Justin

Justin is the young Coot with a Cantankerous Soul who continues to be educated by older, more cootish Ralph and Bob. His Cantankerosity is his own.

We have Pussified this country.

Posted by Justin at 11:03 Coot Law, Down with, rants

Feb 232015

I am not as old as Ralph. I was too young to remember all of the good things in the ’70’s. I do remember MTV’s launch, Reagan’s inauguration and the Challenger disaster. I have also seen the country turn into a nearly spineless glob of crap. People will say we are strong. Well we were. Clinton came along and shut down so much military that we are not the crushing powerhouse we used to be.

Good thing the rest of the world has deteriorated as well. I am here at 36 years old looking back at how we have brought drugs, rap music and that bull-crap “Green” movement to the country. For some reason the last 15 years or so have been filled with people spouting sewage about how it is everyone’s fault that we have nice things.

If you don’t have those stupid twisty light bulbs and high efficiency toilets you are a bad bad person! Unplug your TV at night so it doesn’t take .005 cents worth of electricity. I refuse to do this. I leave my computer on all night too.

I miss my 1977 V8 Ford Pickup that got 8 miles to a gallon if I was lucky. That sucker had some torque and power. I saw a show on the Travel Channel the other day where they were still using the styrofoam containers at the McDonalds in Italy. I miss those.

I am thoroughly convinced that my Great Grandfather would fall over dead if he saw how this country was going. Of course he would be in jail for assaulting the guy that came by telling him he couldn’t water his lawn that much or how his fertilizer was not “approved”. Knowing my Grandpa, he would probably lynch the sucker in his apple tree.

I hate being part of this generation of pussification. I am about sick to death of going green. I am tired of the city where I live wanting everyone to recycle but only picking up the can every other week. I am only recycling less than half of what I could. And why bother.

Like our good friend Howard Beal, “I’m Mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” I am going to go burn something in my backyard. I have a firepit, and as long as you “cook” something on it they don’t complain. There is a dog next door…..

Justin

Justin is the young Coot with a Cantankerous Soul who continues to be educated by older, more cootish Ralph and Bob. His Cantankerosity is his own.

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To Yell at a Guru?

Posted by Justin at 11:03 rants

Feb 232015

Image via Wikipedia

Well for better or for worse, I have been looking at some nuts and bolts around here at the Coots site. I have discovered in the course of events that Ralph has been writing much more than anyone else here. Maybe he is just more dedicated or maybe he just has nothing better to do than to be an instigator.

Instigator in the dictionary of the coots should read: 1. Ralph Carlson, see ralphcarlson.com 2. The guy who has nothing better to do than come up with ideas for others to implement, see #1. 3. A guy with too much time on his hands, see #1. 4. Retired and needing to do something to stay away from his murderous-minded wife, see #1.

You have all read the origin story of the coots, from humble comment to site, comment made by, you guessed it, Ralph. And as we grow and go forward he keeps coming up with stuff for us to do. Maybe he has all the time he wants to sit and write for 2 blogs, his kids are grown and he doesn’t have medical issues that need major narcotics to deal with. Or maybe he is just the Coots Guru that we need. (see picture: Coots on a tire! which one is Ralph?)

I used to be able to keep up with him pretty good on postings and our numbers were fairly even. Bob is so far behind that he is never going to catch up. But now, I find myself 33 posts behind Ralph! I know I was off for a while but good freaking grief in a kettle. I know that numbers like that shouldn’t mean anything, my posts are far superior, well some of them at least, but just by sheer numbers I have to dub Ralph the Coots Guru.

And now, I have to decide to yell at him or not. He is the patron saint of Cantankerousness here. I think I will not yell today. But I always have that option. And now here is a real life question for you. Is it permissible to yell at your Guru’s? By that I certainly mean yell, but also disagree. If you pick up a new program (much like my new stay at home dad program that will be launching soon) and you don’t agree with something in there, I would like the feedback for someone to leave me a profanity laden email cursing out generations of my family and telling me what I did wrong.

I will probably make fun of that person on Twitter but I am not opposed to the criticism. We have the right to our own thoughts and the speech that comes from us protected under the Constitution and the First Amendment. We also have the right, no the obligation to disagree with someone who we truly feel is wrong, see Declaration of Independence. These are not new concepts. These are not wild ideas that I have created.

We need to strive for the fortitude and the Cantankerousness to put out there what our minds conjure. We need to read and understand others, to look at their ideas and programs, and then decide if they are for us or not. And you don’t have to be mean about it, but sarcasm helps.

Have a great Thursday.

-Justin

Justin

Justin is the young Coot with a Cantankerous Soul who continues to be educated by older, more cootish Ralph and Bob. His Cantankerosity is his own.

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Coot Lesson 9: Self Editing is not Cantankerous!

Posted by Justin at 11:03 Coots Lessons, Plain 'ol Cantankerous

Feb 232015

While discretion may be the better part of valor, and it will probably save your marriage more than once, that self editing is not cantankerous.

In previous lessons you learned to say what you think and say it when you feel it. This lesson is really no different, just a re-iteration of what should be an ingrained part of your cantankerousness already.

Say what is on your mind and damn the consequences.

