Curmudgeon Unplugged!!

 

Well, as usual I have not posted in a while.  However, I have some news that may change all that.  As of about 2 PM Wednesday afternoon we are now officially Comcast free.  That means no cable and no internet.  Now, you may find it ironic that my getting rid of the internet could potentially produce more frequent blogging but I believe it will.  Truth be told, with the internet at my finger tips I would often think, ”I’ll post ‘later’”.  Well much like the fabled “tomorrow”, “later” never came and I didn’t post.  Or, when I did get myself ready to post, I would get distracted by Facebook, Yahoo News, or a host of other things the internet has to distract us with.  (And that includes Freshly Pressed when I went over to WordPress.)

Not only that, but without cable I won’t have the House marathons on Bravo (does anyone else hate the Housewives of… or Pregnant in Heels) to distract me.  While we still get 19 channels (mostly of nonsense) the distraction factor decreases significantly with the decrease in the number of channels.

The bottom line is that I now will be more intentional about writing and I’ll actually sit down and do it.  Our apartment complex has free internet access in the business center so I will make planned trips to use it.  I’ll be able to still do my writing on my laptop, but then I’ll have to make the effort of going to post it.  Since my access time will not be at my finger tips I’ll have to use it wisely.  Actually think of the things I want to peruse on the internet and be more intentional (there is that word again) in what I do.

Who knows I’ll maybe even be able to get out and enjoy life more instead of watching it on the internet.

Stars Quitting Facebook, Twitter – For a Day

Since I don’t live under a rock, I did hear about certain stars who have declared that they are giving up Twitter and Facebook in the name of charity.  No, not forever, just until the charity raises $1 million dollars.

First of all I have to question the sanity (and intelligence) of anyone who actually cares about what Lady GaGa (and she ain’t no lady) or anyone else tweets (or in her case it is actually more like “twits”).  I mean really, is this what your life has come to?  These “stars” are just people.  They eat, poop, and breathe just like the rest of us.  Is your life really made that much better knowing that Kim Kardashian has just stunk up an airport restroom?

Second, why would anyone feel the need to support a charity just because some pompous fool had decided to stop annoying us with the details of their lives?  Shouldn’t you support a charity because you believe in their cause, have some disposable cash, and truly want to help?  Can you not think for yourself and find your own charity to support.

But you say “they are raising awareness, that is a good thing”.  Really?  If this were simply about raising awareness then why the million dollar price tag?  They could pull this publicity stunt without demanding, like some common hostage taker, the million dollar price tag. 

OK, I am done ranting for now.  Time for the mindless to start opening up their pocketbooks becasue of a bunch of overpaid blowhards tell you too.

Colorado Day 4

The day found us in Alamosa, Colorado and we made our way to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.  We ran into a bit of trouble on Route 160 as there was an accident in a construction zone about 5 miles before Route 150.  We were diverted onto a dirt road and were diverted around the accident.  Following behind the sand clouds kicked up by the cars in front of us was something this city boy doesn’t do everyday!

We were delayed about twenty minutes but were soon on our way.  In due time, we reached our destination – the Great Sand Dunes.  Truthfully, from far away they are interesting to look at but not as impressive as up close. 

We stopped and shot this at the entrance to add to my collection of National Park entrance signs.

The dunes as seen from behind the visitor center.  Looks a little out of place, doesn’t it?

The dunes close up.  Mrs. Curmudgeon in the picture can provide some size refrence. 

Our next stop was Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods.  More on that in my next post.

Colorado Day 3

Day 3 found us in Cortez, Colorado.  I had been there once before on my way to Mesa Verde National Park – which I had also visited once before.  That time it was a brief stop on a tour that included, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Lake Powell, and a few other sites.

Mrs. Curmudgeon and I spent more time there than I had last time.  Here are a few pictures:

This is the Spruce Tree House near the Chapin Mesa Museum.

This is a pithouse.  Partially dug into the ground and covered with mud over support posts.  The hole at the bottom of the picture is for bringing in fresh air.  The next photo

illustrates how this worked.

And this is a later period, more intricate Kiva (a room used for religious rituals). 

From Mesa Verde we then drove to Durango for a late lunch.  We found it most annoying that many of the restaurants were closed.  Evidently the good foilk of Durango eat lunch promptly between 11 AM and 2:30 PM so that if you arrive say around 4 PM and are quite hungry you have to wait until eateries re-open at 5 PM for dinner.  The Irish Embassy Pub was open and more than willing to feed our hungry selves.  Which is more than I can say for several of the other places in Durango.

From Durango we then headed to Alamosa and arrived there late in the evening and exhausted.  The next stop on our tour would be the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

Colorado Day 2

Awoke in Grand Junction and searched for a place for breakfast.  Found a nifty place called The Egg and I.  If you are in or near Grand Junction the one we ate at was on West Park Drive.  We had a very positive experience.  The place was bright, airy, and quite cheerful; staff was friendly, and the food top notch.

