Comments Require Word Verification

As far as I recall, I usually had word verification turned off for those wanting to leave a comment. Someone else, on another blog, made a remark lately that had me check to see if word verification had been turned on for my blog by Blogger or Google. I was surprised to see it had been turned on by someone. Who knows, maybe I did it.

Well, a few days ago, I turned it off. Within only two days, I received 17 spam comments relative to everything from hot sex sites, to dating services, to what appeared to be communist propaganda. While it was turned off, I also had an attempted attack on my computer. Luckily, Norton caught it and dealt with it right away. Now, I am not certain that the attempted attack or should I say the repelled attack was caused in any way by me shutting down the word verification but it seems odd to me that it came just at that time.

Another thing I noticed is a marked increase in spam emails I have begun to receive. his began the same day I turned off the word verification on my blog. I can only guess that when the bots send out spam they also collect your email address from your blog if you have it linked there (and I do have it linked so readers can contact me).

I have since turned back on word verification. I have not received any further spam blog comments since having turned the word verification back on. I also have received fewer spam emails today. So, as much of a pain in the neck it may be to have to read those crooked and often blurry letters to verify that you are not some type of an automated program looking to leave spam, it is a necessary evil as far as I am concerned. 

All the best,
Glenn B

Wednesday Already...

...and I am as pooped as if I just worked an 80 hour week. Of course, I am retired, not working at all, so why the fatigue! I have not been sleeping all that well, in fact about as poorly as I have done ever. All related to the Big C in one way or another, mostly due I suppose to the effects from radiation therapy.  I get so dry after only 15 minutes to a half hour that I keep waking up that often to drink something. Drinking something while you are supposed to be sleeping only goes to more waking-up, this time to get rid of all the fluids. It is a never ending cycle and I figure I wake up at least 20 times a night for one reason or another, either the drink/wizz cycle or because the furnace turned on, or because I am freezing and need to get another blanket (intolerance for cold seems to be a side effect of the cancer treatments) or because someone up early for school or work just slammed the door on his or her way out or because one of the dogs, usually Pepe, is licking my face or doing the I need to go out dance on my chest, or because I have to yank the CPAP mask off of my face because it is annoying (I have both obstructive and Central Nervous Sleep Apneas so really do need the darned thing) or because my arthritis is acting up and I am in pain from laying on one side too long in one of the few spurts of more than an hour that I m asleep, or because the edema on my neck has ballooned making it a bit uncomfortable to breath, or....

"Holy shit" was my thought and my out loud murmuring to myself this morning when I looked into a mirror to check on the edema right after I crawled out of bed. It was bigger than yesterday, now in two distinct bulges on my neck instead of one but that did not cause me to say what I said. What got me to say it was he fact that there was a huge bag under my left eye and the makings of one under my right. Man, if I don't get a few good nights worth of sleep soon I may just age from the mid-fifties to mid-eighties overnight! Crap, I look somewhere halfway between now. I am going to see a doc today, a new Internist - she is not newly a doc, just will be a new one for me. I have not seen a regular GP or Internist since I was diagnosed with the cancer last August or maybe in September. Decided why would I want to go to the same office where the doc, whom I think was responsible for me getting such a bad case of cancer, is located. Hell, she just turned me off on internists altogether. Still, I need to get a complete check-up and the cancer docs want me to get checked for a couple of specific things that they will not check on, so I am off to a new doctor this afternoon. My daughter goes to this doc and says she is a good one, I hope so.

I am hoping she can help me find a suitable way to get a good nights sleep at least a few times a week, if not every night. By suitable way, I mean as in without me drinking a few shots each night or something like that, I would hate to add becoming an alcoholic to my list of woes. I also mean without me taking sleeping pills if at all possible. I was going to ask the new doc for sleeping pills until I heard of the recent study that concluded that even users who only occasionally take sleeping medications have a significantly higher death rate than those who do not take them and that those who take more sleeping pills have an even higher death rate. I have to wonder, is that because of the sleeping pills or because they are not sleeping well in the first place? Now that I just had that thought, maybe I will ask for some sleeping pills after all. If they kill me at least there will be a good chance I'll die peacefully, in my sleep (only kidding, I think). Another finding was that there was up to a 35% increase in cancer diagnosis for those taking sleeping pills even though their risk factors were no greater than the control group who did not take the sleeping meds. Nope, maybe I had best avoid them after all.

I am pretty sure that this recent bout of me not sleeping all that well will be over soon, just another turn in the revolving door of the cancer experience. I had been sleeping pretty well for awhile, hopefully that will soon be the case again.

By the way, keep your fingers crossed for me, this coming Monday is Pet Scan and CT Scan day and my next visit with one of the cancer doc's and his staff is next Wednesday. I am hoping that they do not call me on the phone on Tuesday, that is how I got the bad news the first time round and just feel a phone call from them would be almost sure to bring bad news. Likewise, I am hoping that come Wednesday, they are all smiling from ear to ear when they see me because they have only good news for me. I have been scared before, maybe even worse than this, but I can tell you, it is some scary stuff all this waiting and wondering. It is hope inspiring too and I am trying my best to go with hope right now.

Enough of my rambling on this subject, I have places to go and things to do and interesting people to meet.

All the best,
Glenn  B

New Blog Added To The Blog Roll

I don't know what took me so long, I have been meaning to add this blog to the blog roll for a few weeks now but kept forgetting. Anyway, here it is An NC Gun Blog by Sean S. It is listed over on the right side of my page. In case the above link did not work, here is the address: http://ncguns.blogspot.com/.

All the best,
Glenn B

Rangeward No!

I actually got to the range early this afternoon, maybe around 1:30 or so. Walked in and saw three oher guys who had just walked in ahead of me leaving almost as soon as they got there. There were at least a dozen, maybe 15 folks waiting inside to shoot. One of the range guys told me I would have at least an hour wait so I just said "See ya next time" and I drove to my brother and sister-in-law's house for a visit. Maybe this coming weekend, I'll give the range another try. Never saw it crowded like that before, not even a team day. Oh well....

All the best,
Glenn B

Rangeward Ho! It's Beyond Time To Get Mine Arse To The Rifle & Pistol Range

Hell, I have not been to the range since, I guess, October or maybe it was September, and that was for work not all that long before I retired. I cannot remember when I last went to the range for leisurely shoot. Maybe I went sometime over the past few months but I sure cannot recall. I don't think I have been to the range since last summer for a fun shoot of any sort but then don't hold me to that because the memory is a little foggy about the events of the past several months since I was diagnosed with the big C. I know I have kept on saying I need to get my butt to the range and I have meant to have gone a few times but each time I have had the urge it seems that either fatigue slammed me down hard or that something else needed to get done and I just could not make it.

Well, today is going to be a bit different. My wife and son are both at work and thus the two cars are not here right now. My wife ought to be home within the half hour and I should be showered, shaved, dressed, with rifle case in hand by just about that time. Yeah, I know, its already 1249 on a Sunday morning and I am not showered up yet - I mean hey, it is Sunday after all so give a fella a break.

