Recently the awesome offerings of Macho Sauce Productions have come to my attention. Nice to hear someone with a brain again:
Check out the guys website too:
www.machosauceproductions.com
That is all.
06 December 2008
21 September 2008
Rolling Around
Rolling Around
Hey Guys (all 5 of you who read this blog),
I've got a few articles rolling around the old brain but every time I sit down to write them they always roll right back to wherever they came from. It's frustrating. Really. The Duty Fulfilled stuff is still in the ol' noggin vault but moving ahead with it is like pulling teeth. I've also been thinking of writing some fiction but haven't had the time to sit down and map out the stories. Which is really frustrated because I have 3 (I think, might be more) seperate stories and snatches of dialogue and description keep floating into my brain at random times like:
"Doc settled into his chair with a glass of something that smelled like seedy bar bathrooms and hangovers."
or:
"He had read in some old science fiction book that happiness consisted of getting enough sleep, nothing more or less. Tam hadn't realized how true that little snippet had been until he joined and got sent out to the front. It was a test among the old timers to see whether someone had been out or not the question would be posed: "Is a ten minute nap worth taking?". REMF's would always spew out some bravado about how they could "sleep when they were dead", anybody who had been out for more than a week would offer a vital piece of anatomy for 10 comatose minutes. "
and my favorite:
"As Chogala fell to the ground with a cracked windpipe he remembered his tour of the neighborhood from the Heads. Chogala remembered walking around and being introduced to the residents of the sector and told who was golden and who would cause trouble, who to make an example out of and who would be late with their payments. Being given charge of his own turf had put his head in the clouds though instead of listening to the one piece of advice that would have saved his life 30 secs ago: Leave the old men in C Building alone."
These little things just seem to walk right into my consciousness at the most inopportune times, like when I'm giving a massage or I'm in the middle of a phone call at work. Never when I can write 'em down (and the images that they evoke).
Which reminds me, I've got about the attention span of a ferret on pixie sticks these days between school and work. 25 Hours a week working at my school on the federal work study program, 16 Hours of schooling and in between there enough down time to do laundry and partake of the sacraments of the Cult of the Open Bottle. Oh, and I moved in with Dear Old Dad. Big Change in lifestyle from living where I was. It's only for about another 14 months. Give or take, but who's counting?
I do enjoy the work study job though, the pay is fairly low but the work is not onerous at all and I'm inside an air conditioned building. Let me re-iterate that once more, it's SUMMER in FLORIDA and I am in the air conditioning! Previous summers of mine have been spent building cabinets or frolicking about in ACU's in the Georgia heat. It's under circumstances like those that you come to understand that whoever invented the blessed Central Air Unit was one of the more important people to walk the face of the earth, right up there with the guy who invented the Flush Toilet. And I think (since I'm working on Saturday's and it's intermiably slow) I'll be able to get a bit more writing done on this fancy work computer.
06 August 2008
Time Less than Well Spent
My whole life I have always tried to spend my time doing something productive. Sometimes I settle for things that are just vaguely amusing but I try to avoid feeling as if I have squandered valuable moments of my life. Most of the time it works. I have relatively few regrets about the last 21 years.
Sadly, I realize that as I lay on my deathbed I will look back and remember certain moments as having been complete and utter wastes. I will wish I had that time back, to spend it differently. Yesterday morning was one of those times.
