tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:05:24 +0000The view from the 8th floorhttp://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Smitty)Blogger733125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-3498576546090571048Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:50:00 +00002009-12-16T19:51:11.325-05:00randomYes, that is what it looks like: it's an airplane up on blocks.http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/12/only-in-south-carolina.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-8193336659946403563Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:43:00 +00002009-12-10T14:36:39.539-05:00randomEvery year I play the ESPN College Bowl Mania game with a group of friends. This year I'm trying to pick teams based on how the mascots would fare in single combat. It's tougher than I thought it would be. I also made picks in a different entry based on what I think is likely to actually happen on the field. Given my history, I expect the Mascot Battle entry to beat my actual picks. Here's http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/12/mascot-madness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-8491334485512938178Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:28:00 +00002009-12-10T10:52:12.679-05:00neighborhoodSometime this September, after the house had sat vacant for almost a year, we noticed somebody new over there taking care of the place--mowing the lawn (which hadn't been done since July), picking up some of the random garbage in the yard, cleaning out the house a bit. It was in bad shape, as I said, and it needed some help. We wondered whether by chance this was a new owner/landlord (since thehttp://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/12/move-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-3673966550361704649Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:43:00 +00002009-12-10T10:28:01.698-05:00neighborhoodOh my! So much goes on with this neighbor I can't keep up. I'm going to jump to yesterday's excitement before I back up. Yesterday, Code Enforcement was out to cite her and her live-in for A)storing their household trash outdoors on their property (yes, Virginia, that is illegal) and then for burning said household trash (which they did Monday, pictures coming!). Moments after Code http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/12/trespassing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-5351754444791616717Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:33:00 +00002009-11-30T12:19:16.215-05:00neighborhoodThis is a picture of the house next door. It seems pretty benign from this far away. But it is drab and grey. And you might some things that seem a bit awry. For example, the giant pile of garbage by the back door. At the left edge of the picture you'll note the sawhorses with the pile of windows, doors, and lumber that the landlord is too damn lazy to remove.Here is the awful garage. Note http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/11/house-next-door.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-2377244083376266304Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:28:00 +00002009-11-30T12:27:05.383-05:00neighborhoodI've decided to start blogging about my neighbor. Since I have no regular readers any more this should be an amusing restart to the blog. Reviewing the laundry list of books I've read since I ceased regular updates was just daunting. This will be more fun.Today I'll tell you about the house next door absent the neighbor. I should definitely take some pictures.In this area of the country, http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/11/neighbor-part-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-5325610758188931736Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:27:00 +00002009-10-19T09:29:43.230-04:00Who exactly is writing headlines for the BBC these days? Though the article itself is given a different head, links to it from elsewhere on the BBC have the amusing tongue-twister above. Is this deliberate or are they just not paying their algorithms enough?http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/10/dutch-bank-bankrupt-after-sale-fails.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-1715821438172004591Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:54:00 +00002009-10-16T08:57:43.913-04:00Religion and PoliticsI saw one of those faux-inspirational posters on line today, on Facebook (one of my very very Republican friends), a picture of George W. Bush waving as he steps out of Marine One, with the caption, "Miss me yet?"And I thought, oh my goodness no! Wow. Nothing like a little perspective. I'm not exactly thrilled with the direction of government right now--I knew I wouldn't be at this point, but http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/10/not-what-it-was-intended-to-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-5138732881780029610Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:57:00 +00002009-09-04T13:04:58.005-04:00blogologyChanges are afoot in Smitty-blog-land. I'm going to ditch the Library blog, which was in retrospect not a very good move in the first place. Since all the reviews that were here are there I'll have to port most of those back.I have a huge list of books I've read recently that need reviews, but they'll just be capsule reviews for now; I may go back and write longer reviews if I want.I have a jobhttp://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/09/changes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-501482479964779847Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:16:00 +00002009-08-26T16:22:14.152-04:00I know they're just weeds, really, but who can complain about these weeds? These morning glories are growing wild in the back yard. I have to weedwhack later today but I don't plan to cut these. Why should I? How many weeds are this pretty?http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/08/morning-glories.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-6015085641323424360Sun, 24 May 2009 13:35:00 +00002009-05-24T09:42:47.923-04:00PetsPer request by Rambling Speech, I am uploading a few pictures from yet another addition to the Smitty Petting Zoo and Animal Shelter (admission free, parking $2). These would be the Smittychix. They don't have names yet but of course they need them if you have suggestions. In this picture is a three-day-old hatchling in front, and her larger sister, maybe ten to twelve days old, in the http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/menagerie-redux.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-207576476822098867Fri, 22 May 2009 12:11:00 +00002009-05-22T08:25:01.213-04:00PetsWell. The Smitty household has a new member, and some pictures are in order for those of you who haven't already met her. Her name is Lily. She came from Laurens County Animal Rescue. And here she is. Isn't she a cutie? Here's another picture. Lily is about three months old. Don't ask what breed; a mix of pit bull and... um... I think of her as a Whatsit, maybe with a little Canttell http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/puppy-pictures.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-8025594193345639119Thu, 14 May 2009 16:36:00 +00002009-05-14T12:47:27.071-04:00Home Improvement...the trouble our septic system has seen. But I have some ideas.First of all, and you can consider this a public service announcement: if you have a septic tank, do not flush condoms down the toilet! I mean, really. They should cover this in sex ed. They clog up the drain line.And yes, they clog up the drain line. I mean, like... like, dozens. Dozens of condoms in my drain line. Old, too.http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/nobody-knows.