The Latest Link(s)

Tonight I found out my blog was prominently linked on the blog: The Wandering Minstrel. How can I not give a reciprocal blog to someone with genius enough to link to me! So there it is, over on the right, in 'The Grumps, Geeks, Gun Guys and Geniuses...' blog roll. This particular blogger is one of the gun toting (and smart) variety which are my favorites, that is right after those who get me in trouble with my wife when they flash me a pretty smile.

There is also a new blog under the header of 'All Sorts of Great Bloggers - No Links Back To Me - But I Like Em Anyway' blog roll. This new one is Great Blue Whale. Another gun blog among other things.

Check them out, I think that you will like them.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Open Invitation...

...to any U.S. Citizen or legal resident alien, who is of legal age, if you are on Long Island and want to learn how to shoot a rifle or shotgun, I would be happy to assist free of charge as per availability. You must provide your own firearm(s) and ammunition, safety equipment, pay for your own range use fees, and for your own transportation to the range. I can possibly provide a 22 rifle for first timers under certain circumstances, but this will be the rare exception. This offer goes for virtually anyone who can legally possess a firearm within New York State, and who is mentally and physically capable, in my opinion, of using one safely. I am available to do this at the Nassau County Rifle Range in Uniondale, or at the Long Island Shooting Range of Brookhaven. Please be responsible and courteous, don't be a jerk if you want to take me up on it, be capable of shooting safely, and be legally allowed to possess firearms and ammunition. This offer conveys no privilege or right to anyone, and I may, at my own discretion, decline to provide this offer to anyone for any reason, or may discontinue the offer at any time with no advance notice.

All the best,
Glenn B

On Troop Surges and Timetables

Barack Hussein Obama is currently in Iraq (he finally got some chutzpah, I suppose because he is too afraid of losing votes by not going). Now that he is there, a lot of drum banging will begin, and you can bet it will all be shoved in our faces on the televised news. Heck, three news anchors are traveling with him. (Now can you imagine that since the democrats were the ones who scream wildly about reinstating the Fairness Doctrine in the news media - what hypocrites!) Back to Barack. He is is talking pullout of troops on a fast schedule, and he is also talking about introducing a surge of troops to Afghanistan. Funny isn't it - how not too long ago Barack hypocrite Hussein Obama voted against the troop surge for Iraq saying a troop surge would not work, and now he is ready to fully endorse surges over in the war in Afghanistan by sending a troop surge to that country. I guess he thought that troop surges just wouldn't work in one country because it was spelled I-R-A-Q instead of A-F-G-H-A-N-I-S-T-A-N, I mean what other reason could there be, let alone what sensible reason could there be for how he has changed his view of troop surges?

Now I am not saying we should not be getting out of Iraq. I think if we have done the job, then we should be done with it. My feeling is that it we should make sure it is done, they start to withdraw. As to a timetable, well, I don't know. I think some troops, in the form of advisers, and in the form of air bases, should remain in Iraq as we have had them in Germany and in South Korea, for quite awhile. Most though should be taken out, and that I think should start soon. Then we should hammer Afghanistan. Yet there is a difference in how and why I view it this way from how Barack Hussein Obama views it. He readily admits secretly believes it a great way to get votes, and nothing more from what I can see. I say it to actually win the war on terrorism, and to give our troops a break. In the overall picture, from what I can see liberal Democrats overall don't give a flying flap jack as to the safety of the troops (they attack them over here in protests), curse them at every chance they get, cut back on spending for their protection, and opposed the surge in Iraq that ultimately resulted in saving many lives of our soldiers. No not the opposition, but the surge itself saved lives, so if you are a Demoncrat, please do not twist my words.

I wonder, as to liberal Democrats in general - have you noticed how they have greeted Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's suggestion for a near future troop withdrawal, on a timetable, from Iraq. Of course you know that they have greeted it with open arms and a lot of pompous saying 'see we told you that is what was needed' kind of thing. In that light they are praising Maliki as a great leader who knows that which about he speaks. They just cannot praise Maliki enough. Funny though, it was not too long ago that the Democrats overwhelmingly condemned Maliki as little more than a stooge or puppet for the Bush administration, and labelled him as pretty much useless and completely ineffectual as the leader of Iraq. With the liberal Democrats it seems to be they change their minds as the wind blows instead of having some sort of convictions or backbone. The really strange thing is that their constituencies seem to eat it all right up and swallow it hook, line and sinker as being gospel truth. Amazing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - There really Was A Man In The Moon

Well, at least there was a man on the moon. July 20, 1969 was the day that man landed on the moon (it was not until the 21st that he actually walked on the moon) by way of the moon landing of Apollo 11. Buzz Aldrin spoke the first words on the moon, but Neil Armstrong gave us a hint of how it should have remained out there in space, when he said: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." No one knew to what he was referring because the name of the spacecraft, the lunar module, was Eagle 1. Tranquility Base was a name he had made up for the landing zone on the moon, what high hopes had he, and I guess so did the rest of us!

