Coffee Shop Twenty is now open fer business

[stationmaster]

Afternoon, FLO, seems we have an inordinate amount of biologists in here today.

Got the white stuff comin' down today. Temp is 27*. Rather pretty. Sure beats an ice storm by a long shot.

I won the replacement for my MTH K-4 on eBay this morning. I surely upset someone by sniping it. A buddy is buying the MTH for what I am paying for the Paragon.

As a certified Captain, one of my "other" ventures, as I am able to pilot boats for hire(means mo' money), I have seen the Florida DNR ticket many boaters for endangering Manatees. I delivered a boat last year to Florida, and woke up to those ugly, now no one can say that manatees are pretty, creatures swimming around and "banging" the sides of the boat. Kinda neat. One had best post a lookout on the bow of the boat when traversing a "Manatee Area". And also obey the "speed limits". Those DNR guys must use submarines in patrolling those areas. You never see them until you screw up.

Bob

 

[UP2CSX]

Don't even get me started on the current (and, likely, future) state of health care. Larry, Rex's wife is correct. Some pill form medications can be given through a feeding tube but they must be prepared by someone who knows what they are doing. Some pills should never be given through a feeding tube. If the feeding tube is properly irrigated before and after giving the meds, it should rarely clog up. I'd still raise cain with the administrator of that place in the morning. If you don't get satisfaction, call the state. The "rehab" facility is, in reality, a long term care/skilled nursing facility. It's regulated by the Indiana State Department of Public Health. The contact page to file a complaint is at http://www.state.in.us/isdh/21533.htm. Believe me, letting the administrator know that you understand who regulates them and you're ready to pick up the phone will get some action. The facility should have already filed an incident report on this. Ask to see it - it's public record. If you get any grief about it, don't waste your time with the administrator, just call the state and file a complaint. When Jean was hospitalized at Kaiser Permanente, I called the state and filed complaints twice over the poor sanitary conditions of the facility and poor nursing care she was receiving...and she was a nurse who worked there! They came out, wrote them 92 citations, and the story made the newspaper. She got much better care after that. Like Chris said, you need an advocate if you're in a hospital or nursing home or you're in big trouble.

OK, I'll pass the soapbox along now...

Speaking of Chris, I did not put any gators in the sewers of New York. I put them in the sewers of Los Angeles. Much nicer climate and I understand that some of them are getting big enough to start helping with the crime problem there.

Rex, you're right about gators in our neck of the woods. We have a swamp fairly close to downtown and, every once and again, one of them will decide to take a stroll down Main Street. Causes quite a commotion until they can get the Fish and Wildlife gator catcher to come down, tie him up, and put him back in the swamp. I was driving over the Alabama River Bridge on Highway 31 the other day and there was probably a seven footer making his way down the middle of the river.

As far as the WC, they are always wrong. The rain will be here Wednesday but Thursday is the critical day. This low is moving slower than forecast and some really cold air is being dragged along with it. There will still be some precipitation Thursday and how much cold air gets here while we still have the low to the west of us will determine if we get snow. There will also be a big cold air wedge from Northern Georgia north that will prevent the low from moving out too quickly and will provide cold air return to keep some precipitation going even after the low passes through. I still think we'll see snow Thursday and possibly overnight into Friday morning, the best time for heavier snow. Of course, I've been known to be wrong before too.

Matt, no Manatees in the Everglades that I know of. They are basically shallow water creatures and come inshore if there's some really nice sea grass to munch on. They congregate in places like the Crystal River during winter because the springs that feed the river are at a constant 72 degrees, and Manatee's can't live long in temperatures below 60. The Glades are also a lousy place to kayak unless Florida has had a couple of really wet years. Most of it is either dry or only has a few inches of water. I canoed it for two days and spent most of my time dragging the canoe over grass hummocks and running away for water moccasins and some pretty aggressive gators. The few open waterways constantly have high speed air boats running tourists back and forth, making it a really dangerous place for a paddler. I'd stick to the Okefenokee for swamp kayaking.

