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Correctional Officers – Don’t wear yourself out with a second job!
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1-27-2012 – FIREWOOD – I found another copy of the American Classifieds in my driveway. It goes straight to the fireplace. It’s jam-packed with little ads – nothing else interesting – pre-rolled and ready to burn. The Shoppette was my favorite, but I don’t see it much anymore.

1-27-2012 – TIME TO BLOG  -It looks like Iran is planning to execute two bloggers for “spreading corruption”. Four other journalists have been arrested for various sins. China is always cracking down on free speech. These are indications that blogging is one of the most important things you can do!

1-27-2012 – CRAPPY WEATHER IN AD SEG? – James V. Allred Unit – The Administrative Segregation people had to suit up a 5-Man Team to make a forced move from a cell. The problem was that the offender had covered everything, including himself, in feces. So, in addition to the usual elbow pads, shin guards, heavy gloves, kevlar helmets and body armor, the team had to put on pretty yellow raincoats on top of it all. And the Governor of the Great State of Texas says that Correctional Officers are nothing more than overpaid babysitters.

1-25-2012  – THE RITUAL – It’s back to work for me tomorrow. Got sandwiches made for the 4-day block. Three mandarin oranges and a pear for tomorrow. Raspberry drink mix reloaded in a little clear zip lock bag. Everything has to be “observable” by the people at the metal detector / x-ray machine. If I had a candy bar it would have to be out of the wrapper. I do have cough drops, and I had to unwrap each one and put them in a clear zip lock bag. Shoes shined – hope no “smudge monkeys” are on duty as I have to take them off for the morning full-body massage. Excuse me – pat down. Body spray into the shoes – don’t want to offend. Dirty uniform on a plastic hangar to be turned in to the laundry. It will be ready at the end of shift. Hand sanitizer reloaded. Belt with bat-gadgets accounted for. This is really getting old. Or maybe it’s me that’s getting old. Wait – 60 isn’t old! Crap – what was that pain?

1-25-2012 – WELL I’LL BE PAJA-MAD! – Maybe you’ve heard of the PajamaGram company where you can have unique pajamas sent to your significant other. I’m always on the lookout for good affiliate programs that will generate income on my blog, so I went to their site to investigate. Sure enough, at the bottom of their home page was a link that read: Affiliate Program. I click on the link and this is what I get: “The PajamaGram Company does not operate an affiliate program.” Okay, PajamaGram  people, how about removing the Affiliate Program link from your site?

1-24-2012 – WELL I’LL BE JAMMED – I’m trying to listen to a “traffic” net on 80 meters tonight, but someone wants to try and jam it. It seems that every net I try to listen to over the last few months has been the victim on jammers. Well, I’ve always known that, in Amateur Radio, the microphone is the root of all evil. With this in mind, I’m simply going back to listening to Morse Code (CW or continuous wave). Yes, the CW frequencies can be jammed, but not near as effectively as a “phone” band.

1-24-2012 – POST OFFICE PUZZLE – Every few weeks there’s something in the news about the troubles of the U.S. Postal Service. The most important thing the Post Office needs right now is money, and I once read, in a “Letter to the Editor” in the Wichita Falls Times Record News, that supervisors are not allowed to step up to the counter and accept any of that much needed money from customers! Could this really be true? Continue reading

1-24-2012 – CAP BUSTED – Out of South Carolina comes a story about a legally-armed Waffle House patron who shot and killed an armed robber who just happened to point his gun in the wrong direction. There were two robbers, but the other one decided it was best to make tracks. Good job, citizen!

1-24-2012 – SEARCH WARRANT REQUIRED – The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that police are required to obtain a search warrant before placing a GPS device on a suspect’s vehicle. This is good news. If you have enough information to justify the need to record a suspect’s movements, you probably have enough information to obtain a search warrant. So-called “fishing expeditions” not appreciated. If you’re just wanting to save some legwork, well, who said police work was going to be easy?

