I just found out about the so called Internet blackout to oppose Congressional legislation that could ruin the Internet. Thus, I am off the Net for the remainder of the night. Sorry I did not know about it sooner and climb aboard sooner with the protest against yet more liberalism gone haywire.
All the best,
GB
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
HOLY MOLLY - WE HAVE US A WINNER
So my son goes to Atlantic City over the past few days. I give him 50 bucks to place on and around the 9 on the roulette table so each bet is at least partially on the 9. He just came home and handed me $850 bucks. Won on the first bet he made on roulette, but the last bet he made at the casino! He also played $50 of his own money the same way. I will not say if overall he won or lost on this trip, that is his business and I need not post his personal business here on the Internet even if I knew it when it comes to such things. He usually plays a poker game at a table against the dealer, sort of the way you play Black Jack against the house. He has been there 3 or 4 times now and has won each time. I told him, he would probably be better off playing regular poker against other players instead of a game against the house where the odds ALWAYS favor the house but he likes that game. I guess if he wins at it he should like it. Not sure he played it this time, only talked a few minutes, he went straight to work from AC and was just on a break when he stopped by home. He had to get back to work in a hurry but wanted to let me know about my winnings. I tokk cae of hm for his efforts, no need to say how here because that is our business and not Internet business.
The kid sure seems to have better luck than his old man. Better luck and better timing than a friend of mine too. my friend went to either AC or Vegas with some of my money for the same type of bet on number 9. He walks into the casino and head straight to the roulette wheel as I had told him to do for me. The number 9 was called out as the winner as he walked over to the table before he could place a bet. So, as I recall, he did not bother placing a bet for me but returned my money to me. Brendan , my son, waited until his last bet to place my bet; I did not tell him to make it his first bet as I had told my friend when he went.
Brendan said he and his friends watched the ball go round, then when it landed in the pocket, they tried to see what number it was in and he could not believe it was really the 9, he said it felt something like out of this world fantastic. As I had told him, he took off all the winnings and left the original bet for another try. That second try was a loser. To bad I did not tell him to put the whole 50 right on the 9, that would have been much more money, I think at 36 to 1, or maybe it is 30 to 1. Still though, he won on every way he spread the bet. It was spread some on the 9, then some on the line between 9 and 6 and some on the lines between the 9 and the other numbers that were adjacent to the 9, some of the corners of the 9, then some at the end of the row and some at the end of the column in which the 9 fell, that way you increase your odds of winning something even if it does not land on the 9 itself yet the 9 is always part of the bet. As it was though, amazingly he hit right on the 9. All I can say is HOLYSHIT MOLLY - WE HAVE US A WINNER! I asked him to play the 9 because my great grandmother once asked me to place that bet for her when I went to AC years ago. It won on the first try, first bet I made when I walked into the casino. No spreading the money, put $20 all on the 9 itself. Since then, if I play roulette, I always start with a bet on the 9.
Next time, I may have to go to AC with Brendan to jinx him, to show him what it is like to lose all his money. I want to assure he only bets the limit he sets for himself, the one he sets well before he gets to the casino and that said limit is always within reason. Of course, if I go along and we win, I may just have to keep going along and give up retirement. I could become a professional millionaire like Elmer J. Fudd. (For you Buggs Bunny fans, let me just say that one was the best Buggs Bunny episode ever since Elmer J. Fudd actually winds up the winner over Buggs in that one.)
All the best,
Glenn B
The kid sure seems to have better luck than his old man. Better luck and better timing than a friend of mine too. my friend went to either AC or Vegas with some of my money for the same type of bet on number 9. He walks into the casino and head straight to the roulette wheel as I had told him to do for me. The number 9 was called out as the winner as he walked over to the table before he could place a bet. So, as I recall, he did not bother placing a bet for me but returned my money to me. Brendan , my son, waited until his last bet to place my bet; I did not tell him to make it his first bet as I had told my friend when he went.
Brendan said he and his friends watched the ball go round, then when it landed in the pocket, they tried to see what number it was in and he could not believe it was really the 9, he said it felt something like out of this world fantastic. As I had told him, he took off all the winnings and left the original bet for another try. That second try was a loser. To bad I did not tell him to put the whole 50 right on the 9, that would have been much more money, I think at 36 to 1, or maybe it is 30 to 1. Still though, he won on every way he spread the bet. It was spread some on the 9, then some on the line between 9 and 6 and some on the lines between the 9 and the other numbers that were adjacent to the 9, some of the corners of the 9, then some at the end of the row and some at the end of the column in which the 9 fell, that way you increase your odds of winning something even if it does not land on the 9 itself yet the 9 is always part of the bet. As it was though, amazingly he hit right on the 9. All I can say is HOLY
Next time, I may have to go to AC with Brendan to jinx him, to show him what it is like to lose all his money. I want to assure he only bets the limit he sets for himself, the one he sets well before he gets to the casino and that said limit is always within reason. Of course, if I go along and we win, I may just have to keep going along and give up retirement. I could become a professional millionaire like Elmer J. Fudd. (For you Buggs Bunny fans, let me just say that one was the best Buggs Bunny episode ever since Elmer J. Fudd actually winds up the winner over Buggs in that one.)
All the best,
Glenn B
TAXES - IS PERRY OUT OF HIS MIND WITH HIS FLAT RATE TAX PLAN
What is wrong with politicians and voters today. People in America consider Perry to be a very conservative presidential candidate. Yet he wants to implement a 20% flat rate tax on Americans. Since when would a true conservative, who truly believes in long standing conservative principles, even for a moment, think that 20% of a person's income is a good rate to charge for federal income taxes??? I really have to ask, is he out of his mind or has liberalism crept into all of us so much so as to have corrupted our ideals and make us believe that such a rate would be within conservative principles!
Don't get me wrong, I am all for a flat rate income tax - that is if we have to have an income tax at all. The thing is though, I think Perry is out of his mind in that he thinks a 20 percent flat rate tax would be fair for all Americans. Get that, he wants to take 1/5 of your hard earned pay away from you and waste it on government spending. Now, I do not know about you, but when it comes to crunch time and I send in my income tax returns at the end of the year, I do not pay 20% of my income to Uncle Sam. For instance, last year, I paid just a tiny bit over 14% to the federal government for my income taxes. I am not rich like Romney (and probably like Perry too). Romney reportedly paid 15 percent of his income toward federal taxes and Perry is trying to make a big deal over it by implying that Romney got away with murder. I am no fan of Romney or Perry (I am a fan of Santorum but if it came to it I would choose Perry any day before Romney) but I have to ask Perry - what do you mean you think 20% is fair.
I have very few tax deductions and or credits. I file married/jointly. My wife and I earned about $150,000 last year - both of us working, my wife working two part time jobs and me with one full time job. That was our total income, not adjusted gross income (which, by the way, was only $2 less than our total income for federal tax purposes). We got to deduct NY state income taxes, property taxes (very high in NY), $812 of gifts to charity, $338 of capital losses, and a whopping $2 for college tuition deduction. (I paid thousands for college tuition and got to deduct a measly TWO dollars.) Yet, after all of that we paid a tad over 14% federal income tax.
Now you may think 14% is not a lot. Well, go and figure out your taxes to see how much you paid last year. I am willing to bet that if you own a house and if you paid state income taxes then you paid about the same as me. Sure, if you are single and made as much as me and had no deductions or credits then you probably paid more but, and this is a big BUT, if you are fairly typical of someone who makes as much as I did, then you had a bunch of other deductions or adjustments to income or capital losses that helped reduce your tax burden. Don't get side tracked here. The issue is we already pay too much in taxes, well at least those of us who actually pay income taxes pay too much. Even if you did not have any deductions or credits, even if you paid more than me in a similar situation as me, then you should agree - you paid way too much of your fair share for federal taxes. If you paid 15%, 20%, 25% or 30% of your income or more - you were robbed by those bastards in Washington, DC. I figure that a fair tax, a flat rate tax at that, would be no more than 10% of your total income for tax purposes (yes I said NO MORE THAN and that should be chiseled in stone forever) and there would be no deductions, no credits, no adjustments except for capital losses. If every American paid 10% of their total income toward federal taxes, well our tax coffers would be overflowing with cash.
