RowdyRebel

Well, today is the big day! Brought home the shirt the boy had on yesterday for the dogs to sniff on a bit...let 'em out last night when I got home from visiting at the hospital, fed them, and passed out on the couch. Woke up around 2 and said "Oh, $#!+" because I hadn't given Dozer his insulin shot...so I did that and then passed out again. Couple real long days...not just long hours, but highly eventful, too...just draining. Not to mention not sleeping too well with the wife & kid still held hostage at the hospital...some test she was supposed to have done at her scheduled doctors appointment on Wednesday that she never made it to because baby came instead. So, they tested baby and results take 48 hours...can't leave without those results. So I've been running back and forth taking care of things and getting as much time with them as I can...and delivered that load yesterday since they were looking for it. Got a few things left to take care of before I head back into town again, and don't plan on leaving without them again. Nurses there are all real nice, though...friendly & Update: In the middle of typing all of that my wife just called. Apparently he's a little jaundiced so while they are discharging mom, baby is going to be kept for a little while longer. Our friends had the same issue with their kid...goes under a blue light for a while that does something or other to help fix the problem. After seeing that with them a year ago and how their kid turned out, I'm not too concerned right now. I was just looking forward to getting the little guy home and now that's going to be delayed another day or two. He's also not really eating much, likely still has amneotic fluid in his stomach that doesn't really digest, but the wife says he was burping and coughed a bit up earlier and they sucked some out that he was struggling with getting up on his own. Hopefully he got rid of enough to make room in his stomach to start eating, because that'll also help with the jaundice. Anyway, got stuff to do 'round here before I head to town and that ain't gonna get done sitting here typing on my phone. REALLY not looking forward to getting this bill...but pretty sure it'll be worth it in the long run.

No, it's my dad's middle name and her dad's middle name. My dad was honored...9th grandbaby and the 1st one named after him. I'll try to find a Mack shirt or something for the little guy...maybe a little stuffed bulldog, too. Most of the outfits we've bought up to this point have been "gender neutral" because we didn't know what we were having (other than "a baby", which was my response whenever asked if we knew what we were having) until it popped out. Now that I know he's a he, I can find him some little guy clothes.

It's a boy! Momma done good, and I'm happy as can be.

Was sitting in my pickup the other day when a train went by. In the mirrors, it looks like two completely different trains, with one flying by and the other just crawling...but it's just a matter of perspective. Guess life is the same way...tend to get narrowly focused on things (like the flat glass mirror) and it flies by quicker than we realize. Sometimes we need to just step back and get a wider view of the situation...slow down once in a while and figure out what really matters and enjoy the here & now. Anyway, having fun today explaining to dispatch and brokers why their freight won't be delivered today. Expecting a much more important delivery that wasn't due for 3 more weeks. I was battling the snooze button this morning when the wife told me her water broke. Better that it happened at 6:00 am when I was still home to drive her into town than a few hours later when I was already on the road. We still don't have a name picked out if it's a girl...if it's a boy we got it covered. I'm hoping for a boy, but as long as it's healthy I'll be happy. I was really counting on the 3-day weekend to finish refinishing the changing table, and I still have a crib to refinish and assemble...I was SUPPOSED to have 3 more weeks. Guess the little one just couldn't wait to get here. And now all that's left to do is sit here & wait...

No telling how many people went up into their attics without the means to cut through the roof if (when) the water didn't stop rising...the final numbers probably won't be in for quite some time.

Local fire dept just upgraded...selling their old one: http://www.kfvs12.com/story/36234896/city-of-cape-girardeau-selling-fire-departments-ladder-truck

Saw they are predicting 50" of rain in some areas...OVER 4 FEET of rain! I can't even imagine what that would be like. Buy a swimming pool @ Walmart and set it up in the back yard...if it doesn't blow away, it'll be overflowing by the time the storm is over. Absolutely crazy...

I'm married, and I carry more cash than my wife earns in a month. Started carrying cash on vacation one time about 13 years ago...driving a 10 mpg pickup truck non-stop across the country to see my brother who had just returned from deployment in the middle east. Credit card declined about the 4th fuel stop in, and it took 3 hours on the phone (mostly on hold) to get the stupid thing turned back on so I could pay for my fuel and continue on my trip. With cash, I can pay the tab and roll on, having the card situation straightened out before my next stop. The amount I carry might vary, but it is always enough to get me home.

I'm still waiting for them to start demanding FDR's name be stripped from buildings, highways, and all public property, too, as he illegally violated the Constitutional Rights of hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans when he stripped them of their property and relocated them to internment camps. Or to do the same with Robert Byrd of WV, who was a leader in the KKK and filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There is a LONG list of democrats unworthy of memorials if the criteria is what the left says it is with regards to these Confederate memorials...but they aren't rioting to have THOSE removed! Hypocrites.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/08/21/congressman-native-american-when-political-correctness-runs-amok-erasing-our-history-doesnt-change-it.html

got pretty dark here, too...

