I know I did this entry before, but I wanted to repeat it…. only because with all the (sad?) childish b.s. going on with the band right now, I get the feeling the train isn’t going to rolling for much longer.
All the drama aside, damn… Joe was rippin’ on that take.
Wife and kids are at Mass. I just finished assembling a cabinet to go by the front door. Note to self: stop buying furniture that requires assembly… yeah it’s not hard (I’m reasonably mechanically inclined), but I’m just tired of “some assembly required”. So since I’ve been doing a lot of work all day, I figured it was time to have a beer (Dogfish Head India Brown Ale) and reflect a bit. I’m going to reflect aloud because well… I’ve got a blog and this is part of why I have it: testimony, recording of life, and so on.
This whole house renovation experience has given me much to think about, and I’m not just talking about the obvious stuff with the house itself. It’s made me revisit and rethink a lot of things.
I’m thankful for my job. I’m compensated fairly, and I work hard to earn that money. I am not earning as much as I could for my skill set and experience, but the trade-off is I get to work from home and be involved with my wife and children. Being so close to my children and having such a good relationship with them? That’s the best compensation in the world.
I’m thankful for Wife. Her good taste guided this renovation, and folks… the house is gorgeous… tho not as gorgeous as she is.
I’m thankful for the generosity of others. In-laws that helped to make this happen. Neighbors that offered up boxes for storage, their kitchens so we could have home-cooked meals instead of eating out constantly. The guys doing the work, and the extra things they’d do to help out that were beyond the scope of their employ. Employers (be it KRT or my day job or whomever) for understanding what I’m going through and working with me on this endeavor.
I’m thankful for having patient children. It’s been massive upheaval the past some weeks, and while it’s worn on all of us, the kids have been real troopers throughout.
I’m thankful for beer. ’nuff said. 😉
I’m thankful to have been graced with what I have in life. I’ve got a good house; I’ve the ability to renovate it. I can keep my family reasonably comfortable throughout all this upheaval. I can only hope that I’m living up to what my parents wanted me to do, which is to be the best I can and provide for my family better than they provided for me.
I realized that going without TV all this time… well sure, I feel a bit out of the loop (I’ve missed those new Futurama episodes), but life goes on just fine and I really haven’t missed it all that much. I tossed around the idea of getting rid of the TV, but upon expressing that to my children well… you should have seen the look of horror on their faces. 😉 TV won’t be going away for the household, but certainly it’s less and less an issue for me (tho I still love me some Invader Zim and the occasional Outdoor Channel show).
I’m thankful that I’m soon to return to my normal routine. Getting up in the morning, reloading 200 rounds of 9mm (haven’t done that in a few weeks while all this chaos has been going on), dry fire practice, some sort of physical exercise, then getting to work.
I’m sure there are other things that I’m forgetting right now.
The bottom line? I feel humbled by the house renovations. I’m very blessed and I do NOT want to take it for granted. I see much that’s around me and I realize that I’ve got a good thing and I have NO place to complain about anything (except the way our Federal government is behaving… that’s a duty). Life is good, and I’m so fortunate to have Wife to experience it all with.
Been busy today, will be busy tomorrow.
House renovations are almost complete. Just spit and polish, touch-ups, and other little things at this point. Painters will be back on Monday for that, and work crew will probably stop by to help with some cleanup and hauling. But otherwise, it’s about done!
So today, out shopping for things we need, like some mats and rugs for entryways, bathroom hardware, other things. I’m assembling stuff, installing stuff, and putting my handyman skills to work.
So… no blogging for a bit. Back eventually.
Yes… I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The home renovations are almost complete!
New carpet in the master bedroom today, then a lot of little paint details to deal with. We’ll move stuff back into the house over the weekend, inspect work, and hopefully all that has to be done next week will be spit-and-polish sorts of stuff.
Can’t wait for things to return to normal (ha ha ha). I want to get back on my reloading routine. I need to go check out some new martial arts schools. Kids have schooling starting up again. Just right from one chaos into the next. 🙂
The KR Training August 2010 Newsletter is posted.
