It's been enough time to try to begin to process some of the events of the day.

It was an emotional rollercoaster, and I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that, YES, I did break down at the end of the memorial service, and was blubbering like a little baby, something totally out of character for me.

It was a very moving service, with a touch of religion (which Rob wouldn't have particularly cared for), and testimonials from his friends about past events that had moved them,(which I believe that Rob would have found quite touching).

They had his cremains in a simple wooden box slightly larger than a cigar box, with Rob's name and a guitar burned into the lid. That was what got to me in the end. It was just the right container for him; but to think that it held the mortal remains of a man that so many people had come to come to hold as a friend...the finality of it all just hit me like a ton of cement blocks, and I just totally lost it. I went to the mens room to compose myself and try to prevent furthur embarrassing myself and then I heard Robs voice, as clear as the water in a Florida spring fed pool: "get your shit in one sock". Yeah, I know, I was just imagining it, "it was a stress reaction". But hey, it worked.

But to tell you the truth, I prefer to think of it as proof that Rob was wrong about death when he stated his belief that there was nothing after the final beat of the heart but darkness and oblivian; I look on it as proof that something of us lives on, even if only in the overactive imaginations of those we have left behind.

After the service, everyone proceded to go to Rob's mothers house to have a party to celebrate a life in a manner that befit the man. There was a lot of food, reminiscing, and picking. Oh yes, there was picking. Seven guitars, an electric base guitar, an accordian, and a mandolin, along with some bongo drums on the few of the numbers. And watching Dave play; it was almost as if Rob was there, just having a jam session with with his mates.

There were stories swapped of past antics and interactions with Rob, both RT and in the 'sphere; there were old friends meeting again and new friends meeting for the first time, and most of all, there was the healing balm of laughter. It was a fitting tribute to a man that was as complex as Rob was.

In conclusion all I can say is goodby, until we meet again ya old bastid, ya should be dragged out and shot for leaving us too soon...and I hope you have found the some peace on an eternal beach, drink near to hand, entertaining a bevy of nekkid women around you with the sweet strains of your guitar and voice.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:41 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Well, after two relatively reasonable flights, and a 48 minute drive into the hinterlands of Georgia, I made it safe and sound to Catfish Manor. The old grouch was in Savannah, trying to get one of his quacks to tell him how much longer he'd have to suffer the aftereffects of his last stint in the OR, and as usual, they put him off with generalizations and promises that it would get better "soon"...

I walked up to the front door, rang the doorbell, and Nancy called out, to "come in, it's open". We had a nice talk, interupted several times from far-flung Jawja Bloggers wanting updates on the Memorial service tomorrow. About an hour later, Catfish strode into the front door with his voice booming out "any calls?" and then came and shook my hand.

Just as when I met Rob for the first time in Austin; there was an instant feeling of having known him for all my life, but even more so. Sometimes you're hesitant to meet old blog friends in RT; there is always the chance that you might be disappointed with the reality that differs from the picture you have built up in your mind, but such was not the case with Catfish or Nancy. They are both even better than what I had hoped to find.

Look up Southern Hospitality in the dictionary, and I'm positive you'll find their pictures at the top of that entry. There are few people I have ever instantly felt more comfortable with than Catfish. With him, what you see is what you get; with no pretensions of being anything but what he is, just a good ole boy with his feet planted firmly in reality, rough edges and all, and no apologies made for that.
I can see why Rob and he were such good friends. Catfish may not be as eloquent in speech and mannerisms, but they were both cut from the same cloth.

We have had confirmations from around the country of those that want to attend the Memorial service tomorrow, including Zonker and Stevie. I can hardly wait to see Zonker again, and meet the indomitable Miss Stevie for the first time; it's just terrible that it had to be under such tragic circumstances.

I hope that the Memorial will be suitably solemn as befits such an occasion, with the get together afterward as equally raucious, just as Rob would have wanted it to be. I have I feeling that all expectations will be met in both instances.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:50 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I talked to Catfish, and he's graciously consented to put up with a "Damned Yankee" for a few days, so I've decided to go to Acidmans memorial service.

It's out of character for me to spend this much money in this way, but Rob helped me over some pretty rough spots, and I would never forgive myself if I didn't go, I owe it to his memory.

Hell, who am I fooling?, I NEED to do this for myself. It's the only way to get closure and start to go on to the healing process.

I don't have a lap top to take with me, so until I return on Sat., I'll have to hope that my archives will be enough to keep this place going.

