Sunday, April 29, 2018

I Am Going To Be Buying More Hornady Ammo...

...and it's not because I have a particular affinity for it like thinking it is better than other ammo (although I must say their 35 Remington is balls-on accurate) or that I think their quality control is better than that of other companies (but have to say it always goes bang) or anything like that at all. It's because Hornady just had one of the best responses to liberal leftist looney anti-gun government, specifically to the pissant tyrant governor of NY who recently requested that NY banks discontinue doing business with any among the firearms and ammunition industries. What was Hornady's  response, read it yourself:
 

Hornady stands up to State of New York

Today, the State of New York did one of the most despicable acts ever perpetrated by any state by asking New York banks, financial institutions and insurance companies to stop doing business with the gun and ammo industry. 
While it may not make a difference to New York, Hornady will not knowingly allow our ammunition to be sold to the State of NY or any NY agencies. Their actions are a blatant and disgusting abuse of office and we won’t be associated with a government that acts like that. They should be ashamed.
-Steve Hornady, president of Hornady Manufacturing Company" (source).
 
Now if only the rest of the firearms and ammunition industries would do likewise and stop selling their products to anti-gun governments - and stop selling to any wholesaler or retailer who sells to those governments - you would see the anti-gun left change their tune rapidly. 
 
It is too bad that not all manufacturers will join in with Hornady but maybe some will follow their lead. So, I am hopeful that Hornady would stop selling to retailers or wholesalers who sell Hornady products to anti gun governments and am hopeful that Hornady will request that other ammunition and firearms manufacturers will follow suit. I just contacted Hornady media relations to request that they do just that. 

All the best,
Glenn B


 

Apples


All the best,
Glenn B

Two More Boomers Followed Me Home

Since I was up at the Hessney Auction company this weekend to pick up the High Standard DM-101 Derringer that I bid on in their previous auction - how could I not at least throw some bids at them in the auction they held yesterday. Despite me bidding on at least 25 different firearms and several other items like accessories and ammo, I wound up with only two new (to my collection) guns following me home.

The first one on which I had the high bid was a CZ Durango. It's a SXS 12 gauge shotgun of the made in Turkey variety, made by Huglu, and was offered as unfired in the box with chokes. I have to agree, it looks unfired and probably is so except maybe for test firing at the factory. I gave it a good looking over in the auction preview on Friday evening and again on Saturday morning. It appeared to be in pristine condition each time I looked at it and that is a good thing meaning no knuckleheads dropped it, dinged it or scratched it while handling it at the previews. Even the box is in very good to excellent shape. I was willing to bid up to $525 on it since not buying it as an investment but as a shooter. I bid quite a bit under that at $475.00 and it followed me home. Happily, none of the auction house staff dropped or dinged it either and it still is looking good. The Standard Catalog of Firearms Values shows it as valued at $850 NIB (listed under Huglu not CZ).

The case hardening was a nice extra touch on the finish of this gun.

I have looked at firearms, from various manufacturers, made in Turkey before and was almost always dissatisfied with the fit and or finish of them and thus either paid them little mind or if I bid on them at auction my bids were pretty low. I've gotta say, this one is an exception - CZ must have given the factory in Turkey a set of pretty high quality standards for this model. It is nice. I have tried to glean some info about it from the Internet but the info is scarce. According to one source, it was produced imported only between 2005-2006. They offer a similar model now and for all I know it essentially could be the same gun with minor changes or maybe just name change. Shot an email out to CZ customer service to try to get more info about it.

The other one just also happened to be a shotgun - a Winchester Model 37 single shot 12 gauge. The model number 37 matched that of another gun I had bid on earlier - a Remington Model 37 Rangemaster, a 22 target rifle. That Remington was a real beauty - excellent condition (almost like new) and weighed in at a very heavy (for a 22 caliber rifle) 12 plus pounds (more with the very long scope that was on it). I was going to bid on it but the bidding started off fast and furious and in almost no time hit a high bid of $1350.00 or $1596.38 if paid for by cash or check (higher for credit card). Believe me when I say that high bid was almost double what I was willing to offer as my high bid on it.



Back to the Winchester. Regardless of having the same model number as that high priced Remington, the Winchester came nowhere near as to the high bid it received. I got it for a whopping $80.00 plus 1.1% buyer's premium and sales tax. In other words, it was $94.60 out the door. That is just under its listed value in poor condition. I think this one is in fairly decent condition even though it has the plum colored patina (light rust) over all of its visible metal surfaces. I don't think there was any evident pitting but as is always the case there could be some hidden under the wood or I might just have missed something. The bore looks good to very good. Mechanically it seems to function just fine although I have not test fired it. All in all a decent deal especially since I had one of these before and sold it for over $300. That one did not have a complete shroud of plum colored patina, as I recall, but did have several areas of light surface pitting. I'll see how this one cleans up and then will decide to keep it awhile or sell it to make up for the other money I spent yesterday. Whatever I decide, I'll probably have a bit of shooty goodness fun with it before making my decision.

