Challenger and her precious cargo...
pic from tam's
jtc
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
rule five: "you can't fix stupid"*
when four rules just ain't enough...
how can you be this dumb and still make it through eight frickin' decades? why tempt fate? leave the firearms alone...even when they're "not loaded".
jtc
*apologies to ron white.
how can you be this dumb and still make it through eight frickin' decades? why tempt fate? leave the firearms alone...even when they're "not loaded".
jtc
*apologies to ron white.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
looking forward with "hope"...
anybody who's ever even casually glanced at this blog knows that the "o" was not my first choice to be the new elected leader of the free world...in fact in my view he ranks near, if not at, the very bottom of the very long list of erstwhile candidates.
that being said, he is indeed the new elected leader of the free world, meaning he is my president too. and once i am able to stifle the autoresponse of regurgitation that is the normal reaction to being forcefed something extremely unpalatable, i'm going to do my best to support him and his policies as they relate to our relationship with the rest of the world...because we are all Americans, and united we stand.
but i do fervently hope, and even somewhat believe, that the realities of the office and the world will bring a necessary and cautious deliberation to the euphoric mantra and mission of "change" that was the centerpiece of his campaign. indeed, that has already begun, as witnessed by the recent disclaimers as to the difficult road ahead and the need for patience and controlled "expectations" as we move forward into the new reality, here in the brave new world.
congratulations, Mr. President, may God bless you, your administration, and most especially, the United States of America.
jtc
Monday, January 19, 2009
in honor of dr. king...
i'm not a fan of mlk day being a national holiday. it devalues the honor that is implied by setting aside such a day to honor and observe far more significant milestones in our history...
but i'll say this: listening to his speeches now, with the retrospect and maturity gained as this country worked through the turmoil and did the right thing in respecting the rights of all citizens, makes me realize that this peaceable man was far more deserving of the honor of being the first black man to hold our highest office than the "one" who will be crowned tomorrow.
not that either of them possess(ed) the experience and capabilities required to be the leader of the free world...just that of the two, mlk would be far and away the better, less divisive, and probably far more effective choice.
r.i.p., martin luther king jr....let's hope your vision and methods will live within the hearts and minds of those who follow.
jtc
Sunday, January 18, 2009
on a side note...
i turned comments back on this a.m.; i turned 'em off a month ago when a cautionary (okay maybe it was a little dickish) comment i made at the breda fallacy turned into an allout (but fun!) internecine 100-comment flamewar with the defenders of her honor, some of which accused me of trying to drive comments to my own blog...and since i don't give a shit about that stuff, i turned 'em off...but now they're back on, so if you feel the urge to say something pithy, or pissy for that matter, go for it.
jtc
jtc
"ya followin' me, camera guy?"
i can see it now, that annoying twerp on the shamwow ads doing his schtick for the brand-new, brought to you by the letters g-o-v and d-u-m-b doing a hustle for a twofer...
turn in that old gas-guzzler now and get $4500 of otherpeoplesmoney! throw an old gun or two in the trunk and we'll double it! but hurry, 'cause we can't do this all day!
man, i can see the twinkle in the eyes of all the buyherepayhere used car dealers as they contemplate emptying out that back lot full of $200 clunkers at four and a half large apiece...kinda like i had in mine when a nearby county did $150 wallyworld vouchers for anything even resembling a firearm no questions asked. that box full of junk that i thought i wouldn't sell to my worst enemy? well, i was wrong, and i did. then i bought four brand-new 10/22's at sam's place for about what they cost me wholesale.
hmm, i need to buddy up with old fred down at the scrap yard; those dinosaurs that come chugging in that he pays a few hun for, i'm gonna offer hime five each for all he can get for me.
man, who the fuck is running this monkeyhouse anyway?
jtc
turn in that old gas-guzzler now and get $4500 of otherpeoplesmoney! throw an old gun or two in the trunk and we'll double it! but hurry, 'cause we can't do this all day!
man, i can see the twinkle in the eyes of all the buyherepayhere used car dealers as they contemplate emptying out that back lot full of $200 clunkers at four and a half large apiece...kinda like i had in mine when a nearby county did $150 wallyworld vouchers for anything even resembling a firearm no questions asked. that box full of junk that i thought i wouldn't sell to my worst enemy? well, i was wrong, and i did. then i bought four brand-new 10/22's at sam's place for about what they cost me wholesale.
