Some of this, Some of that.

Writer's Block: If we took a holiday ...

2009-11-26T17:46:07Z

What is your favorite holiday and why?

Yule, this is the time when the sun starts staying up a little longer each day (in the northern hemisphere), yet the air is still crisp with frost but (in MN anyway) it’s not too cold, a lot of trees and houses are still lit up with lights and the side walks have luminaries lining them giving off a gentle glow. Part of the Rituals that my wife and I perform is in the backyard around the fire pit with a cheerful fire lighting up the night. Seeing the birds in the morning light in the bird feeder and having frost around the edges of the window panes.

We got bloody, we laughed at each other when pulling the hide off ...

2009-11-24T16:33:02Z

When out hunting over this last deer season I learned a couple of things (or more correctly relearned). I am a person that gets things done faster, better and with more enjoyment when others are with me, example: When hunting down in TX with John, I shot a deer, John put it in the front end loader and drove it to the cleaning area. daemonaquila met me there and we both learned about gutting, shinning and cutting up a deer into food. We got bloody, we laughed at each other when pulling the hide off, we talked about lots of stuff when trying to figure out where to cut the meat up to make a rump roast or chops. The getting into a field, sitting and watching the fog swirl around and eventually burn off, listening to the squirrels play tag in the leaves these are things that can be very calming if done alone, or if a couple of people go out they are able to get closer (think father & son / mother & daughter), experiencing thing together.
Thinking about it, it is a lot like fishing, the actual fishing for me is enjoyable either alone or with someone else joining me in the boat (hint, hint chaoticsilly), but the cleaning and cooking are much more enjoyable with someone around, even if they are just sitting there watching me and talking.
I was able to somewhat compare being alone and being with people this deer season, the first weekend I was with Christina’s dad and we were walking fields together talking looking and thinking, when I did get a chance to shoot a deer I had been sitting alone reading a book and looking up now & then to see what was going on around me. After shooting and tracking the blood trail (not my best shot, the deer went about 150 yards before dieing, I much prefer having a clean/fast kill, as little suffering as needed). My self and Gil got into my little pickup and went out to get the deer, we chatted, he held the flashlight while I dragged it from the field, all I all it was an enjoyable experience.
The next weekend I went out alone to try and fill my doe tag and put a little more meat in the freezer. The 1.5 hour drive to the WMA (Wildlife Management Area) was ok, I had a radio, the stalking and sitting were also not too bad (I fallowed lots of deer trails and thought it would be fun to show kaththea these and see where they go together), the sitting quite and listening to the world around me was good. But the thinking about doing the work of field dressing (gutting) the deer and then dragging the deer to the truck alone would be a lot less enjoyable, and the process of skinning the deer and cutting it up to be put into the freezer alone is the same. Even having kaththea out in the garage there with me (not even doing anything with the deer) would make the job more enjoyable.

Things I thing about way too much … have I stopped being an independent person? Do I need to have people around me to help make me happy and productive?

back on line ... at work

2009-11-18T19:08:43Z

a BIG thank you to dscj for getting me back on line at work. I kinda knew what had happened to take me off line but had no idea how to get back on line. Thank you again for the help!

venting ... the Potter movie

2009-11-03T13:52:18Z

Went to the cheap theater ($2.00 a show at the River view) and saw the latest Harry Potter movie … I still say that the movie makers are doing the best they can, but, the book is like a 10 hour read straight through (for me anyway) and there is no way that you can make a movie from that with out cutting important stuff … if there was stuff that could be cut the book writer more then likely would have cut it before the book went to press! After getting home from the theater I had the nagging feeling like I had been jipped, I put the CD that that caliantrias burned for me from an audio book and started listing and comparing the two. It anode me when I know thing are missing / taken out of something (movies, stories, music) and then I’m told this is the way it is.

Writer's Block: Who is your favorite detective from movies, books, or TV?

2009-07-20T16:40:17Z

Harry Dresden, from the Dresden Files. I like the book version better the the TV one, but they are both very cool.