I also picked up some ammo, three OEM magazines for a Ruger Mini-30 (going to sell them), and a couple of knives.

Now it's shout out time: While standing outside the auction house, a guy walked up to me and said hi and asked if I had seen anything interesting. He had a big smile on his face and certainly was looking at me like he knew me but I was sure I did not know him although he said he knew me. While that always can mean someone is being nice it can also mean that you have just met some dude about to go psycho on you. He did not look intimidating and it turned out the smile was a genuinely friendly one. I guess he saw the puzzled expression that I think must have been on my face and he said "I read your blog". Fancy that, someone living in Canandaigua, NY (I think that was it) reads this thing; that was nice to find out. We introduced ourselves - his name is Ron - and talked a bit and parted. I saw Ron later, as he was leaving the auction house with two guns. One an Ithaca, he fancies Ithaca guns, and I cannot recall the other. Nice gentleman, hope to see him again upon that way.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, April 27, 2018

My Latest Boomer

The live firearm auction bug bit me good and since 2012 I have not been able to free myself of whatever sweet venom it injected into my psyche; could have been Hoppes No. 9 for all I know but whatever it was it has been singing the song of the sirens to me over and over again.  So here I am again, sitting in my hotel room in Geneva, NY in anticipation of tomorrow's Rod & Gun Auction at the Hessney Auction Co..

I absolutely love coming to the Hessney Auction Co.'s firearms auctions regardless of the fact that it is usually a 5.5 to 6 hour drive each way. I drove up through drizzle, then pouring rain and some fog to get here for the auction preview late this afternoon and also to pick up my latest firearms acquisition.

Last month, they held an auction that I could not attend in person because I was in AR visiting my son Brendan. Back then, I took a look through their catalog online and saw something I regretted not buying back in the early 1980s especially since High Standard went belly up in 1984. Anyway, tt was a High Standard Derringer, model DM-101 in 22 Magnum. The one in the auction catalog last month was listed as " as new in case". 
It's so small, maybe I should call it a Baby Boomer.

It looked nice in the pics online but those photos are not of the highest quality and can be unintentionally deceptive. That is one of reasons, if not the main reason, that I normally do not bid online but usually bid in person for the Hessney auctions. This one though looked so good and I have wanted a nice one for so long, that I took a chance and bid on it online. 

Fancy that, I had the high bid. They held it gor me until I could get a purchase doc from my county police and then travel up to them to pick it up. It would be foolish and overly expensive for me to make the trip just to get the gun so I waited until the next auction I could attend, which is the one tomorrow, and here I am.

I have to say, I did quite well on this one. The Blue Book shows it at $325 in 100% condition with an additional 15% added for one in 22 Mag and an additional $25 for the original hinged box. Mine has it all plus a parts list/instruction sheet dated February 1963 and the original blank waranty card. The Standard Catalog of Firearms Values shows it at $450 in 100% condition and also gave me the info to realize this is a Type 1, or among those manufactured from 1962 through about 1967. The SCFV seems to me to usually have more realistic values than the BBGV. 

Now if it actually shoots I will be ecstatic; then again maybe I will just clean it and put it into the gun vault for now.

All the best,
 Glenn B


Thursday, April 26, 2018

Ballseye's Thougts On The Mythology Of Global Warming...

...or Climate Change, if you prefer, are fairly succinct and to the point. If indeed they are real phenomena, then do not blame them on mankind but put the blame where the blame is due - square on the shoulders of that thieving bastard of a Titan - Prometheus.

Prometheus stole meat and fire from Zeus and give it to mankind and because of that all the frigidity in the world began. It was as punishment to man that Zeus created Pandora and sent her - the first woman - into the world.  If you know Greek mythology you know that Pandora unleashed all the evils onto mankind that still plague us today and we only have Prometheus' thieving ways to thank for that punishment.

Now mind you, Prometheus was punished too and suffered for a long time because of that theft. Luckily for him though, Heracles freed him from his misery. Heracles though did nothing to free mankind from the scourge known as women.

So tell me, how can you blame mankind for trying to warm things up a bit after women were created!
 All the best,
Glenn B 

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

I Wish Calexitans All The Luck in The World...

