A Pirate Aground In The City - pilot's Blog - Victoria Advocate

A Pirate Aground In The City - pilot's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot Stories, social/political, commentary, MUSIC,outdoors, and basically whatever strikes my fancy..... Stories, social/political, commentary, MUSIC,outdoors, and basically whatever strikes my fancy..... en-us A Letter From New Orleans http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8640 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8640 <p>To the People of Texas &<br /> all Americans in the world--<br /> <br /> Fellow citizens & compatriots--<br /> I am besieged, by a thousand<br /> or more of the Mexicans...........er, make that a gazillion megatons of water and howling wind.(Sorry, was doing m Texas History homework).</p> <p>People, two words: GET OUT. Take what you want to keep. Don't come here. No vacancy. Go to Dallas. Go to Atlanta. Go to Memphis. Most of the folks here have been through what you are going to go through in 24 hours. Slight difference  here though. We didn't build our houses in a bathtub. Tomorrow, God is going to fill up that bathtub again, possibly even more than Katrina did. Did you hear me? The levees will not hold back the Gulf. Tomorrow, you are all going to be just ingredients in a big bowl of alligator and shlt gumbo - comprende? For the religious there among you retired cotton pickers, gamblers, shipping merchants and refinery finery.......seriously, this will be as close to a sign from God as you will likely see in your lifetime. If you ignored it last time, it looks like you are getting a second chance to hear it and respond. The Quarter will be rebuilt, over and over....too much history and downright Soddom and Gomorrah fun and debauchery and profit going on there not to rebuild. Same goes for the refineries. Too much money to be made. They will be rebuilt. This will be the one that gets you removed from FEMA's list. It will be interesting to see how George (yer doin' a heckuva job, Brownie) Bush handles it this time. If he vows to rebuild your houses in the bathtub, then as I already suspected, he's as stupid as you are for living there. Either learn to weld, fit pipe, deal cards or pimp, because that is going to be all that is left in a couple of months. They pick the cotton and harvest the cane with machines now. There is no reason to stay. Dont come here....did I mention that? For a couple of reasons. One, half of you that came here last time are still here, and our crime rate is through the friggin' roof and "Katrina evacuee" is a term that comes up often when they discuss crime on the six o'clock news. The other and probably more important reason, is that you are as much a fricking magnet for hurricanes as trailer parks are for tornadoes. That's it......move to Kansas.......lots of wide open space in that lunar landscape to rebuild on high ground...........just don't come here. We have a pretty good batting average when it comes to hurricanes - we don't need you to come here and run our odds up.</p> Facebook, Myspace......An Honest Opinion....... http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8637 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8637 That's what I am looking for. Good experiences, bad experiences, just a cross section from anyone who reads this. What are the benefits? What are the downsides? Please give an age and nothing more. Elaborate as you feel inclined. Are you trying to dredge up old friends? Make new ones. What do you post to your page? Music? Interests? I am researching tis established and popular means of communication. I want to know if I am a candidate for one of these sites. I will not judge, only listen. Thank you guys........ Gustav - A Model Cyclone......... http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8630 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8630 My how times have changed, since we just relied in the six-oclock news for weather and b1tched about the weatherman when he missed, huh? It has been fun watching Gustav on the satellite, and checking the model runs every six hours. Being a storm chaser, ideally, I'd like it to land withing driving distance.....however, inasmuch as lately when steering currents were well defined, and the boys at the bureau have been pretty much nuts on in their predictions, this one is giving them fits, being all over the board. Latest model run pretty much is in agreement until day thre or four. All seem to indicate depending on strength, NOLA having the final nail in their coffin, as a city, then it is still a craps shoot. Day five on the model runs, offers these positions for the storm: over the Piney Woods, over Dallas and the Texas World Speedway, Supercollider Project, over Del Rio, or somewhere still in the Gulf off Corpus or Brownsville........keep watching, stock up on water, beer and batteries.......I am headed to HEB for something to grill on Mon......Just need to remember to in addition to shrimp, to also pick up some brisket or something else heavy enough that it won't blow off the grill......... A Gut Feeling On The Presidential Choices http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8628 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8628 <p>I think McCain's people pulled off a coup this morning. Hillary is likely somewhere on the verge of a woman now TWICE scorned, exploding, while Bill is searching Google Images for photos of Sarah Palin. The McCain camp has to be awarded the prize for impeccable timing in announcing this surprising choice. I think you are likely to hear te phrase "crazy like a fox" used a time or two in upcoming days. I can't wait to see the polls in a week. McCain's biggest worry in upcoming days, should be that the cute, feisty Governor isn't allowed to overshadow him. Truth is, she is likely a better choice for the HNIC job, than either of the two running for the office. A heartbeat away you say? Should McCain win, and then do what  septugenarians will from time to time, and punch out early.........I can only imagine and salivate at the prospects of what a 2012 presidential cat fight election might look like.............