I am stupid

I am stupid. I may be legitimately stupid. Some people think I am stupid. It's my fault I am stupid. Not stupid in the sense that I can't read or write but the other kind of stupid.

Unemployment figures are out so I might have a chance at mobility- if I don't blow it. I oversleep and have a few too many distractions.

Two culprits

I removed the internal gear and put a picture of it and the worm gear on the tiller. I found a loose washer and bearing unit on the worm gear shaft.

Tiller woes

The tiller won't till. I got it to do the reverse-till feature but before going far the engine conked out under the load. The engine sometimes will stop running after several seconds even after a load. I tried a belt to get the forward-till to work but, possibly because there wasn't enough tension, the machine just scraped the belt. It's time I changed the engine and fixed another idler pulley.

My inherited tiller

In the middle of last month I received a tiller. It was free and my cousin was giving it away as he had sold his parents' house. I went to the house and my first thought was that he was giving up a beautiful pine-covered yard with pretty plants. The tiller sat under a washtub and other covering. Thus it wasn't all that rusty. No doubt my new baby would need work but I love bringing dead things back to life. His neighbor told me that the tiller was his family's and that my cousin's parents only used it once. We trotted it through the pine grove to my vehicle.



The first thing I did was read the model numbers and other data off the machine. Its model number defied a Google search and some of the model tag was missing. The original owner said it was a Wizard tiller. One forum poster said it was a True Value tiller; my uncle concurred. He had acquired a similar unit that was reengined. The small picture has a Wizard tiller of similar vintage.

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The 5hp Briggs and Stratton 130202-0136-01 engine had a date code of 6610251 which meant it was made in Milwaukee on October 25, 1966. Likely the tiller was made at about the same time. Few plastic parts made up the tiller. It was solid. I took pictures and sprayed cleaner on the machine. The gear box received a flushing of its blackened lubricant and in went some 85W gear oil which slightly oozed from the leaking edges. I drained the crankcase and ran paint thinner through it. I took the spark plug wire off and cycled the engine. I poured in some oil which I later drained and refilled. The oil plug was stubborn and my pliers rounded it off so I now have a carriage bolt damming the oil.

I took off the metal tine cover and handle shield to allow me to paint the deck. I took the handles off. The once-chrome handles were covered in rust and white paint.


It took a week to paint the deck red (I could find no orange/red like the original finish). The gas tank came off and I removed the carburetor before sanding and priming it. The several coats of primer and paint didn't totally obscure all of the bare metal. One set of tines came off but the other tines were rusted on. I did the best I could to paint the deck.

The tiller would not generate a spark to power the machine. I at first used a voltmeter to ohm out the magneto. I didn't put it on 2KOhms but on a lower setting. This caused a false reading of a short so I ordered an electronic armature/ignition assembly. After thinking it was just a modified plain-jane magneto and hooking one of its wires to the condenser I finally found out that I didn't need to fix the points to go with the device. The reason it wouldn't fire after installing the assembly was a wide gap between it and the flywheel as well as not generating enough RPM while spinning the wheel by hand. It takes a high RPM to activate an electronic ignition. I tested the ignition by putting starter fluid in the spark plug hole and inserting the plug. It puffed to life for the first time in several years before the flammable ethers ran out.

The carburetor is a story in and of itself. I replaced the diaphragm and cleaned the device thoroughly but the engine ran only when cleaning fluid was sprayed into the air intake. I had ripped up the stuck valve seat and thought the seat was the problem. Last Friday I broke a plastic secondary intake hose. I finally got the brass seat out and replaced it and the needle assembly this Saturday night. This took several tank seals over the past few days. Rust was in the gas tank and twice I had to shake the tank after I put in rocks and cleaning fluid to scrape the muck away. I did not get the carburetor to work without fully choking it. Only full replacement of the carburetor will remedy this but for now it works.