Writer's Block: Close Call

2009-05-21T18:13:47Z

Accidents happen all the time, and often we walk away miraculously uninjured. What has been your closest call with avoiding serious harm in an accident?

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So far (and hopefully the last) accident that I walked away with only slightly burned hands (mostly first degree, a little 2nd) happened when I was working the night shift and my partner and I were getting ready to do routine maintenance on a Avro aircraft in the hanger. I plugged in the GPU (Ground Power Unit) to the plane so we could see what we were doing and run the needed tests on the systems, turned on the power and was told that there was not power to the plane. Not a big deal, that just meant that the plug was not fully seated in the socket (happens a lot, just wiggle the plug until it's seated) so I proceeded to wiggle the plug to get it seated and that is when the plug decided to have an internal short, just about where my hands were holding the plug, at about chest height. I can say I was lucky in that I only had fire and melted rubber/plastic to deal with, if the short had progressed a little further I would have been the shortest path and the one with the least resistance for the current to travel through to ground, and there was enough power to kill me many times over. So I'm very happy to be able to tell the story.

forced Vacation ....

2009-02-20T23:30:24Z

So I'm being forced to take vacation, I can't roll over my time to next year (for me that would be my hire date of 03/03/97) I was trying to save it up for when we have The Kid, they wont even just pay me for the time, bastards. So I'm being forced to take it .... so I have a couple of short trips planed. I'm hoping that I wont annoy the people I'm visiting, but again hoping for fun.

Any way, time to figure out what I'm going to be taking on my trips.

buteo_flight @ 2008-11-28T07:55:00

2008-11-28T13:59:58Z

A little late, but not forgotten ... happy Birthday Scotia_girl!!!
and may you have enjoyed you fill of Turkey.

samhain

2008-11-01T02:01:36Z

I would like to wish everyone a Blessed Samhain.

It has been a long time since I've made a post, and the last post was not the happyist, but we will survive.

I hope that every one has a good evening and good ritual.

The Scotsman

Writer's Block: The Bad Habit

2008-06-27T22:42:34Z

Talk about a habit that you just cannot break.

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"Mountain Dew" ... there has got to be something in it that is addictive ... I have found my self at work holding an open cam / bottle and do not remember getting it.

Happy Birth Day, hugh!

2008-06-25T05:37:38Z

Here is singing the Birth Day Dirge for bringing_light

I will let you sing it to your self, because I hate typing and my spelling sucks.

p.s. we still need to get together and do paperwork.

Smile!!!

buteo_flight @ 2008-06-19T16:34:00

2008-06-19T21:36:25Z

And a happy Birthday to </b></a>chaoticsilly!!

Hope you have a good and and an exciting evening.

buteo_flight @ 2008-06-02T10:18:00

2008-06-02T15:20:33Z

Because I probably not get a chance to be on LJ between now and the joyful event ... a "Happy Birthday" to the world hopping doryllis!! Hope to see you at Con.

buteo_flight @ 2008-06-02T10:16:00

2008-06-02T15:17:12Z

And a soon to have "Happy Birthday" to vahlkyree!!!

it was good seeing you the other night.

buteo_flight @ 2008-06-02T10:13:00

2008-06-02T15:15:27Z

only slightly late Happy Birthday to 3stitches

Hope it was a good one.

buteo_flight @ 2008-04-27T21:54:00

2008-04-28T02:56:45Z

Just wishing a Happy Birthday to pied_piper70.

buteo_flight @ 2008-03-18T12:10:00

2008-03-18T17:16:14Z

Looking out side today it's hard to believe that Sunday after work I took the '98 GoldWing out for a drive and get things moving again after a winter (the starting it up first part of Dec, but keeping it in the garage does not count as running the bike, just getting the battery charged).

started to tinker with the '83 GoldWing, need to find a good steam cleaner, going to try using that to clean some of the parts and an ultra sonic cleaner to use on the carbs. I wish I could justify the purchase of a lifting work platform ... that way I could work o the bikes with out having to be bent over all the time.

buteo_flight @ 2008-03-18T11:00:00

2008-03-18T16:04:19Z

I saw this and instantly thought of caliantrias ……

Astrophysicist Addresses Airline Boarding

Type your cut contents here.

