TS SCI

broderic on August 12, 2022

Top Secret Sensitive Compartmentalized Information…

Do you have clearance? Well, then you have to know how to handle the data for it. You take a course every year and then you also need to redo the background check every so often.

And you know the consequences of not handling it correctly or even going against your training and selling the country out.

Shit it’s real. And if you love your country then you wouldn’t do stupid ass shit. But if you don’t and only love yourself you do stupid ass shit.

Ice on This Hot July Day

broderic on July 15, 2016

Ice! I, too, have a story about ice and Germany similar to the author of this New Yorker article. America is the land of the Free and the land of free ice…

The hotel we were staying had a bar. They all do. Hotels. Bars. The ‘we’ at the moment is co-workers as this was a business trip to a supplier in Germany.

Anyway, in the evening of this one night we had convened at the bar for a night cap. It was one of our last days there so I just wanted a Coke. I was kind of done with drinking beer so I ordered a Coke.

The bartender places a skinny, tall glass of Coke in front of me with one cube of ice in it. Just one cube!

I asked for more ice. They gave me another two cubes!

Germans don’t believe in ice. Europeans don’t in general. In America, we have the free ice.

When we were on vacation in Los Angeles early this month, I lamented the face that there was no ice machine on our floor. That was until I found out it was located around the corner. There is one in every floor.

USA! USA! USA!

ICE! ICE! ICE!

Bat Hunt 2013

broderic on August 6, 2013

Not since the Great Bat Hunt of 2000 on the evening of Dad’s wake has the species Chiroptera dared to take on the Gonzales clan. On that night thirteen years ago, we defeated the bat that invaded our home. Tonight, they came again and left defeated.

I was sitting at home playing Simpsons Taped Out when Mom called. “There’s a bat in the house.” “Can’t you throw a blanket over it?” “It’s flying!” “Do you need to have me come over?” “YES!” So I went.

The last Bat Hunt was a full house of hunters. Tonight, I was on my own. Going through my mind was the fierce movement of the critter. It flies in zig-zags swerving and diving as it echo location finds clear paths throughout its paths. I wasn’t looking forward to this on my own.

When I get to the house, it was dark lock down like the geo-engineering colony on LV426. Even when I entered the house, it was dark and the alarm was on. “Hello!” Mom was upstairs locked in to keep the bat away. I go room by room turning on the lights. Nothing downstairs. Wait, there it is in the dining room light fixture.

Spotted! I’m gonna need something to catch it with. I’m going to need a blanket. Throw it on the chandelier, but will it hold?

Let me first poke it to see it move. Open up the doors so that we can shoo it away. I’m needing a longer pole. I don’t want to get close. I find a pole and a fish tank net in the garage. MacGyver has nothing on me. Here we go.

I try to capture it while it resides in the chandelier, but to no avail. I actually dislodge the bat which begins to fly around the room. Going through the house. Mom throws the blanket over her to keep from seeing the bat. I’m whooping and screaming like Kukichiyo seeing lady farmers. I’m trying to drive the bat to an open door. “Stand up, Mom! Stand up! Act like a wall so that the bat’s echo location will drive it to the open door!”

I catch it once. Then it’s out again. I chase it room to room finally succeeding in driving it out the front door.

Adrenaline surged through me throughout the hunt. Now I’m coming down. We are laughing again. And we go find out where it could have entered the house from.

The Great Bat Hunt of 2013 is done. Now I need to sleep. Calm down first – then sleep.

Link of the Day [2.09.12]

broderic on February 9, 2012

Ignore the fact that they have no proven starting pitching. Ignore that their bullpen will be called into action more often than not. Ignore that their fielding is terrible. Ignore that hole in their lineup at the fourth spot. Ignore all the other weak hitting spots in that lineup. Ignore the front office that doesn't know what direction to take the organization in. Ignore the owner who is long past his welcome. Ignore the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays; teams and organizations that put to shame the one on Eutaw Street. Ignore the shambolic state of the Orioles. We still play in the prettiest ballpark in the US.I've got my season tickets, but with the offseason moves and changes I'm not sure what to look forward. I've got opening day tickets, but may get rid of them to make some money back. Or sell off the Boston or Yankee series tickets to make some money back. I will still watch games in the best ballpark in the US.http://www.camdenyards20.com/

Place Holder

broderic on January 29, 2012

Moving the last couple of posts down because I don’t like how they look on the front page. Maybe I should’ve thought about that before posting.

Fresh Mornin’ Do

broderic on October 13, 2011

One of the craziest things I do while commuting in the morning is that whenever traffic forces me to stomp the brakes, I take a look into my rear view mirror. I do it to watch the driver behind me either rear end me or swerve to miss.

This morning the traffic in the commute was cruising along at the standard 70 MPH. It was also bumper to bumper although I leave a car space in front. This leaves me susceptible to some wanker sneaking into that space.

I was watching this fellow make his way through traffic until he was behind me. He made me nervous.

We go under an overpass and seconds later I am hearing the sound of tires squealing. It was from the tractor trailer on my right hitting his brakes. The sound staccato.

I look up ahead. Cars are slowing down fast. I press firmly on the brakes closing the gap between me and the car ahead. That’s when I look up into my rear view mirror. I try to catch a glimpse of the idiot behind me. He’s swerving a bit to my right. Then he’s swerving to my left and he’s diving to my left. I don’t even look to the cars I am going to hit. I watch the idiot end up on the shoulder akimbo to my car.

Crazy. We just missed each other. It was because of another rear end.

I need to stop peaking at cars behind me.

Call For the Ball

broderic on August 27, 2011

Shagging Flies

You’ve got to want it. If you’re standing on the wall, call for the ball. Look at a player, call his name, throw your hands up, and yell, “Throw me a ball!” It don’t matter what team. It don’t matter what player. Do it. Call for the ball.

The nephew was shy. He couldn’t even ask Guthrie for a ball. Me? I just yelled, “Hey, Blue Jay throw me a ball!” I had no idea his name. I had no idea his number which was unfortunate as I would usually call them by that — “Hey, 57! Throw me one.”

Sometimes they’ll throw you one. It’s happened. It’ll happen again. Thanks, Nick!