I have to make this quick so I can get ready by the time she, who must be adored, gets home. So, let me just say, I plan to grab the Marlin 25MN, maybe the Mossberg M44 U.S. and a few hundred rounds of ammo for each and get my butt to the local county indoor range for some fun. If I am really feeling up to it, after that, I may go to visit my brother who is in worse health shape than me. Saw my mom on Friday for the first time since Christmas and that was nice but I digress. I am off to get ready, and soon thereafter will be rangeward bound!

All the best,
Glenn B

More Apologies Over Afghanistan - A Must Wach Video

I saw this video over at The Feral Irishman. He saw it somewhere else. I lifted it from his site, well actually got the embed code from YouTube, almost as soon as I finished watching it, so I could embed it here. Please take the time to watch it, it is truly worth the few minutes it will take out of your day. Do not start watching it and then shut it down only part way through - watch it all the way. This video is destined for Internet fame!



All the best,
Glenn B

Good Old Boy Shoots Body Armor While Wearing It - OUCH

A report in MailOnline was emailed to me by a friend, the report also contained the video which is also on YouTube. It was just recently entered into YouTube, so seemingly it is fresh material for you to behold. When it comes to nuts, I imagine we have no shortage of them. Then again, I seem to remember when, many years ago, the head of a body armor company used to shoot himself while wearing his company's vests. If I recall correctly, that was the president or CEO of Second Chance Body Armor and as I recall he used to shoot himself while wearing various models of Second Chance body armor and I think he used a .44 magnum revolver to do so. If that was not the ultimate endorsement of one's product then nothing was!

The guy in the video uses a Glock in 10mm shooting a Hornady round or so he says. I would not recommend anyone try this, in fact I strongly recommend against it. There are just some things in which I think you need to have faith and that body armor, in good condition, from a reliable manufacturer, will work for the threat level for which it is made, is one of them - or so say I. I have had enough pain in my life and don't need what this guy put himself through so I am not about to emulate him.



Considering how much it seemingly pained him after the shot, you have to wonder why he does not lift the vest to see what if any damage was done to his body. Well, at least I have to wonder. Then again, what did it say on the label on the vest - Vikingsson (or something like that). Tough like a Viking - maybe so. Brainless like an arsehat - I would bet so!

Hat tip to Deb H. for the heads-up on this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Self Perception Versus A Liberal's Image Of Me

You guess which is self perception and which the Liberal's image of me! Except for the 'veteran' one comes pretty damned close.

Hat tip to Richie M for sending me this one in an email!

All tbe best,

Glenn B

If This Guy Does Not Deserve A Darwin Award...

...I would guess that no one deserves one. I am pretty sure he will get one though because I think you have to be pretty much a stupid fucking asshole an idiot to have done something like sit on a couch while it was being towed at high speed by a motor vehicle down a highway.

After reading the article at this link: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/21/man-dies-in-couch-surfing-road-accident-in-canada/?test=latestnews, I can only hope that the driver who was arrested was the one who had been towing the couch and not the driver who hit the couch killing the potential Darwin Award winner. I see no way to hold him to blame for that tragic event if what was reported is true. Actually, I just looked further and found out it was indeed the driver of the vehicle towing the couch who was arrested and charged, then released. See: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/02/20/couch-surfing-death-charges.html. What a friggin shame, the guy who died was only 22 years old but then again, maybe as a potential Darwin Award winner he has helped clean up the gene pool.

Kids, don't do stupid shit like this, it really can get you killed. Think of it this way - no matter how cool it looks, is it worth losing your life to try it, or is it worth losing a friend by you being the driver! I think not, there is just too much in youth that makes life worth living, please believe me on that one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Why I Don't Shed A Tear When The Koran Is Burned

So some Korans got burned, apparently by mistake, at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, see: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/21/nato-commander-orders-probe-improper-disposal-large-number-islamic-religious/#ixzz1mzwTx0kD?test=latestnews. Now the locals, thousands of them, are up in arms and calling for death to the infidels. Well, all I can say is: 'I am not about to shed a tear for those Korans or for those who commit violence over the burning of them, whether accidental or purposefully done'.

So, why is it that this seemingly horrific offense against Islam does not offend me as it does others. Well first of all, I am an infidel. I will never be a Muslim, never. I abhor any religion that calls for the assimilation of people of other faiths by way of threat of violence, that threat being the deaths of those who do not convert. Then, there is another reason that I do not give a damn for the Koran. The reason is what is routinely done to the Christian Bible by Muslims. You see, in Saudi Arabia, Bibles and other Christian religious items are routinely confiscated from Christians. They are not held for any legal determination. The person from which they are seized does not get them back after a trial. Those folks are not compensated for their loss by the Saudi government. The seized Bibles and other religious items, taken from Christians by the Saudis (who are radical Islamists by my estimation, and remember most of the 9/11 hijackers/terrorists were Saudis) are dumped and or burned, see: http://www.arabianews.org/english/article.cfm?qid=175&sid=2.

I have never heard of Muslims staging violent protests over that, not even peaceful protests, and the Bible is supposedly as sacred as is the Koran under Islam. I also have never once heard of a violent protest by thousands of raging Christians calling for the deaths of the Muslims who have desecrated the Bible or other Christian religious items. Yet, if you so much as draw a cartoon depicting Mohammad, you need to fear for your life. Why? Because Muslims will want to kill you and apparently not the radical ones alone; remember the hundreds of thousands who protested when cartoons about Mohammad appeared in Dutch (or was it Danish) newspapers! They went wild just as thousands are now doing outside of the airbase at Bagram over what appears to have been an accidental burning of some Korans. All in all, it is just outrage inspired by a religion and its leaders and followers who really just want to either control us or kill us all. The "us" being the infidels, or in other words, we non-believers in the Muslim faith and not just Christians either but Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, agnostics, atheists and on and on. If you are a non-believer in the Muslim faith, and choose not to convert to it, then you essentially are an enemy of Islam, that is about as plain and simple as I can state it. They will use any excuse they can to justify killing infidels, it has been and is their way - let history show it - in almost any country wherein they have established themselves to be a majority or even a strong and numerous minority of near half the population.

No, I won't shed a tear over the burning of some Korans but a thought about burning Korans has crossed my mind lately. Imagine if almost every American Citizen, heck even only half of us, decided to do just that, to each burn a Koran, altogether at a specified time. I think it would send a message that we are united in our opposition to violence committed by Muslims against those of other faiths (or even against atheists) and that we are not ones to be fucked with. You can bet that Islamic leaders would hear that message loud and clear and change their acts accordingly. Of course, if they then choose instead to commit violence upon us, well we have the means to squelch it and I believe we should use those means to defend ourselves should we ever again be attacked by Islamists as we were on 9/11.

Outraged but dry eyed,
Glenn B

Hermann's Tortoises - A Little Size Comparison

Here are a few of pictures (all clickable to enlarge) of my Hermann's Tortoises just for size comparison. First, all of the babies together in a watering tub. The smaller ones, all 5 of them, are less than a week old and all measure in at about 1.5 inches from end to end of carapace (top shell) straight across (not following the bend of the shell). The larger of their 2 siblings is about 2.75 inches long. I am not sure how much the larger one weighs compared to the smaller ones but my guess is that it probably comes in close to the combined weights of at least 3 of the latest additions. The bigger of the two larger ones was hatched on July 29, 2011 and the other on August 9th. They have grown pretty nicely since then.