I have to get a third belt for the tiller. The last two were too small. Finally it dawned on me to sever a washing machine belt and cut it to fit so I could find out exactly what I needed. The beast has a reverse feature but who tills backwards?

February 1973 snow had no warning

This Friday there is a 30% chance of snow and rain predicted. Never does it accumulate or pile up in Macon when you expect it. The people go crazy and buy bread and milk at the first hint of snow (what if the juice goes out and the weather becomes warm? What of your milk, then?)

Perhaps it is the memory of the unexpected snow of 1973. The graphic shows how the Weather Bureau was blindsided. They expected rain but for three or four days Macon was paralyzed. Without the aid of 4WD vehicles, most from the National Guard, we would have been in big trouble. The Middle Georgia CB Club (predecessor to REACT) volunteer group was of immense aid. For the first time the local Civil Defense (later called EMA) got its feet wet (and cold) in a real crisis. They did well.

Not that Friday will give us much of what we saw happen up north this week. Then again....

A little more oomph but...

I've felt a little more motivated since early September. I don't think I'll go to school until I'm comfortable doing so. I would like to get some certifications in networking. Grease monkeys- IT or otherwise- don't go far. I figure that, unless it's higher math, that my failure to achieve academically is linked to laziness.

I got the Genral Tso to go more places. I put in a battery. I wish I didn't have the issue with the radio playing on not all speakers.

A little better but....

The past month, since I had gotten dehydrated the last of June, has been dull. I got in a rut where I didn't do much but sleep and fix a stubborn lawn mower. For two weeks my back has hurt when bending a certain way. It is getting better but slowly.

What's got me down is finding I have worthless college degrees. I am having to confront my weaknesses. I find more and more that I am too impulsive and emotional to function as I should on the job. I'm also seeing that everything is the same old same old. Finally I waste time and then get mad about it. Why do I do these things to myself. Oh and I dropped a Java course partly because I would come home too sleepy to study.


Maybe I'm in an orgy of self-hate and that's why I am beating myself up. I think I am lazy- and I probably am. It's also easy to be cynical of others when you don't go to church very often (that is, once every two years) and don't socialize with but a token few people. Every time I go to the Wal-Mart on the northwest side of Warner Robins I walk away mad at my exposure to humanity.

I have a tooth hurting me when exposed to cold food. I have a feeling it needs a root canal so I don't want to spend too much money too soon. The same goes for some redneck passing by in a big-wheeled pickup and flinging rocks at my windshield- possibly from his big treads or the bed of his vehicle. Safelite will love me.

Now I need to go back to bed. I woke up at 3:45AM and now it's 5:25AM. I have a feeling that my sleep is being violated. All I wanted to do when I got up is brush my teeth and look up Boone's Farm. I thought about drinking a little bit of it one night while on vacation. This may mean a trip to a slummy liquor store and sleeping through breakfast and beach time. It also means working with an unpredictable drug- which alcohol is. I've had a soft spot for Boone's farm since I saw a picture my sister drew and since I listened to a Kenny Chesney song.

Universally Wet

Monday, April 6, 2009

On Saturday I woke up at around 11AM. I had slept late the previous night because I was dumb enough to read Google's newspaper archives. My head was spinning in anticipation of my vacation. I didn't get worked up about it on the days previous but I was excited. Too bad I only had three days off including Sunday. I suspect I wanted to save on a day's motel check.

I got food for the family from Zaxby's and got packing once I finished lunch. It was approximately 2PM when I left. I dropped by a Dollar General and got lucky on drinks. I found a six-pack of Coke for as much as a 20oz bottle. With that and two
candy bars I left. I dropped by a station near the Dooly County line to gas up then went to Cordele to take pictures of the missile. There is a Titan I missile on display. The plaque on it was updated since I last took pictures but it was still referred to as the "Confedereate Air Force" missile pad. I didn't know they could get away with that in these times!