Hopefully, I'll have some good stories to relate, and a fresh outlook on life, as well.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 11:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Odyseus has crafted a great cartoon about what he feels is the general consensus of feelings among Marines about Jack Murtha(D-Pa) and his recent efforts "in support of the troops".

Just HAD to steal borrow it...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Here's a tribute post that Acidman would have really liked.

I can only hope that it ended up that way.

Chris Muir payed Rob the best complement he could as well:

There is an on-line obituary and guest book HERE, please leave some kind words for Dave,Samantha, Quinton, and Mommie in their hour of grief.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Rob "Acidman" Smith 1952-2006

One of my mentors has passed away.

Rob Smith, aka the Acidman was found dead at 0200 hrs. this morning.

I hope that he has finally found the peace that he so richly deserved. He had his demons, but he gave them the good fight. He was always there for his friends. No more can be asked of any man.

Samantha, your dad was one of a kind, and he will be sorely missed, by friend and foe alike. He never compromised, he never gave less than his all, and there will be tears for him from all across the blogosphere.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:44 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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MamaMontezz doesn't rant too often, but when she DOES, stand back!

I believe that she almost matched Misha's best with this one.

All I can add is a hearty "AMEN" !

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:42 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I never thought that I would agree with any official of the Clinton Admionistration on a foreign policy matter, but Ashton Carter and William Perry seem to have overcome BDS for long enough to come up with a really great idea on how to deal with the NoKo ICBM test dillemma.

Too bad that these two men couldn't have tried to inject some common sense into the equation when Clinton was giving the NoKo's the technology to be able to threaten us now....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Now THIS is MY kind of living will!

I, __________________________,
being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept
alive indefinitely by artificial means.

Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the
hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass
ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it.
Nor in the hands of doctors who are interested simply
in running up the bills.

If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to
ask for at least one of the following:

Bloody Mary,

Margarita,

Scotch and soda,

Martini,

Vodka and Tonic,

Steak,

Lobster or Crab legs,

the remote control,

bowl of ice cream,

the sports page,

chocolate,

or sex

...it should be presumed that I
won't ever get better.

When such a determination is reached, I hereby
instruct my appointed person and attending
physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes
and call it a day.

At this point, it is time to call a New Orleans
Jazz Funeral Band * to come do their thing at my
funeral, and ask all of my friends to raise
their glasses to toast the good times we have had.

Signature:
___________________________

Date: ____________________

(* I think I would prefer some Scotch Pipers, along with a bugler and a gun salute)

to GuyK

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You say that there is no such thing as Magic? Chris Angel begs to differ!

Truly amazing to observe his skill at what he does...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Catfish sent me this....and I must agree with him, where the HELL ARE our priorities?!?!

Priorities!

Five million of our older Americans have not signed up yet for their
Medicare, Part D, drug plan--they are old and confused. We are not going
to grant them an extension.

However, 12 million illegal aliens are in
our country and we are going to allow them to stay, protest, procreate,
receive support monies, attend schools, avoid paying income taxes, have
our teachers take 300 hours of ESOL (English as a second language)
training at our expense, etc.

WE MUST REALLY DISLIKE OUR OLD PEOPLE! OR, WE MUST REALLY LOVE TACOS!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Steve Yuhas has an excellent article on the Hamdaniya 8.

The real shame is that these men have already been tarnished forever, no matter what the outcome of the Article 32 procedings.

That the Marine Corps has allowed the procedings to become a political football for partisian forces is a greater stain on the honor of the Corps than the incident itself, should it prove to be borne out as being actually true.

to Mamamontezz for the heads up.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:43 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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To all that use SBC services...BEWARE.

"Your data belong to them".

I believe that data mining and some limited focusing on specific targets are legitimate national security activities; but this new policy far exceeds those parameters.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:27 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It is with the saddest heart that I must pass on the following news. Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.

The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy "as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded". Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, h e was still a crusty old man and was considered a roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly dad, Pop Tart. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

to Catfish

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A blonde decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no
lessons or prior experience. She mounts the horse, unassisted,
and the horse immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady
and rhythmic pace, but the blonde begins to slip from the saddle.

In terror, she grabs for the horse's mane, but cannot seem to get a firm
grip. She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but
she slides down the side of the horse anyway. The horse gallops along,
seemingly impervious to its slipping rider.