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-4769439262542904634Wed, 13 May 2009 12:06:00 +00002009-05-13T08:29:42.081-04:00Home ImprovementNo, really, I had the best intentions of posting here Monday and yesterday. Monday I worked, but it wasn't an insane day. However, Monday night the septic tank backed up into the house.Yeah. Thank goodness our plumber (thank you Josh!) installed a relief point outside. Smittywife took a bath Monday night, and when she pulled the plug to drain the tub, the water didn't go anywhere. Then the http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/and-then-sky-fell-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-2474952305338023189Fri, 08 May 2009 01:06:00 +00002009-05-07T21:58:34.674-04:00PhilosophyReligion and PoliticsI have a lot of time to think at work. In a ten hour workday, at least four hours of the FedEx Ground driver's time is spent behind the wheel. The truck has no radio. Even when I ride with somebody, oftentimes the truck is so loud you have to shout to hear one another anyway (I wear earplugs when I drive alone). In a sense it's a lot like flying an uninsulated airplane (say, a KC-135) withouthttp://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/rambling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-6851227030380753186Thu, 07 May 2009 11:56:00 +00002009-05-07T08:05:00.039-04:00PointlessWhether it will last remains to be seen. Theoretically I should be leaving for work in about four minutes but I haven't even had breakfast yet, haven't packed a lunch, don't even have my boots on. But I did throw the puppy blanket in the wash on the "sanitize" setting with bleach. She... well, she's a puppy. Puppies can't really make it through the night without pooping, I guess. I don't http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-attempt-to-blog-daily-begins-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-5310028915607313914Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:20:00 +00002009-04-22T21:56:50.423-04:00I've been working a lot of 11 hour days lately, and when you come home after eleven hours--twelve with commuting, roughly--you don't want to sit down at the computer and blog. That's all there is to say about that, really, the days are just very long, and unfortunately you don't do much when you get home.But I'm not working five days a week at this, at least. Not yet; not a move I'd want to http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/04/neglected-but-not-forgotten.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-455754126378828925Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:43:00 +00002009-03-11T07:49:48.623-04:00StupidityReligion and PoliticsFrom the Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Smitty's former employer, comes this little piece this morning. Seems Florida is one of 16 states that does not outlaw bestiality (which raises the following two questions: 1) what are the other 15, and 2) why not?), and one of our state senators feels now is the appropriate time to do so, what with economic collapse looming on the sunny Florida horizon.http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/03/animal-husbands.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-8419037805367393506Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:54:00 +00002009-03-05T18:13:29.224-05:00militaryI was digging through my Giant File O' Crap (it's like a File-o-fax except not) for something specific today relating to Lauderdale. I did not find what I was looking for (did it ever exist? Good question), but as usually happens when I dig into the File O' Crap I found something amusing.One of the great things about being a "writer" is that you have a tendency, because you think you can write,http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/03/something-old.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-4595136628327858130Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:11:00 +00002009-02-19T10:16:49.738-05:00I read a few articles in Florida newspapers this morning about the mortgage bailout plan and how it will affect Florida homebuyers. I don't claim to be an expert here, but I did buy a home in Florida just a few years short of the top of the housing price bubble, in autumn 2003. I did four things correctly: I bought as much home as I needed, not 1000 sf more because my realtor* talked me into ithttp://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/02/bail-me-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-5404502070495654071Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:53:00 +00002009-02-13T18:05:04.605-05:00I checked this book out of the library when I lived in Valdosta. I don't remember the name of it but it was something along the lines of Finding Happiness in America or some such (editor's note: he has no idea, he just made that title up). Some years later I read a book called Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, and the two books had similar purposes and frankly similar messages; I http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/02/three-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-4025996051984540699Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:03:00 +00002009-02-05T14:06:52.213-05:00I just had an ad pop on gmail while I was reading a message from Smittywife. It saidLive Maine LobstersRomantic dinner for two delivered right to your front door!Seriously? Live Maine lobsters? Is lobster romantic? More to the point, is boiling a live invertebrate to death romantic? I mean, I like lobster; we might even make some lobster bisque here soon, but I would never consider whole http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/02/romantic-dinner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-7073443882378924826Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:47:00 +00002009-02-04T11:35:19.943-05:00PersonalMaybe the previous post was a bit premature. Smitty's Library is up and running, but perhaps it was too early to give up on this blog just yet. Smittywife and I had a come to Jesus talk last night. (Actually, she did the talking and I did the listening, and Jesus wasn't part of it at all. There must be a similar phrase in use in non-Christian countries, but I don't know what it would be; a http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/02/bit-premature-perhaps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-937196242845462545Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:38:00 +00002009-01-31T12:45:21.792-05:00I haven't posted to this blog in quite some time. Probably will not continue with it, either. Sorry. It's just... I don't know, I guess I lost interest, or at any rate I haven't felt like writing here in so long I don't know that the desire is going to come back.Those of you who are on facebook and know my name, I have a profile there, and like to make use of the Notes feature. Those who http://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-movement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068143.post-7061402669556335495Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:04:00 +00002008-12-22T18:13:53.287-05:00vey.I don't know what to say but I can't let a whole month go by without a post. Truth is, I get this way sometimes. I want to write, I feel better when I do, but I'm unsure how I feel about... almost everything. And therefore I don't know what to say. I don't even know if I'm happy. I think I am, though, and therefore I assume if I'm happy I must have reason to be, and if I have a reason tohttp://thehappysmith.blogspot.com/2008/12/oi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Smitty)0