the group I'm keeping a close eye on Gustav and praying that Diane and Rusty don'e get hit again! And
now we have Jester down there too! Stay safe guys!
August 27, 2008
I had friends over for dinner last night, which made for a nice change. Had a pleasant evening. There was a nice breeze out. After they
left I got out a good book and read for a while. A pretty boring existence eh?
August 25, 2008
Another week, another crappy score! At least Kenny and I did better in TIAR! I've got to get busy and get the site updated. Have a great
week!
August 19, 2008
Yesterday I told the boss I'm taking some time off to visit with my Aunt and Uncle at the end of September. They said okay, so now I'm
finalizing my plans. My cousin thinks Uncle Floyd will be fine until then and I can go help them celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.
I'm looking forward to spending time with them and my cousins, but also thinking about how this will probably be our last visit together
on this earth.
I've already had busy morning full of worm butts (40 done so far). Yesterday afternoon I pulled the genitalia on the little beetles I
collected on Sunday, and this afternoon I have hundreds of ant lips that need to be checked to see if any are Red Imported Fire Ant. We
don't have RIFA here in Tulare County and certainly don't want to let them get established. So we place little traps baited with SPAM to
see what ants are here. AH! A day of worm butts and ant lips! Does it get any better?
August 18, 2008
What a weekend! Friday night I got an e-mail from my cousin in Washington State. She said that my Uncle Floyd had been going the to
hospital last week with weakness and his heart stopped twice while he was there. He's 98 and my Aunt Sylvia is 93. They're the last
old-timers from my father's family. They've been more like grandparents to me than Aunt and Uncle, so I was very concerned by the
news. I called my uncle on Saturday morning and he said, "My heart stopped a couple of times last week, but I'm ticking now! You know
Dennis I'm 98 years old. Never does any good to dwell on the negative, only by being positive can you hope to make a change. So I just
take what the Lord gives me one day at a time." You'd have to hear him to get the full impact. He's a quiet man, who talks very slowly and
deliberately. I've never known him to raise his voice or get too excited. Their 70th wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of
September and I'm hoping he keeps on ticking until then.
Saturday was spent working at the office, and then when my day was done I move my upstairs bedroom suite down and out of the
apartment and moved a new one upstairs. It was 101F! I was dripping sweat and worn out when I got done. Sunday I drove over to the
westside of the valley to check my traps and listen to the race on MRN. It seemed like every driver I picked either had a blown engine or
got into some kind of trouble during the race! I'm this week's recipient of the HUA Award!
August 15, 2008
Another super busy week! The boss was away at a conference all week and you would think that would mean I could play, but no! With
the boss gone that meant extra work for me. Then there were more issues than usual to deal with. So with the boss gone and the
retirement of one of my coworkers I was kept hoping all week. I'm scheduled to work again Saturday, so it will be another long week.
August 11, 2008
Not a bad score this weekend. It was good enough to keep me in 15th this segment (tied with my buddy Kenny). I sure would like to get
into the top ten after the sucky start to the segment. I almost dropped all the way into Da Hood. Who knows what Da Hoodlums would
have done to me had I had to spend the week with them? I stayed home this weekend and watched the Olympics and racing, not a bad
way to pass time! GO USA!!! GO JIMMIE!!! The wreck at The Glen was incredible! What a mess!
August 8, 2008
WORMS, WORMS, WORMS!!!
I am getting tired of worms! I've been giving interviews on the great Striped Armyworm invasion of Tulare all week! For those who don't
go to the message board you can see the interview I gave that made it to CNN here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/08/07/dnt.worm.invasion.kgpe . The week started off with a mild case of food poisoning, so I
felt crappy on Monday (no pun intended)! Eventually the imodium kicked in and I got feeling better. When I got to work on Tuesday I had
identifications backed up and all kinds of fires to put out. Then the boss sent me out to check for an unwanted insect pest at our biggest
ornamental nursery, Monrovia Growers. After that I started giving the interviews on the worm invasion and trying to get some work
done! I did manage to get the site updated between issues, and even had time to read the boards now and then.
The worm story was the big thing. There were all these irate homeowners being overrun by caterpillars. They were squishing them,
sweeping them, screaming at them, jumping up and down, scooping them out of their pools, and being bitten by them. We even had one
guy out there with a butane burner BBQ'ing them! The caterpillars are stupid and when they crawl up on you they nibble to see if you're
edible. While they don't draw blood or anything, it isn't pleasant. The worms had eaten up the alfalfa field next door and then decided to
look for greener pastures, migrating by the millions! The ick factor was extreme for the neighborhood.
July 29, 2008
Worms kept me busy all weekend, and I even had to work late last night! Today is payday, so tonight I head to market to shop and restock
the beer supply! Hopefully I'll get home in time to join in on chat. Looks like I should move up in the group some more this week. I may
not be fight for access to Da Penthouse, but I'm not smelling stale Piss Meister either!
July 25, 2008
Its Friday and the cars will be back on the track! All is good with the world! May the racing gods be kind to one and all in TBDGOTB&TV!
July 24, 2008
Yesterday my desk was inundated with worms! One of my counties brought in 50 worms that needed to be manipulated and their tiny
little cheeks spread! The thought of Da Secretary and her treatment of Da Hoodlums passed through my mind several times as I worked
through the samples! Then there were the reports that had to generated and sent out. I love my job, but sometimes it all seems a little
perverse. And those were just the samples from the neighboring county. I had my own county samples to process too. Today I've already
had 30 worms brought in. I better get started spreading those cheeks! "Now this is going to feel a little uncomfortable."
