A Message from Italy

This was sent to me from my friend in Italy and I thouhgt it was right on in a groovey kind of way.

Strive not to be a person like such, "In whose eyes whatever is unusual is wrong; whose ears detect in each protest against bigotry-that parent of crime-an insult to piety, that regent of God on earth. I would suggest to such doubters certain obvious distinctions; I would remind them of certain simple truths.Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee, is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns. These things and deeds are diametrically opposed: they are as distinct as is vice from virtue. Men too often confound them: they should not be confounded; appearance should not be mistaken for truth; narrow human doctrines, that only tend to elate and magnify a few, should not be substituted for the world-redeeming creed of Christ. There is-I repeat it-a difference; and it is a good, and not a bad action to mark broadly and clearly the line of separation between them. The world may not like to see these ideas dissevered, for it has been accustomed to blend them; finding it convenient to make external show pass for sterling worth- to let whitewashed walls vouch for clean shrines. It may hate him who dares to scrutinize and expose, to raise the gilding and show base metal under it, to penetrate the sepulchre and reveal charnal relics; but hate as it will, it is indebted to him."

Lunch with Guba

I was out and about today working. I had to verify drawings for an upcoming project. As I new the drawings I had were not correct, I took Guba with me. He is our CAD guy. After the working, we went to Appleby for lunch.
As Guba had not been to one in years, he took forever to read the menu. The waitress and waitress in training came back twice before he was ready to order. He got a cheeseburger and fries.
What's up with that. You can order a cheeseburger and fries in like a minute. You don't even need the menu. Everyone sells cheeseburger and fries.
He did say it was a damn fine cheeseburger and fires and he looked happy.
I had their version of a club grill. It had BBQ sauce on it. It was greasy and good. The lettuce and tomato were being used beyond their usefulness and I scraped them onto the plate in protest. I showed them!
I also had club soda with a lime. I got a refill, as I am a guzzler and in the new glass was a new lime. All too often when you get a drink with a lime in it, when the drink is refilled a new lime is not included. Who wants the lime in only the 1st glass?

As I mentioned there was a waitress in training at the place. She was in her early twenties, normal looks, you know whatever. The issue I had was that while all the other servers were well kept, she was not. Her slacks were too big and she wore them with a sag. Her shirt was also too large and half untucked. Then she rolled up the sleeves to reveal some bad ink. No one else was all undone and here she was. The manager waled by her a dozen times, her trainer was with her the whole time and no one said boo about her sloppy appearance. What's more she wouldn't say a word to us. I don't know if I would talk to Guba if I didn't have to, but I digress. She was stand-offish and I do not approve.

During lunch Guba thought a good conversation would be about his plans to get divorced. I thought not and was quiet as he went on . Maybe that's why the waitress in training would talk?
So for the whole of lunch, on and on about his crappy wife and blah blah blah. Then as we're leaving he mentions that he has been taking college classes on the interweb. For the record, that would be better lunch talk.

Well, I am off to collect Beau Bridges. I am going to an awards thing for work tonight. It was not cleared with Mrs. Bebout

Oh Me!

As some of you may know, I am a huge fan of the drunk call. I usually call to invite others out to enjoy being drunk with me. Mostly, it works out that I end up going home sooner than later as most of my friends are on to me and know I have had enough. But I still call to share in the fun.
This Friday past, I enjoyed dog watching with Chad and drinking Shiner Bock. It was supposed to be a few after work but that didn't work out and I ended up out until midnight. Earlier in the evening I tried to call a load of friends to no avail. Most didn't answer or were MIA. I am used to it and still had fun. Beau Bridges played like a dog on a mission and it was great fun to watch him investigate Chad's underground hall of horrors ala Scooby Doo.
On my way home, as I talked with The Blazer-Noscals I got into a shouting matching with a couple. I decided the best thing to do was to play cat and mouse. They sped up , so did I. It was very tense for a bout 500 yards when my turn came up and I went home.
During the course of my phone calls, I learned sad news about one of my dear friends. I felt like a real shit heal because I did not know before and wanted to say things to know that I cared and that would ease the pain. As nothing does that too well, and I am no good and that kind of talk, I guess it would not have made much difference in the big picture, but well, you know.