hmm, i need to buddy up with old fred down at the scrap yard; those dinosaurs that come chugging in that he pays a few hun for, i'm gonna offer hime five each for all he can get for me.
man, who the fuck is running this monkeyhouse anyway?
jtc
the pop culture prez...
well, there you have it, finally an honest explanation of why a person with no experience or credibility at all will in two days ascend to the highest office in the world...hollywood said it could and should be, the media said "hell, yeah", and the sheeple said "duh, okay".
jtc
jtc
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
back in fla...
quickie trip up to north ga. to check on things and make a deal with the realty agent to lease-purchase my son's house for herself with a side deal to sell our own place that is close by with the fee for that and some handyman work by her husband to count as their down payment to buy the son's place...clear as mud, right?
a little complicated and "creative", but a win-win if it works out okay, and right now who the hell needs three houses? so eleven hours going up due to lousy traffic, and nine hours coming back four days later pulling a trailer full of stuff wifey wanted from the georgia place...not much fun, but overall a pretty productive trip.
sometimes, you just do what you gotta do...
jtc
a little complicated and "creative", but a win-win if it works out okay, and right now who the hell needs three houses? so eleven hours going up due to lousy traffic, and nine hours coming back four days later pulling a trailer full of stuff wifey wanted from the georgia place...not much fun, but overall a pretty productive trip.
sometimes, you just do what you gotta do...
jtc
Monday, January 5, 2009
there but for the Grace of God, go i...
the nature of my business for thirty years gave me a better than even chance of facing the same situation that this gentle man did...i am thankful every day that i did not. but if i had, or if i ever do, i could only ask and hope that i handle it and deal with it as well as he did. may God have mercy on his conscience, on the souls of the two dead men, and on the hearts of their loved ones.
jtc
jtc
Saturday, January 3, 2009
get it while the gettin's good!
just a few miles up i-575 from our north georgia place is the little town of jasper...now jasper is a nice small town with some good history...civil war stuff, the nelson rifle was made nearby, and the marble quarries produce the bulk of marble used in the country...including almost all of the monuments at arlington. but jasper still doesn't have a wal-mart, thank goodness, there are still a few bastions of innocence left (of course there is one within twenty miles both north and south). and there has been growth...especially new neighborhoods full of commuters that work in atl, and commercial growth along 575 (actually it's 515 since 575 ends right about at our place and becomes sr 515 aka sonny perdue parkway...).
and included in that growth is a place called the bargain barn. now the bargain barn has a long history here, but they took the leap and built a new place on the highway after a big fire wiped out the old one. and this place is big...as big as a football field on the ground floor and another football field on the second floor. if you want outdoor sports stuff, forget dick's or bass pro or gander or anyplace else, because the bargain barn has 'em beat. every outdoor garment there is, every boot and shoe, an archery department that includes the most bows i've ever seen in one place, along with all the accessories and guys and gals who know their shit selling them. fishing stuff? aisles and aisles of it. the biggest case knife department you can imagine, like a self contained case store...and other top blades as well. ah, then we work our way upstairs to the hunting and gun departments. a whole area of tree stands fully assembled for tryout, gun safes of every brand, size, and weight. an "optics" department second to none including every leupold made, and dummy guns to try them out on.
and then the guns...ah, yes. five full time guys working the counters. every browning rifle and shotgun is in stock. racks of remingtons, berettas, rugers, and stacks of backstock in view in the back room. ten cases of handguns, though the counter guy told me their inventory level is the lowest he's seen it in the ten years he's worked there, they're still loaded with glocks, springfields, kimber, naa, taurus, charter, and the best stock i've recently seen of smith and wesson, including most of the j's. and they haven't inflated their prices to take advantage of the obama sales boom. standard glock models for 499, naa's for 200, charters for 200, even the smiths were low compared to anywhere i've seen recently. and they were running a sale, 5% off on all guns, 10% on ammo and gear.
and busy? if there's a recession it ain't here...the parking lot holds 200 and i had a hard time finding a spot. let's hope these guys can keep getting inventory because they do as good a job as any place i've seen of stocking it, displaying it, demo'ing it, with personable, knowledgable people selling it. bravo, bargain barn!