July 22, 2008
Another day in paradise! For those who don't follow the drama on the Message Board, yesterday was another day of pointing out my
failings as the webmaster. Eventually Jessie decided that one of us had to be in charge of her board. I chose me! So when she dared me
to give her time out I did. She is on a one week suspension of all board privileges. She promised that I would have to deal with her gang
and suspend them too, but I'm hoping that they will see how childish she was and has been acting for some time now. The board is
supposed to be a place for all members of the group to be able to socialize and have fun, and lately not that many people seem to have
the stomach for all the drama and petty fights.
July 21, 2008
Well the weekend is over! I only had to go into the office twice on Saturday. Sunday was kinda strange without a cup race, but that means
its Monday and I don't have anything to update on the site! This morning isn't as cloudy as yesterday was, but there is a nice breeze and
its very nice outside! Maybe I can find an excuse to go to the field this morning!
July 17, 2008
It looks like they've finally gotten the upper hand on the wildfire south of us. As of this morning its 95% contained at just under 38,000
acres. The monsoon rains seem to have helped tremendously! The smoke seems to have cleared out a bit too. So we're now allowed to
breathe the air.
July 16, 2008
I finally got Wetz's track stats updated for the last few races. So those who use them in their decision making (I for one) can have the
latest info. The Bank Account has been updated (Thanks Linda), and I fixed the issues with the Relief Fund Account. If you missed it, Big
E has given me the rules for Blackjack at the Brickyard. They're posted on the Side Games page. Da Hoodlums are all in their boxes and
the Home and Scoring Pages are updated! All is well with the Website! I even managed to get my home computer to let me into the
Tuesday Chat! I must be doing something right!
July 15, 2008
My study area in Kern County continues to burn. The fire has now burned 37,000 acres, but the good news is that its 70% contained. The
bad news is that we're in the monsoon season and the afternoon thundershowers have been sending mud flows down the hill into the
little communities at the base of the mountain. We had a couple of days where they received three inches of rain in a short period of
time! So every evening we get the flash flood alerts from the weather service.
Today is pay day, so I get to eat again! Pay day is always a good day ;-) Tonite I need to go shopping and restock the frig and shelves at
home.
July 14, 2008
Another great racing weekend! Saturday was spent doing yard work and hanging around waiting for to see if anyone needed an
identification. I did get two calls for worms, so I made some money off the day. I did enjoy seeing the sunset from Chicagoland! That was
beautiful! Congrats to Steelerphann on a great win!
Sunday I made my way over the west side of the valley and serviced my traps. I got some good insects, so that makes the effort worth
while. It was 95F when I got finished and headed back to home. Today we're looking at another day just below 100.
July 11, 2008
Thank God its Friday! I went in to have my fasting blood test this morning. When I got out I went to get some food at McDonald's only to
fing out that I had $1.00 in my wallet. So breakfast was two apple pies.
The temp today is supposed to be a cool 100. Yesterday was hot, hot, hot at 109 by 6:00 pm. And the smoke continues to poor into the
valley from the burning hills to the north and south. I still haven't made my team selections for the week. With Q's being rained out and
limited practice I suppose I'll have to guess! Good Luck to everyone!
July 9, 2008
The doc was very good to me. He didn't grope or poke me at all! My blood pressure was good and all he did was set me up for a blood
test to check my cholesterol and liver function.
I was checking out my big beetles last night and sure enough they're emerging! I'll have to post a picture of them tomorrow. They're
around two inches in length and the males have nice horns! Maybe now I can put together "Bugz Burgers" for Da Hoodlums!
Its supposed to get up to 112 today and still smoky. Damn this is just too hot! I posted an update on the Relief Fund for Duke, in case
anyone is curious. I still need to get my money in for Rumble @ the Road Course. We have until just before the start of the race at
Watkins Glen, but if you're a procrastinator like me you better get it in now!
July 8, 2008
Its hot, its smoky, and I have my annual doctors visit today. They say we could get up 110 today. And the smoke from my study area is now
making its way into the valley. The fire has burned 31,000 acres in the mountains southeast of here. Looks like I'll have to forget about
going up there for a while. Next year!
Aw my annual visit to the doctor. Turn your head and cough, and then there's the probing! Oh joy! All this fun so that I can continue to
have my prescriptions filled. I hope he's gentler than Da Secretary!
July 3, 2008
It never ceases to amaze me that the website needs something done to it every day. There just always seems to be something that come
up.
Yesterday I found out that my study site up on Piute Mountain is burning! So far the fire has consumed over 13,000 acres in three days. I
have to hope that my study areas don't go up in smoke, but its not looking good. Sometimes fire can make things better, but it usually
takes a couple of years to recover. This site is on the edge of the desert so the dry conditions may make recovery slower.
July 2, 2008
This morning has been busy. I've already had worm butts to look at and weeds to identify. I just got out of meeting about Glasss-winged
Sharpshooter, and I need to get some information together for the state regarding potential local terrorist targets in agriculture. As they
say there is no rest for the wicked!
Speaking of wicked, my boss just got back from two weeks sailing in the British Virgin Islands. Because I helped hold down the fort here
and take care of a bunch of issues he brought me a bottle of rum. I had a drink last night and it went straight to my head! Good stuff!
