HELLO FROM EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN:

HELLO FROM EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN - merchants slogan: "We don't have it but we can get it for you."

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

My Helmet Salute To Brett Favre

Working on these "helmet projects" has taught me much about choosing the helmet that I want to transform into an NFL helmet. This yellow helmet that I picked up recently through eBay was one of the best finds I have made since I began. The second photo shown is the helmet that I received after having removed a navy blue stripe -- s stripe, by the way, that I was able to use on my Baltimore Colts Johnny Unitas helmet that needed that stripe! The gray face mask was originally on a white Schutt helmet that I had transformed into an Arizona Cardinals helmet but I wanted to see if it would fit on the yellow helmet before I ordered the same mask in "Packer green".
The "Packer green" face mask is on order and once it gets here, I will transfer the gray mask back to the cardinals helmet as that is the correct color for the team.

The Packer helmet is by far the most professional looking that I have finished so far. I do have another older "RK" shell type Riddell helmet that I dropped off with Aerco Auto Body --- it has a crack in the ear piece area and I wanted someone who really knows how to do repair work take care of that problem.

They will also paint it Packer yellow and eventually I will be ordering the huge lineman's "cage" mask similar to the one Ray Nitschke wore. Ray is a big hero of mine!

I am nearing the end (I think) of helmet-making! On order still are the decals to make a Dan Marino Dolphins helmet -- you should have seen the good time I had trying to find a "teal" spray paint to paint the gray face mask I had to special order for the Marino look.

He wore a defensive line man's cage as a quarterback( to protect those good looks, I guess), but no one is manufacturing that cage in "teal" color, so it was improv time!

I have always been fond of the look of the Kansas City Chiefs helmet logo, so I have those on order as well. I think eventually I will have to open my own eBay seller's site and see how much money I can make selling these!

I don't think I can part with the Packer helmet, though!

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Yesterday I was going to write some cockamamie stories for April Fool's Day, but I wasn't feeling very creative so --- NOTHING!

Instead, I went out and invested in a Samsung flat screen monitor for my gaming computer -- which I am still to pick up from Liz Fischer. The new monitor is a birthday gift to me! Kim has said she would chip in part of the cost. Otherwise i wouldn't have been able to buy it.

I fist looked at used flat screen monitors. They wanted nearly $100 for a 17 inch Dell -- with a mere 60 day warranty and no offer to buy an extended warranty. so I went to Sam's Club and found a 19 inch wide screen for $89.58 more. Also tacked on a three year warranty service plan.

(There was a moment's panic here! I couldn't find my sales slip and service plan brochure! Know where I found it??? In the frickin' "circular file"!!!)

NOTE TO MYSELF: IF SOMETHING DOES GO WRONG WITH THE SAMSUNG MONITOR, THE WARRANTY PAPERS ARE ON FILE IN THE FOLDER FOR APIL '08 BILLS!

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In lieu of april Fool's, here's some humor, sent to me by friends:

A video from my former drummer, Tom Swearingen:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1809497

As a musician, I laughed so hard I pissed myself!!!

And from my hair cutting friend in Menomonie, Tish:

A friend of mine, who worked away from home all week, always made a special effort with his family on the weekends. Every Sunday afternoon he would take his 7-year old granddaughter out for a drive in the car for some bonding time. Just he and his granddaughter. And of course they always stopped at the Dairy Queen for the ice cream cone.

One particular Sunday however, he had a bad cold and really didn't feel like being up at all. Luckily, his wife came to the rescue and said that she would take their granddaughter out.

When they returned, the little girl anxiously ran upstairs to see her grandfather.

'Well, did you enjoy your ride with grandma?' 'Oh yes, Papa' the girl replied, 'and do you know what?

'We didn't see a single dumb bastard or lousy shit head anywhere we went today!'


And from Matthew Capell:

Some times you just have to ask yourself "Will I live to be 80?"



I recently chose a new primary care physician.



After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well" for my age.



A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"



He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco or drink alcoholic beverages?"



"No," I replied. "I don't do drugs, either."



Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"



I said, "No, my other doctor said that all red meat is unhealthy!"



"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, boating, fishing or relaxing at the beach?"



"No, I don't," I said.



He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?"



"No," I said. "I don't do any of those things."



He then looked at me and asked,



"Then why do you even give a shit?"



