The Countertop Chronicles

I think so.

I was supposed to attend the gun blogger shoot in knoxville the other day, but Friday evening brought one very sick (projectile vomitting) 9 month old which lead to one very sick 5 year old.

So I stayed home to help the mom out and proceeded to lose my keys at some point.

I’ve been looking all day long and haven’t found them yet

Took my son this afternoon to see it. Wonderful fantasy story about a boy growing up on the shore’s of Loch Ness during WWII who discovers a standge egg along side the water, and raises the strange beast that hatches from it.

5 stars (for the 5 year old crowd, but good for parents too!)

Now go spend time with your family, but first read the best post of the season.

UPDATE Post Christmas I’m directed to this fantastic post.

This year, I think we can all agree to remember what the Christmas season is really about: Executing a daring and risky surprise attack against some cocky Hessians and blowing them the hell away, resulting in a massive propaganda victory, thus setting the stage for the defeat of a major superpower by a motley crew of philosopher nerds and gun nuts, resulting in the longest-lasting legitimate representational government in human history.

Merry Christmas General Washington indeed!!

Sitting in the movie theaters with my oldest son. We’re here to see Alvin and the chipmunks. Its a theater filled with 5 year olds.

What do they decide to show as the comng attractions?? An ad for the next season of Lost.

Complete with a close up of someone getting their brains blown out.

Totally inappropriate.

In other previews, Kung Fu Panda seems to be the most anticipated movie (at least amongst the 5 year old set) of the last few years. My son, of course, is more excited about Speed Racer.

I think Jim Carey and Steve Carrell in Horton Hears A Who is looking pretty spectacular.

York Peppermint Patty Cool

Merry Christmas from the Concord Monitor

When New Hampshire partisans are asked to defend the state’s first-in-the-nation primary, we talk about our ability to see the candidates up close, ask tough questions and see through the baloney. If a candidate is a phony, we assure ourselves and the rest of the world, we’ll know it.

Mitt Romney is such a candidate.

I depart in, oh about 5 hours.

That means I’m looking at 4 hours of sleep. Oh Joy!

While down at the other home, I’m driving up to Knoxvegas to meet Sebastian and Bitter, Uncle and Les and Tam (I think).

Sebastian posted his goody list.

Here’s what I’m taking

• Ruger 10/22 in plain jane Vanilla configuration
• Marlin 336
• Remington ML700 .50 Caliber sniper rifle - I’m going deer hunting and maybe hog hunting, hence this and the Marlin
• Browning BPS Shotgun - someone’s getting a trap launch for Xmas

Thats it for long guns. Handguns are going to be

• Colt 1991A1
• Ruger MkII
• Ruger Blackhawk .45 Long Colt (if I get to hog hunt, I might use this instead of the Marlin
• Some other revolvers

I might take the kel tec too.

They were The Yardbirds

and they rocked hard!!

Real hard

“All Chiefs, No Indians. Welcome to D.C.”

Our frustrated office manager.

I wanted to be a flamenco guitarist.

I was never this good. Or versatile.

I turned him on to Ken Rockwell’s excellent page, here’s some more photography blogs he should check out (they are all under my bloglines photography folder)

• The Photo Blogs
• The Strobist
• All Day I Dream About Photography
• The Online Photographer
• Photography Blog
• Digital Photography School
• Daily Photography

To be mentioned among the online friend’s Tam’s met over the years AND to be linked by the curmudgeonly skeptical one in the same day. Whew!

With any luck, I might even run into here over the next week as I make the annual migration back down through Knoxvegas.

But I do have to add, and maybe Tam doesn’t recall me since I posted under NoVAlooker for a while, but I was active on both Glock Talk and The Firing Line back in the day too. Registered over at The High Road when the original Firing Line went down. Heck, it was Goaltender over at Glock Talk who put the blog bug in me. He still reads this here blog on occasion.

It’s too bad The Crease was taken down. Lord knows, Andrew Sullivan needs a good slap down.

Remember, on the remade web page, I’m going to include much more detailed reviews on a variety of entertainment subjects.

Cause, they are all things you might discuss when sitting down for a cup of java at your favorite greasy spoon countertop.

But right now, here’s some one line reviews of our recent DVD viewings

The Simpson’s Movie
What a fantastic episode. I didn’t think it was worth the $12 admission as a movie, but its a fantastic episode. Plus, I have a professional interest in it too!

Underdog
Great family movie. HL, the 5 year old, loves it. He was jumping up and down the whole time.

The Bourne Ultimatum
I tried watching it twice. Didn’t like it. Maybe it got better, but for some reason, I couldn’t get into it. Fell asleep on the sofa twice while watching it. The beginning is way to long and drawn out.

Pirate of the Caribbean; At World’s End
Didn’t care for this one either. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting. Maybe if I had seen it in the movie theater it would have been better. But on DVD it sucked. And was just too far fetched. The original one was great because, more than being a fantasy movie, it was a gosh darn good pirate movie. This one, with those dumb crabs in the beginning, was just too over the top for me.

Rolling Stone agrees!!!!

Superbad
McLoving It!!!

My parents came down this weekend. A good time was had by all. I mention that, because this post by Says Uncle on calls for even more stringent gun control in Japan (where nearly all guns are illegal) reminds me of an early lesson both my father and I learned.

It was either the late 70s or early 80s and I had gotten an Atari 2600 for Christmas (I’m thinking it was the 80s because we moved in 1980 from Rockaway, NJ to Boonton Twp, NJ and seem to recall it taking place in Boonton). I was in 3rd or 4th grade. Anyway, the next report card I received showed a slight drop in my grades and Dad took the Atari away from me. I threw a fit for a bit, but soon got over it. I thought it was gone for good and it was no use fighting. A couple of months later, I get the next report card, and lo and behold, my grades didn’t improve in that class. Dad, forgetting that the grade in that class had dropped on the previous report card, was furious my grade dropped. And he took away my Atari 2600.

Except, he already had. Oooops. I pointed that out, and he then and there declared “well, that must be the problem, lets get that Atari out. You need to play more video games.”

Not much different than whats going on with the gun control debate.

Except the bigots aren’t able to learn from their mistakes or adjust to new realities.

I was busy this weekend and so didn’t get this up on time. But Kim’s post on the Bill of Rights reminded me of a point I wanted to make for awhile.

I present to you -

The Barrack Hussein Obama / John Edwards / Hillary Clinton Bill Of Rights

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the Government peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

————

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the Government to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

————

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

————

Amendment IV

The right of the Government to be secure in its Governing, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the Governmental unit or things to be seized.

————

Amendment V

No Government shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any Government be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against itself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall Government property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

————

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against it; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for its defence.

————

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

————

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

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Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the Government.

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Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the Government.