Nothing really worth reading, just a rant

I had to work 2 hours O.T. tonight- which was ok, I have vehicle repairs to pay for.
I got out and headed home through Converse, my little shortcut past the Flying-J truckstop for it's less expensive gasoline. The Jusdon I.S.D. (school) cops had the road blocked off for something and detoured everyone onto Hwy 78- The main road off Randolph AFB- at quitting time. So I went the long way down 1604 to I-1-/Hwy 90 and west. Half an hour lost there, got off the interstate and saw the serving lines full because they dropped the gas to $2.13. CRAP. I'll get it tomorrow.

Down the interstate we went- AT the speed limit- with no cops in view.
finally getting to 410 west when we cross some grass fires. Soooo, what do the two Mexicans in the left two lanes do? Slow down to 5 f*cking miles an hour! So they could see better and see if Kurt could get rear-ended in the smoke. It took me 2 hours to get home today.

I got home and ended up cooking (finishing) fajitas, then the sides. Finally I can sit down after about 14 hours of running and working!
Wife told me the $1,250 repairs are done to the Dodge (A/C and heater core)- and they couldn't find the vacuum leak, either. Ok, get in and on the road to drive some more.

Gawd, I'm getting tired of driving on the interstate without getting payed for it!

The thing that really pushed me over the edge was the whale in Corpus Christi.
Registration req., so I'll take the liberty to print it all out with appropriate comments.


Two rare whales spotted in ship channel

Mother and her calf were seen heading back toward the Gulf

By Beth Wilson Caller-Times
January 17, 2006


Corpus Christi Bay had a visit from an unusual pair of winter Texans on Monday with the sighting of an endangered Northern Right whale and her calf.

"It's an absolute mystery how they got here," said Tony Amos, director of ARK and a research fellow at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Tx.
Amos said he got a call from a tanker pilot who thought he had hit one of the whales. Amos and some others from the institute first went out at 11 a.m. Monday to investigate.

"The first time we were halfway across Corpus Christi Bay, heading up the ship channel and we found the two," he said. The mother looked about 40 feet to 50 feet long and about 60 tons.(remember this- me) The calf, about 15 to 20 feet long, had two cuts on its back, he said.

Amos said he took photos and returned to shore to contact the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which has a group that deals with endangered whales.

On his second trip out, Amos said, the whales had moved several miles closer to sea, and were seen near Naval Station Ingleside. He said it appeared the calf was suckling as the two were swimming in circles.

Northern Right whales seek warmer waters in winter off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. They've been an endangered species since 1973 and their population in the Atlantic is about 300. They got their name because they were a popular target of whalers and floated when they were dead, making retrieval easier, and therefore making them the "right" whales to go after, according to information from NOAA.

"It was incredible," Amos said of the whale sighting. "First, when we went out we were skeptical. It's a real thrill, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see such a rare animal. But also we felt some concern because they shouldn't be where they are."

Amos said the U.S. Coast Guard will set up a safe zone, and sent a notice to members of the shipping industry to be on the lookout for these whales and avoid contact.

A Coast Guard spokeswoman said the first report came to them about 3 p.m. and a crew went out to see if the whales were injured.

"We're asking the maritime public to use precaution as they transit Corpus Christi Bay or any of the surrounding areas so they don't cause injury," she said.

Amos said he would continue to monitor the whales, and hopes they head out to sea.

Ok, so a whale is in the Laguna Madre. They measure what? I told you to remember?- class? About 50 feet and 60 toms. An oil tanker ( the majority of comm. shipping) is about 1000 feet long and god-only-knows how many HUNDREDS of tons. It takes about 3/4 of a mile to even start to turn the thing, and miles to come to a complete stop. They're supposed to avoid hitting a whale that could swim circles arounf them?

Sounds like someone from the CoastGuard had a mike in their face, with a Legacy media type asking "what are you going to do to protect the whales?"