This newsletter is chock full of stuff. Classes, incident analysis, Austin Rifle Club news, lots of things for folks local and otherwise.
Man shot 23 times and shows, more or less, no ill signs.
I recall hearing that NYC police don’t shoot all that much, maybe just the 50 rounds a year they need to qualify. That would explain their 25-33% hit rate… and if those statistics hold, that probably means probably 100 rounds were fired, and while 23 hit, they didn’t hit anything vital. Hrm.
Go practice.
I like Ted Nugent. I read that Ted pleads no contest to deer baiting in California:
MARYSVILLE, Calif. – Rocker and celebrity hunter Ted Nugent will have to pay a $1,750 fine after pleading no contest in California to baiting a deer and not having a properly signed hunting tag.
California Department of Fish and Game spokesman Patrick Foy says game wardens saw Nugent kill an immature buck on a February episode of his Outdoor Channel TV show “Spirit of the Wild.”
Investigators found that the deer had been eating bait called “C’mere Deer.” Baiting wildlife is illegal in California.
Nugent originally faced 11 charges, including killing a deer too young to be hunted. In a deal with Yuba County prosecutors, Nugent’s attorney on Friday entered no contest pleas to the two misdemeanors.
WTF Ted? I have no problem with baiting, but if you’re not supposed to bait there (either by law or say by the request of the landowner) then you need to follow that law/rule. Then you don’t have the right tag. Then you target a deer that you shouldn’t have (and I’d reason with all your field experience you ought to know how to age a deer). And to top it all off, you got caught because you filmed it and decided to play it on your TV show.
Good f’ing grief!
Come on, Ted. What were you thinking? Or rather, why weren’t you thinking?
Updated: A posting to Ted’s official Facebook page:
To my Fellow Outdoorsmen…. You may have read the news that I pled no contest to two misdemeanor game violations in CA. I should have been better informed, more aware and I take full responsibility. Our honorable hunting lifestyle is my deepest passion. Ted Nugent
A cyclist here in Austin was robbed at gunpoint and yes, almost executed:
Robbery detectives are hoping to catch with two men still on the run after they rob an Austin cyclist at gunpoint. Police Det. Phillip Hogue says during his regular commute home a South Austin cyclist was approached by another man wanting to borrow his cell phone. Investigators indicate it was then that James Ray Perkins, Paul Rios and another unidentified man forced France Dulles to give up his bank account pin number and ATM card. “He didn’t have a lot of money in his checking accountant and the armed men were not satisfied at the amount of cash they were able withdrawal from the ATM” said Hogue. According to arrest reports, the three men decided Dulles should be executed and as Perkins aimed to shoot Dulles in the head the 19-year old cyclist took off on foot. After firing several rounds, Perkins managed to hit Dulles once in his buttocks. All three men have been charged with an Aggravated Robbery and Kidnapping, Attempted Capitol Murder and Organized Criminal Activity. Austin police have managed to arrest Perkins, while Rios and the other unidentified man remains on the run.
Things to note:
It’s getting to be an ugly, dangerous world out there. Take steps to keep yourself safe.
On a local mailing list, someone asked how to dispose of some old ammo they found. I recall seeing something the City of Austin did regarding this, so I went looking.
Here’s what the City of Austin says:
Please consult the Austin Police Department at their non-emergency number, 3-1-1, for disposal options. Do not put ammunition in your garbage cart, dumpster or recycling cart.
I was curious enough myself, so I called and asked. Apparently the Austin Police Department will send an officer out to you to collect the ammo, then they’ll take it from there. Don’t know what exactly they will do to dispose of it, but no matter to me.
I like that tho. Just call and they’ll come pick it up.
I don’t have any ammo to dispose of myself… at least, any ammo I have I’ll use. 🙂 Still, good to know this.
Yeah, I wish I was talking about boobs… but the only boobs here are the boobs in Washington. Moreso, the boobs that keep sending those same boobs back to Washington and put up with this asshattery.
Stuff From Hsoi 