</p> <p>For the short term though, when the votes are counted in November and a decision comes down, one thing is certain: Either an African descended man, or a Republican woman will be voted into one of the top two offices in our country........</p> <p>For better or worse, that is noteworthy, significant, and a groundbreaking accomplishment. </p> Evilopolis Or Victoria-Our Legal Eagles Have Nothing on Ratcliff http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8612 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8612 <p>I must say that I used a term in the title frequently tossed out by my friend and colleague, the Grey-Beard Loon, in describing my city.......when in fact, the incidents in question, actually occurred in Galveston, before the judge in question, was transferred to Houston, in an apparent attempt to quiet critics there.......</p> <p>Bottom line..... a Federal District Judge, who over the last year, was investigated for blatant sexual misconduct against a number of women in his office, and who at first, denied any occurences or encounters with the young ladies accusing him of both inappropriate comments to actually groping them, has now been charged in a federal indictment accusing him of abusive sexual contact and attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a court employee......and guess what his new slant on it all is, after an initial denial?????? It was consensual. Right!</p> <p>Just another case of a fat cat Federal apointee who thought himself above the law, getting caught playing with his pecker at work and hitting on the hired help, and expecting to do so with impunity, and all the while, expecting a plea bargain and reduced charges.........sound familiar folks? Bubba politics is alive and well. And in the big cities just like in the boondocks.</p> By God, I'm Gonna Fill Up Again!............ http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8527 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8527 ......right after I finish kicking myself in the ass for being impatient and filling my tank this morning, thus wasting thirty cents . I'm guessing it costs more than that to drive from the high priced pump to the cheaper one. Throw down blog here, So I don't have to look at TWO gasoline price updates by the same EDITOR, six hours apart on the same web page. Sheesh! Is it a requirement for Advocate employees to have a blog? and post more than once a day? Slow day in the news I guess......... Olympic (Un)coverage Toe Be or Not Toe Be? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8467 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8467 Is it just my imagination, or is the lions share of television coverage of the Olympic Games in Bejing apparently concentrated on "skin" events?I'll admit that I was motivated to write this by a story in today's Chronicle, regarding abs and oblique muscles in the olympians' photographs. It was accompanied by three photos....two swimmers(guys) and a token girl(beach volleyball babe in a bikini). Between you and me, I am guessing that skin is more on the minds of advertisers paying for Olympic coverage than "competition" is. As blogger Aprill Brandon noted in a post a while back....sex sells. Simple as that. Guys, tell me what you'd rather see an image of writhing about in a speedo - a burly Ukraine girl needing a shave in the discus event, or a beach volleyball babe or a young nubile gymnast? Is it winter in Bejing? When the volleybal girls were interviewed in ch 2 a couple of nights ago, all I could think of, was what my diminutive (5'6"ish) grandpa would have told those gals. Something like "keep your distance little lady....you could put someone's eye out with one of those things". Admit it boys, your eyes aren't drawn to those gals abs. And if they are drawn to the male swimmers' abs, then I'll just say to each his own....... Bottom line, is that as Aprill stated "sex sells", and that is what TV coverage is about.....selling. And yeah, the gals might actually be checking out the guys' "six pack", but I'd guess that their eyes might wander a bit too, huh girls? Lost Dog - Has Anyone Seen Her? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8457 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8457 Just trying to enlist the readers here in my search for my missing dog. She is a German Shepherd/Greyhound/Chihuahua mix. She is shaved(she calls it "trimmed"). She is fast and a bit bashful, particularly around police cars. The last time I saw her was on my way from Austin to Seadrift last weekend. She was in the bed of my truck on the trip(she likes to put her front paws on the roof and feel the wind-she gets a lot of strange looks doing that....) Anyway, like I said I had her when I started my trip, and she was gone when I got home. I only stopped once - for gas in Cuero. I really miss her. Please keep an eye out for her. Her name is Chuy. I am going to have to start taking a different route to the bay I suppose. Something weird always happens when I am driving back from Austin. .....Think I'll Have a Shower This Evening...... http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8434 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8434 <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><font size="3">......a meteor shower to be more precise. For those of you who did not catch fellow blogger, David's post on