1-24-2012 – BARKING DOGS – An online news story reports that Fort Worth is considering a city ordinance that would fine people who have dogs that bark longer than 10 minutes. There were a lot of negative comments posted questioning the wisdom of such an ordinance – too much government  – people whining about nothing – poor use of police manpower, etc. All I can say is that these negative posters have never been awakened, night after night, at midnight – 1AM – 2AM – 3AM – 4Am and then had to get up to go to work. Unless the barking dog owner is paying the rent for their neighbors, they have not purchased the right to invade those properties with unreasonable noise.

1-22-2012 – GO BULLS – I’m not talking about the Chicago Bulls, either. Once again a stupid ass is gored by a bull! This is great news as I always root for the bulls when they are allowed to run through the streets for the … Continue reading

1-22-2012 – SPORTS CLIPS – I heard a radio commercial for the “Sports Clips” franchise – barber shops with a sports theme – a great idea! I noticed that we now have one in Wichita Falls. Okay – I’m not against “chains” as long as we have a good locally-owned alternative for each franchise. With that in mind, someone should open a non-chain barber shop with a sports theme. I’m sure a “Joe’s Sports Shave” could offer scalp massages and the other services that a franchise operation offers. I have nothing against the new owners – I don’t even know who they are. I hope they make a lot of money. But, someone step up and add some excitement to the town.

1-22-2012 – METH LABS – My wife is all congested so I went to Walmart to get some Sudafed. The original Sudafed with the bad stuff that the meth people use. From Wikipedia: “Sudafed contains pseudoephedrine, a sought-after chemical precursor in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine.” So, I had to hand over my driver license (no, not driver’s license) and be added to a database to make sure I wasn’t going from store to store, stocking up on the stuff. I knew about the database before I went to the store. This is the first time I’ve purchased Sudafed since the law took effect a number of years ago. It was just weird, that’s all.

1-22-2012 – FIELD OF BEANS – Every time I pass those vacant fields on Loop 11 (the loop that doesn’t loop anywhere) just south of Old Iowa Park Road (Wichita Falls), I come up with a new use for them. The most recent idea was a complex of locally-owned restaurants. I know, I’m going to wear out the mom-n-pop restaurant idea, but it’s something I feel strongly about. Anyway, if I won the lottery I might buy these two fields and construct a cluster of individual buildings that would house some of our new and established eateries. This would not be a strip-mall type arrangement. Each restaurant would have its own building, each with a unique design, and would include ample parking space. The best part of the deal is that I would give each tenant free rent for a full year! Yep, anything to help mom-n-pop get a fighting chance against the big chains! Now, anybody want to hand over their lottery tickets to me?

1-22-2012 – PIT BULLS – I see where a Wichita Falls police officer shot a pit bull while making a call at a private residence. I can’t blame the pit bull for trying to protect his territory. That, however, doesn’t obligate the officer to voluntarily get chewed up. If the dog owner can’t or won’t stop the aggressive animal, then the person being attacked has to act. Every now and then I read about someone being arrested or charged with shooting a vicious animal, yet the police do it all the time. I can’t count the number of dogs dispatched to “dog heaven” during my tour of duty with the WFPD. I did it once. Police officers have no more right to protect themselves than any other citizen. Locate the article in the 1-21-2012 Times Record News, cut it out, and save it for future reference. Thought: isn’t “future reference” redundant? You can only look at a saved document in the future. You can’t do it in the past. You can’t even do it “now”. Try it. See, it will take you some amount of time to get from the thought of doing it, to actually doing it.

1-22-2012 – SECOND JOBS – It’s bad enough that we have to leave the house to go to our primary jobs, but in 2012 it really makes no sense to have to do so for a part-time job. Why? You can make that second income a hundred different ways – online – from the comfort of your home. How? Google it! I’m not here to sell you some money-making idea – they’re all around us. Go find one that works for you and start making a few hundred – or more -  extra dollars per month. No extra travel time – no extra gas bills – no extra wear and tear on your car – no extra wear and tear on you! Look around this blog. Have you figured out how I do it?

1-18-2012 – AMATEUR RADIO – I haven’t made much comment on Amateur Radio lately. I’m still very interested in it, and the services local radio operators perform. But, I have so many other things to write about that it just seems that Amateur Radio has taken a back seat. There will be more radio stuff to come!

