Gander Mountain...

...sounds like a nice place to go hiking, hunting, bird watching, camping or whatever. The name brings to mind the songs of birds in the treetops, the wind rustling leaves, geese flying north for the season (or please spring hurry up), fresh - cold - clear streams running full of trout, a secluded mountaintop pond loaded with smallmouth bass, a 12 pointer watching from the edge of the woods - oh you get the picture. Well I was there yesterday out in the parking lot. No its not a mountain with its own parking lot, but was the Gander Mountain store in Middletown, NY. I had occasion to be in Middletown yesterday, and I stopped in at Gander Mountain to use the facilities when nature called. Of course once inside, I could not resist some window shopping - so to speak.

Gander Mountain has a lot of things that the outdoorsman type of sports enthusiast would like. They have everything from fly fishing gear to paintball guns; stuff like: firearms, ammunition, archery gear, hunting gear, fishing gear, boats, motors for boats, camping gear, hiking boots, outdoors clothing, and on and on. They even sold live bait, and when I saw that how could I resist buying some worms for my pet musk turtle! I think that was what did it, I grabbed a cup of worms, then I started grabbing targets, fishing lures, gun cleaning patches, silicone desiccant for my gun locker, outdoors sports magazines, and whatever else I could think of for which I had a need.

I don't get a chance to visit a store like this very often, one dedicated mostly to the sports of hunting/fishing/shooting/boating/camping. Yes there is a Dick's Sporting Goods close to where I live, but they have drifted more toward the likes of the MetroSportsman than to the traditional outdoors man what with there bicycle department, their weight training stuff, their running shoe department, and whatnot. Nothing bad about that, Dicks is a somewhat more generalized kind of sporting foods store. Gander Mountain is a bit more dedicated to the hunter/fisherman types. So all in all I liked my visit to Gander Mountain yesterday, it was a rare treat for me. In the past several years I have been to stores like Gander Mountain, and Cabelas (another more of a hunter/fisherman type store), and Bass Pro Shops (ditto) only about once per year. They are just not all that close to home for me to go to them any more often.

I find all of these places to be okay; but I have to say that I think I actually prefer Gander Mountain. Out of the three chains I just mentioned, I have been to Cabelas the most often. I have visited the one in PA near Allentown, and have been lucky enough to visit their main store in Nebraska (and maybe another one somewhere else, but I cannot remember for sure right now). I have not been all that impressed with Cabelas. Yes I was impresses by the great displays of museum quality animal mounts that they have throughout their stores, all in natural like settings, and I was impressed by the large aquariums full of native American freshwater fish they have; but the fact is I was nowhere near impressed by the selection of merchandise on their racks and shelves at either location that I visited. As a matter of fact I was quite disappointed on y first visit to Cabelas in PA. I was looking to buy ammunition, and figured to get some good prices on it. I also thought, maybe - just maybe - they would have some really good prices on used guns. Well I was wrong on both counts. Their ammunition shelves were almost bare relatively speaking. They were out of stock of ammunition in several calibers, and had very few brands to select from in other calibers. I thought this was possibly due to the fact that I was visiting them just after Christmas, but when I again visited the same store at another time of year - the same thing - and no it was not just after hunting season. As to the prices on used rifles, as far as I am concerned they could not have built a roof high enough for those prices not to have gone through. Oh well, I bought some stuff each time and was on my way, a not so happy camper. There store in Nebraska was a bit better stocked, but again no great selection of ammo in my opinion.

As for Bass pro Shops, I don't remember where I went to one of them, but I seem to recall they had what I needed for fishing; and I think they had other items too - like hunting stuff. I vaguely remember that it was a nicer experience that either of the Cabelas I visited; but nothing to write home about.

Gander Mountain stick in my mind a little better than Bass Pro Shops, maybe because I was to at least GM twice (I think I was also once at another location where I visited one a third time). Besides that, they seem to have better stocked shelves than did Cabelas. The Cabelas store in PA was, if I recall correctly, much bigger than the Gander Mountain in Middletown, so it should have been stocked better, but I don't think that was the case. For example when I looked at the ammunition supply that Gander Mountain had on hand yesterday, they had just about everything I could imagine the average shooter, and even the somewhat rabid gun enthusiast, in the USA would have a need for; and they had lots of it. There shelves did not have bare spaces as did those at Cabelas when I visited there. Instead, Gander Mountain had the boxes of ammo neatly stacked, row upon row upon row. Sadly though prices were nothing to be desired as far as I am concerned. Last time I bought .35 Remington ammo for my Marlin 336, I paid about per box I think it was $24 plus tax at Gander Mountain yesterday. Yes ammo prices have gone up, but not that much since I last bought that .35 Remington last August. As a matter of fact I bought that ammo for $13.97 a box plus shipping. Now while you may think shipping added considerably to that price, I do not believe it would have added more than what it cost me to drive about 180-185 miles round trip to get to Gander Mountain from my home; remember that gas is going for $3.25 to $3.50 a gallon for regular around here, and I get about 30MPG on the highway, but also do a good amount of that trip - about 60 miles in total - through a fairly congested urban area (is that a nice way to refer to the roads in and around NYC). Yes the prices seemed high at Gander Mountain. The thing is though, if you needed it, they likely had it.

While I decided against buying any ammo, I did pick up gun cleaning patches (expensive too but that is all over), targets, some fishing hook and lures, live bait (for the turtle - really), and some other odds and ends. I was thinking of maybe buying a used rifle there, but from what I could tell, they had no great deal on used rifles. As far as the new rifles and handguns went, I guess their prices seemed about average. Now while the atmosphere was much nicer at Gander Mountain than someplace like Walmarts, I am pretty sure I could have done better at Walmarts, and the closest Walmart to my home that sells firearms and ammo is nowhere nearly as far away as 90 miles (45 miles, maybe even 60, but not 90). Before I go to far afield off subject, let me get back to Gander Mountain. Yes the atmosphere at Gander Mountain was nice indeed, almost making it worth a trip just to shop there. The sales clerks were courteous and friendly, they knew there stock, and were eager (but not in your face eager) to help the customers.

All in all I guess it was worthwhile for me to have stopped inside. Of course had the prices been somewhat better, I would have wound up buying an lot more, and probably wound up getting a scornful look from the wife when the next credit card bill arrived in the mail. As it was I spent about $95, for what did not seem like about $40 worth of stuff; but then I am just past 1/2 a century old, and I remember when candy bars were a only nickel.

Happy Hunting,
Glenn B

Death Wish and Bernhard Goetz - Both An Inspiration

I watched Death Wish last night. Lousy filming, lousy sound, lousy acting (except for Charles Bronson and Vincent Gardenia), but a great plot; and an absolutely powerfully inspirational film. I remember back in the mid-late 70's, and the early to mid 80s, that this movie was played to the hilt on local TV stations whenever the crime rate went up in New York City. If I recall correctly, there was at least one period in there where it was on one channel at least 10 times in a one week period. That was something almost unheard of back then on broadcast television especially considering the fact that the stations all tuned out by about 4AM at the latest. Yes, if you turned on the TV in the wee hours of the AM, all you might get was a test pattern. Still though, one of the local channels, it was either channel 5, 9 or 11, and I think it was channel 9 (don't recall the actual channel call sign - but maybe WXOR or WPIX, or something like those) played it over and over again at the height of a crime wave that had muggings, assaults, rapes, and crimes on the streets and in the subways going through the roof. It was sort of as if this movie was seen as the Great White Hope because in those days most of the crime was attributed, correctly or incorrectly, as caused by African-Americans. Well after a week or two of these channels playing Death Wish over and over again, I guess the bad guys, whatever their race might have been, got the idea that maybe, just maybe, there was some New Yorker out there who was going to take the hint, and who was going to ride the subways or stroll the streets just waiting for some goon to try to accost him and then BANG, BANG, BANG! I know there was probably at least one New Yorker doing just that, hoping for an arse hat to try to mug him, and then he (the good guy) was hoping to get to act in self defense, or defense of another, and would put a stop to the bad guy. Of course I was working my first job as a Border Patrol Agent from late 79 through October 83, so if it was me I would have had to have been on vacation; although after 83 it would have been a different story. In other words no it was not me, but had I been accosted with life threatening force I certainly would have defended myself with the same.

