The Countertop Chronicles

HT to Ron at Reactuate

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Rented a beach house for a month.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No, not really. I had some that I wish I had kept (losing weight, excecise) and others that I am still in the process of working on but which will be done shortly (home repairs) and others where I changed priorities/goals midway through the year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I don’t think so.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes. My dog.

5. Did you visit anywhere exciting? San Francisco.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Better staff assistance.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Nothing in particular.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I taught my son to ride a bike.

9. What was your biggest mistake? I didn’t pay enough attention to my family.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Yes. Injured my back falling off a roof (see #2 above, re exercise).

11. What was the best thing you bought? My dog. A Jeep Commander.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My wife who had a particularly difficult year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? John McCain.

14. Where did most of your money go in 2008? Gasoline.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Training a new puppy.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Probably some old Grateful Dead song.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier.

ii. thinner or fatter? Same.

iii. richer or poorer? Richer. (I just got a big raise)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I’d spent more time with my family and helped my wife out with the kids more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Paperwork and political campaigning. I don’t see my self doing any more work on political campaigns after this year. It was a big let down.

20. How did you spend Christmas? In Georgia, with my family, opening presents from 9 am till 11 pm. It was a wonderful day for the children, which made it even better for us parents.

21. Did you fall in love in ‘08? Yes. I’m Italian. I fall in love every time a pretty girl walks by.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Survivor man.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.

24. What was the best book you read? Hmmmm

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? The Golden Animals.

26. What did you want and get? I wanted to beat the famous son of a famous politician. I did.

27. What did you want and not get? An AR-15

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 37. I gave a presentation to a large group on energy issues at a nondescript Midwestern hotel. Ate a crappy banquet dinner.

29. What’s one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Spending more time with my family. If my dog hadn’t died.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Lots of khaki.

31. What kept you sane? The Grateful Dead

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Sarah Palin.

33. What political issue stirred you the most? Gun Control.

34. Who do you miss the most? I miss the friends who I’ve lost contact with.

35. Who was the best new person you met? Not sure.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008? Spend more time with your family. Don’t rush to finish a job that can wait till tomorrow.

37. What are your New Years Resolutions for 2009? That will be coming soon.

Don’t worry, its not going anywhere.

But as I face a busy busy year here dealing with the new Obama Administration - I am traveling around the country making presentations for the next 4 weeks (except for a few days back in DC to attend the inauguration) - and won’t have much time to blog (or hunt) till February.

Still, I am going to try to post something - anything - at least once a week (if not more) here.

In the meantime, I might also be found bitching in some others kitchens about recipes and such, and reviewing restaurants and discussing food policy, on occasion.

They say, the best gun to have is the one you have with you.

In that regard, its time for an admission. The P11 has worked its way into my heart as my primary, go to, gun.

Sure, its plastic. And was dirt cheap. And shoots the horrendous 9mm Europellet. And not very accurate past 15 yards.

All things my Colt NRM 1991A1 isn’t it.

And while I purchased the Kel Tec as a summer carry gun, here I am in January and still dealing with the fact that I’ve actually walked out of the house only 3 times in the last 6 months with the Colt on my hip (and I was still carrying the Kel Tec in my pocket on those occasions).

What is it about the Kel Tec that allows it to replace a gun 5 times its cost? Well, its small, and light. It fights well in my hand. And it conceals easily. Very easily.

But still, it shoots the dreaded 9mm Europellet. Perhaps I should think about looking at Colt Commanders. But even then, I don’t know if they are small enough to displace the position the Kel tec has taken in my life.

Just crossed into Tennessee on the annual winter pilgimage south. Just over the border from virginia I was greated by the beautiful sight of a tommy gun, essentially the size of 4 tractor trailers, advertising a class III firearms dealer Gun Runners USA.

God Bless America and God Bless Tennessee.

It would warrant turning around and getting a picture, but I need to meet SaysUncle and Les Jones for the annual machine gun shoot at Coal Creek Armory. Plus, ill drive right by in a couple of weeks again anyway.

I leave tomorrow morning, for my annual migration down to more civilized parts. I hope to be driving through Knoxville, with a stop at Coal Creek Armory, sometime in the early afternoon.

If anyone’s around and wants to get some mid day Christmas shooting in, let me know!

From the New York Times, on the state of the economy

A small, dark-haired, steady-handed man named Augusto Lovato, who speaks more Spanish than English, hunched over a drawing board in a quieter room off the main floor, a dusty lamp nearby. Peering though an old magnifying glass at a copper plate, he expertly cleaned the serifs and curls.

“This is a real economy,” Mr. Donnelly said of the printing business. “This is not that bogus economy of Wall Street. This country used to manufacture things.”

God Bless Him. Read the rest of the article too. Its a pretty interesting piece on the firm that won the bid to produce inaugural invitations. Their a union shop, and I suspect thats why they won, but then its nice to see private industry handle this instead of the Government Printing Office.

The other day, I posted that I had nothing. Well, thanks to the always reliable Ron at Reactuate, I now have something - the always stunning combination of a beautiful woman and a beautiful gun..

Oh boy. Down boy!!!

In both PG-13 and R rated versions.

You can check out more of this beauty over here.

Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Sorry, but I’ve had little inspiration to blog for some time, as you can probably tell. Perhpas I should take a break. Or not. Or just say, watch your feeds. I’ll be back, I’ll be moved at some point.

I just don’t know when.

In the meantime, enjoy some Viola Lee Blues

Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest

Mahatma Gandhi

Well, that time has finally arrived.

I’ve managed to avoid getting a real gun safe - or, well, security locker - so far.

For the most part, I had my rifles stored in a couple of spots which were largely inaccessible to my oldest son. Handguns were in a Sentry lackable file cabinet and at least locked away. But the rifles and shotguns were certainly possible for him to get ahold of.