The second pic simply shows one of the newest babies and the larger of their 2 older siblings. They grow pretty fast considering that the larger of the 2 older babies was born only 6 1/2 months ago yet is so much bigger than it was back then. 

Compared to their father and mother though, all of the babies are still very small as can be seen in the shot of: the both adults, the largest of the babies and one of the recently hatched babies. Then again, even the adult male seems small when placed next to the adult female. She looks huge in comparison to the others. I imagine that the reason for the size disparity between the male and female is not the difference in their ages, the female being about a year or two older than the male, but the fact that the female produces eggs. Carrying around 4 to 10 eggs about 1/2 to 3/4 the size of a ping pong ball requires more space that could be allowed in that male. It even seems a tight squeeze for the female. She laid 4 eggs in her first two clutches (only one egg fertile in each of those clutches, resulting in the 2 larger babies pictured). Then laid 5 eggs in the third clutch (all fertile and producing the 5 of the youngest babies pictured). Then laid 2 huge eggs in her final clutch to date (both of those infertile or only discovered too late for them to have survived not being in an incubator).

If you are wondering why the female has her head pointed down as she does in the photo, it is not because she is ailing. She is trying to eat the strawberry colored dewlap of the anole that is part of the print on the tablecloth. Many tortoises, if not all, are attracted to certain colors and find them almost irresistible. Those colors are red, yellow and orange - the colors of many fruits and flowers. They are also attracted to other bright colors as might be found in flowers. If you allow a tortoise free roam in your home, it will be attracted to and attempt to eat, the toenails of any woman wearing sandals (no socks) who also has painted her toenails with red nail polish. It is always an amusing sight to behold especially if the lady is not expecting it and the tortoise too small to hurt her toes. (Never allow a large tortoise to even get close to painted toenails, especially those of a young child, the tortoise could possibly bite off a toe.)

Naturally, most tortoises love to eat fruit and flowers. One of the favorite fruits of my Hermann's Tortoises and my Redfoot Tortoises is the tomato although they love strawberries, cherries, red raspberries, banana, blackberries, cantaloupe, squash, pumpkin and so on. Except for tomatoes, which they may get a couple or a few times a week, they don't get other fruits all that much, maybe once a week or two. Mostly they eat green leafy vegetables like various lettuces. They also eat a good amount of other vegetables such as string beans, snap peas, peas, carrot greens, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (both green and red), broccoli and on an on. In addition I feed them tortoise pellets and some vitamins and mineral powders, all specifically made to promote a good healthy tortoise diet when fed in addition to the above foods.

All the best,

Glenn B

THE HONEST GUN OWNER'S MEME

I have never seen or heard one like this before although Heaven could probably attest to the fact that it has been done before, somewhere at sometime by someone else. I am going to go ahead with it anyway and here is how to play along. I will write down 5 things that indicate, to me, that a gun owner or shooter maybe is an honest one; I say 'maybe' because I have known some seemingly honest gun owners to tell some really tall tales. Then I will tag 5 other gun owners who are also bloggers and I hope each will play along, each listing, in their blogs, at least 3 things that are indicative a gun owner is an honest one, then sending the challenge of this meme on to 5 other gun owner who are also bloggers.

YOU MIGHT BE AN HONEST GUN OWNER IF:

1) You admit, not only to yourself, but openly to other people to whom you talk about firearms, that you have broken just about every rule of firearms safety more than once.

2) You explain to your child, when teaching him or her to shoot, that you do not know everything about guns, nor are you the best shot in the world (although maybe you are the coolest mom or dad at least as far as you kids are concerned).

3) You readily admit to others that while you are a fair to middling shot, you are far from the best and maybe just a bit closer to the worst.

4) You immediately fess up, when calling a gunsmith for help, letting the gunsmith know that ‘yes, you did take the gun apart and try to put it back together again and that is why it is so screwed up‘.

5) You openly bring up the fact that you have never owned one of those, or one of them, or any of that one when other shooters start talking about the really cool guns they own.

The five bloggers whom I have tagged are:

Wirecutter at Knuckledraggin my life away, Bayou Renaissance Man, James (aka: Zach) over at The Next Chapter, Gary at GreyBeard's Gripes and Jay G at MArooned.

Have fun with this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Son and The Military

Brendan took a physical yesterday. He ran 3 miles in about 24 minutes, did 10 chin-ups in an unknown amount of time, and did 40 sit-ups in 2 minutes. He has passed the preliminary physical fitness test for the United States Marine Corps. He has been thinking about joining up for sometime now. Showing some initiative, foresight and smarts, he is trying to get selected for Officers' Candidate School. He told me he has not signed anything yet and I asked him to also consider the Navy, Army and maybe even the Air Force. I am not too sure he will give any of those others serious consideration as he has had his sights set on the Marine Corps for quite the while now but I figured I had at least best remind him of his options.

I asked him, that if he is going to sign up, he does not do so until at least after we get the chance to take a road trip together once he graduates from college this spring. I just thought that one more of those together before he goes off out into the world by himself would be wonderful. He agreed that sounded like a great idea.

All the best,
Glenn B

And The Winner, of the Nation of Rifleman T-shirt, is ...

...none other than the person who came up with the answer closest to being right on the money. That, even though I drew the name from a hat that contained the names of all three (yes, sadly only 3 people were interested in my contest) contestants because none had actually told me exactly what was the item AND exactly what it was meant for. ParatrooperJJ did come very close when he said: "Looks like a cleaning rod guide for a bolt gun". The fact is, yes it is a cleaning rod guide for a bolt gun, so he was right on on what was the item. He would have been right on the money had he then said 'for a Polish WZ-48 Trainer'. Does not matter, for him though, since his name was pulled from the hat anyway.


So ParatropperJJ - let me know to whom and where to send the shirt. You can reach me via email at gbarthgwt at aol dot com or you can leave your info in a comment to this post - which I will see but not publish. Once I get that, I'll try to have the shirt out in a few days at most. Hope you like it.


Thanks to all for participating.


All the best,
GB

Gun Show Report - Middletown, NY

My buddy Pete A. picked me up at around 9 or 9:30 this morning and we headed up to the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown, NY for the gun show up that way today. When we got there I could not believe the line was from the hall entrance out to the fairgrounds' main entrance, probably over 150 yards long. So much for not going early as I usually do so as to avoid the line, to get to see good deals first, and so on. Next time, I head up that way early.

Luckily for us, while we were waiting on the line, someone came by and said that if you get to the front of the line and do not already have a ticket, they make you buy the ticket and return to the end of the line. Never heard of anything like that before, heck I always get there early. So, we went up front and got out tickets but before doing so made sure the guys on the line just behind us would allow us back in the same place relative to them. The line moved pretty quickly, I figure we had a ten minute wait at most. Inside, it was pretty crowded but not packed. They were only allowing folks in once others had left. Several people walked out and then the guy at the doors said, something to the effect, 'okay, another 6 can go in'. It was a good thing because the last time I was there you could barely walk down the aisles once it got crowded. Today they kept it fairly comfortable even though somewhat crowded, as it was not like being in a Japanese subway car at rush hour in Tokyo - the last time I was there, it was pretty much just that.

