Ramblings of a Madman

Why does it not surprise me.........

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:09:50 GMT

A page from one of the books Micro Terrorist #1 is reading at school

"Runny Babbit, one dine fay,
Was pesting reacefully.
He said, "I squish I was a wirrel
So I could trimb a clee."
Just then ol' Dungry Hog showed up
With a growl and a park and a bant,
And Runny found he could trimb clees
(Although most cabbits ran't)."

Hmmmmmm.....and people wonder why test scores are so low in the United States

Happy Birthday

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:21:15 GMT

To the United States Marine Corps. The best of the best for 235 years . Semper Fi!

Home safe....

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:37:49 GMT

From KWCS. Unloaded, mostly unpacked......and finally completely sober ;) Sales were decent, the company was awesome, Saturday night was off the hook

All Mushy

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:38:03 GMT

For dona_violante

Because I don't tell you often enough

jljonsn writes..........

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:17:41 GMT

TTIWWOP (This thread is worthless without pictures). :)

Why do you ask for things that will only cause you pain?
;)

The excitment is killing me....

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:42:42 GMT

Mikey McPostalot today. So, thanks to thatpotteryguyand his father, the new MUSTARD MONSTER is set up and in place. I wish I could tell you how wonderful and quiet and powerful and, and, and it is, unfortunately the electrician won't be here until tomorrow to finish the hook up. Kinda sad really.....me standing in the garage in front of the lathe making humming noises pretending to turn

Hmmmmmmmm.......

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:12:28 GMT

My return e-mail to Mr Khan mentioned the Federal Trade Commission and contacting every reputable fiber arts buyer and e-mail lists......not to mention my apprentice and her army spinners and knitters. Tariq's response

Mike,

If, you think this is your picture then I will remove this picture on our site Tommrow.

O.K. Now you happy.

Kind Regard

Tariq Khan.

I'll check the site tomorrow. If they are still up the letter writing starts .......... and I'll unleash Virag and her dirty dozen.

PS......in the e-mail he just sent he promised he will remove the pictures in the morning.......then he ask if I would like him to send me samples of the bobbins they produce in their factory.......... you gotta be shitting me!

OMFG!!!!

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:43:06 GMT

Mr Khan just returned my e-mail demanding he remove my pictures from his site. His response.......

Dear Mike,

I am sorry Mike This is my products and I am take the picture in our studio.

Kind Regard

Tariq Khan

My pictures
http://www.spanishpeacock.com/catalog/lace_bobbins.htm

His pictures
http://www.exoticproductsindia.com/html/148.htm

http://www.exoticproductsindia.com/html/149.htm

Now I'm really pissed

You gotta be kidding me.......

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:08:47 GMT

So I get a phone call from a gentleman in India wanting to sell me knitting needles and other fiber arts tools. I explain to him that I make all of my own stuff and I'm not the outlet he is looking for in the US. He asked for my e-mail so he could send me more information and some pictures of his product line........I'm guessing no doesn't mean the same thing in India that it means at my house. I give him my address basically to get off the phone without being a tool to the guy. So Tariq Khan sends me an e-mail with a few pics and a link to his web site. I cruise on over to the web site and am looking thru it and.......... son of a bitch! This guy has stolen pictures from my web site and stuck them up on his. Does it mean you are somebody when some company in India steals your stuff and is reproducing it? I'm pretty sure a large percentage of his pics have been gakked from other legit sites. Still trying to figure out exactly how to handle the situation......suggestions?

And there was much rejoicing.......

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:37:41 GMT

Just talked to Elmer at the trucking place.....my new lathe will be delivered tomorrow. And the angels shall sing.....I hope while they are singing they will help me carry the thing from the driveway into the garage as well

Spent the weekend dressed up in British WWII gear running around Pa shooting at Germans and sleeping on hard surfaces. I realized at some point Saturday.....or very early Sunday morning.....I'm not 23 any more. Running up and down hills with a ton of gear, hard ground, cold night......not my friends. The back is fine but my legs and hips feel like spanked ass. Stairs, with sore, noodle legs.....highly entertaining to two little girls

Healing Nicely

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:33:10 GMT

Wanted to let everyone know I did go and see the doctor about my little impalement incident. He said the wounds look well cleaned and appear to be healing nicely. EMT training pays off again. Got a tetanus/whooping cough booster and went about my business. Thanks to all who nagged me to seek professional treatment.

Like a shrimp on the barbi..........

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:13:02 GMT

I've been skewered. Take one very powerful table saw, one piece of bloodwood being cut down to a 1/8"x 1/8"x10" knitting needle blank and my curse and what do you get.......possibly a trip to the emergency room.....not sure yet. It all happened very fast and I'm not certain how exactly but ........the long and the short of it........the piece of wood shattered, the now two pieces experienced kickback .....which accelerated their mass to near the speed of sound. These two pieces, with very sharp ends, now traveling at a high rate of speed, stopped somewhat suddenly when the struck a immovable object......said object being .....me.....or my belly to be more precise. I've been stung on more than one occasion by a small piece of wood coming off of the saw blade.....it hurts for a second or two then you go back to work. I looked down, saw the offending pieces of wood, stepped back to allow them to drop to the floor and realized......they aren't dropping to the floor. ....Hmmmmm.says I.......they stuck thru my shirt....wow.....oh......... wait.....they stuck thru my shirt and apparently my abdomen as well. Ok not thru, just in to. Turned off the saw, opened the kitchen door...."Honey......need your help" My loving wife turns the most interesting shade of pale green when she sees two pieces of wood sticking out of me. Necessary medical supplies were obtained and the removal began. Piece #1 came out with little trouble....penetration approx 1/2 "....piece #2.....not so easy. It did come out....penetration about 1". I don't think anything but my pride and my protective layer of fat were injured but we'll see. First thing Tuesday morning.....I order the leather shop apron I've been looking at. Off to shower and be certain there are no fragments left in the punctures