i didn't buy anything but i sure had a fun hour there. then when i left i pulled into the waffle house for a bite of lunch; it's next door to a race trac c-store that usually has the cheapest gas around here...and i couldn't believe the sign...1.259 for regular, haven't seen that in a long damn time. reg. was 1.65 when i left sebring, fl yesterday, and i saw it for 1.49 on the highway inside ga. where the tax is lower, but a buck and a quarter? lady at the waffle house counter said they had a real old-fashioned gas war going in town; a new chain store opened up the road and they're fighting it out on gas and 12-packs of cokes...two for four fifty...that's less than nineteens cents apiece.
i wonder what the law is about loading up a truck with barrels full of gasoline and taking it back to fla? no, i wouldn't do it but it's tempting, 'cause you know that shit ain't gonna last. now if this would've happened in the summer, i could have pulled the motorhome out of mothballs and took that alaska trip i've been putting off. it holds 65 gallons and gets about 8 mpg...a little oppressive at four bucks a gallon and you're spending $250 every 500 miles for gas alone. but of course that was the plan, wasn't it? just wait for june, cheap gas will just be a memory, but it's fun while it lasts.
jtc
and included in that growth is a place called the bargain barn. now the bargain barn has a long history here, but they took the leap and built a new place on the highway after a big fire wiped out the old one. and this place is big...as big as a football field on the ground floor and another football field on the second floor. if you want outdoor sports stuff, forget dick's or bass pro or gander or anyplace else, because the bargain barn has 'em beat. every outdoor garment there is, every boot and shoe, an archery department that includes the most bows i've ever seen in one place, along with all the accessories and guys and gals who know their shit selling them. fishing stuff? aisles and aisles of it. the biggest case knife department you can imagine, like a self contained case store...and other top blades as well. ah, then we work our way upstairs to the hunting and gun departments. a whole area of tree stands fully assembled for tryout, gun safes of every brand, size, and weight. an "optics" department second to none including every leupold made, and dummy guns to try them out on.
and then the guns...ah, yes. five full time guys working the counters. every browning rifle and shotgun is in stock. racks of remingtons, berettas, rugers, and stacks of backstock in view in the back room. ten cases of handguns, though the counter guy told me their inventory level is the lowest he's seen it in the ten years he's worked there, they're still loaded with glocks, springfields, kimber, naa, taurus, charter, and the best stock i've recently seen of smith and wesson, including most of the j's. and they haven't inflated their prices to take advantage of the obama sales boom. standard glock models for 499, naa's for 200, charters for 200, even the smiths were low compared to anywhere i've seen recently. and they were running a sale, 5% off on all guns, 10% on ammo and gear.
and busy? if there's a recession it ain't here...the parking lot holds 200 and i had a hard time finding a spot. let's hope these guys can keep getting inventory because they do as good a job as any place i've seen of stocking it, displaying it, demo'ing it, with personable, knowledgable people selling it. bravo, bargain barn!
i didn't buy anything but i sure had a fun hour there. then when i left i pulled into the waffle house for a bite of lunch; it's next door to a race trac c-store that usually has the cheapest gas around here...and i couldn't believe the sign...1.259 for regular, haven't seen that in a long damn time. reg. was 1.65 when i left sebring, fl yesterday, and i saw it for 1.49 on the highway inside ga. where the tax is lower, but a buck and a quarter? lady at the waffle house counter said they had a real old-fashioned gas war going in town; a new chain store opened up the road and they're fighting it out on gas and 12-packs of cokes...two for four fifty...that's less than nineteens cents apiece.
i wonder what the law is about loading up a truck with barrels full of gasoline and taking it back to fla? no, i wouldn't do it but it's tempting, 'cause you know that shit ain't gonna last. now if this would've happened in the summer, i could have pulled the motorhome out of mothballs and took that alaska trip i've been putting off. it holds 65 gallons and gets about 8 mpg...a little oppressive at four bucks a gallon and you're spending $250 every 500 miles for gas alone. but of course that was the plan, wasn't it? just wait for june, cheap gas will just be a memory, but it's fun while it lasts.