Normally the gin wears off after a little while, but this rum gave me a buzz that wouldn't quit. I might have to restrict its use for Fridays
and weekends.
The first of the month means that I needed to change the Da Hood Calendar Girl! July's is a real stunner! Don't forget to drop by and say
hi to Da Hoodlums from time to time, but please no contraband!
June 30, 2008
I went over to the westside of the valley to check my traps on Sunday. When the race started I listened to it on MRN. I noticed that when
I'm listening to the race and driving on winding dirt roads I tend to go faster than necessary. I had several incidences where I was
loosing grip and sliding through the corners. The gas for the trip cost $4.64/gal.! I spent a total of $110 on gas yesterday! At least I came
home with a partial tank left.
I came around one corner behind Coalinga and found that a motorcyclist had gone off the road! His buddies were caring for him, but they
couldn't get any cell phone reception in the canyon and I went to the nearest farm house to call an ambulance. Fortunately he had been
wearing riding leathers and helmet, as he went through a barbed-wire fence and into the bushes. He was complaining that his shoulder
was hurting him, but otherwise looked okay. Anyway, once help arrived I went on about my bug hunt.
June 26, 2008
We're supposed avoid breathing again today! They now say its bad for healthy people too. My sinuses are starting to say that I shouldn't
be messing with this stuff. The light outside is more like sunset than midday! My lily didn't stink this morning. So it was just a short burst
of putridity! Today was trash day and I checked out the trash cans to make sure Jack wasn't being sent off to the landfill! ;-)
June 25, 2008
Another smoky day in Kaleefournya! They say its best that we don't breath the air!
I hadn't seen my neighbor, Jack, for a few days. His girlfriend says he's in jail for parole violation! The last time we saw him his girlfriend
was pounding on the door with a baseball bat in her hand! So we aren't sure if he's really in jail or if his body has been stuffed in the
trash can. To top it off this morning when I went down stairs I noticed the smell of death hanging in the air of my kitchen. At first I thought
the trash can needed to be taken out, so I did that. No effect on the smell. Then I clean the garbage disposal. No effect of
the smell. I closed the kitchen window and looked outside. The smell was stronger out there, and I began to wonder if
the joke about Jack being stuffed in the dumpster wasn't right! Then it dawned on me that my pink Voodoo Lily was
in bloom. Its a pretty flower, but it stinks to high heaven! The flies were thick. Here's a picture of the flower.
June 23, 2008
Time for my Monday morning lament! I suck at the damn game! I should have remembered that Gilliland was a hometown boy familiar with
the track at Sonoma! Ambrose was looking like a great pick and then... broken gear! I could have kill Harvick! oh well on to another track
and as Ben says, another loss!
What a miserably hot weekend. This morning was cooler, but the sky is brown from all the distant fires! Kaleefournya is burning while the
midwest drowns! Patty sent some pictures from her excursion to Dover and I'll get them posted to the Member's Pics page.
June 18, 2008
Yesterday was too crazy to make time to post on the blog. It was either update a couple of items on the website or babble here. So I did
the website. Duke's Rumble @ The Road Courses is scheduled to begin this weekend at Infineon. The prize is one of three COT diecasts.
See the Board or Side Game Page to get more info and sign up. Cost is $5 to play! The money goes to the Relief Fund.
No more flies have been found, so I'm hoping that this will all settle down here soon! I'm sorry to see Connie say he's quitting, but if he
doesn't like how the group is run... I try to do all I can to see that this place is available to the members of THS and represents them well.
With 50 friends playing the game there is always going to be some friction, but this year nerves seem to particularly sensitive!
June 16, 2008
I suck at this stupid game! I couldn't pick a good team if I knew who was going to win in advance!
The weekend was hectic and a mess. The State showed up on Saturday and I gave them all the assistance I could between looking at
worms. We got things organized and ready for Sunday's big effort to place as many Medfly traps in the area as possible. Sunday we got
all of the high priority traps in place and even a few of the next buffer. Normally we would be trying to place 1700, but the area where the
fly was found doesn't have a lot of lot material. I expect this to go pretty smoothly, but it is a hassle!
June 14, 2008
Friday the 13th lived up to its name! First I had to go out and inspect a nursery with field grown lilacs for Sudden Oak Death. They were
getting ready to irrigate and had just plowed between the rows, so I had to slog through powdery soil and 100F heat. I felt like "Pig Pen"
out there as I walked in my own little cloud of dust and sweat!
Then at 4:00 on Friday afternoon I got the word from the State that we had a confirmed fruit fly find in a little community along the
southern border of our county. Damn! That means we have to put out tons of traps and work all weekend! The State will send a crew
down tomorrow (Yes on Sunday) to help get 500 traps placed in a 9 square mile area. Today I have to try and find some of our staff who
are willing to spend their Sunday placing traps in the heat. The guy who is supposed to be in charge of the program seems to have
turned his phone off and isn't answering at home (smart). So that leaves me to pick up the pieces! I've increased my Paxil dosage to help
with the anxiety & panic attacks that always seem to come when I'm stressed. That's a little left over gift from the stroke I had a 6 years
ago.
I need to get my teams set. I can't let down my partner in TIAR! Let's kick some ass Kenny!
