the frustration in a thousandth of an inch

There are times, where I sit and look at my toys and wonder what the hell happened to this world. There was a time when men AND women went to work, dressed like they were on the way to church. When trying to make something of yourself was the EXPECTATION not the 'just go along to get along' attitude of now-times.
My toys are throwbacks to those times. The work I do with said 'toys' are also throwbacks to a much simpler time, where a car was a work of genius kept alive by the local blacksmith. Our cars are still works of genius, but you danged near have to have a masters degree in computer sciences to get anything done on one now. (even though the premise that they all work around is still, Suck, squeeze, bang, blow.)

But I have to struggle harder than they did then, to acquire some of the basic stuff to make other things. Basic chemical components that were available over the counter at the hardware store or pharmacy, way back when. NOW, I get put on a watch list just for looking at aluminum powder online. Yes, I know it has many uses in Explosives and other items. It is a great oxidizer. In my case, yes, I am (wanting) making a thermite component; not to burn anything, but to create something. Thermite welding is still in use (railroads) and it can still be much more cost effective for a simple casting than setting up a cupola furnace and making all kinds of pollutants and WAY more molten Iron than my crucible is capable of handling.
Not for the mundane though. We can't have that stuff because we might be compromised by some terrorist group or something. Or be openly hostile to our current government (with merit I might add.)

The regulations of now-times really puts a hurting on everything that could be better. Maybe there is a small amount of truth in how certain regulations have made the environment better. Just maybe though. The real truth being, given time (and a short amount of time at that) the consumer would have 'regulated' offenders right out of business. The short amount of regulation needed should have been nothing more than having your intakes mounted downstream of your discharge. That little bit would have circumvented any waste issues right off the bat. The same things go for silly protection measures. The fact that our legal system allows so many frivolous lawsuits to go through over 'protection measures' show just how far down the coddled path we have come.


Here is a woman I would love to know.
You can see she is tired, worried, probably more than a little hungry, but look deep into those eyes and you see Wisdom, and love. Far more than you see in the eyes of most people nowdays.

You see, in this pic, this woman's family just had to sell their tent to by food to feed the kids. They are share croppers and the pea harvest just fell through.

Let me ask you. Do you think this woman is thinking of leaving her family over the hard times? She is still pretty enough that she could move on to someone of more stature and better financial status. BUT do you think she is thinking about that?

Then ask yourself if this woman would have the same resolve if times got as tough.
Why did I choose her pic over some others? Only due to the facial structure. They are very similar to the woman in the first pic.
Now I have to ask. The first woman is a share cropper. There may not be that big of a skill set needed to pick peas, but there is one requirement. Hard back breaking work in the hot sun. The lines in her face attest to that. The callouses on her hands attest to that. The dirty nails attest to that.

Think you would EVER see Kim in that condition? No? Bet she would drop her current beau, like a stroke of lightning if he even thought of selling the mansion let alone a damned tent 'just to eat'. Heck, without actually knowing her, (just her type) chances are, she would find some way of selling her looks before she went down that road. (oops, she already did, didn't she?)

That trait alone; already common enough of an attitude amongst the lower/middle class families of now-days, makes that particular 'type' really unattractive to me. They may be easy on the eyes, but damn are they hard on everything else. And they represent a large majority of the voting class in this country, they also encourage similar behavior in those, that aspire to such heights. (trust me, its hard ladder to climb but when you fall off, its a short way down, that hits like a long fall.)

I sit here an look at my 'toys'. The only ones that I have that represents my current age are my netbook and my phone. Everything else is much simpler, more robust, much more useful. Those two are really only to compete in the rat race. Information. Other than that, they do little but eat up juice and create heat and frustration from me. No T.V. No microwave. No crazy entertainment system. (I will admit that I have 35Gb worth of audio on my HD as well as 280Gb of video. Rarely do I watch anything but the music is essential and takes up a whole lot less space on the HD.)

I sit and look at my 'toys'. Thinking. One more thousandth of an inch. The time line is long but the time we are here is short. One more thousandth.

Thinking.