As far as state taxes go, we paid another 6% of our total income, for income tax purposes, to New York State. On top of income taxes, NY State also figures that based on your income, you owe a certain amount of additional NY State sales and use tax for items purchased out of state either by you being in another state and making a purchase of something you bring back to and use in NY or that you buy online or through the mail and then use in NY. It is not a lot but it is MORE tax. Luckily we did not live in or maintain a residence, in New York City or we would have had to pay local taxes too. Thank goodness we did not live in Yonkers because that city also charges a local income tax. Yes, we did live in Nassau County and we paid for that by paying some of the highest property taxes in the nation. We had to pay general property tax and school property tax to the town in which we live. We also had to pay an additional tax to the village in which we live. In all, those taxes amounted to over 5% our total income. Then we paid 8.65% sales tax on most of the things we bought in the state. We also paid some of the highest taxes in the nation on gasoline (not the highest by far but way up there nonetheless).
Holy shit, was that momentary feeling that I just felt one that almost compelled me to want to pick up a rifle and get together with my fellow tax payers and then March on Washington, DC and Albany, NY. All I can say is I just thought I heard distant fifes and drums and the cadence of many men's feet and I smelled a whiff of gun oil there just for a moment as my blood began to boil with the realization that last year we paid 25% of our income toward income and property taxes on the state and federal level. If we would have had to go by Perry's proposed 20% federal flat rate income tax, well then we would have had to pay a total of about 31% of our income toward state and federal taxes. Now you can bet, if they pass a flat rate federal tax at 20%, after just a few years, that rate will be increased. You can also bet, that if it appears the federal government has found a gold mine in a flat rate tax that high, then state governments also will clamor to implement flat rat taxes, at rates that are excessive, yet that will slowly increase in amount over the years.
Yep, I think a flat rate tax is a wonderful idea but with some reservations. I see it as a very fair way to tax American citizens and legal resident aliens and legal non-resident aliens (screw illegals, make them pay 50% toward taxes or go to jail for 25 years for tax evasion and illegal entry). What I cannot agree with is a taxation rate that is set way to high (such as at 20%) and that will only feed the liberal, never ending, hunger of tax and spend politicians. What we need to do is to implement a tax rate that will force the legislature to reduce government spending while at the same time being a tax rate that is high enough to maintain essential government expenditures such as those for national defense, protection of our borders, payroll for essential government employees and so on. I think that such a tax rate, if all income earning Americans had to pay it, would be 10% or less. In fact, I believe that 5% would be a better starting point. Remember - no credits, no deductions, no adjustments to income except capital losses. My bet is that our tax coffers would have more money in them than they have had in the last century. Even without reduction in government services, I am fairly confident that if all income earning Americans paid 10% toward federal taxes, it would be more than enough.
Perry really needs to reconsider his ideas on taxation as do all Republicans. While it is probably way too late for him in 2012, maybe he will have a chance in 2016;. That would leave him plenty of time for some serious reconsideration, reconsideration that would get his ideas in line with true and long standing conservative principles, principles with which most Americans would be in agreement.
All the best,
Glenn B
Don't get me wrong, I am all for a flat rate income tax - that is if we have to have an income tax at all. The thing is though, I think Perry is out of his mind in that he thinks a 20 percent flat rate tax would be fair for all Americans. Get that, he wants to take 1/5 of your hard earned pay away from you and waste it on government spending. Now, I do not know about you, but when it comes to crunch time and I send in my income tax returns at the end of the year, I do not pay 20% of my income to Uncle Sam. For instance, last year, I paid just a tiny bit over 14% to the federal government for my income taxes. I am not rich like Romney (and probably like Perry too). Romney reportedly paid 15 percent of his income toward federal taxes and Perry is trying to make a big deal over it by implying that Romney got away with murder. I am no fan of Romney or Perry (I am a fan of Santorum but if it came to it I would choose Perry any day before Romney) but I have to ask Perry - what do you mean you think 20% is fair.
I have very few tax deductions and or credits. I file married/jointly. My wife and I earned about $150,000 last year - both of us working, my wife working two part time jobs and me with one full time job. That was our total income, not adjusted gross income (which, by the way, was only $2 less than our total income for federal tax purposes). We got to deduct NY state income taxes, property taxes (very high in NY), $812 of gifts to charity, $338 of capital losses, and a whopping $2 for college tuition deduction. (I paid thousands for college tuition and got to deduct a measly TWO dollars.) Yet, after all of that we paid a tad over 14% federal income tax.
Now you may think 14% is not a lot. Well, go and figure out your taxes to see how much you paid last year. I am willing to bet that if you own a house and if you paid state income taxes then you paid about the same as me. Sure, if you are single and made as much as me and had no deductions or credits then you probably paid more but, and this is a big BUT, if you are fairly typical of someone who makes as much as I did, then you had a bunch of other deductions or adjustments to income or capital losses that helped reduce your tax burden. Don't get side tracked here. The issue is we already pay too much in taxes, well at least those of us who actually pay income taxes pay too much. Even if you did not have any deductions or credits, even if you paid more than me in a similar situation as me, then you should agree - you paid way too much of your fair share for federal taxes. If you paid 15%, 20%, 25% or 30% of your income or more - you were robbed by those bastards in Washington, DC. I figure that a fair tax, a flat rate tax at that, would be no more than 10% of your total income for tax purposes (yes I said NO MORE THAN and that should be chiseled in stone forever) and there would be no deductions, no credits, no adjustments except for capital losses. If every American paid 10% of their total income toward federal taxes, well our tax coffers would be overflowing with cash.
As far as state taxes go, we paid another 6% of our total income, for income tax purposes, to New York State. On top of income taxes, NY State also figures that based on your income, you owe a certain amount of additional NY State sales and use tax for items purchased out of state either by you being in another state and making a purchase of something you bring back to and use in NY or that you buy online or through the mail and then use in NY. It is not a lot but it is MORE tax. Luckily we did not live in or maintain a residence, in New York City or we would have had to pay local taxes too. Thank goodness we did not live in Yonkers because that city also charges a local income tax. Yes, we did live in Nassau County and we paid for that by paying some of the highest property taxes in the nation. We had to pay general property tax and school property tax to the town in which we live. We also had to pay an additional tax to the village in which we live. In all, those taxes amounted to over 5% our total income. Then we paid 8.65% sales tax on most of the things we bought in the state. We also paid some of the highest taxes in the nation on gasoline (not the highest by far but way up there nonetheless).
Holy shit, was that momentary feeling that I just felt one that almost compelled me to want to pick up a rifle and get together with my fellow tax payers and then March on Washington, DC and Albany, NY. All I can say is I just thought I heard distant fifes and drums and the cadence of many men's feet and I smelled a whiff of gun oil there just for a moment as my blood began to boil with the realization that last year we paid 25% of our income toward income and property taxes on the state and federal level. If we would have had to go by Perry's proposed 20% federal flat rate income tax, well then we would have had to pay a total of about 31% of our income toward state and federal taxes. Now you can bet, if they pass a flat rate federal tax at 20%, after just a few years, that rate will be increased. You can also bet, that if it appears the federal government has found a gold mine in a flat rate tax that high, then state governments also will clamor to implement flat rat taxes, at rates that are excessive, yet that will slowly increase in amount over the years.
Yep, I think a flat rate tax is a wonderful idea but with some reservations. I see it as a very fair way to tax American citizens and legal resident aliens and legal non-resident aliens (screw illegals, make them pay 50% toward taxes or go to jail for 25 years for tax evasion and illegal entry). What I cannot agree with is a taxation rate that is set way to high (such as at 20%) and that will only feed the liberal, never ending, hunger of tax and spend politicians. What we need to do is to implement a tax rate that will force the legislature to reduce government spending while at the same time being a tax rate that is high enough to maintain essential government expenditures such as those for national defense, protection of our borders, payroll for essential government employees and so on. I think that such a tax rate, if all income earning Americans had to pay it, would be 10% or less. In fact, I believe that 5% would be a better starting point. Remember - no credits, no deductions, no adjustments to income except capital losses. My bet is that our tax coffers would have more money in them than they have had in the last century. Even without reduction in government services, I am fairly confident that if all income earning Americans paid 10% toward federal taxes, it would be more than enough.
Perry really needs to reconsider his ideas on taxation as do all Republicans. While it is probably way too late for him in 2012, maybe he will have a chance in 2016;. That would leave him plenty of time for some serious reconsideration, reconsideration that would get his ideas in line with true and long standing conservative principles, principles with which most Americans would be in agreement.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Celina & All The Degs Minus One...
