Weekly Rants, Raves, and Whatever

*It's Saturday morning, September 24, 2005, and Hurricane Rita has come ashore on the Gulf Coast. Thankfully, the storm damage does not appear to be as severe as many feared it might have been, and that sent the news media into a deep depression.
NBC's John Roberts stood in the lobby of his hotel as wind and rain raced through broken windows, and bemoaned the "inch of water" on the floor. He was probably more upset that the hotel's room service was out.
Over at CBS, Tracy Smith was doing her best to knit her brow and find the dark cloud in the good news, constantly intoning that the storm "wasn't over yet". Her co-host Russ Mitchell was more upbeat, and so will probably be relegated to covering John Kerry's latest Bo-Tox injections and Dick Turban's rants against the US military.
The rest of the country will spend some time offering thanks.

*Speaking of events that the news media will drool over, Cindy Sheehan and her anti-American cohorts will spend much of this weekend protesting the Iraq liberation, America's Armed Forces, Israel, George W, and the number of shoe stores in shopping malls across this capitalist, decadent, evil country. Musical entertainment will be provided by Joan Baez, who hasn't had a hit since Dien Bien Phu! "Hanoi Jane" Fonda will probably show up to hawk her book and condemn the greedy country that provided a pampered life to the daughter of a movie star and ex-wife of one of the richest men in the world. She probably spent the week at Tiffany's picking out the perfect accessories for protesting with the masses.

*Kudos to elected officials and public safety officers for their great work since multiple disaters struck the Gulf Coast almost a month ago. While politicos were running their mouths, a lot of regular folks were out on the front lines, repairing storm damage, tending to the needs of their neighbors, and risking their own health without a word of complaint. This Mississippi Highball is for you!

*Congrats to Judge John Roberts on his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation victory, with approval by the full Senate expected next week. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she'll lecture the new Chief Justice on the importance of "finding enlightenment" in documents other than the US Constitution, including those from other countries. My own advice to Chief Justice Roberts is to tell Justice Ginsburg: "Thanks for your input. Now kindly sit down and shut the hell up!".

Hurricane Rita

This afternoon, Wednesday, September 21, Hurricane Rita graduated to Category 5 as it churned westward into the Gulf of Mexico. A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for Galveston, Texas, and let's hope and pray more people decide to err on the side of caution than did those in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Listened to a discussion by a meteorologist from Accu-Weather this p.m., and he predicts (as of this writing) the storm will make landfall about 60 miles west of Galveston. That would still make it a very serious storm, but would at least spare Galveston and Houston from bearing the brunt of a direct hit. Water temps in the Gulf are around 90 degrees, which is apparently ideal for percolating monster storms.
Hang on everybody, hurricane season doesn't die down until the end of November!
In a kind of weird twist (bad pun), the Space Center in Houston is shutting down due to Rita, and Ground Control for the International Space Station now resides in Russia. Haven't heard whether that agreement also covers the Astros, Texans, and Rockets!

Super Bowl Rematch

This Sunday, September 25, the St. Louis Rams and the Tennessee Titans will square off in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Titans' coach Jeff Fischer will have his team fired up to avenge the Super Bowl loss his team suffered to the Male Sheep.
The big question is, which Rams team will show up for the game? Will it be the cocky, swaggering 'Greatest Show on Turf', or the shadow of itself that has surfaced so far this young football season? A season-opening loss to the mediocre 49ers didn't inspire much optimism in the Gateway City, and the narrow victory over Kurt Warner and the Arizona (formerly St. Louis) Cardinals doesn't have anyone getting in line for playoff tickets.
When Air McNair and the Titans line up on Sunday, there will be fire in their eyes. They still sting from that Super Bowl loss, and they'll be out to garner whatever satisfaction they can get from beating, and beating up, the Rams.
If you watch the game, key in on how the St. Louis Special Teams play. If they cover punts and kickoffs well, and if they block for their their own receivers, the Lambs can topple the Titans. If they don't, and Steve McNair's offense starts each possession with good field position courtesy of the Rams, it'll be a long afternoon for St. Louis fans.
Also watch Rams QB Marc Bulger. If the offensive line protects him and blocks for RB Steven Jackson, the Jones Dome will be rockin'. If not, Jeff Fischer will get a little bit of that bitter taste washed out of his mouth.

Hardware store Heaven

I tell ya, there's nothing better than spending some time at a hardware store. I'm talking a fun visit here, not one involving plumbing or wallpaper. Just perusing all the tools, power and/or hand tools, is one of the best things a guy can do. Every time I go, and I go often, there's some new gadget that busts loose a bolt, trims a piece of wood, or cuts, digs, or scrapes the soil.
I'm not a fan of the big wharehouse-type stores with their 3 miles of floor space and 700 rows of Chinese duplex outlets. I like the smaller stores, especially Sears Hardware stores, because they've got a good selection at reasonable prices, and the majority of their Craftsman tools are made in the USA out of real forged steel (mmm........forged steel). The only complaint is that they recently added appliances to the stores, which takes up valuable floor space. Who needs a refrigerator with ice dispenser in the door when there are 12-inch compouned miter saws or 2-stage, oil-less air compressors to drool over?
So the next time you feel down, bored, or just need a little time with chrome-finish, offset box-end wrenches, head out to the hardware store. I guarantee it'll put a smile on your face and some new goodies in your toolbox.