Our next move was to journey into the Colorado National Monument.  A few pictures:

Unfortunately, it was overcast and only glimmers of sunlight poked through the clouds.

The next leg of our journey took us from Grand Junction through Moab & Monticello (Utah) and over to Cortez.  That is where we crashed for the evening.  Next up Mesa Verde National Park.

Colorado Day 1

Our first day in Colorado was quite fun.  We headed to the Denver Art Museum and caught the King Tut exhibit.  After that we got on the road and drove to Grand Junction and spent the night at the Courtyard.  The hotel is a clean hotel and the staff were very friendly.  As someone who travels a lot and spends 30+ days per year in hotels, I have come to really appreciate something simple like a clean room.  My experience in Richmond this summer, found here, really left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

So ended our first full day in Colorado.  The next day we visited Colorado National Monument.  More about that in my next post.

Mmmm…Tasty!

Mrs. Curmudgeon and I are travelling through Colorado for our 2nd anniversary.  We happened upon a nifty little restaurant called Jus Cookin’s. 

The staff was friendly, the food excellent, and my wife and I enjoyed it much.  We both had the Chicken Parm and it was “mmmm tasty”.  The Mrs also had the Chicken Soup and describes it as “lovelyfull”.  I would heartily recommend the place if you are ever near Lakewood, Colorado.  Meanwhile, our real adventure begins tomorrow at the Denver Art Museum where we check out the King Tut exhibit.

Virginia is for lovers……of traffic!

So yesterday and today I am in the Norfolk area for the 2010 Signature Conference of the Virginia Sesquicentennial American Civil War Commission.  More on the conference on my other blog later.  Today I write about the traffic nightmare that is the Norfolk area. 

Since I was nearby I thought that after the conference I would take a little jaunt to Colonial Williamsburg which is one of my favorite places.  I slipped out of the conference a little early, headed to my hotel to change, and jumped on I-64 to Williamsburg.  Google Maps indicates it is a 53 minute drive.  Now I know Google Maps can sometimes be in error, but I made it back from Williamsburg to the hotel in the span of 45 minutes so Google Maps in this case is close to accurate.  However, thanks to amazing rush hour traffic and the rude, crappy drivers that go along with it, my journey took me 2 hours.

Oh what fun!

PS, while writing this post I learned that WordPress spell check doesn’t understand the word sesquicentennial.

No Magic Pill

So I’ve been thinking about this recession we are in and the whining by both Democrat and Republican alike.  The problem is that in this microwave, drive-up, fast food world, we want a solution to the recession and we want it yesterday.  That goes to the root core of the general unrest and dissatisfaction in this country.  If the stimulus package put forth by the Obama administration had worked quickly we wouldn’t hear near the complaining we do today.

The problem is that this recession is like a Monday morning hangover after a drunken weekend of hedonism.  For years the typical American engaged in risky overspending putting thousands of dollars on their credit cards, buying homes they could barely afford, and having today what they could pay for tomorrow.  Well, now its tomorrow and you can’t pay for it.

There is no magic pill or powder to rid us of this ression-hangover and time is the only panacea for this mess we have gotten ourselves into.  Think about it, after years of recession, struggles to put food on the table, and the emptying of bank accounts just to stay afloat, do you really believe that the average American will ramp up their spending overnight?  Believe that and I’ve got a bridge to nowhere to sell you.

I predict that whatever plan comes down the line, Republican or Democrat it won’t be fast enough for the American people.  Then the party in power will be replaced by the other party and they will try something different.  This will have the effect of watering down the different plans out of this mess and recovery will take longer increasing frustration.

An Open Letter to the People of Afghanistan

Nine years ago today terrorists reached out from training camps in your country and attacked mine, murdering not only Americans but citizens from over 90 different countries.  This group of terrorists, al-Qaeda, were supported by the government of your country at the time, the Taliban.  At no point immediately after 9-11 did the  people of the Unites States shout, “Death to Afghanistan”.  Instead, we recognized that the act was perpetrated by radical extremists and held them accountable.

A few days ago a radical extremist in this country proclaimed that on 9-11 he was going to be burning copies of the Koran.  He has since backed down yet I hear news reports of people in your country shouting “Death to America”.  This is what distinguishes us in the United States from the people of Afghanistan.  We use reason and wisdom to seach for and to hold the people actually responsible for horrible acts, responsible.  However, in your country instead of crying out against this one pastor, Terry Jones, or his congregation, you seek to hold an entire nation responsible for the act of one individual.  This is complete and utter foolishness. 

There are some in this country that want to hold the whole Muslim world responsible for the attacks of 9-11.  There are more of us in this country who declare that those attacks do not represent the whole of the Muslim world.  Unfortunately, the irresponsible actions of your countrymen who seek to hold all of America responsible for Pastor Jones’ actions only serves to paint your whole country as evil in the eyes of many.  Is this the way that your Holy Book teaches you to act?