realignment

One moved on ... one's standing by, and I'm hoping for a chance. Personnel and political change at work. Sadly, the wrong card was pulled from the deck, leaving it incomplete. I might start getting trained for the next level, or maybe not. We'll see. I was told, "show interest ... follow numbers." With one man's leaving, I was asked if I was basically now doing everything that he was doing.

Uh, no. It is not a trade card for card. In a game, not quite "screw your neighbor", you might trade up or trade worse. Even trading worse you might not lose.

Work

get it?

buck and a quarter

I saw and thankfully missed a buck trotting across the highway, seemingly with something on his mind. Later, seven some minutes and 2.1 miles away, I barely missed a doe who was easily startled. Perhaps they were a feuding couple or UDW (united deer workers) unhappy with concessions.

another week

Starting date October 14

N: 2 - 9
M: 11-5
T: OFF
W: 4-10
R: 5 - close
F: 2-9
S: 11-8
N: 11-8
M: 11-5

Business in parody, analogy

Who moved the cheez-whiz and Bollywood's Animal Farm married to Teflon Don Amiche. I'm listening to Animals, Inc., which is a bad version of a low budget rockumentary slasher environmental film. When hearing it, you wonder if the goal was to include every possible pun on animals running a farm, poorly, or the concept of bad management.

Show us your asses!

They did. There is a farm off the highway that has donkeys or asses who were happily munching as I passed them today.

Speaking of asses ... I worked today, some clientele and personnel played the part.

bland ambition

CNN had some something or other on Madonna. I would liken her star power and news worthiness to McDonald's fries. Why are we discussing this?

pull from the top

"we're top heavy", and so one -- for reasons surprisingly simple, gets pulled from the 3rd, cheap, but legal row.Chieftan AlwaysbeEaten seems to have accepted relocation. A shift of mere seconds, I contend that seconds, as well as elevenzies and third breakfast are things that are not strangers or migratory to his lands.

He leaves and there is a moment of "you missed the larger target", being the undisputed horse's behind of the operation.

wronged

There's a guy at work ... the worker guy ... "go there", "do that". Capable of much more, though timid through oppression, I hope to make him shine through his works. He is, undoubted, difficult to accept responsibility through his "whippings" at the hands of next-levelers who train though "no", and "wrong" rather than through, "that's good", "most excellent" and the like. Praise, like windfall money, is rare.

reacquainted with history

I have a renewed interest in history. I heard, George Washington, Spymaster, casting Washington into the role of head of spies during the French-Indian War, aka 7-year war, and the Revolutionary War, where he extracts critical information from spies. The author supposes a despicable Tory was a sleeper and had helped Washington win at Trenton and other places. I am finishing John Adams, while long-winded to be sure, nonetheless confirms other statements -- likely using the same sources.

I find the Declaration of Independence interesting, especially in its creation. Committees went through and picked apart Jefferson's initial draft, eliminating emancipation of the slaves and the cold defining of King George, III as a tyrant. Other sources cast George as a fair man, who found illogic in the colonies seeking statehood. Moreover, the imperial nation of Britain could not afford little nations form in their proud dominion, especially after the investments.

In school, at some point, I categorically dismissed history as sharpening a pencil -- limited in fun, dreadful to read about and impracticable to examine for "future implications".

It is indeed a feat that the US negotiated with "hated France", continental usurper to aid in our united failing fight against Britain. While two wrongs don't make a right and manyfold wrongs are inherently evil, I think we have properly forged a right nation. Our national crimes of slavery and genocide and in many cases hypocritical law, not the stepping stones or foundation, but rather a disfigured face. Our nation was created in secrecy, God and luck prevailing us in moments of implausible triumph.

Our nation has done shameful things, yes. That is not to say that we are not wiser for it. The laws of the nation are, in whole, a chalk drawing of its people -- written by some, edited by others, ratified body the elected body. It is imperfect, but a damn fine better than others. There are biased, bigoted, and wrongfully zealous people making law and writing it ... some judging over it, but still ... I honor it with my patriotism.

It is like a grocery receipt. How many people read it to check its accuracy? Really, you assume they are doing it right and generally they are. I bitch much, moan and bemoan, and groan, but that sadly is my right. I should have picked up something like this years ago to find what we didn't have -- the time it took to get it and the blood shed to obtain it. Moreover, the blood to retain it was none more shown than in the civil war -- "a divided nation cannot stand"+.

The question isn't, "are you American", but rather, to what lengths will you go to keep America? The more difficult question is, "what is an American"?

+ Lincoln

mouse worn out

There are, uh, other ways to do that.

Fake poop and more

I was needing to buy exploding cigars and fake vomit, thankfully this truck was there for my needs.

HallowChristmas

It's that time of the year when you have:
Happy-Merry HallowThanksChristmas

The store featured here is Walgreens

hung by the Halloween decor, with care

skulls

next time on ... the view

Gwen, Lori, and Amy discuss how icing is good for the soul

I, state your name.

Watching the history channel we see the Nazi masses being asses.

Keith's duties

Keith wonders if he can get replacement tires cheaper ...
he finds out that the van would be about 3" lower and closer to the ground

Where to begin with the flood of puke on the door ... sadly, Charlie didn't quite make it to the toilet

Ah, yes ... Keith cleaning up the spatters of puke.

weaponized

making marshmallows fun -- load, fire, fun

Hubley -- Thanks and God be with you.

