Isn’t there a band named No Direction?

This may get useless as I really don’t have a preliminary plan as to what is getting ready to be typed.   However, several previous posts may come full circle.

For starters, it gets dark early and I had nothing else to do, so I turned on the tube.  I didn’t want to watch nba or nfl crap (ironically, spell check changed nba to nab and nfl to nil, I find this appropriate), so I kept flipping channels….oh wow, a crappy cool movie–Rambo: first blood part II.  Sly Stallone made a career out of fighting the Russians.  I watched the ending.

At the very end, Rambo is asked, “What do you want?”  Rambo’s answer reminded me of most goat shows.

“I want what they want.”     Like MOST of the goat world, I want the best goat to win.   But, just as in Rambo movies, politics can get in the way.

Speaking of GOATs.  How about the Okie State University livestock judging team picking up another national championship.  Congrats!

And judging from book face, there was a goat show in Louisville this week.

I’m several decades into this ag ed teaching game.  I’m better than most but not as good as some.  I do know this: a teacher needs to be constantly learning in order to stay ahead of the students.

Recently, I decided to upgrade my personal cutting torch skills.  I have been able to weld proficiently for a bit but the torch and I have not always gotten along.  I have always been “farmer good” when it came to cutting with a gas torch.  I’ll get it done but there may be a grinder involved.

I found a video of a lady that had the age and demeanor of somebody that would be hosting a cooking show.  But, I learned.

I then applied that knowledge to a class of beginning shop hands.  They watched the video, then watched me and they too were making good cuts.  So, we made it into a timed event AND holy crap, things took off from there.  A quality cut is more important than a fast time but those kids turned it into a complete and total competition.  Which then spread.  Older kids now wanted to cut and be timed.  What’s my time and what’s my grade?

This has turned into a pure competition.  No politics.  Just the stop watch and the quality of the cut.  You see, a cut and/or a weld is like a chick wearing yoga pants….there ain’t no hiding nothing.  It is what it is.

Then the older, experienced shop hands wanted in on this deal.  There are some very high level athletes in this mix that just love competition.  “Hey, Kelln, time me.”

I say go, start the clock, they light the torch cut and when the metal hits the bucket, clock stops and the cut is scored.  4″ wide x 1/4″ thick metal–oxy-acetylene torch.  Some of these kids went wicked FAST!   Then faster.  LOTS of crap talking!

And then the expected happen.  “Hey, old man.  Let’s race.”   So, I did.  And….well, I was faster than most but not as fast as a couple.  BUT…I let the kids grade my cut and I am still winning that part.  THANK GOD!!

And just when I thought we were done with the cutting races, a group of girls wanted in the game.  Nine of them (6 freshman & 3 juniors).  Only one had ever ran a torch.  So, we started from safety to proper lighting to making a cut.  And this group of competitive chicks has made it where those seniors leave lunch hour early to come watch this class of girls cut metal.

It has been fun to watch the differences.  The boys talk trash at each other.  “What was his time?  I can beat that.  Dude, your girlfriend cuts better than that.”

The girls coach each other, cheer and congratulate one another.  “Slow down.  Angle into your cut.  Keep the inner cone closer to the metal.  Good job!”

I don’t care what you are doing, one always needs a refresher course.  I was simply trying to improve my own cutting skills.  Now, I’ve got 25 boys & girls in the 8th grade ag careers class going, “Oohh Oohh! When can we go to the shop.”

My reply–“Next Year!”   And then the disappointed, “oooooooo”.    And then one of the smart asses, “Wait, so you are saying that we can go in January because that will be 2020 and this is 2019.  Right?”  Dudes, they’re killing me!

When talking about girls in the shop, people older than myself shake their head.  Those younger than me like it.  My dad is typical.  “Girls in the shop?!  When I was in FFA, the only girl allowed was the chapter sweetheart.” Actually, he is all for anybody and everybody learning.  But he’s right and that was wrong.

Just this week, while not sleeping, I read an article in Forbes magazine about female welders.  There is a growing demand for more welders and many females are filling the void and cashing in.

The point of this typing is several fold.  One–Always be trying to improve yourself so that you can, in turn, help others.  Two–It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, black, white or hispanic, Catholic or Baptist, rich or poor, there are opportunities for all.  Three–Competition always promotes excellence.  Some always rise to it but a little competition pushes all to do better.

And that brings us full circle–politics.  Our current political system has No Direction.  I am not necessarily a Trump fan, but he was and is our best option.  There are things that I really like about the Trumpster but things that I dislike.  I don’t like either party.  I think the party system should be abolished.  One party is WAY EFFED up (democrats) and the other party is just lying low, not doing anything, basically like an old dog on the porch  (republicans).  This impeachment process is a joke.  It is a waste of time, waste of taxpayer dollars and a waste of human decency.  They are ALL guilty!  None of us can argue that fact.  I would vote for Trump’s impeachment as long as it meant that pelosi, shumer and the rest of those POS, waste of oxygen, human beings had to leave as well.

I would vote for a female president (no, not hillary as I don’t think that she qualifies on any level–I don’t like her or her politics).  And if I end up dead, well, I did not commit suicide.  Neither did Epstein.  I would vote for a black man or woman (your obama was not black and was not qualified).

We, as Americans, need to be united and all headed in one direction.  Like John Deere, we always need to be headed up.

Two great ‘Merican movies were on as I hit this keyboard.  And with that, I leave you with two questions.

“Who made you pope of this dump?”

“Let’s think about this for a second, Ted.  Why do they put a guarantee on a box?  Hhmm.  Very interesting.”

My hope for each reader, is that you do know the answers and are sitting there with a stupid grin as you think about those great movies and all the humor that they bring.   I’ve got nothing else and I’m done.