June 12, 2008
I spent yesterday pulling genitalia on small beetles and looking at worm butts. Ain't life great! My nieces graduation went off without a
hitch and she was so happy her Uncle Dennis was there to cheer her on! The wind was blowing very hard while we waited outside to be
let into the hall. My sister-in-law was standing under a tree that reached down in the wind and grabbed her wig! It near fell off and blew
away, but she managed to catch it and shove it back on. I had visions of chasing after it and stomping on it like some wild animal trying to
escape captivity! Needless to say my brother didn't notice a thing and missed out on all the fun! My niece got a tattoo on her arm for her
18th birthday and talked my 60 year old brother into get one as well! What is this world coming to?
June 10, 2008
Yesterday was windy and hot. The temp shot up to 97, and with the wind it was like walking into a blast furnace! I managed to get most of
the site updated, all the cars are there, and Da Hoodlums have their homes! Speaking of Da Hoodlums, the Pea Farmer managed to
escape! :-( In fact this is the first time this season that all Da Hoodlums are guys! This could cause a certain amount of problems at night
in Da Hood. Watch your back!
Tonight my niece graduates from high school! So its off to Fresno to be the good uncle! We'll get together as a family and head to dinner
and then head over to the concert center to see her in cap and gown!
June 9, 2008
Sunday was a busy day! I went on my bug hunt to the west side hills. The temps had been in the low 80's all week and I go over to hike
the dry hills and the temps shoot up to 92...go figure! My traps were a mixed bag, half of them were vandalized by animals, one was full of
dead bugs and the insects that feed on dead bugs. What a stinking mess. One had caught a mouse (dead of course). I did catch some of
the insects I was looking for in the remaining traps, and I caught two of the little buggers out flying around (a first for me). So it was a
long, but profitable day.
This morning I've got to get busy and build cars for Da 800 Club and start the process of updating the site for the week. Lady Di moved
up the list a bit, so I'm deeply disappointed! The only consolation is that I've got the Pea Farmer back in Da Hood, and Da Swami is visiting
to give a seminar to Da Hoodlums on picking winning teams! And while the Missus may have left Da Hood, Mr. Carter is back (other than
that scrawny pair of leg sticking out from under Linda.)
June 6, 2008
I wish I had the endless energy of a kitten. Or the ability to crash and sleep whenever I run out of that energy! Man am I tired today. I'm
trying to stop taking the Melatonin and for several nights I didn't see any difference without it. Hopefully last night was just the kitten
activity and I'll sleep better tonight.
Its Friday, but I have to be on call tomorrow in case anyone finds a worm during an inspection. We now also have the Australian
Inspector here and he is looking for weed seeds and insects in shipments of table grapes. It would be great to go to Australia one of
these days. I've made good friends with some of the Australian Inspector and they keep inviting me to come for a visit. It is tempting
when its cold and gray here to head down-under where they're having their summer.
Anyway, I'll be hanging out here in Tulare on Saturday waiting to see if I'm needed (might make a short trip just west of town for a bug
hunt). On Sunday I'll be heading over to the west side to check on my traps and see what's out. The wind is still blowing and the temps
are cool, so I don't know what to expect this year with the insects.
June 5, 2008
Da Hoodlums are all accounted for and in their places! Da Secretary escaped for another week, but moved one spot closer to her new
home in Da Hood. Da Godfather and I have to make sure we take special care of her needs! It may be time to launch my Bugz Burger in
honor of her arrival. See I haven't given up!
Yesterday was windy as hell and everything is drying up fast. We're looking at another nice day temperature wise and much calmer
breezes! I wish I could figure out Wetz' matrix when picking my team. My scores have been decent, but not good enough to compete with
those playing for Da Penthouse! It just seems so random to me from week to week. Oh well, I'll have to pick my Yahoo team this evening,
and then its wait and see how practice and qualifying goes.
June 3, 2008
I'm still struggling through all the new Hoodlums. Hopefully I'll get the rest of the boxes filled today. My counterpart to the north took two
weeks off to travel with his wife to Alaska. So I've been covering insect identifications for five counties. It sure has kept me hopping!
Worm butts galore! I need a couple of days off, but I'll have to wait until Dr. Smith returns.
Last night I had cats playing king of the hill on my butt! They're cute, but they like to be near daddy all the time. So I become the center of
their playground!
June 2, 2008
Damn Sadler, he's becoming the new Toad Bodine, a wreck waiting to happen! Otherwise the race was pretty boring. I have a new kitten
at home. He's one of those I helped birth about six weeks ago. I fell asleep during the race and he got hungry and decided to eat my ear!
I woke up in pain with my ear bleeding! Truffles sees him as a play thing, but Snickers sees him as a disgusting intruder. She wants to
beat the shit out of him, but then she'd have to touch him (disgusting thought). So she spits at him and then runs over and beats up
Truffles! Poor Truffles just looks like, "What was that for?"
May 30, 2008
FRIDAY! I finally got all the data from Big E and updated the site for last week's scores! They're were a lot of ties in the group. Da
Hoodlums are all in their proper boxes. I hope everyone is comfortable and recovering from their "handling" by Da Secretary. A friend of
mine recently went for his first prostate exam. Afterwards he said it was humiliating and wondered why the doctor had to use his finger?
I'm not sure what he wanted the doctor to use instead? Sorry my mind drifted after thinking about Da Secretary and her "examination".
