Home grown blogging

guess who's trip got cancelled?

so anyway, rather than coming to you tonight from Grand Island, Nebraska (Island? in Nebraska? WTF?), I am comfortably at home, ensconced on the Battle Bridge of the Starship Miguel. Life is indeed good.

I am semi-bummed; after all, I've never been to Nebraska. You take the adventures that are offered.....could be worse, my largely-absent Brother-in-Blog is in Oakville, Ontario tonight. Sucks to be him, I guess. I hope his plane landed before the Beer Store closed. Having done extensive travel in Canada in a former life, I feal his pain.

Oakville. Gawd. At least it's Monday, so expectations are low. Oakville on a Friday night, now there's the text book example of desparation. Friday night in Oakville, facing a 6:00 AM Saturday Change Control Management meeting at OAP, so all the good people can get a spankin' new WindStar: shoot me now.

The Management here at SupplySidePolitics apologizes for the previous auto-industry-insider rant. Those responsible have been sacked. Twice.

In other news, Shelby Steele is once again spot on in his latest WSJ Opinion Journal post. It's what all the cool kids are talking about.

See also Congruence for a (blogger) personal insight to the impact of Flight 5191. Steve H. Graham of Hog on Ice fame has been a favorite of mine since I started reading blogs, his family was directly touched by the unfortunate event. Do go read and keep Steve in your thoughts.

The Un-blog-storm

I told you I knew this was going to happen

so anyway, my travelling blogger plans went poof. There are some tales of the utter incompetence of some of the "vendors" I've dealt with over the past week that present proof positive of my plans going "poof"; but we'll leave that for another time.

Unable to blog properly, I slapped down some thoughts via NotePad earlier this week and I figured that, hey, it's already written, why not post it? So without further comment, here goes:

And The Beat Goes On

so anyway, I get to the hotel in Louisville all primed for a big night of blogging large to find an interesting (albeit pointless) placard instructing me in the ways of accessing the internets tubes wirelessly. As I am using my employer's laptop, and as my employer has deemed wireless access as unsecure and therefore verbotin, I am, in a word, screwed.

Let's back up, shall we to two weeks ago when I booked my travel arrangements. I called said hotel and had the following conversation with their helpful staff:

ME: Do you have high speed internet access in all of your rooms?
Them: Yes, we do.
ME: High Speed, as in physically plug in a cable to access the internets tubes; or wireless?
Them: Internet access is available in all the rooms.
ME: Not wireless? I mean, you have to plug in a cable to get access?
Them: Yes. Internet access is available in all the rooms.
ME: Not wireless?
Them: Right. Internet access is available in all the rooms.
ME: So then there's a cable that I can plug in to my 'puter for internets tubes access?
Them: Correct. Internet access is available in all the rooms.
ME: Not wireless access?
Them: Internet access is available in all the rooms.

Imagine my surprise, after I haul my laptop over two airplanes and three airports, to arrive and find that there's only wireless access. Fargin' Bastages. It appears that Holiday Inn has a serious training problem with their staff that answers the phones. I ground on the Manager on Duty for a while over this (not his fault, he's just the poor sap workin' 4 to midnight) but I think he'll relay the message on up the chain of command. I was quite emphatic and made my points well.

Yes, yes, I know; not having wireless internets tubes access is so 1998, but that the rules I roll under. The Man gives you a laptop, The Man makes the access rules. Believe me, it's not my employer that I'm pissed at.

I just realized that there's a McDonalds just across the street and that in the span of six minutes and three dollars; I could be eating three double cheeseburgers. Back in a flash

Sodding Wankers

The incompetence continues

so anyway, I dash out of my hotel room and quick time it across the street to the Golden Arches to be informed that they closed at 11:00 PM.

Bastards! If you are closed, turn off your friggin' sign!

doG, how I despise gas station food.

Accosted by bums

The saga continues

so anyway, riddle me this, Batman: why is it that all the indigents in Louisville are riding brand new mountain bikes?

I mean, I bust my hump every day for the past twenty-some-odd years, and I am still riding a bike that I literally bought in 1984? WTF, over?

This guy crawls out of a dumpster with his prizes and hops on a full suspension mountain bike and rides off. Another bum screeches to a halt on a new mountain bike to ask me if I have a quarter.

Is there some federal program that Matthew Lesko hasn't alerted me to? Call now and You can get a Brand New Mountain Bike, courtesy of Uncle Sam!!!!

I mean, I'm riding a ten (10!) speed Ross Mt.Washington that I bought in 1984. Yes, it has served me well, and I have more miles on this bike than most people put on their cars before they trade them in; but still, why do the bums get new bikes and I have to lumber on held together with hose clamps, duct tape and bailing wire?

I need answers, people. The staff meeting is at the usual time this week, and I want to see some progress.

thatisall

That about sums up my latest trip. More soon: I get to go to Nebraska on Monday.

Or Not

I knew this was going go happen

so anyway, remember when I said that I'd be travelling and should be postin' up a storm? Of course you don't.

So I get to Louisville and had convinced my travel companions to go to one of my favorite barbeque joints in Louisville for dinner (Mark's Feed Store, thanks for asking). On the fly, we decided that it was stoopid to take two rental cars, that we all should ride together. A minor alarm went off in the back of my brain at the time.

Note to self: when you have a rental car reserved and waiting for you, take it. Trust me.

Over dinner, one of my companions noted that there's a casino just across the river and wouldn't it be fun to go for an hour or so. As casinos rank just behind bowling alleys and golf courses on my big list-o-non-fun, I argued against.

The democratic process, that cruel bitch, conspired against me and I ended up sitting in a casino bar for two ands a half hours, drinking Guiness and watching baseball when I should have been drinking cheaper beer and blogging.

So instead of getting to the hotel around 8:30 PM and blogging for three hours; I get to sit in a casino bar forever and then get stuck behind a wicked accident on the freeway for over an hour and finally get to my room around midnight.

For a 5:00 AM wake up call. Which equals no blogging. Q.E.D.

Thursday night NorthWest deposited me in Jackson, Mississippi around 9:30 PM and by the time we had dinner and found the hotel and I got settled in it was pushing midnight again.

For another 5:00 AM wake up call. Which also equals no blogging.

Oh, the joys of business travel. It's just like being on vacation! Seriously, I left the fabulous Casa de Miguel at about 6:15 AM on Wednesday morning, and returned home at 10:45 PM on Friday night. Five flights, two hotels, three plants, 200+ miles of driving: it was an action packed 64 hours. And I get to get on a plane again on Monday. Imagine my joy.

I reserve the right to revise and extend at a later date. I'll explain my dis-taste for casinos some other time.

doG, it's late

and I am tired

so anyway, the frenetic pace continues. It really sucks to be a growd up.

As it is much later than I am comfortable with, I'll just toss out a few links and be done with it. Of course, I reserve the right to revise and extend......

And you wonder why I keep telling you to read Hog on Ice. This is Money. Steve takes on the TSA (and the real reason we have to deal with airport delays) with laser like precision, as per his usual. Bacon, indeed.

You know I'm a big fan of James Lileks, and with good reason. He Bleats and Screeds on the topics du jour with the kind of commentary that you just cannot start your morning without.

BlackFive has a very disturbing, yet completely spot-on post up. I'll pass it on without further commentary; but you must go read. After reading the post, go hug your children, and then pray death upon our antagonists. You are not going to like this. Indeed.

B.B.King just finished telling me that he's "Paying the Cost to Be The Boss". Righteous, Brother.

Ace had a good quote, but I lost it somewhere.