vulcanboy camping trip

This morning littleVulcan and I will be driving to the southern tier of western New York for a camping trip. He is so excited, he may clone himself out of sheer will. He is so incredibly cute, tho I am admittedly biased. Here are some pics from our Community Day with the local Homeschool Group here in Michigan, where homeschooling your child is still legal.


Here, littleVulcan and his best friend are flying a Piper Cherokee. Otherwise known as a bug-smasher




That's our group. Otherwise known as S.L.A.S.H.




Here we are at the firestation, it seems that fireman prevented littleVulcan from dousing me. Thanks, man.

I'll use this as an excuse to cease posting for a while, as I'll be out of wi-fi contact in the wilds of western New York. I know, I know, what reason do I need? First it was professional development, now this, next that...

By the way, it seems that my rantings over the disagreeable fashion the general public is treated by the financial industry has raised some eyebrows. (and some ire's) Of financial "professionals" everywhere. OK, not everywhere, but I hear that there is a former broker out there who is kinda upset. Would you like your broker upset over what I have said here, or would you like your broker to say "I've heard about guys like that, but let me show you how I have handled your account"?
More on that later, I promise.

excitedVulcan

Zune mania

Ok, I haven't posted in a whole week... What kin I say, I've been in class. Old brains learn slow, you know!
In case you haven't heard, Microsoft has released it's competition for the Apple iPod. What's that you say? iPods have been around for years? Oh, yeah, you're right. I guess Microsoft never thought they would catch on or something. Frankly, neither did I, though now I find I could really use one, more as a book on tape thing for studying than a music player. Also useful for transferring files between computers.
This blog entry is more about corporations naming things with less than appropriate names. Perhaps some of you may remember the Pinto, a hot little car produced by Ford Motor Company. Turned out that "pinto" sounds much like a word that means something rather personal in Brazil.
This leads me to this article from iPodobserver.com, which is quite amusing, about "Zune" being subject to a very similiar condition in our northern neighbor.

excitedVulcan

Remembering...

I suppose that every one can remember what they were doing 5 years ago today. I know I can. It still somehow feels surreal, like something that terrible couldn't really happen. It is obvious to all but the most pig headed (pun not intended) that it really did happen, that many Dads and Moms did not come home to their children that night. Wives never saw their husbands again, and husbands never saw their wives again. While people lose their lives unexpectedly every day, this was different. This was an attack on a way of life that is a result of our forefathers creating a government that fostered exploration, ingenuity, self reliance and accountability. Self-government, if you will. Remember this anniversary, that as Americans, we must continue the legacy of exploration, ingenuity, self reliance and accountability in order that our lives, and our children's lives are able to continue in a truly free nation.

Read the following link to gain perspective, not with images, sound bytes or multimedia, but with words. Listening. Listening to Breaths

excitedVulcan

Another youtube linky

This was just too funny to not post. No, war is never funny, but the satire of the creator of this video is quite sharp. He is obviously as tired of the fakery as are many. Added bonus, reference to "All your base are belong to us". For those unfamiliar with the phrase, see this wikipedia entry.



Again, follow this link if the vid won't play. In fact, if it does play, post a comment for me.

excitedVulcan

Missile-itis

I wish i had time to do this kinda stuff. I dunno how many of you have been monitoring the fauxtography being presented by the "normal" media, but there has been an ongoing "discussion" about the alleged targeting of Ambulances by the IDF. This video should help increase understanding of what results when an actual missile hits a vehicle, rather than a photoshop missile...




if the vid doesn't work, (and it prob won't...) go to this url (that's Uniform Resource Locator for the uninformed)


excitedVulcan

More Destruction Construction

Let's just call it "constructive activity"

Here is the basement (cellar, for any rednecks out there) (btw no offense, some of my friends and relatives are rednecks) in before and after mode.


These are the before pics (ok, they are kinda "during" as some will notice the nice, shiny plastic I had just installed










By the way, this is really merely a "virtual reconstruction", not an actual one, just in case some of you either are or know, or are perhaps related to a building or health inspector



Funny story: while I was in the basement breaking the cast iron pipe to smithereens, Mrs. Vulcan came over the walkie talkie with some witty comment or other. I replied with some sharp whit or other. This exchange went back and forth for a little while, on and off.
I finished our on air flirtation with "Just don't flush the toilet" meant to serve as a humorous warning, as I had just smashed the big pipe off, and bad things could happen should the toilet (which I had failed to empty prior to the start of this phase of the project) be activated, so to speak.
No sooner had the radio waves ceased emanating from my transmitter when I heard the most interesting gurgling noise. You guessed it, my Lovely heard only "flush the toilet", and being extremely responsive and full of duty, complied immediately.
She realized something was somewhat less than perfect when she heard my screams. As some of you may surmise, screaming cannot and did not alter the gravitational field in the area of the water, forcing it back into the pipe, back into the now out moded commode.
Funny, eh?





These are pics from after the removal of the mostly plugged, very thin, rotted, probably original 1946 vintage cast iron pipe








Sure looks cleaner (installation-wise) and Bonus! no Bumpus on the Nogginus when you walk by. Seriously, I managed to fanagle the pipes to stay above the beams.






I spent countless hours in the Lowe's plumbing isle planning, plotting, nay, scheming how to make it fit. I am proud to say, that true to excitedVulcan form, they have been engineered, much like the space shuttle, to use every available inch of space as they wind their way through the foundation, to the outside, and beyond...




I wonder what scrap cast iron is going for these days?









excitedVulcan