Hopefully I can stay away from Da Hood this segment, other than to help Da Godfather in his quest to keep yous all in line!
May 29, 2008
I tried to get the site updated a bit more. I went ahead and did Da Hood. Everyone may be off by one spot, but these are this week's
Hoodlums. Its always a challenge at the start of the segment to get the new members to Da Hood matched up with pictures, especially
newbies like Moss Boss. Hopefully everyone will settle in and enjoy their new surroundings! AA sent me the NASCARVANNA Banner
picture from the last race it attended with Jester and Lilmiss. So I added it to the History1 page for anyone who is interested in see it. He
also found the infamous RJ grabbing himself in the old Kali Krew photo (He says its his beer). I'll let you be the judge! I have my priorities
straight, I'm grabbing Lilmiss!
The big dude next to her is her
brother, so I had to be careful
what I grabbed! That's Kenny
looking over the top of my head.
May 28, 2008
Another crazy week! At least its Wednesday, half way home! The weekend was stormy and gray. It rained all day on Sunday and Memorial
Day was overcast and cool. It almost felt like coastal weather. This year is very strange when it comes to weather. A friend went up to his
cabin at Tahoe and had to spend the entire holiday holed up by the fireplace watching the snow come down.
Yesterday was full of meetings with foreign representatives and the USDA. I did manage to update the site between meetings and at
lunch. I'm still waiting on Big E for the final scores before updating Da Hoodlums. Depending on how many players we have I might have
to come up with a picture for Da Secretary!!! Who would get to search her?
May 23, 2008
Wind, Wind, Wind, with all the wind, blowing dust and smoke my head is bounding from sinus issues! Today is supposed to get up to 75
with a chance of thunderstorms. What a week, the work just hasn't stopped. And I just can't seem to catch up. I'd say I need another week
off, but then I'd never catch up!
Don't forget to set up all your teams for the side games. None of the should have changed since they don't require a segment payment,
but your teams will be emptied out by the SCC. So remember our mantra "SAVE ROSTER"!!
May 21, 2008
It looks like the cold desert winds have followed me home! It went from 102F to an expected high today in the mid-70's, and the winds
howled all night long.
I'm finally starting to catch up with all the work that piled up while I was on vacation. That always happens, you take some time off and
then work your butt off trying to catch up. Anyway they seem happy to have me back at the job. The fellow that tried to do the insect
identifications while I was off (PhD) was not as reliable, and seemed to think he had a life outside of work! They're now talking about
asking for a small raise in my salary! That would be nice!
May 20, 2008
Sorry I've been away from the blog for so long, but I took a week's vacation from the office and the computer in general. I made a mad
dash out into the Mojave Desert thinking I would have some good insect collecting and wildflower photography. The wildflowers were
there, but the wind was howling and the insects were hunkered down. My first issue was finding a plug in for my CPAP machine. The
motel that I had planned to stay in had burned, and the owners placed a "For Sale" sign on it. So that left me with camping in the
Panamint Mountains. This meant no power for the machine and an attempt at sleeping in the car with 30-40 mph winds howling outside.
The night time temperatures got down to 32F. Needless to say I spent a miserable night in the mountains. The next day I wander around
looking for some sheltered canyon that might have less wind, but that didn't exist. When the temperature started falling again I decided
it was time to move on. Here are some pictures I took of the nice flowers in the area.
Linda should have sent out the name of the 2nd Segment group and password to those who have paid. If you don't get it today please
feel free to let me or Linda know.
May 9, 2008
Friday at last! Today has been quieter than the rest of the week. I've covered at least 15 miles on foot this week, and helped to save the
citrus industry from a devastating disease! I've helped homeowners with their pest problems and looked at worm butts for our export
program to Mexico (that's one of the ways I tell one caterpillar species from another, look at their anus). I even tried to assure one lady
that the lizards on her walls and patios were not going to hurt her.
Another one of my duties as Staff Biologist is to review Environmental Impact Reports for projects that might impact local agriculture. So
today I'm reviewing the Tulare Motor Sports Complex. Its a 1 mile NASCAR track with seating for 53,000 and adjacent drag strip planned
for the land across from our office! Unfortunately my big boss is probably going to want me to issue a negative statement on the project
due to the loss of ag land and future impacts on growth in this area. I'm hoping the project moves forward myself! Maybe while I'm on
vacation he will write his own report on the project and I won't have to get involved. We just got the report and we've already received
inquiries as to what our position will be. I told them that we hadn't had the opportunity to fully study the report and would need to consult
with the Commissioner before making a statement.
May 8, 2008
Damn I've been busy this week! I must have walked 10 miles in the last two days, and its one wildfire to put out after another! I guess
that's always the way things go when you plan to take the next week off! And then there are the sickies! We have our very own NASCAR
Guru Da Swami in the hospital with a very serious medical issue (keep him in your prayers for a speedy recovery)!, and our all powerful
Gruop Leader Da BossMan with his pain in the groin! He'll be going under the knife next week! While he's under the influence he will
turn the reins of power over to ME!!!! Oh the incredible feeling of power! I'm begging you to play nice while Da Boss is away! :-)
Duke is preparing a new game for the All-Star Race at Lowes. I figured I'd give a few tries to explain it to the members before I set it in
cement on the website. That way I can get the best idea of how he wants it run, plus he hasn't quite settled on the entry fee. Anyway
watch for more info to come on the Side Games Page! There is a picture of Duke with the prize on the Home Page, so check it out!