Barry, what is this boxing day you speak of? Do you all go out and beat each other up in the stores?

Jeffrey, did you tour the Hobby Lobby in a wheelchair? Sounds like a good way to do as long as you have a cooperative pusher. I'm glad you're protecting your feet as much as possible.

It's cloudy and not as cold, with a temperature of 51 after an overnight low of 35. The wife is a little ill with me. Our 22 year old has taken up with tall, dark, and dumb and has constantly been lying to us about the relationship. The guy is 28 with two kids, one supposed divorce, and was a Marine that supposedly served in Afghanistan and got wounded...but he can't remember the name of the base he was at. Any of you that were ever in the military who can't tell me the name of every base you served at? Anyway, he's her problem. My problem is we're supporting her while she's attending college. She flunked this last semester after telling us she was passing. She also lied and told us she had a job while opening up five credit cards to buy the goofball's kids Christmas presents because he's a welder but doesn't have any money. The consequence of her not having a job was getting her cell phone turned off. Mama didn't want to do that yet "until she talked to her". She has missed church two weeks in a row because she was presumably doing something more interesting with the jarhead. I told her to be at church on time or I would make her cell phone into a brick. She showed up 45 minutes late and said "her power went out" and the alarm didn't go off. Funny, Alabama Power has no record of outages within the last 48 hours at her address. Her cell phone is now a brick. If she doesn't have a job with an actual pay stub I can see in two weeks, out goes her cable and DSL. Keep up with the bad grades, and I'm going to repo her car, which is my name, and she can find a way to pay her own rent, because she ain't coming back here. She only responds to negative consequences and I'm the guy that can hand them out.

Handing back the soapbox again....

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jeffrey, did you tour the Hobby Lobby in a wheelchair? Sounds like a good way to do as long as you have a cooperative pusher. I'm glad you're protecting your feet as much as possible.

In a wheelchair the whole time I was there. The MR section of the Alexandria Hobby Lobby is all the way back just one aisle away from the restrooms. My pusher was a 230 pound high school football player.

 

[RexHea]

Yeeehaaa, Go get'er Jimmy! LOL
Seriously, I don't blame you a bit. Seems that tough love is all the young people understand now days.

Now Jim, you know if the Weather Channel says it will rain in the Southeast it probably will...maybe...somewhere.

 

[vato loco]

Yeeehaaa, Go get'er Jimmy! LOL
Seriously, I don't blame you a bit. Seems that tough love is all the young people understand now days.

Now Jim, you know if the Weather Channel says it will rain in the Southeast it probably will...maybe...somewhere.

Ditto jim, you really have to put your boot in her a____ to the point where she can floss her teeth with your boot laces, before she brings something like me homeJ/K-ing! My FIL is still kicking his own butt! My FIL is going through something like what you are with his #2 daughter and #2 Son they keep on seeing big time loosers! Both of which have great jobs and are always broke cause of the relationships they get in! Needless to say #2 daughter is 2 for 2 screwing up christmas. he's going to have another waist of time talk with her again tomarrow! I try to stay out of it! at least My FIL's #1 son and #1 daughter got their houses in order!

 

[blownoutcylinder]

Jim: Sounds like someone didn't take anything seriously What you are doing sometimes is the only way they'll pick up on anything----hormones tend to turn their brains into Guava Jelly Good luck on that one----

Boxing Day up here is more of an excuse to get NEXT YEARS Xmas shopping done early!! As far as why it is called that I have NO idea

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Boxing Day up here is more of an excuse to get NEXT YEARS Xmas shopping done early!! As far as why it is called that I have NO idea

