The Life and Times of Jim
Hi, there. I'm Jim. Welcome to my phlog!
This site was written for Las Vegas, then LouisVille. Now, it seems to be about anywhere. In these phlogs, you'll see a lot of my personal notes and pictures. I like to post my observations here to remember life and celebrate it. I'm not religious. I don't pray for good fortune. I'm ecstatically grateful for the gift of life and I think our time should be remembered and not taken for granted. I'm not a writer. I think pictures tell stories so much better than words. I love just about everything in this life, and, I guess that would have to include you. So, if you've seen me, don't be surprised if your picture is in here somewhere. Of all the critters, people are absolutely the most interesting. 
<< 07/2004 < 06/2005 Calendar 08/2005 > 07/2006 >>Sign InView Other Logs
Mon 
07/18/2005 09:23:28
 Jim  Ooops...Robert.
I accidentally knocked your Log Link when I added Dustin and Jennifer.
But its back now.
Howdy!
Thu 
07/07/2005 13:02:51
 jim  Did you hear about the pollock who tried to rob a
He blew the guard and tied up the safe. baaadoompa!
Sun 
07/03/2005 16:23:52
 jim  Vegas,NV-FremontStExperience-Jim,Becky
Sun 
07/03/2005 14:54:21
 jim  Vegas,NV-FremontStExperience
Sat 
07/02/2005 11:02:01
 jim  BoulderCity-TrainConductors-Dustin,Jen
Thu 
06/30/2005 21:21:15
 Jim  Ways to change a flat tire.
1) Curse it and walk away - which is pathetic.
2) Pray to God for help - which is stupid.
3) Ask someone else to change it - Great if you can do that.
4) Pay someone else to change it - Great if you have money.
5) Change the tire yourself - Which is Best, if you can do it.
The reason why I'm mentioning this is Jennifer was talking about praying for someone who needed help.
In all my experience, praying has never accomplished anything.
It makes the person praying feel better. Whoopee.
It's a lazy persons way out of actually offering any kind of real help.
If a person is really sincere, they'd get off their butts and do something.
Even asking someone else to help another person makes more sense than praying.
There's a little thing some people say after I've helped them, that I really hate to hear:
That they asked God for help, and he provided it.
Thu 
06/30/2005 10:49:42
 Jim  I didn’t call Okin
I thought along those lines.
If I do that and say no to a job, I'll probably be burning a bridge that I'd rather keep open.
I would say no to a job at the Mgm/Mirage at this time.
AIR...when I was young we didn't have STEAK. We didn't have PORK. WE DIDN'T HAVE AIR!!!
You're hilarious Mikey! No air, hence, no pollution.
    If we put a lab rat in a jar full of air, it survives.
    If we put a rat in a jar full of alcohol, it dies.
    Hence, alcohol kills.
Becky's mom called. She said Jennifer was coughing and has a fever. I told her it was probably the air outside since she probably can't even see her car in the driveway. Ya think, maybe? She said, well, at any rate, she needed someone to look after Jennifer, and I told her I would pick her up, and she said, well, we could put a wet cloth over her face while she's walking to the truck. I wanted to ask her if she knew she was kinda weird, but...
We went over to Robert and Joy's...they're moving today.
I wanted to pick up my old dresser that I bought back in 1978. Well, a drawer was missing, so, its junk. I picked it up anyway though. Found out none of Robert's friends were going to help him move, so I hightailed it out of there. This air is knocking me down!!!
The AC project looks GOOD.
It's black, and has even water dispersment, and looks good. Testing is gonna be a blast. We're going to wear white lab coats, sit around and watch TV while the air conditioner is on!
Wed 
06/29/2005 20:23:33
 Jim  I’m at the very end phase of development
I installed what is probably the final version of the AC precooler. It works great. It was well thought out and went in smoothly. 4 screws, three line cuts, a touch of adjustment, and there ya go.
The added benefit was the air coming off of the AC unit was cool, like a swampcooler. Felt good on that hot roof.
We had a red sunset today. Dark red.
Thats probably what a martian sunset looks like.