A married couple was in a terrible accident where the
Man's face was severely burned. The doctor told the
Husband that they couldn't graft any skin from his body
Because he was too skinny. So the wife offered to donate
Some of her own skin. However, the only skin on her body
That the doctor felt was suitable would have to come
From her buttocks. The husband and wife agreed that they
would tell no one about where the skin came from, and they
requested that the doctor also honor their secret. After
All, this was a very delicate matter. After the surgery was
completed, everyone was astounded at the man's new face.
He looked more handsome than he ever had before! All his
Friends and relatives just went on and on about his youthful
Beauty! One day, he was alone with his wife, and he was
overcome with emotion at her sacrif ice. He said, 'Dear,
I just want to thank you for everything you did for me.
How can I possibly repay you?'
'My darling,' she replied,
'I get all the thanks I need every time I see your mother
kiss you on the cheek.'


An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession.



Like many young men, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it.



One day, while the boy was away to school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects.



A bible A silver dollar A bottle of whisky And a Playboy magazine



"I'll just hide behind the door", the old preacher said to himself. "When he comes home from school this afternoon, "I'll see which object he picks up.



If it's the bible, he's going to be a preacher like me and what a blessing that would be!



If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a businessman, and that would be okay, too.



But if he picks up the bottle. he's going to be a no-good drunkard, and Lord, what a shame that would be.



And worst of all, if he picks up that magazine he's going to be a skirt-chasing bum.



The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's footsteps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room. The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them.



Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm.



He picked up the silver dollar and dropped into his pocket.



He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink while he admired this month's centerfold.



"Lord have mercy." the old preacher disgustedly whispered, "He's gonna run for Congress."

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Recently I have begun to consider becoming a substitute teacher in the Eau Claire Public Schools. after reading this next article, I won't be going back unless I am packing a compact 9mm in an ankle holster!:

WAYCROSS, Ga. - A group of third-graders plotted to attack their teacher, bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job and assigning children tasks including covering the windows and cleaning up afterward, police said Tuesday.

The plot by as many as nine boys and girls at Center Elementary School in south Georgia was a serious threat, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said.

"We did not hear anybody say they intended to kill her, but could they have accidentally killed her? Absolutely," Tanner said. "We feel like if they weren't interrupted, there would have been an attempt. Would they have been successful? We don't know."

The children, ages 8 and 9, were apparently mad at the teacher because she had scolded one of them for standing on a chair, Tanner said. A prosecutor said they are too young to be charged with a crime under Georgia law.

School officials alerted police Friday after a pupil tipped off a teacher that a girl had brought a weapon to school, Tanner said.

Police seized a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape, electrical and transparent tape, ribbons and a crystal paperweight from the students, who apparently intended to use them against the teacher, Tanner said.

Nine children have been given discipline up to and including long-term suspension, said Theresa Martin, spokeswoman for the Ware County school system. She would not be more specific but said none of the children had been back to school since the case came to light.

The purported target is a veteran educator who teaches third-grade students with learning disabilities including attention deficit disorder, delayed development and hyperactivity, friends and parents said.

The scheme involved a division of roles, Tanner said. One child's job was to cover windows so no one could see outside, he said. Another was supposed to clean up after the attack.

"We're not sure at this point in the investigation how many of the students actually knew the intent was to hurt the teacher," Tanner said.

The parents of the students have cooperated with investigators, who aren't allowed to question the children without their parents' or guardians' consent, he said. Authorities have withheld the children's names.

Police expected to forward the results of their investigation to prosecutors, Tanner said.

Children in Georgia can't be charged with a crime unless they are at least 13, District Attorney Rick Currie said.

Martin told The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville, Fla., that administrators would follow school system policy and state law in disciplining the students.

"From what I understand, they were considered pretty good kids," Martin said. "But we have to take this seriously, whether they were serious or not about carrying this through, and that's what we did."

Four mothers of other third-grade students at Center Elementary called for the immediate expulsion of the suspected plotters.

Stacy Carter and Deana Hiott both cited school system policy stating that any student who brings "anything reasonably considered to be a weapon" is to be expelled for at least the remainder of the school year.

"We don't want our children around them," Carter told the Times-Union. "The one with the knife could have stabbed my child or someone else's child at lunch or out on the playground."

"This is an isolated incident, an aberration. ... We have good kids," Center Principal Angie Coleman told the newspaper.

Well, Angie, this may be an isolated incident, an aberration, but bound with duct tape and slashed by third graders need only happen once!


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