First Date

Mrs Bebout and I left the Younger at home in the watchful care of Beau Bridges and went off to the movies. It was our first "date" since last summer and boy oh boy were we excited.
We decided to see the Harry Potter movie because we thought it would be good.
Much in the same way as leaving your small child in the care of the family dog, seeing the newest Harry Potter movie was a mistake.
First, you would think that after five years of making these movies, the lead actors would learn a little something about, hmm, acting. They are as bad as they were on their first day, but now they are to old to play off as cute little kids.
Second, the acting is so poor that they did away with most of the dialogue and character development that is usually found in a movie. The whole thing felt like a preview for the actual movie.
Third, the theatre was cold. This is not the films fault, but it didn't help us enjoy things.

Now I am sure certain loyal readers of my blog will take issue with my thoughts on the picture, an so be it. It will make for a fun time for all as they try to defend this turd of a movie.

It must be stated that I "read" the book this movie was based on an thought it was the best of the first 5. What a let down.

33 and Rising

I am now 33 and a day. I had a good time on my birthday. I invited slew of folks out for a toddy, and one showed up even though he was swamped at work. We proceeded to enjoy too many beers and the smell of the sewer that wafted up every so often. The bar owner tried to help the smell with incense, but then it was the smell of sewer and flowers. It was awful, and there were other places to go, but we stayed.
Had we moved along to fresher surrounding, there would be no gripe to make, so it is better that we stayed put.
Today at work was not so fun though. When I was younger I could swill brews for hours into the night and still pop up in the morning fresh as a flower. Now, not so much. I am still, these many hours past, not feeling great. I tell myself that it is not age but a lack of practice that has slower my recovery. But I know that is only partly true. I am not bitter or overly affected by my age, or the passing of years, but is it so much to ask that I still be able drink buckets of draft beer without having to pay for the next day?
On a note more in keeping with my disdain for the bureaucracy that is the Ohio BMV, I will proceed with the telling of my plate renewal.
I received a notice to have my truck e-checked. I thought it odd having only just e-checked the truck 13 months prior, and knowing that the e-check is done every two years. I called the e-check help line and was told that I did not require an e-check and to have a nice day.
With this information I went off to the BMV office on my ay to work, where it took the clerk 30 minutes to tell me the computer network was down and she could not help at that time.
It took 30 minutes because, honestly I have no idea why it took 30 minutes.

**** I try to become a kinder, gentler, Dave on my birthday and left the BMV with my temper in check, although h I was well aware of it.

Toward the end of the day I called the BMV to ensure the network was up and running and went out to renew my plates. Upon arrival I was informed that my e-check was not valid and I would need to have it done before renewing my plates.

*** At this point I decided to put my kinder self on hold and proceeded to Gave the poor clerk the business.

I offered the staff, who came to help the embattled clerk, my opinion of their communication with the e-check people. This got me nowhere so I moved to the Socratic method. I asked how the how often a car was to be e-checked and was told 2 years. I then asked why I my truck was so special to need an e-check every year. The answer is that although we only need e-check every other year, the e-check is only valid for 365 days. I was now 30 days (+ -) past due.

So I saw my efforts would avail me not and decided to go ahead with my driver's license renewal, since I was there. A bit of advice, don't have you ID photo taken while fuming over the policies of the BMV. You will end up looking like a convict.

So today, I went to the e-check location prepared to pay my $19.50 and repeat the process. I arrived, the "dude" checks my VIN and scans a doodad and that was it. No more tail pipe revving and what not, Just a simple scan, much like a grocery store checkout. It still took a good 10 minutes for reason, at any rate.
The "lady" then gave me the new e-check documents and I was on my way. Without paying. Is the e-check free now days? If so, shit can the whole thing.

The Season has Passed

The holiday season is now behind us. It was Mr Bebout the Younger's first. He got a lot of gifts from grandparents and well wishers alike. He did not take notice of any of them as he is a small baby. But thanks to everyone, regardless of his appreciation.





This time of year has, until recently not been that much fun for me. It usually reminds me of all the horrible Christmas I spent as a youth. From Christmas dinner in the car at a Dairy Mart parking lot the first year my dad was in the nursing home because none of our relatives thought to invite us over or see about our well being. Not to mention that our family was broke and we didn't really do too many gifts. Things climaxed when my dad died 5 days before Christmas. I spent it with JimBob and his family because my mom was on vacation in California.

So from this feted root I grew a poison Christmas tree and would become very put upon about Christmas. Today I read Tam's blog about her Grandfather passing away form a disease similar to the one my dad had and I was flushed with memories of all my bad Christmas times and realized that for the first time I did not have resentment and pain and anger over the holidays. I was not filled with a joy about the Younger's first, but I I have believe that he helped me to at least not be sad.