Elliott's Trackside Diner XI

[AmanaMedic]

Good Morning,

We've got a mostly cloudy sky, a lot of wind, and it's somewhere in the 40s allegedly heading for the 50s again. Chief wanted to go do a burn today (with most of the guys home due to Good Friday), I'm thinking the stiff breeze may change his mind for him.

I'm about to head out for the weekly meeting with THAT editor. She's sending me to Des Moines at the end of the month to some hoity-toity writer's workshop, so have to go through the stack of back issues to see what five articles I want to have ripped to shreads by the experts.

Sawyer: Pally... be careful. I highly recommend listening to Sam Kinnison's "Wild Thing." It may help to put your situation into a little sharper focus. Obviously, none of us know exactly what's going on with you and the girl...nor should we know everything. But...this scenario sounds kinda familiar...

Like the man said...strap in, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Time to go see THAT editor... so will grab a travel bucket of boot coffee, and go forth.

Chris

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Good morning.

It's 70 and very cloudy. The high will be around 80 and it will be partly cloudy.

I stayed home yesterday and rested up from the previous days stupidity/overwork and now I feel much better. About the most strenuous thing I did all day was to reorganize my closet. It contains mostly my model railroad junk collection, scenery materials, rolling stock and computer components and paper towel rolls. A few nights ago the middle shelf collapsed. You never heard such a racket! Fortunately there was mostly junk below so there no real damage. Rebuilding the shelf was the hard part, something any eight year old kid could do. I had it reorganized in about three hours. That was about the most exciting thing I did all day, about as exciting as watching paint dry. Maybe I'll do something more exciting today.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      4/10/2009

Wind Chill:  70°F
Humidity:  88%
Dew Point:  66°F

So Far Today
High:  70°F
Low:  69°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  20mph SSW

Today  High: 78    Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight  Low: 58    Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

[ewl01]

Chloe, breakfast platter and a decaf please.  Day off today, we'll see what I can get done.  Sinuses have been killing me this week, no sleep, stuffed head etc....

Lee, Prayers for you and your family

Sawyer, If it's Jr. High..... enjoy the friendship, seems she's testing the water and you're the safe island.  Like PC says, get ready for an interesting ride.

Krump, Have a Happy Easter!

Rob, I know it's easier said than done, but hang in there.

Cloudy day today 50 right now.  Hope we don't have any of our friends dealing with that tornado or infernos I saw on the news this morning. 

Eric

 

[pcarrell]

Mornin' All!

Lee, I'm sorry to hear of your loss.  Just remember, she went home just in time for the big celebration.  I'll be keeping you and yours in my prayers.

Sawyer, that was a mighty quick turnaround!  Please don't think me blunt or cold-hearted.....I'm just trying to make sense of this.......She was so messed up she had to break up with you, and in just a few hours she was completely together again?  Hmmmm, sounds like the roller coaster is maybe just leaving the station?  Fasten your seat belt and keep your arms and hands inside the ride at all times..........

JimRCGMO

And PC, those Darwin 'winners' are the reason for this quotation:

"The gene pool could use a little chlorine."

Or a LOT!

Rob, This has got to be hard for you and your wife with the in-laws.  My prayers to you and your family.

[blownout cylinder]

krump

 I'm stopping in for a Mocha.

my posts go largely ignored - except by Jim - so now I'm sitting quietly in the back thinking of something creative to write / say.   ... did you hear the one about the... ?      nah.

Happy Easter everyone.  Have a great weekend.

You thought so---I'm not so sure!!!

Good morning!! Happy EASTER!! Anyhoooo, we're currently at 0C with our high going to 9C today in the clouds----it seems our semi permanent cloudbank is going to keep us under it today.

Lee- Our condolences to you and yours. Take care---

We're going to be quiet this year--no running around visiting or getting/doing up dinners etc. This is kinda nice for a change----BTW---our Crocuses are coming up and about 6 Daffodil bunches are now blooming!

Chloe--I'll have a coffee and a muffin please---no bran--------I'm sitting by the window and watching some birds arguing over some real estate proposals----

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

     Not too chilly this morning and the suns out so what's not to like?  Thanks for sharing the awards  list PC. Made my day.

    Hoople sounds like you had fun, but do have a care playing tackle without any of the safety equipment or supervision. Good way to get hurt - please don't ask me how I know.

   Hope the rest of you have a good weekend. I'm off to Pocono after lunch today so I'll check in later.  CUL, J.R.

[LSWrr]

Good morning all, I haven’t had much time for rail fanning, layout work, or the diner.  Monday night my Aunt Louise (father’s sister) passed away at the age of 81.  I’m the only relative that lives in the area so much of the preparations are on me and my cousin.  Easter is going to be quiet this year.  She lived a long and prosperous life and we will all miss her very much. 

