How to know you missed the culture shift...

  My mother was the BIG Christmas Spirit in our home, she loved buying gifts all year long, was putting money in Christmas accounts for all of us so we would have money for gifts. And in the end, she would buy necessaries (underwear and socks) and wrap them in Fancy paper to add the the pile of stuff under the tree. There have been a few great gifts that I have worked hard to give, but not as many as my mother. The holidays were special, homey, and never commercial. Seems many Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were spent days on the road going to Minnesota, to see the grandparents and have a white Christmas.

  One thing I never wanted was to waste my time going to a movie on Christmas Day or even just shortly after... I could wait. But this year there is Imitation Game, Unbroken, American Sniper, and Into the Woods. Unbroken is the one I will for sure see, and probably own, will likely own the others also. They make some great movies, often about subjects that shouldn't sell. I never would have seen Chariots of Fire, but just happened by it on video long after the theater circuit. I don't read reviews - nor had I read the book.  What got me thinking was the movie The Interview, about a comedy about assassinating the Glorious Leader of  the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Now, having seen the trailers - it was not a movie I was ever going to see, having chased North Korean soldiers and raiders in the Republic, having waited for release of the Pueblo crew, having an idea that leadership has to be earned... well, I don't think North Korea is funny.

  They do seem to have all the advantages as they struck at Sony, the Japanese company that bought into American film industry. I don't care about the controversy. I am saddened by what passes for humor in the film and entertainment industry. I am of a different era and miss Carol Burnett, Red Skeleton and Bill Cosby. It seems like I am avoiding much of the current younger humor, but I wasn't into some of the harder humor of my era, either. There were days when I laughed because the alternative was to cry, and men don't cry, difficult to shoot straight with tears fogging the view. Edgier comedy, to make the audience squirm - not my kind of comedy, I liked the type that made me think, George Carlin and his wonder at words and how they relate to us. Baseball and Football.

No, I won't go see movies on Christmas Day.

It is beginning to look a lot like... Christmas?

   Or it should look like Christmas, if some more decorations were put up, if there were lights on the tree outside, if I would have replaced the Christmas tissue box from last year with this year's model - but it stayed on the cabinet all year long... I haven't had many sniffles, have I?

  Call for the furnace to be checked and serviced, make sure the garbage is on the curb, put up the decorations, finish the Christmas card sendings, continue tracking the packages to destinations far away (lovely thing barcodes and scanners).

   Would be bad form if Christmas suddenly arrived and we hadn't prepared room in our heart nor at our hearth for a baby savior, or just the feeling of love that should be everywhere. Y'all have a very merry Christmas, enjoy and celebrate and the New Year may be bright.

First Christmas Party...

It was December,
right after your sister was born,
your Grandpa and Grandma Dungey
asked if they could take you
to the War Dads Christmas party,
(the only organization they ever belonged to
other than their church).
We said sure they could,
and we dressed you sunday school best,
and put your snow suit and cap
and mittens and let you go with them.
We looked at each other and Don said;
"I wish we could be little mice in the corner
and see how he did!" I agreed....
Time past, slow for us waiting for your return,
Finally we heard steps onto our front door,
          and here were Mom and Dad Dungey,
and you all exited, so much so,
you didn't want to have to
take your snow suit off and your cap,
but your grandma proceeded to take them off
while you, all full of what Santa brought you,
opened up your package and showed us,
a little plastic donkey
with a bobbing head.....
of course your grandparents had bought it
so you would have something to open like the other kids.
It was a happy time and a happy memory,
(though I cried remembering).
... the years have gone too swiftly...

from my Mom, a Christmas story from long ago, and the people that made me happy and full of wonder have all gone on to the LORD.

I will not comply...

  They want me to lay on the ground with my hands spread - just shoot me, stupid. I haven't done anything, and I am not afraid of dying at the hands of a government that doesn't love me - actually fears me for my faith and my intelligence and my bravery. Makes me think that they, the government, are sure I am an enemy. The government is not my enemy, but for sure they are silly to stupid in how they conduct my government's business. They don't even recognize they belong to me, they think they belong to the powerful, rich, elite, lovely leadership class and the bankers behind the scenes. Ah, maybe they aren't crazy, just misguided and greedy. Any of them leave office as poor folks? Lately?

  I went to the demonstration We WILL NOT COMPLY with I594. My wife was telling me I should get out more, so that was a good place to go, guns were everywhere. Unlike Texas, Washington State has open carry. How did that happen? Family and dog friendly, folks were a bit weird to very nice, the State Police and the grounds keepers were friendly and helpful. Most of the people I met, I knew from Appleseed events, or were introduced to me by folks I knew from Appleseed events.

  I saw lots of fine firearms, and many that were exotic and some I would have taken home but then another shooter would have been short one gun. I met some famous folks, a couple of which were speakers. I noticed the sound system, and it worked perfectly except for one brief feed back problem, but quality voice - poor song choice, but I wasn't in charge of the music.

  As I stood by two of the fine RWVA instructors with revolutionary war flags in their hands, we got questions about the flags and why we were flaunting them. So the Appleseed Opportunity for improved marksmanship with rifle and sling was slung... one young lady, a competitive shooter from high school, knew very much what she was about, her mother liked shooting but not the cost. Still good talking to people about something I knew and could relate.

  I am already planning on attending the one in January, on the fifteenth. Midweek it may not be as big a demonstration, there were about 1200 folks at this one, but the legislature should be in session... could talk one on one. There was one legislator that spoke at this demonstration, with a message from another she read to the crowd. And where were you? In spirit you were there on one side of the issue or the other, but make up your mind.