I've recently started school for my license in Massage Therapy. Massage has always been quite interesting to me from the time I was a child. I don't quite know why I chose massage. I probably made the choice for a combination of reasons including an interest in the human body in general, being a "touchy" kinda guy (not to be confused with touchy-feely), oh, and did I mention I'll probably be starting out for about 4x what I could make currently. Anyway, I'm getting off point here. Sorry for rambling, dear reader. In Massage School and associated subcultures you tend to run into "flakes, fruit loops and honest to god WHACKO'S". Most of these "alternative" types are well meaning folks who are just, well, "out there". And I manage, I think, to put up with it all with a certain....erm....patience?....restraint?.....soul crushing discipline?..... Nah, to be honest my greatest claim to fame is that I don't completely explode more than once a day and vomit caustic sarcasm all over the nearest flakazoid. Well, until yesterday that is. You see, yesterday, we were introduced to "The Secret"! <cue dramatic muzac>
Are you impressed yet? Not yet? What's wrong with you? All right, all right, kill the muzac. I see you are still possesed of a brain. For those of you who have yet to be introduced to "The bestest thing ever! Better than peanut butter, sliced bread, and red-heads bearing whisky in one hand and Guinness in the other!" "The Secret"! is a movie about the Law of Attraction. Great stuff really. According to this hour and a half (it may have been more, I walked out several times during the brain washing session) of drivel, YOU, the gentle reader control your own reality. Everything around you responds to the "vibes" that you put out. By concentrating on what you want and and thinking and wanting really, really, really hard you'll get it.....eventually.....if you want it enough. Now although they don't come out and say it in the movie the visual message is that you just concentrate on whatever your bright and shiny want is and you get it. It's all mental. Hard work and personal sacrifice, self evaluation and personal change have nothing to do with it. It's all about what you visualize in your head.
Pretty cool, huh? I mean, I could really digg this! Gone would be the sucky early mornings, the working to eat or pay bills, and the studying until late hours of the night! None of this would be necessary, I would simply roll out of bed (never earlier than noon) look at my "goals board" (composed of magazine ads or pictures from wherever seems appropriate and shiny) and visualize whatever my little heart desired. It's important to remember, however, that the Law of Attraction does have a little lag time on its delivery. You can't just instantly manifest whatever you want, which is kind of cool according to the little skit in the movie involving an elephant apparating in some poor schmucks living room.
Well, if someone ever figures out a way to make this for sure please lemme know. Seriously folks, I'm tired of working for my beer money.
Sadly, I realize that as I lay on my deathbed I will look back and remember certain moments as having been complete and utter wastes. I will wish I had that time back, to spend it differently. Yesterday morning was one of those times.
I've recently started school for my license in Massage Therapy. Massage has always been quite interesting to me from the time I was a child. I don't quite know why I chose massage. I probably made the choice for a combination of reasons including an interest in the human body in general, being a "touchy" kinda guy (not to be confused with touchy-feely), oh, and did I mention I'll probably be starting out for about 4x what I could make currently. Anyway, I'm getting off point here. Sorry for rambling, dear reader. In Massage School and associated subcultures you tend to run into "flakes, fruit loops and honest to god WHACKO'S". Most of these "alternative" types are well meaning folks who are just, well, "out there". And I manage, I think, to put up with it all with a certain....erm....patience?....restraint?.....soul crushing discipline?..... Nah, to be honest my greatest claim to fame is that I don't completely explode more than once a day and vomit caustic sarcasm all over the nearest flakazoid. Well, until yesterday that is. You see, yesterday, we were introduced to "The Secret"! <cue dramatic muzac>
Are you impressed yet? Not yet? What's wrong with you? All right, all right, kill the muzac. I see you are still possesed of a brain. For those of you who have yet to be introduced to "The bestest thing ever! Better than peanut butter, sliced bread, and red-heads bearing whisky in one hand and Guinness in the other!" "The Secret"! is a movie about the Law of Attraction. Great stuff really. According to this hour and a half (it may have been more, I walked out several times during the brain washing session) of drivel, YOU, the gentle reader control your own reality. Everything around you responds to the "vibes" that you put out. By concentrating on what you want and and thinking and wanting really, really, really hard you'll get it.....eventually.....if you want it enough. Now although they don't come out and say it in the movie the visual message is that you just concentrate on whatever your bright and shiny want is and you get it. It's all mental. Hard work and personal sacrifice, self evaluation and personal change have nothing to do with it. It's all about what you visualize in your head.
Pretty cool, huh? I mean, I could really digg this! Gone would be the sucky early mornings, the working to eat or pay bills, and the studying until late hours of the night! None of this would be necessary, I would simply roll out of bed (never earlier than noon) look at my "goals board" (composed of magazine ads or pictures from wherever seems appropriate and shiny) and visualize whatever my little heart desired. It's important to remember, however, that the Law of Attraction does have a little lag time on its delivery. You can't just instantly manifest whatever you want, which is kind of cool according to the little skit in the movie involving an elephant apparating in some poor schmucks living room.
Well, if someone ever figures out a way to make this for sure please lemme know. Seriously folks, I'm tired of working for my beer money.