Here is a shot of Phil with both Gizmo and Pepe (a much better view of our little boy than in the first pic). I find if amazing how Gizmo's eyes show up differently in various pics we have taken of him when there is a flash. Sometimes they appear faded yellow, like most other dogs, as they do in the above pic. At other times they look to be a medium orange, as they do in this pic to the right. Then again, they can look blood red, as do Pepe's in this shot. Pepe's eyes always come out red as far as I know; I imagine it is the devil in him as he can be quite the mischievous little stinker. Curiously, Phil's eyes did not show any red-eye reflection from the flash - go figure! He is pretty cool, I guess that could have something to do with it.
As for that wonderful delight sitting on the table in front of Phil and the degs, that is one of my wife's homemade chocolate chip cookies (from her very own secret recipe), I wonder who actually wound up with it. My guess would be that the only reason Pepe was on Phil's lap was because he wanted the cookie. He can leap right up on your lap, for food, petting or a place to nap; and if food is nearby, he wastes no time in zeroing in on it. I think that is a pretty good feat for a little Chihuahua and I am pretty sure he wanted that cookie. (I am also sure he did not get it, we do not allow our degs to eat chocolate, so I imagine Phil got the cookie.)
Back to eye shine for a moment. The only other thing I will say about the eye reflections is that I have never before noticed Mimi's eyes to come out with two different colors as they do in the photo with Celina. Kind of neat to see it blue on one side and pale yellow on the other. Maybe that has something to do with her sort of psycho split personality, good deg - bad deg. I always thought that was dependent on her mood or maybe on the alignment of the stars and never realized maybe it had to do with her eye shine. No, it is not photo-shopped (except that I removed the red-eye from Celina's image); Mimi's eye shine actually came out looking like 2 different colors.
Oh, by the way, if you have not figured it out yet, you should be able to click on the pics to enlarge them.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, January 14, 2012
INSOMNIA SUCKETH...
...and it sucketh big time especially when it has kept me up until 0325 (as 325 in the morning). The way I feel right now, I'll be lucky if I get to sleep by 0430 but I am going to try in a few minutes. Who knows, maybe I can get at least 3 or 4 hours sleep before things (like my wife and the dogs going out) start moving around my house later this morning. I would love to get a good 6 hours of sleep, that would be a real treat for how much or little sleep I have been getting lately. Yep, going to sleep by say 0400, then waking up around 1000 would be divine.
Well, I had best waste no more time writing this drivel. I am going to hit the hay; maybe reading a good book, or even a lousy one, will help me pass out.
Later 4 U,
GB
Well, I had best waste no more time writing this drivel. I am going to hit the hay; maybe reading a good book, or even a lousy one, will help me pass out.
Later 4 U,
GB
Thursday, January 12, 2012
A New Blog Added To Blog Roll
Yet another blog has been added to the blog roll, this one under, TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, Not At Them:
A Girl And Her Gun
http://agirlandhergun.blogspot.com/
If you are of the female persuassion, go here (http://agirlandhergun.blogspot.com/2012/01/give-way.html) to see about the give-away contest she is holding for women entrants only. (I know it says it is an update but it is the original post that was updated an all needed info on how to enter is in the linked post.)
It started with this as a prize: $300 towards any reputable beginning self defense shooting course in the United States. It has mushroomed to include many, many, many valuable prizes, donated by the shooting community, and all for one winner. This is a must enter type thing for any woman considering getting into shooting or improving her shooting for defensive purposes.
I may have to see if I can get my daughter interested in it or maybe my son's girlfriend. Nope, not my wife, not a chance but I may ask her anyway!
Good luck and all the best,
Glenn B
A Girl And Her Gun
http://agirlandhergun.blogspot.com/
If you are of the female persuassion, go here (http://agirlandhergun.blogspot.com/2012/01/give-way.html) to see about the give-away contest she is holding for women entrants only. (I know it says it is an update but it is the original post that was updated an all needed info on how to enter is in the linked post.)
It started with this as a prize: $300 towards any reputable beginning self defense shooting course in the United States. It has mushroomed to include many, many, many valuable prizes, donated by the shooting community, and all for one winner. This is a must enter type thing for any woman considering getting into shooting or improving her shooting for defensive purposes.
I may have to see if I can get my daughter interested in it or maybe my son's girlfriend. Nope, not my wife, not a chance but I may ask her anyway!
Good luck and all the best,
Glenn B
A Flowchart For Choosing Your Religion
It is not mine, it is all over the Internet, nowhere did I see it with a copyright, so here it is again just in case my readers have not seen it (click it to big it):
By the way, did I mention it is great. I loved the question about bacon. That is, I loved it almost as much as I loved the question about Indian takeout versus Chinese takeout. The the fact that pork (豬, swine, pigs, hogs, the other white meat) plays such a big role in Chinese eats made me think I should have been a Buddhist. I mean, after all is said and done, who would not want to be able to come back (as in reincarnation) and thus be able to keep ordering Chinese takeout! That is, as long as I came back as a human and not a roach, or something similar, whether or not they too like pork in their Chinese takeout.
All the best,
Glenn B
By the way, did I mention it is great. I loved the question about bacon. That is, I loved it almost as much as I loved the question about Indian takeout versus Chinese takeout. The the fact that pork (豬, swine, pigs, hogs, the other white meat) plays such a big role in Chinese eats made me think I should have been a Buddhist. I mean, after all is said and done, who would not want to be able to come back (as in reincarnation) and thus be able to keep ordering Chinese takeout! That is, as long as I came back as a human and not a roach, or something similar, whether or not they too like pork in their Chinese takeout.
All the best,
Glenn B
The new me...
...has decided that I had best start doing things more than just moping around my house each day and maybe going for the occasional walk with one of our dogs or taking a short walk to a local store every now and then, like maybe weekly. Now that I have retired, and with the cancer shit going on, it seems that perhaps I have fallen into a rut. Being in that rut is not good. I have not been sleeping well at night, been sleeping too much during the day, have been feeling sorry for myself, and just have not been as active as I should be. Of course, what with recently having gone through both radiation and chemo treatments and still suffering the ravaging effects of both, I still need a lot of rest. So my radiation oncologist told me last time I saw him. He said I should rest and really be very prudent about the amount of any exercise I do. On the other hand, the last time I saw my chemo oncologist, a couple of weeks before I saw the rad guy, the chemo doc told me that walking up to 3 miles a day would do me good. Seems like they are not talking to one another and giving me conflicting instructions. Oh well, I last saw the radiation guy about 4 weeks ago, or was it 3 or maybe 2; - I will be damned if I remember right now.
So, anyway, I have decided that I have to get out and about more than I have been doing regardless of any conflict between what the doctors say. I am still taking it easy, I am still resting a lot, but I am also getting out more or have been over the past few days. I am not killing myself by walking too much. Yesterday I took the car to the bank and then to the pharmacy. I actually was alert enough, awake enough, to drive. Last week and the couple of weeks before, most days, I would not have chanced driving because I was too fatigued. Getting out a bit recently has helped eliminate the fatigue and that is a good thing. This afternoon, into the evening, I went out again. This time, I did something I have not done in the 17 years or so that we live at our current location. I hopped on a county bus to go to Petco and Staples. Before catching the bus, I walked to the 2nd bus stop away from my home. I figure I walked about 3/4 of a mile to that bus stop. Not much but an awful big improvement for me. Then I took the bus home and got off the stop closest to my house. At least another 1/4 mile walk to my front door and I stopped at a very local, mom and pop pet shop along the way. Certainly no marathon but again, something good for me. It makes me feel alive to have done it and that has got to be better than moping and feeling sorry for myself while in a rut.
Tomorrow, I plan to take another bus ride. If I scoped out the bus maps correctly, one bus goes right by the local indoor range at which I often used to shoot. If that is truly the case, I will be taking that bus with rifle case in the near future. First I will go on a ride on that bus too make sure it will drop me off close enough to the range to make it practical for me to bring along a rifle and other shooting gear. It would be nice to be able to get to the range on my own whenever the urge arises. The family cars are not an option most of the week because they are needed to drive back and forth to work for my wife and son. So, public transport will have to do. I may scope out this bus line tomorrow, or I may take a different bus down to where my brother lives. I would have to arrange for my sister in law to pick me up at the bus station but that probably would be no problem. Decisions, decisions - which one to take for a ride!
