Happy Turkey Day!!!!

Hi all! I'm almost back up and running( kinda like a turkey at this time of year; hyuck! ). I've resolved most issues with my "new" PC and will be back after Dec.7th. The move is almost complete and hopefully my new server will be ready by this Saturday, late. It's been a busy last month-and-a-half and I thank you all again for hangin' in there. I'll be off line by to-morrow, due to the switch-over but no worries. I've also started makin' the bloggo rounds, a bit at a time...heck of a lot to catch up on~~OY! Once again to all that celebrate it, have a Happy Thanksgiving and watch the shopping on Friday( I'll be far, far away from any malls, heh, heh...and celebrating my birthday~~GAAAAH! ). Best wishes and God bless you all!
A TURKEY LAMENTS

I woke up one morning and heard a noise outside,

'Twas a big fat turkey, lookin' for a place to hide!

I opened up my front door, to his woeful gobbling,

And bade him come inside; he seemed to be hobbling.

I looked at his legs and asked, "What's the hap?"

He answered and his reply was, "I got them stuck in a trap!"

Fortunately for him, the trap wasn't working right,

And he was able to get free and take off in flight!

But why my house did he pick?; he was running scared,

Maybe just maybe he did sense, that I really cared.

Well I'll tell you he picked the right place, that you can bet,

And now I've got a great big turkey as my newest pet!

copyright~Todd Slater(a.k.a.~Subby)25 November, 2009~

The Domino Effect...

...at least that's what it's been like the past few weeks. I feel like the head domino( or is that the last one? ). Whichever it is, I'm still having to access from the library's computers. Just thought I'd try to get in an update and let ya'll know what the heck is going on. Most of you know that I had a major PC crash over a month ago. The damage was irrepairable to the point I had to get another PC. I'm currently rebuilding a "donated" one, from a friend from work. Now I just have to scrape up the moolah for new security 'ware. Next payday I can get that, so no worries there. I just need the time to install it all... Mom is in constant pain from possible nerve damage. She hasn't the use of her left hand( we're not sure if the new fistula is bearing down on it or not, and won't have the ultra-sound done 'til Nov 30th ); so I've been doing a lot more for her, such as fixing meals, prepping her insulin needles, and aiding her in getting dressed. I'm also in the middle of packing for the move to our new digs( huzzah! ), so it's not that I'm neglecting the bloggo; I've just not had the time, really. Like I intoned in a past blog, maybe I was meant to go away for a while and take care of Mom. No worries there but it isn't easy. I now have a better understanding of what parents go through when raising their kids! But I digress... Until I( we )get settled into the new place( and I can get a more reliable ISP ), this will be the last update for a while. I'll be back by the beginning of December( at least in the blogosphere )and will do catch-up, at that time( if I can manage to find some; time, that is ). I will also continue with hte halloween posts that I had in draft( I know it's late but I can't see saving them for another year... )Too, I will still continue to check emails at least twice a week but will be off facebook( which is nagging me to answer some messages ), as I cannot access FB from the library, as well. Until then, I'll leave you all with a couple of poems I've finally managed to write up. I also wish everyone( who does celebrate it ), Happy Thanksgiving, if I'm not back by then. I can't thank you all enough for the support you've shown. It just amazes me! God bless you all and you'll be hearing from me anon... 'TWAS NOT A GHOST IN MY MACHINE 'Twas a ghost in my machine; I don't know who to blame, A nasty computer virus that Norton could not tame. Lost were my files, that I had yet to sort, As my system did crash, the 'net I did abort! No blogging could I do or comments could I make; Access from the library, left me in the wake. Limited access it is, you can't really go lurking; No facebook, no youtube, or social networking... No photos could I load, for your viewing pleasure, And next time round I come, I'll take drastic measure! New security 'ware I've just discovered; bloody hang the cost! It'll be worth it, so again I don't get "lost". A donated PC to me, from a friend I am claiming, 'Tis too bad and I'm mad, his sister used it for gaming! Three days I did spend, "cleaning" it all out, Deleting gigs of programmes, that I knew nothing about. No use have I for all that stuff, you can surely bet, And anon I'll return, to the internet! But for me family comes first, so please don't you worry, For I've lots still to do and I am in no hurry. Subby~8 November, 2009 TOTALLY EXHAUSTED I'm totally exhausted; my body screams "surrender!" My mind is in a fugue, but feels more like in a blender! Eating right I am not and sleeping is sporadic, Going to work and caring for Mom, are completely automatic. My system is corrupted and taxed beyond endurance, But moving to another town, will give me more assurance. I'm moving to a better place and I'm not looking back, So pardon if I don't respond, for you see, I have to pack! I realise that it's been a while; no posts that I've been showing, But please beg pardon if you will for, "Hello, I must be going!"* Subby~13 November, 2009 Content copyright~Todd Slater( a.k.a.~Subby )14 November, 2009 *apologies to Groucho Marx!