So I am not saying it was me though it could have been me, but I am saying that I know of at least one good citizen who did this quite a few, or should I say several, times. Heck there must have been more than just me one guy out there on the lookout for evildoers. If not, at least the bad guys must have thought it the case, because sure as shootin the crime rate took a nosedive after this movie was played over and over again. I have got to hand it to whomever it was who made the decision to play this movie in what seemed like an almost constant barrage of the senses if only because it was almost a public service message. Besides that is was a message that seemed to work, at least temporarily. Then again, it wasn't just a television fantasy, or the product of the paranoid imaginations of the dirtbags who commit such crimes, because there were armed citizens, and even some real vigilantes, out there. In the mid seventies they were out there with whatever weapons they could bring to hand like baseball bats, chains, clubs, canes, knives, machetes, and even just fists; and they were looking for The Son of Sam. I know, I was out there hoping to find him too. All of my friends were there in 76 and 77 - but all we had were bats and chains; yet I consider him lucky we did not come across him in the act. We would have been richer with the reward, the people of NYC would have been safer without him, and he would have been – well let’s just say he would not have been on a killing spree any longer.

Then, a short time later, in the early 80s there was another guy out there who was maybe or maybe not actually looking for trouble, and who was ready if the worst came upon him. He was Bernie Goetz. That was in December 1984. If Mr. Goetz does not fit, to some small degree, the character of Death Wish's Paul Kersey, then no one does. Bernie Goetz was riding on the NYC subway when he was approached by at least two of four scumbags African-American youths, at least one of whom demanded money from him. After the demand was made twice, Mr. Goetz rose from his seat, drew a .38 caliber revolver, and fired five shots in rapid succession. Here is how the shooting part it is reported in Wikipedia (I don’t put too much faith in Wikipedia but as I recall this part seems pretty accurate, although the part about the screwdrivers is questionable to me – as I recall two of them were armed with screwdrivers and the police found them to have been armed with such, but you have to go to the complete Wikipedia article to read about that at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Goetz ):


"After the second demand or request for money, Goetz rose from his seat, and from beneath his blue windbreaker fast-drew a .38 Special five-shot Smith & Wesson revolver and fired five shots with speed shooting. (Speed shooting is a very fast technique, primarily effective at close range, where the shooter initiates trigger pull prior to the sights being aligned on the target.) In media interviews, Goetz, who had prior firearms and target shooting experience, described how he discharged all five rounds in less than 1.6 seconds. (Some eyewitness testimony stated all shots were fired within one second.) The first hit Canty in the center of the chest; the second shot struck Allen in his back and came out his arm; the third shot hit the subway wall just in front of Cabey; the fourth shot hit Cabey in the left side, severing his spinal cord and rendering him paraplegic; the fifth shot went through Ramseur's arm and lodged itself in his left side. Goetz then immediately looked at the first two men to make sure they were "taken care of." Goetz then saw Cabey moving on the bench and confessed to approaching Cabey and saying, "You don't look too bad; here's another," and then attempted to shoot Cabey again in the stomach, with an empty gun. Cabey, who was briefly standing prior to the shooting, was sitting on the subway bench during all attempted shots. In his subsequent police statement, Goetz explained, "if I had had more [bullets], I would have shot them again, and again, and again." All four men survived, though Cabey was permanently paralyzed and suffered brain damage as a result of the bullet that severed his spine."

Goetz fled. He eventually turned himself in to authorities. At least one of the four youths was reported to have admitted they were intent on robbing Goetz. Even though he surrendered, if Mr. Goetz would have kept his mouth shut, if he would have let the witnesses do the talking, if he would have let the 4 guys he shot do the talking, he probably only would have been convicted of possession of a firearm and never been convicted in civil court. Heck the first grand jury did not charge him with anything but weapons charges, they found he had not committed a crime in the shootings. A second grand jury indicted him but the charges were later dismissed in part reportedly because of the fact that one of the subjects had said they were robbing Goetz at the time of the shootings. The NY State Court of Appeals (NY’s highest court) overturned the dismissal of the charges and Goetz went to trial. He should have kept his mouth shut, but unlike Paul Kersey in Death Wish, Mr. Goetz apparently suffered from Ralph Kramden’s biggest fault: A BIG MOUTH!

It is quite possible, that had Goetz remained silent, he would have even been told to get out of town as had Paul Kersey been told by the NYPD detective played by Vincent Gardenia in Death Wish. Instead of keeping quiet though, Goetz blabbed; not only did he blab, but he ranted. He told police that he wanted to kill the 4 whom he had shot, he said he wanted to murder them. He appeared to be a raving madman. I think in fact he was somewhat mad, but I think that was after the fact, due to the shock of the shooting. My personal opinion was then, and is now, that Bernhard Goetz fired the first shots in self defense, and continued shooting in the heat of the moment. After all was done he was, in my opinion, foolish. Yet he was, in my opinion, foolish for only one thing that he did. He was not foolish because he illegally carried a gun. While I do not condone violating the law, I can understand why someone would want to be armed on the NYC subway system - especially back then because it was worse than the wild west if only because those who wound up getting robbed or otherwise accosted had no way to reasonably fight back. They lived in a society where just about only the bad guys were armed (hmm, just like that today as far as being armed in NYC goes). He was not foolish because he practiced with his gun. The fact is he was quite the marksman, and he was quick too. He knew how to shoot for sure, and if you are going to carry a gun you may as well know how to use it well. He was not foolish because he was willing to shoot someone to protect himself or others from grave bodily harm or death at the hands of people he believed were bad guys. That is the right, and the duty, of every human being. He was not even foolish because he may have jumped the gun and shot these guys before they actually posed a verifiable threat to his life or limbs (though I think had it spelled it out without bravado, after thinking first, he certainly would have explained his way out of the shooting charges as self defense and would have won his civil case). That decision, the decision to fire when he did, was one made under the stress of the moment, and had he kept quiet, the chances are that witnesses who came forward would have supported his side of the events enough, and the 4 youths reported conflicting stories would have discredited themselves enough to have Mr. Goetz not only walk free on the shooting/attempted murder charges, but also walk away with all of his money in his pocket. As it wound up, he did get robbed in the end. No he was not foolish for any of those things; but he was, in my opinion, foolish because of his big mouth by which he wrote his own express train ticket to the slammer on weapons charges, and the sentence was increased after he lost an appeal; and because I believe it was in great part his boasting that caused him to lose the civil trial wherein he lost 43 million dollars. A lot of money. Of course he filed bankruptcy and reportedly has not paid anything yet, but should the he ever win the lottery, he will not likely see a penny of it. The amazing thing is that he was not convicted of the shooting charges (which in fact were attempted murder charges), but only of a weapons charge. Still had his mouth remained sealed, he probably would have not been charged with attempted murder, and would have likely been hailed as a hero, given a parade, given some sort of a reward, never been found guilty of anything in either the criminal or civil cases, and he maybe would have done no jail time at all. Those who lived through that time in NYC can tell you, Bernie Goetz was considered a hero by most New Yorkers. Even the CORE was standing strong behind him. As it was though, his case dragged on for many years, he was subjected to criminal trial, civil trial, a criminal conviction, a jail sentence, and a decision against him in civil court by which he owes someone 43 million dollars. There is one other thing though about which he was not, in my opinion, foolish at all; and I have got to say this one thing makes up for anything he did that may have been foolish in my view. He came out a survivor, and a winner, in a fight for his life because he was prepared to do just that, fight for his life.