Boxing Day was traditionally a day on which the servants had a day off from their duties. Because of this the gentry would eat cold cuts and have a buffet-style feast prepared by the servants in advance. In modern times many families will still follow this tradition by eating a family-style buffet lunch, with cold cuts rather than a full cooked meal. It is a time for family, parlor games and sports in the UK. The traditional recorded celebration of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes were placed outside churches used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen. In the United Kingdom it certainly became a custom of the nineteenth century Victorians for tradesmen to collect their "Christmas boxes" or gifts in return for good and reliable service throughout the year on the day after Christmas. However, the exact etymology of the term "Boxing" is unclear, with several competing theories, none of which is definitively true. Another possibility is that the name derives from an old English tradition: in exchange for ensuring that wealthy landowners' Christmases ran smoothly, their servants were allowed to take the 26th off to visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses. In addition, around the 1800s, churches opened their alms boxes and distributed the contents to the poor.

 

[Littlefoot14]

Bob- thats funny i was thinking the same thing

Jim- you sound like a great dad, you remind me alot of my dad,obviously i dont drive or have to worry about rent, but i have sports and a social life, and thats what my dad uses to punish me, any grade (including my 3 AP classes) below an 85 and im done, i also lose my cell phone, laptop and my plans get severly limited .

Chris- hold on a sec, jim says the everglades were pretty bad, and your saying theyd be great.... what gives ? Ive never swam with manatees, i swam with sea turtles once though , saw a fish that was about 5ft long and yelled shark..... not a good idea when your snorkling in a group of almost 40 people

Well today i was informed that my dad joined into a new hunting camp and that we'll be leaving our current camp, i'm excited for the move but at the same time ill miss some of the people up there. Ill tell you one thing though i wont miss the dope! i almost got wrecked by some loser from town on a dirtbike while i was on a wheeler and he was high, i shouldve punched him right in the teeth

On a happier note i just finished enjoying a fantastic crab dinner, my patriots one, and i dont have school tommorow, so i get to sleep in past 5 , then ive got track from 10-12. Hope everyone has a nice evening and im sure ill post again before bed.

 

[vato loco]

The everglades is a big place, depends what parts you go too. The northern parts have dried up alot but the southern tip http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=25.25780604019357~-80.45888137801762&lvl=13&sty=h still has plenty to explore. Just check with the kayak boards for best spot's...!

JMO my area is the best two nice spring filled rivers that dump into the gulf of mexico.

Homosassa River and Crystal River area: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=28.81909979039125~-82.63803672774907&lvl=12&sty=h

Weeki wachee springs this is my local water hole: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=28.518548922584266~-82.57472586616154&lvl=18&sty=h

 

[pcarrell]

Dang! Whats all that white stuff all over the ground out there?

 

[CBCNSfan]

If she doesn't have a job with an actual pay stub I can see in two weeks, out goes her cable and DSL. Keep up with the bad grades, and I'm going to repo her car, which is my name, and she can find a way to pay her own rent, because she ain't coming back here. She only responds to negative consequences and I'm the guy that can hand them out.

And my kids thought I was an ogre!
Ah! Well it's the only way they'll learn anything about life's hardships when there's no one to pick up after them. Have a grand son learning the folly's of life now

When the granddaughter came to live with us a few years back, well lets just say she finished her education and now is a responsible young lady and is proud of her achievement.

Yep! 17 years military service and I can name each place what I liked and disliked about it and when I was there no problem. Don't know but maybe they blew his brain out and if that was his wound then maybe it's true
But while I was in France one of our squadron members in Germany was in a car accident. When he came out of it he didn't know his wife family or trade or where he was. Had to learn everything over again.

Cheers
Willis

 

[blownoutcylinder]

Jim: Audrey just said look for 3 paychecks!!! She's gonna need them with that many credit cards!!

The credit cards get me---who are they using for income?

 

[UP2CSX]

Thanks for the support, guys.

Matt, this is my stepdaughter that I never had a chance to help learn to be a responsible person, as I have with her younger sister, who is doing everything right after doing lots of things wrong. I do think I'm trying to be a good dad. Her biological dad is a strung out meth head and you can imagine the type of raising she got. Chris is right, the southen Everglades are still decent for kayaking. I was in the northern part and it sucked big time.

