If you have somehow managed to find your way here via the blogroll at Heads Bunker, glad to have you. Just don't waste too much time here, there are lots of other more interesting places to be.

Holy cow. I just about can't believe this:

U.S. Border Patrol agents have been ordered not to arrest illegal aliens along the section of the Arizona border where protesters patrolled last month because an increase in apprehensions there would prove the effectiveness of Minuteman volunteers, The Washington Times has learned.

tnx to Right Hand of God

At birth a witch laid on me monstrous spells...

And so begins a poem called Singer in the Mist, by Robert E. Howard. It is a poem that I memorized a long time ago because someone said it reminded him of me. I am reminded it of it tonight because, although I would sometimes like to be more explicit about certain aspects of my employment, I dare not. The odds of anyone who matters ever reading this blog are extremely small, yet, that infinitesmal likelihood means that it will almost certainly happen. This is one aspect of the curse.

I will say that my morning was considerably brightened today when I saw a certain name on the list of people who would be reading meters instead of delivering notices. I actually laughed aloud.

This week started easy, and then got very hard. Southside meter routes seem to be disproportionately long, and CPS always seems to get behind and need us more often in that area. Thus, I spent Wednesday through today in various southside neighborhoods. Yesterday there must have been a worn spot on one sock, because I developed a blister that turned somewhat painful today and is still making me limp now. Today I even accomplished something new. It is a horrendous route which I have done 7 or 8 times since our "project" started (about 1 1/2 years now), and I have never been able to finish it in one day. Today I did finish it, although it nearly killed me. The intense humidity didn't help much, either.

No dangerous dog encounters to report for this week. In fact, I spent a couple of minutes today with the friendliest pit bull I have ever met.

Tonight I have been reading an entire blog. Yes, this is the first time I've ever gone all the way through all the archives and read every word. The blog is The Darth Side, and it is told from the point of view of Darth Vader. It is funny, and sometimes very touching. The author of it is a great writer. I recommend it for anyone who wants to get in some quality fiction laced with good doses of humor.

Speaking of which, I laughed for quite some time yesterday over accounts of the escalating tensions between China and Right Hand of God. I gotta start reading more humor.

Sure, I could edit my last entry, but what would be the fun in that? Mere minutes after typing up the last post, what should I find but this:

The public could no longer find out who has a state permit to carry a concealed handgun under a bill approved unanimously Thursday by the Texas Senate.

A permit holder's identity could be disclosed only if that person has been arrested, indicted or convicted of a crime.

The Senate approved the measure with little discussion. It was tacked onto a bill that would extend the renewal time for a concealed handgun license.

The House passed a measure in March that also would keep permit holder identities secret.

Under current law, the Department of Public Safety must disclose whether someone holds a concealed handgun license to any person submitting a written request. Opponents of the current system say it allows potential criminals to determine whether a victim is licensed to carry a concealed handgun.

How about that?

A piece in the Medina County Gazette (Ohio) about concealed carry now that it has been in effect for a year there. The author rightly (in my opinion) points out that it has not caused vigilantism to run rampant, nor has the mere presence of concealed carry obviously deterred any crimes, because, well, you can't really prove a negative. But I just wanted to mention that there is one aspect of the law on Ohio which I find absolutely horrifying:

As the concealed-carry law stands, only members of the news media may see the list of permit holders. The Gazette so far has not published the list, but other newspapers have. Hassinger said he disagrees with the media-only aspect of it. Either the list should be public or it shouldn't be. No in-between.

In-between, hell. There shouldn't be a list, period. In Texas it is possible to find out if a specific individual has a license, but that individual must be specifically named, and all you get is a yes or a no. And frankly, I am uncomfortable even with that. Allowing a complete list is insane. And whose idea was it to give media outlets the sole power in accessing and publicizing this list? Ye gads, it boggles the mind.