29 July 2008
I Own Firearms Because... - Warrior Talk Forums
This might have been on here before, if so forgive me... It is from Freedom Watch.
I like the quote at the end.
I OWN FIREARMS BECAUSE...
I Own Firearms Because A Bunch Of Old, Dead, White Folks Said I Should:
1) \"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.\" ~ Thomas Jefferson.
2) \"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.\" ~ Alexander Hamilton.
3) \"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property.\" ~ Thomas Paine.
4) \"Americans need not fear the federal government because they enjoy the advantage of being armed, which you possess over the people of almost every other nation.\" ~ James Madison.
5) \"The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference; they deserve a place of honor with all that\'s good.\" ~ George Washington.
6) \"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun.\"~ Patrick Henry.
7) \"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes\" ~
Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria.
8) \"To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.\" ~ George Mason.
9) \"The said Constitution be never construed... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.\" ~ Samuel Adams.
10) \"But the right of citizens to bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, and one more safeguard against a tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible.\" ~ Hubert Humphrey.
11) \"I carried it (a revolver) religiously and during the summer I asked a friend, a man who had been one of Franklin\'s bodyguards in New York State, to give me some practice in target shooting so that if the need arose I would know how to use the gun.\" ~ Eleanore Roosevelt.
12) \"By calling attention to \'a well regulated militia\', the \'security\' of the nation, and the right of each citizen \'to keep and bear arms\', our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic
civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason, I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.\" ~ John F. Kennedy.
I Own Firearms Because History Says I Should:
13) 1911: Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
14) 1929: Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 40-60 million citizens, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated or starved to death.
15) 1935: China established gun control. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
16) 1938: Germany established gun control. From 1939 to 1945, 13 million Jews, Catholics and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
17) 1956: Cambodia established gun control. From 1975 to 1977, one million \'educated\' people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.\"
18) 1964: Guatemala established gun control. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
19) 1966-1976: China still has gun control. Another 50-100 million civilians, unable to defend themselves, were killed in Mao Tse Tung\'s \"Cultural Revolution\".
20) 1970: Uganda established gun control. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
21) 1990s: Rwanda established gun control. In a span of 100 days in April 1994, 800,000 people who were unable to defend themselves were massacred to death - most by machetes. How many dead, hacked-up bodies do you think were found holding a loaded gun? (answer is less than one)
22) 1992: Los Angeles California, USA. For three days police stood by and watched, unable to stop the rioting, arson and destruction of whole neighborhoods. Yet many Korean stores were virtually untouched - protected by their well-armed storeowners who exercised their right to self-defense through their right to keep and bear arms and who did for themselves what the police were unwilling or unable to do.
23) Late 1990s: Great Britain established total gun control. Robberies, burglaries and assaults have skyrocketed making London\'s violent crime rate now higher than anywhere in America.
24) \"Every good communist should know that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.\" ~ Mao Tse Tung
25) \"Ordinary citizens don\'t need guns, as their having guns doesn\'t serve the State.\" ~ Heinrich Himmler.
I Own Firearms Because It Is My God-Given Right To Self-Defense:
26) \"If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.\" ~ Exodus 22:2
27) \"...he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.\" ~ Luke 22:36
28) \"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.\" ~ Luke 11:21
29) \"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.\" ~ Declaration of Independence
I Own Firearms Because I Have Common Sense:
30) A gun-owner his far more likely to be killed in a car accident or by drowning in a swimming pool or by a physician\'s mistakes than from owning a gun.
31) Criminals fear victims holding guns, not victims holding phones.
32) 2 million times a year, private citizens successfully use guns to defend themselves.
I Own Firearms Because There Are Those With Power Who, If Given The Chance, Would Force Me To Relinquish Them:
33) \"Banning guns addresses a fundamental right of Americans to feel safe.\" ~ Sen. Diane Feinstein D-CA, quoted by AP, 11/18/93.
34) \"We\'re going to hammer guns on the anvil of relentless legislative strategy! We\'re going to beat guns into submission!\" ~ Rep. Charles Schumer D-NY, quoted on NBC, 12/8/93
35) \"For target shooting, that\'s okay. Get a license and go to the range. For defense of the home, that\'s why we have police departments.\" ~ James Brady. (police are useless in preventing crime, they get involved AFTER the crime has been committed.)