It was one of the most amazing achievements of our time, and a damn pity that space exploration did not go full tilt after that. Then again, we had and still have other things to worry about here at home on good old planet earth, like whose god is better than everyone else's god, who can send more bombs to whose backyard, how many rights we can give to homosexuals, starving worthless piss ants who will not work for their own well being, and oh yes Global Warming. Folks we could have been out there with a full fledged space exploration program ala Star Trek but we were just to busy screwing one another over to realize the great potential that is out among the stars. What a shame because that moon landing was absolutely amazing and held promise of wonderful things to come. Yet, here we are still stuck in the primordial ooze of men's minds, bickering,bitching, moaning and in general not knowing which way is up!

We should have followed the advice of Johnny Cash when he sang:

"I'll fly a starship across the universe divide, and when I reach the other side, I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can..."

All the best,
Glenn B

Global Warming Slams Home In July...

...and man oh man is it warm outside. It's currently 89 degrees Fahrenheit, with 42% humididity - so it feels like its 91 degrees Fahrenheit. Can you imagine it feeling like 91 degrees in July! Maybe Al Gore was right, maybe we have doomed ourselves, oh nooooooooo.

Let me tell you, though it's hot, I have braved the heat. I've been out to the stores and the shopping is done, I took care of my animals and their cages, pen, and tanks are clean and they are well fed, I put a coat of polyurethane of the chest of drawers I'm refinishing, I've watered the flowers and the vegetable garden using watering cans (none of that wussy using a hose for me), I've pulled some weeds (though not too many because it really is warm), I took out the trash, and now I am waiting on the polyurethane to dry so I can hit the chest of drawers with another coat. What to do, oh what to do. Well I can get my animals ready for the herp show this evening at Gardiner Manor Park in Suffolk County, and and do have to get that done; but before I do it there is something else I need to accomplish.

What a better accomplishment than to make sure I survive this massive heat wave, this overwhelming spurt of global warming, this Curse of Gore. So I had better grab an icy cold beverage like a Hefe Weissbier, or a vodka spiked glass of lemonade, while there is still electricity coming in, allowing my fridge to run, making it possible for me to chill some beers, and to make some cubes to dip into my cocktails. Otherwise I might just start repeating the death knell of the Wicked Witch of the West: "I'm melting, I'm melting.....".

So what am I waiting for? Later for you....

All the best,
Glenn B

Brooklyn Gun Buy...Irony of Ironies...

Here I am trying to get some cash together so I can legally buy a new gun, and I am presented with a dilemma. Should I stick to my ethics and do it the right way, or should I partake in the gun buy back. I have a couple of old clunkers I have been trying to sell, one is a Mosin Nagant M44 for which I have been asking $75.00 and would probably accept $50.00, and the other is a J.C. Higgins bolt action rifle in .22LR,, I forget the model number - something in the 40s. I am asking $125 for it. The dilemma is this - I can hold onto them and have it take a long time to sell them legally because they are of little collector interest, or I can drive into Brooklyn in NYC today and turn them in to an "illegal" Gun Buy Back Program and receive a $200 Bank card, no question asked, for each of them. You add it up.

On the one hand I can get $400 for two rifles for which I am having a hard time selling for a total asking price of $200, let along what I would accept. On the other hand I have some morals and live by some ethics. It would be outright dishonest of me to claim that these guns are illegal, yet the buy back program is a "no questions asked" sort of a thing. Well that is it would be dishonest of me to claim them as being illegal here where I live, but I do not live in NYC. If I drive the short distance into the city though, at least one of them, the Mosin Nagant, with its attached bayonet, would be considered illegal. Think of it, I could get $200 for a rifle for which I probably would accept $50, and for which I would be happy to get $75.00! Fuck those assholes I am truly disappointed in the wizards at the NYPD who figured out not only this great way to tempt legal gun owners like me, but also how to waste the taxpayers' dollars by buying a bunch of guns for much more than they are worth. In addition they will make a big stink about how they get maybe a couple of hundred guns off of the streets, and guess what - the criminal element will only steal or illegally buy, or illegally manufacture more of them, and this effort will not reduce gun crime by any great amount. What will reduce gun crime is arming the average citizen and allowing that citizen to defend him or herself.

As for me, the choice is tough clear. (yes of course it is clear, clear as crystal). I cannot bring myself to do something that would:

1) Be as dishonest as this

2) Probably result in an investigation not of the firearms I turned in. Yes there are no questions asked, but do you think the police will not be checking serial numbers, then going to investigate whom they believe to be the legitimate owner of the gun to determine how the gun wound up at the buy back. I could just imagine the knock on my door, the police asking me all sorts of questions about if the gun had been sold by me or stolen from me. How would I explain I turned it in for the cash?