Ghost in the Machine....

Apt title for this, methinks. Hi all and greetings from the slow and limited world of library computers. Hoping this post will go through, this time( fingers crossed ). I'm still accessing from the town library, when I have the time. Right now my life is in a major turmoil as I deal with so many full plates( so to speak ). To bring you all up to date: My computer crashed the day ere Mom's second fistula operation and after two weeks, the problem still isn't solved~OY! The advanced pain from her operation has left her arm all but useless and I'm finding myself devoting a lot more time towards helping her( especially getting dressed, fixing meals, etc. ) Maybe this was supposed to happen; who really knows? But whatever got into my PC may have ruined it completely( but fingers are also still crossed on that, as well ). I'm not sure when I'll be back on-line, full time. I'm lucky to get extended PC time at the library( being a friend of it helps a bit ). I'm also dealing with moving by the end of next month( November ), to a place a lot closer to everything( shopping, busline, etc. )and on the first floor! So I've been keeping busy going through things, as I repack( again ). Even if I had my system up and running, the time would still be rather limited. And I've not been getting much sleep, lately. When I do, it's fitfull, as I find meself ever on the alert if Mom needs something. The doctor visits have increased of late and she can no longer tolerate her full time on the dialysis machine, due to the extreme pain in her arm. We go to the doc later to-day to see what else can be done, as the meds just are not working( and she's on some of the strongest )... I'm also dealing with a very sad loss( no, no, not a death! )but the fact that Princess Cheese will be leaving for England soon. Her Mum and Da have finally called it quits and Mum will be moving back to the Manchester area, prob'ly for good( as soon as she gets her renewed passports, that is ). And that to my plate and you can see why I've not been round in a while. The PC crash was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg but it makes me wonder...if there really is a ghost in my machine preventing me from surfing the www, so I can spend more time on the really important stuff. To those that have emailed me in concern, I thank you muchly and I apologise for the long delays in responding. To wit; I'm not even sure when I'll be able to respond to this post, so just bear with me. Most of the bloggos I follow, I just can't get access to from here( not to mention no facebook or other community sites ). I can't even load a picture or vid~EGAD! Just know that I'm still here and will( hopefully; knock wood )be back in full ere to long. I wish every one a safe an sane Halloween and take care.

Climate Change...

Greetings fellow bloggers and bloggettes! Due to unforseen circumstances, I'm forced to post a wee bit early for Theme Thursday. As I'm accessing through a library computer, I'm not sure if/when I'll get a chance to respond to comments. Until my own system is up and running again, there may not be any posts for a while. I will be playing a bit of "catch-up", so no worries if you don't "see" me for a few days. Hopefully I'll be back blogging by week's end( hopefully... )In the meantime, I hope you get a chance to follow up on the BAD09 link. There were over 5,000 blogs registered, the last time I looked! Also note that I have removed my facebook badge link, until I can determine if that had anything to do with my shutting down, so if ya wanna chat or leave a message, just email me( I will keep checking those in the late mornings )...thanks to all ahead of time and blog ya later!!