36) \"The sale of guns must stop. Halfway measures are not enough.\" ~ Sarah Brady.
37) \"Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the goal.\" ~
Former Attorney General Janet Reno.
38) \"The purpose of government is to rein in the rights of the people\" ~ Former President Bill Clinton, interview on MTV 1993
39) \"I don\'t care about crime. I just want to get the guns.\" ~ Former Senator Howard Metzenbaum, D-OH during Brady Bill debates.
40) \"If someone is so fearful that, that they\'re going to start using their weapons to protect their rights, makes me very nervous that these people have these weapons at all!\" ~ Rep. Henry Waxman, D-CA, 5/2001 MSNBC report on .50BMG rifles.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
I like the quote at the end.
I OWN FIREARMS BECAUSE...
I Own Firearms Because A Bunch Of Old, Dead, White Folks Said I Should:
1) \"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.\" ~ Thomas Jefferson.
2) \"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.\" ~ Alexander Hamilton.
3) \"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property.\" ~ Thomas Paine.
4) \"Americans need not fear the federal government because they enjoy the advantage of being armed, which you possess over the people of almost every other nation.\" ~ James Madison.
5) \"The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference; they deserve a place of honor with all that\'s good.\" ~ George Washington.
6) \"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun.\"~ Patrick Henry.
7) \"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes\" ~
Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria.
8) \"To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.\" ~ George Mason.
9) \"The said Constitution be never construed... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.\" ~ Samuel Adams.
10) \"But the right of citizens to bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, and one more safeguard against a tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible.\" ~ Hubert Humphrey.
11) \"I carried it (a revolver) religiously and during the summer I asked a friend, a man who had been one of Franklin\'s bodyguards in New York State, to give me some practice in target shooting so that if the need arose I would know how to use the gun.\" ~ Eleanore Roosevelt.
12) \"By calling attention to \'a well regulated militia\', the \'security\' of the nation, and the right of each citizen \'to keep and bear arms\', our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic
civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason, I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.\" ~ John F. Kennedy.
I Own Firearms Because History Says I Should:
13) 1911: Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
14) 1929: Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 40-60 million citizens, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated or starved to death.
15) 1935: China established gun control. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
16) 1938: Germany established gun control. From 1939 to 1945, 13 million Jews, Catholics and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
17) 1956: Cambodia established gun control. From 1975 to 1977, one million \'educated\' people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.\"
18) 1964: Guatemala established gun control. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
19) 1966-1976: China still has gun control. Another 50-100 million civilians, unable to defend themselves, were killed in Mao Tse Tung\'s \"Cultural Revolution\".
20) 1970: Uganda established gun control. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
21) 1990s: Rwanda established gun control. In a span of 100 days in April 1994, 800,000 people who were unable to defend themselves were massacred to death - most by machetes. How many dead, hacked-up bodies do you think were found holding a loaded gun? (answer is less than one)
22) 1992: Los Angeles California, USA. For three days police stood by and watched, unable to stop the rioting, arson and destruction of whole neighborhoods. Yet many Korean stores were virtually untouched - protected by their well-armed storeowners who exercised their right to self-defense through their right to keep and bear arms and who did for themselves what the police were unwilling or unable to do.
23) Late 1990s: Great Britain established total gun control. Robberies, burglaries and assaults have skyrocketed making London\'s violent crime rate now higher than anywhere in America.
24) \"Every good communist should know that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.\" ~ Mao Tse Tung
25) \"Ordinary citizens don\'t need guns, as their having guns doesn\'t serve the State.\" ~ Heinrich Himmler.
I Own Firearms Because It Is My God-Given Right To Self-Defense:
26) \"If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.\" ~ Exodus 22:2
27) \"...he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.\" ~ Luke 22:36
28) \"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.\" ~ Luke 11:21
29) \"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.\" ~ Declaration of Independence
I Own Firearms Because I Have Common Sense:
30) A gun-owner his far more likely to be killed in a car accident or by drowning in a swimming pool or by a physician\'s mistakes than from owning a gun.
31) Criminals fear victims holding guns, not victims holding phones.