jtc
Friday, January 2, 2009
six days on the road but i'ma gonna make it home tonight...
well, it was eleven hours, not six days. but for the trip from sebring fl to north ga that usually takes me eight hours when i'm flyin' low and catchin' the breaks, it sure as hell seemed like days.
i had to come up to meet the realtor who has my son's house listed for sale and hasn't sold it, but now she wants the place for herself if i'll finance it or do a lease option...
i'm trying to come up with a plan that will be win-win for that. so anyway, i thought by leaving fla today instead of on the weekend i would miss the traffic headed back nawth after the holidays, and i figured there'd be a lot more southbound than north; we've already got most of the q-tip population from ohio, mich, and indy in central fla. but instead, the northbound fla turnpike and long stretches of i-75 were multi-lane parking lots moving like molasses while south flowed free as water. and pulling my trailer so's i can take some stuff back to wifey from the other house up here kept me about ten mph under the norm when traffic did open up a bit.
anyway, i finally made it in one piece, and the plan is to make a deal with the realtor to do some spruce-up work on this house and have her act as seller's agent with the fees to apply to a down payment for her to buy my son's place...it's a good deal for her since she won't have to come up with cash, and if it means both places get sold it'll save me a ton of outgo for two houses that we don't use now that my son has moved back to fla...like i said, win-win if it works out, we'll see.
i shouldn't bitch about the trip i guess...i left seventy five degrees and it's only in the forties here, whereas tam is headed from the thirties into the teens and possible ice in her little rear wheel drive krauterskate; at least maybe her traffic will be lighter than mine was...anyway, eleven hours on the road is rough on an old fart, so it's off to bed.
jtc
i had to come up to meet the realtor who has my son's house listed for sale and hasn't sold it, but now she wants the place for herself if i'll finance it or do a lease option...
i'm trying to come up with a plan that will be win-win for that. so anyway, i thought by leaving fla today instead of on the weekend i would miss the traffic headed back nawth after the holidays, and i figured there'd be a lot more southbound than north; we've already got most of the q-tip population from ohio, mich, and indy in central fla. but instead, the northbound fla turnpike and long stretches of i-75 were multi-lane parking lots moving like molasses while south flowed free as water. and pulling my trailer so's i can take some stuff back to wifey from the other house up here kept me about ten mph under the norm when traffic did open up a bit.anyway, i finally made it in one piece, and the plan is to make a deal with the realtor to do some spruce-up work on this house and have her act as seller's agent with the fees to apply to a down payment for her to buy my son's place...it's a good deal for her since she won't have to come up with cash, and if it means both places get sold it'll save me a ton of outgo for two houses that we don't use now that my son has moved back to fla...like i said, win-win if it works out, we'll see.
i shouldn't bitch about the trip i guess...i left seventy five degrees and it's only in the forties here, whereas tam is headed from the thirties into the teens and possible ice in her little rear wheel drive krauterskate; at least maybe her traffic will be lighter than mine was...anyway, eleven hours on the road is rough on an old fart, so it's off to bed.
jtc
Thursday, January 1, 2009
here's to a fine '09...
well, they dropped the ball in nyc, the neighbors scared the shit out of the dogs with fireworks, and i kissed and made a toast with my sweetie at the stroke of midnight to welcome a new year and say goodbye and good riddance to the old one.
i've heard people say the next year couldn't be any worse than the last one, but all we have to do is look around the world to realize that in spite of a grinding war, financial meltdown, political polarity, and all manner of crises, we've still got it better than everybody else in the world, and most important, we have the ability to determine for ourselves whether '09 will be better than '08.
and my only resolution (i gave up on getting prettier, younger, or thinner years ago) is to do my best for me and mine to make it so; here's wishing all the best for all of you as well.
jtc
i've heard people say the next year couldn't be any worse than the last one, but all we have to do is look around the world to realize that in spite of a grinding war, financial meltdown, political polarity, and all manner of crises, we've still got it better than everybody else in the world, and most important, we have the ability to determine for ourselves whether '09 will be better than '08.
and my only resolution (i gave up on getting prettier, younger, or thinner years ago) is to do my best for me and mine to make it so; here's wishing all the best for all of you as well.
jtc
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