the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, here's one more reminder. Folks who don't take the time to get out and see nature and all of it's wonders, right there for the taking, just do not know what they are missing. Being a boat captain a while back, and on the water alone many nights to just shut it all down and drift and watch the sky.....well, it seems like from that vantage point, or as a skier, driving over west Texas mesas between Sonora and Fort Stockton, on the way to the mountains and pulling over and just looking up at the desert night sky, that on some nights, with nary a moonbeam around, that the stars were so many and so bright, that I actually cast a shadow from only the starlight. Nature is so amazing people, but it isn't on the TV. You have to get out and taste it. Yesterday, I sat out in 100 plus degree heat, west of Austin, waiting for a tour of an amazing grotto, an oasis, a waterfall in a cave, where 500 year old cypresses grow along the banks of a fern and moss covered spring fed stream,on a canyon floor in shade and comfortable 80 degree temps, just a quarter mile up from the Pedernales River. As I waited, before the tour, I took a hike along a cactus and juniper covered trail. I stopped and picked a big, fat ripe purple prickly pear from the end of a big cactus. I had to pick a few cactus quills out of my fingers, having only my truck key to skewer the bugger up on, and the blade on a mini multi tool  that I carry, to peel it. My walking partner and I shared a sweet piece of fruit.....as good as if we had stumbled upon an east <st1:state w:st="on">Texas</st1:state> blackberry or a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Calhoun</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place> dewberry (they ARE the same berry folks) patch. What I am trying to say, is that nature, even in it's harshest place, has so much to offer. I am hopefully, going to be able to before I complete this, get a few pix of the grotto, cave and pool attached. And now, I will share the location of this hill country jewel with you. It is Westcave Preserve........a couple of miles beyond Hamilton Pool, and Lance Armstrong's house, just south of the town of <st1:city w:st="on">Bee</st1:city> Caves, west of <st1:city w:st="on">Austin</st1:city> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Travis</st1:placename></st1:place>. That's all the direction you'll get from me.....Google it. Now that I have touted Mother Nature's bounty and beauty, I feel that I must at least warn you of her propensity to be unforgiving of mistakes and bad judgement. In my years of boating and fishing, I have witnessed the deaths of many people, and a few friends, at the hands of the sea. I made a bad miscalculation of my own ability this morning, and in trying to swim to an island in a lake, nearly drowned. I made it, with help, but it was a wake up call. It was an eye opening and very sobering moment, in which I was reminded how out of shape and overweight I am, and of the fact, that I am no longer the 26 year old young man that on that very spot, was certified as an open water diver, the place where I once made an emergency ascent from 75 feet down, out of air, with time to spare. I know that I should thank my lucky stars, that someone was with me to compensate for my lack of judgement, and that I should take it as a lesson and a message to take better care of myself, and to get in the shape and condition required to enjoy my life and hold my own with a couple of soon to be teenage sons..........I have been told it just gets harder..........<o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><font size="3">Moral of the story? Nature is so beautiful and nourishing to those who use good judgement and respect it. Learn it, understand it. Just a small miscalculation or lapse in judgement, may be the difference in whether you are around to see another amazing sunrise................<o:p></o:p></font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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canyonfloor.jpg pilot grotto.jpg pilot Westcave.jpg pilot grotto2.jpg pilot On Supermodels & Show Heifers........ http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8433 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/pilot/8433 <font size="3">Yeah, I know.....the title could be misconstrued as a bit sexist.....which I ain't, so git over it. It was just intended to make ya wanna read it. I was driving up in the hill country this weekend, when I passed a ranch truck pulling a cow trailer. I wouldn't have given it a second thought, if it hadn't been for the bumper sticker on the trailer door that caught mt eye. In bold letters, it proclaimed:</font> <font size="3"><strong><font size="4">Caution Show Cattle</font>. </strong>Now between you and me, that rubbed me the wrong way, much as say, parents who drag their little girls around and enter them in pageants. I mean, what action did that old cowboy expect differently in my manner of driving? Was I supposed to be a little extra careful, lest I do something rash that would scare that little heifer? Maybe it was a warning not to tailgate so I couldn't inadvertently bump into her trailer and put a mark in her coat, or God forbid, chip a hoof. That is really rich....show cattle...hmmm. I suppose it would be completely different story, were I to have given a couple of Nascar bumps to a trailer carrying Brangus beef heifers......I assume that that infraction would fall more under the caegory of tenderizing, rather than assault, huh? I wonder if the cabbies at La Guardia carry those magnetic signs, so when they pick up Uma Thurman, or Cindy Crawfish as a fare, they can hop around to the trunk and slap on their Caution, Supermodel On Board sign........</font>