Sad

Well, 2009 is off to a good start- my 20 year old cat has passed away. Sucks.

However, I do have a few stories from the holidays I'm working on gettin up here.

David Sedaris

However you feel about his politics, this is DAMN Funny! From Cdr Salamander

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's hoping for better days for us all in the future!

Cheat Posts

Memes- a way to create content without creating content. As I try to get back into the swing of things- or at least get started- here we go-

From- well, all over.

Things I’ve done are in bold.
1. Started your own blog Started, yes...
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland DisneyWORLD, numerous times. At least once a year for the previous 12 years.
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo Sober, no...
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted- do carnival caricatures count?
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma- Tried tho'.
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox Had them TWICE as a child. Dr's say my first case was too mild. The second one wasn't.
89. Saved someone’s life I've talked suicides down, helped prevent stupid accidents- and saved a buddy at camp, when our boat capsized and he slid out of his life jacket- and I don't swim well either.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one Too damned many
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day Read more than a book in a day as well.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one....

The High Road, Pt 2

Nicki @ The Liberty Zone has more on this saga of Oleg's.

The High Road

A message from Oleg Volk concerning The High Road:

In December 2002, I founded The High Road forum dedicated to the advancement of responsible gun ownership. Recently, it was discovered that in 2006, the volunteer forum systems administrator, Derek Zeanah of Statesboro, Georgia, changed domain registration to himself. After he was confronted, Derek locked out all other staff from accessing the Web server administration and would not share even backup copies of its content. After failed attempts to peacefully resolve the dispute, it has become necessary for me to initiate a lawsuit against Derek Zeanah for the return of thehighroad.org domain name and the forum database.

I am seeking and would greatly appreciate donations to help with the cost of litigation. You can use Paypal (olegvolk@gmail.com) or send a check to:
Oleg Volk 3112 Chambley Ct Hermitage, TN 37076

All donations shall be returned if the lawsuit is ultimately avoided. You can also aid me by re-posting this appeal on your blog, forum or web site. My legal position is already endorsed by almost all of The High Road staff as well as Rich Lucibella, the founder of The Firing Line forum.

UPDATE: Derek's reaction was to disable The High Road forum all together. He also removed most of the staff who opposed him.

Yep

Hat tip to The AnarchAngel

Crazy Weather

75MPH wind gusts in Ohio!

Over 53% of the AEP customers in Franklin county are without power- I am in the fortunate 47%. My power lines are underground.

That didn't stop tree limbs and debris from littering my neighborhood. It looks like we had a funnel cloud rip through. One half the street will be block, then 40' farther down the other half- it was like driving an obstacle course.

My neighbor lost a tree which blocked the entire street- he's always seems a bit inept, so I grabbed my chainsaw and went out to help clear it away. Idiots kept trying to drive around the tree, while I standing there with a chainsaw. A few people joined in to help haul away the debris, but just as many stood around watching.

I think they were waiting for first blood.

Schools for a 50+ mile radius are closed, as are many businesses. You just don't see weather like this very often!

I hope Roberta X, roomie Tam, and Tiger's Eye are all doing well; I understand the Indy area was hit as well.

9-11 Banner

Thanks to Captain of a Crew of One for introducing me to the banner which was created by Mauser Girl.

Rachel Lucas Rocks

Rachel Lucas says what a lot of the customers in my store were saying today. In regards to the "lipstick/pig kerfluffle"

The way I see it, you have precisely two possibilities here, with a dependent conclusion for each:

(1) He did use it as a snide reference to Palin. Which means he’s a dickhead.

or

(2) He did not use it as a snide reference to Palin. Which means he’s not half as smart as his superfans want to believe. If he didn’t know how it would be construed, then he is RETARDED when it comes to nuance and anticipating political moves and all that happy horseshit.

Read the entire article here.

I need that shirt!

From Tam's Blog;

"But," he asks in genuine puzzlement, "why would you want to nuke Berkeley?"

Read the whole thing here.

Fisheyfullness

Well, I decided I didn't have quite enough hobbies, and it was time to start one that I don't sell in my store, thus making me pay full price for my crap.

Although, a friend did donate an unused tank, stand, filter, hood and light. Also, 2 pieces of driftwood. So, after failing miserably to clean the tank of white mineral deposits, I went ahead and set it up. (I still smell like Lay's Salt and Vinegar pototo chips)

Soon, maybe even tomorrow, I'll get some plants and a starter fish or two.



For those of you who know these things, it's a 40 gallon tall.

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Nods to Roberta X and Atomic Nerds; I was feeling Meme-y.

The rules are to bold all items on the list you’ve eaten, and cross out any you would never consider eating.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht ( I got the flu while visiting the Deutsches Museum in Bonn. There were serving Borscht in the cafe- it was AWESOME.)
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14.Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (I have an irrational hatred of Hot Dogs)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (My grandfather's Blackberry wine was the wine we used for the Toast at my wedding)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float (I dislike Root Beer almost as much as Hot Dogs)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (I've had chocolate covered ones- does that count?)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (Unagi is the best!)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (Eating them hot and fresh really is better!)
50. Sea urchin (Like eating Baby Crap)
51. Prickly pear (I've had Pickled Prickly Pear)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV (I don't drink beer)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (Nasty. My mom foisted these on us when I was a kid))
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (Not with my knowledge)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox (Had the bagel, not the lox)
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Hmm, did better than I thought I would.

I forgot a title Title.

James R. Rummel over @ Hell in a Handbasket chimes in on Sarah Palin;

Teddy Roosevelt was the last elected person with the word "President" in their job title who hunted bigger wild game than I ever did.

If Sarah Palin becomes Vice President, then that long streak will be broken.

The 80's

One of my fav songs ever-

Sarah Palin

Like everyone, I'm making a Sarah Palin Post. I've been a fan of hers for most of the year; I think the first time I seriously looked considered her a contender for VP was when CDR Salamander mentioned her in March.

I've been hoping she would be VP for months now; hell, I'd vote for her as Prez! But think, Palin with a few years as VP as a candidate? Woo-Hoo!

At the very least, every time I hear her surname, I think of Monty Python and I snicker.

One More Thing!

Yeah, so I broke a toe today.

Yep.

At least I'm not inflicting my doom upon others anymore!

Imperial Fleet Week in San Francisco

And an interview with the filmaker!

Next Model Project

I'm thinking of building something fun. Something with no historical accuracy to worry about.

I'm thinking of building a Steampunk Airship.

I want an Airship Pirate Ship!



"Airship Pirates" by Abney Park

Do they still sell those glowy-plasma ball thingys?