...in their quest - Calexit -to have California secede from the union. If they do it, I hope the federal government lets them go without a hitch. Right now though, they only have 44,000 signatures but enough to get the initiative moving along or so it was reported here at the source:

"California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the ballot proposal had been cleared."

They have a long way to go yet and an actual vote on it will not come until at least 2021. Regardless, I say, God bless them and Godspeed to them on leaving the US of A. Why bless them and hope they achieve independence for California?

Well, first of all that would eliminate the four districts in California that are part of the 9th Circuit of federal courts - four of the looniest federal court districts in the USA.

Second, it would eliminate one of the greatest tax burdens on United Sates tax payers. California, as far as the states go, is one of the worst at how it sucks America dry when it comes to tax money relative to welfare, Medicare, illegal aliens and so on.

Third, a great number of illegal aliens once residing in the USA would now be left residing in whatever would be the new country that California becomes.

Many, if not mot, technology businesses would relocate to states that remained within the US of A and bring jobs with them.

The democrat voting block would take a huge hit in tat its Californian liberal leftist loons who wan this and who also would be likely to stay in the new country that was once California; what a boon to the nation.


About the only disadvantage would be the agricultural loss to the USA but that could be overcome with incentives to farmers in other states.

You have got to love it. I may just have to write some letters to California politicians to show my support for Calexit.

Of course, the feds may not want to let California secede. They may try to prevent it and thus Californians may revolt and spur on revolt in other leftist states. We may have a civil war and I am fairly certain of the outcome if such was the case and the leftists would not win. While I do not want to see such an uprising, or the carnage that might come with it, I would be prepared to fight to defend my country and her Constitution from insurgents so long as the government remains Constitutional.

All in all, I think it would be better for the sensible folks in this country if California and all of its loonies just went away.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Ha! Sometimes I Make Myself Laugh

 
 
 
Even though I am laughing at myself or my plans for myself like that one,  it is a good laugh nonetheless.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

If You Gotta Have A Bucket List...

...then it may as well be this one:

 

 
All the best,
Glenn B


My Wife Thinks My Tortoises Love Kale...

...band sometimes they will eat it when very hungry but at other times they look at it with disgust and just walk away. As far as food preferences go, one of them gave me this tip:


I tend to concur with the tortoises.

All the best,
Glenn B

It Was Chilly Enough Last Night...

...for me to light a fire before enjoying my dinner and a couple of drinks outside. I keep wondering why the springs lately seem to be colder than they used to be and while some attribute it to Global Warming (or Climate Change) I have discovered what I think has to be the true reason. She must have been close by:


All the best,
Glenn B

We Dun't Need No Stinkun Toilet Paper


All the best,
Glenn B

Maybe They Really Evolved From Dinosaurs After All




All the best,
Glenn B

Monday, April 23, 2018

A Simple But Tasty Dinner, Excellent Libations,...

...some fine music and some fond memories are what I am enjoying this evening as I sit by the fireside.


I've been listening to Traffic, The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys, while enjoying two kosher dogs, I grilled for myself, slatheted in Bauer's horseradish mustard on grilled whole grain bread, along with an HB Hefe Weizen bier. Desert is  Kirschwasser in some Cheribundi. 


Now listening to Johnny Cash and tending the flames. Could it get better? Yep, if the family was here enjoying it with me but right now I am on my own. That's none to shabby either although I miss my fireside drinking buddy Brendan.

Hope you too are enjoying your evening.

All the best,
Glenn B

Alaska On My Mind

Just watched this video of Brendan reeling in his first halibut out of Seward, Alaska back in June 2016 and I've got a hankering to go again. Not this year - no money - certainly not enough but maybe next year we can make it again. It is something to which I can look forward and I am willing to bet so would Brendan. (Hint, hint, hint to my boy if you see this and like it - start saving money for a trip.)



All the best,
Glenn B

I've Tried This Before...

...haven't you?


All the best,
Glenn B

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Psycho Shooters Were Bad Enough - Butt Naked...

...psycho shooters are even worse if only because it shows a complete breakdown of sanity among our population and the ineffectiveness of the mental health system to address it.

It has been reported that, early this morning, a man wearing nothing but a green jacket walked into a restaurant in Antioch, TN and opened fire killing four people and wounding four others. A patron reportedly wrestled the so called AR15 style weapon away from him and probably saved a lot of lives by fighting back as opposed to cowering under a table. The gunman fled, while evidently totally naked, after shedding his jacket. More here at the source.