3) Turning in a perfectly operable firearm, a legally owned one at that, to have it eventually destroyed by the government.

4) Placing a feather into the cap of the Bloomberg Tyranny by way of giving them one, or two, additional gun(s) to have counted in their media attention seeking anti-gun drive.

5) Ruining the chance of some other firearms enthusiast and U.S. Citizen, or legal resident alien, to own one of these fine firearms. Yes not very collectible, but fine firearms nevertheless. They are both great shooters, and lots of fun, and if that is not 'fine' I do not know what could be.

6) It is a waste of tax payer dollars, an extravagant waste of tax payer dollars, and I am a tax payer who pays to much in taxes to support moronic programs like this one.

So as it turns out, I will do my chores around the house. Of course I may call the NYPD and ask if they will also accept, and pay for,legally owned firearms. That could change how I look at things a bit; but my guess is that I will still keep the guns. Why - well because of reasons 3, 4, 5 and 6 above. Man it pisses me off big-time that they are wasting tax dollars like this.

The only thing I can think of that would make me smile about this whole buy back deal would be if some thugs showed up at one or more of the buy back centers, then stole all of the bought back firearms, of course without injuring anyone; and then for a law abiding Joe Regular Guy legally armed citizen to capture the bad guys and seize the guns. Sure the guns would still wind up being destroyed but think of how that would make Bloomberg look. It would help assure that a tyrant a politician like Bloomberg would never again be elected; and that such programs would be frowned upon. Of course I am not wishing for that, nor suggesting anyone try it (the theft that is), and I certainly do not condone it, but there certainly would be a bit of satisfaction in seeing the program fail that miserably.

All the best,
Glenn B

Another Item on Auction For The New Gun Fund

If you are interested in bidding, go to this link, and help me buy my first new gun in quite a while:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=105121838

All the best,

GB

Let The Auctions Begin...

I have listed two (2) auctions, one each at GunBroker.com and one at ebay.com.

The one at GunBroker.com is for five (5) boxes of Winchester 7.62x25 ammunition, 85 grains, FMJ, 50 rounds per box. See: http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=105089376

My starting bid is not bad either when you consider it works out to $13.00 per box of 50, and that when last offered at CheaperThanDirt.com, this ammo was going for just under $19.85 per box of 50.


The other auction at eBay is for a 2002 NCAA Men's Final Four, Maryland terrapins, National Champions cap. It was autographed by Gary Williams the Maryland coach when I met him in a restaurant across from the college. If interested see:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320276150311

I am hopeful this will help bring in some cash for my anticipated purchase of a new pistol or rifle, and I figure it is better than begging.


All the best,
Glenn B

As I Was Rummaging Through The Ammo Locker...

...I came up with 500 rounds of 7.62x25 Tokarev that I pretty much forgot was there. I had more of it awhile back, but gave some of it to a friend of mine who owns a Tokarev pistol. Now that I have a new pistol and a new rifle in mind though there is not going to be any giving away of ammo in the near future. This stuff is all price marked at $13.95 per box, that is an old price. The exact same ammo on CheaperThanDirt was going for $19.95 when I checked last night. So I think I will be selling this ammo in the near future. I have already made an offer of it to my friend with the Tokarev. If he wants it he can get it at a pretty good price. If not, well then I'll be putting it up on GunBroker.com or another auction site. I see that CheaperThanDirt.com now has their own auction site, and it is free, as in no charge to list items and no final value fee. Please do not make offers, I'll only sell this over the Internet if I do it on a regular gun selling site like GunBroker.com. I will keep you posted about whether or not I put it up for auction. It would be a nice way to add some money to the new gun fund. Now to rummage around the rest of the house and garage looking to see what else I can sell.

All the best,
Glenn B

Soldiers' Care Package Donations Update

Folks I know it is not the holiday season, but when it comes to our troops, especially those in harm's way, I would think at least a few of you would make a donation to this fund. As of tonight, I have one donation from C.V. of TN, in a pretty good amount. That one donation alone could fund a small care package for a couple of people; but I am pretty sure my readers can do better than that. As a matter of fact, I know you can do better than that because last time around, for the Soldiers' Holiday Care Packages - you guys were really generous. I know things have gotten tighter with gas prices, food prices, paper products prices, utility prices, electronics gear prices, booze prices, travel costs, and just about everything else you can imagine having gone up to the sky - but out men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces are still over in Afghanistan and Iraq fighting for us and the American way - in Afghanistan as for the ones to whom this/these package(s) will go.

So I am making a personal appeal to you to please do what you can to give a donation, even just a buck if you really cannot afford more, to help fund this effort. I would especially ask, heck I even expect, certain of you whom I have helped out in the past to make a donation. No you don't have to repay me what I sent to you, this is not payment to me anyhow; but I sure expect you to make a darned good effort to dig deep and come up with something for Jaime V (my assigned solider by Soldiers' Angels) and his unit in Afghanistan. Bear in mind that these guys and gals are now in the thick of things - as in the country where the war is escalating on a seemingly daily basis. Anything we can do for them is appreciated by them, of that I think we can be certain.

