State of the Union

I didn't need to watch an empty suit give an empty speech to know that the State of the Union is not good.  So, I didn't.  I can't stand to see that pot smoking communist in still  photos much less live on the boob tube.
I'll probably even skip most of the post speech analysis on the intertubes tomorrow. I've heard it and read it all before.
The better part of three years we have to wait this out.
Welcome to the Warsaw Ghetto.

About 20 hours remaining

So the Ubuntu distribution upgrade informs me.
Lord, I hope not.
My Ubuntu version expired a while back. I've been putting of the upgrade for quite some time now.
It wasn't broke so I saw no reason to fix it.
Oh!  Progress. Look at that, only 5 hours remaining now.

I hope this goes well.

The best part of a salad

Is always the stuff in the bottom of the bowl. So I'm going with that, and only that. Well, some red wine vinaigrette and parmesan...oh and some fish as well.
Kx59 is in the kitchen again.
"MOM! Where's the fire extinguisher?"

The perils of driving small cars

I was supposed to be here at the dealership this morning. Ice on the overpasses and brdges delayed that.
I just didn't want to push my luck, seeing as I used up the weekly allotment yesterday.
Aside from periodical evasive maneuvers to avoid being crushed by trucks, road debris has become a much more serious hazard than it was in the old Astro beater van.

This is what a very expensive 18" seven spoke wheel looks like after running over a 4x4 fence post conveniently deposited in front of me at 60 mph.
The wheel, and now my wallet have a boo boo. Given the traffic at the time, this could have been really bad.

I want my MTV

Er, Global warming.
I want my global warming.
Algore you have failed me again.
Forecast for the piney woods of SE Texas is freezing rain and snow!
I am so disillusioned, saddened and upset that the Gorical lied to me.
I demand that the infernal gubmint  immediately legislate more sun flares, or sun spotty things that make the earth warmer!

EEEEK! ERnomics

I've bought actual metal Gold coins twice in my lifetime. Both times I lost money. Not a lot fortunately.
Given my day late and dollar short propensity, I'm happy to not be holding gold right now.
Buying an investment is easy.  It's the exit timing that's particularly tricky.
If TSHTF I'm not going to  particularly interested in gold.

23 August 2011, Gold peaks at $1,883.36 per oz.  Today, 20 January 2014 Gold sits at $1,252.85.
Hang on, I gotta take my shoes off to do the math.
K, the missing middle toe on my left foot notwithstanding, that appears to be a 33% decline since the peak.*

Meanwhile, I was paying $199 for a thousand rounds of 9mm throughout 2012.
Then 2013.
The best price I've seen for a thousand rounds lately is $400.
.223 seems to have floated down into a more reasonable range.

Lead, embedded in brass with sparkly stuff inside appears to have appreciated at least 100% in the same time period.




*WTF?  Oh, wait.  What do I need to shoot a squirrel or git me sum el gato tacos?
Eff that, no way am I melting down a Krugerrand.  The crap we value, ne'est ce pas?

Nothing good happens after midnight

It was a maxim I heard a long time ago.  When I heard it I was younger, but I'd had just enough personal experience for it to resonate deeply.
If you don't find me home at midnight, there's a serious reason.

Why was your girlfriend coming home at 3 am alone?
Why do you have 8$ grand in a shoe box?*




* Katy is a very upscale suburban town west of Houston.

That time of year again

Knock, knock on the door.
I open the door to nothing..wait, momentarily I look down upon two pint sized little girls.*  Before either says a word, I spy the color coded form.
"Yay! Girl Scout cookies!" says I.  Taking the form in hand and looking up I see Dad on the sidewalk, smile, wave and say Hi.
Gotta have my Thin Mints.
Truth be known,  I could do with out them. I like them just fine, but the calories won't do me any favors.

I remember trudging my neighborhood, pee wee baseball candy in a sack, door to door. This was in the sixties. I got an awful lot of "no thank you".
Because of that, I tend to be a soft mark for the local kids when fundraising time comes around.  I don't even pretend to be otherwise anymore.

I'll probably vacuum up a few more boxes when delivery time rolls around.  It's a sure bet there will be table set up in the vestibule of the local grocery.  It's usually a minimum of two Mom's and three to four little girls.
"Would you like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies?!!"
"I'll catch you on the way back out girls."
(dejected look)
Twenty minutes later: "see, I told you I'd be back."
"Now, what do we have to choose from here?"
(big smiles)

Frankly, the smiles and the "Thank You's" are better than the cookies. :)






* These two little ones had to be Brownies.  They were just as cute as they could be.

Still alive

But I got nuthin. This might be my longest dry spell so.....pics!

Our cat fetches!

Hubby will be thrilled that I got this video last night but here is the fabulous Peavey playing fetch with yours truly.

Hops

Wait, spelled that wrong -  Hoppe's.
Cleaning the pistols. I do like the way the smell lingers even after washing my hands.

.

A not so Merry Christmas

Reaching out to the brethren on the Gun Blog Blacklist.

The holiday season for Grumpy Old Fart was not good.

From his comment at Kevin's blog, The Smallest Minority

"On December 1st, my mother's house burned to the ground, with all my worldly goods in it (I had been living there for the last several years taking care of her while she was fighting cancer). On December 8th, a week later almost to the minute, she passed away at the age of 82.
Thanks, I have been badly needing a moment of Zen."

This would be the time of year I used to contribute to Wounded Warriors or the 2nd Amendment foundation.  Wounded Warriors pissed me off with their anti gun owners statements in the press.  The 2nd Amendment Foundation's telemarketers piss me off every time they call telling me they'll give me till x day to donate.  So, they get bupkiss.

Instead, I kicked in a donation for GOF here.  My little bit bumped the total just over $1K.  I know the gun blogosphere community can make that total better. 

Go donate a few bucks.

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. God Bless you and yours.

kx59

Range Date Saturday Number...i've forgotten

Lunch with Belle followed by shooty goodness.
Boy the great ammo shortage really put a crimp in frequency of trips to the range in 2013.
It's been a quite a while since our last trip to our favorite pistol range.
I forgot how much I like this place.
The rules are simple...easy to remember.  Refreshingly un-PC, no?

Good luck in a pot

Black eyed peas..
And cabbage!