We walked around and before we got through the first or second row, I spied my buddies Charlie K and his brother-in-law Rob. Then their friend Dennis also came into sight. Next thing knew, Charley came around to greet us and we had a nice chat. Pete, Charlie and I used to work together. Then Pete and I continued on when Charlie went off to reunite with Rob and Dennis. We went down each row, looking at guns or this or that (and as usual I think there was a bit too much this or that but there seemed more guns overall that we had seen at the White Plains gun show recently). Sadly for me, those guns did not include a Remington Model 8 although I did see one gent carrying around a Model 81 in .35 Remington. It was not in all that great a shape, which could be seen at first glance, so I did not bother to even inquire about it. I just kept looking for the elusive Model 8 in .35 Remington or even the one in .30 Remington that I had seen at White Plains but I did not see the dealer who had that at WP at the show today.

I looked at several other guns, with an earnest eye toward buying but alas there were none that pleased me enough to pay the inflated prices being asked for them. There were Yugoslavian SKS rifles for $400 and they were in none to great a shape. I can find them offered online at Classic Firearms in excellent condition for $299.99, and even with shipping they would be about $70 less than the $400 they wanted at the show. Remember that the $400 does not include the sales tax they would charge at the show. I also saw a Mosin Nagant 91/30 I was thinking of buying but it was $159.00. You can also buy these for a lot less from an online dealer and with shipping would still pay less than at the show and I can have them shipped directly to me, with no need to pay an FFL transfer fee, because I hold a C&R FFL (same goes for the SKS rifles). I looked at a bunch of .22 rifles also, all in .22LR. It really made me think, maybe, just maybe, I should have passed up the Buck knife I bought at Dick's Sporting Goods yesterday with a gift card I had gotten from my son and I should have used that card and another he and my wife gave me toward a .22 rifle. oh well, the gift card I still have is worth a hundred bucks and it may yet go toward a rifle.



Note that the big can has two smaller
.50 caliber cans in it, one sitting atop
the other. The 3rd .50 cal. can is on
 the floor. That third can almost fit in
the big can too, narrow end down, but
there was just not quite enough room.

I did find some nice, pretty clean, .50 caliber ammo cans at 2 for $20 and got two of them and also got a much larger, probably foreign military, ammo can from the same dealer for $12 instead of the marked $15. That can easily held the two smaller .50 caliber ammo cans and while it is just shy of being able to hold a third, it could easily have fit one or two .30 caliber cans in there with the two .50 caliber cans. Later on I found another dealer with .50 caliber ammo cans at only $8.00 apiece and I got one of those too. He only had one in really nice condition, otherwise I would have taken one or two more of them. They come in handy not only for ammo but for gun cleaning supplies, gun parts, tools and whatever.

The only other things I picked up were some long, wooden stick, cotton swabs for gun cleaning, a small examination mirror on a telescoping handle, a magnet also on a telescoping handle (both great for when you drop something like a gun screw and it bounces behind a piece of furniture or the furnace) and a box of 10 count Cyalume 8 hour chemical lights (great to have in the house, in the car or to take on a hike for emergency illumination).

Pete did not buy any guns, he was not looking for any. He did buy the examination mirror I bought and another without a telescoping handle and maybe one or two other things I cannot remember right now. After the show we stopped at gander Mountain in Middletown. I picked up some night crawlers and trout worms for my turtle and two Redfoot Tortoises and got another portable, battery operated, aerator to add to my collection (my others are probably close to their lives' ends). Other than that we just looked around the store a bit. I was disappointed to see they rearranged their firearms displays, not placing the handgun counter up as a barrier between customers and the long guns. used to be you could walk right over to the long guns and examine whatever you wanted to look at. No more. I guess the corporate lawyers figured it was not a good idea to allow folks access to the rifles and shotguns like that even though each was secured by a cable to the display and each had a trigger lock. My guess is that some arsehat of a customer, who was unsafe with the firearms, ruined it for the rest of us but that is just my guess.

After that it was off toward home with a quick stop at a Dunkin Donuts for coffee and a donut (I had a crumb cake muffin). Then it was on the road and homeward bound. All in all we had a swell day, got to spend some nice time together and met up with some other friends at the show. Not a bad day at all, not by a long shot!

All the best,
Glenn B

Not Passing (Up) The Buck...

...the Buck knife that is, especially since I have had two gift cards for Dick's Sporting Goods in my wallet for what seems like forever now. (Now for that last sentence being yesterday as now today, I only have one of them remaining). For my birthday, several months ago, my son and wife gave me a $100 gift card for Dick's SG. Then for Christmas, my son gave me another one for $50. Between my birthday and just a couple of weeks ago, I really did not feel all that much up to going to Dick's to do any shopping. I tried once, in that time frame, maybe a month and a half ago but did not really feel up to shopping once I got there. So I left, back then, empty handed.

Yesterday, I went there after getting a few other things done. I went to the bank to have an amendment to my pistol license application notarized. Then I went to the police department to drop off that amended paperwork. Then I went to a doctor's office to drop off some other paperwork. After that, I was still feeling spunky enough to do something else, so I figured why not go to Dicks and spend those gift cards that were still burning a hole in my wallet. When I got there, I noticed they had done a rearrangement of much of the store and had moved many departments around including the shoe department and the hunting and firearms departments that I wanted to visit. no big deal,. just through me off for a second or two. I looked through the hunting department, then looked for 2 3/4" shotgun slugs (none there at all except for Sabot Slugs), then looked at some rifles and almost asked to see one or two of the rifles in .22LR. I figured an inexpensive toy rifle might be just the ticket to cheer me up and to take to the range with myself and Brendan, Then I thought, heck I am going to a gun show tomorrow (meaning today) so why bother with guns now. Now that I have been to the gun show, I wonder why I did not buy a .22 at Dick's yesterday when I was there but the gun show is another story. As it turned out, I turned away from the guns and too a gander at the knives. I recently lost a Buck bantam, maybe it is out in my back yard and hopefully I will find it before it sticks someone (yes it is a folder but is probably open) like me. So, as it was, I needed a new folder as I really do not like the Gerber I have been carrying in place of the Buck bantam. The Gerber I have is not terrible but I do not like partially serrated blades and it has one. I got the knife from work years ago, and free is free, so I really cannot complain. I carry it when I need it as when I lose a knife I prefer more.

I looked at this knife and that in the counter, under and behind glass. None of those caught my eye. Then I looked at knives on the shelves sealed in plastic packs and one of them did catch my eye. It was a Buck Boone and Crockett Club Collector's Series 110 Folding Hunter. Basically what that translates to is that it is the old time classic Buck lock back folder with wood handle, brass bolsters, brass and nickel pins, with about a 3 3/4" steel blade that is (laser?) etched with a Boone and Crockett Logo.