Let the weekend begin

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:04:17 GMT

Kids are on the way to bed, belly full of pad thai, new keg of Black and Tan, new tank of Co2, potentially good movie to watch on the eve of a long weekend......life is good. Now if I could get someone to clean my house and finish the laundry......and mow the lawn, life would be almost perfect

Angsting again

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:52:50 GMT

I need a new camera......badly. My current digital is a 6 megapixel Olympus Stylus piece of doo doo that has never worked right. I'm doing a lot more business on line....both on the web site and on Ravelry and Etsy. I need good pictures to make things work as they should. I know this......I also know the camera will be a tax right off and will pay for itself.......it is an investment, not a whim
I found a good deal on a Canon Rebel t1i 15.1 megapixel DSLR. It comes with an 18-55 lens, a MP980 printer......and a $300.00 mail in rebate. The lenses from my non digital slr will work with the new camera........all really good stuff
.......So why am I having such a hard time convincing myself to buy the damn thing????

As Chopper would say, I need to "stop having a whinge and harden the fuck up"

Such a Monday

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:15:33 GMT

So, yea, Monday sucked! The details of the entire day would take far to long to type out, especially as slowly as I type, so you are just gonna have to trust me. The final insult of the day was, my lap top committing suicide before my eyes...... the motherboard shot the vid card then turned the gun on itself. After a few choice words and a bit of fist shaking we were off to Best Buy for a new puter. Computer sales people are the funniest creatures. I found a computer that was sufficient for what I use one for. Toshiba, plenty of power and memory and not expensive.....$529. Wrap it up I'll take it. The sales guy brings one back and begins to explain that the Geek squad has already installed virus protection on my computer and made a custom restore disc which will add $200 to the cost of the computer. Ummmmm.....excuse me. Look, dude....if I wanted a $700 computer I would have picked one. Keep your virus protection and your restore disc and give me my $529 computer. Says he.....well, we have a problem as the computers have had the work done and ........I should really consider taking the computer with the enhancements because I could catch a virus and evil is out there and the Geeks are highly trained, bla bla bla. DUDE! Give me my $529 computer!.....I am quite capable of downloading freeware virus protection and......my wife and father-in-law are the geeks that write the shit that the guys who train the geeks trainers read. But but but..........end result.......I have my $529 computer. Computer sales tool "0", Mikey "1" Luddite wins!

Closing thought before bed............

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:02:02 GMT

To the individual (mayor of Pennsic as I understand it) who thought it would be "cool" to fire the cannons at 8am every morning......dude.....you are an asshole.....and I hope you read this. Finding ones self diving under the breakfast table every morning searching for a weapon is....ummmm.....less than pleasant. Next time you have one of these brilliant ideas.....please take into consideration there are quite a few......fresh from combat (and not so fresh) type folks in attendance and hearing noises that closely resemble incoming mortar and rocket rounds is not the best way to begin the day.

No love,
Me

So, we're back

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:27:06 GMT

Couldn't wait to leave......now some small part of me is missing all that is Pennsic.....well, except maybe the smell of pig shite when it rains. Sales were....what they were, camp life was great and drama free, visiting with friends rocked and my truck was unbelievable! How many days till XXXIX?

Just because........

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:41:29 GMT

It is kind of fun to make jljonsn twitch

...................kind of the way I twitch when I see his twist and fit bench.

Pepper mill #2. Needs finishing but after fighting with this chunk of wood for four hours.....I'm done for the night and heading to margaritaville.

We have achieved truckage.............................

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:58:36 GMT

I will not be foiled by electricity.......

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:17:42 GMT

Funny thing........my new soon to be here Powermatic 3500 lathe is 1Ph/3Ph, 220V.......guess what my shop?garage is sadly lacking..........So all you wizards of wiring out there.....how hard is it going to be to run 220 to my garage?

Maybe this would be a good time to have Allagany Power run a second line to the house and set up an account for the garage by itself

FINALLY!!!!!!

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:33:18 GMT

Many of you have heard the "comedy of errors" that my quest for a truck......nay, this particular truck, has been. Tonight, insh'allah, the curtain will drop on this show. The truck in in NJ (hopefully enough washings will take away the film and smell) Drivers left from Hagerstown this morning at 8am and will have the truck back here by one. The dealership will do what ever it is they do to get it ready, fill the tank (did I mention it has a 32 gallon tank), do the necessary paperwork, wash it a few more times......and we will arrive for signing and paying.....and in Violante's case, weeping, at 7pm.
I have thought a few times that......with all the crap I've gone thru getting this truck.....perhaps God is telling me I really don't want it. If it is in an accident on the way back from NJ........message received Lord

SyrJustus.....

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:04:16 GMT

This seemed the quickest way to get you pictures. Still have to apply bees wax and metal plates on the bottoms of the mortor and pestle but other than that.........

Thinking of doing a second set....this one has a thing or two I'm not thrilled with.....but only I would notice. We'll see if there is time.

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:18:33 GMT

The world is suddenly a little colder and darker...................

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:25:33 GMT

Sanding SUCKS!

That is all

Timing SUCKS

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:30:30 GMT

In other news.....my keg emptied its last drop........a week and a half before Pennsic........Karma f'ing hates me