Image courtesy Getty Images

Greetings everyone and welcome to Theme Thursday. This week's theme topic is tied in to Blog Action Day 2009( or BAD09 ). This is my first time on BAD, so I'm not sure what to expect. I wasn't even sure what to write about until I started thinking; I've either lived in or visited every climate area on the planet( barring the polar caps but I've gotten close enough ). I know what it's like to live among a dying forest, especially the Black Forest of Germany. As an Air Force brat, I was exposed to different climes at an early age. From the tropical warmth of Florida, to the high deserts of New Mexico, to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, to the bitter cold of the North-eastern states, to the acid rains of Europe... I've seen first-hand the destruction of tornadoes, and hurricanes and worse. But is this the direct result of Man? Maybe...maybe not. Earth is constantly moving. Mother Nature has an incredible way of cleansing things. Unfortunately, Man hasn't figured it all out yet. Go back to the beginning of the Earth's formation and then compare it to now. In the span of less than 300 years it has taken Man to duplicate, what took Mother Nature over 1 billion years to filtre. All those primordial gasses... They do say( whoever "they" are ), that history can repeat itself. Go figure a bunch of bipeds have figured out how to destroy themselves, yet not a clew as to how to save themselves. The answers are there( well, the ones we haven't driven to extinction yet ). When I was in my freshman year of high-school, I entered a contest of sorts having to do with earth resources and consumption, thereof. I even made a poster that looked a lot like the above photo. I didn't win anything but did manage to get my point across...to deaf ears. We are truly running on empty... I used to go hiking all through the forests of Germany, and kept noticing that with each trek, there was less and less of nature living... I've seen what over-farming can do while living out west in the U.S. Some of the dust-storms are worse than the tornadoes... I've smelled the industrial wastes of big city industry as the pollution went unchecked, all in the name of greed and profit... My parents droves cars that ran on leaded petrol; used lead-based paints and asbestos flooring in their homes. "Energy Star" products didn't exist. And nobody thought to sort their trash. Garbologists will be sifting through landfills for centuries to come( providing there's anyone around )... I've watched as storms get more violent every year...as folks in the north complain of heat-waves in the summer, as they drive round in their(air-conditioned)SUV's...and decry the winter as they let said vehicle idle for 30 minutes or longer, as they grumble and dig away the latest snowfall...yet what are they doing to help out? A few towns in New England now have transfer stations for refuse removal; and some even have "single-stream-recycling". I participated in this and it was(is) a no-brainer...the current town I live in now doesn't have it but it's a topic of debate. Of course... What have you done that may help to stem the tide of climate change? A SMALL HELP My carbon foot-print is no longer large; I now drive a small car instead of a barge... All the bulbs in my flat are compact fluorescent, No longer use I energy sucking incandescent... I know it's not much but I do try my best, I re-use what I can and recycle the rest... In winter when I'm not home I turn down the heat, Too sometimes at night an extra blanket for mt feet... Will all these things aide to repair all the damage, That's been round for centuries unchecked and un-managed? To our children's, children's children a legacy of pollution; Each generation adds to the next and offers no solution... The Earth's climate is e'er changing as the rain forests are cut; The temperatures keep re-arranging as the ice caps melt but... Given Man's greed for profit and destruction, His wanton abandon for Nature's construction... A world made of concrete, plastic and paved; Too late methinks it cannot be saved... Who'll be round in a hundred years to see what we've done, As we destroy totally this planet and rape another one? copyright~Todd Slater(a.k.a.~Subby)12 October, 2009~

I Feel Pretty...

To a manor ball I've been invited, Tho' I may arrive late I'm still delighted, But with Marilyn Maxwell as my date, I fear I may arrive too late! William Powell and Myrna Loy, have agreed to come along, Just keep Billy away from the bar and you'll not have to here his song! (Which goes something like this....) Didja ever look in the mirror and think to yourself, "Why do I look the way I do?" Have you ever wanted to be someone else and wear a different shoe? Did kids pick on you in school because of the way you looked? Have you ever felt like a pawn in chess just waiting to be "rooked"? Have you ever been scrutinised or compared to another race; Just because of how you look or something was on your face? These things I've learned to ignore more with each passing year, And I'm proud to look in the mirror and grin from ear to ear. Thank you William but you could've waited 'til we actually got there, first! Now I'm glad I sent those two on ahead in my restored 1930 Packard LeBaron Town car-OY! Hopefully the chauffer( Igor...er I mean Marty Feldman )won't get back at me for that one ahem... I'm not sure what's worse; Billy's slurred singing or waiting for Marilyn to get ready.... See what I mean? I've also brought along the Ahn Trio, a delightful group of ladies that'll entertain you out on the terrace...looks like Marilyn is finally ready! I can go warm up the Dusenberg( thanks to a favour Mr. Gable owed me, heh, heh ). And I'm a lousy dancer girls so be warned, heh, heh, heh... poem copyright~Todd Slater(a.k.a.~Subby)13 October, 2009 video copyright~Children's Television Workshop~ Author's note: I'm accessing through my library's computer, as mine just fried itself, so you may not see any answers until the morrow. Sorry for any inconvenience and the lack of pictures for reference...