It is quite the bit bigger than either the Buck Bantam that I lost or the Gerber gator that I used as a temporary replacement. One other thing about the new Buck knife is that it was made in the USA. The Buck bantam I lost was not so patriotic but I must admit my Gerber Gator was also made right here in the US of A. I was pretty surprised to see the Buck 110 Hunter was made here. I note, that on the packaging it showed a small American flag and said: "KNIFE MADE IN USA".

I am guessing though that the packaging, and the nifty metal collectors box, which was included with it, were not made here; that probably also goes for the belt sheath that came with it. A close examination, in a moment I just paused from typing, revealed a tag on the back of the sheath that had this on it: Buck 110-BK. A closer exam revealed a stealthily concealed second tag, sewn on so as to be completely covered by the tag I just mentioned. That concealed tag had this on it: SHEATH MADE IN CHINA". Was the brass at Buck to cowardly to let this be seen up front since the knife that went into the sheath was made here? I have to wonder. Regardless of whatever reason, they can come up with, for having that tag sewn on under and completely concealed by the other, I find that despicable and cowardly. If you are going to have your products made foreign, then at least show it up front. My guess, that the tin collector's box, blazoned with the Boone and Crockett Club logo and with a picture of and a quote by Theodore Roosevelt (founder of the Boone And Crockett Club), was also made in China, was upheld as right on the money when I found a small sticker on the back of the box indicating just that. Oh well, at least the knife was made here, one out of three is not the best but not the worst either and the knife comes with a lifetime warranty.

As for the knife, it may be part of a collector's series, I think third in issue but I am not going to keep it in the package as a collectible. As you can see it is already out of the package. I will be carrying it in my pocket and using it as a day to day tool as needed. If it had been labeled 1 of 1,000 or something like that, I may have considered buying it as a collectible. As it is though, all the collector's stuff seems to me to just basically be a marketing ploy. I paid $40 for it, not because it was marked " but because I liked it and because it was made here. Now maybe $40 was too much but it seemed a decent price, then again maybe the regular Buck model 110 Hunter is less expensive than that but that's okay by me. After all, I did get the tin box into which I can throw ammo for which I no longer have any additional empty tin boxes. What ammo? You know - the ammo you pull out of your pockets after a day at the range or a day afield hunting for which you already tossed the cardboard ammo box. I have a couple of full tins already and a full cardboard 9mm case box too. So this other tin will come in handy and will look good sitting on a piece of furniture in the man cave.

The best thing about the knife, out of everything, is that it was in essence a gift from my son. I showed it to him a little while ago and he liked it. Someday, if I do not lose it first, it will be his.

All the best,
Glenn B

Off To Another Gun Show Tomorrow...

...this show in Middletown, NY at the Orange County Fairgrounds. I am hoping it is not a dud like was the one I went to a couple or few weeks ago in White Plains, NY. That one pretty much sucked although it did beat the most excellent day I ever had at work (well maybe the second most excellent day ever at work, the first one truly was excellent). I am driving up with my good friend Pete A. We will only be leaving my place at about 0900 so we will miss the 0900 opening of the show by a long shot. I hope that the dealer I hope to see there will be there and that he will still have the Remington Model 8 I saw on his table at White Plains, too bad I did not buy it there. I want one in .35 Remington and while that one was in the now defunct .30 Remington caliber I still should have bought it as a collector piece. I could probably easily make more on it than he was selling it for if I ever decided to sell it. If I do happen to find a nice on in .35 Remington at a good price, well then, I will buy that one instead.

If I am really lucky tomorrow, I will get Pete to buy a gun. I kind of doubt it but who knows, he may pick up something like a .22 rifle if I talk to him right. He is not much of a gun guy but I think I can turn him into one. Time will tell on that, I suppose.

This time, I think I will remember to take along the $1 off coupons for the admission fee.

All the best,
Glenn B

Heaven Or Hell (Your Choice) - A Tale With A Moral

I got the following in an email from a friend today. There was no attribution so I am using it here. If it turns out to be copyrighted, then I may have to take it down, yet something tells me this was meant to be shared (the italics are mine). Anyway, read it now, it may not be here later. It is not just all in fun, there is a moral and a very important point being made.

" While walking down the street one day a "Corrupt" Senator (that may be redundant) was tragically hit by a car and died.

His soul arrives in heaven and he is met by St. Peter at the entrance. "Welcome to heaven," says St.. Peter.

"Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups".

"What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity".


"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven...”;

So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell." So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell...

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls to the ground.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders. "I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says,


" Yesterday we were campaigning, Today, you voted.. "


Vote wisely on November 2, 2012........! "

A hat tip to Jim McK. for this one.

All the best,
GB

R. Lee "Gunny" Ermey - A New Calmer Profession - Librarian Getting Out The Vote

This is destined to become a classic. I don't know how long it has been out there but I just saw it for the first time today and the NRA was so nice as to allow people to share it with others! You have just got to love R. Lee "Gunny" Ermey!

All the best,
Glenn B

Hermann's Tortoise On The Lam - I'm Gettin' Outta Here

The first hatchling Hermann's Tortoise, of 5, makes its way out of its shell only to be confronted by me holding a camera on it. I took several pictures but all except this one came out badly out of focus, and this one is not all that sharp either but it will do. Perhaps it is time for a new camera but I think that may have to be on hold until I find a job to supplement my retirement pay or find one on sale with a really good price. Pardon me, I digress.


At least three of the Hermann's  Tortoise eggs had pipped yesterday and then the other two, either late last night or today. The second one to hatch out came out this morning. The third was out by the time I got home, tonight, from my travels today. The fourth and fifth have not yet come all the way out of their sells, one is striving to as I type and the other apparently has split the shell into two distinct halves and seemingly tried to crawl back into one half because it was facing into it when I checked on it. No matter, what they normally do once they hatch is to burrow down into the damp substrate of the incubation chamber, a least that is what they do in my set up. I may just leave these three for another day, give them time to absorb the egg yolks that are still attached to each, then put them in with their older brothers tomorrow or the next day. The two  already put into the other enclosure have mostly absorbed their egg yolks and their shells have become well formed. It appears that all five of them will be normal. Shucks, none are albino or melanistic, none have two headed ones!


All the best,
Glenn B

This Could Be The Best Glock Cleaning Video Ever - Ladies, It's A Man Thing

What can I say? A friend sent me this, a really good friend who may have even been somehow better a friend than I could have imagined. I mean - he finally figured out what I would appreciate being sent to me in an email after several that he sent to me that were duds! What was really nice, and that elevated him to better than I had expected, was that he was good enough a friend to take the time and make the effort to figure it out. Then again, it really did not take much figuring - did it Pete?


Whatever, I have to thank him for this. It is something that a real man can appreciate. If you are a lady - you may not want to watch even though it is only rated PG-13 at best (do they still use that rating), then again it does give you a good idea of how to clean a Glock.


Thanks Pete, you are a good man. By the way, there is a gun show in Middletown, NY this weekend. Let me know if you want to go. I will turn you into a gun nut yet!