I don’t know if those guys were really trying to rob him, I believe though that such is exactly what they were doing. For all I know, they could have been angels, but the record seems to indicate at least some of them were not. The thing is though that, in my opinion, Mr. Goetz read the situation correctly, and he was, as I believe it to have been, in grave danger when he drew and fired; or at least a reasonable person would have thought so. (this case later set new precedent in that 'what a reasonable person would have believed now included what a reasonable person would have believed based upon his own life's experience). Heck at least one of the guys later said they were robbing him, and if I recall correctly three of them wound up admitting such. I do think that Mr. Goetz sort of flipped out after the first shots, or maybe just because he thought he was being robbed, then he fell back on stuff he had seen in movies, and that included his big mouth ala Clint Eastwood characters like Dirty Harry. Lucky for him though, someone, or some few, on the jury on the criminal case must have seen Death Wish. It was an inspirational movie back then; and I am pretty darned rootin tootin shootin sure that Bernie Goetz was inspired by it; and so were his jurors at least on the criminal trial. They were also effected by something else – the crime rates. Read the Wikipedia article in full, look at the crime rates in NYC as compared to the rest of the nation – 70% higher in violent crimes! WOW. NYC needed something, and had Charles Bronson been available to take the place of Bernie Goetz in real life, the city of New York would have greeted him with open arms. Instead Bernhard Goetz, filled in for Bronson when it came to reality. When you think about it, had Goetz never turned himself in (it was imminent though that he would be captured as the police were already zeroing in on him), had he somehow remained free and then returned to New York once things had cooled down, well maybe - just maybe - he would have done it again. Maybe, like the character of Paul Kersey, Goetz would have gone hunting, so to speak, using himself as bait on a regular basis. He would have gone looking for trouble in the hopes of doing something about it. My guess is that if such would have happened, if by some quirk of fate Goetz had played and replayed the role of Paul Kersey in real life, and had kept his mouth shut as did Charles Bronson’s character in Death Wish, the crime rate in NYC would have hit rock bottom, and the people of NY still would be holding Bernie Goetz 'Mystery Vigilante Day' as an annual celebration, and had the NYPD ever by chance identified him, they very well may have told him: "Get out of town", and then just looked the other way.

Yes Death Wish was one hell of an inspirational movie, and it still is today. Bernhard Goetz's actions were also inspirational, so much so that while I was watching Death Wish, I was also thinking of him and the 4 guys he shot. I watched the movie last night, I thought about Bernie Goetz, I thought about my son Brendan Bernhard Bartley (a coincidence to the Goetz name, the Bernhard in my son's name comes from my great-grandfather) and my having taught him how to shoot so as to be able to not only enjoy the sport but to be able to defend himself; and then this afternoon I went to the Westside Rifle & Pistol Range, and I cranked off about 300-400 rounds. No I am not about to take a ride on the subways, armed to the teeth, I gave up riding the NYC transit system, except for rare travel on it, long ago. Nor am I going to, as much as I might be inspired to, go for a late night stroll in the streets of any of the boroughs of NYC taking the chance that I either will wind up a statistic in the mix of some dirtbag's rap sheet or a hero; last time I did something like that (not pre-intentionally mind you) I wound up getting the nickname Ballseye!

By the way, just to let you know: Charles Bronson, he is gone forever, but Death Wish remains an all time classic. As for Bernie Goetz, he and those shootings also remain an all time classic. According to Wikipedia, he is still living in NYC. He has run for mayor and other public office. He is involved in the so called 'Squirrel Community' and he cares for and feeds NYC squirrels (a favorite pastime of many New Yorkers). He still runs his own electronics related business, which is supposedly called Vigilante Electronics (I will have to look him up someday and maybe visit his shop if he has one), and supposedly has not paid a cent of that settlement. I'd be willing to bet one other thing about him, I'd bet that no one has had the balls to try to rob him since way back in 1984; there is just too much of Paul Kersey in him. Oh, and lest I forget, the crime rate in NY City started to plummet after the Goetz shootings, and they then remained in a downward spiral after that. Of course this is not just due to what he did on the subway, but you can bet he and his actions were at least in part one heck of an inspiration for bad guys to think twice. One other thing to bet on, at least I would bet it - he saw Death Wish before the shootings.


All the best,
Glenn B

A Brief Respite...

...may be in order with regard to my reading and replying to my daily dose of other writers' blogs. I am hoping to gain some time to get some other things done that need doing, while at the same time keeping enough time to write my own blog. Anyway I just don't find my heart is all that into it as of late, that is reading everything that I normally do on a daily or almost daily basis, and responding to things as I often do. Maybe I need something new, maybe I just need a bit of time away from things for a while. I figure I'll try the short hiatus first, and then try getting back into the regular swing instead of my trying something altogether new. So if you don't see me commenting on your blogs for a week or two, nothing personal, just taking a breather. For now I'll keep up my own blog as usual, and that will be about it for my connection to blogs for the rest of this week.

All the best,
Glenn

Bounty Hunting...

......has sometimes crossed my mind as a way of supplementing my upcoming retirement (Jan. 2009), but after watching some shows on TV I figure I maybe am getting too old for this stuff. Yeah I am still out on the street now and again, but nowhere nearly as much as in bygone years, yet I am certain I could get the job done, but I wonder - do I want to do that job. Nah, once I retire I think I want to be as far from criminal law enforcement as I can be, but I may still turn out a bounty hunter of sorts.

While I do not watch a lot of bounty hunter show, I have watched some, but the truth be told I prefer to watch shows on finding treasures. Be they the type that fit the saying: One man's trash is another man's treasure such as: antiques found at auction, collectibles picked up at a flea market, a great find from an estate sale, I kind of like the prospect of being able to find something that will bring me some cash in return of a small initial investment. So I watch a bunch of antiques shows like: The Antiques Road Show, Everything Must GO, Cash In The Attic and so on.

I also like to dream think about getting into what could be a more active form of treasure hunting, one in which I would quite possibly get lots of physical exercise. No I don't mean gold or diamond mining; then again it surely could involve lots of gold, and here is where that Bounty Hunter thing comes to play. You see, I have some cash from Christmas, and a gift card to Dick Sporting Goods, and they sell this. Now I don't have quite enough to get it yet, mostly because of recent unexpected bill, and other unexpected expenses, but I figure that before too long, I will be the proud new owner of a Bounty Hunter Land Star Metal Detector; that is if I actually can save up the remainder of what I need before I spend what I have. Then who knows what treasure I may find: gold, silver, coins, rusty nails!

Yes, I know, I was figuring on buying another gun with that money, but somewhere along in the search for a new gun, one of those metal detectors on the shelves just started calling my name and calling out the words: "Take me home, take me out of the box, and I'll make you rich beyond your wildest dreams." Well okay, I did not believe a word of it, I am no metal detector's fool; but think about it. Having one of those contraptions would give me more than enough reason for at least weekly trips to places like: the beach (I love the beach in the wintertime when hardly anyone else is there, it makes me think of what an explorer may have seen), or to places like old ruins in upstate NY and on Long Island, or a walk around vacant lots here and there, or checking out my and my relatives backyards, and other places too I imagine. All that prospecting for buried treasure would get me walking more than usual, and that has got to be a good thing, so maybe what the metal detector told me was not so far fetched after all (just losing a few pounds would make me richer).

