I Think

I would have got those and if need be still can. I put the seeds in a pot of such thin plastic it can be peeled away from the dirt. Hopefully the ball of dirt will hold around the roots. On the other hand, the ones in the ground are surviving so far. I would like to have two trees, but one healthy one will be more than I need.

1134a. Killed a brown recluse in the truck the other day. It was between my wife and I. I ought to fumigate after that.
1135a. Still have a rail left to put on one side of the steps. Other than that, this one project is finished. Good thing. It's on the hot side of the house.
1136a. Just about twenty years ago, when I first took my job, there was a woman and her daughter living in the apartments, both of whom I got to know pretty well. The daughter was ten. After she grew up, the daughter came back and rented her own place. It became obvious, very quickly, that she was an addict. She told the office her boyfriend was not going to be allowed in, but there he was and selling stuff in the parking lot. They were banned from living there. That was almost a year ago. The police came around looking for them the other day. Such a bright kid. Such a wasted adult.

1137a. The hot weather is creeping in. One more day like yesterday and I may be finished with the front (the sunny side) of the house, for a time.
1138a. My moringa sprouts are looking a bit more hearty these days.
1139a. Punky the dog got a new water bowl. We had temporarily been watering her from a plastic bowl. But I got her a glass one.

1140a. I think I may be on the hot seat at work today. Yesterday I did subfloor repairs. I poured floor leveler over some cracks, mainly to hide them from the floor installers. I did so only after being certain the floor was stable over the underlying plywood. But I was tired in the heat, what with climbing the stairs quite a bit, which possibly affected my judgement. I think the leveling medium was allowed to raise the floor too much, meaning the floor guys will want to charge extra for the stuff they pour down to make the surface perfect for strip flooring. So I will get called on the carpet for the extra expense.
1141a. I also was struggling somewhat from accidentally inhaling a chemical of some sort. It had me coughing much of the day.

1142a. Moringa - The original seeds I put in the ground appear to be all I need to have planted. Good thing. I made a mis-step with the ones I put in pots. Those seeds all dissolved without sprouting. The heat will be good for the trees this summer. Likely if we get a cold winter I will need to cover them when it frosts, at least for the first few years.
1143a. Reprieve on the floors. I will get a chance to improve the situation this morning. I just need to put more underlay over the areas affected, in a way that makes it all even.
1144a. A sign of the changing times. I went to Lowes to look for a flea poison for inside the home. Pretty much all of the products were labeled thusly: bedbug and flea. The prospect makes me nervous. Working at an apartment complex, I go in lots of strangers' homes, making bedbugs a real threat.
1145a. I think yesterday's "fight" thread that I started gave a new perspective on some of my friends on a2k. - About my own limitations, I have to point out that I spent most of my life being unable to reach out to others, of being incapable of cementing the most elementary bonds of friendship. And, so, when I appear standoffish or worse on the forums, it is not always intentional, but a failure within my character. I actually love ya.

I have never perceived you to be standoffish or worse. Ever. I do believe that we are revealed through our words. And I also believe strongly in the wisdom of my signature line. That Bobby Burns knew what he was talking about.

A while back someone asked me if I trust you. (You wanted to send me something, and you wanted my address.) Without thinking and without missing a beat, I said, "With my life."

Something to think about, edgat.

Thank you boita. In times when I despair over the human race, certain persons I know and have known take me away from the brink. You are among them. A number of other a2k persons are on my list. Lone Star beer for everyone.

1146a. The leasing agent and I were lamenting the scarcity of temp workers in our area. This after we got informed that the temp agencies were not willing, during a busy time for them, to send personnel as far away as Tomball. She suddenly blurted out: "Why don't we start a temp agency here?" So we will explore the possibility. The agency would belong to her, but I would be a part of it, the way I see it at the moment.
1147a. I thought I could skip by on working the Grace Hill course this month, but there is one out there that has to be completed annually and has not been assigned a month. Might as well jump on it this long weekend. - These courses have titles such as fair housing, dealing with difficult people and such.
1148a. I got a little feedback over the phone about that floor I worked on. May get called on the carpet today. In my defense, the floor was rebuilt after a fire more than twenty years ago. In place of the original, somewhat flexible aggregate, the contractor poured a hard concrete and in the succeeding years, the concrete cracked in a way that made it resemble a jigsaw puzzle. All but one spot was essentially stable. The rest was not moving. I knew the floor people would hold up work over the cracks, so I poured a floor leveler over it. But, I have rarely done this to floors in my lifetime and ended misjudging the application of it and leaving parts irregular. Therefore, the installers had to use more of their leveling material, raising the cost of the job. That cost will cost me a butte chewing, possibly.