No, I hadn't heard...now that I look closely I can see "banned" below her name. Dark theme, black letters...no wonder it didn't jump out at me. All I can say is "good riddance".

Funny thing is, these leftist groups are no different than ISIS, bulldozing and destroying historic places and artifacts they don't like. Our history is what it is, and if we don't have ways to remember that history it will be forgotten...and you know what they say about those who forget history. Down in Paducah, there is talk about renaming a school. Problem is, the school wasn't named after a Confederate soldier, but rather his WIFE. Her children wanted a way to remember and honer her, so they paid for the school to be built and donated it to the community in her honor to bear her name. If I were the decendents, I'd be looking into what legal recourse was available to possibly reclaim that donated property as it would no longer be honoring their grandmother/great grandmother/etc as intended. Name stays or we take it back and keep the name, only now if you want to continue using it you can rent it from us...or we'll close the school altogether and turn it into a museum. This white-washing of history won't make history go away, and it only creates tension between the 90% who want to remember vs the 10% who are out to cause trouble.

I didn't "ruin" a damn thing. Learn how to read what is written before you respond and you wouldn't be prone to making the errors in addressing the comments made by others. The only thing I did was call you out for the same crap you pull in every thread...take a couple words a person says and completely ignore the other words in the same sentence let alone the overall context of the post in its entirety. If anyone ought to be apologizing, it is you for purposely misleading KS with your asinine remarks based on totally and purposefully inaccurate interpretations of comments that couldn't have been made clearer.

He parroted the same false BS as the member he chimed in to defend. If that's what he wants to do, he needs to be prepared to be called out for it, same as that other member. I did not insult, only pointed out the fact that reading comprehension skills are lacking and they should read what was actually posted to avoid appearing foolish. I also pointed out the stupidity of a question that was asked of me because had they read what I had previously posted, they wouldn't have been asking the question. I owe nobody an apology, so they ought not be expecting one. If that hurts their "feelings", tough cookies. That doesn't entitle you to an undeserved apology.

I don't owe you a damn thing, especially not an apology. If you want one, look for it elsewhere because it'll be a cold day in hell before you get one from me. I didn't do a damn thing to you other than state the truth, and if you are offended by that truth it is on you. Don't like it? READ the posts you are replying to and make sure your response is RELEVANT to what was posted. Only you can change that, so don't come crying to me seeking an apology you don't deserve.

What the hell kind of stupid question is that? Sorry if I'm a bit old school in my writing...learned before "he or she" became popular, and as I resist the PC BS the left likes to force upon society, I still use "he" and "him" to describe a person of an unknown/irrelevant gender and the term "mankind" to describe all of humanity. As for women and their ability to drive manual transmissions, my wife just pulled out of the driveway heading to work. She's driving my F250 today...5-speed and all. Again, my use of the term "he" was meant in a gender neutral manner and has nothing to do with the level of gender specificity the nuts on the left want people to think they have to use, as it gets ridiculous saying "he or she" a dozen times within a paragraph. Hell, even if I HAD said "he or she" you'd be questioning whether or not I thought transgenders or gender-confused individuals ought to be included. The left simply won't be content until nobody talks to anybody because everything is somehow twisted to be offensive to someone. F--- that. If you are offended by what I said, it is your problem not mine.

Get off your high horse and work on your own reading comprehension skills. When I make a post that clearly says something, and somebody tries playing "gotcha" by fraudulently making claims that I meant something other than what was said, it deserves to be called out for what it is: A total lack of reading comprehension skills. Thank you for pointing out your own deficiencies by coming to her defense!

Again, reading comprehension. Work on it, because you're trying too hard to make points that were already raised and it makes you sound rather foolish.

You have a serious reading comprehension problem. What part of "Got 2 otherwise equally qualified candidates for the job" did you not understand? We're not talking about an overly qualified individual vs a person who needs training, but rather 2 equally qualified people. The ONLY difference in the two candidates is that one can drive a manual, and the other cannot. And I'm not worried about being sued over discriminating against somebody due to their inability to drive a manual transmission because it is NOT a "protected class". The law says you cannot discriminate based upon age, race, gender, or religion. Some states run by libs might even throw in sexual orientation or gender identity into the mix. If the law does not prohibit using something as a reason for hiring/not hiring, then it is not illegal (and you have no legal recourse) to do so. If I only want people who can pat their head and rub their tummy while saying the alphabet backwards working for me, then that is my right to make that a qualification for the job...and unless you've only got one arm (and therefore cannot pat your head and rub your tummy) or deaf (and cannot say the alphabet) and would be covered under the ADA, then there ain't a damn thing you could do about it if that isn't a skill you happen to have.