May 5, 2008
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Friday was a good day! I enjoyed lunch and we had a chance to talk about life, etc. I think she had her eyes opened a bit when we were
chatting about our sons. Hers is 6 and mine is 26! I saw her swallow a bit harder with that information. Still, she says she wants to spend
more time with me, and like I said before it could be fun.
This morning has been busy, but I did get most of the site updated. Still have some screwed up results in Da Shed. Thanks ESPN! Let's all
have a great week!
May 2, 2008
Today should be an interesting day! I'm having lunch with one of the nice women who have expressed an interest in spending more time
with me. She told a friend that she thought it would nice to get to know me better. That friend talked to a friend of mine, who asked me
what I thought, and then got back to her friend, who told her. Isn't modern communication amazing! Anyway we're getting together for
lunch and chat one on one.
May 1, 2008
The wind has finally died down and today I must get out of my office and inspect another nursery. It should be a nice day for it!
I must be doing something right in my life! During the past week I've had two young (late 30's) women ask if I would be interested in
dating! While its a great ego boost, it makes me wonder why they would be interested in an old (mid 50's) fart like me? Still they are
attractive women (and I thought they were intelligent), and spending time with them would be interesting to say the least! Life is always
full of surprises!
April 30, 2008
I went out this morning to start my company car and nothing! It's a hybrid Honda, and thing said it had plenty of gas and stored power. All
that would happen was that all the lights on the dash would flash, along with all the idiot signals. I finally had to call the motorpool and
get a mechanic to come by and look at it. Dead battery! Not the big one, but the little one that does nothing but start the engine. He said
that there's a recall on them and I should have my car back when they get the replacement battery from the dealer!
The wind has been kicking up the dust and my sinuses are killing me along with the itchy eyes. They're telling people to avoid being
outdoors if you have allergies or asthma.
I still working on the THS History. I've gotten some more input from a few old-timers and am coming closer to posting it on the website.
April 29, 2008
Another dry and breezy day in Sintral Kaleefournya! We're supposed to cool a bit and then back to the 80's. I had a great weekend. I took
Friday off from work and got some things done at home. I had some bulbs that needed potting. Its finally got warm enough to plant the
Voodoo Lilies. So the last of them are in pots. I also got some more insect traps made and ready for use. Saturday was my bug hunt day,
so off I went to the west side of the valley. Things are drying very rapidly with no rain and breezy conditions. I spent the morning placing
traps at the sites I used last year. I need to get more of last year's good stuff, several new species there. So that meant hiking up and
down the steep hills. Damn I'm getting old! :-( I was worn out and only half way through the hunt. I was in an area that I could have either
turned around and gone out the same way I came in or try and make it over the dirt roads through the mountains. I chose the mountains!
Damn that road was rough! I had to spend so much of my time watching the road that I don't remember much of what the scenery looked
like! I really didn't see the kind of habitat I was looking for so I didn't put out any more of my traps (plus I really didn't want to drive the
"road" again). Still it was a nice day and I now know what's up that road!
Sunday was the race at Talladega, so I was able to kick back and let my legs rest (damn they were sore). My scores weren't half bad and I
didn't let my TIAR team mate down! On to Richmond!
April 22, 2008
Happy Earth Day!
At last I was able to get into chat last night! I had tried everything and then RJ suggested that I update my version of Java. Well I've tried
that before without success so I decided to reinstall the latest version. And it worked! I was able to have a good time talking to Gypsy,
Ben, Eric, and a whole host of characters from the group! I had forgotten how much fun could be had in chat! We learned all kinds of
things that can't be discussed here! Hopefully my problems with the damn program are solved.
April 21, 2008
Well by now all have heard that Homrs has stepped down as Group Leader. His reasons are his reasons, and I won't go into them. I just
want to say that I enjoyed working with him on making THS TBDGOTB &TV. He was very helpful when it came to trying to keep the
spammers off the board. That duty now takes me about an hour every evening and means that I don't have as much time to read the
posts or comment. So if the you see more bogus members on the list than usual, now you know one of the reasons. Another reason is
that I used to get on the board during my coffee breaks and delete bogus members. It turns out that my computer considers that to be a
visit at an adult site. I can't have that happening for obvious reasons, so now I can only do it from my home computer.
My weekend bug hunt was a bust! The temperatures dropped from 93F the previous weekend to 53F most of yesterday! The hills are
starting to dry up, but there are still plenty of beautiful flowers. I've got to get some work done! Have a great day!
April 16, 2008
I had been thinking about putting pictures of the winning drivers on the Home Page, and finally found all the pictures I needed last night.
So I hope you enjoy seeing the drivers you cheer for when they win.
I was checking out the news on the net when I came across an item about two acquaintances of mine who went to Australia to collect
insects. It seems they didn't bother getting the proper collecting permits and got caught trying to leave the country with 1300 dead
specimens of tiger beetles in their luggage. They now face fines of $93,000 and 10 years in prison. These are two guys in their 60's sitting
in jail for smuggling dead insects. Doesn't carry the mystique of saying I was arrested for smuggling drugs or diamonds!
April 15, 2008
TAX DAY!