1-18-2012 – INFIRMARY DUTY – I’m still assigned to the Allred Unit Infirmary on a regular basis. It was an average day today, workload-wise. I took a short break in the Officers Dining Room where Pork Jambalaya and grilled cheese sandwiches made up the main offerings. The grilled cheese was good – probably because it was grilled in butter. Not very good for you, though. As for the Pork Jambalaya, someone commented that it looked like “formed dog crap”. Well, I guess that person passed on the taste test, and since I didn’t sample it, I can’t say whether it was tasty or not.

1-18-2012 – BACK TO WORK – For me, it’s back to work at the James V. Allred Unit! It’s 27 degrees out right now and there are poor souls manning the gates at the unit. Think of these folks as you sip your coffee or hot chocolate this morning. Unlike local law enforcement agencies, where if a member “breaks wind” there is a ceremony and news coverage, the men and women at prisons across the nation are largely forgotten.

1-17-2012 – QUESADILLAS LACKING – The Chicken quesadillas at United Market Street used to be quite thick and delicious. Now they’re a paper-thin memory of their former self. Maybe it’s just different people making them. I don’t know. I suppose I shouldn’t be eating them, anyway.

1-17-2012 – ARE AREA POLICE BECOMING TOO MILITARIZED? – I’ve noticed more than a few articles, in various online news sites across the country, concerning the trend of local police departments becoming more and more militarized. Much of it is a result of the enormous amount of funding, in the form of grants, handed down to police departments following the 9/11 event. Also, there’s the threat, either real or perceived, that certain segments of criminal society might be better armed than most police departments. More

1-17-2012 – LAZY-ASS WALMART SHOPPER – I was admiring this great-looking Saturn on the parking lot of the I-44 Walmart, when I noticed a menacing shopping cart nearby. Why can’t these lazy folks return the carts to the proper place? I guess they wouldn’t be lazy if they did!

1-17-2012 – TEXAS CASTLE DOCTRINE – If you haven’t read the Texas Castle Doctrine or Law, I have it posted here on the blog. It’s a very important law that provides a lot of protection for those who must defend themselves from attack on their property or on certain property where they are entitled to be. The Law

1-17-2012 – STATUS OF AREA AMATEUR RADIO CLUBS – I can only guess that the Altus Amateur Radio Club is, for all practical purposes, dead. I make this assumption based on their website. If you put up a website, then that’s what I go by. That’s what a lot of others go by, too. The Internet alone has the power to sustain a club, yet very, very few know how to access that power. It looks like the Wichita Amateur Radio Society is the next to wither away, IF you judge them by their website. Maybe they’re very alive and well – but I go by the website – just sayin’.

1-17-2012 – A CRAFTY BENEFIT FOR ALLRED EMPLOYEES – There are several craft shops on the Allred Unit where selected offenders create a wide variety of items for employees and area law enforcement agencies and officers. The offerings include leather gear for correctional officers, jewelry, paintings, pencil art, purses, boots, doll houses, saddles and just about anything else you can think of. More

1-16-2012 – ANOTHER AERIAL DISPLAY – On our morning walk near Loop 11 (the loop that doesn’t loop anywhere) we were treated to another flyover by a very small, but impressive gaggle of geese. This group consisted of just four, but they came out of the north about 40 feet off the ground. They flew right overhead, went a little past the Ramada Limited hotel, and made a nice 90 degree right turn, never breaking a formation that looked just like the Air Force Thunderbirds. They settled near one of the ponds on the old Hawk Ridge golf course, where the rest of the gaggle was waiting. What their mission was I can only guess.

1-15-2012 – DROPOUT -I joined a forum for correctional officers a few days ago. I knew when I joined that I would be gone in a few days. I knew that the forum, for me, would go the way of Facebook and Twitter. There was nothing wrong with the forum, but I found myself spending too much time there, just as I had with Facebook and Twitter. I’d rather give this blog my full attention. I think more forum people need to drop out and start blogging!