Rex, my parents used tough love on me before there was such a term and I turned out mostly OK. BTW, I see the official forecast is now calling for ice pellets Wednesday. I'm sticking with my snow forecast.

Chris, seems like there's a hard head in every family and she's mine right now. I always have to chuckle to myself when she comes up with these lies. All I did was deal with chronic and professional liars for over 25 years and I can spot one in a heartbeat. I don't think she's figured that one out yet.

Barry, she's really a relationship addict and her behavior patterns aren't much different that any other type of addict. They have to suffer enough pain and hit bottom before they are willing to change, assuming that time ever comes. She's gotten the credit cards because she's a college student and credit card companies assume college students might make some money some day. Bad assumption with her. They are only like $300 credit limit cards but, of course, she's already run all of them over the limit. She needs one more student loan to finish nursing school, assuming she doesn't flunk out, and I've co-signed for her first two. With what she's doing to her credit, I don't think she'll be able to get a student loan and I'm sure not going to sign a third one.

Jeffrey, I've heard of Boxing Day before as having something to do with the day after Christmas but I thought it was only in the UK and not the "colonies".

Phillip, we have no white stuff on the ground...yet.

Willis, thank you for confirming my suspicions on the guy's lack of ability to remember the name of his base. He said it started with "A" and was hard to pronounce. He's not the sharpest pencil in the box, but even a real dope gets to learn the name of where he's at every day. My brother can name every base he was at in Vietnam, even temporary firebases, and that was almost 40 years ago. For some reason, he says he doesn't have a Purple Heart, even though he says he was wounded in combat. Right. I think a head wound would have actually improved this guy's mental capacity.

Anyone read about the second Nigerian Muslim locked in the toilet for over an hour on the same flight as the Nigerian Muslim terrorist was on yesterday? He was just sick, though, no problem. Anyone else think maybe he flushed the PETN down the toilet when he realized he wasn't going to be able to detonate it? And there was no air marshal on this flight, again. Think maybe the boys have been doing some recon work on flights with no air marshals regularly on board? Who the heck is running this circus?

 

[IronBeltKen]

Dang, sure has been a lotta traffic in here today!

The relatives from Alabama are still in town, so not very much mrr time. But I still managed to spend several hours today kitbashing a Proto2000 GP7 into a GP9 by shaving off the GP7 louvers and cementing-on the louver plates that make it look like a '9'. But as soon as the holiday hoopla ends, all my B&O stuff will go back into storage until I finish dismantling the layout and rebuilding it. Gotta keep my priorities in focus. A fleet of B&O engines won't do me a lick of good if I don't have a layout to run them on!

Jim - After reading about your situation with your 22yr-old I guess I should count my blessings. I've been dealing with some annoyances over my 20yr-old's misadventures (including a bill for some minor damages to her dorm room while she was in Austria) but at least her grades are OK, thank God! Sounds like you know what to do, I sure hope I won't be forced to do anything similar with any of my young'ens in the future...

Rex - I didn't find any train stuff under the tree either, let's just say I've been "my own santa claus" LOL! I don't trust any of my family members, well-intentioned as they may be, to get the correct train-related things for a rivet counter like myself. And besides, how else can I be sure my yearly supply of socks, underware and neckties will be replenished?

I'm back at the office tomorrow, it should be fairly quiet with a lot of people on holiday vacation but a few of my co-workers are workoholics and sometimes they can make my life really, er...interesting! Just have to wait and see what happens I guess.

 

[AndrewC]

Good morning all from Ye Olde London Towne.

another non-weather day. High of 5c low of 4c. Clouds just wandering past to more interesting locales. We spend Boxing day hibernating and didn't dare go out. Yesterday however we ventured forth in search of a new mattress and to start getting costs estimates for a new bathroom. (how domestic) Today its off to get the wood for the layout's baseboards. Yippee. Tonight we're meeting up with friends for an evening of curry and conversation.