Wed 
06/29/2005 18:02:36
 Jim  Now the news is saying the air outside is just fin
They are talking about the ozone levels. wow.
They're measuring ozone levels. Ozone is a bluish gas that lives mainly above us. It's atom is called O3, and it causes lung irratation and possible permanent damage. BTW-its created naturally when the air in our atmosphere absorbs ultraviolet light form the sun. That's is O3's good side. Its bad side is it sticks to just about anything.
People have ozone (electrostatic) generators in their houses to absorb cigarette smoke. What they don't know is that the same ozone thats mixes with the smoke in the air, absorbing it, and making it fall to the ground, is mixing with the airsacs in our lungs, and absorbing them too! This is not a good thing.
hmmm....me, I was concerned about the particulate matter. That's the stuff that's making me sneeze little dirt balls.
Wed 
06/29/2005 17:34:58
 Jim  FINALLY, with the visibility being 1/2 mile outsid
The news mentions the air quality!
I wonder how many kids got diagnosed for having asthma today!
I've got ash on my hood. Everything outside smells like brush fire.
After 5 days of smoke inhalation (and not from cigs), its mentioned that the air out may be harmful to your health. I know 5 people with uncommon headaches, pains. They are sneezing, coughing, and have watery eyes. Funny how cause and effect can be so hard to link up at times. This happens every year around this time. Good ol 4th of July.
Here's a prediction for you all.
The 1900's - Flourinated water, chlorinated water, water conditioning and finally bottled water.
The 2000's - Air Conditioning, oxygen bars, bottled oxygen, cars with piped in air.
Don't laugh, its not funny. With the awareness being focused on the inside air, being poisoned by cigarette smoke, not much attention is given to the outside air. Most people still think oxygen is flamable, and that carbon monoxide is visible. LOL.
Personally, from what I've read and heard
I think oxygen is a wonderful aid to healing. Every cell in the body needs it.
Wouldn't it be terrible if something we're breathing now caused sterility in our species 50 years from now.
Hmmm. Sounds like good Sci-Fi.
I do hope someone is out there keeping our species longevity in check.
Wed 
06/29/2005 14:58:11
 Jim  Sonny had to renew his Electricians card in Boulde
Green Acres...that's Boulder City. He had to renew it, and I'm not kidding about any of this: It's off of Wyoming Street, which is off of Nevada Highway, thats off of Utah Street, thats off of Arizona Street. Sonny renewed his license at Boulder City Community College. There is a parking lot underneath the college. The college consists of 5 rooms. The lunch room is a class room. Wow!
We ate outdoors off of Boulder Citys main street, which is Nevada Highway.
It was nice. None of the shops could take credit cards because of their power outage last Sunday (they are three miles from Hoover Dam, one could almost run an extension cord there). I love this little town, its so backwards.
The miscellaneous/antique/thrift store owner was hilarious. He'd tell you his trash can is selling for $40 because Grover Cleveland once used hit, and that someone else wants to buy it for $30. He had some amazingly fluctuating prices. He said he would have a lot more but he lost his car...hahaha.
Wed 
06/29/2005 14:22:33
 Jim  I loved Green Acres
I thought the show's major twist was how Mr Douglas, despite his willingness to be a son of the soil, never quite pulled off being a farmer. His logic failed. Lisa, on the other hand, mastered the country dwellers' insane logic with ease.
I've seen so many things in life like that.
Like pulling a tree down on Christmas. Bringing it inside the house! Hanging lights on it. Putting a blanket under it and a star on top of it. Putting presents under it. Then throwing it away. That qualifies as insane logic.
Painting Chicken Eggs and telling kids they're Rabbit Eggs!
Filling the eggs with Chocolate and throwing them in the yard!!! Then letting the little kids find and eat them. That's insane, isn't it. Rabbits don't have eggs!
Wed 
06/29/2005 10:17:23
 Jim  That’s hilarious SAE
I'm loaning Robert an extra $70. Guess he was short.
Meanwhile, back in Hooterville, Mrs Douglas asks Sam Drucker if he knows how to make bacon.
