The Countertop Chronicles

It couldn’t get worse than Fairfax (well, in Virginia at least), along comes Arlington to remind me why I moved out

Arlington County is considering an energy tax on residents to help pay for its high-profile initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, officials said yesterday in proposing a $873.6 million spending plan for the coming year.

Suckers. And don’t believe their claims that it will ONLY be $26 per year.

When have you EVER found government to be truthful regarding the ultimate burden of new and bizare tax schemes?

thats what I thought.

The Talking Points Memo ran this post on the Zumbo incident.

NRA crazies and their corporate sponsors cannibalize one of their brethren–’cause who wouldn’t want the right to vaporize prairie dogs with military-style assault rifles.

– David Kurtz

Here’s the email I just sent them.

Obviously, Mr. Kurtz isn’t up to speed on matters of firearms.

One of my big concerns is the ability of the gun banners to concoct evil sounding names for any and all manner of firearms, and then seek to ban “only” that uncalled for type. First it was “saturday night specials,” (ie: any inexpensive firearm) then it was “sniper rifles” (ie: any hunting rifle), then it was “assault weapons” (ie: ever semi automatic firearm manufactured).

Concerning his comments regarding the need to “vaporize prairie dogs with military-style assault rifles.” Two facts you ought to know:

First, The .223 round which an AR fires was developed not for the military but as a “varmint” round for hunters that was later adopted by the military because (a. it injures rather than kills, in the field of battle an injured solider actually takes out 3 of the enemy, the one injured plus to to care for him whereas a dead soldier only eliminates one; and b. it is small and therefore soldiers can carry more of them than traditional high powered cartridges). The .223 is the IDEAL round for long distance shooting of prairie dogs and coyotes.

Second, an AR style (ie: semi auto M16 look alike) outfitted as a VARMINTER is in fact the ideal platform for varmint hunting (here’s a link to Bushmasters). While states sometimes limit the number of rounds you can carry when out looking for deer or elk or bear, when going varmint hunting for nuisance species there isn’t a limit. In the case of prairie dogs (or nutria), of which you might be shooting dozens at a time from a far far distance, an AR is in fact the ideal weapon (which is why it has become so popular amongst varmint hunters)

The hubbub about Mr. Zumbo was driven by the fact that he undoubtedly knew these basic facts (Outdoor Life, of which he was the hunting editor, has done articles on varmint hunting in the past, and have discussed the AR platform) or else should have . Yet, he still felt the need to label large numbers of hunters and even greater numbers of firearm owners (in recent years, the AR is far and away the most popular selling rifle platform) as terrorists.

BTW, by the time the NRA had any idea what was going on, Mr. Zumbo was already on the way out. To give credit to the NRA is an insult to the blog-sphere. Zumbo was taken down by an empowered citizenry that doesn’t need national fundraising organizations to represent it any more. As a blogger/online journalist, TPM should be embracing the change in political dynamic this represents, not trudging out tired and broken and failed old ineffective liberal stereotypes. As a progressive journal, you ought to appreciate the support for the 2nd Amendment amongst the common folks, and not solely those, like Dick Cheney and John Kerry who can afford $30 – $200,000 European Shotguns.

Rule 308 is back (from a LONG hiatus) with a great piece on the Militia.

Here’s a teaser

the National Guard is a fairly recent invention that is armed, organized and ultimately directed by the Federal government as a reserve component (check out a Guardsman’s uniform—it says “US Army”)

Now, head there quick while I change a diaper

Chock Full o’ Nuts

Original Blend + my Ikea French Press and a dash of whole milk

Mmmmm

As you know, Bitter’s had her fair share of complaints with FTD.

Well, here’s my version.

Su madre is going to be get up here from Florida on Wednsday. It was the earliest she could get out and up. In the meantime, she sent us a fruit basket to great us for our arrival from home.

Went to the local florist in Stuart, FL and ordered one up for $75 that was to include a pineapple, some grapes, jelly beans, as well as the usual fruit and stuff.

That’s not what arrived. Instead, we got 3 bruised bananas (one which has the Giant Grocery tag on it), 2 grapefruits, 2 red delicious apples (PLU # 4016), 2 granny smith apples (PLU # 4139) and 2 pears.

The order was delivered by the Golden Touch Florist & Gifts, Inc here in McLean. I’ve never used them (and wouldn’t) but have received a lot of deliveries from them in the past. All of them left a bit to be desired. I have to think the only business they get is from wire services, where they can best rip people off.

Wife’s comment: Should have used Harry & David.

This might become a new catagory.

So, I went to Michael, the arts and craft store today. Its about a 30 minute drive from my house.

Dumb enough, but I was picking up a picture we had framed.

While there, my son saw a shamrock mug, on sale for 99 cents, that he wanted to give his grandmother for her birthday tonight.

We get it.

Bring it home and my hormonolly unbalanced wife sees there is a chip in it.asks how I can be such an ass as not to see it and demands I return it. Remember, it costs 99 cents.

She ends up throwing it at me, then breaks down crying.

Call it hormone overload, or whatever, how can I deny a post partum woman.