Last night was a wild evening! When I got home there was a nice breeze blowing and it looked like it was going to be a nice evening for a
cigar, but first I thought I would check the boards to see if anyone was there. RJ came on and I was having a nice chat when I suddenly
heard a loud bang from downstairs. My first thought was that there was a home invasion going on, but it turned out that the wind had
suddenly picked up to gale force and blown my front door open! Stuff was blowing everywhere and the sky was brown with dust! The
wind howled all night and then just as suddenly as it had come it stopped. I went out this morning and my shades for the windows are
lying on the ground, and potted plants are knocked over. Today is expected to get to 67F, a far cry from the 93F we had on Sunday!
April 14, 2008
Yesterday was spent on another bug hunt. It got up to 93F and I was sweating like a pig on the first hot day of the year! A friend from the
east coast had made the trip out to the Kaleefournya a few weeks ago and placed some cup traps along the road I planned to visit this
weekend. Unfortunately he got sick and couldn't make it back to check the traps so he asked if I would try and find them. What a wild
goose chase! I didn't find a single trap, but I did find a guitar and a "coffee hound" mug. Still I got my work done and placed some more of
my insect traps out in an area that I need to check out.
Today the boss actually expects me to work, so I won't be able to do much with the site until this afternoon. If you see Da Govenator
lookin for me, tell him the check is in the mail! Taxes are due tomorrow!
April 9, 2008
Yesterday was a gray day, cold, cloudy, and windy. The wind stirred up all the pollen, dust and mold in the area so I coughed all night and
feel like hell this morning. I don't want to be here, but the big boss called for a management meeting today. Maybe today will shine
brighter than yesterday. I need more meds!
This is a friendly reminder to the group, the Phoenix race is being run on Caturday, so don't forget to make you team adjustments in time!
April 8, 2008
Last night I finally got around to doing my taxes. Every year I overpay the Feds and underpay the State. So it pretty much evens out with
a little left over for me! Another trend I've noticed is that each year my refund gets smaller and the check I send to the State gets larger.
And this from an administration that prides itself on cutting taxes!
Today is supposed to get up to 65, but the temperatures on the weekend are supposed to be approaching 90F. So it looks like spring will
be a short one. This is kind of typical of this part of Kaleefournya. I'll probably get out to the west side for a bug hunt on the weekend.
The heat should bring out the bugs!
April 3, 2008
Yesterday was supposed to rain in the afternoon, so I got out of the office early to get some of my inspections completed. Did it rain?
NO!! Anyway I had a nice morning in the field. The days are picking up as we get into spring. More calls each day from the public wanting
to know what kind of insect they've got or how to kill liverworts (poor little liverworts :-( ). As Nanna Rosanna Rosanna Danna says, "Its
always something!"
I also received a copy of my first book published as co-author. Its a technical work that was started by a friend who died of cancer in
2005. A group of us got together to correct and complete his work so that it could be published. It was his great desire to see this done.
So that's another project that gets moved from the "to be done" column!
April 1, 2008
Last night I spent the evening being a Science Fair judge. Its an annual chore that I usually get a kick out of, but lately the quality of the
projects leaves me wondering where the teacher was to advise the students. It really has gotten hard to find something nice to say
about a project that is incomplete and poorly thought out with no research or apparent effort. Its discouraging to see what No Child Left
Behind has done to the quality of science being taught in the public schools. And that no just me making that observation. The teachers
that were present and the administrators all say that the NCLB has sucked the life out of the science curiculum. All of the focus is
reading, math and social science.
March 31, 2008
Well I had a great weekend hunting bugs and spending time with the Kali Krew! The weather was cool and overcast, so the insects
weren't out in any great numbers. Still I managed to get a few new things for my reference collection so I consider the effort a success!
The racing on Sunday was pretty fun to watch! My guys ran up front most of the time and Dat Butchie was suckin' hind teat! So we kept
speculating on what Diane was going to come up with for poor RJ to post for the next month. Make it a good one Di!
Unbelievably I manage to squeeze out a score good enough to keep me out of Da Hood for another week! Can you believe it? I'm still in
38th place, so I haven't escaped completely. I hear Da Hood a calling!!
March 28, 2008
Snickers' oldest daughter Twix had kittens last night! I decided to go to bed early and get a good rest before my trip south, and around
10:30 I got a frantic call from my friends that I talked into taking Twix. "The cat screamed and had a kitten, and she is afraid of it! What do
we do? Will you come over and see if she's okay?" So off I go to see what's happening (fortunately only a couple of minutes away). I get
there and they're standing on one side of the room looking at the poor cat on the other. I got some towels and spread them out and put
her and the kitten on the towels and talked soothingly to Twix. I also had the helpless humans get me a warm wash cloth to clean the first
baby. By that time Twix was having more contraction and squeezed out another kitten. This time mother nature kicked in and she started
cleaning the kitten and felt more secure with Dennis there telling her everything was okay. So we went on like this until 1:00 am when
she had her fifth baby and I decided I had had enough of the miracle of life and went home (she may have still had another one to come).
I'll drop by and see how many she finally had, but there were no more frantic calls so I guess everything came out okay!
March 27, 2008
The clouds came in this morning along with some wind. Today is supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, but no rain in
sight. The Sierra snowpack is already down 2 feet, but still above normal for this time of year.
Today I have a group of gifted children coming into the office to hear the great biologist expound on the differences between
invertebrate and vertebrate animals. Why insects don't get big (bigger than they are)! That sort of thing. They usually go away suitably
impressed and always get a kick out the insect collection. I have some really impressive and colorful insects.
