The chronological day of my last blog entry, in which I mentioned the hope of global climate change bringing snow back to town, it snowed.  It was only about a quarter of an inch, but it was still genuine snow.  It even lasted for two days before starting to significantly disappear.  Usually, if it does manage to snow, it melts the second it hits the ground.

  Every once in a while, I'll watch an episode of It Takes A Thief.  It's a show where a former professional thief breaks into someone's house and robs them to give them the full sense of their vulnerability, then the thief's partner (not in crime) walks the resident through the house and the recordings of the crime, and then the two fit the house with a security system.  Some time later, they come back and the thief tries to break in again; only to fail, of course.

  It's a decent show.  I support the intent to the show, but I do have some problems with it, apart from it being border-line boring to watch.

  I don't know all the details of the show/"victim" relationship, but I assume that all the "victims" are agreeing to be robbed at some undisclosed time.  Within the week, month, year, whatever.  I'm only guessing.  It seems the most sensible thing, to me, not to mention keeping it from actually being illegal.  So, if I'm right, then the people are aware that they will be robbed at some point.

  Here's what bugs me:  The people/person comes home, and they're shocked by the fact that they were robbed.  And furthermore, they later get to meet the thief, and some of them are actually mad at him to some degree.

  To be fair, most of the people are more shocked by seeing the chaos left behind.  I can understand some degree of awe, but to some of the reactions you can't help but ask, what the heck did you expect?

  But I suppose that's to be expected from people who were of a mind and ignorance to let themselves be that vulnerable.  It's kind of like looking down on a newborn baby for crying.  What can you do but pity them... and bang your head on the wall for the fact that they exist at all.

  The one I saw today had a little bonus to it.  The guy wanted to show off his new secret room where he could hide if someone broke in while he was home.  It was a closet behind a set of shelves that move.  A secret room that no one knows about... except every person who watched that episode.  Yyyyyep.  Aren't you a clever one?  Yyyyyep.

  Mid to late last week, we lost all hot water pressure.  After about a day or two, we got into a serious investigation of why.  We thought it may have been the water heater itself, but then we checked the pipes under the house.  It was a lake under there.  There was a "leak" in a bend of one of the pipes.

  Today, my niece's boyfriend got under there to fix it, and it turns out that the bend, which was under dirt, has basically disintegrated.  This is a metal pipe I'm talking about.  Well, just a little while ago, he and I got finished fixing it, though he did most of the work.   He's a skinny dude, so he could fit.  The space between the supports was not wide enough.

  I could have fit, theoretically, but it would have meant getting extremely muddy.  I think all houses like this one should be built about three feet off the ground and that the under side should be accessible via an indoor hatch in the floor.  It just seems to me that there are much smarter ways things like a house's plumbing and electricity could be organized.  I like removable wall and floor panels for easy access to such things.

  And the water here is horrible.  Forget the light brown ice.  All the metal pipes get this black/brown build-up inside; especially the hot water pipes.  Our hot water pressure sucks.

  We may be getting a new house built.  We have a large back yard, and we may have it built back there, then tear this one down.  It's still in debate.

  I wish my external hard drive would get here.  I'm still in Step 1.  Geesh.  Paying for stuff with money orders always makes it take longer.  I'd like it if businesses would offer something that is to credit cards as money orders are to personal checks.  The same as giving someone else the money, and using their credit card.

  I wish Hershey's would sell Kisses that were not individually wrapped.  It can be such a hassle to unwrap every freakin' one.

  This is a very good article.  I'll let it stand on it's own merits, though, here are some enticing quotes.

Soft People, Hard People

  "The hand that spends its entire existence inside a velvet glove will remain soft and delicate.  The one wielding workmen's tools dawn till dusk becomes calloused and hard, more able to inflict injury and more resistant to it."

  "There is an immutable truth of human nature: When soft people clash with hard people, the soft are vanquished.  That is, unless they become hard."

  "And here I think of Chesterton's profound description of our condition:

'Nowadays, we have Christian values floating around detached from one another.  Consequently, we see scientists who care only about truth but have no pity, and humanitarians who care only about pity but have no truth.'"

  "But a minority tyrannizes only at the deference of the majority."

  "A bane of man is that he jumps from blind prejudice to blind tolerance and back again, without ever making a stopover at the ethereal land known as enlightened distinction."

  "Thus, to use a play on Otto Von Bismarck's metaphor, we can proceed with a velvet glove, but within must lie an iron fist.  We have no other choice.  Unless, that is, we fancy death a viable option."

  I have a quote of my own that seems somewhat appropriate to the above:  "If you're not thinking like a predator, then you're thinking like prey."  But don't misinterpret the word "predator".  Don't get caught up in thoughts of malicious intentions.