So, here I am in Michaels (aren’t blackberry’s great)exchanging one 99 cent mug for another.

The things you do for love.

WP spent his first night home last night. Hit the hot pediatrician (the wife hates when I refer to her in that manner, but hell, she’s smokin’) and then back home. HL was pretty good about things last night, and pretty excited about helping out with his brother.

Woke up at 9, 12, 3 and 5:45 – pretty good as far as I am concerned.

Poops a lot and has progressed from black tar to the mustard seeds.

Back to the pediatrician now though, cause he looks a bit yellow and his bilyrubin count was slightly high. Plus, she’s hot and I always love to head over there.

Well, they moved my wife to the bed next to the window about noon today. The Hip Hoppers moved out (eer, looked more like were thrown out) around 11.

Then, her doctor had some words with the nursing staff and managed to get her a single room (seems the everytime we moved up the list, we then went backwards – in my opinion Dr. Mark Reiter is an incompetant ass)

Finally, its like paradise: nice view and attentive staff. The difference between the cargo hold and the 1st class cabins. Why oh why did they have to wait so long to put us in here.

The quality of her nurse in the new room is 10,000 times better than the crap we had to deal with in the shared room.

This is just like we remembered it.

Mom is in a private room now, different wing different nurses better experience.

Baby is doing well.

Quote of the week – from our new nurses on the evil cult of breastfeeding primadonnas: “they do it cause their stupid and not thinking straight.”

Seriously. It makes no sense. They all need to supplement anyway, its not good for moms

More thoughts

Wife’s comment: This is what I thought Fairfax Inova would be like. I’m never saying a nice thing about this place. (We aren’t the only ones at Sibley who feel this way right now).

Physical condition: wife is exhausted and didn’t sleep at all last night cause her roomates hubby decided it would be a great place to hold a hip hop party at midnight. Sibley’s incompetant staff didn’t do anything to rectify the situation.

I’m hungry and in need of java.

Unix-Jedi, he’ll start off with a single shot Remington boltie and then get a 10/22. Both in 22lr Timing on that is still to be determined. His brother hasn’t progressed to that level yet, and he’s turning 5 this spring.

Back to Sibley sucks

Sure, there is a mini baby boom going on. I understand that.

Stop apologizing for it, and just clean the dam room before moving us into it.

And, we might have a child already, but that was 5 years ago. A little assistance, such as showing us how to swaddle, or maybe help us figure out how to feed the baby or help my wife get up to go to the bathroom.

Blogging will be light for a few days.

Sitting here waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

In the L&D room, contractions are going and my wife’s dilating. Doctor thinks hard labor will start shortly, with the baby showing up later this afternoon.

Some thoughts

1. Did I say the nurses were hot? Smoking. And the ass on the one who was just in here. Yowzers! If I wasn’t a married man …

2. Daytime TV sucks. The View, yuch! Ellen, Yuch! Days of our Lives, ugh! Thank god I have my laptop and some more Steve McQueen flicks (Papilion and The Great Escape).

3. Food in the cafeteria is surprisingly good, if not a little expensive.

4. The other families who were waiting with us since 7 am are still, as of 1:00 pm sitting outside waiting.

5. Aren’t blackberries great? No wifi access up here, but with a crackberry I am good to go!

Doctor showed up and we are in.

Administration here might be crappy, but the L&D rooms are nice and the nurses are very good (and hot, did I mention how hot they are?? At least a few of them and the one in the room right now)

But, it looks like the little one is finally on the way.

Big time, seriously. Heck, the airlines are run better than this shit hole.

Sitting here (now going on 6 hours) and it turns out the problem is twofold.

First, they are overbooking. Just like the airlines. If they don’t have the space, why are they booking inducements and C sections? Its not like being pregnant isn’t difficult enough, but then to have to go through this shit of sitting around in hot (and you have no idea how hot it is, like a fucking sauna) waiting room competing with all the others in the waiting room for hours on end only to likely (as we have done multiple times already) be sent home cause they don’t have room.

The second one is the one which is driving our doctor mad, as well as a number of other medical professionals we’ve communicated with this morning … The administration is cheap and unwilling to pay enough to secure staff. As a result, they don’t have the nurses or even the fucking cleaning staff to be able to serve their patients Tlet alone clean, the furniture is old and worn and the floor is dirty and disgusting and beds have been sitting unused waiting for the maids to clean them).

Speaking of cleaning, someone here mentioned that Sibley was the place were a woman died from a strep infection she caught while staying here, seems that sanitary conditions have been a problem for awehile.

If this is what the best Labor and Delivery department in the DC area is like, I’d hate to see the worst (which we might, our OBGYN is now looking to transfer us to Georgetown Hospital)

Seriously, this place is POORLY run. There is a big local uproar over a proposed office tower (ie: not more hospital beds) that the Hospital wants to build. Promises have been made to the local community, but based on the incompetance we’ve witnessed, I wouldn’t trust these people further than I could throw them.

Seriously, the Washington Post ought to do an expose on how bad Sibley has become.

The people need to know.