As for you who gave generously last time, I say thanks again; but I also ask you to give something again. You don't have to give as much as last time - as I said a dollar will do. If I get a hundred donations of a dollar, plus the donation I already have from C.V, plus what I will donate (at least $25 toward goodies to include in the package[s] plus the postage to ship the items), it will be a nice package or two or three that I can send to them from all of us.

I am only collecting for one month, until about August 10th at the latest. I will start sending out packages in about 2 weeks, or sooner if I reach $100 before then, and I'll keep sending out packages as long as the funds come in up until August 10th. Every penny you send will be used toward items to go into a care package. I will pay, out of my own funds, for the postage, for the shipping containers and tape, for the premium that PayPal takes right off of the top of the donations you make to this effort, and I will add $25 to $50 to the donations out of my own money. So please - if you are planning on donating - don't put it off. The sooner enough comes in, the sooner the first package(s) goes/go out.

If you want to donate, there is a donate icon on the upper right side of my main blog page. As I did last time, I will scan and document here on the blog the receipts for the items, and for the postage, and all that - and I'll probably post pictures of the items that go into the packages too.

For more info on this effort, go to: http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2008/07/soldiers-care-package.html.

Before I forget, allow me to say thanks to C.V. of TN.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Gun Thing...

...has been getting to me lately; or maybe I should say it is the lack of me being able to buy a gun in quite awhile that has gotten to me. Sure, I ordered a M1916 Spanish Mauser recently, but those are on back order and I'll not likely see it for at least several months. What I am talking about is I have not bought a new, used, or surplus firearms in way too long, and what with the Heller Decision to celebrate, National Buy A Gun Day having come and gone, my interest in shooting and collecting firearms, my interest in hunting, and well - it just as if all those have ganged up against me like little mischievous spirits. Lately those little imps have been whispering into my ear that I need to buy a new gun Alas I have little ready cash, and I am certainly not putting one on plastic since I just did that when I ordered the Mauser. So if I want one I need to figure out how to make some quick cash, or how to save some of the money I am already earning, but currently have allocated for other things.

Saving in today's world isn't easy. Finding a quick cash making deal is not easy either. Heck with the price of everything going up on what seems a daily basis, by the time I get enough money saved for any gun which suits my fancy, well chances are it will just be too darned expensive because its price will also have gone up. I could be at it a long time with the rifle and pistol I have in mind too - yes there are two of them that have kindled my internal flames enough to have warmed my heart toward them.

First let me cover the pistol, and I'll do it briefly because I have written about it before, and you can always rad about it there. So let me just say, I would like to become the owner of a Heckler and Koch P2000SK Sub Compact. It is one heck of a nice pistol, and I think I can pick one up at a significant discount (last time I checked anyhow). I mean just look at it, then read up on its specs, and imagine the quality of this finely made pistol in .40 S&W, and imagine it in your hand, and imagine the great fun you will have shooting it, and imagine the comfort you would feel, knowing it was there, if you ever needed it for self defense; and oh heck I just would like to get myself one of these before I retire.

Now that I have slapped myself out of that dream, let me move onto the rifle. The rifle is another piece of fine craftsmanship, or should I say two pieces of fine craftsmanship since it is a takedown rifle. Sometime back, I don't know if it is because I saw one in a movie or where ever, I became enamored with the idea of picking up a takedown rifle. I like the fact that it can be broken down into two major components and put into a carry case that does not define itself as being a gun rag. In other words, it can be carried less obtrusively. There is also another aspect of takedown rifles, something that makes them alluring or sexy (as far as a rifle can be such), and I guess that is the adventurous side of such a gun. Takedown rifles have, at least in my mind, always been associated with adventure. From spy movies, to old westerns, to modern day assassins, to big game hunters, these rifles are there - there always seems to be adventure associated with them. Of course I know buying a rifle of any type will not assure adventure, its just a selling point kind of a thing or silly association at best, but it is there and it has played a role in their appeal to me. As for wanting adventure, heck I have had enough in over 28 years as a federal LEO, but I'll save those stories for another time, maybe even for a book after I retire.