Specialists in special children

Hubleys to welcome another blind child into their family

By Jennifer L. Boen

of The News-Sentinel

Books fill shelves, toy boxes and colorful plastic bins in Rebecca and Ryan Hubley's two-story home on a tree-lined boulevard in south Fort Wayne. On the coffee table is a cream-colored, pictureless book with heavy paper pages titled “Mr. Wacky is Wacky!” The tiny bumps on each page indicate it is a Braille book. Beside it is a book about Clifford the Big Red Dog's Valentine's Day adventures.

On the living-room walls are large framed photographs of the blond, blue-eyed Hubley children: Hannah, 6, Micah, 4, and Luca, 14 months. One other photo stands out from the rest. It is of a chubby-cheeked black baby with dark curls and chestnut eyes.

“That's Jonas, my brother,” Micah said. He's eagerly anticipating the arrival of Jonas sometime in November.

The 20-month-old lives in an orphanage in Haiti, abandoned five months ago at a social services agency by his parents, who likely felt their son “would have a better life than if they'd kept him,” Rebecca said. The reason? Jonas is blind.

Adopting a special-needs child for the Hubleys seemed the natural thing to do, the couple said. Hannah was born blind. Micah has spina bifida.

“For us, it's no big deal. I mean, this is just normal for us,” Ryan Hubley said. “Looking from the outside in, I can see how people would wonder why we would want to do this, but this is all we know.”

In a toy box, colored blocks with painted numbers mingle with foam-like shapes on which are raised Braille letters. Micah knows Clifford is red. Hannah just as quickly calls out the color of every shape, her small fingers moving over the raised dots.

The cause of Hannah's blindness is a genetic disorder affecting about one in a million people: familial exudative vitrealretinopathy, or FEVR. When the Hubleys were expecting Micah, they knew he had a one in four chance of having the disorder. Another kind of disability was not foremost on their minds.

But an early ultrasound showed Micah had an opening at the base of his spine, the hallmark of spina bifida. They accepted the news, asked for prayer and support from family and friends, and waited until his birth to know how severe the spina bifida would be and whether he also would be blind.

Micah's eyes are fine. His spina bifida is a milder case; he can walk. However, the birth defect affects the nerves to his bladder and bowel, and his gait is somewhat different from other children. Luca has no apparent physical disabilities.

The Hubleys wanted more children, but after Luca's birth decided if they added to the family it would be through adoption. Ryan wanted to do an international adoption.

In September, Rebecca, a professional artist/photographer and adjunct Huntington University instructor, was searching the Web for agencies and countries to consider. Through Bethany Christian Services, the largest adoption agency in the United States, Rebecca found God's Littlest Angels, an orphanage in the mountains of Haiti near a villager called Fermathe.

Jonas' picture appeared. When Rebecca read he is blind, “I just knew he was the one,” she said. The couple prayed over the matter, discussing the challenges of raising a third child with disabilities. But the day after Rebecca saw Jonas' picture, Ryan called her from Blackhawk Middle School, where he is a teacher and coach.

“He said, ‘I can't get (Jonas) off my mind,' ” Rebecca recalled. “Then he said, ‘I can't think of any reason why not to do it.' ”

Rebecca knows Haiti well — she lived there several months each year throughout her childhood. Her father, Dr. David Brown, a family physician with Markle Medical Clinic, took the family along when he did medical mission work at a Haitian clinic. After Rebecca and Ryan married in 1999, they worked alongside her parents at the clinic for several weeks.

By phone, Dixie Bickel, director and founder of God's Littlest Angels, explained that Jonas was developmentally delayed and not walking yet. Rebecca knew that is common for a blind baby. The two chatted about Hannah and what therapies helped her - therapies Jonas has not had access to. Bickel took notes in hopes of implementing some with Jonas.

Because Jonas is a special-needs child, the Haitian government can expedite a medical visa for him. In addition, $5,000 is available through God's Littlest Angels to cover expenses related to getting Jonas to the United States. The caveat? The Hubleys needed written documentation from local doctors and therapists stating they would provide Jonas' care for free prior to Jonas' final adoption. Rebecca had everything signed and delivered within a week.

Now the Hubleys await approval for his visa. Because Jonas' parents are unknown and cannot sign papers, the visa takes a little longer. Rebecca hopes to fly to Haiti by mid-November to bring him to his new home. Initially, they will be his U.S. sponsors, and will proceed with adoption as soon as possible.

Hannah and Micah talk excitedly about the arrival of their new brother, although Hannah said she wishes she was gaining a sister, not another brother. Micah is already learning the role of sighted guide for his older sister. He's happiest when lots of people are around, and one day asked Rebecca, “Could we bring home all the kids who don't have a mommy?”

Hannah is the only child in Fort Wayne Community Schools with 100 percent vision loss, school officials said. Until Jonas is tested, the Hubleys won't know how extensive his loss of vision is or if he has additional problems.

“It doesn't matter,” Rebecca said. “We're not sending him back. We know this is what God wants us to do. We have so much to offer him. Hannah can teach him Braille, and Micah said he will teach Jonas how to play games. We're a team.”

autumn

dump on ya