I am hoping beyond hope that I can save enough for it before the end of next month. I already have about $240, so all I need to save up is another $140 (that is if the continue to offer free shipping). If my ammo auctions go well, and I keep half the money (as I'll be donating at least half to Chris and Melody Byrne, see: http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2008/01/ammunition-auctions-to-help-good-cause.html) then I'll likely have around another $25 to $30 toward this goal. Every bit helps. I'll have to see what other treasures I have lying around the house that I may be able to turn into cash on one of the online auction sites. I am sure there must be some other pieces of junk or trash useful things in my garage, or basement, that folks would like for their very own. I have to scavenge look for them starting tonight.

As for me right now, I had better hit the hay. I have work later today (goodness is it already 1AM) and the weatherman promises I'll have to dig my ride out of the snow before I can drive it into work.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - The British Zulu War Commences...

...and while the events of this date were not all that awesome, certain battles to follow today's unauthorized invasion of Zululand in 1879 by British Lt. General Chelmsford are some of the most remarkable in history.

Later the same month, on January 22, 1879 the Zulus wiped out a very large contingent of British forces under Chelmsford at Isandhlwana, killing 850 British soldiers, 450 native troops in British Service, and taking nearly 1000 rifles with ammunition. This was the most devastating defeat for British forces in battle against native forces, only about 55 British troops survived the battle, along with some native troops in British service. It was one heck of a piece of fine fighting by the Zulus for sure against better armed British troops, but despite the big win, the luck of the Zulus was about to change later on that same day.

On that same day, January 22, 1879, one of the most awe inspiring battles of all time took place at Roarke's Drift when about 138 British Soldiers defended their position against an opposing force of about 4,000 to 5,000 Zulu Warriors, many armed with British rifles. Should I forget to write about this on January 22, at least I made mention here. You can see more about this at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorke%27s_Drift, and at: http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/, http://schwartz.eng.auburn.edu/zulu/rorke.html, http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/battle/battle.htm, http://battlefields.kzn.org.za/battlefields/about/192.xml. Eleven British soldiers received the Victoria Cross for their actions that day, more such awards than had ever been given for any single engagement in British History; and that record stands through today.

Not only did the British erect a memorial to the British soldiers who fought and fell at Roarke's Drift: http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/battle/rorkesdrift_monument.htm , but they also erected one in honor of the Zulu Warriors who fought and fell there that day: http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/battle/zulu_memorial.htm.

It will soon be time once again to sit down with a good beer in hand and watch one of my favorite movies of all time: Zulu (1964) (http://imdb.com/title/tt0058777/), starring Michael Caine and Stanley Baker. If you have never seen this movie, why not find a copy, then wait until the 22nd January, then find a nice comfortable chair and a beer, and plop you butt into it in front of the television and give it a watch. By the way, if you cannot wait to see, oh well what the heck - go for it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ammunition Auctions To Help A Good Cause

I was down in the dingier parts of the dungeon my basement tonight, and I came across quite a shocking surprising find when I literally stumbled across a head in a basket some ammunition that I had forgotten all about. Being that I do not have guns in two of three calibers of ammo that I found, and being that I have a good supply of the one caliber for which I do own a pistol, I figured I would put this small ammo cache to good use. So I lugged it all up to my computer desk, took some pictures of the ammo boxes, and proceeded to list the ammo for sale at auction on GunBroker.com.

What I came across is as follows:

5 boxes of Remington 32 WIN Special ammunition, 170 grain core-lokt soft points; and 1 box of Federal 32 WIN Special 170 grain soft points. See GunBroker Auction: 89805969

2 boxes of Ultramax 45 Colt ammunition, 200 grain round nose flat points; and 1 box of Ultramax 45 Colt, 250 grain round nose flat points. See GunBroker Auction: 89806730

5 boxes of Sellier & Bellot 7.65 mm Browning ammunition (.32 Auto), 73 grain, full metal jacket (25 rounds per box). See Gunbroker Auction: 89807557

PLEASE NOTE: I said that these were Ammunition Auctions To Help A Good Cause, I did not just mean to fill my pocket with some extra cash. What could be better than that? Well one thing would be helping out fellow bloggers in need. At least one half of the selling price (after auction expenses) of this ammo will be donated to Chris and Melody Byrne over at The Anarchangel in an effort to help them with their legal fees relative to their custody fight for their children. Now it may not wind up being an enormous amount of money, but every little bit helps; and you get something for your money if you have the high bid. Besides that I already sent a donation to them, so this is icing on the cake - so to speak.

If you would like to take part in this effort, why not plop a bid down on some of this ammo. For more info on the cause for this auction see: http://anarchangel.blogspot.com/2008/01/weve-been-blindsided-and-we-need-help.html

All the best,
Glenn B

The Floor - and 4 weeks or so later...

...still has my knees, my hips and my lower back all feeling like the icy grip of winter has frozen them painfully in place. I can only wish that I could get some of the glowing warmth promised by the prospect of Al Gore's globally warmed winters, but there does not seem to be much chance of that. It does seem however that I will be enjoying at least another day or two of a warm glow of another sort, that cast by the suns last rays across the richly finished oak floorboards over which I have been kneeling as I hammer away. Yes folks, I still have not finished one small room's (maybe 12x14) worth of flooring. I have been pretty good about keeping at it though, and each weekend over the past 4 or 5 weeks (with the exception of last weekend when I was sicker than a dog) I have been diligently lining up floorboards, cutting them to size, drilling mail holes, then hammering home the nails to put it all together. I may not be doing as good a job as a professional finish carpenter, but I sure am doing as good or better than the fly by night type of carpenter one normally hires from out of the local Pennysaver. I know, I have hired those types before, and my work is better than theirs by a long shot, cheaper too - though I will admit this laying a new floor thing has gotten more expensive than I thought it would be. My latest expense was a new Jig Saw, purchased today for $69. Sure I could have gotten the bottom of the line for $29.99, but that one was obviously a piece of junk. The one I bought may be a piece of junk too, but at least it fakes looking like a fair quality item. All I needed it for was to cut an indent in two floorboards to go around the radiator pipe, and I sure wished I could have found my old one. The fact is I am pretty sure that the old one died a while back and I threw it out. So I needed a new one regardless of doing the floor. Oh well.

The floor is almost finished though. I would have done more than 6 1/2 rows of boards today, but I ran out of nails. By the time I realized that the local hardware store was closed up tight as a clam, and Home Depot was out of the question. Heck I was just at two of them this morning to by the drill, so I would be damned if I was about to go again. Too bad I did not realize I was low on nails, piss poor planning on my part I guess. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. I figure I'll do another 6 or so rows tomorrow. Then one more good day at it and it will be finished. Maybe, just maybe, when I get hoe after visiting my mom at the rehab center tomorrow afternoon, my son will have gotten the nails and finished off most of the job. One can wish.

All the best,
Glenn B

It Could Be Worse...and it is worse for some. The Anarchangel and family need help.

First it was the regular bills just building up on us, which we kind of caught up on. Then the money to paint my son’s room, then the money to put in a new floor in the same room because the old one was rotting (at least we are saving by doing it ourselves, and no though it started weeks ago it is not done yet). Then the kids birthdays, then Christmas and my mom’s birthday, then the vet bills for Hexi. Now the 2nd car, our 1996 Ford Taurus, is in need of mending – an alternator (again!). We probably should buy a new car, but the money is just not there right now. Oh well, if it is not one thing, then it is another, that just seems to suck to money out of the Honey Pot; and it sucks to have to take money out of savings when there is so little honey in there. It seems like we have spent more than we can afford lately, and certainly not on any extravagance. I am hoping that somehow things will level off before April so that for our double deuce anniversary I can take Linda on a 3 to 5 day cruise to the Caribbean (or maybe just a trip to the Catskills the way things have been going). I cannot imagine how tight things will become when I retire next January.