All the best,
Glenn B

U.S. Drones To Spy On Us Within The USA - The Revolution Seems One Step Closer

 I find it truly unfathomable that we have again taken a cue from England who regularly spies on its own citizens by way of surveillance cameras that have been set up throughout their country. Instead of us doing that here, we have one upped them by announcing that soon unmanned surveillance drones will be filling our skies watching us. They reportedly, as per a Fox News television report this evening, will have the ability to follow a person from the time he leaves his or her home until they return home.  They just reported that Congress is seeking to pass this bill and to have the FAA plan for these to be in our air space by 2015. In addition, Fox reports, there may be up to 30,000 drones in our skies by the year 2020. (Thirty thousand comes out to 600 drones per state, amazing and scary.) Imagine that - our government resorting to full fledged spying on our own country to such a magnitude! It is truly pitting itself against the citizenry and you can bet many, even most, of the citizens of this country will not stand for it.

I, for one, imagine that a revolution, to overthrow such a government, cannot be far off. Note, I am not advocating it, nor condoning a revolution, I am just saying I cannot believe that one is far off when our government starts acting like it has to spy on us the same way it spies on the Red Chinese, the Iranians, the Pakistanis, the Russians, and on terrorists.

Think about it, it reeks of governmental abuse of power. It is not something, in part, that was ever imagined by the framers of our Constitution. I am not saying that similar governmental abuses were not envisioned just that such technology was not envisioned. As for the governmental abuse, the framers of the Constitution not only imagined it would come about, they prepared for it by assuring we would have a way to handle it. They put the 2nd Amendment into the Bill of Rights to assure we would be ready for it. If a revolution does come about because of such governmental abuses and because our government may have evolved into no more than just another tyranny, well I know the side I will choose and if you know me at all you can make a safe bet it will be on the right side, the one that supports our rights under the Constitution. Again, I am not advocating a revolution nor calling for one in any way. I would hope we can avoid it altogether. I much prefer peace and would much prefer to see our government return to abiding by the Constitution, as opposed to disregarding it, by way of the right folks being voted into office. Yet, I am scared, very scared that a revolution cannot be avoided because I have never seen the government apparently so openly abusive as it has become during the current administration. It seems to get worse with each passing administration - no matter who is in power. The government seemingly is pushing us towards a revolution at breakneck speed and I think we, the American people, need to take heed.

All the best,
Glenn B

Hey Gun Rights Folks - Starbucks Appreciation Day - Tomorrow February 14th

Two years ago, Starbucks stood up to the anti-gun lobby and followed their policy of standing by local laws. Thus they allow open carry of firearms in their stores in states and local communities that allow for legal open carry. This enraged the gun-control lobby such as the Brady Campaign which petitioned Starbucks with about 28,000 signatures asking that Starbucks deny people the right to carry firearms in Starbucks stores. Starbucks did not budge on their policy, and someone in the gun rights community, apparently a blogger, called for a BUYcott of Starbucks. In other words, the gun rights bloggers were asking the gun-rights community to spend as much money as they could at Starbucks and to let them know that they were shopping at Starbucks because Starbucks stood by the laws allowing for open carry. Again, that was 2 years ago. It was a success.

This year, the anti-gun types are calling for a boycott of Starbucks on February 14^th, tomorrow. In response, the gun-rights community is hoping that people who support the 2^nd Amendment and gun rights will go to Starbucks tomorrow and spend as much as you can. In addition, let them know you are there because they supported laws allowing for open carry. Some are even calling for you to spend $2 bills if you have them to indicate your support of the 2^nd Amendment. Me, I think buying a coffee and a brownie would be more than good enough but you can bet I’ll also let them know that I am there because they supported laws allowing for open carry.

Mind you, I know that if the laws opposed open carry, Starbucks would then support those laws. They are in support of the laws within any given community, in other words they want to abide by the law that is in effect. The thing is we want to work on them and show that we support them and thus maybe we will actually persuade them to come over to our side. Thus, instead of just allowing for open carry in their stores, not due to their support of the 2^nd Amendment but because they want to abide by whatever law is in effect in any given community in which one of their stores is located, maybe they will someday openly support the 2^nd Amendment because of our support for them.

For more info, see: http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?tag=buycott-starbucks.

By the way, even if you do not drink coffee, or if you do not like Starbucks coffee, you can still buy something there to show your support. Remember to let them know you are there to support them and the 2nd Amendment.


All the best,
Glenn B

Pistol License Application Submitted

I stopped the headquarters of my county's police department this evening, just to make sure i had everything right on my application and to make an appointment to get things rolling. I had thought they were open until 7PM every night but low and behold they closed at 5PM tonight and of course i got there with only 10 minutes to spare. Well, one of the officers took care of me regardless of the time and reviewed my application which was in order. Somehow I forgot my birth certificate and a utility bill, both of which I had in an envelope at home that was supposed to be in the larger envelope I had with me. He said to bring those things in with me when they fingerprint me. That date has been set as March 15 at 1PM.

Another one of the people who works in the pistol license division told me it usually takes about 2 weeks to get the license after the fingerprints have been submitted. I guess that would make it the end of March as the time frame for me having the license, that is if all goes well. Other than my usual bad luck with such things, I would guess there would be no hold ups.

I have to say that the gentleman who helped me was just that - a gentleman! He was very courteous and professional. He was also nice enough to work about 15 minutes passed closing time to get me through the application submission process. In addition, he knew and was a friend of one of the people I put down as 'someone who knows me'. They usually require formal references but this requirement is waived for retired LEOs I imagine it is waived because we have to get a letter of reference from our last employer and submit that (called a 'good guy letter') with the application. So instead of 4 or 5 references, they ask us to put down the names of a couple of people we know. The person, that I put down, that the officer knew, is one of my neighbors and a friend. He is also an inspector in the same police department where I was submitting the application. That brought a raised eyebrow. It is good to have friends in the right places although I don't expect and would not want any extra attention because I put him down. It was rather amusing though to see the reaction when the officer first saw my neighbor's name on the application. I have to remember to say 'hi' to my neighbor from the officer.

So, even though I only went to the police department to see if I had it all completed properly, the application actually has been submitted. I have a date for fingerprinting. I am guessing they would also possibly interview me at that time if need be. After that, I expect to get the license within about 2 weeks. That cannot be beat for anything getting done in NY State. I will be quite the happy camper when I do have it. Even though I anticipate it being issued pretty quickly, I almost cannot wait; I am anxious eager to get to the range to get some shooting done with my handguns.

All the best,
Glenn B

Some Gun World Humor Via YouTube

Nice to see that there is some humor in the gun world. I would hate to think though that anyone would take this video seriously.



All the best,
Glenn B

AK-47 - Pain In The Arse - Well Not The Gun As Much As CA Seems To Be

My AK-47 has had some problems that require a qualified gunsmith take a look at it. Since the AK-47 is a Romanian WASR10 that was imported by, then had compliant parts put on it by, Century Arms, I contacted them to see if they would do this as a warranty service. The issue of whether or not it was still under warranty was not addressed in their return email to me, what they basically said was to contact their location up in Vermont and they would take care of it.