America has been proven time and time again to be a great place to live. We have a fantastic Constitution that guarantees Citizens the right to free speech. That has been taken to extremes in the past but it is still a a core value for Americans.

While there are several states that still strive to limit the freedom of speech that Federal law guarantees, the truth is, the pandering, mealy mouthed politicians of this country are trying to play both sides against the middle and make this country a bunch of poofy, we can all get along if we don’t talk to each other mean sissies.

Face it, you are going to piss someone off in your lifetime. Not everyone is going to like you. You will not be friends with everyone. You may be likeable and people will like you, or at least tolerate you but not everyone will. There are people I can’t stand to be around so I don’t associate with them.

The problem comes when you are trying to use this self editing to change your intent or position to try and get everyone to like you. It can’t be done. It is much better to come out and say what you need to say and risk offending people. It will either work out or it won’t. Either way it will feed your cantankerousness.

Sure, you may get in trouble, you may even go to jail, but you are still true to your new cantankerous self. The constitution guarantees it, cantakerousness demands it, but it is still hard to get over that social block that has been beaten into us by our mothers to be nice. Get over it. it will be ok.

I would like to quote John Adams or George Washington here, but I can’t think of anything appropriate so I will settle for Denis Leary. “Life sucks, get a helmet.” That should sum it up nicely. Quit editing yourself and say what you think.

Unless of course it will endanger your marriage or send you to federal prison for what promises to be the “longest night of your life” (Shawshank Redemption, look it up) then, discretion is the better part of valor.

Soldier on good people,

Justin

Justin is the young Coot with a Cantankerous Soul who continues to be educated by older, more cootish Ralph and Bob. His Cantankerosity is his own.

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Head to the Rodeo

Posted by Justin at 11:03 principles, Softer side

Feb 232015

This post isn’t particularly cantankerous but it is my cootish responsibility to mix things up for you lay people. Unpredictability is cantankerous in itself under the right circumstances. That is a subject for a later Coot Lesson. If you don’t like it today, RT this post and leave a comment before waiting until Friday for the next lesson.

Last Friday, I wrote on Catharsis Of The Bogue (my other blog) about unplugging and spending time with your family. That post is here. Last night I took my older kids to the rodeo. It was part of our “Days of 47” celebration which is like founders day here in Salt Lake.

I’ll tell you, we went and watched horses and cows flip guys around and into the dirt and I didn’t think once about blogging or what I had to do when I got home. I didn’t realize it unti llater but it was so good to just be in the moment and to be there with my kids.

This was their first rodeo so they didn’t know what to expect and they were fascinated at what these guys were doing. I have been to several and so I explained to them until I was hoarse what was going on and they dug every minute of that 2 1/2 hours. My 7 year old son didn’t ask once when it was going to be over or when he could watch TV. The large replay screen mayhave helped with that. There was some tech at this rodeo.

It was the first rodeo I had ever been to that started with a laser show. All in all, I highly recommend taking time out from the electronic pursuits and spending some time unplugged. I will always recommend the rodeo. One confession, there was a guy selling shirts there that I talked to about a possible affiliate type collaboration on the net, but that was at intermission so it doesn’t really count.

-Justin

Justin

Justin is the young Coot with a Cantankerous Soul who continues to be educated by older, more cootish Ralph and Bob. His Cantankerosity is his own.

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More evidence to the old….

Posted by Justin at 11:03 Down with, Plain 'ol Cantankerous, principles, Problems and solutions, rants

Feb 232015

English: Evidence of Logging. The photograph shows the main track through the woods on Houghton Moor (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I know I should channel my annoyances at my aging body into wonderfully articulate and cantankerous rants, but I am not sure I am ready for that. As if I need any more of this getting old stuff. We went camping this weekend for my 12 year olds birthday. Man oh man, I felt old.

Let’s just say that this trip I was glad to have a mattress to sleep on in the tent trailer.

I was glad to sleep in until 9 AM on 2 of the 3 days.

I went to bed before midnight.

I couldn’t get up the hill without falling and messing up my knee. Well, I probably would have done that anyway.

So here I sit. I feel like an old man when I move. I am slow to get going and tired all of the time. My body is betraying me.

But then, in my mind, I feel like a 14 year old kid who is going to be in trouble all of the time. There is not the place where I feel like the 38 year old man that I should be, well am in reality.

When do you actually start to feel the age you are? Where do you feel like the adult you should feel like?

Hell I have 4 kids, the oldest just turned 12. I shouldn’t feel like I am barely older than her. But I do.

Maybe I am just tired and the constant stream of caffeine is eroding my psyche, maybe I need a therapist. Maybe I need a big jug of rum.

Whatever shall I do…..I want to end up similar to Ralph, retired and cantankerous, living life how it comes, but right now, I am going to lose my mind and be running around the nursing home in a loincloth, waving my cane and flashing the old ladies. Ahhh Dementia….you minx you. When will you visit?

Anyway, what think you all? I want some constructive information on what to do, or you can just go and jump off the short pier.

Justin

Justin is the young Coot with a Cantankerous Soul who continues to be educated by older, more cootish Ralph and Bob. His Cantankerosity is his own.

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