But it hadn’t been a problem. Until last week, when my wife and I took a much needed trip to Naples, Fl. Grandma was watching the kids, and proceeded to tell me how my oldest showed her where my guns where.

Now, he did it after she pried it out of him - so I’m a bit ticked at her for that - but her point was clear and correct, nonetheless.

and, as luck would have it, Dicks was having a sale on “gun safes.”. I picked up the 19 gun “safe” for $399. Damn, it weighed a lot - 275lbs - but with a dolly and a friend I managed to get it in and installed last night.

Of course, its not as fancy as Sebastians new safe (but then, I just got a new car and have major renovations underway at home) and its clearly closer to file cabinet security than safe (the walls are pretty thin, and the three locking bolts could easily be pride open) but for my purposes (keeping guns safe and secure from prying little kids - and maybe forcing a thief to think twice - or even just slowing him down till the cops cross the street) its fine.

And at $399, it strikes me as a good deal ($412 with tax).

White house just finished review.

It can be signed at any time.
-hopefully it will be signed before xmas so it can be published before innauguaration.

Will be interesting political land mine to leave Obama administration, just as gun bigot ramp up attacks and press coverage.

Was gonna post about how I went about getting my deal on the Jeep Commander - but then stumbled upon this via Facebook.

How Patriotic!

Details later, but its a killer time to get a deal on a gas guzzling SUV, so much so that I’d never be able to financially justify the price difference for some of the more “environmentally friendly” options I was considering.

Plus, it has an add-on manufacturers lifetime bumper to bumper warranty.

Sticker price - $36,959 plus $3,500 for warranty.

Countertops out the door price (tax, tags, etc) - $22.5k ($19.5k + 2k +1k) +72 month loan at 5.9% (its nice to have a credit score of 750+)

Yes, my Jeep Grand Cherokee got crunched a couple of weeks ago. Went out hiking with the kids (really, scouting for waterfowl) and on the way back we were hit by a Ford Explorer chock full of 7 Mexican’s who couldn’t speak English and without a drivers license amongst them.

So, its back to teh drawing board. Which sucks, cause the Jeep was the first car I really liked. Perhaps ever (or at least since I got rid of the Jeep I had in college). It was a 1996 Laredo Limited. With the Selec Trak 4wd. It was perfect for me, except it would have been nicer to get higher mileage.

Now, the thing is, I don’t necessarily want another Jeep. The new GC’s are smaller, and uglier. And are really built more as glorified soccer mom transports than off road vehicles. Plus, with the full time computer controlled 4wd, their mileage sucks. If I’m gonna get full time 4wd, I ought to get a Rover. And indeed, I’ve been looking at both late 90s Land Rover Discovery’s and GCs. In both cases, they are better cars than whats available now.

But that doesn’t have to be the case. You see, Jeep sells a GC with a diesel powerplant. The problem is, it doesn’t get more than 3 mpg extra - which doesn’t justify the cost. I simply don’t understand this - and see it as indicative of the reasons America’s auto industry is heading down the tubes. Diesel powerplants in this country - even a Mercedes plant like the Jeep has - are designed for power. But I want a Diesel not to tow a yacht, but for its efficiency.

Did you know that overseas, diesel powered Land Rover’s (with full time 4wd) get 35+mpg??? And Jeep certainly has within its grasp the ability to stick in an even more efficent engine. But they won’t. And so, I won’t buy a new Jeep.

The other car I’m looking at is the VOlkswagon Jetta tDi Superwagon. I love Diesel. But the Jetta, while it meets my space needs (somewhat - its a bit smaller, but still has the rear storage I like) and performance needs (its a rocket ship with German handling) isn’t a 4wd vehicle and for someone who spends a lot of time in the woods deep down dirt roads and in the moutains in the winter, thats a necessity.

So I’m torn. I’ve also looked at Volvos, but I don’t like ‘em.

Car shopping sucks.

This time, in honor of his Annoited One, it comes from funky groovster and black panther left wing freakoid Gil Scott Heron. I think Shockra’s cover is better - but I can’t find a copy online (I will try to upload a copy)

Gun
Lyrics by Gil Scott Heron

Brother Man nowadays living in the ghetto
Where the danger’s sure enough real
Well when he’s out late at night
and if he’s got his head on right
Well, I lay you 9 to 5 he’s walking with steel.

Brother Man says he’s ‘fraid of gangsters
Messing with people just for fun
He don’t want to be next
He got a family to protect
So just last week he bought himself a gun.

Everybody got a pistol, everybody got a .45
And the philosophy seem to be
At least as near as I can see
When other folks give up theirs, I’ll give up mine.

This is a violent civilization
If civilization’s where I am
Every channel that I stop on
Got a different kind of cop on
Killing them by the million for Uncle Sam

Saturday night just ain’t that special
Yeah, I got the constitution on the run
‘Cause even though we’ve got the right
To defend our home, to defend our life
Got to understand to get it in hand about the guns

Everybody got a pistol, everybody got a .45
And the philosophy seem to be
At least as near as I can see
When other folks give up theirs, I’ll give up mine.

Saturday night just ain’t that special
Freedom to be afraid is all you want
Yes if you don’t want to be next
You’ve got a family to protect
9 out of 10, you’ve got a friend, you’ve got a gun.

Everybody got a pistol, everybody got a .45
And the philosophy seem to be
At least as near as I can see
When other folks give up theirs, I’ll give up mine.

Everybody got a pistol, this must please the NRA
Yeah ’cause when it’s time to shine up
You know damn well they’re gonna line up
Everybody…

And the philosophy seem to be
At least as near as I can see
When other folks give up theirs, I’ll give up mine