So, I called their Vermont location on last Thursday. I was told that the rifle needed to be sent in for the problem it is having because it is a safety issue. I asked how they wanted that done and they told me that NY State law requires it be sent both ways through an FFL dealer. Well, that is out and out horseshit, NY State law only requires that when it is sent to me it has to go through an FFL. I am most certainly allowed to send it directly to Century myself for the examination and any required repairs. After a brief discussion with the woman at Century Arms, who then apparently did some checking with me on hold, she agreed yes that is correct, I can send it to them myself. She did say she needed an FFL Dealer to contact them before they issued a return authorization number, so they would be assured it would be sent back through an FFL Dealer for the return transfer to me.

I went to an FFL holder on Thursday. He assured me I can send the rifle in myself and that it only had to come back through him. Then when he was on the phone with Century Arms, they pulled the same horseshit on him and tried to tell him he had to both send it and receive it. After a discussion with them, he was then assured, yes I can send it directly. He told me they said they would call me later that afternoon with the return authorization number. They never called me and I did not get the chance to call them that or the next day. So, I called Century Arms today. Guess what, I was again told they would not accept the firearm if I sent it directly because it was illegal as per NYS Law. After about 5 minutes on the phone, during 2 calls since the first was lost, I was told, in essence: 'While it may not be NY State law, it is our policy at Century Arms that you need to have an FFL holder send us the rifle'. There is the crux of it folks, they try to make it as difficult as possible for the firearm owner, they are almost as bad as the government in my opinion! Why would they implement rules that make it more difficult, than state or federal law, for a law abiding firearms owner to send in a gun for repair unless maybe they just want to discourage people from sending them in? Now, this will probably cost me an additional $25.00 and I am not happy about that, not at all. 

I called the FFL who told me, Century Arms has sent him at RA number, he said he would get back to me about it and I am awaiting his return call. My guess is he is calling them to ask why they are insisting he send it to them, or at least I hope he is doing that. I know that on Thursday, he seemed quite surprised that they at first insisted that he had to send it in as per the law. he seemed to have gotten that straightened out with them because he told me they finally agreed that I could send it to them directly.

I guess time will tell as to what I have to do to get this gun looked at and fixed.  should have had it boxed and sent on Thursday as far as I am concerned. Who knows when it will be shipped now! I have to tell you, after being given this ongoing runaround about shipping it, I hate to imagine what they will tell me about the actual problem and then about fixing it. I am hopeful it will not have been less of a problem just to have trashed it and then bought a new one.

All the best,
Glenn B

We're Mad As Hell and We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore

Excellent video in which the speaker makes an awful lot of sense. Is anyone out there paying attention and taking heed?

All the best,
Glenn B

Oxycodone Free for 1 Week, Time For A Spaten

Well, I have been Oxycodone free for just over one week! Last Saturday, February 4, 2012, was the first day that I did not use that crap in about at least a 3 maybe 4 month period! It was pretty easy to wean myself off of it and truthfully I do not see how others become so easily addicted to it, that is unless maybe they are taking relatively more of it than was I for whatever is the reason they are taking it. I took just enough to sort of get the edge off of the pain. The doctor and some of the nurses told me, several times, to increase the amount I was taking to the point where there was no pain but I just could not bring myself to that point. Not that I like pain, not that I do not like feeling good, it is just I do not ant to feel "good" every day because of a pill. Had I gotten to the point where there was no pain after taking those pills, I might have also reached the point where the Oxycodone actually made me feel good or high, I have taken a prescribed drug before where it had that effect but that was for a very short time after a surgery. The feeling was wonderful, not only was the pain gone but I felt as if I did not have a care in the world and as if I was floating through paradise. Had I allowed myself to get that way, everyday, or even just pain free everyday, for a period of 3 to 4 months, well I guess it would have been a lot more difficult to quit the Oxycodone that it was for me. 

At one point,  was taking up to about 16 pills a day of it. Had I tried to quit cold turkey at that point, I guess it would have been very difficult but as the pain lessened over time, I decreased the amount I was taking. I always felt the pain, but the amount of Oxycodone I took just was enough to take the edge off. One of the nurses, only one mind you, who had asked me about the pain and how much Oxycodone I was taking,, actually listened to and understood me when I said I did not want to take too much of it. She, like all the other nurses and docs had told me to take enough to get rid of the pain but I told her I was afraid that would be just too much. I explained that even when at 16 tablets a day, the pain was excruciating at times, especially when I was eating - swallowing was truly pain to the extreme, but I did not want to wind up having to depend on a narcotic. When I told her how many I took, she asked or said: You're taking just enough to take the edge off". She was ever so right. Of course, the pain was often well under control such as when I was not swallowing. There was pain but not nearly as bad as when I ate or drank something. After awhile, it started to subside and as it did I took less and less of the medication. This was over many weeks but as the pain slowly left me, so too did the need for the drug. Then, when the pain was almost nonexistent, I told the docs I wanted to  get off it and they simply told me to do it slowly. They did not give an exact time frame, heck at that point they did not give any time frame, but I recalled the radiation doc, months before, saying it should take 2 or 3 weeks to do it. I did it in about a week and a half or two weeks. It was a hell of a lot easier than quitting smoking.

So now I will celebrate as I did last week. On Super Bowl Sunday I had a Spaten! Man that is one good beer but sadly my taste buds are not what they had been before the radiation and it was a bit of a let down for me after having waited well over 5 or 6 months for a cold one. I will have another today though because today everything has tasted better already today. The wife made bacon, scrambled eggs and truly delectable blueberry pancakes for breakfast today. I smothered those heavenly discs with pure maple syrup, a gift from the gods for sure, and truly enjoyed every mouthful as I washed it all down with a good strong cuppa Joe!

So, I think that a bit later today, when I crack open a cold one, it is going to taste a whole lot better than the one I had last week. I almost cannot wait but I will wait because I have to drive someplace early this afternoon and will wait till I get home after that. Then I will have one, maybe two but not more than that for now. I want to take it easy and I am pretty sure that 2 will be enough to take the edge off. What edge - who cares, but you can safely bet that after 6 months of living with the bullshit associated with cancer, there certainly are at least a few very ragged edges that need smoothing down!

Drink Responsibly! 

All the best,
Glenn B

Don't Forget My T-Shirt Giveaway Contest

Find it here: http://www.ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2012/02/nation-of-riflemen-t-shirt-giveaway.html

Dad Shoots Daughter's Laptop

Well, just let me say this sure seems to be a rather unique way by which to address your daughter's showing of disrespect on facebook.




All the best,
Glenn B

Pistol Permit Application

Well, now that I am no longer an LEO, it is about time that I apply for my NYS Pistol License. I have 8 pistols that I had best get on the license. Of course, LEOSA would allow me to carry in all 50 states without the requirement of a license but in essence only those handguns that were of the same type used by me on the job. I guess that would cover my Glock 26 and my 3 Beretta 92 series pistols (especially because I actually did use all 4 of them on the job) but LEOSA probably would not cover my Ruger MKII, my Ortgies, My Beretta 70S or my S&W Model 17-8. Yep, I had best get that license application in to my county PD. I will probably have it handed in on Monday, once I have a few pages of it notarized. I could have applied for the license right after I retired in November but held off because of health issues. Now that I am much more up to getting such things done, it is time to get this particular thing done.