  The predator is aware of its objective and what it needs/wants to do, and then the predator proceeds in a calculated manner striving to achieve its objective.  This can be applied to either malevolent or benevolent goals.  This can be applied to either harming someone or protecting someone from harm.

  You can be either the coward, the fool, or the courageous.  The coward either does nothing but shiver in fear or runs away.  The fool tries to be courageous but lacks the knowledge and skill to be effective.  The courageous knows what must be done and has the will and ability to do it.

  The courageous are not thinking like prey.  Right now, there are far too many cowards and fools in charge of this country.

  I feel like giving props to the song, "So Long Zero", by Puffy AmiYumi.  We need more attitudes like this.  Actually, we need more attitudes wiser than this, but all things considered, this is still something worthy of aspiration, generally speaking.  I think it's much better when a female (or male) knows how to avoid putting themselves in that position to begin with, but hey.  The music is great, as well.

So Long Zero

You thought tonight
You'd have me all figured out
once again your trusting fool
lost in your eyes I'd miss the lies
just like before
well dude it's time you went to school

I've been on to you
from nearly the start
every empty lame excuse
under your thumb I'm not that dumb
so hit the bricks
go find another girl
that you make lovesick

So long zero
I'm going solo
so long zero
with you I'm better off alone

Did you really think
I took it so bad
the night I caught you with that girl
no big surprise you aren't that sly
the way you play
you never thought for once
I'd leave you someday

So long zero
I'm going solo
so long zero
now things are better

Your world's a house of mirrors
it's bit much
just like your smooth apologizing  (sorry)

You never had me going
with all that stuff
thank God it's gone forever
means nothing whatsoever now

So long zero
I'm going solo
so long zero
I'm going solo

So long zero
I'm going solo
so long zero
I'm going solo

  Okay, it's the next day, 9:38 am, and I'm watching another episode of It Takes A Thief, because there's nothing else on.  They're doing a sorority house while the sisters are all inside, in the attic having a meeting.  The thief just walks in through the front door dressed as a pizza guy.

  I'm not sure about other episodes, but with this one, they MUST have known it was going to happen that day.  The guy even asked them if it felt weird to have cameras recording them.

  During the playback, they're typically surprised by the goings on until the thief steps onto one of the beds to boost himself up.  The owner of the bed was just aghast that he stepped on her bed.  He then looked under her mattress for anything of value.  "Oh my god, he's touching my sheets."  "That's so creepy."  "That's where I sleep."

  Are you freaking kidding me?!  He's not dry humping them naked!  ...  Yep, these girls are part of the future of America.  And an example of what's wrong with the present of America.  A thief effortlessly enters your home, while you're there, goes through all your stuff, steals from you, and leaves, and what's the thing that bothers you the most?

  "I can't believe he stepping on my bed."  "Oh my god, he's touching my sheets."  If I don't touch your bed, may I STRANGLE YOU?!!  Mentalities like that absolutely sicken me.

  There's a power stick (a line of about six electrical outlets), and it's full.  One chord goes to the crayfish's light, and one goes to the crayfish's aerator.  Something needs to be unplugged to use the vacuum cleaner.  Hmm.  Which should I unplug: the light or the thing that keeps the crayfish ALIVE?!!  Of course, I have no intention of plugging it back in, so OBVIOUSLY I'm going to unplug the thing that keeps the crayfish ALIVE!!!

  In case you don't know me well enough, it's not really me I'm talking about.  It's one of the idiots I live with.  And it's the second time it's happened.  If I don't touch your bed, may I STRANGLE YOU?!!

  I sure would like to have a real discussion with a Liberal... you know, an objective one that doesn't end with the Liberal just dropping out without a word once they start being proven wrong.  I'd like to ask straight forward question that have simple answers and actually get a straight forward answer... you know, one that isn't a flood of irrelevance.

  Anyone who may be reading this, know that I crave such a discussion.  I WANT to have full discussions about issues.  I WANT my views to be challenged and to challenge others in return.  If I am believed to be wrong about something, then I WANT to be proven wrong IF I actually am.  I've had my mind changed before.

  Let me tell you something I find interesting.  I'm pretty much a Conservative, and of all the people I've had successful discussions with, people with whom I did not share a particular point of view, all of them were also conservatives.

  What do I mean by successful?  I mean being able to maintain civility and objectivity.  Keeping the discussion from being directed by emotions rather than logic and common sense.  Being able to refrain from name-calling and attempted insults.  Discussions that have a mutual conclusion, even if we both still disagree, as opposed to the other person just dropping out.

  I want a Liberal out there to be the first exception to the stereotype.  If you are one, or if you know one, then please come forward or let the person know about me.  This is an open invitation.  Any topic.

  If you truly believe your point of view is right, then you should have no trouble proving it, so step on up.