32) 2 million times a year, private citizens successfully use guns to defend themselves.
I Own Firearms Because There Are Those With Power Who, If Given The Chance, Would Force Me To Relinquish Them:
33) \"Banning guns addresses a fundamental right of Americans to feel safe.\" ~ Sen. Diane Feinstein D-CA, quoted by AP, 11/18/93.
34) \"We\'re going to hammer guns on the anvil of relentless legislative strategy! We\'re going to beat guns into submission!\" ~ Rep. Charles Schumer D-NY, quoted on NBC, 12/8/93
35) \"For target shooting, that\'s okay. Get a license and go to the range. For defense of the home, that\'s why we have police departments.\" ~ James Brady. (police are useless in preventing crime, they get involved AFTER the crime has been committed.)
36) \"The sale of guns must stop. Halfway measures are not enough.\" ~ Sarah Brady.
37) \"Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the goal.\" ~
Former Attorney General Janet Reno.
38) \"The purpose of government is to rein in the rights of the people\" ~ Former President Bill Clinton, interview on MTV 1993
39) \"I don\'t care about crime. I just want to get the guns.\" ~ Former Senator Howard Metzenbaum, D-OH during Brady Bill debates.
40) \"If someone is so fearful that, that they\'re going to start using their weapons to protect their rights, makes me very nervous that these people have these weapons at all!\" ~ Rep. Henry Waxman, D-CA, 5/2001 MSNBC report on .50BMG rifles.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
25 July 2008
You Gotta Love The Irish - Warrior Talk Forums
An e-mail from Ireland to all of their brethren in the States...a point to ponder despite your political affiliation:
\'We, in Ireland, can\'t figure out why you people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States.
On one side, you have a pants-wearing female lawyer, married to another lawyer who can\'t seem to keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer, who goes to the wrong church, who is married to yet another lawyer, who doesn\'t even like the country her husband wants to run.
Now...On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate Mc terminology, married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.
What in Lord’s name are you lads thinking over there in the colonies?!!\'
\'We, in Ireland, can\'t figure out why you people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States.
On one side, you have a pants-wearing female lawyer, married to another lawyer who can\'t seem to keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer, who goes to the wrong church, who is married to yet another lawyer, who doesn\'t even like the country her husband wants to run.
Now...On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate Mc terminology, married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.
What in Lord’s name are you lads thinking over there in the colonies?!!\'
13 July 2008
Low and Slow
Unlike most guys around my age and generation I enjoy cooking.
Alot.
It's kind of funny actually. I think a love of cooking runs in the men on my Mom's side. Most of them just flat out enjoy spending time in the kitchen. It's been passed on to me some how and I'm definitely glad for it everytime I stumble around in the kitchen.
Today I'm screwing around in the kitchen with Ribeye. We bought a wholesale rib from Sam's and for the first time I enjoyed carving out my own steaks. I stopped cooking with recipes several years ago so most of what I make falls under the category of day dreams that sound like they might taste decent. Unfortunately when I make the food the red heads from the day dreams don't just miraculously appear. Have to work on that. Anyway, we picked up some rub from a local barbeque joint. The company that makes the rub is called Dizzy Pig and the specific rub I am using is called "Shakin' the Tree". Think of lemon pepper with a sweet twist. It's pretty good stuff. So I took the Dizzy Pig stuff and mixed it with this stuff called "Meat Seasoning" that the Ice Queen brought back from Jamaica.
I ended up setting the ribeye on a broiling tray and pouring a little wine over the whole mess. I've sprinkled a bit more of the Dizzy Pig and poured a little wine over it a couple of times. Slow roasted at 250F for about three hours it should come out pretty well, no?
It's times linke this that I wish I had a camera.
Alot.
It's kind of funny actually. I think a love of cooking runs in the men on my Mom's side. Most of them just flat out enjoy spending time in the kitchen. It's been passed on to me some how and I'm definitely glad for it everytime I stumble around in the kitchen.