Last told, the gunman was still on the loose and he may be responsible for yet another nearby shooting. Police must have gotten the tag number, of the vehicle in which the gunman arrived, from a witness because they reportedly said the gunman's vehicle is registered to a Travis Reinking. After the shooting, a man believed to be Reinking reportedly was seen walking in nearby woods in only a pair of pants.

Not to make light of the situation and in all seriousness I think that such shootings are becoming  weirder.

Hopefully the police find this shooter sooner than later and no other lives are taken and no one else is wounded (not that I care if the shooter is injured or killed).

My thoughts & prayers go out to the victims, their families and loved ones.

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

An armed citizen with a gun shot and took down an alleged serial robbery suspect after which the police arrested the bad guy. Now, I do not know if it was the police or the media who gave no credit, in the linked article,  to the armed citizen good guy for having done the right thing but here is the reported reaction of Sheriff Richard Watson to the bad guy's arrest, as per this source:

"There was a lot of time invested to make this arrest and I'm very proud of the deputies involved to get this person charged."

Hopefully, the media just put their leftist slant on this and thereby left out some from of praise given to the shooter by the sheriff. Then again, it would not surprise me if the sheriff just ignored the fact that the bad guy had not been caught until the good guy shot him. Give the shooter at least a little credit.

All the best,
Glenn  B

Thursday, April 19, 2018

End of Watch - Two Officers Down

There were times in my career as a federal agent that I truly wondered about my safety. Those times virtually all involved specific incidents in which I was confronted, directly or indirectly, by violent criminals in the course of my duties. In other words, things happened during surveillances, arrests, raids and so on that gave me grave concern about my safety and the safety of brother and sister LEOs. 

I do not think though that there was ever a time when I thought, while sitting in a restaurant, that I might be eating my last meal because I was worried about some psycho coming up and shooting me at that moment. It's not I am saying I did not try to remain 
vigilant at all times but man oh man when you are sitting down to a meal you are usually somewhat relaxed, even while in uniform with that target your badge pinned to your chest. Today  likely was no different for two officers in Florida - at least as to whether or not they thought they were eating their last meal. They were just two 
LEOs enjoying a meal, then the nightmare happened, it became their last meal:

"Sergeant Noel Ramirez, 30, and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, 25, of the Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office were murdered while they ate in a restaurant on Thursday.

"Gilchrist Sheriff Bobby Schultz released a statement saying that the two deputies were eating inside of the Ace China restaurant in Trenton at around 3:00 p.m.

A gunman approached the building and opened fire on the two deputies through a window in an ambush attack." (Source).

Both of the officers succumbed to their wounds. The suspect was found dead. The motive is unknown. The investigation has just begun. There likely is not one LEO in this country who will hang up his gun belt and surrender his badge because of this. They indeed are a rare breed of brave souls; they face too much of this in today's world yet carry on.

Stop and say a prayer for them and their surviving families and loved ones. If not inclined to pray, keep them in your thoughts and well wishes.

All the best,
Glenn B

If I Had Lied Under Oath...

...during a federal investigation, while a federal LEO (which I was for 32+ years), I would not only have been fired, I likely would have been prosecuted. That by the way would have been for just one such offense. It has been reported that the DOJ Inspector General has recommended former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe be criminally prosecuted for their determination that McCabe:

"... lied to investigators or then-FBI Director James Comey four times, three of them while under oath,..." (source).

Furthermore:

"The IG’s report said that one of McCabe’s lies “was done knowingly and intentionally.”" (source)

It think it does not look good for Mr. McCabe.

All the best,
Glenn B

NYs Gov. Cuomo Is An Arsehat & Proves Himself...

...to be one on a regular basis. His latest reported proclamation that he is undocumented and his alleged dare for someone to arrest him (source) is not only proof of what an arrogant piece of dirt is he but also was insulting to American citizens, legal immigrants and even, in a twisted way, to illegal aliens who actually are criminals. Oh yeah, there's probably a good chance, by my guess, he is a criminal too - just not the type he implied.

All the best,
Glenn B

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

A Call For Assistance For A Heroic Woman

Anyone who is armed for self defense please be sure to read this story about Kystie Jaehnen. She is a brave woman who stepped up and defended the life of a law enforcement officer by shooting and killing his assailant as the assailant struggled with the officer and was evidently trying to get the officer's sidearm. 
 
After reading the story to which I linked above, I would hope you would go to the GoFundMe page (where there are more links to articles about her story) that has been set up for her by a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and that you would find it in your generosity to make a donation of at least a small amount to help Kystie.
 
I donated to the fund for Kystie even though I do not know her personally. I have never met her and probably never will meet her; yet, I know her just as I know myself and each of you. She is each and every one of us who carries a firearm and who is ready to legally use it for self defense, the defense of loved ones or the defense of other innocent third parties. She did what needed to be done just as would any of us.
 