Oh well, whatever I decide upon, I think it will be good for me to stay out of my rut. It was actually a very exhilarating experience for me this evening. Imagine that - a bus ride trip to Petco and Staples, then a bus ride back toward home, then a stop in a mom and pop local pet shop, all being called exhilarating! What a difference from what I have been doing as of late, I was boring myself into mopery. I only hope I can keep it up and keep myself on the move and in the groove, it makes me feel alive again.
All the best,
Glenn B
So, anyway, I have decided that I have to get out and about more than I have been doing regardless of any conflict between what the doctors say. I am still taking it easy, I am still resting a lot, but I am also getting out more or have been over the past few days. I am not killing myself by walking too much. Yesterday I took the car to the bank and then to the pharmacy. I actually was alert enough, awake enough, to drive. Last week and the couple of weeks before, most days, I would not have chanced driving because I was too fatigued. Getting out a bit recently has helped eliminate the fatigue and that is a good thing. This afternoon, into the evening, I went out again. This time, I did something I have not done in the 17 years or so that we live at our current location. I hopped on a county bus to go to Petco and Staples. Before catching the bus, I walked to the 2nd bus stop away from my home. I figure I walked about 3/4 of a mile to that bus stop. Not much but an awful big improvement for me. Then I took the bus home and got off the stop closest to my house. At least another 1/4 mile walk to my front door and I stopped at a very local, mom and pop pet shop along the way. Certainly no marathon but again, something good for me. It makes me feel alive to have done it and that has got to be better than moping and feeling sorry for myself while in a rut.
Tomorrow, I plan to take another bus ride. If I scoped out the bus maps correctly, one bus goes right by the local indoor range at which I often used to shoot. If that is truly the case, I will be taking that bus with rifle case in the near future. First I will go on a ride on that bus too make sure it will drop me off close enough to the range to make it practical for me to bring along a rifle and other shooting gear. It would be nice to be able to get to the range on my own whenever the urge arises. The family cars are not an option most of the week because they are needed to drive back and forth to work for my wife and son. So, public transport will have to do. I may scope out this bus line tomorrow, or I may take a different bus down to where my brother lives. I would have to arrange for my sister in law to pick me up at the bus station but that probably would be no problem. Decisions, decisions - which one to take for a ride!
Oh well, whatever I decide upon, I think it will be good for me to stay out of my rut. It was actually a very exhilarating experience for me this evening. Imagine that - a bus ride trip to Petco and Staples, then a bus ride back toward home, then a stop in a mom and pop local pet shop, all being called exhilarating! What a difference from what I have been doing as of late, I was boring myself into mopery. I only hope I can keep it up and keep myself on the move and in the groove, it makes me feel alive again.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A Brief Message From President Obama
I really cannot add anything to it, it sort of says it all.
All the best,
GB
Friday, January 6, 2012
John McCain Endorses Mitt Romney For President...
...and that my friends is almost enough, on its own, to assure that I will not vote for Romney in the NY presidential primary. Note I said almost enough. Romney's liberal stance on health care and some other things has me shying away from him also. Santorum is looking better and better as each day passes yet I do not know enough about him yet to say he is the man who will get my vote but it is possible he will get it. I would like to know more about his stance on illegal aliens and securing our borders as well as some more about his stance on the 2nd Amendment. I am fairly sure that he is a staunch supporter of securing the borders and getting rid of illegals as in by removing them from the country (not giving them a blessing and allowing them to stay as legals). I am also fairly certain he has a good record on his support or the 2nd Amendment but it appears that many have their doubts about him. The NRA reportedly has given him an A rating, their highest. Gun owner's of America though has reportedly given him a B-. Still better than I would think is any ranking that Romney has received what with his support of the Assault Weapons ban. Yet, even though he has received a good and an excellent rating from two pro-gun organizations, it seems many Americans have their doubts about his support for the 2nd Amendment, see this article: Santorum May Need A Photo-Op Reload On Gun-Rights Issue (http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/01/06/144788580/santorum-may-need-a-photo-op-reload-on-gun-issue).
I know, hard core gun owners are often one issue voters, I used to be for a time. I have relented though because I realized that there are just way too many very important issues on which to base my giving my vote to a presidential candidate. Yet, I must admit, I give a lot of importance to a candidate's stance on the 2nd Amendment. To me, it remains the most important issue of all but others are close behind, such as: American Foreign Policy, Military Issues, the Economy, Employment/Unemployment, Immigration, Securing Our Borders, Made in the USA and so forth. Those though, are the most important to me right now, not necessarily in the order in which I listed them. I am going to have to start to do some serious investigation on where Santorum stands on those issues. I know where Romney stands on enough of them to make me feel wary of him. To me, Romney seems like a RINO and he has seemed that way to me since he ran in the primaries the last time around, when he ran against the likes of John McCain. McCain is probably the biggest hypocrite republican and RINO I have ever seen. So, when he sent me an email today, endorsing Romney for president, I almost decided right then and there to say "No way Romney will get my vote in the primary". Like I said though, I have to do some research on Santorum.
As for the others still in the running, I cannot see giving any of them my vote. Gingrich might get it if he were the only one left running against Paul and or Huntsman. I cannot see myself ever voting for either of them. Huntsman is an Obama wanna be from what I can tell and Paul is just too far out in his Libertarian beliefs. I even tend toward agreeing with many of the libertarian ideals, probably more so than I agree with Republican or Conservative ideals but still will not vote for Paul because I believe him a wacko. In fact, I believe many Libertarian ideals are truly conservative in nature and see Conservative/Republican party ideals as corrupted from what they truly should be but another post for that. As for Perry, I liked him but he is a boob as seen in the debates. I also cannot stand his stance on illegal aliens and Immigration. Nice record on guns but that is not enough. Did I leave out anyone who is still in the running, I think not. Bachman is out, too bad as her stance was good on most things and I believe you do not need a lot of experience or schooling to become president. You certainly need intelligence and smarts and she may have been lacking there a bit but her ideals were great. Too bad Cain dropped out, he seemed to have most everything that is until the sexual misconduct allegations came out. At least there were no men saying he had groped them!
So I am going to start researching Santorum. If I like him, I may start donating to him. I cannot afford much this year because I am on a very limited income only receiving about 57 percent of what I should be receiving in my pension, and that may last for about another 7 months. I also expect to have a lot of doctor's bills too. Yet, I will donate something, maybe a hundred bucks or couple, that is if he seems like the right man for the job over the others who are still in the primaries. I hope so, I hope that he is worthy of my vote, I hope he is truly more conservative than any of the other candidates, I hoe he is not a RINO, I hope that he has few if any skeletons in the closet and I hope that if the bones start rattling once the Demoncrats start to attack him (which will be inevitable if he does well, even a 2nd place and maybe a 3rd place well, in New Hampshire and then in SC.) Right now, he is not expected to get more than about 15% of the vote in NH, with Romney in the 40's, but I am hoping he can pull it up into the 20s before that primary on January 10th. If he can somehow do that, maybe even just pull up a few more points, there is a chance he will be our next president. Again though, as I said, before I vote for him, or anyone, I need to do some more research.
All the best,
Glenn B
I know, hard core gun owners are often one issue voters, I used to be for a time. I have relented though because I realized that there are just way too many very important issues on which to base my giving my vote to a presidential candidate. Yet, I must admit, I give a lot of importance to a candidate's stance on the 2nd Amendment. To me, it remains the most important issue of all but others are close behind, such as: American Foreign Policy, Military Issues, the Economy, Employment/Unemployment, Immigration, Securing Our Borders, Made in the USA and so forth. Those though, are the most important to me right now, not necessarily in the order in which I listed them. I am going to have to start to do some serious investigation on where Santorum stands on those issues. I know where Romney stands on enough of them to make me feel wary of him. To me, Romney seems like a RINO and he has seemed that way to me since he ran in the primaries the last time around, when he ran against the likes of John McCain. McCain is probably the biggest hypocrite republican and RINO I have ever seen. So, when he sent me an email today, endorsing Romney for president, I almost decided right then and there to say "No way Romney will get my vote in the primary". Like I said though, I have to do some research on Santorum.