Today I'm screwing around in the kitchen with Ribeye. We bought a wholesale rib from Sam's and for the first time I enjoyed carving out my own steaks. I stopped cooking with recipes several years ago so most of what I make falls under the category of day dreams that sound like they might taste decent. Unfortunately when I make the food the red heads from the day dreams don't just miraculously appear. Have to work on that. Anyway, we picked up some rub from a local barbeque joint. The company that makes the rub is called Dizzy Pig and the specific rub I am using is called "Shakin' the Tree". Think of lemon pepper with a sweet twist. It's pretty good stuff. So I took the Dizzy Pig stuff and mixed it with this stuff called "Meat Seasoning" that the Ice Queen brought back from Jamaica.
I ended up setting the ribeye on a broiling tray and pouring a little wine over the whole mess. I've sprinkled a bit more of the Dizzy Pig and poured a little wine over it a couple of times. Slow roasted at 250F for about three hours it should come out pretty well, no?
It's times linke this that I wish I had a camera.
What Kind of a Western Badass Are You?
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What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You? created with QuizFarm.com | ||||||||||||||||||||
| You scored as John Wayne You a classic all American cowboy who does the right thing. When you're sober. Which means occasionally. You like horses, the outdoors, whiskey, hot tempered women, whiskey, and bourbon.
|
16 April 2008
Duty Fulfilled Pre-Intro
I've started researching the concept of Duty as it pertains to the Christian Male lately. Specifically I'm researching the Duty of the Christian Male to defend himself and his family. Originally I had planned to write a monster article which would put paid to a lot of the things that really bug me about mainstream Christianity in this area. When I started outlining the article I realized it would be a better series than one monster read that chow down on hours of time all at once. The first Volume (or whatever ya wanna call it) is going to be on the Copouts of Modern Society. I expect these articles to go through several Refinements (re: me going through them with a blow torch and an axe) and edits. Sorry for all the rust on my writing skills guys. Hopefully my style will get better as it goes along.
I haven't really been writing much lately (with the exception of the post that precedes this one) so we'll see how keeping to a schedule and banging out a series goes.
I haven't really been writing much lately (with the exception of the post that precedes this one) so we'll see how keeping to a schedule and banging out a series goes.
Happy Things
It occured to me when looking over the last few posts that I've been doing a dis-proportionate amount of whining. So here're a few happy things that have happened recently:
I've started Playing Silat again. It's a blast and with a decent training partner (finally) things are proceeding very fast indeed. I've almost got the last of the rust off of my old skills and am getting new stuff from PSP (Pencak Silat Pertempuran) ever time I train. We've also been blessed with having a guy named Anthony move down from Oregon. Anthony was involved with some Serak (Sera? don't wanna start another flame war) stuff up there and I'm getting exposed to a new art which I'd been interested in for some time. I'm looking to be testing probably the first weekend in May for my level three. A move ahead that's taken way too long.
On another front we've had a breakthrough in our Home today. We had been having some family drama and snarls with the landlord, %100 of which was miscommunication and fear. We were on our way to the House of Prayer today and waiting outside our house was the Landlord. We got to sit down and talk to him and clear up pretty much all the friction that's been plaguing us recently. This may sound like a small thing guys but honestly, I can't even tell you how much of a blessing that was. My head started spinning afterwards and has not stopped. The Lord is very good, especially today.
In recent days, weeks and months I've also been revisiting my relationship with God. This is probably my biggest Happy Thing. For awhile I had fallen deeply into cynicism and depression when it came to Him. Slogging through all the crap that my family and I have gone through I tended towards blaming Him. I blamed God for failed relationships, my Back trouble and the abortion that my military career had turned into. But recently I started looking back at what exactly has happened during those two years. I think about how much I've grown in maturity and experience and I've come to realize I wouldn't trade any of it. And now that I've come the point where I'm seeking God again I've started seeing good advancements in the problem areas of my life. These advancements are even bizarre to the point that nothing but the Divine could be at work. And they continue every day.
I've started Playing Silat again. It's a blast and with a decent training partner (finally) things are proceeding very fast indeed. I've almost got the last of the rust off of my old skills and am getting new stuff from PSP (Pencak Silat Pertempuran) ever time I train. We've also been blessed with having a guy named Anthony move down from Oregon. Anthony was involved with some Serak (Sera? don't wanna start another flame war) stuff up there and I'm getting exposed to a new art which I'd been interested in for some time. I'm looking to be testing probably the first weekend in May for my level three. A move ahead that's taken way too long.