Now, the sharks smell blood in the water and are trying to get every drop they can from her. She needs our help because apparently the municipality, county and state where this happened are not providing her legal defense in the lawsuit nor are they paying for an attorney to represent her. Shame on them after she ended the threat and essentially saved the life of one of their officers. I am hopeful you will donate something to her fund to help her in her fight against this abominable lawsuit just as I would hope we would all donate to any other of us in the same situation.
 
All the best,
Glenn B
 
 

Monday, April 16, 2018

Damn - It's Federal Income Tax Day Already

Hope you got yours don already and sent in. Mine have been done long enough to get my refund, then amend them, then pay less than $10 to the IRS out of my much more sizeable refund and then for them to cash my check. Have to be a little more patient next year and wait for all my tax papoers to be delivered to me before I file.

If you have not filed yet - for what are you waiting?

All he best,
Glenn B

Sunday, April 15, 2018

R. Lee Ermey - In Memorium - A Patriot Has Fallen

 
Today was rolling along nicely for me until about 10 minutes ago when I learned of the death of R. Lee Ermey, better known to some as Gunny, and whose biggest claim to fame may have been his role of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket.  



As his Hollywood career abruptly fell by the wayside when he was blackballed by Hollyweird leftists due to his Independent & Conservative leanings (source) so too did his life end suddenly. He died, unexpectedly today, of complications from pneumonia - he was 74 (the source).
 

To say he will be missed is an understatement. I was just watching a movie, in the wee hours of tis morning, with him in it - something about a neighborhood watch and aliens - damned if I remember the name of the movie. About the only reason I kept watching it as long as I did was that he appeared in it; I had been about to turn it off because it sucked and he appeared and that rekindled my interest. When his character got killed off, I turned it off. How ironic that when I saw his character get killed early this morning in a movie - I had to pause and think for a moment to remember if he was alive or had passed - and he actually passed this morning; that coincidence is creeping me out.

I loved the characters he played, I was thankful to him for his service to our nation, thought he was the man and especially loved his shows Lock N' Load and Mail Call, both in which he reviewed military weapons and technology.


 

He will be missed, we have lost a great one and a true patriot but somehow I think he will live forever.
 
 

All the best,
Glenn B

This Is What Happens When You Step On A Camel Toe



All the best,
Glenn B

Is It Worth Even Trying?







All the best,
Glenn B

Scary, Scary Night - Read Your Book Don't Be Uptight...

...unless something jumps out and tries to kill you.






All the best,Glenn B

More Breaking News

Click to enlarge.


All the best,
GB

Making Dick's Larger

Dirty minds on some of you folks thinking I was talking about penis enlargement. Then again, maybe I am in a way. Dick's Sporting Goods - after first announcing they would cease selling so called assault rifles and would no longer sell guns to anyone under 21 - reportedly has announced it will destroy all so called assault rifles that it has remaining in inventory (more at the source). In my estimation that only goes to prove one thing - the people running Dick's are truly dicks, very large dicks indeed, and they just keep becoming bigger DICKS as they, in my opinion, stroke themselves into inevitable bankruptcy.


If any of you, who say you support the RKBA, continue to shop at Dick's - well, you may as well realize it now - you are dicks too.


All the best,
Glenn  B

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

The End Of The World As We Know It Is Upon Us

Well, not quite yet but almost if you believe David Meade, a so called Christian numerologist. According to this report, Meade reportedly is convinced that the Rapture (aka: rising of Christian faithful both living & dead into heaven) is coming on April 23. It will supposedly precede the second coming of Christ and will also be followed by 1,000 years of tribulation (life in hell on earth as I understand it). 

Sounds like the Zombie Apocalypse to me. I doubt it is going to happen but like to think I am ready for anything, including TEOTWAWKI. I mean, let's face it, chances of me getting a ticket to heaven are zero to no friggin way.

All the best,
Glenn B

It Didn't Kill Him But It Had to Hurt...

...nor did it get the homeowner arrested and it just may have saved his life. I am talking about a man using his Medieval Doomsday Device to shoot a home invader. It happened in Henrico, VA (near Richmond). More here at the source. Sometimes the news is just too good to not to report.

All the best,
Glenn B

Screw The News & Current Events...