1-15-2012 – PROFIT MARGIN – Back in the early 1980′s there was a business on East Scott Street in Wichita Falls that had this sign on a pole in front of the store: “Our Prices Are Lowest Because We Cheat Every Third Customer”. Anyone remember it?

1-15-2012 – STRANGE OFFENDER NAMES – Now, I’m not going to give any examples here, because that would probably only get me into trouble. Let me just say that I have seen more funny names for offenders than I have ever, I mean ever, come across in the “free” world. Offenders named after alcoholic beverages, cars, attitudes, drugs and other strangeness. It’s no wonder that some of these people are locked up considering the wonderful start they got. I ran across one name that I’m sure has doomed the owner to a lifetime sentence of having to spell it to everyone who hears it. There’s absolutely no way anyone could guess the correct spelling of the name.

1-15-2012 – WARDROBE MALFUNCTION – I really don’t know how to describe this situation other than to say it’s one of the most embarrassing things that has happened to me. The situation is a single piece of equipment issued at the firing range utilized by the James V. Allred Unit. That piece of equipment is a cloth bag – made by offenders, no doubt – that we use to hold the ammunition for the revolver. The bag, flattened out, is about 4 x 6 inches, and is secured to your waist by means of a belt loop. More

1-14-2012 – I KNOW THE RULES – I was working at the Metal Detector / X-ray Machine in 13-Building – James V. Allred Unit – on visitation day. A visitor seemed “miffed” that we would question the appropriateness of her daughter’s clothing. She informed us that she had just left another prison where her daughter’s outfit was “ok”. She also informed us that she had a son in one prison and a husband at Allred, had been visiting prisons for over 20 years, and knew the rules. She seemed proud of this. I’m sure the state will need to have a cell ready for the daughter because she doesn’t have much of a chance.

1-14-2012 – BAD WEATHER – I was working at the Metal Detector / X-ray Machine in 13-Building – James V. Allred Unit – one morning, when in comes a high-ranking Allred official. He was miffed that certain employees were signing in on a roster at times when he knew them to be off the unit. In his upset state he said “I’m going to cloud up and rain. I’m going to cloud up and act a fool!” He then looked at me and told me to get new batteries for the clock on the wall in 13-Building and the one just inside of 1-Building. Once the new batteries were installed, I was to synchronize the two clocks. He was going to put an end to this foolishness. No big deal – just funny, that’s all. Well, maybe not for those caught under that cloud!

1-14-2012 – MUSEUM – Our one and only Museum of North Texas History is a great place to visit and I’ve done so several times. In fact, it’s probably time for another trip downtown to see what’s new. However, I’ve had a lot of trouble with their website not displaying correctly. I think I mentioned this a year or so ago. I get the feeling that they’re using a template that has been forced upon them, and they’re constantly trying to make their information fit that template. In my opinion, they should try other alternatives because their present choice isn’t working too good. It’s okay to fire your webmaster!

I did follow a link to their page about the Curtiss “Jenny” airplane currently located at Kickapoo Downtown Airpark. Did the City buy this airplane, or was it a private group of investors? I remember seeing a price tag of several hundred thousand dollars!  If it was the City, then …

<RANT>Using the money spent on this airplane and the money spent on the “stars” on certain downtown intersections, and other silliness, we could have had a BUS STATION a long time ago! </RANT>

1-14-2012 – EXCREMATION POINT – We all know and use the “exclamation point”, but if you write all over your cell walls in excrement and use this punctuation mark, does it then become an excremation point? Okay, bad joke, but at least you didn’t have to witness this atrocity! I know this is a crappy story to start my first of 4 days off from the James V. Allred Unit, but that’s the way it goes!

1-12-2012 – DUBLIN DR. PEPPER UPDATE – According to a news item dated 1-12-2012, the Dublin Dr. Pepper folks have lost their lawsuit with Dr. Pepper  / Snapple and must stop bottling the “Dublin” Dr. Pepper product – they say “Dublin” on the bottles. It looks like Doc’s Soda Shop will still be open and the plant will continue to bottle several other flavors. I’ve got two cases of unopened bottles – read: collector’s items! And don’t forget about the museum! Check the “Day Trips” category.