Back to the rifle. I suppose by now you are wondering just what rifle I am writing about, so let me shoot down all the suspense and come right out and tell you that the rifle of my desires, the one at the top of my list of want to haves, heck at the top of my list of gotta haves (right now anyway), is the Browning BLR Lightweight Takedown Rifle. I have owned a BLR before, one that was sold to me used, but was virtually as new in the box. It was a great rifle, but I sold it. Why sell a great rifle? I guess mostly because I thought I could not afford shooting it; and what a poor excuse that was for getting rid of something which I should have put away in the gun locker, and treated with reverence. We all make bad decisions, and my decision to sell my BLR was a bad one even though it was chambered for the .358 Winchester round. Yes even though that round was about $1 or more apiece back when I sold the rifle, and even though I feared it would get much more expensive, and even though it actually did become much more expensive, I should have kept that rifle. Ouch, it hurts just thinking about having sold it. By the way, the ammo now being priced at over $2.00 per round has not really made any of the pain go away. Yes folks, over two bucks each time you pull the trigger, just check out the price here: http://www.impactguns.com/store/020892201057.html, and that does not include tax or shipping. So just think of what great condition that rifle would have been in had I kept it even if I decided to shoot it a few times a year -heck it makes it even more painful when I think of it that way. Now when you consider that a new one goes for an MSRP of $893.00, but I have seen them online at about $765 plus tax - ouch to the pocket book. They will probably be closer to MSRP here in NY; and then when you consider I bought that other BLR for only $300, and that it truly was as new (probably unfired from what I could tell), well the brick walls of my house may wind up with some of my forehead skin stuck to them - I could just about bang my head on the walls the way I am feeling right now. But that won't make my desire to own another one go away. So I had best figure out how to save for a new one.

If you are wondering about the one I want now, as I said it is the Browning BLR Lightweight takedown Rifle (my old one was not a takedown version). It is one heck of a nice wall hanger, and even a nicer shooter even though it is a lever action rifle. From its 20" (in the caliber I want) blued steel barrel, to its alloy receiver, to its gold plated trigger, to its highly polished walnut stock with pistol grip, to its removable box magazine, to its recoil pad, to its takedown feature - this rifle speaks quality. It is available in three barrel lengths 20", 22" and 24", and in 14 calibers. Some of the ammo for it is even more expensive than the .358 Winchester round. Of course, if I do save enough for one of these, I will get it in a caliber than is more affordable, yet one that is an all around good hunting round, and good defensive round (no I would not use this gun as a primary defense weapon, but one never knows what one will have at hand if the SHTF). So I am thinking of getting one in .308. The other 13 calibers in which it is available are found here, as is a bit more info about the rifle.

Now to start saving, maybe some brown bag lunches, maybe some bottles and cans to the recycling center, maye sell a few things at a garage sale....

All the best,

Glenn B

I've Been An Ale Man...

...But I've Never Been A Bud Man (yes I used to wear a Bud Man shirt back in the 70s). Yeah sure, I'll also admit to drinking Budweiser Beer now and then years ago, but I truly have tried to avoid it like the plague over the past decade or so, maybe even 2 decades. Why, well I guess one reason is because the name just falls prey too easily to being maligned - I mean who in Hades (or their right mind) would enjoy drinking a beer often referred to as Budwiper! Another reason of course is that Budweiser is like 'sex in a canoe'. If you don't know what I mean, well search that term on this blog.

Now though, we can speculate there may yet be hope for the American brew that thrills the taste buds of millions (and really I cannot fathom just how they do it with beer that is that f''ing close to water - there goes that sex in a canoe reference again). It may well wind up being improved, and I say this hopefully based upon the takeover of Anheuser-Busch by In-Bev a Belgian company ala mega-brewer. Now while Anheuser-Busch was also a mega-brewer, they just never quite made anything I would truly consider a great tasting brew. In-Bev, on the other hand produces one of the best tasting plisners I have had had the pleasure to pass over my taste buds; that would be Stella Artois. One can only hope that the Belgians will cause such changes to come about, that is changes toward making an American beer with some kick and some flavor.

Of course now one also needs to hope that the Belgians don't start closing down Anheuser-Busch breweries and moving operations overseas. The state of the U.S. economy is bad enough already with such problems being caused by the money grubbing executives at Anheuser-Busch selling out to foreigners. I would not take all of the beer in Germany (and man there are some absolutely excellent German Biers - one of which I am enjoying at the moment - a Paulaner Hefe Weissbier - mmm good) nor the $75 per share that A-B accepted from In-Bev if I thought it meant the loss of even one or two American jobs let alone improving the taste of Budwiper. I mean that would be un-American, and if it turns out to be the case - well then I think all of you nitwits who regularly drink that piss ought to stop drinking it. Yeah, I don't drink it, I did not support them, but I do support many American Breweries, and if need be, in order to stop the loss of American jobs I would have started drinking even the slop they passed off as beer to help prevent the takeover - that is of course had I known about it in advance, and had I suspected it would cause us to lose jobs. As it is now, I can only hope we will not lose jobs to Europe, and that Budwiper might be improved to something I consider worth drinking now and again.