Finally, giving up her frail grip, the blonde attempts to leap away from the
horse and throw herself to safety. Unfortunately, her foot
has become entangled in the stirrup, and she is now at the mercy of the
horse's pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over
and over.

As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from
unconsciousness when to her great fortune . . .

Frank, the Wal-Mart greeter, sees her and unplugs the horse.

to Bob

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Ann Coulter throws down the gauntlet yet again in her latest post.

My favorite line is :

"Finally, a word to those of you out there who have yet to be offended by something I have written or said: Please be patient. I am working as fast as I can. "

You GO, Ann!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Has Rep. Murtha overplayed his hand? Robert Novak seems to think so.

I personally hope that Murtha continues speaking out loudly and often. While it won't be long before the Democrats start to try to distance themselves from his senile rantings, the ugly truth is that he does represent the views of a large segment of the Left's base, and the more those views are exposed, the better. For the GOP.

On a similar note, Victor David Hanson outlines his reasoning why the Fall elections won't be as good for the Democrats as they are trying to project they will be. I HOPE that Mr. Hanson's reasoning hold true, but he is forgetting one wild card, and that is that he comes from a logical reasoning frame of view, and unfortunately, many of the electorate these days have eschewed that type of reasoning to one based on "feelings" and whatever the current meme of the left is in favor at the moment. Mr. Hanson view is dependent on an informed, reasoning, electorate; and it seems in recent times that there is a serious lack in those areas in a large segment of the electorate....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Neil Boortz has a chance to give an overview of the Fair Tax proposal (HR25). I have been studying this proposal for almost a year now, and I have to say that I believe that this could be the most important legislation to come down the pike in a hundred years.

If you want to get a more in depth analysis, go HERE.

I sincerely believe that this proposal will do more towards giving the power back to the people and away from the political elites than any other single step.

Update: Grin & Bear It uses the Fair Tax in a cartoon:

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:50 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Want to know the real reason that gasoline is topping out at over $3 a gallon?

Can you say overregulation boys and girls?

I was glad that Mr. Du Pont pointed out the Green's fallacy of ethonol as a substitute. It really isn't a cost efficient fuel in the long term. When the cost of production is only one barrel (of fuel) less than the end product produced, it certainly isn't the panacea that the tree hugers would have us think it is.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:19 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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This is out of date, but if the pundits are correct, it may come back as current in mid 08..

On a Saturday afternoon, in Washington, D. C., Senator John Kerry's campaign
manager visited the Cardinal of the Catholic cathedral. He told the Cardinal
that John Kerry would be attending the next day's sermon, and he asked if
the Cardinal would kindly point out Kerry to the congregation and say a few
words that would include calling Kerry a saint.

The Cardinal replied, "No, I don't really like the man, and there are issues
of conflict with the Catholic Church over certain of Kerry's views."

Kerry's manager then said, "Look, I'll write a check here and now for a
donation of $100,000 to your church if you'll just tell the congregation you

see Kerry as a saint"

The Cardinal thought about it and said, "Well, the church can use the money,
so I'll work your request into tomorrow's sermon."

As Kerry's manager promised, Senator Kerry appeared for the Sunday sermon
and seated himself prominently at the edge of the main aisle. And, during
the sermon, as promised, the Cardinal pointed out that Senator Kerry was
present.

Then the Cardinal went on to explain to the congregation, "While Senator
Kerry's presence is probably an honor to some, he is not my favorite person.
Some of his views are contrary to those of the church, and he tends to
flip-flop on many other views. John Kerry is a petty, self absorbed
hypocrite and a nit-wit. John Kerry is a liar, a cheat, and a thief. John
Kerry is the worst example of a Catholic I've ever personally witnessed. He
turned on his buddies in Viet Nam. He wrote a book and portrayed himself in
the best light when he was a traitor to his fellow servicemen. He has lied
about his military record and had the gall to put himself in for a medal. He
married for money and is using it to lie to the American people. He also has
a reputation for shirking his senatorial obligations both here, in
Washington and in Massachusetts. He simply isn't to be trusted."

The Cardinal completed his view of Kerry with, "But, when compared to
Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Kerry is a saint."

H/T to Catfish

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:36 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 ROFLMAO!!! I'm gonna have to steal, uh, borrow this and send it to my priest.

Posted by: LC Steve at June 22, 2006 01:10 PM (lnw9Y)

2 Hope he enjoys it, steve!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at June 22, 2006 03:49 PM (iyh4S)

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