As for the others still in the running, I cannot see giving any of them my vote. Gingrich might get it if he were the only one left running against Paul and or Huntsman. I cannot see myself ever voting for either of them. Huntsman is an Obama wanna be from what I can tell and Paul is just too far out in his Libertarian beliefs. I even tend toward agreeing with many of the libertarian ideals, probably more so than I agree with Republican or Conservative ideals but still will not vote for Paul because I believe him a wacko. In fact, I believe many Libertarian ideals are truly conservative in nature and see Conservative/Republican party ideals as corrupted from what they truly should be but another post for that. As for Perry, I liked him but he is a boob as seen in the debates. I also cannot stand his stance on illegal aliens and Immigration. Nice record on guns but that is not enough. Did I leave out anyone who is still in the running, I think not. Bachman is out, too bad as her stance was good on most things and I believe you do not need a lot of experience or schooling to become president. You certainly need intelligence and smarts and she may have been lacking there a bit but her ideals were great. Too bad Cain dropped out, he seemed to have most everything that is until the sexual misconduct allegations came out. At least there were no men saying he had groped them!
So I am going to start researching Santorum. If I like him, I may start donating to him. I cannot afford much this year because I am on a very limited income only receiving about 57 percent of what I should be receiving in my pension, and that may last for about another 7 months. I also expect to have a lot of doctor's bills too. Yet, I will donate something, maybe a hundred bucks or couple, that is if he seems like the right man for the job over the others who are still in the primaries. I hope so, I hope that he is worthy of my vote, I hope he is truly more conservative than any of the other candidates, I hoe he is not a RINO, I hope that he has few if any skeletons in the closet and I hope that if the bones start rattling once the Demoncrats start to attack him (which will be inevitable if he does well, even a 2nd place and maybe a 3rd place well, in New Hampshire and then in SC.) Right now, he is not expected to get more than about 15% of the vote in NH, with Romney in the 40's, but I am hoping he can pull it up into the 20s before that primary on January 10th. If he can somehow do that, maybe even just pull up a few more points, there is a chance he will be our next president. Again though, as I said, before I vote for him, or anyone, I need to do some more research.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Update On The Hermann's Tortoise Eggs
As you may recall, on December 17th, my female Hermann's Tortoise laid 5 eggs. It was a big surprise to me as I thought she was ready to go into hibernation. I figured all the attention the male had been paying to her over the previous couple of months would likely result in eggs being laid in the spring. Wrong and I wound up having to swiftly find and prepare my incubator for the eggs.
Tonight, while tending to the eggs, I have to keep the sphagnum moss substrate in which they sit somewhat damp. So, every few days, check on it and usually have to moisten it. After doing that tonight, I decided to candle the eggs. Candling simply means holding an egg to a light source in order for the light to shine through the shell enough so you can see if the egg has been fertilized. I could not tell for sure on any of the eggs the last few times I looked although I thought I saw the red lines of veins in a couple of them. Tonight's inspection had different results. All of the eggsappeared to be infertile gave clear evidence that all five eggs had been successfully fertilized by the male, that spry and very sexually active little bastard! They all appear to be progressing nicely and I could plainly see the embryo in its early stages of development. Candling is truly a simple yet remarkable thing. While you are basically looking at a back lighted silhouette it is somewhat more than that because you are also seeing the embryo as it it lit by the light reflecting back off of the inside of the shell that is furthest from the light and closest to your eye. It was both back lit and lit from the front. Now, you do not see a clear image of it since you are looking at it through an egg shell, and if you see the embryo you can only see one side of it but you certainly can make out its shape and some other features. For instance, the eye of the embryo, closest to the side of the shell from which you are viewing, is remarkably obvious. Other features are the shape of the embryo, veins running from the embryo to the yolk along the inside of the shell (and you can see the color of the veins or at least of the blood in them as they all appear red). All neat stuff, at least for me. I have enjoyed things like that for a long time. I guess it came from 5 years of nature study at summer camp, a younger me only being allowed to keep small animals as pets (frogs, turtles, hamsters, fish - things like that but no cats or dogs), my living in an area in NY City where I could easily find and catch creatures like toads, frogs, box turtles, and garter snakes when I was a kid - try that now except at very few places and the box turtles have bee extirpated), and all those nature shows they used to have on television (still do I suppose). Oh well, I digress, so back to the eggs.
So, the way it appears right now is that I may wind up with 5 hatchling Hermann's Tortoises sometime around February 25th or later. That would bring the total of baby tortoises that I have in my care to 7. I almost won't know what to do with them all. It is not legal, under federal law, to sell them, except for scientific or educational purposes, before they reach 4 inches in length. That will take a couple to a few years. I realize that under federal law, the intention of the law was not to keep hobbyist breeders from selling turtles or tortoises under 4 inches. The FDA clearly states, or once stated, on their website, that such sales were allowed for hobbyists. The thing is that NY State has a similar law and I am not too sure that they care if you are a hobbyist or not, chances are they might arrest someone for selling under sized turtles or tortoises. They make big deals over such silly things when local elections are upcoming and a district attorney wants to show how he is protecting the public from evil under sized chelonians. So, I likely will wait until they hit 4 inches before selling them to anyone other than someone who can show me they will keep them for scientific or educational purposes (and they have to promise to keep them alive and healthy, no weird experiments allowed). Hopefully I will still be around and in good health by the time they otherwise grow large enough to sell.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tonight, while tending to the eggs, I have to keep the sphagnum moss substrate in which they sit somewhat damp. So, every few days, check on it and usually have to moisten it. After doing that tonight, I decided to candle the eggs. Candling simply means holding an egg to a light source in order for the light to shine through the shell enough so you can see if the egg has been fertilized. I could not tell for sure on any of the eggs the last few times I looked although I thought I saw the red lines of veins in a couple of them. Tonight's inspection had different results. All of the eggs
So, the way it appears right now is that I may wind up with 5 hatchling Hermann's Tortoises sometime around February 25th or later. That would bring the total of baby tortoises that I have in my care to 7. I almost won't know what to do with them all. It is not legal, under federal law, to sell them, except for scientific or educational purposes, before they reach 4 inches in length. That will take a couple to a few years. I realize that under federal law, the intention of the law was not to keep hobbyist breeders from selling turtles or tortoises under 4 inches. The FDA clearly states, or once stated, on their website, that such sales were allowed for hobbyists. The thing is that NY State has a similar law and I am not too sure that they care if you are a hobbyist or not, chances are they might arrest someone for selling under sized turtles or tortoises. They make big deals over such silly things when local elections are upcoming and a district attorney wants to show how he is protecting the public from evil under sized chelonians. So, I likely will wait until they hit 4 inches before selling them to anyone other than someone who can show me they will keep them for scientific or educational purposes (and they have to promise to keep them alive and healthy, no weird experiments allowed). Hopefully I will still be around and in good health by the time they otherwise grow large enough to sell.
All the best,
Glenn B
Teen Mom Defends Herself and Her Baby From Intruders
I found a mention of this over at Knuckledraggin my life away. There was a link to the site with the video but after seeing it I knew I had to see if I could post the actual video here for my readers. This is absolutely an incredible story in our times of a woman putting up with an awful lot in the last year including the death of her husband just this Christmas. Then, a guy reportedly named Justin Martin came by on the night of the funeral for her husband. He pretended to be a neighbor who wanted to say hello. He came by again, on New Years Eve, but this time another man was with him. They tried to gain access to her home. She would not answer the door. They started to break in. One guy had a 12 inch hunting knife. The mom, thinking wit a cool head, grabbed her shotgun, retreated to the bedroom with her child, gave the baby a bottle, grabbed her pistol and called 911. As per the video, she was on the phone with 911 for 21 minutes. Then the bad guys actually got inside her home and she said Martin (spelling?) came at her with that knife. She shot the guy with the knife, shot him with the shotgun, shot him stone cold dead.
I am not making light of the situation, nor of her recent hardship nor of the fact that she is still in her teens and killed a man, nor of the fact that the man is dead, when I say - I love it when a law abiding citizen defends herself in such a manner and the outcome is that the good gal wins and the life threatening bad guy dies. God bless America and the fact that so many of her decent citizens are gun owners.
All the best,
Glenn B
I am not making light of the situation, nor of her recent hardship nor of the fact that she is still in her teens and killed a man, nor of the fact that the man is dead, when I say - I love it when a law abiding citizen defends herself in such a manner and the outcome is that the good gal wins and the life threatening bad guy dies. God bless America and the fact that so many of her decent citizens are gun owners.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
HR 1540 - The End Has Begun
When I say the end has begun, I mean the end of liberty, freedom, justice and of your rights as a citizen of the United States of America. I also mean the end of the the Constitution and thus the end of the United States of America itself. Any time that a nation's leaders legislate and sign into law a provision of law allowing for detention of that nation's citizens without due process, then the end has begun. Heck maybe it is well beyond the beginning of then end, maybe it is the actual end. Is it possible that the wool has been pulled over our eyes and the guy who said he would bring about change has done just that by assuring we are no longer citizens of the most freedom loving country in the world. I have not read up on it as much as I should have but what I have read so far scares me. There is no doubt in my mind that HR 1540 is illegal as in unconstitutional but what does it matter - look at how many politicians are in favor of it and the president signed it without apparent real reservation regardless of his words otherwise.