Still though, I guess things are not that bad for us in my house; and I am sure they could be a lot worse. I thank the heavens that they are as good as they are right now. Some others though are not as fortunate, such as Chris and Mel over at the Anarchangel. They have been stuck with a surprise $30,000 legal expense in a custody battle over their children. Not a spot in which I would wish to be stuck. If you think you can be of help to them, stop by their site and put whatever you can into the tip jar. Yes, I know I have ranted against tip jars on blogs before, and I still feel negative about them in general, when they are used so that someone who already has a good deal of wealth, or is even simply well enough off to make it, asks for tips so they can in essence buy toys. This though is something else altogether, this is someone in need – another couple of us from the blogger community, of the type of blogs that we read - who is trying to keep custody of their children – and in that light I already made my donation, and ask you to consider doing the same. If you cannot afford a donation, maybe you can give them some advice on how to handle the expense. Either way my guess is they will appreciate it. For more info – go here.

All the best,
Glenn B

Are You A Mr. Wizard?

Thanks to the Anarchangel, I was directed to this science test. Always one for a challenge I decided to take the test. Now even though it is at the 8th grade level, I figured it might be a challenge since the eighth grade and I parted company some 38 years ago back in 1969, and I figured that things had changed a bit since then so it would be a challenge. Apparently it is not all; that different nowadays because I scored pretty good. I will admit though I almost guessed on two questions; but a 96 is still a 96. I guess getting one answer wrong was not all that bad, I got jammed up with meteors/meteoroids.

Looking for payday loans?

All the best,
Glenn B

Balleye's Firearms Training & Tactics - The Absolute Best Backup Handgun

I can hardly believe that when I just checked to see when was the last of my training and tactics posts, it was back in October. Way too long to wait, but here I go with a new one, and one in which I am about to state what I believe to be an ABSOLUTE so I am sure there will be a bunch of gurus who read this that think I am full of shit gun enthusiasts who disagree with me on this one. No matter how much anyone else tends to disagree with me on this subject, I can state with certainty that I am convinced I am about to tell you which is the ABSOLUTE Best Backup Handgun you can carry at any given time if you carry a secondary handgun at all.

Let me start getting into this by saying not all of us feel the need for a backup handgun. I can live with that, and so can you. Some of us though would be much better off carrying a secondary or backup handgun. For instance a police officer or other LEO, an armed security guard, armed protective personnel (bodyguards), and other people in high risk professions or who live or work in other high risk situations. (Of course by high risk situation I am referring to one that may require you to use a handgun in the first place, I am not talking about something like avalanche danger.) Besides being in a profession or other situation that puts you at high risk, I think a backup gun is not usually necessary; but you may disagree and decide to carry one anyhow. Fine by me.

If you do decide to carry a backup, which should you choose. For instance if you carry a Colt 1911, should you stick with the same brand and carry a Colt Detective Special as backup? Or if you carry a Beretta 92FS, should you carry something smaller as a last ditch backup that is easily concealable like a Beretta Jetfire in .25ACP caliber? Most people to whom I have spoken and who carry backup pieces almost always opt to carry a smaller gun for a backup than is their primary weapon. I think there is some belief that size is of primary concern when deciding which backup to carry. I don't think size in comparison to the primary handgun matters all that much, that is unless for some reason the secondary handgun you are carrying must be extremely concealable.

There are, in fact, a good number of questions you should ask yourself before deciding on which secondary firearm you are going to carry as a backup. Does it need to be, or should it be for any reason, smaller and more concealable than your primary carry firearm? Should it have the same action type as the primary type firearm? Should it be the same caliber as the primary caliber firearm? Should it have the same operating features as the primary carry firearm? Should it have the same or very similar sights as does the primary carry handgun? How many rounds should it be able to hold? What type of speed reloading device does it use (basically magazines or speed loaders)? Should it be able to accept the same type of ammunition reloading device as does the primary handgun?

The answer to all of the above question in the paragraph immediately preceding this one is yes, with the possible exception of the first question. You see the ABSOLUTE best backup handgun you can carry is the same exact type as is your primary handgun. The only limitation on this absolute is if for some reason the secondary handgun must be more easily concealed than the primary handgun, and even then the backup piece is only best if you can answer all of the questions I just asked in the immediately preceding paragraph with a yes about it. More on this a few paragraphs down.

You may be wondering: 'Why is it I should not use a revolver as a backup for my Colt 1911, or why should I use a .25ACP as backup to my .40SW Semi-auto? Or why not use a 2 shot derringer as backup to my .357 revolver. I'll tell you sure you can do that, and you can do it with no problems too, that is if you practice with both a lot. That means practicing with the primary, then going to the backup in practice when the primary jams or runs out of ammo; but it only means that if, and ONLY IF, you are as good under the stress of combat as you are during practice. You see, if you are ever involved in a real life shooting situation, and your primary firearm fails for any reason such as malfunction, or it runs out of ammo, or you drop it, or it takes a shot and is damaged, then you may indeed need to go to your backup handgun in order to survive. If the gun you carry as primary handgun is a Colt 1911 (any variety) and you pull out your backup Colt Detective Special revolver it seems easy enough to continue shooting almost uninterrupted. The thing is if you have to fire those 6 shots in the revolver, and then need to reload, what will you do under the stress of combat. Will you remember that you are not supposed to go to your magazine pouch but rather need to dig out a speed loader, or worse yet dig out loose rounds, or worst of all have not extra ammo for the secondary piece? I can almost guarantee that the pucker factor will by that point have just about overwhelmed your brain by trying to keep your sphincter muscle clamped down on your anus so you don't shit yourself that you will just about be on auto pilot. Whatever you normally do when you run out of ammo in training is probably what you will start to do in this situation. So if you usually go to reload with a magazine, you may very well be grabbing for a magazine to ram into your revolver, muscle memory and training, along with stress, having taken over to some extent. Of course you could get it right, but chances are you will hesitate for just a split second or so, and that is all it might take for you to wind up the loser. So why add the added potential of getting it wrong in the first place, especially if you want to come out the winner?

The chances of you ever getting in a gunfight maybe small, but if you are in one of those higher risk professions or situations I mentioned earlier and need a backup, or if for any reason you have decided to carry a backup, why take any additional risks of having things go wrong? Instead, why not increase the odds in your favor that you will come out the winner in any such situation where you have to depend on your backup handgun! So what does this mean you need to do? You need to assure that either your secondary is the same model as is your primary handgun, or if it is another model than is the primary handgun, the secondary or backup handgun should:

1) Have the same action type as the primary type firearm.

2) Should be the same caliber as the primary handgun.

3) Should have the same ammo capacity as the primary carry handgun.

4) Should use, or be able to use, the same magazines or speed loaders as does the primary handgun.

5) Should have the same operating features as the primary carry firearm.

6) Should have the same or very similar sights as does the primary carry handgun.