On another front we've had a breakthrough in our Home today. We had been having some family drama and snarls with the landlord, %100 of which was miscommunication and fear. We were on our way to the House of Prayer today and waiting outside our house was the Landlord. We got to sit down and talk to him and clear up pretty much all the friction that's been plaguing us recently. This may sound like a small thing guys but honestly, I can't even tell you how much of a blessing that was. My head started spinning afterwards and has not stopped. The Lord is very good, especially today.
In recent days, weeks and months I've also been revisiting my relationship with God. This is probably my biggest Happy Thing. For awhile I had fallen deeply into cynicism and depression when it came to Him. Slogging through all the crap that my family and I have gone through I tended towards blaming Him. I blamed God for failed relationships, my Back trouble and the abortion that my military career had turned into. But recently I started looking back at what exactly has happened during those two years. I think about how much I've grown in maturity and experience and I've come to realize I wouldn't trade any of it. And now that I've come the point where I'm seeking God again I've started seeing good advancements in the problem areas of my life. These advancements are even bizarre to the point that nothing but the Divine could be at work. And they continue every day.
26 March 2008
20 March 2008
Oh, Oh, Oh God!
I haven't laughed this much in many, many, MANY years. I gotta admit though, can't stand most hippies.
Edit: There's something wrong with the embed code so here's the URL:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=163653&title=marines-in-berkeley
Edit: There's something wrong with the embed code so here's the URL:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=163653&title=marines-in-berkeley
19 February 2008
16 February 2008
Old at 20?
The last four days have been a wee bit difficult. I was doing so good with the workout schedule.
And then all my old man aches and pains started to bubble up. Every one has a story behind it. Maybe they've all gotten together to remind me of the past a little for the last few days.
A rib that pops into and out of cartilage on the front of my rib cage that contributes to painful pops between my right shoulder blade and spine. A legacy of not guarding my chest when sparing Nelson. I was so sure he would never throw a punch since all he had done on two seperate occasions and during multiple rounds each time was spazzy kick combos. What a surprise when the haymaker flies in from the rear field. Getting slammed in the chest. The rib still pops in and out when I lift something heavy or move wrong. I learned to guard that area and haven't been caught off guard in my upper chest since that day. Apparently that guarding is what contributes to that spot to the left of my right shoulder blade popping.
The lower left side of my back that has an almost constant dull pain which flares to a point where I can barely move sometimes. Picked it up during 30 days at Ft. Benning's reception (30th AG). 30 Days of cooling my heels and learning the ins and outs of a different world. The funny thing about it is that I can do an entire night of wrestling and not feel a thing, but then I can pickup a piece of paper wrong or stand up just right and not be able to move much for 6 hours a so. So far the ultimate medicine for this one has been Glen Livet.
A Shoulder that dislocates itself so many times a day that it's no big deal anymore, or it might be absolutely fine for two weeks. Dunno where this one comes from. Dunno what triggers it. Quite funny when you think about it and something that I've occasionally used it to freak people out when grappling. They stop when they feel the *squish/pop* of the cap popping out of the socket, I don't.
A bunch of other little ones that I've had so long that I have to consciously think about them to notice them anymore: pinkies that look a little "crooked" because they've been broken so many times they tend to lock up during inopurtune times, knees caps that float around...dunno where those are from but they may be a family trait, others that I can't remember even when I think about them. Just too used to ignoring the littlest stuff I guess.
All these things have conspired to make me act and feel a lil' like a slug over the last few days. I can feel some of them ebbing a little now. Time to hit it hard again in the morning and stop being a whiner.
And then all my old man aches and pains started to bubble up. Every one has a story behind it. Maybe they've all gotten together to remind me of the past a little for the last few days.
A rib that pops into and out of cartilage on the front of my rib cage that contributes to painful pops between my right shoulder blade and spine. A legacy of not guarding my chest when sparing Nelson. I was so sure he would never throw a punch since all he had done on two seperate occasions and during multiple rounds each time was spazzy kick combos. What a surprise when the haymaker flies in from the rear field. Getting slammed in the chest. The rib still pops in and out when I lift something heavy or move wrong. I learned to guard that area and haven't been caught off guard in my upper chest since that day. Apparently that guarding is what contributes to that spot to the left of my right shoulder blade popping.