His words otherwise can be seen here over at Knuckledragginmylifeaway.
Be afraid regardless of his promise not to use that law. Too many have made then broken such promises before.
All the best,
Glenn B
Reference: http://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2012/01/were-supposed-to-take-his-word-for-it.html
His words otherwise can be seen here over at Knuckledragginmylifeaway.
Be afraid regardless of his promise not to use that law. Too many have made then broken such promises before.
All the best,
Glenn B
Reference: http://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2012/01/were-supposed-to-take-his-word-for-it.html
I Took A Walk To The Post Office...
...this evening, at about 4:30 or so. It is only 7 blocks, probably closer to 6 1/2 really, from my house to the front door of the post office in the next village over. I walked north most of the way and guess from which direction the winds were blowing. I am going to guess that it was about 28 to 29 degrees outside and I had thought that I was dressed properly for it but must admit I thought about that again after getting only halfway there. I sure seemed cold despite the fact I had on a usually warm watch cap, a goose down winter coat, a fairly thick fleece pull-over, a thick long sleeve cotton shirt under that that, a pair of poly/cotton BDU pants, thick cotton cocks and a pair of running shoes (no description of my skivvies needed except to say I was not wearing long johns). Well, by the time I was halfway there, I was COLD. My face seemed almost frost bitten and I mean that most literally, having been there before, thus knowing what it feels like to have a bit of frost bite. When I got there, you can bet I was very, very happy that the USPS website had correct information about the hours for that particular post office and you can bet I was happy that the postal service also has been paying the heating bill for that location. It was a relief to be inside with the warmth rushing over me as I pulled off my gloves and cap and then opened my coat a bit. I got my business done in about 10 minutes or so total time to wait on line and dealing with the postal clerk. Then it was back out into the cold for me.
The walk home was not half as bad. The wind was now at my back. My head was totally covered back there, my collar was up around my neck and the wind gave me a slight push toward home. Still, by the time I was almost home, just half a block or so away from my house, I had to take my fingers out of the glove fingers and curl them inside next to my palms. Wow it was cold. I know, 28 or 29 degrees is not that bad - usually (I checked the temp when I got home and it was shown as 28 then). I imagine with my recent decline in health that I am a bit more likely to be effected by it than if I were in good health. Of course, I am feeling better than in recent months, and am happy that my illness came on in warmer weather. I dreaded the coming of winter and now I can see why. Man, I hate the cold and to think - when I was a kid I loved to spend hours outside in the snow. Even up though my mid twenties or so, I loved to be outside even in lousy weather.
At this particular time of year, in my late teens to mid twenties years, my friends and I would head to the local park but on our way we would search out fuel. Fuel was usually found in he form of thrown out Christmas trees at this time of year. If really lucky someone came by a local factory along the way and found a thrown out pallet. My friends and I would retire to the park, roll out a huge metal drum that we acquired somewhere in my dim past, throw a Christmas tree into it, light a match and soon thereafter, add another tree. After three or four trees had gone into the can, we stayed pretty warm for hours, warm enough to drink some beer, and we usually had several more trees on hand or went to look for more. No more of that for me now though, I do not like the cold, even if standing next to a blazing fire if only because while one side of me is hot while the other is cold.
Next time I go out, I guess I will dress a bit warmer. I may have to head out to the shed, in a day or so when it warms up to the 40s again, or wait until it hits the 50s as promised in a few days, to pick my long-johns and a couple of other warmer uppers out of my hunting gear boxes. I might yet need that stuff this winter, or I may need a metal drum and a few Christmas trees. Other than that, I may just have to plan a trip to visit my uncle in sunny southern Florida. I will keep you posted if that begins at all to change from being just a hope to a reality any time soon.
All the best,
Glenn B
The walk home was not half as bad. The wind was now at my back. My head was totally covered back there, my collar was up around my neck and the wind gave me a slight push toward home. Still, by the time I was almost home, just half a block or so away from my house, I had to take my fingers out of the glove fingers and curl them inside next to my palms. Wow it was cold. I know, 28 or 29 degrees is not that bad - usually (I checked the temp when I got home and it was shown as 28 then). I imagine with my recent decline in health that I am a bit more likely to be effected by it than if I were in good health. Of course, I am feeling better than in recent months, and am happy that my illness came on in warmer weather. I dreaded the coming of winter and now I can see why. Man, I hate the cold and to think - when I was a kid I loved to spend hours outside in the snow. Even up though my mid twenties or so, I loved to be outside even in lousy weather.
At this particular time of year, in my late teens to mid twenties years, my friends and I would head to the local park but on our way we would search out fuel. Fuel was usually found in he form of thrown out Christmas trees at this time of year. If really lucky someone came by a local factory along the way and found a thrown out pallet. My friends and I would retire to the park, roll out a huge metal drum that we acquired somewhere in my dim past, throw a Christmas tree into it, light a match and soon thereafter, add another tree. After three or four trees had gone into the can, we stayed pretty warm for hours, warm enough to drink some beer, and we usually had several more trees on hand or went to look for more. No more of that for me now though, I do not like the cold, even if standing next to a blazing fire if only because while one side of me is hot while the other is cold.
Next time I go out, I guess I will dress a bit warmer. I may have to head out to the shed, in a day or so when it warms up to the 40s again, or wait until it hits the 50s as promised in a few days, to pick my long-johns and a couple of other warmer uppers out of my hunting gear boxes. I might yet need that stuff this winter, or I may need a metal drum and a few Christmas trees. Other than that, I may just have to plan a trip to visit my uncle in sunny southern Florida. I will keep you posted if that begins at all to change from being just a hope to a reality any time soon.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year 2012
I wish my readers a Happy New Year for them and their oved ones. I hope you have a happy, loving, safe and healthy 2012.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, December 30, 2011
Beer Theft 101
Want to see a neat way to steal beer or just about anything bigger than most bread boxes but smaller than a regular sized beer keg. Then go here to the Feral Irishman a look at his post WTF???..... Beer Smuggling ........ I thought that was amazingly innovative and funny as all hell.
All the best
and Happy New Year,
Glenn B
All the best
and Happy New Year,
Glenn B
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Traffic Stop Shootout
This video shows pretty much, as I see it, why you really need to be a different kind of person to be in law enforcement and why people need to stop bitching that cops get paid too much. When part of your job is to face guys like this, then you can bitch (yes I believe that military pay is way too low). The video is not new, it was reported on in May 2011 but it is the first time I have seen it. It wins the Ballseye Video of the Year Award, well it would win it if there was such an award. Let's just say, I like it a lot because they got the piece of shit.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Some Good News For Me For Now
I saw my radiation oncologist yesterday. He scoped out my throat and despite all the pain I have been having in my mouth and throat he had good news for me. He cannot see any of the lesion or tumor where my cancer apparently started in my right tonsil and the rest of my throat also looks good. So, at least on the outside, my tonsil looks clear of cancer. Now I have to wait, until late February or early March, for the PET Scan and CT Scan to see if they got it all inside of my tonsil and in my lymph nodes. One can only hope.
Besides me hoping that they do not find any sign of the cancer by then, I am also hopeful that by then all of the pain will have gone away. My mouth and throat have been painful enough to make me cut back on eating lately and I lost a few pounds in the last two weeks. That made my gastroenterologist decide, today, to cancel my PEG tube (stomach feeding tube) removal for tomorrow. He said it would just be a better bet to wait to make sure I absolutely no longer need it. He is watching out for me.
Me, I am keeping my fingers crossed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Besides me hoping that they do not find any sign of the cancer by then, I am also hopeful that by then all of the pain will have gone away. My mouth and throat have been painful enough to make me cut back on eating lately and I lost a few pounds in the last two weeks. That made my gastroenterologist decide, today, to cancel my PEG tube (stomach feeding tube) removal for tomorrow. He said it would just be a better bet to wait to make sure I absolutely no longer need it. He is watching out for me.