Aw NASCAR, what am I going to do about my lousy picks for the game? I figure this is the week I finally sink into the quagmire that is Da
Hood! I'm in 38th now and only a miracle will save me! Maybe I'll throw myself on the mercy of Kenny this coming Saturday and he will pity
me! NOT!!!
March 25, 2008
I wasn't going to post today cause there really isn't much new to say. But I did get an email from Tim Lear last night and he sounded like
he's feeling better and glad to be home. So keep sending good thoughts his way, its working!
I'm looking forward to the coming weekend (and its only Tuesday!). I'm heading down to Riverside for a bug hunt. I'm going to be looking
for a fly that eats spiders! Now there's a twist on what you usually expect from Mother Nature. RJ and Kenny plan to join me in my
expedition and we all plan to descend upon Homrs for the Sunday race at Martinsville. That means spending Sunday in Da Shed and
tossing back a few! Fun will be had by all (especially if Da Buschie crashes) !
March 24, 2008
I hope everyone had a lovely Easter celebration full of family and friends! I had a great day on Saturday looking for beetles amongst the
wildflowers of the mountains to the west. These are usually dry, so this year's rain has really brought out the flowers!
Speaking of friends, our beloved Mayor, Tim Lear, spent Easter in the hospital. Seems he hasn't been feeling well and having problems
getting enough oxygen in. So lets all send out our good thoughts and prayers to DA MAYOR for a speedy recovery!
UPDATE ON TIM! The doctors let him go home today, much to the relief of Tim & Bet! So he's feeling better. There's nothing worse than
spending time in a hospital, the lousy food, and all that poking and prodding! I'm glad you're doing better!
March 21, 2008
Yesterday was so quiet around the office I couldn't stand it and took the afternoon off. First I went home and ate lunch and then fell
asleep on the couch. I'm still having trouble sleeping at night I guess. Then I jumped in my car and went on a quick bug hunt west of
town to get some more specimens of the new beetle. I was successful in my hunt, but that will be the last trip for that species this year.
Their activity season appears to be over. I took some pictures of the beasty.
HAPPY EASTER!!!
March 19, 2008
Today I have another presentation to give at an industry meeting. My boss is going along to make sure that I don't get out of control with
my statements. Any way its a free lunch!
Here's some more pictures of my girls! Truffles is almost 4 months old now. She still has big feet and long legs! Snickers must be part
Siamese, with her smallness and short hair.
March 18, 2008
I had one of those nights where you have weird and vivid dreams! I was travelling with old friends in Colorado (of all places), we decided
to stop and go backpacking. I had to climb down a cliff (I hate unprotected heights). At the bottom of the cliff I find a parking lot that we
could have driven to! When we get to the camp its a tent city with a McDonalds in the middle (not exactly my idea of camping). I was so
tired from hiking back and forth helping people during the dream that my legs wouldn't work anymore.... and then I woke up! I am soooo
tired this morning!
Today I need to prepare for a meeting tomorrow, and I may get out of the office for a while. Easter is right around the corner. I hope you
all have plans for the holiday. I will probably head out to see what's blooming on the west side of the valley. It should be a pretty year!
March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I wore my green today in honor of my gr,gr,gr,...great grandfather John Nickell (b. 1720 in Ulster, Co. Tyrone,
Ireland). He was one of those who chose to immigrate to this fine land in the early days of the colonies!
And another weekend of continuing my slow descent into Da Hood! I'm now in 38th position. Please help me find a suitable picture to
best illustrate what you think Da Bugz should look like as a Hoodlum! I just can't seem to get a handle on picking a winning team this
segment. Hopefully that will improve by next segment!
March 14, 2008
Yesterday I had to go to the field again. Another day out walking nursery stock looking for plant diseases and insects. Of course I didn't
find anything significant, but I get to say that I looked and can certify to quality of the stock. It also meant another opportunity to spend
lunch looking at some of the local wildflower displays along the foothills. The flowers included Bird's Eye, Lupine, Owl's Clover, and Blue
Fiesta Flower.
Well Friday is here at last! The weather is supposed to be a bit unsettled this weekend with a chance of showers and temps in the 60's .
Tht still probably means I can get out and do some collecting when the sun is out. Who knows I may just be lazy and stay home watching
the races and NASCAR shows on TV. Anyway, the work week is almost over and I'm looking forward to the time off! Good Luck to
everyone at Bristol! Yesterday I also got all of Wetz's Stats for Segment 1 updated (for those who care).
March 13, 2008
This morning we're experiencing sprinkles, but yesterday the boss made me go out in the field, damn her! She forced me into the
outdoors! Just think of it, me having to go out into the cold, harsh world. I've included a few pictures that I took on my lunch hour near
the nursery I had to inspect. It was really tough being out and about for a change!
The pictures show some of the local wildflowers that are starting to bloom. They include Fiddleneck (orange), Blue Dicks, and Rockpile
Monkeyflowers. The hill is also an old sacred site to the local native peoples (Yokuts), and the rocks are covered with paintings from 200
years ago. Its a rocky knob that is located at the edge of the valley. They used to come here to perform their initiation rituals for the
young men and women. There's a rock pile on the side of the hill where the kids had to slide beneath a suspended boulder. The rock
below the boulder is worn smooth from generations of kids being "born" into their society.
