August 2008

There were 65 posts published in August 2008 (this is page 2 of 7).

No room for Fay

I’m glad Western North Carolina will be getting a good drink from Tropical Storm/Depression Fay. Lord knows they need it. As for me, though, I’m still sitting on 300+ gallons of rainwater, so I reluctantly removed the downspout hose from my tank when the first drops came down this morning.

I fiddled with my new tank pump this weekend in an effort to test it out. Turns out the 1″ suction hose I bought had the threads stripped on one connector. After much time spent patiently threading and rethreading the connector into the pump I finally got it on there properly. By that time it was already dark outside, so the pump will wait another week or two when it is dry again.

I have to say I’ve been very pleased with this August’s weather. It hasn’t been baking hot for the first summer in a while. Of course, we paid that price earlier this summer but even that didn’t last too long. We’ve also had reliable rain this month, which is a welcome change.

Sneeze season has begun

Yesterday was the first day of school and this morning I’m on my way to a full-blown cold. Coincidence?

Worn out

Wow, am I ready for bed already! Its been a very busy weekend, to say the least.

Friday afternoon, Kelly’s parents arrived to spend the weekend with us. We all went out to Royal India for dinner Friday evening. The next morning Kelly and I fixed breakfast for everyone before we headed downtown to watch the house moves.

The first house was already across the street and the second was just crossing the road by the time we got there around 10:30. They didn’t move much for the next hour, though we were there for one spectacular tire-blowing. Bam! That thing blew up like a bomb! Of course, the blown tire meant all the work had to grind to a halt while the tire was replaced. Having the patience of a saint must be a job requirement of house movers.
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Gold medal-worthy coverups

I was visiting my dentist yesterday when he and his assistant began discussing the allegedly-underage Chinese gymnasts. The assistant had noticed a new tooth in one of the gymnast’s mouths.

“If they’re sixteen, they’ve got all of em,” my dentist remarked as he went on with his work.

“Aha!” I thought as I remembered the crucial role dental records play in police investigations. Teeth don’t lie. They’re often used in investigations to determine the age of a victim.

Earlier this week a “hacker” fluent in Chinese discovered official spreadsheets showing that gymnasts He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan are actually 14. The New York Times has also found similar evidence. Yet, the IOC today says “no proof exists” and stands by the Chinese. Unbelievable.

I’d like to believe in the pureness of Olympic sport but there’s far too much money involved for it to be pure. I wouldn’t put it past China to pull a fast one, nor for the IOC to look the other way. Both aren’t exactly known to be trustworthy.

Feds claim fire melted WTC7. Yeah, right

The N&O editor cheerfully set science aside with today’s headline Feds debunk 9/11 conspiracy theories. The story is about NIST’s report claiming the 47-story WTC7 building’s structural failure was due to fire.

Like hell it was. At least the Associated Press’s headline (“Feds: Fire took down building next to twin towers”)was not so judgmental against those who can plainly see NIST’s theory is bullshit.

In light of the Bush administration’s blatant politicization of science at every possible turn, wouldn’t you think that announcements like these deserve a more critical eye? Wouldn’t a healthy grain of salt be prudent? At the very least, perhaps not be so dismissive of those skeptical to the “official” story?
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‘Maters

The mess of tomato plants my dad gave me are about ready to provide their first fruit. There are over a hundred tomatoes on the vines: mostly cherry and grape tomatoes but a handful of the larger, Cherokee purple kind.

One of the privileges of growing up in the South is enjoying home-grown tomatoes. Its been a while since I’ve grown them myself so I’m especially anxious to give these a try. Next year I might turn the lawn in my whole backyard into a huge garden, planting corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and much more.

For y’all who are local, you might find me delivering a bag or two of gift tomatoes to you. If you’re lucky!