If you're called on the carpet your defense about what you did (pouring floor leveler over it) was that any alternative (tearing it all up or .... ?) might have been FAR costlier. The effort you put forth at that time seemed reasonable. Weren't you coughing and stuff from some inhaled fumes or was that later? Isn't it forgivable that you didn't pour enough as the amount to pour is trial-and-error? Ultimately, you took your best shot.

I was concerned for nothing. It was not mentioned and I certainly did not see a cause to start anything. Fact is, I did the right thing, except did not spread the stuff thinly enough. As was mentioned I had no business doing it all just then, for I was struggling.

1149a. Three day weekends are not what they are purported to be. I seem to get more emergency calls than at other times. Already had two today. Last time I was on call, there was nothing.
1150a. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and says "Aflack," it must be a duck.
1151a. There is a local high school student in the news these days. She works a full time job and a part time job. She supports a sibling. She stays awake until 7 AM to get her homework done - and is an honor student. But she fails to wake up on time and is often late for school. For her tardiness she was jailed.

I don't need to comment further. We all know it's a fucked up system we deal with these days.

Jailed? I have never heard of such stupidity, edgar.

Yes, that's plain bizarre.

It has been a big local story for a couple of days.

May 26, 2012 4:47 PM EDT



The controversial story of Diane Tran, a jailed Texas honors student, has sparked widespread outrage on the Internet.

Tran, a 17-year-old honors student at Willis High School, was sentenced to spent 24 hours in jail and pay $100 in fines for excessive truancy, according to CBS Atlanta.




Judge Lanny Moriarty, who sentenced her, said when Tran appeared in his court last month for truancy, he gave her a warning, reported KHOU.com. But when she continued to miss classes, he issued a summons and arrested her in open court.

Tran's case of truancy is unusual, however, because she's a highly-successful student who takes advanced placement and dual credit college level course, according to KHOU.com.

Moreover, she said her parents divorced and moved away from the city of Willis. She now works a full-time job and a part-time job to support an older brother who attends college and a younger sister who lives with relatives in Houston. She currently lives with the family of one of her employers.






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The teenager claims she is often too exhausted to arrive at school on time and sometimes gets there after attendance had already been taken, according to KHOU.com.

"She goes from job to job from school. She stays up until 7 a.m. in the morning doing her homework," said a friend, reported CBS Atlanta.

Judge Moriarty, meanwhile, admitted that he wanted to make an example out of Tran.

"If you let one run loose, what are you gonna' do with the rest of 'em?

Judges can be stupid too! She's supporting her siblings by working two jobs. The judge needs to be fired.

1152a. Busy day yesterday. Exhausted by evening. I think I am going to paint the wall behind my computer today. But for a few nail holes, it is in fairly good condition.
1153a. They had to redo the curbstones around the property last week. I got them to put in rebar, to keep sections from snapping away, when cars' tires constantly pummel them.
1154a. I forgot which genius it is that, in the past day or three, said the end of the wars gives America new flexibility. I wonder how our fighting forces, who are daily risking their lives, feel about statements like that.
1155a. The newest section of the road I drive to work is complete. It is now connected to highway 249. In addition to this change, they added a four way stop two thirds of the way between home and the new overpass at 2978. I used to pick my own speed to travel between home and Tomball. These days, I am lucky to get near the speed limit.

1156a. Another day off, but I am using the time to work on the house. It is a never ending process.
1157a. All the forces within the system seem to be pulling me to vote for Obama again. It will be very hard to resist, to remain independent.
1158a. I perhaps should mention Memorial Day. Many of my relatives served in the armed forces. None that I am familiar with saw a day of combat. A niece of mine is currently serving. Not sure where she is stationed. I barely missed the Vietnam War, by getting out about the time they ended the all volunteer phase. My ship went there not many months after I left it. A lot has gone on since then. My ship was eventually given to Turkey, where it was used for parts. Three brothers went in the military after me. None saw action. I do not endorse any of our wars since Vietnam, except possibly the Bosnia thing. I have never heaped blame on the average soldier. They serve because the nation calls on them. Until nations learn a better way, any child alive can be in doubt as to whether war action will claim them before they have the chance to experience the life of an adult. I salute them all, yet wish mightily the sacrifice could in future become unnecessary.

All wars are political; many are unnecessary for self defense. But, like you, I support our troops, because it's necessary to maintain some form of military for our country. It's a necessary evil in this world.

I wish I could find the source of a quote I saw some time ago which has stayed with me. I remember the quote itself, word for word, but I wish I could give it proper attribution. It was said by an ex-soldier in the French Foreign Legion who had seen combat in Indochina, i.e. Vietnam. The quote:

"There is no such thing as a war crime. War itself is the crime."