Jim, Jeff: Boxing day does have several links to 'boxing' as in boxed lunch, boxes for the poor, etc. My Dad's family home used to do the whole 'Upstairs/downstairs' switch on Boxing day. These days it usually describes the women's shopping behaviour at Primark. Mike Tyson wouldn't stand a chance against some of these shopping-beasts.

Most Commonwealth countries still observe it as a statutory holiday. Eire observe it as St. Stephen's Day and South Africa call it the Day of Good Will. (amazing what you can learn from a calendar innit)

Jim: all you can do is watch the car crash your step-daughter is heading for in slo-mo. After that break out the tweezers to pick up the pieces. No doubt your bullsh*t-o-meter will be working overtime on this one working out what is real and what is just a smelly pile of lies.

Rex: good to see your hydrocal arrived. Hope you didn't get too plastered over Christmas.

Chris: are you trying to sell Matt & his kayak some land in Florida? Bad Chris, bad Chris.

Take care all and have a good day. Its still holiday time for me. Yippee.

 

[Trussrod]

Good Early Morning again form Coarsegold,

It's pretty cold here with a temp of about 36* but only slightly cloudy from what I could tell.

Only a slight bit more progress on the layout as I had to recover the windows with heavier Black Plastic as the thin stuff I used prior you could see through a bit with the lights on, not any more now. Also getting ready to start extending the upper line from Horseshow Meadow to the East toward a passing siding and then on over to McKlear Mine, not sure just what kind of mine yet? I was thinking Coal but I think I'll have the Coal mine located at the far end of the upper line.


Have a good day.

 

[vato loco]

Chris: are you trying to sell Matt & his kayak some land in Florida? Bad Chris, bad Chris.

I'm not trying to sell Matt swamp land NO! I'm trying to sell swampland to the people that can AFFORD to buy a Kayak complete with paddles for Matt!












Jim, I do believe me and my super lizards can help you with your 22 yr olds problem. Bring the Brain down here for a fishing trip! Remember no one will look for him in thut belly of a gator or in its turd! With him gone it will be easier to smack some sence in that girl! And if you attempt to fix her doesn't work.....Well we'll take her shopping for some new gator skin boots! She just has to talk the gator out of his skin! There's a reason why a gator is smiling all the time!

 

[Littlefoot14]

Chirs- lol i got the paddle, my dad just let me stress out over it for a few hours btw id be weary of purchasing land wear a certain individual has been fooling around with gators

Jim- sounds like youve certainly got a grip on your stepdaughter, im obviously not a parent lol but thats what i think i would do.

Philip- I just woke up to the sounds of a plowtruck, maybe were getting the same stuff you were?

Well i managed to sleep in this morning but i do eventually have to get out of bed and go run, joy. Its 30* outside right now, and snowing. Looks like theres maybe an inch on the gas grill, and its falling pretty steadily, expecting only 2-3 inches though

 

[blownoutcylinder]

Matt We have a few areas for kayaking up here---a little away from certain crockigators!! As for snow--if we keep this up we may see 4" by the end of February

Even though the weatherguessers have a snowsquall watch for us'uns---we'll watch as ev'body else gets them and we get our little 1/2" snowdribble

Got some work related paperwork to do this afternoon--just enough to make me go to the office---after that I'll be going to a certain LHS to pick up some more scratchbuilding supplies---

Have a good'un people

 

[vato loco]

Nature Coast Weather is: 38* this morning and it will warm up to 68* (sunny sky) Gulf temp. 50*-52* "Great inland fishing day, To bad I have to shampoo the carpets today!"

I think Kayaking is the only sport you can do in almost every part of the world! Every weekend US 19 loads ups with cars and trucks loaded with Kayaks or Motorcycles/dirtbikes heading to the rivers and trails!