... I am sick of it because all I keep hearing is: how Mueller is stretching his investigation further than any slinky or pierce of salt water taffy was ever stretched, maybe Trump should fire Mueller and maybe he should not, that the Russians hate us even though Trump supposedly "colluded" with them to fuck over H. Clinton in the election (after it was her minion that screwed Bernie), how it is the law abiding citizen gun-owner and the NRA who are responsible for all of the mass shootings instead of the libturd whackos who actually commit the crimes, how we are incessantly lectured that we need to be tolerant by the most intolerant folks in the world, that the stock market was way down, that the stock market was way up, that California is in violation of the Constitution, that the feds have not locked up Jerry Brown (yet), that Trump is an idiot, that Trump is actually achieving more than any recent president for the good of the country, that a wall will be built, that we should continue to allow the scum of the earth to enter our country at will, that illegal aliens are good for our economy, that the world hates us, that we should allow more people to stay here who illegally crossed out borders (are they the ones who hate us), that more and gun crime is on the rise despite all the stats showing it has actually been reduced since gun laws have eased up, that Hillary the Blamer has found yet someone else to blame for her defeat other than herself, that high school kids know what is best for our nation, that high school kids eat Tide Pods and snot condoms - and all the other shit in the news that the mud slinging media keeps yammering about!

I figure you just may be as sick of it all as am I. So, instead of talking about the news and current events - here are some things to look at that just may make you laugh:

Click it to BIG it - same for all the rest of the pics.




 

If the last on did not give you at least a little bit of a chuckle, you need more help than I can offer.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, April 6, 2018

Got Gout...

...drink cherry juice. While that suggestion is merely my opinion based on my own personal experience, I think it has done wonders for me. A few months ago, despite having taken Allopurinol for years now, I started to have recurrences of gout attacks. They were some of the most painful I have ever had but not quite the worst. and they were hitting more joints than ever before. They were coming on every week or two, whereas before the attacks were usually several weeks to months apart. I literally could not go two weeks without having a least one attack and as I said sometimes they came on weekly. Nothing had changed in my diet or my alcohol consumption except that I had imbibed a few beers during hunting season, I had been avoiding beers for quite awhile before that.

So, I cut back on alcohol, cut back on red meats, cut back on certain seafood and hoped that would help. It did not. I saw my doctor who prescribed a larger than usual dose of Prednisone for me and that helped but also probably caused a thrush attack in my throat. I also had to resort to the use of opioids for the pain and got a few days prescription (only 3 or 4 days) of which I still have two pills left - and that was months ago - I took it very sparingly. While the pain from the continuing attacks wound up becoming less severe, I was worried the next one, at any given time, would be worse than the others. My doctor told me that if my situation did not improve  or if it worsened, she would switch my gout medication to Uloric. That did not happen!

I have not switched medications. I am back to eating pretty much what I ate before this most recent spate of attacks. I am drinking (even had a few beers while visiting my son in AR - and beer is the worst type of alcoholic drink for the gout sufferers as I understand it); yet, the gout has not returned in over a month now. Maybe this is temporary and maybe not. I think that it is due to one thing I have added to my diet - cherry juice (that is my opinion and not medical advice nor medical information).

I had read on several websites, including respected medical sites, that cherry juice may have (not definitely has but may have) anti-uric acid qualities. The buildup of uric acid crystals in your joints is what causes gout attacks. I had also heard from several folks that cherry juice seemed to perform miracles in helping rid them, or people they know, of the gout or at least of its painful symptoms. So I tried it. I have been drinking it now since at least early March if not late February. Chuck (I hope I have the name right, I am terrible with names) the owner (or son of the owner) of the Hotel Exchange bar (excellent bar) in Geneva, NY told me about the effects of Cheribundi on one of his relatives. He said it worked like a miracle to stave off the gout. He also said it was made right there in Geneva. I checked around some when I got home and found it was available at my local Costco - how could I not try it.

Thus, I started off with Cheribundi which is a mix of tart cherry juice (not from concentrate) and apple juice. When down in AR, visiting Brendan and doing some grocery shopping, I came across Old Orchard 100% Tart Cherry Juice (from concentrate, no other fruit juices are mixed in). I like them both but I like the Old Orchard better due to personal preference of the taste of it compared to the other - and mind you they both taste very good. While I give the edge to Old Orchard because of taste - it also get sthe edge because they make it from 100% cherry juice (even if from concentrate).

Right now, I have a few bottles of Cheribundi on hand because they sell it at Costco and because I have not been able to find the Old Orchard locally. I did find it available, by the case, on the Old Orchard website. So, I just ordered a case. and will be switching back o that soon. With my kind of luck though, I will get the case and almost immediately start having gout attacks again. Of course, sometimes I do have good luck and maybe it really is what has prevented further attacks so far and will keep doing so; I am hopeful.

