RANDOM THOUGHTS AND QUERIES

************************************************* *************************************************  *************** WARNING ! ! ! ***************  This dangerously illegal and immoral subversive underground resistance message is being surreptitiously monitored by the Beaming Internet Government Broadband Radio Oscillation Telecommunications Hearing Electronics Reconnaissance (i.e., "B.I.G. B.R.O.T.H.E.R.") as part of a coordinated clandestine domestic surveillance investigation, in cooperation with the National Administration of Zealous Interrogation (i.e., "N.A.Z.I.") and the Commission on Message Monitoring Investigative Electronics (i.e., "C.O.M.M.I.E."). Serious felony criminal charges are pending, with extreme penalties yet to be determined!  *************************************************  Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:  Tomorrow, Tuesday 25 June 2013, is the birthday of my biologic ancestral Scottish clan, Clan Henderson.  Independence Day is almost here! What do you plan to do for Independence Day? Please, ALWAYS refer to it as "Independence Day", and do NOT call it, the "Fourth of July"! Interestingly, in a letter from John Adams to his wife, Abigail, he said we should celebrate Independence Day on the SECOND day of July! Ain't that there something, huh? Does anyone reading this e-mail message know anything about photography? In 2006, I purchased a Kodak "Easy Share" Z710 zoom lens digital camera (which has now become obsolete), with an OSN MX2000 tripod, at the Wal-Mart in Vernal, Utah. It's a good camera, and I've enjoyed taking lots of still photographs and recording lots of video, even recording up to two (02) hours at a time. But, in bright sunlight, I can't see the image in my viewfinder. I'm thinking of purchasing an extra large black pillowcase, which I could put over my head, and cutting a hole for the lens to poke through. What do you think? Will a pillowcase be large enough, or should I get something else? Do you like railroad trains as much as I do? I sure wish I could talk with someone who is (or was) employed by the railroad. I've got lots of questions to ask. Why does a locomotive sometimes ring its bell, and sometimes doesn't? Why does a locomotive sometimes flash its ditch lights, and other times, doesn't? What are the different signals of a locomotive whistle? What are the different types of freight cars, and why are they designed and constructed the way they are? I'm really intrigued by the evolution of freight containers, from what it was like when I was a boy, to what we see today. When and why did railroads stop using cattle cars? I haven't seen a cattle car on a railroad freight train in so many years, I can't even remember, have you? What does the crew think about each time they climb into the cab? The reason I wonder about that is because once that train is highballing, and with all those street crossings, there's no way to stop it, and sooner or later during the career of a railroad locomotive engineer and/or conductor, it's virtually inevitable that some idiot(s) will cross the tracks right smack dab in front of them, whether deliberately or accidentally. Have you seen the 2007 Hollywood movie, "RAILS AND TIES"? It's in my personal DVD library, and if you're a railroad buff, or a fan of Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden, you'll LOVE this show! But, be prepared, because it's a family tear jerker. Whenever I see someone who's physically or mentally disabled, I feel so sorry for them, and I count my blessings that I am so lucky. Why? Because they'll never get the opportunity I had, of serving in the United States Army during a time of war. Maybe that sentiment sounds a little juvenile, but honestly, if it weren't for the United States Army, and the desperation entailed by a very unpopular war, whatever would have become of me? Only folks who are personally acquainted with my traumatically turbulent adolescent background, with its seemingly insurmountable obstacles, can appreciate the true miracle that occurred when I was drafted into the United States Army on the afternoon of Thursday 07 December 1967. What happens to a young man who knows he can never be a soldier? Yes, 'tis the middle of Summer, but, I sure do enjoy looking at my Christmas tree, with the unopened presents underneath it, and the manger scene set up on the table, and my flickering fireplace on my new television screen. Maybe I ought to order some fruit cake over the Internet. It's been a long time since I ate any fruit cake, and I love that stuff. Christmas would be a lot more fun if there was somebody here besides myself. I wish it would snow. I really miss the snow. Well, it's almost time for my favorite television show, "ROUTE 66", which airs here each night during the week at 2100 Hours, from Pascagoula, Mississippi on WKFK-TV 7. Tomorrow, Tuesday 25 June 2013, at 1400 Hours, members of the First United Methodist Church in Long Beach, Mississippi, will be here at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Mississippi to put on a puppet show. I hope I'll be awake and feeling well enough to go downstairs and see it. If'n I feel well enough, maybe I'll even set up my camera and record it. Thank you. John Robert Mallernee Armed Forces Retirement Home  1800 Beach Drive, Unit 311  Gulfport, Mississippi  39507 _________________________ UPDATE: Well, I ain't gonna make it downstairs to see the puppet show. Shucks, I cain't even make it as far as the mess hall, where I was looking forward to a hot dog and some French fries. It's a good thing I have plenty of goodies in my room, along with a refrigerator and a microwave oven. I'm just too faint and woozy, staggering and stumbling around all over the place. Even as I type these words, I'm also experiencing some mental confusion and increasing lack of coordination. So, I reckon I'll crawl back in the sack and go beddy bye. Xin loi. _________________________ ************************************************* *************************************************