The lower left side of my back that has an almost constant dull pain which flares to a point where I can barely move sometimes. Picked it up during 30 days at Ft. Benning's reception (30th AG). 30 Days of cooling my heels and learning the ins and outs of a different world. The funny thing about it is that I can do an entire night of wrestling and not feel a thing, but then I can pickup a piece of paper wrong or stand up just right and not be able to move much for 6 hours a so. So far the ultimate medicine for this one has been Glen Livet.
A Shoulder that dislocates itself so many times a day that it's no big deal anymore, or it might be absolutely fine for two weeks. Dunno where this one comes from. Dunno what triggers it. Quite funny when you think about it and something that I've occasionally used it to freak people out when grappling. They stop when they feel the *squish/pop* of the cap popping out of the socket, I don't.
A bunch of other little ones that I've had so long that I have to consciously think about them to notice them anymore: pinkies that look a little "crooked" because they've been broken so many times they tend to lock up during inopurtune times, knees caps that float around...dunno where those are from but they may be a family trait, others that I can't remember even when I think about them. Just too used to ignoring the littlest stuff I guess.
All these things have conspired to make me act and feel a lil' like a slug over the last few days. I can feel some of them ebbing a little now. Time to hit it hard again in the morning and stop being a whiner.
29 January 2008
Still Swimming....
....and the water's getting a little warmer.
The amount of stress my family has been under this last week or so has been astronomical, as with any close family, some has leaked out onto me. Everything has seemed to pile on top of each previous event to create something that could almost be called a "perfect storm".
My Cousin's trial has taken an unexpected turn (for the second time in as many weeks) leading to more wasted time and trips over to the other side of the state. He's definitely worth it though. The strides in personal development and familial development he's made during his incarceration have been astronomical. We are all so proud of him and continue to pray for the outcome of his trial.
Last Thursday (24 January 2008) we were dropping my little brother's dog off at the home of the his "surrogate grandparent's" when he dashed out of the car door the minute it opened. Those readers who have had a puppy (or ankle biter of any sort) know how fast young things can streak away. Anyway, Skittles (the little pup's name) had seen a cat sitting right by the nearby road and like any puppy he dashed right out to chase it. The cat bounded off and made it across the road....the dog did not. Skittles was dead from a broken neck on impact. Fortunately he did not suffer, unfortunately that fact was the last mercy of the night. I was left with the job of helping comfort a heart broken 11-year old. Fortunately my little brother's "Surrogate Grand-dad" volunteered to buy him a new puppy when he was ready. So now, as of Sunday, our family are the proud owners of a new Mini-Daushund named Chloe. Who's chewing on damned everything!
The two examples above are just a few of many things that have come up in just the last week. I'm telling ya this stuff has just been nuts!
The amount of stress my family has been under this last week or so has been astronomical, as with any close family, some has leaked out onto me. Everything has seemed to pile on top of each previous event to create something that could almost be called a "perfect storm".
My Cousin's trial has taken an unexpected turn (for the second time in as many weeks) leading to more wasted time and trips over to the other side of the state. He's definitely worth it though. The strides in personal development and familial development he's made during his incarceration have been astronomical. We are all so proud of him and continue to pray for the outcome of his trial.
Last Thursday (24 January 2008) we were dropping my little brother's dog off at the home of the his "surrogate grandparent's" when he dashed out of the car door the minute it opened. Those readers who have had a puppy (or ankle biter of any sort) know how fast young things can streak away. Anyway, Skittles (the little pup's name) had seen a cat sitting right by the nearby road and like any puppy he dashed right out to chase it. The cat bounded off and made it across the road....the dog did not. Skittles was dead from a broken neck on impact. Fortunately he did not suffer, unfortunately that fact was the last mercy of the night. I was left with the job of helping comfort a heart broken 11-year old. Fortunately my little brother's "Surrogate Grand-dad" volunteered to buy him a new puppy when he was ready. So now, as of Sunday, our family are the proud owners of a new Mini-Daushund named Chloe. Who's chewing on damned everything!
The two examples above are just a few of many things that have come up in just the last week. I'm telling ya this stuff has just been nuts!
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