Call the difference in training time an incentive for employers to hire people who already have that skill. Got 2 otherwise equally qualified candidates for the job...one can drive a manual transmission, the other can't...who should get the job? I'd hire the guy who can drive a stick every time, whether the job actually required it or not, but especially if the job was going to require it. Think of it also as protection for the employer...the likelihood of some thug jacking one of his trucks while the employee is working is greatly reduced. Hell, cracks me up all of the time when I read an article in the news about a carjacking being aborted when the perp realized he didn't have a clue how to drive a manual...little more complicated than putting it in "D" and stomping the throttle.

It isn't so much a reliability factor as it is control. Idle in 1st gear and you're almost slow enough to pull a hay wagon through the field. Shift the T-case into low and 1st gear crawls my F250 slower than low-low in my Mack...barely over 1 mph. Wife's Suburban, if you want to move less than 10 mph, you need to ride the brakes. Towing trailers down hills, too. Manual transmission the engine will hold you back. Auto, the torque converter isn't locked up so you're basically coasting. Even without the trailer, you're going to use more brake in an auto going down a hill than a manual would. If your transmission is having synchro problems, somebody has either been trying to float the gears or resting their hand on the shifter going down the road putting pressure on them. Clutch and flywheel issues likely caused by riding the clutch or using more throttle than necessary to take off and slipping it. All of those issues seem typical for vehicles driven by various people who may or may not know how to drive them properly. Only clutches I've ever had to replace were in the Mack. Throwout bearing let go because the previous owner never greased it. Then a spring plate broke due to a manufacturing defect. When I had a new engine put in, I had the clutch replaced again since they were in there anyway...with a heavier rated one. The clutches they HAD been using weren't rated for the torque my engine is. Another problem typical with light truck diesels is they tried using the same transmissions behind those engines as the gas engines...and the two engines just make power differently. With a proper transmission, you wouldn't have any problems. Hell, this is the transmission out of my friend's '97 Dodge...we were swapping some gears around so he'd have an overdrive. Of course he's the one that put the transmission in there, because the OEM one was crap. Much easier to swap one type of manual transmission for another than to replace an automatic with a manual.

If Ford wants me to buy a new truck, they need to bring back the manual transmission. Work trucks don't have automatics, and trucks are for working. There is an '89 F350 crew cab 4x4 with an 8' bed that I've been seeing in a car lot for several months now...even has the 460 under the hood. ONLY difference between it and the truck I've got is it has the huge 4-door cab (mine is a regular cab). That and it's an auto. If it were a manual transmission, I would have bought it months ago. As it is, though, I have to wait until the price drops enough to justify the expense of swapping the transmission out to one more suited to life in a truck. The #1 way to absolutely kill my interest in a truck is to put an automatic transmission in it. #2 is a short bed...absolutely useless for anyone trying to use the truck as a truck. Hell, even my little Ford Rangers have bigger beds than most of the "full size" trucks on the dealer lots today! I think part of the problem with new trucks (and their pricing) is that they were marketed to folks who really ought to be driving cars, and instead compensate for their small peckers by driving these useless "trucks" they never use for anything more than commuting to their office job or cruising the mall. 20" rims and low profile tires have no place on a truck...especially a 4x4. And what's with those stupid stacks? Sure, let's cut a hole in the bed and run our exhaust up behind the cab so we can't use the bed (which was probably useless to begin with). Saw one truck with a sliding rear window and the stack right in the center of the bed below the top of the glass..."roll coal" and fill the cab with smoke...genius. Anyway, when you have a bunch of people with more money than brains buying trucks to be "cool", demanding that the truck ride and perform more like a car, then the price of trucks goes up while the usefulness of them drops. A truck doesn't need leather heated seats, interior carpeting, 16-speaker sound systems, or any of this other crap. "Park assist"? "Trailer tow assist" (or whatever they call it)? Sorry, but if you can't handle parking your truck, you shouldn't be driving a truck...and if you can't handle a trailer, you shouldn't be pulling one. Leave the trucks for the people who need them, with the price reflecting the fact that they are made to do work. They shouldn't cost more than my house...because when they DO, you feel bad actually working the damn thing. It is a truck. You shouldn't have to worry about dinging up the bed while loading or unloading it, or scratching the side on a branch as you cut through the woods to get to the back 40. Climbing into the truck with muddy boots should never be a problem, and when I'm dropping another round bale into the stable and there is 6" of mud mixed with horse manure, I don't want to have to worry about how long it's going to be stuck in the carpet or how much work it'll be to clean. Dodge is the only one (of the "big 3") that still makes a real work truck...I'm just not sure I want a Dodge, and certainly not at the price they want for it. If Ford ever decides to offer a work truck again, I might consider buying one. Until then, I'll just keep what I've got...or buy another old truck that either fits my needs or can be bought cheap enough to alter so that it fits my needs. Ridiculous the price of these new TINOs. Sure, they "look" tough...but they are utterly useless for anyone who actually needs a truck to do truck type work.

So I'm hooked to an empty flatbed when I pull up to the guard shack at a big box home improvement store distribution center to grab my load back towards the house. Guard comes out and asks "You picking up?" Sometimes it is best to just bite your tongue.