I dropped by Ashburn and Cordele to see a surplus store. I saw a billboard and got the exit numbers confused. I drove through Ashburn and found nothing. I found the store in Cordele but it was closed. There was this drive-in which seemed to be a leftover from the Sixties. On the way to Valdosta I took pictures of some flooding near Brooks County. The boat ramp was inaccessible due to the water. I felt I needed a john break so I went to Wal-Mart in Valdosta. There are bunches of fat,
whiskery country boys in Valdosta. This happens in agrarian communities. I slid by Shoney's and had coffee and a strawberry pie.

It was becoming night and I drove on and on to Ocala. One motel there had plywood on the windows. Another had someone rolling luggage on a provided clothes rack. I figured the motel was a bit too rich for my blood. When I hit the turnpike I drove
back and forth and down side roads since I was reading what passed for a map. A little more planning would not have hurt. I made it to a Best Western in Ocoee. The room was only 70.00 or so. I love being off the beaten path sometimes; it is so
cheap!

I intended to lay there in bed and wake up. I woke up- at 9AM. I slept in my clothes. I brushed my teeth, showered and shaved, and made it down to Perkins' restaurant. They were busy. But not to worry; I had a 10% discount. These days mean
that I will take anything cheap besides a kick in the pants. I had a 10.00 breakfast. Just think; I could have gone to Hardee's if I had gotten up earlier. Why do I do these things to myself?

I picked up a few things and drove to Universal Orlando Resort. Being the absent-minded person I am I had picked up brochures only to forget them at the breakfast table. At least I remembered what I read. As I made my way to Interstate 4 I
took some pictures of an Ocoee hotel that was being demolished. There were three police cars nearby so I went to the side of the building on the sidewalk to take pictures. I guess the cops were there to see who wrote gang graffiti on the structure.

I had sidetracked myself onto Apopka-Vineland and Conroy-Windermere Roads. I had to turn around twice near the Catholic Church around the corner from the Mall of the Millenium.I looked at the map again in the parking lot of the mall. I had no time
to go into the mall- even if it had a Bloomingdale's and was fancier than most malls in Atlanta. I wasn't thrilled enough to go into the Ikea either.

I made it onto the exit to Universal. I only had to pay 12.00 to park. I was pleasantly surprised. I had to take a few moving walkways and get my bags searched but it was much more trouble-free than Disney World. I was in the park and thought
was going to visit for only 12.00. I didn't see much in the el cheapo section. I sat and had a non-alcoholic pina colada. Then I found that the rest of the attractions cost 94.00. I waited in line at the Islands of Adventure as some clueless people tried to buy tickets. My efforts were simple; just give the man a credit card and say what you want. I was determined to make my money count.

My favorite was the Comics section of the park. There was a Gasoline Alley store where I bought Mom a shirt. There was xylophone and raucous swing music playing to set the mood. The station played old OTR episodes of "Gasoline Alley". I went to the Popeye store to look at goodies for my sister's grandchildren. I loved the fog-fans used to cool visitors.

The next stop was Jurassic Park. I had ribs and chicken with a corn ear and seasoned potatoes. I should learn to cook this good. I bought my great-nephew a shirt. I saw a cute "dinosaur" hatch from its egg. I wondered if Big Boy would have attacked it mercilessly or just run. I rode the roller-coaster style ride. I sat on my hat and put away my sunglasses. The ride was innocent enough other than being splashed a little bit. Then my craft was raised for approximately four or five stories. I saw a wall in front of my head and wondered if I were headed right for it. I felt the ride stop for a little then I closed my eyes. I wish that I had not closed my eyes but it seemed to be the thing to do. I had to keep myself from leaning forward (we were instructed not to do this). I saw the Dr. Seuss section and returned to the Cartoon section. I rode a Popeye raft after circumnavigating a maze that seemed to lead in circles. I was drenched as much or more than at Jurassic Park. I bought my great-niece an Olive Oyl doll.