Lee

 

[secondhandmodeler]

Krump, a Happy Easter to you as well!  There, now you aren't ignored!

Good morning folks.  Nothing much is going on for me today.  We are busy writing up tuxedo orders for the upcoming proms.  Boy are some of the kids a handful!  They are fun to bs with though.  It's amazing the different levels of maturity in high school seniors.

 Sawyer, be careful in that relationship.  I'm guessing that you haven't heard the last of this.  Just remember, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Ray, you really are getting quite detailed in your layout.  The kind of detailing you keep adding seems like years away for me.  Heck, I'm just getting started!  Good work.

Something tells me that I won't see much of my layout this weekend.  I hope you all have a great weekend!

[krump]

 I'm stopping in for a Mocha.

my posts go largely ignored - except by Jim - so now I'm sitting quietly in the back thinking of something creative to write / say.   ... did you hear the one about the... ?      nah.

Happy Easter everyone.  Have a great weekend.

[Cederstrand]

Lemon water, please. 

***Paul, did someone leave a gate open or do your cows really really like to railfan? Hope Mary Ann is doing alright. That has got to be tough on her and you, too.

My BP is now completely normal. Gee, can't imagine what was making it sky rocket so.

Picked up my new glasses today. What was always my bad eye is now my good eye. What was my good eye, thanks to these floaters is now relatively poor. Still considerably better than no eyes.

Good night all. Rob

[Packers#1]

 ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND ARE BACK TOGETHER!!!!

Well, I got top honors. who wants what?

[AmanaMedic]

ewl01

Like the prisoners that fake illness at headquarters and can't understand why they get double handcuffed and hogtied to the stretcher... "But I'm sick...you can't keep my under arrest.. I know my rights!"

I worked on the Anamosa Ambulance for awhile as a paid EMT-Intermediate, and as a vollie. We had the State Pen right down the street and got quite a few of their "guests" in our ER. I was lucky though, my guests of the State were brought to me, I never had to make a run behind the walls. I'm sure for some of the ER visits, it was someone just wanting a few hours OUT of the joint. Anything serious, we shipped to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, another designated "hotel" for guests of the state.

Chris

[Hoople]

Evening All!

It's been sunny the past three days here in Seattle... Amazing!

I've managed to be better at football this year. Bunch of my friends and I got together and played a couple games out at a park... Full contact... Quite awesome. I scored 4 touchdowns as tight end, and threw three as quarterback... My favorite moments were having one of my friends horsecollar me, and ripping my shirt off... I scored shortly after that. Another was when I ran 90 yards down the field, then got laid out by this big guy, Adrian... Didn't fumble, at least... Man, that was a hard tackle. He's 5'11'' and 201 pounds, easily took me out at 5'7.5'' and 160. But I did manage to get short screen passes and crossover passes and take them all the way down the field... I think I'll be TE/SS on the team next year.

Phil: Thanks for sharing the latest Darwin awards! That definitely made my day... Thanks!

Mark

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang: Last night I couldn't get to sleep. Finally about 2:30 I dozed off. The alarm clock went off at 4am. I took Mary Ann to her dialysis appointment and came home to get some sleep. One of the neighbors called about 7:30 and said that he had seen some cows out on the UP right of way. Yep the were ours. I got them back and squared away in time to go pick up Mary Ann at 10am. Right now I'm really bushed.

Good Night All

[Cederstrand]

Darwin Awards...just goes to show that real life os often more interesting than fiction. You just can't make some of that stuff up.

On a sreious note, we returned the FIL to their room and will keep our fingers crossed. I think most of the family (those who count at least) finally agree the only alternative is to let them crash & burn. After that, we can work on finding a decent nursing home for them both. Very sad, but they are not going to get any clearer headed than they are right now, quite the contrary.

We're exhausted mentally & physically.

It's farrier day tomorrow and the weather service is predicting severe thunderstorms with potential for large hail and damaging winds. Might be a rather interesting day.

Have a good ngiht all. Rob

[Packers#1]

JimRCGMO

Sawyer, as the others said, 'give it some time', and thing will be working themselves out as He knows they should.

 

Well, it's almost a guarantee we are getting back together, she just wants time to make sure her head is straight and her hearts in the right place, as she told me.

[ewl01]

AmanaMedic

I LOVE reading the Darwin Awards, very entertaining to a sick, twisted individual like myself. I blame my fifteen years of EMS for it.

Like the prisoners that fake illness at headquarters and can't understand why they get double handcuffed and hogtied to the stretcher... "But I'm sick...you can't keep my under arrest.. I know my rights!"

Eric

[ewl01]

Things that make you go, Hhhmmmm....