After all is said and done, it is not which brand of backup you carry, but rather these mirrored features of the primary and backup that are, in my opinion, what makes it the ABSOLUTE best backup gun to carry. You see, if the primary gun fails you for any reason that forces you to go to the backup gun, the backup will now operate in the same exact manner as does the primary, it will have the same action and therefore shoot the pretty much the same, it will use the same ammo and have the same capacity, therefore you can use the same magazines or speed loaders with it, therefore reloading it in the same exact manner as you would have the primary handgun. The same or very similar sights will have you, in essence, seeing the same sight picture and getting that sight picture just as quickly. If you have to go through some sort of reloading procedure, a malfunction clearing procedure, or making the gun safe, all of these procedures will be the same on both the primary and secondary guns thereby eliminating the increased risk of a screw-up associated with primary and backup guns of different makes and or models with different features. All those things will come into play not only when the SHTF, but also during practice - so by practicing with mirror feature guns you are practicing in an essentially exact manner with each. This can only help assure you get it right under the stress of a a real life situation that requires the use of deadly force.

Now I will admit, the easiest way to do this is to carry two identical pistols or revolvers. For some this may be too cumbersome, and the secondary piece might need be smaller. I will also admit, if you need a second but smaller firearm, there are not many manufacturers who make a larger primary handgun who also make a cloned or very similar backup type gun with the same features as the primary or larger gun, but there are some.

The first such manufacturer which comes to mind is Glock. No I am not a Glock Guru, nor a Glock Nut, nor even a super fan of Glocks. I currently am issued a Glock Model 19 at work, and I have carried a Glock Model 26 as backup for it. I also carried a Smith & Wesson Model 60 as backup for the Glock 19, but using my own logic I decided the Glock 26 would be much better of a choice, and I changed as soon as one became available. When I started doing admin work some years back I gave up the model 26 so that another agent in a higher risk group could get one. Sadly I am again in a higher risk group, but no Glock 26s are available. All of the mirror operating features I described work between the Glock 19 and Glock 26. They are both semi-auto pistols, they have pretty much the same sights (or both can have the same sights), the operate exactly the same, both are 9mm Luger caliber, both have the same ammunition capacity, both can use the same exact magazines... 'Oh wait a doggone minute...' you say, '...the Glock 19 holds 16 rounds and the Glock 26 only 10'. Nope you are out and out incorrect by a technicality. While the model 26 can use the 10 round mags, and the 19 cannot use those smaller mags; the truth is that both of those pistols can use the higher capacity 15 round magazines that come with the Glock 19. Therefore both can have the same capacity as to number of rounds. So you only need carry spare 15 round magazines, in fact if you carry both of these pistols at the same time I strongly state that you should not carry any 10 round magazines with the possible of exception of the magazine actually seated in the Model 26. All backup mags should be the 15 round capacity mags.

Other manufacturers have similar pistols. Beretta has the 92FS, and has or at least had, a smaller 92 compact model. I believe Sig has some similar pistols in different models, and some in the same model but just of different size such as the Sig P220 and the P220 Compact. Smith and Wesson has some models of revolvers that will use interchangeable speed loaders. Colt probably made revolvers likewise.

So what is boils down to is, in my opinion, the ABSOLUTE BEST BACKUP HANDGUN is one that has functions/features that mirror the primary carry handgun if only because of the lifesaver that this can be in a firefight.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Cannot Shake This Cold

I guess one of the benefits of middle age is that my colds seem to come on less frequently, the drawback being they last longer - like 2 weeks or a bit more. I have been pretty zonked lately, don't know if I can write more today, maybe tonight.

All the best,
Glenn B

HEXI: January 3, 2008 - A Rough Day For My Family

When I woke up on the morning of the third, I was none to sure I'd be going to work. I was still achy, stiff, coughing and feeling fairly miserable from my cold or whatever it is I have had for the past several days. (I am still feeling it as I write this.) After a bit, I decided I was okay enough to go into the job, but figured I was going to be at least 2 hours late. As I warmed up the car, yes it was pretty cold, I checked my voice mails, and whoopee I found out I had to work a 2PM to 10PM shift. As it turned out I would not be late, and wound up in the office about 2 hours early. I got a lot of stuff dome I needed to finish up, and before I knew it it was about 6PM and I was headed out to do some surveillance on a drug case. At about 8:30PM I called home and no one answered. I tried again a little while later still no answer. I was not all that concerned, I figured my wife was out with the degs (our pet name for our dogs), or relaxing after a hard day's work and not wanting to answer the phone. Lucky for me at that time, I was in my government vehicle staying warm it was 21 degrees outside and getting colder.

Maybe about 930 or so, the surveillance was over, and I headed home. I called home again just to check in. When my wife answered and I asked how everything was, I could tell even before she said a words, that something was not good, I heard her sobs. Then she stammered that things were not too good. When I asked what had happened she told me Hexi, our 7 year old dachshund, had to be put down earlier in the night. Hexi had recently suffered from what the vets had led us to believe was a badly slipped disc that caused her to be paralyzed from about what would be your waist down. We had been set to live with that and Linda had ordered a doggy cart for Hexi, so she would be able to get around using her front legs for movement and the cart for rear support. The cart had not even arrived, heck probably had not been assembled yet at the factory, and Hexi had taken a turn for the worse. She was shaking and apparently having some sort of seizures when Linda came home from work today. Linda, Celina, Brendan, and Julia (Brendan's girlfriend) rushed Hexi back to the emergency veterinary clinic where the vet told them there was no hope for her, and Hexi had to be put down. They tried to call me, but Mr. Knucklehead had forgotten his cell phone at home today, so Brendan left me a message at the office. I only got the news when I called home later on as I said above.

It is a tough thing to lose a loved one, even if that loved one is only a deg. Hexi was a true bundle of joy from the first day we got her. She was Brendan and Celina's favorite out of the 3 of out dogs. Gosh, even my mom liked Hexi, and my mom has no great love for dogs or cats or other critters for that matter. Yet Hexi was able to warm her heart more than I had ever seen another dog do before. Hexi was lovable, and she surely was one of our loved ones. As a matter of fact I don't think she ever even growled at anyone let alone nip at them. She would rather have licked you to death, and she was always seeking or showing affection.

I don't know if it has really hit me yet in its full force, and as a matter of record I am pretty sure it has not. When I got home only Brendan and Julia were up. Linda had gone off to bed and Celina was at her boyfriend's house. I could see Brendan was hit hard. I got him to talk about what had happened, and I think it helped him a bit, but I could see the pain in his eyes. Julia was down in the dumps too. In the short time they have dated (must be 8 months already) she also fell in love with Hexi. it is as if the little witch (which is basically what her name means in German) could cast her loving spell over anyone. As for me, I think I will get the full force of this blow either when I talk to Linda about Hexi tomorrow, or when I awaken some night on the futon in the basement after having fallen asleep in front of the television and I realize that my little loving leg warmer is not cuddled behind my curled knees. It is difficult to think she is really gone.

We had Hexi, and she was a member of our family, for 7 or 8 years. I thought it was 8, but Linda told me 7 and I'll have to assume she knows better than does my muddled middle aged memory. Still though I remember when we went to the breeder (actually the son of a breeder) who was selling some dachshunds. Over many protestations from Celina, I put down my foot and refused to even consider a cream colored dachshund that surely must have been the runt of the liter, and which was the first one shown to us. When Hexi came out, I had convinced Linda and Brendan that she was the better choice, and we should take her (I did not even need to see another). They agreed but Celina, who wanted the other one flipped out. It was not too long, as time flies by though, before Celina agreed that Hexi had been the better choice than the runt we had seen first. Hexi casting that magic spell I told you about, it just took a bit longer with Celina - but not much for sure. As it turned out, we were all perfect for each other.

Well perfect for us and even for Sprocket our other dog at the time we bought Hexi. Sprocket too took a short while to get used to Hexi being there. At first she did not know what to make of her, and seemed afraid that she would accidentally hurt Hexi. But as time wore on they both grew to be extremely fond of one another, and Hexi brought out a playful spirit we had not seen all that much, if ever, before in Sprocket.

