Thursday, April 29, 2010

Cell Phone Tower?

I just returned from Montello and the locals I spoke with confirm Geoff's post about the cell phone tower being turned on. However, it appears to only work for Verizon and Alltel customers. I use a Tracfone and my father uses AT&T, as does another friend. None of us were able to receive a signal. We didn't even have the ability to roam. If anybody has different info or preferably a different experience, I'd love to hear about it.

Hopefully I won't have to saddle myself with another monthly bill, but I suppose having a cell phone will be worth it. Then again, one of the reasons I thoroughly enjoy my time in Montello is the lack of connectivity to the outside world!!!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Junk Email - Guns - Montello

I received this forwarded email today and it gave me pause. I've enjoyed thinking about it. Let me know what you think. If you disagree with the arguments, I'd especially like to hear your thoughts. Not just that you are against guns, rather, how this argument is flawed. I appreciate seeing things from all sides, but I'm having trouble finding issue with this Marine's thoughts...especially when I read them through the lens of a physically weak individual, which we will all become soon enough.


The Gun is Civilization
by Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret)

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either
convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories,
without exception. Reason or force, that's it.

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social
interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat
or employment of force.

The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing
with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in
physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if
all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's
potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat -- it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.

People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a
civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.

Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in
several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser.
People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of
it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger
attacker. If both are armed, the field is level.

The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't
work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I
cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those
who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force.

=======================================

I'll tie all this into Montello by asking the following question: does being in the wild west of Montello necessitate owning and/or carrying a gun for civilization?

Saturday, April 17, 2010

"The Magic Bus" - Off Topic...but on point


In the middle of a massage a few weeks ago this song played randomly on my therapists ipod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy6iwP9Ux3A&feature=related

I jokingly called it my new theme song, but I'm not laughing anymore!

Here's a couple more, if you think you can take it.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWgxntibBtE&feature=fvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXVpjjpwNss&feature=related

All songs by Eddie Vedder from the "into the wild" soundtrack. Excellent movie. Inspiring and consoling soundtrack. As a friend suggested, watch the movie and you'll love the entire soundtrack. True.

Thank you Sheri for the burst of joy that I gift myself many times a day. Thank you.

Thanks Chris.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Cistern Pricing

In a post from a while ago I referenced Norwesco as a manufacturer of water storage tanks. Here is a link to their brochure and I've included pricing I received today from a local distributor on the cisterns (underground tanks). Pricing will likely vary depending upon the distributor you select, but this should serve as a good starting point.

http://norwesco.com/PDF/WWM2008.pdf

gallons / price

325 / $365
550 / $595
600 / $598
1200 / $895
1400 / $1059
1700 / $1325

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Loving Montello for Spring Break


Freezing cold, high winds, rain/snow, what more could you ask for to ruin a trip. Maybe some other trip, but not a Montello trip. I'm not sure what, if anything, could sour me on Montello. Once again, I LOVED my time in the valley and can't wait to get back. Good friends, great food, and excellent conversation....another success!

Bill, THANK YOU! Next time I'm gonna hold you down for a longer visit. Just kidding man. I enjoyed the short time we had together and loved the smile on your face after dropping off the container. Les, great to meet you man....next time bring the old lady and the pole...the cowboy won't know what hit them. Guy, Julia, Daniel, Anna, Miranda, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of you and look forward to many more conversations around your fire pit! We'll hope for a little less wind this time. Geoff and Ellen, great to see you as always. I'm looking forward to more container talk and homemade bread. The ranch looks awesome and Ellen, I must have the bread recipe!!! Curt, I'll see you sooner rather than later. Thanks for your help on Bill's place...still can't believe how level the container pad was...great job. We'll hit my place next time and I'll bring some Ubuntu for you. Peewee, 'charming' is the word I was looking for to describe you. Thanks for entertaining the girls. My friends, we'll see you in Montello!











Above Ground Water Storage

I found this water storage container company in my backyard (Brigham City, UT) a couple weeks ago.

www.synergyplastics.net

They have reasonable pricing and an awesome 30 or 80 gallon corner storage container that I think I must have for the container. (30 gallon for $69.95)


Thursday, April 1, 2010

Any Comment?

I was sent this article by a fellow today.

http://www.howestreet.com/articles/index.php?article_id=12949

I was forced to thought by many of the points made. Which way will your feet take you?