Me, I am keeping my fingers crossed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, December 26, 2011
Obama 2012
If this poster does not make people on the left, or at least those in the middle and those who lean a bit left, think about for whom they should vote, then something is terribly wrong with the way they think.
All the best,
Glenn B
Note: I got that one in an email; there was no copyright info attached so I am showing it here. If I find out there is a copyright and get all the owner's contact info, I will check with the owner to see if it is okay to leave it up or not. For now, it stays.
All the best,
Glenn B
Note: I got that one in an email; there was no copyright info attached so I am showing it here. If I find out there is a copyright and get all the owner's contact info, I will check with the owner to see if it is okay to leave it up or not. For now, it stays.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. I hope you have a joyous, merry, fun, safe and healthy Christmas and that it is all you hoped it would be.
And shame on me for doing it so late but please allow me to wish all my Jewish readers a very Happy Hanukkah, may you enjoy all of its days in health, peace and safety.
Then, almost finally, to all, my wish that you have a very Happy New year.
Of course, for the rest of you there is always Festivus. If you do not celebrate any of the above, then allow me to wish you Happy Festivus.
All the best,
Glenn B
And shame on me for doing it so late but please allow me to wish all my Jewish readers a very Happy Hanukkah, may you enjoy all of its days in health, peace and safety.
Then, almost finally, to all, my wish that you have a very Happy New year.
Of course, for the rest of you there is always Festivus. If you do not celebrate any of the above, then allow me to wish you Happy Festivus.
All the best,
Glenn B
A State Trooper's Christmas Eve
Great video, give it a watch.
All the best and Merry Christmas,
Glenn B
All the best and Merry Christmas,
Glenn B
Guns and Ammo As Good As Gold?
I don't see why anyone suddenly would think that it is something new, that is to consider guns and ammo to be as good as gold. Heck, I have always thought they were better than gold but you can bet I would not mind having some gold on hand too. Just too expensive for me, shame on me for not buying some a few years back. I did buy guns and ammo though, so I have no shortages there.
Via: Ammo.net
A hat tip goes out to The War On Guns for making me aware of this graphic that can be found at http://ammo.net/ammunition.
All the best,
Glenn B
Via: Ammo.net
A hat tip goes out to The War On Guns for making me aware of this graphic that can be found at http://ammo.net/ammunition.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, December 23, 2011
Last Minute Gift Ideas and Stocking Stuffers For The Firearms Enthusiast, Hunter and Fisherman
Have you gotten your Christmas shopping done yet or haven't you even started yet? Do you find it difficult to decide what to buy for that special person like your wife, husband, son, daughter, best friend, or whomever? Are you waiting for Christmas Eve to go out into the mad rush to buy last minute gifts? Have you gotten almost everything already but just need a stocking stuffer or two to complete your gift shopping? Is the person for whom you are shopping a firearms enthusiast or an avid outdoorsman, such as a hunter, fisherman, or shooter. If the person for whom you need a gift falls into that classification then allow me to give you some ideas for last minute gifts and stocking stuffers.
FOR THE SHOOTER:
AMMO: A box of ammunition in the caliber he shoots most. Ammo is always a welcome gift, well at least when it is in the right caliber and grain weight. If you live with the person for whom you are shopping, and you are not sure of the right caliber or bullet weight, sneak a look at his or her stash of ammo. Write down what is says on the outside of the box and head out to your nearest gun shop. It should be a cinch to get it right. Just in case, make sure the ammo shop allows exchanges.
CLEANING SOLVENT: Another welcomed gift by anyone who shoots a lot and who properly cares for his firearms. It should be easy to check on what brand is used by the person for whom you are shopping but brand is not usually as critical as long as you buy a good solvent that gets the job done. A well used and respected solvent is Hoppes No. 9 and another of a different type is Break-Free CLP but there are many others out there from which to choose. You pretty much cannot go wrong with the two above for regular shooting but if the shooter is a muzzle loader then look to something like CVA Barrel Blaster Black Powder Cleaning Solvent.
A FIREARMS SCREWDRIVER SET: Not a bad thing to have on hand when adjustments need to be made to sights or scopes, or when small repairs may need to be made at the range. You can spend a lot of money on a high quality high priced gun screwdriver set or you can buy a bargain set of good enough quality to be used out in the field for emergencies. A mid-level priced gun screwdriver set is also makes a good stocking stuffer.
GIFT CARD: A gift card, to your shooter's favorite gun shop (just an example) or to a store, that sells firearms and firearms accessories, like Dick's Sporting Goods, is another idea for a stocking stuffer. This could be in just about any amount but to be reasonable I would start at about at least $15 and work my way up depending on how much I wanted to spend.
FOR THE HUNTER:
You can get most of the gift that I mentioned above if the hunter uses a firearm for hunting. Other gifts that you might consider, in general for both firearm and archery hunters, could be:
KNIFE: You can buy either a straight edged knife or a folding knife. For a stocking stuffer, unless yo know the knife preferences of the person for whom you are shopping, I recommend a folding knife, with two blades, with a blade length of 4 inches or less for the larger blade. In essence, what I would recommend is an all around utility type knife like this Case Trapper, which is made in the USA.
COMPASS: Something that many hunters carry but all too many do not carry with them while hunting is a decent compass. Even if you do not know how to read a compass as regarding map reading you can still use one to help you navigate through the woods. For example, if you park your car on a north/south bound road, then walked into the woods to the west, you would know your vehicle was basically back toward the east when you wanted out, and a compass can help make sure you go in the right direction. I prefer liquid filled lensatic compasses such as this one but you may want to talk to a knowledgeable salesperson before buying one to decide on one that is good for all around use.
GLO-STICKS: These are pretty much a must have, especially for the hunter who goes it alone in the woods or fields. In the event that the hunter becomes lost, or maybe is incapacitated (say a broken leg or bad sprain) and must spend the night afield due to an emergency, it is a good idea to have at least a three night's supply of these. Glo-Sticks come in various colors, I like the original greenish-yellow glow and they also come in ones that last for various amounts of time from a few hours up to at least 12 hours. I prefer the ones that will glow for 12 hours. I recommend you get these at a local sporting goods store or at an automobile supply store (they are sometimes used instead of flares as they probably are safer than flares) and that you shop for price on these.
GIFT CARD: Ditto as above under For The Shooter.
FOR THE FISHERMAN
LURES: It is important to know the type of fishing that is being done if you want to buy some lures for a stocking stuffer (please make sure they remain sealed in original packages so the hooks are not exposed). There are many types of lures such as Crank Baits, Poppers, Buzz Baits, Spoons, Artificial Worms, Flys and on and on.
Fillet Knife: A good quality fillet knife is often a good bet to put a smile on a fisherman's face. I know that I have seen mine turn into a rusted mess and I have lost more of them than I care to admit while on fishing trips. I prefer one with about an 8 inch blade length, like this moderately priced Rapala, just in case I catch that monster fish I have dreamed about.
FISHERMAN'S PLIERS: This is an almost indispensable tool for the guy or gal who goes fishing a lot. They come in both regular carbon steel and in stainless steel. I prefer the stainless steel models and although they cost somewhat more they are worth it to me. Rapala makes some at reasonable prices and their are other brands available, some at much higher prices (see page two of the linked page).
GIFT CARD: Ditto as above under For The Shooter.
I hope this helps, if you are still without a needed gift, for one of the types of outdoorsmen I listed above. I know that I would be happy to get any of the gifts on the list (HINT to my family).
All the best,
Glenn B
Disclaimer: I do not receive any type of pay or other compensation for my linking to the businesses mentioned or linked to above nor do I receive same for mentioning the products discussed above. In addition, I do not endorse any of those businesses or products for any reason. I have used some of the products mentioned above, or have used ones similar them. I have shopped at almost all, but not all, of the business to which I have linked. I used the ones at which I have shopped only due to my limited familiarity with them. I used the one(s) with which I am unfamiliar due to the conveninence of them selling the product I was writing about.
FOR THE SHOOTER:
AMMO: A box of ammunition in the caliber he shoots most. Ammo is always a welcome gift, well at least when it is in the right caliber and grain weight. If you live with the person for whom you are shopping, and you are not sure of the right caliber or bullet weight, sneak a look at his or her stash of ammo. Write down what is says on the outside of the box and head out to your nearest gun shop. It should be a cinch to get it right. Just in case, make sure the ammo shop allows exchanges.