Hexi was not the perfect dog for some mind you. She was afraid of cars big time, and over the years we tried to walk her on the local streets to almost no avail. She would whine and pull, and be terrorized if a car drove by with even a hint of unmuffled noise. So she wound up spending most of her so called walks in out small backyard. If she ever got off the leash back there, she was away like lightning, usually to our neighbor Jessica's backyard, more to tease us than to run away I think, and could she be hard to catch or lure back (but we managed to get her back each time sooner or later, either with a cookie or witht he promise of a ride in the car and an open car door). She also ate like a vacuum cleaner, and we had to make sure to watch her weight for her. We kept her at a fairly good size. She could have been trimmer, but she was no porker for sure. She tended to bark a lot too. Anything outside our house would get her into a barking frenzy. She was very protective of us and the house. She kind of outgrew this to some small extent and got much less likely to bark at just anything, reserving her barks for the mailman, other dogs barking in the neighborhood, someone walking their dog outside our house, and bogeymen. Lately though, in about the last two months she again started barking more, but this only when she went out in the backyard for some reason. All that mischief, but yet she was perfect for us.

All that barking had one certain effect. Hexi taught our third dog, a mini-Chihuahua, Pepe (named after Pepe Le Pew), how to bark. We have had Pepe just over 2 years now, and for one whole year he never, and I mean never, barked. Then he started barking right there next to Hexi atop the arm chair near our front window. We don't know what prompted him to start, but he followed Hexi's cues and started to bark up a storm as far as Chihuahua barking goes. Of course, Pepe and Hexi were also great pals with one another, Hexi had that effect. Since Sprocket is so old now (I would guess about 19 or 20 years old) she is not as playful as she once was, so Hexi found a new playmate, and a ball of fire, in Pepe. He could run circles around her, but man did she ever get exercise in the house that she was missing because of not going for walks. Pepe would pester her into being playful, into play fighting over their dog chews and toys, and just run her in circles for the heck of it. Hexi loved it, and we know that because after not all that long she started teasing Pepe to get him to play.

I can only imagine that Sprocket and Pepe will miss Hexi as much, maybe eve more, than we do - in their own dog way. Linda and the kids, they are devastated. When my mom, mother-in-law, sister, brother, sister-in-law, brothers-in-law, and nephew, find out, there will be plenty of tears shed, they all loved her too. There is a lot to miss about her, I only scratched the surface in this memorial. As for me I miss her, so much so that a few seconds ago I thought something walked beside me and as I looked down. I swear, and I mean that literally, I saw what I thought must have been Pepe walking next to my chair, then realized it was nothing, but I swear I saw something reddish brown walk by my left leg toward the cubby hole under the desk just like Hexi used to do to sit at my feet while I wrote many of my blogs. It wasn't Pepe, he was sill in his bed with Sprocket next to the radiator on this cold, cold night. All I can imagine now is that maybe it was Hexi passing by to say her last goodbye to me; I wish she would have stayed a while longer. The vision was their just for a moment and was gone, just like Hexi and her life. My eyes are starting to tear up right now, I've got to stop now. Maybe more on her tomorrow or the next day. Maybe not. What more could I say than we loved her ever so much and we will miss her more than I ever could have imagined.

Glenn B

First Lines From My 2007 Rants

This was not my idea but it sounded kind of like some fun to me. I found the idea for it at Jungle Mom's site: The Jungle Hut. The idea is to write down the first lines of each of your first rants for each month in 2007. So here are mine in reverse chronological order:

Dec. 2007: The Irish Whiskey did not help. (My personal favorite, even if it was only a sip of it that I imbibed that prompted me to write that.)

Nov 2007: Too Bad He Apparently Does Not Read My Blog because his having done so may have saved him some holes in his legs, possibly being fired, and possibly being arrested.

Oct. 2007: Now here is a subject dear to my heart, the annual Long Island Herpetological Society Reptile (and amphibian) Expo.

Sept. 2007: Bloggers I read each and every day are listed over on the right, among the other bloggers to whom I link; but they are a bit special if only to me, and I read them on a daily basis.

Aug. 2007: It is amazing for me when I think back to my childhood, and remember what it was I wanted to grow up to be.

July 2007: Home again…the road trip is over, and that is too bad because it was a nice on.

June 2007: Prom night sounds like lots of fun, well for the kids.

May 2007: My Opinion on the 12 Million Illegal Aliens whom are estimated to be within the United States of America is that:

April 2007: For those of you who celebrate, have a happy Palm Sunday.

March 2007: Enjoying Some of The Finer Pleasures of Life is usually dependent upon one's income; but that does not mean that finer things are out of reach of those who don't make all that much.

February 2007: Great Britain has likely lost any hope of defeating Islamic terrorism on its own soil.

Jan. 2007: Here Is Wishing That You Enjoy a Happy and Safe New Year With Your Loved Ones

All the best,
Glenn B

Extra Money Should Equal A New Gun..

...or so I had presumed when I received some cash for Christmas. I had $250 in cash and a $40 gift card at Dick's Sporting Goods. I figured for sure I would buy myself a new rifle, but I am the great procrastinator and one of the worst squirrels around. I just do not know how to cache away my acorns in order to buy something later. Instead of saving I piss it away on all sorts of junk - maybe a bottle of spirits, or some sweets, or lunch out with the guys at work, or on stuff for the house, or whatever. The next thing I know and it is all gone. Well this time it is not all spent, at least not yet anyhow. I have about $200 if I spend it all at Dick's, and about $160 to spend elsewhere. That may not be much, but think I have another hundred or two somewhere else if I can find it. What a poor stash of cash for a married man.. Hopefully that will do to allow me to purchase something practical like a bolt action in .308. I am still thinking of a Mossberg or a Savage. If not one of them, then a military surplus rifle from one of the online vendors, something I can buy direct with my curios and relics license.

If I can make it until this coming weekend with the same amount of money, I will have to pay a visit to Dick's Sporting Goods to see what they have in the gun racks. If I spend any more of it before then, well I'll just have to go online and look for another SKS or a Mosin Nagant M44, or something like one of them. I just gotta save, gotta save, gotta save....

All the best,
Glenn B

Are You Hungover?

I feel almost great today despite the cold or whatever it is I have. Aches, pains, slight on and off again fever aside, I am not bothered by a hangover. kind of thought I would have had a few drinks last night, but I was feeling pretty lousy and sort of passed out on the futon while watching The Twilight Zone marathon. I don't know if that was good for me or not, I sort of think the alcohol would have had me sleep better than I did, and maybe even feel better this morning; but at least I did not wake up with a throbbing head and nausea. What about you my faithful readers, did you overdo it last night? If so, all I can wish you is a speedy recovery, and give you a goofball hangover cure. I think you just need the recovery, so I won't bother you with the recipe for my ineffectual cure which is basically a hair of the dog that bit you kind of a thing with some good quality gin added for attitude.

As for me and the wife, maybe we will enjoy some red wine with dinner tonight, and maybe tonight I can convince her to crack open the bottle of champagne I bought last year for new Year's Eve 2007. It has been in the fridge since then, and it is about time we drink it - don't you think!

All the best,
Glenn B

The Prognosis

Our Dachshund, Hexi came home from the veterinary clinic yesterday. Her prognosis for the long term is not great. She will, in all probability, never walk again on her hind legs. Now that she is home, the New Year will start, and continue, with her getting special care. Hexi can not walk at all right now, her front legs are not strong enough to drag her lard butted slightly overweight behind around. So we have to exercise her by walking her with a towel wrapped under her abdomen for support. We are using it like a sling for now, to support/hold up her rear. This way she can walk on her front legs with us holding up her back legs. This will be done until the dog cart we ordered arrives.