Sonny needs to renew his Electricians license pronto, by July 1st! So, we're going through phone menu's and so on, to find out how to do that. hmmm.
Wed 
06/29/2005 01:29:00
 jim  Questions to Ponder.
"What was Captian Hook's name before he had a hook for a hand?"
Do the actors on Unsolved Mysteries ever get arrested because they look just like the criminal they are playing?
Do bald people get dandruff?
Why doesn't baking soda freeze?
What if you were to ask a genie to grant you more than three wishes for one of you wishes?
If you made biscuits with chocolate milk instead of regular milk, would they taste chocolaty?
If you rented a movie and were late returning it and then you died
  would someone you knew or a family member have to pay the late fee?
Can a person with no ears wear glasses?
Do the actors in the re-enactments on Americas most wanted,
ever get arrested (because they were seen on TV portraying the criminal)?
Are people who are allergic to nuts allergic to coconuts too?
If someone's peeing and halfway through they die, would they keep pissing or stop?
How come French fries are not considered vegetables, since they are just deep fried potatoes?
Can you still say "Put it where the sun don't shine " on a nude beach?
Do Jewish vampires avoid crosses or Stars of David?
Why is it that when adults have multiple personalities it's schizophrenia,
  but when a child has imaginary friends it's cute?
If you swallow a burp does it turn into a fart?
Can you put a gay man in a straight jacket?
Do they have burglar alarms at Christian bookstores?
Why do bullies always ask "what's your problem" when they're obviously not going to solve it?
Do stairs go up or down?
When people say, "I'm so tired it's not even funny" or "my head hurts so much it's not even funny", why would it even be funny in the first place?
Why is there a top line on lined paper if we never use it?
Do coffins have lifetime guarantees?
Why do the numbers on phones go down while the numbers on calculators go up?
If Hooters were to become a door-to-door service would they have to change their name to Knockers?
If the sky is the limit, then what is space, over the limit?
Are children who act in rated 'R' movies allowed to see them?
Can you make a candle out of your earwax?
When French people swear do they say pardon my English?
Aren't the 'good things that come to those who wait' just the leftovers from the people that got there first?
If the swat team breaks down your door do they have to replace it later?
Can a fire truck park in the fire lane?
Can it be cloudy and foggy at the same time?
"Cute as a button" Is that supposed to be a compliment? Since when are buttons cute?
Can you breathe out of your nose and mouth at the same time?
Are marbles made of marble?
Why does the last piece of ice always stick to the bottom of the cup?
If you pay for a vacation and your plane crashes on the way there, do you get you money back? (Granted you lived)
Why did Yankee Doodle name the feather in his hat Macaroni?
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink what comes out"?
Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken over there ... I'm gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt"?
Isn't Disney World just a people trap operated by a mouse?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet soup?
Can you get cornered in a round room?
Why don't the hairs on your arms get split ends?
If an atheist has to go to court, do they make him swear on the Bible?
Why is it illegal to park in a handicapped parking space but its ok to use a handicapped toilet?
In that song, she'll be coming around the mountain, who is she?
How come we say 'It's colder than hell outside' when isn't it realistically always colder than hell since hell is supposed to be fire and brimstone?
Why is it that if something says, "do not eat" on the packaging it becomes extra tempting to eat?
Why are people so scared of mice, yet we all love Mickey Mouse?
Wouldn't it be smart to make the sticky stuff on envelopes taste like chocolate?
Why are the commercials for cable companies on cable but not on regular television? Don't they want the people without cable to buy the cable?
"Have you ever noticed that if you rearranged the letters in mother in law, they come out to Woman Hitler?"
Isn't it funny how the word 'politics' is made up of the words 'poli' meaning 'many' in Latin, and 'tics' as in 'bloodsucking creatures'?
Why is it that when things get wet they get darker, even though water is clear??
Why is it that when you get out of a swimming pool, your urine is hotter when you use the restroom?
Can mute people burp?
What happens if you put this side up face down while popping microwave popcorn?
