Thursday hodgepodge...

Hey y'all! Hugs, kisses, yada yada yada...
Last night was the first really raw, miserably cold night we've had. "Mid-30's" is miserable in my book. So, in anticipation, I spread Sadie's towel out next to my side of the bed (just in case). Sure enough, about 8 o'clock, here she comes, slamming herself against the back door.

As stupid as Sadie is, she can seem to remember from year to year that on raw, cold nights, she is allowed to bed down in the master's chamber. And, as stupid and worthless as she is, she possesses one quality that is fabulous in a dog (especially an "outside dog")...she has a 12 hour bladder. I swear, that dog can lay dead in one spot longer than any (breathing) animal I've ever seen.

So, Sadie assumed her position next to me about 8:00. In a little while, I peeked over, and she was looking up at me with those beautiful yellow eyes...just so happy! I said, "Good girl...you like being warm, huh?" She banged her tail on the floor. And then she let loose the loudest, stinkiest fart in canine history. That's my girl...

I managed to force myself to stay up late enough to watch the new series on A&E, "Steven Seagal: Lawman" or whatever it's called. I must say that I was not disappointed. I was not disappointed, because I did not have any expectation whatsoever that I would enjoy it. I'm glad I didn't get my hopes up.

As I said, I'm not really a big fan of those "cop on the street" shows. Certainly, I have great admiration and respect for the law enforcement community...but that kind of show really doesn't ring my bell. This one didn't change my mind.

Certainly, Seagal is an impressive figure! The guy's martial arts skills, and personal focus would be hard to match. In the first episode, he was instructing a fellow officer in marksmanship. Seagal shot the tip off of a Q-tip at 20 feet. Twice. In a row. He tried to light a match, but his round struck a hair low, and he just blew the tip off of it. Wuss...

I'm sure that the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department is glad to have Seagal involved in training, support, and on the street. But what bugged me just a tad was his recurring theme "We need to get guns off the street. Every gun we get off the street is one less gun an officer has to worry about." I'm sorry...what is need is to get criminals off the street.

In last night's episode, there is a scene where Seagal and his partner stop to investigate a couple of guys sitting in a car. Upon investigation, they find an open container of booze (which is illegal in the State of Louisiana...but only while the vehicle is in operation). The two black guys make it clear that they're just sitting in the car in front of their apartments, with no intention of driving. Fair enough. But in the pat-down, it is discovered that one of the fellows is carrying a pistol.

Red Alert! Red Alert! The fellow assures the Deputies that his gun is registered. A quick check shows that it does indeed belong to the fellow, and that neither of the two have a criminal record. Period. The theme continues of "getting guns off the street." But my first thought was, "Hey, if I lived in da 'hood where those boys did, I would carry 24/7. Those are the kind of guys I want armed." Now, I have never been in law enforcement, but it would seem to me that having the decent folk armed would be more of a help than hindrance. But that's just me.

The show is not bad. It's just not as good as many other things that air at the same time.

A little more blog whoring:

After 4 full days of studying my blog traffic, a couple of interesting things...The majority of visits are "image searches." And, this image seems to be the second most accessed image at Andy's Place.

Cute, no?

And, there is one image (and blog post) that seems to be hit over and over. I discovered that it's because I have the first spot on "Google Images" in the terms, "Michael Burghardt." This post "Iron Mike" Burghardt, and the "Single finger salute!", has the image, and the story. It was from an e-mail that Cowdad sent me.

Stuff I've stolen today:

I stole a link from Paul Mitchell to this sad custody battle story. You're gonna want to read it...I almost spewed my coffee...


And, I stole this picture from somebody...I can't remember who. It was probably you. So, thanks a million!


And, Walt sent me this photo via electronic mail. I think it's the Woods family Christmas Card photo.


So, y'all have a great day! I gotta get to work, and earn some green rectangles. Santa Clause is coming to town, ya' know!