All that "born on" crap and advertising money spent on the Clydesdales was apparently wasted when in fact, as I see it, the energy would have been better spent making it taste fantastic.Too bad Budwiper seemingly never got it right in the first place by brewing a truly great tasting product that would have kept them at the top of the heap and untouchable by furiners. Now the consequences, and hopefully they will be an improvement to the beer, while the jobs wind up staying here.

Al the best,
Glenn B

A Day At The NY Metro Reptile Expo...

...was how I spent my day today. Not bad as things go. I helped man the Long Island Herpetological Society table, gave out membership applications, and also passed out vendor packets in anticipation of the 19th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo for this October 4.

I tried selling some of my animals to, a quasi business sort of way to supplement my hobby, and I sold a few, very few, and inexpensive ones at that. I also had a theft. Some dirtbag stole a bearded dragon from me. I am pretty sure I know who it was but did n0t see him, again once I discovered the loss. As it turned out, the show promoter came over to the LIHS table asking us if we had been selling certain type of snake. They had recovered it from a shoplifter along with some bearded dragons, and other reptiles. I told the promoter I had been ripped off to the tune of one baby bearded dragon and he said they recovered 5, and would check around to see to whom they belonged. Apparently, as I found out near the end of the show, some other vendor said they were all his and took them all. I look at it as if I had been stolen from twice because it is very unlikely that the shoplifter stole 5 of the same animals from one dealer without being seen in the act! Its not like you would grab a handful of them without being seen, rather much more likely those animals came from several vendors' tables. Oh well, not the worst loss I have ever suffered.

What surprised me was the action they took with the shoplifter. They took back what he stole, then let him go telling him he was banned from future shows. No arrest - imagine that - and not even a butt kicking. When I spoke to the promoter about it near show's end, and asked him if the guy was a certain race, slim build, mid to late teens, wearing a goatee, and was with another guy of similar build and race - he looked at me as if puzzled how I could know that and then said yep that's the description. Of course it was, because I had figured correctly about whom I had suspected of being the thief who hit me up for the beardie. I guess I should have gotten back one of those baby bearded dragons they recovered, it sure seems pretty clear to me that it was probably the same guy they busted who had stolen mine, so one of the ones he had was almost surely mine. Funny how only I seemed to get that, but maybe because he already gave them to someone else who claimed a loss. Oh well...life goes on.

I managed to spend more than I took in. I had to pick up some mercury vapor lamps for my lizards (sort of artificial sunlight for desert lizards and expensive as a vacation to a sunny part of the world), and some other items like a box of a thousand crickets for the baby bearded dragons.

Then I was off homeward bound. The ride home was drag, way too long. It took me about 40 minutes to get there from my home this morning, but it took me almost 2 hours to get back home from the expo. Traffic was a nightmare on two different roads. It's bad enough I am stuck in that stuff each weekday, when you get stuck on the weekend it really stinks. Arrival at home was nice though. The sweetheart had a nice dinners waiting for me, some BBQ'd chicken fresh from today, and salads leftover from yesterday. That with a tall glass of lemonade ht the spot, and I can say it was the spot that causes one to be quite content.

All the best,
Glenn B.

P.S.: Terrible of me to have neglected to mention I met a friend at the show, a guy who used to work with me but is now retired. He was at the show with his teenaged daughters. Man if you want to see someone who is happy, look at someone who retired of their own volition. My pal Pete K. sure is one heck of a happy man. I guess retirement, and the fact that his daughters share his interest in herps, and spend time with him, keeps him smiling.

Balls Out Jeans - Pretty Much A Funny Adult Video (No Nudity Except For Artificial - I Hope - Body Parts)

I don't know about you, but I think this is a hilarious video; one of the best and naughtiest (without any real exposure) I have seen in a while. Its gross, disgusting, crass, sexist, raunchy, and shows artificial body parts (I hope they are artificial); and as I said it is simply outright naughty - all to a great degree - but most of all it is funny. It is about time someone addressed this issue!

If you are holier than thou, very sensitive, a prim and proper prudish type - then don't watch this - unless you want a naughty laugh but be prepared for that which I noted above.



Well now you went ahead and watched it didn't you. I hope you enjoyed it.

By the way, the video is from eBaums World @:

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/316121/

All the best,
Glenn B

Soldiers' Care Package

Well, as I told you a couple or few weeks ago, I have been assigned to another soldier over in Afghanistan by Soldiers' Angels. I am going to start putting care packages together for him (or maybe her, the name is Jamie, and Jamie did not make it clear). If anyone is interested in helping out with the package, you can send donations to me for the care package via my PayPal account. I can only accept donations over the Internet via PayPal, or can accept cash from people I know locally. I'll place a link on the right side of the page, up near the top. I'll give it a month or so to see what comes in, then I'll put together a care package, and ship it off, with some of my own funds and all of the donated funds. Last time I did this, back before Christmas - it was a great success. Thanks to the generosity of my readers I had enough to put together several high end care packages; and thanks to StreamLight who donated a dozen flashlights we had some high end flashlights with batteries and replacement batteries to include in the boxes.