It was close to 6:30 when I left. I saw the actual Studios section and saw where the ticket was for two parks. This was a park made to appear like a movie set. I went in line and asked if the ticket would get me in. I put my thumbprint on a reader, had my ticket scanned, and went in. There was a Schwab's Drug Store restaurant, a Mel's Drive In, and some old-style Hollywood
stores in the first section. After passing through a garden I went to the Woody Woodpecker and Barney sections. It's sad when signs are posted telling you to respect "the little people" in the Woody Woodpecker area.

I walked through the Jaws area, the San Francisco area, and went to the Disaster section. It was an interactive exhibit which had a select few of the audience participate in a tape-and-splice disaster movie including "The Rock" himself. I and the other secondary "players" were subway riders who were videotaped. I had pizza and cherry Coke at Louie's, a restaurant in the New York section. Before I left i got a big cookie. It was 8:30PM.

I drove from I-4 going the opposite way, thinking I was headed to Daytona. I was headed to Tampa. I wanted to head to St. Augustine and get some rest. I went to the Super Target to make a pit stop. I took the turnpike to US 17. I felt weird listening to airchecks instead of the radio. Most of the time I listen to talk radio as I drive. In Orlando I saw a white lady either selling crack or tricks to a black man in the decrepit section. I saw a Cowboy-whatever club. Then I saw some old bedraggled man making gestures to the traffic. And I was scared of the ride at Jurassic Park?

I made it out and when I got to Sanford I decided to just take Interstate 4 to Interstate 95. My speed was taking a hit at the stop lights and small towns. I needed to go to bed sooner or later. The Ipod had some 1964 WKBW airchecks replete with easy listening intertwined with Beatles cuts. I made it to St. Augustine near FL 16. I stayed in an Econo Lodge. My room had an inoperative TV so I had to try to get the weather on the radio. I should have brought the larger AM/FM/TV/Weatheradio instead of the hand-crank gizmo. My feet stunk and it was a wonder I didn't have athlete's foot.

The next morning I woke up in time to catch the last ten minutes of the continental breakfast in the lobby (rolls and coffee). I went to the old village and was rained on. It turned sunny so I returned to the SUV to stow my umbrella as it was getting sunny. The Florida weather gave me a sucker punch. Thankfully I had a hat
on as I finished my hot dog. I took FL16 to Lake City and took Interstate 75 back home. I got gas in Valdosta and made a toilet stop at a rest stop near Adel on the way home.

Outta Town?

I don't want to be greedy in these times when GM is on the ropes and a stimulus bill might kill off what little's left of the economy, but....

I am tired of stagnating in my career and my life. I put 110% of me into my job. So much is self-induced stress. I come home tired. This may earn me a trip to the doctor if more exercise doesn't build me up. My biggest goal is to live in a place of my own and to move upwards. Ten years as a tech has been wonderful and fun but there's more work- and more fun- to be had. I see the world, and the town, around me collapsing.

One thing is for sure; I need to smooth over some people skills and quell some impulsive aspects of my nature. But who was it that decided he was too tired for church? I'm in a cocoon and I want out immediately!

Teaser: on being a snob

This is what is known as a teaser post. It means to get ready for a larger post.

I met some people I knew from college; some who I never heard from in almost TWENTY years. Then I thought; do they or did they ever know that my family didn't have the money that they or their families had. In fact, we are maybe a step behind compared to the people attending our church or living nearby.

The kids attending my college, a private school, were technically from upper-to-middle class families. Many of the out-of-towners joined Greek organizations. I was a GDI (the last letter is Independent; the first two come from Reverend Wright). I would have been closer to my element at, say, UGA or GCSU. Would I have enjoyed it as much? Maybe or maybe not.

Take me twenty years ago. I was not only a shy person with very awkward social skills; I was a snob. A snob is one with an inferiority complex who worries about the other person having more and who dislikes whoever has less. That was me. A poor snob.

I want to elaborate so those who knew me from school will realize that I was who I was and fairly judge me. They may have not known I had little. I got along fine with them and enjoyed talking to them. In fact some still remember me. I didn't reveal too much about myself. I was scared they would hurt me for who I was- or what I was.