With that end in mind, I picked up my "Good Guy Letter" from my old place of employment today. It was nice to get out, then to see a bunch of my buddies in the office and to have lunch with a few of them. I got to visit with a bunch of good folks I have not seen in all to long. As for the "Good Guy Letter" it is basically a reference letter explaining how long I was an LEO, that I never had problems leading to my firearms being confiscated on the job, and so on. It was signed by the Agent in Charge of the office in which I worked in NYC. Now that I have gotten that, it is pretty much a green light for me to get everything together and then bring it to the police department. if all goes well, I understand I will have the pistol license within a couple to a few weeks. Luckily for me, the $200 license fee is waived but I do still pay the just under $95 fingerprint fee. I know it takes much longer for those of us who were not an LEO and it costs a lot more and I realize that sucks. I think it takes up to 6 months or so.

I am not trying to blow my horn and say how great it is for me to have the process sped up or cost less, I am just relaying the facts that I was told about the process relative to a former LEO's application. I have to say, I think a fee of $200 is way too high as I think a wait of several months is way too long. Heck, I do not believe that people should be required to obtain a license or a permit to be able to carry a handgun and that is one of the reasons I am a life member of the NRA and of the New York State Rifle And Pistol Association. But, that is my opinion and obviously not the same as many other voters who live here in NYS. Yet, there seems to be a growing population of those who think like me along these lines here in NY. If so then laws may ease up a bit someday in the not too distant future.

It will be nice to have the license if and when it gets approved. I feel something is missing when I walk down the street while not carrying. I guess that is due to the fact that I had carried a pistol for so long it is a truly just a strange feeling to be out and about without one. Having the right tool, such as in when you may need to defend yourself or your family, is always a good feeling too. Well, hopefully all that will be remedied soon.

I have to say that the folks in my county's police department have been nothing but courteous and helpful. That is not only because I am a former LEO, they seem to treat everyone applying for a pistol license the same way. That is nice to see because it shows they are not only acting with all due respect but also as true professionals. I tip my hat to them for that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Nation of Riflemen T-Shirt - Giveaway Contest (not endorsed by or connected with the Nation of Riflemen)

Recently, while going through a chest of drawers in my basement, I found a Nation of Riflemen T-shirt (a similar shirt can be seen at the link), sized medium, still in its original wrapper. I think that I bought it, some years back, with the silly notion I could get my wife to wear it after I got her into shooting. You guessed, neither her getting into shooting or her wearing it ever came about. So, what to do with the shirt. I figured I could hold some sort of contest and give it away. It took me at least a couple to a few weeks, after rediscovering the shirt, to figure out what type of contest to hold but it came to me tonight in a U.S. Mail Priority Mail box.  

The idea for the contest, of course, popped up in my head. What came to me in the Priority Mail box was not the idea as much as it was the item that inspired the idea. That is the item that is now pictured here in this post in various views - all in my very own style of lousier than normal point and shoot photography, click on pics to enlarge.

I will allow one entry per person (this is on the honor system) in which all you basically have to do is correctly identify what is the item and you must be specific as to what it is, and then you must tell me to what other specific item it is directly related. Yes, it definitely goes with something else and as a hint I will tell you it fits inside something else for which it was specifically made. You cannot just answer something like: "It is a car part, it fits in a car". If it were indeed a car part, you would have to tell me specifically what part it was and to which car by make and model it went. I will give you all another hint right now, it is not a car part. Be specific in your answer as to what it is and as to the other thing to which it is related, indeed for which it was made to fit.

I will leave the contest open from the publication time of this post until Saturday, February 18, 2012, at 11:59 PM. After that, I will check the answers and see if anyone has guessed correctly. If there is only one correct guess, then that person is the tentative winner.

Note this is restricted to folks who are U.S. Citizens or legal resident aliens residing within the lower 48 of the United States of America and who are not restricted by law or regulation from receiving such a prize (as in not a felon doing time who can not receive a T-shirt like this because prison officials would consider it contraband). I will only ship to an address in the lower 48. Postage paid by me. If you are selected as the winner, you must send me your full name and mailing address so I can send out the shirt.

You must be 18 or older to participate in this contest.

You must have a valid user name, in the comment system, that appears with your comment (such as you being registered for Blogger). I will not except entries from folks identified by the system as anonymous!

Your user name must be linked to a valid email address or you must leave your email address in the comment section in the event I need to contact you to tell you that you won or to ask for your info.

If more than one person has the correct answer, I will select a winner at random from among the entrants with correct entries. If no one has the correct answer, I will still select a winner, this time at random from among all entrants. There will only be one winner at most. If no one enters the contest, then I win!

To enter, leave a comment in the comments and tell me, in your comment, what you think is the pictured item (no spam, or what I think is spam such as comments with links back to commercial web pages, such will be deleted as ineligible). Do not tell me the item is my hand or my couch - the item in question is the metal item on the couch and in my hand.

My decision as to what constitutes a correct answer is binding and final based upon my knowledge of the item.

Do not send me email entries, all entries must be via a comment to this post.

If you sell, distribute, deal, (or work for someone or are married to someone who does likewise) in items such as the one pictured you are not eligible to enter.

Note, I do not guarantee that the winner will receive the prize although if there is a winner although, I will make my best attempt to mail it to him or her. If the shirt is lost or damaged in the mail or otherwise, all I can say is tough noogies you get nothing if lost or a ruined shirt if damaged.

I can change, modify alter the rules at any time.

I can cancel the contest at any time at my discretion.
All rules must be followed and it is a condition of your entering the contest that you agree that you agree to and have followed all the rules' - this, again, is on the honor system.

If someone cheats, oh well he or she cheated and those who did not cheat have integrity while the cheater winds up with the shirt by way of cheating. That would suck but life sometimes sucks, believe me on that one. Please, on the honor system - do not cheat or otherwise fudge the rules. If, after the contest is over, I discover that someone cheated or otherwise fudged the rules to win the contest, what that means is the cheater will have won a friggin T-shirt and lost his/her integrity and my respect but the honest people will have maintained their integrity and my respect.

All contestants agree to hold me harmless and indemnify me for anything directly or indirectly related to this contest.

I will try to announce the winner, in a blog post, on Sunday, February 19, 2012 or soon after that

Enough of the rules, if you agree to abide by all the mumbo-jumbo rules, why not take a look at thepics, then enter a comment to this post, with your best shot at identifying the item and the item to which it is directly related, in order to enter the contest.

Serious, crazy, whacky, oddball, obviously wrong, funny, outrageous but only polite and nice answers are accepted.

Good luck to all those who give it a shot.

All the best,
Glenn B

PS: One other thing: If someone gives what you think is a probable correct answer, do not run a Google search of his answer to see if you come up with a picture of the item in your Google search and then repeat the other person's answer. Yes, you can copy another person's answer, but please, on the honor system, do not Google it, or otherwise run an Internet search on it, to see if it was the correct answer first. That would be pretty friggin low. (Now why did I think of that!)