Luckily though the year ended on a fairly good note because her condition did not worsen, and we did not have to make a difficult decision about whether or not to put her down. What I mean is the decision was easy - we decided to buy her a cart to replace her hind legs so she can be mobile, and hopefully she will live many years to come in relative bliss. On the other hand, had her condition bettered or worsened the decision would have been much more difficult to make. So in a way, I am kind of relieved that she will be using the cart and not getting a back operation; but of course, I wish she never needed either one. In Hexi's case all sensation is gone - with zero to extremely little chance of any recovery - even with surgery. The back operation would have had some good chance of success but only if she had any feeling remaining in her hindquarters. The surgery would have cost over $5,000; heck the vet bills alone to date have been well over $1,000. The decision to have surgery performed on Hexi would have been difficult for at least two reasons, one that there was a chance it would not work or kill her, and the other that it would have just about wiped out any cash we have in the bank. The cart, which will give her much needed mobility, will go for $300 (plus shipping I think). That is a relief to our life's savings - the five grand would have just about wiped out our bank accounts; and it is a relief to the decision making process. If the vet would have said: 'There is hope of her walking again, but only 25%' - it would have been difficult not to have opted for the surgery and poverty but it would have been doable I think especially in light of the other option, that of the cart. Chances are we would have opted for the cart then too. Then again, if the vet had said there was a 50% chance of her regaining sensation, just imagine the difficulty in making the decision; and if he had said an 80% or more chance - I wonder if we would have taken it! It would have been a roll of the dice for us and her had we opted for surgery, with the dice heavily loaded against us; so as I said, the decision wound up being an easy one. Apparently though the decision for others would have been quite different, the vet said that he had to ask because some people would not opt to care for her but would rather have put her down had she been their dog. Sure, had she been expected to worsen, we would have chosen the same, but she is alert, in fairly good spirits, and apparently not in any pain. Thank goodness for that, the decision was easy - though I wish we never had to make the decision in the first place.

Well, as it stands, Hexi is going to need a lot of extra care. She has been with us only 7, or is it 8 years, since she was a little puppy. We all love her, and I although think the care will be time consuming each day, we will all do our best to care for her. Once the cart arrives, things should get easier. Right now we have to pick her up to bring her out to pee or poop. Thankfully the good old behind works on its own, but regrettably the faucet does not. We have to give her some squeezing to get her to pee, which I do not hesitate to say is much better than having to squeeze her to poop. My wife got squirted last night when she picked her up, I guess we have to be careful as to how we pick her up to avoid that in the future. Oh joy. I guess though it really is a joy, we would have been devastated had it turned out worse.

All the best,
Glenn B

Happy New Year

To All of You,

Who enjoy the fruits of your lives through your labors, and who live by a generally accepted code of morality, who respect the laws of the land and of nature, who respect other people, who protect the innocent, who punish the bad, who can forgive when appropriate, who express common courtesy, who are in general nice people and who are decent folks - I wish you a Happy New Year.

To those of you who get your jollies by maltreating others, who are perverts, pedophiles, violent felons, career criminals, child beaters, radicals or extremists of any ilk, and the like - I do not procrastinate to prognosticate, that lest you change, in the end you will be screwed. Hence, allow me or another to screw you, please do not derive us the opportunity or the pleasure of doing so by screwing yourselves.

All the best,
Glenn B

Wow, I Have Not Written Anything Since Friday

I had planned to do a lot of things this weekend, like work on getting the job of laying the floor in my son's room finished, doing some shopping for a new gun (got some spare cash for Christmas), taking care of my critters (they all need a cage cleaning), and writing my blog - among other things. When I woke up yesterday, I think it was already, late morning or early afternoon. I was aching all over, and felt like crap in general. Regardless it was off to Home depot to pick up a Blind Nailer (nail gun for flooring), and then to another Home depot when the first told me all of theirs were broken. Then to yet a third when the second store told me they did not have a tool rental section. Finally got the nail gun, but never used it yesterday, because I felt even worse when I got home. So it was back to bed for me.

Somewhere in there my wife had taken our small Dachshund - Hexi - to the vet. She was having trouble walking on her back legs a bit the night before. From the vet she vet to an emergency veterinary clinic where they do surgeries. Hexi was getting really bad, really fast. They shot her up with cortisone, and by the time they had done so she had apparently lost all sensation in her rear legs. They said if she got sensation back, they would put her out, do an MRI, and do surgery if it was a slipped or exploded disc as they suspected.

Today dawned, and I still felt miserable, but I went to see our vet along with my wife, son and his girlfriend. She explained a lot about what could be ailing Hexi, and she called the emergency clinic for an update. The news was not good. She never got any sensation back. Her back legs are pretty much lifeless. So she is still in the emergency clinic under observation; a Neurosurgeon will see her tomorrow. We visited her today and she looked pitiful. Both our regular vet, and a vet on duty at the clinic told us there is little hope an operation will work regardless of what is the problem now that she has had no feeling for over a day, and because the problem progressed so rapidly. They are almost positive it is a disc but kind of made it clear the surgeon would know better so we left her there until tomorrow. They also agreed that unless Hexi gets some feeling back on her own - there is almost no point in operating on her, and little point in doing an MRI. We are hopeful they can diagnose her tomorrow, or at least rule some things out when the surgeon is on duty. We also are hoping it is not a tumor. If it is a bad disc they said she can use a dog wheelchair/cart to get around. If it is a tumor, well that could/would be much worse than a disc problem.

After that it was off to BJ's Club for some shopping. My wife joined recently, and I can tell you it seems strange to say we went shopping at a place called BJ's club. What can I say! After that, once we were home, I started some work on the flooring. I guess I was up there hammering away for about 4 1/2 or 5 hours. Why so long, well the rented nail gun was a piece of junk and did not work, and the nails for it were paper thin and bent each time I tried to get one out of the gun into the wood. When one did go part way in, it split the floorboard. So it was back to a regular hammer for me. With that, I got a whole 8 rows of floorboards put in. Not very much, but man oh man is that oak hard to hammer nails into even though I am pre-drilling nail holes. I can tell you that in those 4 1/2 or 5 hours my knees went through hell. I am betting I'll be hardly able to walk tomorrow; although I have to admit that when I started doing the work I felt like I was about 80 years old, and by the time I had finished I felt like I was only about 60 or 65 years old. I guess maybe I have a cold or something, and adding that to my having just started to work out again (I ran/walked 5 miles on Wednesday and 5 1/2 on Friday), the aches and pains of a middle aged fat guy overdoing it have had me really out of it. I can hardly wait wait until the morn when I awake stiffer and even more achy because of the work I did on the floor. Thanks to aspirin, I may actually make it to work tomorrow.

Now I don't have it as bad as Hexi, nor as bad as my mom. She also went into the hospital yesterday - some old age problem of one sort or another. She is better now and hopefully will get out tomorrow. I guess when it rains, and it is raining here, it truly pours. As for me, I am sure I will get over my cold soon, or imagine I will. I guess my aches and pains will also go away with time and a load of aspirin, though earlier today nothing worked. I must admit that the work on the floor loosened up some things and got rid of some aches, I am just expecting others to take their place by the morning. Oh well, enough complaining from me; whatever happens, I plan to have a good New Year's Eve at home with my wife, and a bottle of fine red wine, and a bottle of even better champagne; and I am hopeful Hexi will be with us. Hope you are felling better than us and not suffering from the blues or anything worse.

All the best,
Glenn B