KickIdle.com Blog

The first photo on the Fainting Goats page (thanks to Cruel.com) just makes me laugh like crazy. Look at that poor little guy, all laid out like he got hit by a Mack truck. Hehehe…..
Yes, I know I’m a sick, sick man. Thank you.

I think I need to write a second article as a follow-up to my first one. The first one covers the problems, but there really needs to be a discussion of the steps to take for a solution. Oh well, something to add to the to-do list.

LOOK OUT, THEY’VE GOT LASERS! The Bridgeport Police Department that is. My radar detector suddenly started going nuts, saying it was getting hit by laser on the way back from dinner. I wasn’t too worried, since I was going about 20mph in a 35 zone (thanks to all the snow & ice). Once I saw where the officer was sitting, I did what any other crazy person would do, I turned around and went back to talk to him.
He was nice enough, and we chatted for a while. Seems he was just back from four months of training down in Charleston. Just spending the evening getting used to the laser gun again. I, of course, wanted to take a picture of the laser gun, but he declined because he didn’t think he “could let you [me] take photos of department equipment.” Which is a load of bull, but it’s not like he was being an ass about it. I mean, I’d say the same thing if I were in his position. Who wants the Chief to call you into his office to have a “chat” about some random bozo posting photos of laser guns on the web, right?

[From Smudge's post.]
Longhaired Radical Socialist Jew
(The Gospel Song)
Well, Jesus was a homeless lad
With an unwed mother and an absent dad.
And I really don’t think he would have gotten that far
If Newt, Pat and Jesse had followed that star.
So let’s all sing our praises to
that long-haired radical socialist Jew.
When Jesus taught the people he
Would never charge a tuition fee,
He just look some fishes and some bread
And served up free school lunches instead.
So let’s all sing out praises to
That longhaired radical socialist Jew.
He healed the blind and made them see
He brought the lame to their feet
Rich and poor, any time, anywhere
Just pioneering that free health care.
So let`s all sing our praises to
That longhaired radical socialist Jew.
Jesus hung wth a low-life crowd
But those working stiffs sure did him proud.
Some were murderers, thieves and whores
But at least they didn’t do it as legislators.
So let’s all sing out praises to
That longhaired radical socialist Jew.
Jesus lived in troubled times
the religious right was on the rise,
Oh what could have saved him from his terrible fate?
Separation of church and state.
So let’s all sing out praises to
That longhaired radical socialist Jew.
Sometimes I fall into deep despair,
When I hear those hypocrites on the air…
But every Sunday gives me hope
When pastor, deacon, priest, and pope
Are all singing out their praises to
Some longhaired radical socialist Jew.
They’re all singing out their praises to
Some longhaired radical socialist Jew.

Hmm, well, I’m not going anywhere today. Hopefully tomorrow will look good enough to get me out of town.

Hrm, that got me thinking about the times I’ve “dealt” with cops before.

• When I was still in high school, I was driving through Berkley Springs, WV with my Grandma & Pop (Grandad). I had the cruise control set to 55 mph, and the line of cars behind me to prove it. A state trooper going the other way pulled a gravel-spitting u-turn and pulled me over for “76 in a 55″. I told him that I had the cruise control set to 55, and didn’t understand how I could have been going 76. (Not to mention that the taurus station-wagon I was driving would have exploded had I tried to drive it that fast. lol) He went back to his car to run my license, etc., and then gave me a written warning for 76 in a 55. To me, that was basically an admission that he’d fucked up, but I wasn’t gonna press the issue.
• In early 1996 I was pulled over by a VA State Trooper in Mount Jackson district on I-81. His first words to me were “Didn’t you just get pulled over going north-bound?” (I was headed south-bound, back to college. “Umm…… no.” But, he gave me a ticket anyway. Now, I was speeding, probably about 72 in a 65, but he wrote me up for 78 in a 65. Of course, I’d have to sacrifice three days of school to drive back up to Mt. Jackson to defend against it, so I just paid it.
• I got pulled over in Blacksburg, VA for doing 43 in a 25. Thing is, no one in town drove that road like it was 25 mph. I told the cop that I thought it was a 35 zone (I lived across town at the time) and that I would slow down. Let me go with a verbal warning.
• Several times (four that I can think of), Blacksburg PD have responded to a distressed motorist or accident while I was there helping. I just want to say that Blacksburg PD are the most professional and courteous officers I’ve ever dealt with.
• I actually did a ride along (or Civilian Observation Patrol [COP, get it?] as I think it was actually called) with the Blacksburg PD. It was a lot of fun, and let me just say that those Chevy Caprice police models will haul ass when you push them. We dealt with a number of minor things (domestic complaints, noise, speeding), but the highlight of the evening was responding to a call out in the county. The Sheriff’s Department was all on the other side of the county dealing with a suicide case when a local guy called to report that someone had followed him home from Roanoke. The Sheriff’s Department asked Blacksburg PD to respond, and that’s when I got to see what a Caprice will do.
• I ran into the median on I-81 while avoiding a collision one rainy night. A VA State Trooper stopped and called a wrecker for us. Since I didn’t hit any signs or anything, there was no ticket. Polite enough, although I wouldn’t call him friendly.
• Another state trooper responded to an accident in Christiansburg, VA. I left when he arrived, so I didn’t really deal with him much. I was carrying at the time, and had no interest in hanging out with a State Trooper, lol. I was legal, mind you, just didn’t want to deal with it if he noticed.
• I never had to deal with Virginia Tech Police any as a student, but I did have to get them to file a report once while I worked there. The officer who responded (I think it was the watch commander, but I don’t remember anymore), was very professional as well.

Hmmm, I think that’s about it, for now at least. So, over-all, my experiences with cops have been good ones. But those state troopers (from VA and WV, at least) seem to average a little more “dick-head factor” than most local PDs.

Props to Cops

More Snow

More snow fell overnight. Not much more, thank goodness. Time to start checking the weather sites to see if I can make it home. It’s still falling lightly here, which means western Maryland may be a big slushy mess. *sigh*

Those of you who have my PGP key should update it from the keyservers. My encryption subkey expires on 3/16/2002, and the update will get you the new encryption subkey.

While chatting earlier tonight, my friend Nicky mentioned that she and her dad were looking at naval wiring diagrams on the web. A quick Google search turned up this interesting site. These Univ. of Akron students built a submarine and then got to ride on the USS Nebraska at the invitation of the US Navy. Really well done site with some interesting information.