Why is chopsticks one of the easiest songs to play on the piano, but the hardest thing to eat with?
How come you play at a recital, but recite at a play?
If a fork were made of gold would it still be considered silverware?
If heat rises, then shouldn't hell be cold?
Why is there that little space inside strawberries, as if it was meant for a pit, and then the seeds are on the outside?
Why isn't chocolate considered a vegetable, if chocolate comes from cocoa beans, and all beans are a vegetable?
Do they have girl's bathrooms in gay bars?
Why is toilet bowl cleaning liquid only blue?
Why is it when we talk to God we are praying, but when God talks to us we are put into the loony bin?
Why do you go "back and forth" to town if you really must go forth before you go back?
Why doos shaped macaroni taste better than the normal kind?
Why is vanilla ice cream white when vanilla extract is brown?
Why can't you get a tan on your palms?
If your sick for one week and on one of those days they had to cancel school because of snow, do you have to make up that day in June?
Why do dogs sniff other dog's bottoms to say hello, why don't they just bark in their face or something?
Why do companies offer you "free gifts?" Since when has a gift NOT been free?
If something "goes without saying," why do people still say it?
You know the expression, "Don't quit your day job?"
 Well what do you say to people that work nights
Tue 
06/28/2005 23:42:42
 Jim  Sonny, Becky and I cleaned out the condo’s garage.
Grabbed an old couch, and some other things and went to the Dump. The line took over an hour. We dumped the stuff inside building. At night, a crew comes along with bulldozers, picks the junk up and dumps it into a hole. Inside the hole is a large towable dumpster. A truck then tows the dumpster 40 miles north of town where it finally gets dumped. Then it gets plowed over with dirt by an enormous bulldozer.
The interesting part about this process is what happened to Las Vegas's previous dump.
It too was built way outside of Vegas. But now, however, it is prime property. The county put dirt over the biohazardous waste, trash and refuse. $500,000 homes have been built on top of the dump. Amazing isn't it. The homeowners may never know why it smells like death at times.
We ate at Chapala's tonight, Sonny's treat.
Their food is always GREAT! The spanish speaking waiter told us Caliente meant HOT. He said Nevada means Snow Country.
That means Caliente, Nevada means HOT SNOW COUNTRY. hmmm...
Las Vegas means The Meadows. Guess thats why the largest mall in the state is called The Meadows Mall. Its kind of an inside secret I guess.
Robert came over tonight.
I loaned him $85. He's good for it. Now, as far as that story about them sending the check in, and someone stole it and cashed it, and the bank can't produce a copy of the check before they get evicted, and they bank won't reimburse the money from the check, and the owners already have renters coming in on the 4th...well, that all sounds like huey to me...lol
Tue 
06/28/2005 23:08:24
 Jim  Ism’s
\The next best thing to gambling, and winning; is gambling, and losing. It's the rush that matters.
- Jimmy The Greekism
There are three kinds of people in the world. People who make things happen. People who watching things happen. And people who wonder what happened.
- Allen Harmonism
To have tried and lost, is better than to have never tried at all.
- Shakespeanism (kind of)
Failure is as monumental as Success. Apathy is unacceptable.
- Jimism
Living only 30,000 days is like having the life of a fruit fly.
Your biggest splash in life might be falling inside someones soup.
- Jimism.
Given enough time, anything is possible. Given our imagination, everything is imaginable. Given our life span, anything we imagine may be possible.
- Couldbeism
If we had eight legs, eight eyeballs, no butt, and ate bugs, would we still enjoy basketball?
- Ifism
Didn't nature make a mistake by putting out reproductive glands between our legs
A lot of couples spit babies out like watermelon seeds.
- Babyism
Tue 
06/28/2005 21:52:35
 jim  What would George Washington say if he were alive
Dig Me Up and Get Me Out of This Coffin!!!
Mon 
06/27/2005 19:57:46
 Jim  I am going to go with my heart on deciding the fut
I'm going to bet the farm on this AC precooler.