I also want to get into the discussion further to apologize to these people. I was a Democrat, for example. I felt they were too tight with "evil" evangelical Christians. I was attracted to taxing the rich because I thought it would make my world better. Today I feel terrible I could be such a fool and not treat them more fairly. I wasn't doing that badly after all; I did get into the school, make decent grades, and had no intentions of letting it go to waste.

I'll talk about this later.

New Year, Old Promises

1/1/09

I realized that the reason I dread the new year is because I am scared I will get lazy and break my promises. I want to lose weight and go further in my career. I want to live in another city. I have made too many excuses and become too lazy. Nobody is trying to make me break my promises. Yes the economy may be bad but that isn't a sign to roll over and give up.


It is likely the General Tso will ride again. In October I idled it due to lack of funds to fix the wheel bearing on the front driver's side. It also has a transmission issue. When all of that is dealt with I plan on fixing the valve cover gasket.

To bring the newbies to speed here are some notes on the General Tso:

Sunday, August 06, 2006
General Tso actually gets brakes fixed
08/06/06

The General Tso got its brakes fixed. Yes, it does need its rotors ground but for 280.00 that can wait. The danger aspect of the brakes is gone thanks to the Mad Machinist. I had replaced the front pads but the rear shoes needed replacement. Try this; take a glass jar and rotate it as you would when taking off the lid. Put your thumb on the inside of the jar and force the twirling to stop. This is how brake shoes work on a drum on the rear of a car. Of course it isn't that simple due to the springs and brake adjustment screw so I took it to the Mad Machinist. Yes there is lots of travel space on the pedal but much of that is normal. I do have to finish with the smell issue and the fuel feed being stubborn but these aren't that critical. Nor is having to feed the thing a quart of oil once every few weeks. A
head job is more costly than feeding it oil until it smokes all the time.

General Tso's Rug Gets Shampooed
07/24/06

I took out the passenger's seat on the General Tso as I figured this would most effectively let me clean the carpet. I shampooed and brushed the carpet and front and rear mats. I vacuumed the rug after it dried. The seat was shampooed, brushed,and vacuumed too. Of course the hardest part was aligning the screw holes with the holes on the seat. The left front screw hole had been stripped by the time I got through. Saturday night I tried to screw the seat in and got really angry. I tried to pry, curse, and sweat through the ordeal.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006
General Tso gets new brakes for real I slept then changed the brake pads on the General Tso. I put a new retainer clip on the left side and compressed the piston with a C-clamp and a chisel laid flat. Even with this I had to do some tapping to slide the caliper on. I am sure a pro would not have to resort to tapping to force a caliper onto the rotor. I hate travel space and feeling a thunk when I brake slowly and hard. Possibly this is normal operation but I did see less of this happen thanks to the new pads.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Thursday I tried to put brake pads on the General Tso. I had pages printed from the Honda manual I downloaded which told me how to do the pads. Of course on part of another page I didn't have it advised me to move the piston. Thus when I had the 3/4 in pad and backings on each side of the rotors I was unable to get the piston (looks like a pipe) to fit around the pads. Another web site told me to remove the cap from the brake fluid.


I got a C-Clamp yesterday from Big Lots. It may not be big enough. I also need Honda-type brake fluid. The DOT3 probably isn't to specifications. I would have done the brakes last night but didn't feel like it.
General Tso gets new tire and brakes fixed

6/26/06
I took the General Tso to get the passenger's front tire replaced with a used tire at Economy Tire on Third Street. It cost around 28.00. I also purchased from Pep Boys 30.00 worth of brake pads and the adhesive and cleaner I would need to effect the repair. The car drives better. Of course this weekend it rained, even heavily sometimes. This put a damper on all but indoor work.



Speaking of the General Tso I got "The Damn Show" DVD off Ebay. It has too much of the male reproductive system and too little in the way of creativity but there were some moments- such as Willie the bum and "The Gooks of Hazzard" -that were so funny.