These guys and gals in our military deserve to remain in our thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and our gratitude forever - but especially while serving on foreign soil or on foreign seas. Anything you can help out with from a few pennies on up would be appreciated by me, and will probably be even more appreciated by the soldiers who receive the goodies in the care packages I will send to them on behalf of all of us who donate through this effort. I can say without a doubt, that Bob S the soldier to whom we sent the other care packages appreciated them as did the rest of his unit, and other units with whom they SHARED. Why not share a bit of what they allow us to enjoy and make a donation. Thanks.

All the best,
Glenn B

Time At The Range...

...is always good time for me. So today when I left the office, i headed to the West Side Pistol Range in the heart of Manhattan. Yep I renewed my membership and have until next April to keep having fun there.

I had my issue Glock 19 and 125 rounds to shoot, along with my Henry Survival Rifle with about 100 rounds for it. Not a lot of ammo, but I figured what the heck it was better than nothing. As opposed to my shortage of ammo, the range had no shortsage of shooters. There were about 10 people shooting when I got there. Surprisingly enough all of them were probably in their young to mid twenties. Can you imagine that - young hipsters, young yuppies, young Manhattanites, young New York City kids - at a firearms range late on a friday afternoon! Are we finally getting our message across that the shooting sports, self defense, hunting, collecting, and everything else legal to do with firearms is a good thing, an American thing. I sure hope so.

Enough for the youngsters though, let me talk about my shooting. It was okay but not great. I was tired, grumpy, and just a bit out of it when I arrived. After 125 rounds of 9mm through the Glock I was feeling a lot better. I was shooting at a distance of only about 50 feet, maybe a bit more; the range is pretty small but big enough for big fun. I put all my shots into a spread hand sized group which was okay by me, and my hand is average sized for a man. Put your hand over the center of your chest, and you will see why that was okay by me. Then I had some fun with the Henry rifle. I had a pretty good group, albeit all to the low left of the bullseye while shooting CCI Mini-Mags, then all high to the left with Remington Golden Bullets. Then with a slight sight adjustment, all of my shots went into the bullseye. That is one thing I like and dislike about the Henry, the front sight, that is, being easy to adjust with just a hard push of the fingers. While easily adjusted, it is also fairly easily knocked out of alignment. Still though I like shooting this little survival rifle, I figure it is good practice just in case I actually ever have to depend on it for its stated purpose.

While shooting the Glock, one of the owners came over to say hi to me. He is a cousin or uncle of an agent from my job, and he makes it a point to stop by to say hi to me when I visit. We chatted a bit, and seeing him reminded me that I have not seen M-------, the agent in quite awhile. I miss her, she is one of the better people on my job but is now working in another office than me. We used to work together at JFK Airport back in the day when things were better (at least for me because I was younger) and the job was somewhat more exciting. Oh well, seeing her relative would have to do for now, and he is always very pleasant.

All in all it was agood 45 minutes to hour that I spent shooting. Next time I'll have to rememebr to bring more ammo (I had thought I had some at the office but must have used it all last time).

All the best,
Glenn B

A Finer Poem

The following is poetry at its finest, and is indeed a poem of great merit full of both wisdom and wit. I would love to be able to say that I penned it, but the truth be told I do not know the author, and have only ever seen it credited as: Anon. As a kid, I thought that Mr. Anon fella was one smart guy because there was so much he had written. Just in case you think or ever thought likewise, allow me to tell you that Anon means the work was attributed to an anonymous author. Sometimes I cannot believe the things I used to believe. Oh to be young, ignorant, and blissful again. Enough of that, here is the poem

THE PRESERVATION OF MAN

The horse and mule live 30 years
And nothing know of wines and beers.
The goat and sheep at 20 die
With never a taste of scotch or rye.
The cow drinks water by the ton
And at 18 is mostly done.
The dog at 16 cashes in
Without the aid of rum or gin.
The cat in milk and water soaks
And then in 12 short years it croaks.
The modest, sober, bone dry hen
Lays eggs for noggs, then dies at 10.
All animals then are strictly dry
They sinless live and swiftly die
But sinful, ginful, rum soaked men
Survive for three score years and ten.
And some of us, the mighty few,
Stay pickled till we’re ninety two.
Anon

I think I'll have to stop over at my local retailer of alcoholic beverages this evening and pick up a bottle or two of fine spirits. I want to hit at least 94.

All the best,

Glenn B

Good Deal - Get Em While You Can

I was just browsing some of the surplus firearms dealer sites, and I came across a good deal. It is on a Russian Mosin Nagant, in aresenal refinish to excellent condition, at a price of only $69.95 plus shipping. That is pretty darned good since competitors are selling the same thing for anywhere from $89.99 to $99.99. Had I not just sent in an order for a M1916 Spanish Mauser to another dealer, I may well have been buying one of these. As a matter of fact, I may just have to count the change in the piggy bank and see if I come up with enough. The ad can be seen here: http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Russian_M44.html


All the best,
Glenn B

So You Tell Me - What's Up With Gas Not Going Down?