Good Morning, coffee, and oatmeal...

  It is 5am, in the Real Coast Time. If more of the coast doesn't slide off into the Pacific. Last count was only three homes attempting suicide as they pretend they can be a ship at sea. There are always going to be more, they build them on earth temporary land - then come the storms.

  I have been building my reputation at the YMCA, still two basic workouts, the rowing machine for ten kilometers, and the bicycle for over ten miles, please. I have looked at elipticals for thirty minutes, need to get weight on feet without pounding again. Foot doctor drained the large pocket of joint lubricant that hides on top of my foot. He says it happens to folks, and it was a kind of clear jelly product - looks like good grease to me. Three hours later it starts to fill and gather again, looks like a different treatment is called for, will look at it again on Monday and call his office for the next level of cure. That reputation building at the YMCA is based on other old folks asking how long I row, and being very surprised at my calm 'over fifty minutes' response. But then I could be OCD type 'the boy who washed his hands'. I mentioned to the front desk crew, that the Y in YMCA stood for 'young'. Like they didn't know, and since they all are.

  Today, I am taking a break from the YMCA, to attend and participate in 'We WILL NOT COMPLY with I594' demonstration and illegal activity in Olympia, WA. The illegal activity is exchanging, buying and selling firearms without a background check. My participation is based on they never put the entire eighteen pages of the Initiative on the ballot, nor in the Voters pamphlet provided by the state. I will not comply mainly because I am not selling nor transferring any firearms by my reckoning. The State may see it differently, but then I will want a jury trial. The State is really not prepared to administer this law, since it has big flaws in language and how do they know which firearm belongs to whom? There is no registration in the state. Nor should there ever be, until the criminals using firearms for illegal purposes demand registration?

  On a very positive note, I started and have finished reading "Unbroken", wanted to get it before the movie comes out and I go to see it. And I will see the movie. I don't think they could stuff the whole story on the screen, but since they wanted PG13 rating, reading the book is better. Then again, I can read and imagine better than those that no longer do read and imagine. Mel Gibson did a movie about a book, and left the important second part of the book out, made the story a 'love story'. Hmm, as I get older I fall farther outside of the norm, i do so love that point of view and period of life - like exploring a new land.

I am all about me, and my stuggle to get to Heaven or get laid... or something.. like that...

  Just an old fat white man in the corner of forgotten blogdom, keep on walking, riding or speeding by... nothing to see here.  The big goal of last week was reached I finished the twenty mile bicycle ride (expresso,com) on Saturday and the total mileage of ninety for the Express Alps award, six days on the machine grinding the miles out. Felt tired enough that I went home without my normal ten kilometers of rowing (no Zumba instructor to distract me). Great week, since coming back from family Thanksgiving in San Diego and constant snow or rain here in the Great NorthWest, life has been fine.

  So imagine my amazement since they put me in a box, labeled it and called me names --- AGAIN? I was just cruising by on Facebook and I noticed two of my 'Friends' had shared a post that one had put on her blog. I have no idea who Mark Morford is, just like he (it is a he isn't it?) has no idea who Earl is... not this Earl anyway. But I don't put him(?) in a box and label him (Stupid Liberal from San Francisco and you know what that means, wink, wink).  But then I have such a fine following I don't make money expressing my stupidity... my mission is to make the world a wonderful place as it was designed to be.

  Mark Morford wrote this about Black Friday Gun sales (Earl doesn't believe in Black Friday, Cyber Monday and many other things but you know it is just Mark being wrong again). Such a petty poutter, Mark thinks he really knows me - well, I don't thing of myself as a Scared white guy, those are the ones I would put a twang in my voice and say 'scared 'yellow' are you?' but then Mark would jump on that as evidence that I have a problem with Asians and I should get out more...  As soon as I win the Lotto I will, Mark. The Lotto the greatest weath leveling government program for taxing the poor and mathematically challenged and disadvantaged.

  Well it is time to go to church, pray for lost souls like Mark and his normal readers, they haven't a clue. It the weather was better I could go to the range and shoot after, but I have some good stuff to make my wife's life better at home to get done. So I will, but Mark, we will be praying for you and the rest of the lost boys.

I want to tell you about how it was in my end of the world event...

  The one that caught everyone sleeping, or seemed to... but I couldn't, the power was out. Facebook was dead, and you thought blogging was dead. Facebook doesn't work on wishes nor prayer. So, no one got my take on what was happening. Being at the center of my universe didn't mean that Watters was coming to put me into his World for Bill O'Reilly to make money from youth watchers. He knows that he is stuck with older and middler-aged men as his base audience. Add a few thinking women and that is the core. But the media frenzie was still trying to figure out the qualifications for the new ambassador to Hungary. If you spelt that as Hungery you are a product of the culture that thinks 'wanes down' is proper English.. I am so poorly educated I think marriage is between a man and a woman, or two or three or ... still between opposite sexes.

  So my wife welcomed me home, I had the wine, brandy and food stuffs she requested and she heated the  soup on the burner on the back porch. I was back from the civilized portion of Tacoma that still had electricity... and traffic lights and no Ferguson Protestors trying to look like deer in the headlights. Since the YMCA did such a fine job of wearing me down, or is that waning me down? I napped after the soup.

  I couldn't get the part needed at Home Depot, so I cannibalized another item with similar parts and repaired the broken and made the other look good. Function starts with looking good, right? The garage door doesn't open from the outside without power either... and the door bell... no one will miss me when we are gone. Since no one will see my missing posts on the internet over Facebook.  Think I should meet and have a final dinner with my cousin, hope the power is on at the steak house, tomorrow.