Saturday, June 10, 2006
General Tso gets new fan

Hello
I got the condenser fan for the Honda (General Tso). It was a used Acura fan which I had to remove from its mount and put onto the old shroud for the Honda. I installed it and works fine.

I am concerned about the brakes on the General. When I put on brakes I find they shake when doing all but sudden braking. I looked at the pads; they have 1/8 in left on them. Honda's service manual says .05 of an inch is serviceable (huh?). I priced some basic metallic pads at 20.00. Hopefully the debacle with the Corsica won't repeat itself (in which I could not get the wheel nuts off as they disintegrated when I used a non-metric wrench). I may just take it to my machinist and let him turn the rotors; they are ribbed for my displeasure. He can then do the pads. Then again 20.00 is so attractive for a car that will last a year or two.

Driving an Explorer makes for a heavy foot on the General. I wasn't doing that great with being attentive to the road so I had to hit the brakes hard at least twice. Needless to say I must be careful. I will say this; the General Tso is in for an oil change. I have the filter to do it with too.

The Air Compressor PT 3 and General Tso
5/31/06

I took my dad's Honda which is now a secondary car. I want to use it to save gas and to keep the car in running condition. I call it the General Tso. The reason for this name is that some Athens comedians did a "The Damn Show" DVD. Therein is a sketch in which "The Gooks of Hazzard" drive a Celica with a Japanese flag and 01 written in a Chinese font. They call it the "General Tso" and can run away from the sheriff as they have better gas mileage.

New Radio Feud

A new radio feud has appeared. Not between two radio stars but involving one county commissioner and a talk show host. Click on the link. Remember another feud with an Allen? Fred Allen and Jack Benny? This one is more hysterical.

Christmas 2008

Where we got my boyhood bathroom from.

On Christmas Eve I woke up at 8:30 like a good boy but went back to sleep. My mom's friend from church came by and visited briefly with her, my sister and myself. She brought cookies and peanut butter sticks. Another sister came later in the afternoon. I cleaned the house, emptied both litter pans, watched part of “Thunderball” and went by the computer store and presented everyone with Reese’s Cup candy canes. I went to Logan’s in Warner Robins.


After Logan’s I went to Kroger to get ice and Diet Cokes. I got home and looked at the old Christmas Sears/Wards/Penneys/etc catalogs I downloaded online. I felt a little nostalgic and a little sad. One catalog, from 1958, had a bathroom ensemble similar to ours. We put our bathroom in when my youngest sister could barely talk. That puts it at 1957 or 8. I loved the toy sections and the Eighties fashions.
I still feel a little lonely when thinking of the past.

It doesn’t hurt as bad as it did last year (Dad died that summer). At least I didn’t listen to the sad old Christmas record I listened to last year. Sometimes Perry Como, ripped from an LP, sounds very terrible. I helped get dinner ready and made the Texas sheet cake. The cake came from a box but the icing was from a recipe on the Nestle package. It calls for 2/3 cup of cocoa, a stick of margarine, three cups of powdered sugar, six tablespoons of milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla. I dislike using electric mixers because of the cleanup but in the case of icing there is no other option.

My aunt and some of my cousins came. We had barbecue from the town's favorite joint, baked beans, potato salad, chips, and tea. I also made some grapefruit/lemon/pineapple punch but nobody but I drank it. One cousin lives on my grandmother’s old place and told us about the goings on with his neighbors. His kid is going to school to learn web design.

It was the highlight of last year’s Christmas to have them over. I gave my aunt a gift certificate for Wal-Mart. My cousins gave me chocolates, my aunt gave me a hand-cranked flashlight, and someone gave me an outdoor clear acrylic digital thermometer.

I went to bed because after years of life I found that Santa Claus comes at 12AM and nobody who is awake will receive gifts. Not that this is founded in fact but it seems to be a sort of tradition I developed. I had to wake up at 1AM to wrap gifts. Sleep came at 3AM.