At the very least, I am drinking something that tastes great even if tart and that goes well with Kirchwasser, vodka and I am guessing will go well with gin and possibly Tequila as well. If I am going to drink while having the gout, I figure that I may as well drink several ounces of the hoped for cure along with my booze. Besides that, I am getting a decent dose of antioxidants and I suppose a few servings of fruit at the same time.

All the best,
Glenn B

Scientist Thinks Brits Overreact To Poisoning Case - I Think Not

Reading the title above, you may think I am asking about the recent case of the Russian spy and his daughter who were poisoned with a potentially deadly nerve agent but that is not it at all. It was reported, yesterday by Fox News here, that a Brit named Chris Matthews (no alleged relationship to the jerkoff at MSNBC) called police about a possible poisoning case involving himself and his family and Brit authorities responded in force. He and his family's reported symptoms were difficulty maintaining body temperatures, eye problems, nausea, difficulty breathing, grogginess. He thought they all had come down with the flu. Then his dogs also came down with symptoms and that is when he realized something was wrong. He called the police to report that he and his family possibly had been poisoned. The authorities responded in force:

"Dozens of emergency officers, a hazardous area response team and ambulances surrounded the home, the BBC reports."

A scientist visiting his mother, who lived in the same neighborhood, was caught up in the police cordon and had this to say (same source as linked to above):

"Went for a cuppa with Mum. When I left confronted by this. Trapped within police cordon," he tweeted, along with a photo of police cruisers. "Palytoxin incident due to a neighbor cleaning his coral tank. Second deadliest naturally occurring toxin in the world (allegedly) but rarely kills, & only if eaten! Over-reaction?"

Get that, the guy and his family were stricken because of him doing something as seemingly innocuous as cleaning his fish tank. That released a natural toxin, produced by coral, into the air or onto his skin and he and his family were affected by the toxin - PALYTOXIN - A TOXIN THAT IS ALLEGEDLY THE SECOND DEADLIEST NATURALLY OCCURING TOXIN IN THE WORLD!

Now the scientist may think the Brits overreacted but I think not, at least as much in that I think maybe they put precaution first. Sometimes you really have to look at the big picture in LE responses to such situations and understand that they are being precautious for what probably is a fair to good reason. As much as I do not like overreaction by the government to anything, I think that the so called scientist may have forgotten the recent poisoning of the Russian spy and his daughter but the police had not. I think he may also have not thought that the police are concerned with terrorism as well and that England is a known spot of terrorist activity in the world. I also think that the police must have found it odd that someone called them saying he and his family possibly had been poisoned by a toxin due to him cleaning his fish tank. In light of recent events, my guess is that they - believing there was a possibility of a nexus to terrorism, or with spy killers, or maybe just that some whacko had been diddling with nerve agents or other toxins in his home - responded appropriately just in case. Of course, maybe it was just a boring day for the authorities involved and they all wanted to enjoy some excitement.

Anyway, you can bet I am not about to ever touch a live coral, maybe not even a recently dead coral since I do not know if the toxin can last on it. I do have one piece of coral in my home that I clean off now and again but have no worries with it as I found it on a mountainside in CA many years ago. It is fossilized. The moral of this story is, when your son or daughter say: "Daddy, that is so beautiful, can I touch it" just say no and move along, at least if it's coral. Then again, if you keep coral in your home (that is not fossilized), take appropriate precautions to avoid something like that from happening to you and your family.

All the best,
Glenn B

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Do Unto Others As They Would Do Unto You

 
 
Yes, I said "Do Onto Others As They Would Do Unto You". Just make sure to do onto them before they do unto you, especially if they are like a lion . In other words, shoot the bastard before he kills you.

All the best,
Glenn B

Me On Getting Older

No, it wasn't really me who coined this one but it sure could have been referring to me:


All the best,
Glenn B

Was That My Son Driving That Rig!!!!!!!!!

You may know from reading it here, my son is a truck driver by trade.


If for a second I thought that it was Brendan driving that truck, I'd be begging him to start a new career. Then again, I know he drives safer than that; maybe not better luckier cause that was one hell of a lucky move but certainly safer! Of course, if that had been him - I'd also be buying him a good bottle of whatever he wanted so we could celebrate his impressive driving skills and his still being alive.

All the best,
Glenn B

?Shots Fired? As Reporter Reporting On You Tube Shooting...

...or so the reporter would have had us all believe. The noise she heard, although a pop or pop-pop, reportedly was far from being gunshots. According to the source, it was nothing more than someone opening a soda pop can.

Was she just being skittish or is it that the fucking media lefties are praying they hear shots fired so they can run yet another anti-gun piece!