CLEANING SOLVENT: Another welcomed gift by anyone who shoots a lot and who properly cares for his firearms. It should be easy to check on what brand is used by the person for whom you are shopping but brand is not usually as critical as long as you buy a good solvent that gets the job done. A well used and respected solvent is Hoppes No. 9 and another of a different type is Break-Free CLP but there are many others out there from which to choose. You pretty much cannot go wrong with the two above for regular shooting but if the shooter is a muzzle loader then look to something like CVA Barrel Blaster Black Powder Cleaning Solvent.
A FIREARMS SCREWDRIVER SET: Not a bad thing to have on hand when adjustments need to be made to sights or scopes, or when small repairs may need to be made at the range. You can spend a lot of money on a high quality high priced gun screwdriver set or you can buy a bargain set of good enough quality to be used out in the field for emergencies. A mid-level priced gun screwdriver set is also makes a good stocking stuffer.
GIFT CARD: A gift card, to your shooter's favorite gun shop (just an example) or to a store, that sells firearms and firearms accessories, like Dick's Sporting Goods, is another idea for a stocking stuffer. This could be in just about any amount but to be reasonable I would start at about at least $15 and work my way up depending on how much I wanted to spend.
FOR THE HUNTER:
You can get most of the gift that I mentioned above if the hunter uses a firearm for hunting. Other gifts that you might consider, in general for both firearm and archery hunters, could be:
KNIFE: You can buy either a straight edged knife or a folding knife. For a stocking stuffer, unless yo know the knife preferences of the person for whom you are shopping, I recommend a folding knife, with two blades, with a blade length of 4 inches or less for the larger blade. In essence, what I would recommend is an all around utility type knife like this Case Trapper, which is made in the USA.
COMPASS: Something that many hunters carry but all too many do not carry with them while hunting is a decent compass. Even if you do not know how to read a compass as regarding map reading you can still use one to help you navigate through the woods. For example, if you park your car on a north/south bound road, then walked into the woods to the west, you would know your vehicle was basically back toward the east when you wanted out, and a compass can help make sure you go in the right direction. I prefer liquid filled lensatic compasses such as this one but you may want to talk to a knowledgeable salesperson before buying one to decide on one that is good for all around use.
GLO-STICKS: These are pretty much a must have, especially for the hunter who goes it alone in the woods or fields. In the event that the hunter becomes lost, or maybe is incapacitated (say a broken leg or bad sprain) and must spend the night afield due to an emergency, it is a good idea to have at least a three night's supply of these. Glo-Sticks come in various colors, I like the original greenish-yellow glow and they also come in ones that last for various amounts of time from a few hours up to at least 12 hours. I prefer the ones that will glow for 12 hours. I recommend you get these at a local sporting goods store or at an automobile supply store (they are sometimes used instead of flares as they probably are safer than flares) and that you shop for price on these.
GIFT CARD: Ditto as above under For The Shooter.
FOR THE FISHERMAN
LURES: It is important to know the type of fishing that is being done if you want to buy some lures for a stocking stuffer (please make sure they remain sealed in original packages so the hooks are not exposed). There are many types of lures such as Crank Baits, Poppers, Buzz Baits, Spoons, Artificial Worms, Flys and on and on.
Fillet Knife: A good quality fillet knife is often a good bet to put a smile on a fisherman's face. I know that I have seen mine turn into a rusted mess and I have lost more of them than I care to admit while on fishing trips. I prefer one with about an 8 inch blade length, like this moderately priced Rapala, just in case I catch that monster fish I have dreamed about.
FISHERMAN'S PLIERS: This is an almost indispensable tool for the guy or gal who goes fishing a lot. They come in both regular carbon steel and in stainless steel. I prefer the stainless steel models and although they cost somewhat more they are worth it to me. Rapala makes some at reasonable prices and their are other brands available, some at much higher prices (see page two of the linked page).
GIFT CARD: Ditto as above under For The Shooter.
I hope this helps, if you are still without a needed gift, for one of the types of outdoorsmen I listed above. I know that I would be happy to get any of the gifts on the list (HINT to my family).
All the best,
Glenn B
Disclaimer: I do not receive any type of pay or other compensation for my linking to the businesses mentioned or linked to above nor do I receive same for mentioning the products discussed above. In addition, I do not endorse any of those businesses or products for any reason. I have used some of the products mentioned above, or have used ones similar them. I have shopped at almost all, but not all, of the business to which I have linked. I used the ones at which I have shopped only due to my limited familiarity with them. I used the one(s) with which I am unfamiliar due to the conveninence of them selling the product I was writing about.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Winter Has Arrived...
...and with its arrival the days have started to get longer, a little bit more sunshine, or at least more daylight, each day now - winter through the spring. That is a good thing. Of course there is also the cold, the bitter cold, the winds, the sleet, the snow, and the snowmen. How did that song go, something to the effect:
'...the weather outside is frightful
but the fire inside is delightful...'
And that is the way I suppose I will look at it until the weather warms up on its own in the spring (or sooner if global warming clobbers us and the polar bears). Of course, I will look at it that way so long as i can pay the bills for my home heating oil. I just paid about $400 bucks for about a hundred gallons of oil. That hurts when you consider there are almost sure to be at least 3 more months of oil bills at least as high as that and probably higher because sooner or later it really will feel like winter and get cold, the more oil used for more heat. Oh well, I must admit, it is rather delightful to come in from the cold to a nice warm home and my wife keeps the thermostat set at about 62. Still, when you come in from a really cold day, it feels toasty inside if the heat was on recently even when set that low.
Despite the cold and the fact that cold and my bones no longer agree with one another, I love it. Maybe that is because a god amount of winter assures a good amount of spring and that a good amount of summer and that a good balance of the fall. I do love the four seasons, especially the changing of the seasons as we have it here in NY. When I lived in southern California for four years, we had it hot from about March through the ass end of October, then it was cool with a few really cold days thrown it. Well, that is if you can consider 35 to 40 degrees really cold and I guess you can consider those temps as just that when it used to hit in the hundred and tens rather frequently in the four really hot months. Seems that your blood thins out and anything under 50 to 60 degrees is cold. It took me about 4 or 5 years to adjust to NY temps when I moved back up this way.
Enough of my rambling. Enjoy the first day of winter and the days of it yet to come. If you like the cold, then this is your season. If you do not look forward to the cold and the snow then think of it this way - the days are getting longer.
All the best,
Glenn B
'...the weather outside is frightful
but the fire inside is delightful...'
And that is the way I suppose I will look at it until the weather warms up on its own in the spring (or sooner if global warming clobbers us and the polar bears). Of course, I will look at it that way so long as i can pay the bills for my home heating oil. I just paid about $400 bucks for about a hundred gallons of oil. That hurts when you consider there are almost sure to be at least 3 more months of oil bills at least as high as that and probably higher because sooner or later it really will feel like winter and get cold, the more oil used for more heat. Oh well, I must admit, it is rather delightful to come in from the cold to a nice warm home and my wife keeps the thermostat set at about 62. Still, when you come in from a really cold day, it feels toasty inside if the heat was on recently even when set that low.
Despite the cold and the fact that cold and my bones no longer agree with one another, I love it. Maybe that is because a god amount of winter assures a good amount of spring and that a good amount of summer and that a good balance of the fall. I do love the four seasons, especially the changing of the seasons as we have it here in NY. When I lived in southern California for four years, we had it hot from about March through the ass end of October, then it was cool with a few really cold days thrown it. Well, that is if you can consider 35 to 40 degrees really cold and I guess you can consider those temps as just that when it used to hit in the hundred and tens rather frequently in the four really hot months. Seems that your blood thins out and anything under 50 to 60 degrees is cold. It took me about 4 or 5 years to adjust to NY temps when I moved back up this way.
Enough of my rambling. Enjoy the first day of winter and the days of it yet to come. If you like the cold, then this is your season. If you do not look forward to the cold and the snow then think of it this way - the days are getting longer.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Fun Fact - The Christmas Eve and Christmas Moon Phases
Here is a fun fact for this year: The New Moon will fall on Christmas Eve and the Moon will begin to wax (appear larger) beginning in Christmas day. So on Christmas eve you will not be able to see the moon, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, and you will again be able to see it, at least a sliver of it, on Christmas day. Much like the moon will be reborn on Christmas just as it was the birthday of Jesus. Just thought I would put that out there for those of you who might enjoy the heavenly coincidence. Go here to check on moon phases on an interactive moon phase calendar.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
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