I mean, just two or three days ago, Iheard that the price of crude had gone down by just over $9.00 per barrel. When the friggin price of a barrel went up, even by just a quarter or half buck, the price at the pumps went up the next day; but when the price fals by over $9.00 per barrel - well there has not even been one friggin red cent take off the price at the pumps near me! If the info about the drop in crude prices was right, well then it is just gosh darned greed that is all that is keeping the prices as high as they are; greed and an absolute lack of respect for any of us consumers.

All the best,
Glenn B

Did He Really Say, About Barack Hussein Obama,...

..."I want to cut his nuts off"? If you have not heard it yet, well go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aLGkFpsdHo

I think it is a very revealing piece of truth, but my guess would be one that good old Jesse J did not want us all to hear, or why whisper. What a classic open mike take was this!!!

All the best,
Glenn B

Yet Another Two New Links...

...one to a blog and one to a neat firearms related site. Over on the right, you can now find a link to The Michael Bane Blog ( here it is if that does not work for you: http://michaelbane.blogspot.com/), and down further in the Firearms Interests section you can find DownRange.TV (here is a link just in case: http://www.downrange.tv/). I only found out about both of these because of a nice mention that Damsel gave to me over at: http://capnbob.us/blog/2008/07/09/not-just-beautiful/. These two new ones sure look interesting.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Check Is In The Mail...

...well, so to speak anyhow. I mailed out my order for the M1916 Spanish Mauser last night. Hopefully they will come available off of back order soon and I will have a new rifle to add to the small collection I already own.

All the best,
GB

New Additions To My Blogroll

The two latest additions to my blogroll are:

The Ready Line @ http://thereadyline.blogspot.com/ which is a pro-gun rights blog that seems to have new entries each and every day; and is well written and interesting at that.

Wile, Wit, Wisdom and Weaponry @ http://wilewitwisdomandweaponry.blogspot.com/ is another well written blog, a pro-gun rights and hunting site, but that is added to less frequently than the above blog.

Hope you enjoy visiting them and reading what they have to offer; I know I will do so.

All the best,
Glenn B

M1916 Spanish Mauser

I have wanted to buy a new gun for quite awhile, and it has been way too long since I have bought a new one. I have been thinking about this one and that one, expensive ones and inexpensive ones, new ones and old ones. Of course I could just go out and buy one, and in the end it is what I will do, but heck the search for the right one is half the fun.Now it would help make things quicker if I could afford a new one in the first place, but lately there have been a lot of repair bills that were quite unexpected.

HEY SELF - STOP PROCRASTINATING ALREADY!

Okay, I have made up my mind - finally - that I should at least pick up something even if not my heart's desire (like a new HK pistol), and I have finally decided to buy a surplus rifle. Well, I should say I have decided to send my C&R license to a dealer in preparation for such a purchase because the rifles are currently back ordered.

The one that I have my eye on is a M1916 Spanish Mauser, a bolt action rifle rechambered in .308. It is available through Samco Global Arms at the price of $129.95, shipping adds another $19.50. As I understand the wait for these back ordered rifles could be as long as 6 months. If that is the case then I have plenty of time to start saving for one, maybe even two of them. In order to get the ball rolling, I have to mail them my order along with a copy of my C&R license. I have only heard good things about SAMCO in the past, so I think I am going to begin the process today.

The way I look at it, this rifle should be a good plinker, and a good hunting rifle. It is 5 shot, bolt action, and has a relatively short barrel (good for a deer rifle here in the woods of the northeast). Of course if the deal somehow falls through because SAMCO does not receive any of them for sale in the near enough future, I can always take whatever cash I have saved and buy another Yugo SKS from them. So for just the price of a stamp today, and maybe saving $10 per week for a few months, I will have a nice new (well surplus but new to me) rifle in my collection.

So off to the post office I go, order and C&R in envelope, envelope in hand.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - The Republican Party Officially Kicks Off

Yep, it was on July 6, 1854 that the Republican Party had its first official meeting. The party was formed by anti-slavery activists (imagine that next time someone stereotypes you as a racist for being Republican). Sure there were other things for which the party stood and for which it would stand over the years, but it was born as part of the anti-slavery movement. Soon it was the party of Abraham Lincoln, and the rest is history including Ronald Reagan and right through to today.

For more info on the Republican Party - of which I will admit I am still a member despite my grumblings about dropping out not too long ago - go to:

http://www.gop.com/About/AboutRead.aspx?Guid=a747a888-0ae6-4441-94f4-2a3a6561f872

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_%28United_States%29

All the best,
Glenn B