I got up at 11:30. My sister and her kid and grandchild came. For lunch we had Honey Baked Ham and green beans, potato salad, and cranberry sauce. Everyone but me had broccoli casserole. We opened presents I received a set of blank DVD’s, an ashtray, and a Jeff Foxworthy calendar. One sister gave me a long-sleeved tee shirt. Another gave me a metal flask (to heat water, not for liquor!) and a sheet set for the new bed. My niece gave me an address book. Mom gave me two videos- a “Why We Fight” video (mostly antiwar; not Frank Capra!) and “The Party” with Peter Sellers. An uncle came later and gave me a wireless thermometer.

We had barbecue for dinner and I worked with my wireless thermometer. It is off by three degrees on the transmitter and it takes some working with to get set up. I looked at more old catalogs and washed clothes. Before midnight struck I listened to The Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrappings” which was a new-wave song from 1981. I could swear I heard it sometime during the Eighties but could be imagining things.

I hate that Christmas is over with. The days seem so lonely. I make plans for things in my life to get better and they never do. I don’t like some things I do or how I let too many things happen when they shouldn’t. I guess I get the feeling that I don’t have control over my life. I feel I have too much room for improvement. But Wednesday morning I listened to a rendition of “It’s A Wonderful Life” on the local talk station. It made me think of how much difference I could very well have made in people’s lives. Maybe I am wrong about myself. Maybe I am not as much of a detriment, not as much of a jerk, not as much of an idiot. The boss at my shop wrote on my Christmas card that he “couldn’t have done it without (me)”.

Macon Mall in a few years

Tell the nice people who posted this at Flickr I said thanks. It's actually the Dixie Square Mall which, since 1978, is still standing. The Blues Brothers movie was filmed here not long after the Walgreen's and Jewel stores closed (the common area of the mall closed in late 1978; the Walgreen's closed in early 1979).

Macon Mall has tarps over its glassy skylights. It's such a shame the surrounding area has become gang-infested. Even more shameful is its foreclosure. A court-appointed manager runs the mall. All I can say is have fun!

Who wants to wager that the mall will close in seven years? I'm being generous. Dillard's will or won't close or is thinking about it dependent on whom you ask. An unspecified anchor tenant, according to a document associated with the foreclosure, was considering closure.

A OneEarth web article detailed how malls are dying and how cities want to avoid the eyesores like Dixie Square. Houston Mall is a sad case. The Warner Robins mall writhed in mortal pain since the Galleria opened in 1994. Offices and third-tier tenants replaced the once-thriving stores. Since Houston Healthcare Complex uses most of the space I say they should buy the mall, refurb it (one store takes up three unmodified spaces)and make money off the lessors.

Time Stamp Song

Kenny Chesney was on my MP3 player and I heard him talk about a song which brought back a flood of memories. I had a few songs which kicked the time machine into gear. Some were oddballs. One was from the Beastie Boys. There were some cuts from Michael Jackson, Madonna, Def Leppard, Duran Duran, and The Go-Gos. I can hear songs from some more obscure artists and be reminded of the way it was. I remember some good songs from the heavy-metal artists of the late Eighties. The short answer is that there is really no single song which jars my memories.

I guess it happens when you have never fallen in love, never have many earthshaking events in your young life, and have pulled yourself into a childish kind of shell.

If I have any real ideas- and maybe some I am not embarrased to share with you- you'll be the second to know. I'll be the first to know, of course.

Snags

I took June 27 and 28 off. The store was closed Sunday so that day didn't go to waste either. On Friday I stuck around home until my sister came to relieve me. I picked up a few items from Wal-Mart and went home. The bad thing about vacations is that I like to stay up and revel in my temporary freedom- regardless of what has to happen the next morning.