Boarding an aircraft could be seven times more efficient, saving airlines and passengers time and so potentially improving the income potential and quality of life for both, according to astrophysicist Jason Steffen of the Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics in Illinois. Challenging the current standard of loading passengers in blocks from the back of the aircraft forward, Steffen instead employed the Darwinian "Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm" to streamline things. Translation: He picked random boarding plans, ran them through a computer and kept the best attributes of each until he arrived at an optimum combination. His solution requires slightly more concentration and cooperation (and perhaps intelligence) from the boarding public. The winning plan has occupants lining up outside of the aircraft in order from window seat to aisle and skipping every other row. A 30-row aircraft would be boarded first by the passengers holding tickets for seats 30A, 28A, and 26A. Behind them in line would be those assigned to 29A, 27A and 25A. This would go on until all the window seats were filled. Then, the same system would fill in the middle rows and then the aisles. The real advantage of the system, according to Steffen, comes from spreading out individuals instead of concentrating them, and their baggage, together.

Of course, this method would also temporarily separate the jealous husband from his flirtatious wife, part loving parents from their unruly children, and otherwise rely on the organizational skills, patience, cooperation and common sense of the flying public ... which some might argue are commodities not in generous supply. Regardless, the astrophysicist says his research indicates that even random boarding would be more efficient than the grouping method currently employed by most airlines, today ... saving them time spent on the ground and therefore potentially allowing them to make more money.

Haggis !!!

2008-03-06T20:21:11Z

After talking to the CRJ Rep that is here to help us figure out how to fix the planes I found out that he is originally from Scotland (he left when he was 4 or 5) we got to talking about food and the places Kaththea and I went on out honeymoon. Before he heads back to Calgary I’m going to make him some Haggis, that means that on the next shopping trip I will need to pick up the makings (lamb, beef heart, liver, ect…) This is going to be fun.

The party ....

2008-03-05T18:29:02Z

And a great time was had by all (up until Kaththea started in on the porcelain god, she blames Doc for buying double shots … she did not have to drink them) hehehe.
Thank you all for making it to the party and for making Marina feel like part of the group, she said she had a good time (I'm hoping you will also get to meet her Scott at my party in about two weeks).

The Yule tree.

2008-02-13T16:31:07Z

The Yule tree came down last nigh, boy is it dry … decided that it would be easer if I cut all the branches off of it when it was still in the stand before I tried to get it through doors leaving needles all over the house, so out came the loppers and pruners … it was kinda fun, and I only have to vacuum one spot in one room instead of all over the house. I was also able to make sure that there were no missed ornaments left on the tree.

Writer's Block: My Own Creation

2008-02-03T04:06:03Z

If you could create anything artistic, what would it be?

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If you could create anything artistic, what would it be?

I want to be able to photograph the beauty that I see around me, and be able to show it to other people that don’t/can’t see it.
I’m in school for professional photography currently with about a year left (I have a degree in Commercial photography and am shooting images of things like hand-made soaps, ect.) but am working on doing the same with people, getting a portrait/wedding degree.

Because I’m procrastinating..

2008-01-28T22:25:53Z

You are The Lovers

Motive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse.

The Lovers represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made.

Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that the you have or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

comics, MN style.

2008-01-26T19:04:40Z

Catching up on some very important reading (after fixing part of the truck and fixing part of the problem on the Saturn – going into the dealership Monday to get a diagnostic test)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/safehavens.asp?date=20080117

this is so a MN thing.

What Do You Have To Say? - To Shoot or Be Shot?

2008-01-08T21:56:01Z

Do you like being behind the camera or in front of the camera?

Brought to you by HP

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My preference is behind the lens, but if asked I will gladly be in front of it. I prefer taking photos of things over people; I can’t seem to capture the beauty in a portrait image that I see live, currently attending a photography school to correct that.