All the best,
Glenn B

You Tube Shooting - Witness Interview

The link I am about to supply is to a video of an alleged witness to the You Tube shooting as he is interviewed by the media. Not a bad interview as they go, the media was actually listening to the guy and the one reporter actually starts asking some decent but liturgical questions. The witness goes over the whole thing quite rapidly and can possibly confuse you a bit the first time. Then he goes over it again, better the second time in my estimation and then yet again while being questioned.

Here is the link: 
https://www.google.com/amp/insider.foxnews.com/amp/article/60965

The witness seemed to be obviously rattled. Mind you, I don't think it the fault of the witness that the answers seemingly were coming fast and maybe confusing at first - he just witnessed one hell of an traumatic event and I am sure his nerves were more than merely jangled. His adrenalin must have had his heart rate through the roof and his nerves firing off like crazy. He seemed hurried at times to get it all out and seemed to jump from one thing to another. I suppose that is to be expected sometimes when folks try to cope with  describing a life threatening, indeed a life ending one in this case, situation that has just passed. So, I am guessing, the interview answers were a hurried jumble of what happened as this poor man tried to put it all together. He did a pretty good job nonetheless, let us hope he was not bullshitting.

There was one part of the interview where he said one of the most intelligent and insightful things I have ever heard a witness say about such a shooting after just having witnessed it. Having just written that, I have a little challenge for you:

Watch the whole 7 minute video and listen carefully to the audio. Then tell me, in a comment to this blog post, what was it that the witness said that I found to be  intelligent and insightful of the situation he had just witnessed. It is a single sentence - nothing more - among many sentences. My guess is that the first person who hears it will get guess right but then who can say until someone does it.


Click photo to enlarge.
By the way, the first person (who is 18 years old or older) to guess right and then mention what it was that I thought was so intelligent and insightful in the words of the witness (in the linked video) will win a new (old stock) Uncle Mike's Sidekick Nylon Holster for medium & large frame revolvers with 6.5" barrels (size 3, model 8103-1, right hand). This will fit a revolver like a Ruger Redhawk. If you win it and do not have a suitable revolver for this holster - getting the revolver is up to you as the holster does not come with a firearm.

This contest is only open to legal residents and citizens of the United States of America residing within the lower 48 states (therefore excluding AK, HI, all U.S. possessions and so forth) who may legally receive and possess this holster. I will ship on my dime. You must send me a copy of your ID showing your name, address and DOB showing you are 18 or older in order for me to ship it to you; if you don't want to do that the prize will be awarded to someone who will do it in order of whomever had the next correct guess in that order on down. It must ship to an address that is not a mail drop or post office box since I may ship UPS. If not UPS, it will be sent by Priority Mail. Note, in the event of a tie, a tie being my having received correct answers from more than one person in emails received by me at the same exact time, I will choose among those correct answers by random lot to select the winner. You can submit your answer from the moment this post is posted to my blog up until 11:59 PM Saturday night, April 25, 2018. Only one entry per person, that is on the honor system. Good luck.

All the best,
Glenn B

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Home Again - Or To Borrow From The Hobbit...

...There And Back Again - so went the trip to Arkansas to visit Brendan. I left his place yesterday at 0840 local time or 0940 EDST (my time in NY). I arrived in Washington, PA at 2355 (1156PM) EDST last night - after driving 887.3 miles. That was 14 hours and 15 minutes and included stopover time for rest stops, gas and food of 1 hour 15 minutes. Total drive time was 13 hours. I am pretty certain that is the longest I have ever driven in one day, I think my prior record was approximately 750 miles. I was up for it though and feeling good for 99% of it. Getting out of my car and walking to the front desk of the motel, to check in, was the most difficult part - my legs were stiff, numb and rubbery at the same time.

I drove the rest of the way today, starting out at about 0920 EDST from the motel in PA and drove about 408 miles or so and got home at 1655. That amounted to 7 hours 35 minutes total time with stops and 7 hours of actual drive time. The drive was exacerbated by heavy downpours and fog on an off through about 1/2 of my drive through PA, then more rain/mist in NJ and NY and about a 25 minute delay getting over the George Washington Bridge and then the regular crappy NYC rush hour traffic.

All in all though, not a bad bit of driving. I kept thinking last night that all I had to do was down a bottle of extra strength 5 Hour Energy and I could have driven it straight through. I was happy that another thought pushed that one aside, the thought of me being found wrapped around a tree along the highway. That was all I needed as impetus to stay overnight in a motel.

I already miss Brendan down in AR but am happy to be home too. Truly a bitter-sweet feeling.

All the best,
Glenn B