The Waffle House weather index.

The National Weather Service (NWS) does not officially use the Waffle House Index to forecast weather, but the federal emergency officials certainly do.

One of the things the feds do which actually makes sense is they pay attention to experienced local knowledge. Most likely because they have been embarrassed too many times over the years.

"Our scientists say..." announced the feds only to be made fools of by Farmer Joe's bunions or the local water witcher's trick knee. 

Actually regarding the North River the local (now gone) Coast Guard station used to tell people that local knowledge was the best source of information for people navigating the river. 

The Waffle House index seems to be a pretty good source of local weather information. They have a well earned reputation of toughing out bad weather and staying open. They also have a company index. 

Green, full operations. Yellow means limited operations and red means closed. Closed generally means the place has pretty much been destroyed and can't even provide shelter.

Closed ahead of time means that the storm is pretty much going to render the place heavily damaged. While like anything else that's not a guarantee that a storm is going to tear the place up it's a pretty good indicator of truly nasty weather.

Waffle House also has a pretty good humanitarian record of providing food and shelter during bad weather.

For all of the jokes, laughter, brawl videos etc. and the reputation of being a circus the place quietly shares a reputation for humanitarian service.

It's about as legitimate of a weather indicator as anything else the government provides.

I'd eat there if there was one nearer to home.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

One rant Almost Joined coming right up.

I have seen an increase in "almost joineds'. as in ''I almost joined the (enter service here)"

Either you did or you didn't. 

If you signed enlistment papers and bilged out of MEPS you joined. You are NOT an almost joined. You enlisted. You stood up to the plate and signed the check payable for up to and including your life to the government. You joined. While you are certainly not a veteran, but you are NOT an almost joined because you joined.

Over the years I have seen any number of 'almost joineds' and they are a pain in the a$$. Almost joined in a pig's eye. Half of the AJs my age were in college protesting the Vietnam war and dodging the draft while in liberal colleges. Here so many years later they want to tell people they 'almost joined'.

I've noticed that a lot of the AJs from the Vietnam era have started to disappear only to be replaced by AJs from out Middle East adventures.

Fact is I have a lot more respect for someone that was a draft dodger  and admits it than I do for any AJ.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

The other day I overheard an 'almost joined' which is a peeve of mine.

I'm prett lax about what constitutes a veteran. For practical purposes simply signing on the dotted line gets a certain amount of credit. If someone says the flunked out at MEPS I give credit for joining. 

They don't get vets status but they get credit for joining because they committed themselves and that says a lot in my book.

On the other hand when someone says they 'almost joined' they go straight to the bottom of the pile with me. It's 100% total bull$hit.

I overheard someone saying that they 'almost joined' the Marines but it wasn't my conversation so I stayed quite. 

Still, it reminded me of a classmate that was an 'almost joined' when in fact he was at a liberal college protesting the Vietnam war. I tore him a new one for that crock.

Almost joined my a$$!

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

An ATNO.

I just worked the Democratic Republic of Congo which is an All Time New One in my log.

I was confused when I looked it up I already had Congo and realized there are 2 Congos, Republic of the Congo and Peoples Republic of Congo.

Anyway there's an new one in my logbook.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Cats are pests. It's just who they are.

Of course I would not have it any other way.

Someone or something has to keep me going.

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Internet advertising is a nuisance.

When i was looking for a radiator for the Miata I had to be careful to get what I wanted. 

Getting a radiator for an NA Miata is simple. Getting one specifically for a manual transmission is a little more difficult because the bulk of NA Miata radiators are dual purpose. They contain a cooler for an automatic transmission. To use said dual purpose radiators one simply plugs the transmission cooler inlet and outlet. It's a simple task.

Still, I hold with something that says that things that are designed to do two things don't do either thing as well as something designed to do one thing. I wanted a manual only radiator which I did find. It wasn't too hard.

Of course the minute you go looking for something ads for it pop up everywhere. Unfortunately they don't stop when you get what purchase were looking for. I'm still getting ads for Miata radiators (most of which are dual purpose but at least they are usable.)

Still, what makes no sense at all in advertising is when the ads start trying to peddle me things like a radiator for a Honda Accord or an F-150 pickup or other cars I don't own.

I'm not too upset over the advertising because that's what makes the internet free. Still it is somewhat mildly annoying to get advertising for things you have no earthly need for.

One time I snooped into a Turbo conversion for a Miata out of sheer simple curiosity and wound up getting ads for turbo kits for several weeks.

I would imagine that if some guy orders a sexy outfit for his SO he's going to start getting flooded with ads for sexy outfits. In fact if he chose one of certain outfits he's probably get bombarded with ads for whips and chains.

Try explaining that one to her if she looks over your shoulder when you're on line. (Maybe she'd be interested. Who knows?)

Oh well. 

Still, I think that over time advertisers will figure it out. 

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The last of the parts arrived for my radiator replacement

so it looks like that this weekend I'll get it completed.

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My friend swung by today.

We grabbed lunch and we spent much of the time playing what happened to who and I really didn't have a whole lot of answers because I left the area in 1973 and rarely returned to visit.

I've lost touch with all but a few. The whole thing was rather bittersweet. He's a couple of years older than I am and not in the best of health. His son was doing the driving.

I didn't ask him much about how he managed to disappear and he didn't say much.  

Of course we said we'd meet again but I seriously doubt it will happen. 

We parted as old friends, shook hands and he was off to Ohio to visit his brother.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Regarding yesterday's post. It's always something simple.

Last night I got a call from my childhood friend telling me he'll drop by tomorrow on his way to visit his brother in Ohio. The call turned into an hour and a half long chat partly about how he had managed to vanish back in the early 70s.

What is amazing was how simple it was. He simply changed his name a bit and moved to Oklahoma. Thomas Louis Martin, or Thomas L. Martin simply became T. Lewis Martin and went by Lou.

He simply filled out forms with T. Lewis Martin and it was unquestioned. 

He said it really was pretty much that easy. His wife reported him as a missing person a few days later and his name was added to the list of missing persons. Thousands of people every year turn up missing and unless foul play is suspected the LE community doesn't do a lot about. They have better things to do than spend resources looking for someone that skipped town to avoid non criminal things.

He also told me he had an attorney on a small retainer that he quietly called annually to see what his legal status was. 

Five years later his wife had him declared legally dead in Massachusetts and remarried. When he told me that he laughed like hell.

He said that when that happened the last person that wanted to meet him was his now ex because that would make her a bigamist. 

While I suppose that could eventually get cleared up it certainly would have opened a real can of worms legally.

Anyway, he reunited with his family but never went back to MA while she was alive. She has passed a couple of years ago so everything is pretty much moot. 

Shortly after she remarried he moved in with a woman and lived common -law and they raised a couple of kids.

This whole thing sounds pretty whacked out but that's what he told me. 

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