I believe I could go to work at Mgm. I'm sure I could get in, but, if I do that, I know it will be the last job I'll ever have. Whatever I accomplish there will have a life expectancy of a few years. None of it will do anybody any good.
If I could get somewhere with this AC precooler, it would be a benifit to everyone in hot dry climates. I think its a good thing.
But then again, maybe I'm an idiot.
I talked to Newberry tonight. And Mike.
I think Newberry thinks I'm gonna hit up for money or something. I'd never do that. I just wanted advice on how to proceed. Anyway, it was a nice conversation.
Mikey said go with my heart. Thats the path I'm going to take. If Step-brother can out live my Step-Dad, and he's taken terrible care of himself then I can't go all that wrong. Besides, if I don't try, I'll never know if I could have succeeded or not. This is a test of character, I think.
Mon 
06/27/2005 15:51:13
 Jim  Got a call from a headhunter Mga Search this after
It was about an openning at the Mgm/Mirage Hotel for their dream team, or something like that. I mentioned I knew those guys very well. He confirmed that Larry Okin was the contact there. My question to myself is, do I want to work there? It was slightly depressing working there before, but that was because of all of the turnover I saw. I'd get to know people, and they'd be terminated, and I'd be there looking at their empty cubical. Hmmm.
I probably should give Larry Okin a call. I could use the benefits. The thing is, it would be fulltime, 8am to 5pm, and a guy like me always gets called in at all hours. I'm just too handy.
Mon 
06/27/2005 09:59:48
 Jim  The previous entry makes me think of Get Smart
Agent 86 and Agent 89 find Agent 69 whose been shot and has a map tattooed on his back. Agent 86 and 89 try figure the map out. Agent 89 says to Agent 86, "Look, the X is near a mountain!".
Agent 86 says to Agent 89, "It's not a mountain! Quit trying to make a mountain out of a mole!".
ba-doomp-pa
Mon 
06/27/2005 08:59:56
 Jim  Taxes and the common man
I got a call today from a friend who hadn't paid their taxes since 1998. He got a letter from the IRS asking saying that they showed he owed taxes for 2004, but they didn't have his return. Now he's freaking out. Here are his stats:
- He lives in a travel trailer parked in a campground.
- His mailbox is on a highway 3 miles from where he lives.
- He owns an army truck and a camper
- His checking account is overdrawn by $200
- He owes back child support payments.
- He has one dependant, so if he did file, he'd file as Head of Household.
- Most of his employers are in Podunk, Missouri, and probably don't file themselves.
- The ones that did file, filed him as an independant contractor.
My advice was to do one of the following:
- To forget the letter. Get a PO Box and don't file a Change of Address with the Post Office.
- Go see a tax advocate. They're free and they can eliminate tax obligation with a keystroke.
- See a CPA and pay his taxes (my best advice).
--- They'll write off everything, even without receipts, like:
--- 35c a mile which could easily add up to $1,000 a year.
--- $10 lunches, which could add up to $2,600 a year.
--- Computer purchases, and ISP charges.
--- A Business fishing trip, complete with boat rental alcohol and hookers.
He's worried that the 'Men in Black' are going to come after him.
Now, when he works he only make $35,000 a year tops. I would call this, an irrational fear. He's worried a cop will pull him over after running his plates, and they'll see he owes taxes. He's been worried about it since he got the letter.
Lets analyse this fear.
I think there's only 4 tax centers in the US. Ours is in Ogden, Utah, and its about the size of a Walmart. His is in Cincinati, Ohio. To my knowledge, the IRS can seize anything on record (property, bank accounts, wages), but they can't knock you down and take your wallet. Al Capone was the only person that I ever heard of, that went to jail for tax evasion, and his case was tantamount to being thrown in jail for life for jay walking (I'm that happens too).
From personal experience, the IRS's best tool is intimidation. Fear. They use the post office to impliment this. They send letters (certified and non certified). If you respond, you get more letters (they know you exist). Its a typical bait and hook strategy.
I wonder if the crack whores walking up and down the Strip are worried about the IRS throwing them in jail for tax debt? They make more money than my friend does.
Irrational Fears...sheesh!

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