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Number 9 sounds like one of my neighbors. He's playing with a marked deck that's all jokers.

[JimRCGMO]

Evening, Diners - Chloe, a cup of hot cocoa in a go cup please 'n' thanks.

I won't completely weigh in on the Alco/EMD debate today, but I am mostly partial to EMD's - Those RS's look nice on a few models, though...

Sawyer, as the others said, 'give it some time', and thing will be working themselves out as He knows they should.

And PC, those Darwin 'winners' are the reason for this quotation:

"The gene pool could use a little chlorine."

 

G'night Blessings and see you all tomorrow,

Jim in Cape Girardeau (and on-call for the evening)

 

[AmanaMedic]

I LOVE reading the Darwin Awards, very entertaining to a sick, twisted individual like myself. I blame my fifteen years of EMS for it.

No. 5, the teen vs. train, sounds like something the idiot kid across the street would do. Seriously, this kid is seriously deficient in the gray matter. He's the kind of moron, who upon finding an M-80 would yell for the whole town to hear, where he was gonna put it, and what he was gonna blow up with it. I think he has trouble tripping over the white lines of a crosswalk...

No. 8, the purse snatcher. Wanna bet some slick lawyer was able to get him off on a technicality?

No. 10, the septic sewer sucker...what can ya say?

Thanks Phillip for a round of good laughs!

Chris

[Robby P.]

 I agree, VERY FUNNY.  Make you think, nah that can't happen.  BUT then it can!!!

[blownout cylinder]

pcarrell

In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with your
friends and family... unless of course one of these individuals by
chance is a distant relative or long-lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.

 

LOL!!!!!---

[pcarrell]

2008 Darwin Awards

---

Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.

Here is the glorious winner:


1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a holdup in Long Beach , California , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honorable mentions:


2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.


3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car
during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.


4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.


5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.


6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the
counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]


7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided thathe'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.



8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man
grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher.  Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."


9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and
demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away. [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]


10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle Street , he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.


In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with your
friends and family... unless of course one of these individuals by
chance is a distant relative or long-lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.

[Packers#1]

blownout cylinder

Packers#1

and I told her I don't care, it's middle school for pete's sake!

 

Sawyer--There ya be!! When I went to middle school---we called the thing Senior Public school( don't ask---) that was an ongoing soap opera!!

 

yeah man; I have a feeling this ain't gonna be the last time I have to worry about that guy butting in. Oh well, I'll pull through

[blownout cylinder]

Packers#1

and I told her I don't care, it's middle school for pete's sake!

 

Sawyer--There ya be!! When I went to middle school---we called the thing Senior Public school( don't ask---) that was an ongoing soap opera!!

Anyhoooo---Got back from being WWWAAAAAAAAYYY out of town---Owen Sound--just for two hours BUT(RAY!! you and those ding grammar rules--) the driving time---yeesh

Chloe--Cheeseburger deluxe and an RBF please----I'll be watching the switching again----

[Robby P.]

Oh I my muscles are getting tired, and beat up.  I knew this job would be kinda rough, but it shows how out of shape I am.  I'm off tomorrow, and maybe I can try to catch up.

The father-in-law will fix the dryer tomorrow.  Hopefully it won't catch on fire this time.

Well I will take a cheesecake, to go.  

I will be back in the morning.

Everybody have a good night.

[Packers#1]

 Well, I'm feeling better. me and her talked, and we decided to get back together in a few days after she's had some time alone.

Let me tell you how hard it was for her. Last ngiht when me and her were still together, she was texting that othr guiy and he told her he loved her. and he'd been flirting with her since Monday. If I was less of a man, I'd go beat his butt, but I'm man enough to know he ain't worth it.

She wanted time to think b/c she said she felt guilty going out with me and liking him, and I told her I don't care, it's middle school for pete's sake!

[GMTRacing]

Ray, that's just some awesome work. The varied plants, the trackwork, especially the rotten layered rock face at the rear just makes it a dead ringer for upstate. I like the also ran with the weathered box car better than the too new ATSF in the first shot. Way to go!  J.R.

[howmus]

 Afternoon fellow model railroad people!

That danged yellow/red round thing has been out all day.  This keeps up I will have to use the new "toy" I got out on the porch by next week.

Sawyer, a word of advise, always ignore any part of a sentence that precedes the word "but".  It's a rule of English, kind of like i before e except after........

I have been working on finishing a scene on the layout for the photo op.  Scene is now complete and photo op done!  Here is a "before" I shot a few months back.  The scene was about half done.

Here is a shot that is an "also ran" for the photo contest, but gives you an idea of the final scene.

 

Zoe I'll have that Chicken BBQ Special.  That sure did smell good as I came by the station on my way here!