I went to the USFS Lake Sinclair National Forest park near Eatonton. I had been there before. I picked up a few more things before I reached the vacation site. I ate at the Old Clinton BBQ restaurant off US129. If you've watched Discovery's "Dirty Jobs" you've seen the restaurant. It was great as I would expect.

It was 3:30 or so when I reached the campsite area. I had the pay envelope with me but saw few unoccupied spots which were entirely ideal for fishing. I left the park and checked out the hunt camp near Twin Bridges. It has an area where people camp and fish. It was occupied. It seems more and more I want to keep to myself. I don't understand why and I don't like being antisocial. Regardless, the area was cramped so I returned to the park.

I picked B-29 as the campsite number instead of D-28. Gosh I seem to be getting more and more tired and frazzled as time goes by. I set up my tent and inflated my mattress. Even under the tent it was some hot! Even under the pine and oak canopy I sweated. I was glad to see the rain come. I woke up after three hours of using a sweatshirt for a pillow. I made a canopy over the picnic table with a poncho. Here I chose to meet a challenge.

The Boy Scouts, according to a book I read, will teach you how to build a fire using one match in a cold rainstorm. That seemed a little far-fetched but I couldn't see why not. I cheated a little. Not only did I find dry kindling I used two books of matches. The "damp proof" book had a damp strike pad so no matches lit. I got another one out of my pack and lit a nice fire. I found the woven poly tarp I thought I left at home and replaced the miniscule poncho with its larger blue canopy.





Then came the retarded child. As I got my food ready I had this teenager with either autism or Down syndrome come in from another campsite, seeking to socialize. I didn't feel like babysitting him. I consider mentally handicapped people like children; they must be tended to at all times. I took exception to his invading my space. So I told him I had to "finish eating". As if I was past the preparation phase of eating!

He apparently came in from some people I think I remember seeing before. They had a mini-SUV with a Bleckley county tag and spoke even poorer English than some in the bowels of the Delta. It dawned on me that I forgot a lesson I learned; NEVER go to the Lake Sinclair National Forest campsite on a weekend. Too much riffraff tends to go there on weekends.

I had my hot dogs and chips but was still thirsty. I didn't feel like drinking much because the dentist put a temporary crown after grinding the living daylights out of the upper left molar. I had to take Ibuprofen during the trip.

It seems that fishing demands too much time to set up the fishing spot. I made three trips for insect spray, the Coleman hiker's lantern, ice chest, rod and reel, cup of Joe, fishing tackle box, bait, towel, poncho, and stool. Once I got done I managed to catch a 24 foot-long log which stole my 4.00 lighted bobber and two overhanging branches. I forgot another lesson; when fishing in snags use cheap bobbers with reflective or phosphorescent tape or paint.

I was glad to end the affair even with the new MP3 player entertaining me.

Morning came and I slept a little extra. Extra meant that breakfast became a very light brunch. I had a toaster pastry out of an MRE and some instant coffee. Of course building the fire took 45 minutes and only took off with a dousing of Purel and insect spray. The retarded kid also came by but I ignored him and he went away.

I removed all traces of my being and left for Eatonton. The drive is neither long nor short. I went to the Dairy Queen and had a big burger, fries, and Coke. I had to get the manager to pour some new Coke (usually very sweet at DQ's) because the self-serve fountain had a terrible taste to it.

At that point I learned why rich people are rich. They speak up and don't accept the status quo. One old man in walking shoes and a Reynolds Plantation shirt said the Coke tasted "terrible". I concured with him and told him so. I told him DQ Cokes were "sweet as honey" and the fountain tasted like "cleaner".

I finished lunch and went home. I took item after item out of my SUV, hung what needed to be rinsed and dried, stored in my Honda what was to be stored, and brought the rest of the gear into the house. I made a trip report of items most used, items needed (Coke, tent poles for the tarp, dessert, and tin foil)in the future, and ideas for improvements.

Somehow I felt as tired or more tired from the trip. I blame oversleep, a lack of exercise, and stress. I did too much sleeping this trip.