Highlights of the Brew Crew...Last week we had Kylie's 5th Grade orientation at the 5th/6th grade school here in town. We almost forgot to go until I saw a Facebook post from a member of our 'softball' family. So after a whirlwind of last minute arrangements for the other girls(siblings were not allowed), we made it just as it was starting. Kylie was nervous and seems to have a little anxiety about it but I kept building up her confidence and reassuring her things were going to be alright. I explained to her that she would finally be going to school with other girls she has come to know over the past few years from softball and volleyball. But I still want to be there for her holding her hand like I wanted to on her first day of Kindergarten....on Saturday, I had a day with friends. I started the day heading to a local gun show with my step-dad, Pat, and milling about with fellow 2Aers. (Always good to chat with others that have similar interests and learn something while you are at it!) Then Pat and I headed back home and stopped by my grandparents house where a baby-shower for my cousin, Michelle, was being held. There I got to visit with my Uncle Daryl who has stage 4 cancer along with visiting with some of my cousins and their friends/spouses that I enjoy being around. (Family can be a great resource for happiness at times.) Later in the evening the Queen and I went to the 'Catalina Wine Mixer' that was being held at the home of my friend, William. It was a nice way to unwind after a long day and hang out with old friends while sampling wines...This week I had to finally breakdown and register as a Girl Scout. I know, you are thinking 'WTH?'. Let me explain--Dixie has a Girl Scout trip to the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City in May and they are taking the Amtrak there and back. Dixie gets a little anxious so I volunteered to go with her which lead to Kylie going as well. I volunteered at first not knowing anything about having to register as a Girl Scout but after Dixie's excitement at me going I was not about to spoil the trip for my girl. Stay tuned for future pics of me with my sash and my new badge...All in all a good week!
2nd Inning.
Movie I want to see...G.I.Joe:Retaliation...Finally after months of delays for what some have reported as 3D upgrades for the film the second installment of the live-action G.I.Joe movie franchise will arrive at theaters on March 29th. This is another movie related to toys and comic books I had as a kid and although the first movie was a bit of a let down the latest shot looks to be a bit bigger & better. How can you go wrong with Bruce Willis, the Rock, and ninjas?!?!? The premise is the COBRA terrorist group has taken over the United States government through the mercenary, Zartan (remember that ole Aussie shapeshifter?), pretending to be the President. The G.I.Joes are gunned down early and declared criminals with the movie showcasing their fight back against COBRA in an effort to clear their name and reclaim the nation. Looks to be an early hit for the year's blockbuster franchises.
Yes, I collected comic books and collected the toys as a child. I even had a 'Snake-Eyes' birthday cake which was designed from the comic book cover on the left. Lots of fun playing with those toys as a child and my old friend, Willie Ruble. The woods around our apartment complex created perfect terrain for a battle or rescue mission. The comics were an extension of story lines from the afternoon cartoons that most boys my age would rush home to watch. Wish I still had both (Ebay King!). Man, Snake-Eyes was a bad-ass!
3rd Inning.
American History Lesson...James K. Polk, 11th U.S. President. Dick Morris has it correct with the statement that Polk is one of the most underrated Presidents. One of Andrew Jackson's proteges and nicknamed, Lil Hickory, along with also being a Tennessean like Jackson. He can be credited for creating a true continental nation. During his presidency, he negotiated (while taking us to the brink of war with the United Kingdom) a deal that gave us the Northwest part of the current United States. He wanted to claim all of the Pacific coastline leading up to the 54th Parallel (imagine what the nation would look like with all that coastline territory almost all the way to Alaska) but backed down due to needing to attend to matters down in the southwest. Another territory matter that required his attention lead to the Mexican-American War. Notable names in that war were future President Zachary Taylor, future President Ulysses S. Grant, Ambrose Burnside, Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. This was essentially our nation's first war fought on foreign soil and we marched all the way to Mexico City and captured pretty much all land that is present-day Mexico (imagine how the nation would look and the effect on our immigration policies had we kept the territory). In the end we kept Texas (that had recently been annexed by the U.S.) and received pretty much all of our current southwest territory and California. Under his leadership we literally became a nation 'from sea to shining sea'.
4th Inning.
Articles of the week...
5th Inning.
Music...80s Hair Metal...As a child growing up in the late '70s and '80s I was exposed to several genres of music but the one that hit me and stuck was the Hair Metal bands of that era(which is odd because I remember seeing KISS on tv before I was five years old and was terrified of them in their makeup). I remember that my first cassette tape I owned was the Twisted Sister's Stay Hungry album which I got from my mom's Columbia House Tape Club. Remember those? So, after Twisted Sister there was Ratt, Quiet Riot, and Stryper before I started catching on to the bigger mainstream groups like Motely Crue, Cinderella, Bon Jovi, Winger, Guns-n-Roses, Alice Cooper, Warrant, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Jackyl, Great White, White Lion, Faster Pussycat, Damn Yankees, Extreme, L.A.Guns, Bullet Boys, Poison, Skid Row, and Tesla (any of these groups sound familiar?). At that age the mixed tape was an essential and having a dual-cassette recorder so you could copy all the hit songs from these groups was a must and you always had to have it handy. As time went on and I started getting older I recall getting a Bon Jovi 'Bad Medicine' t-shirt, a Whitesnake t-shirt, a Gun-n-Roses t-shirt, and of course a Def Leppard t-shirt...all for Christmas one year. You have to remember that this was the age of MTV (back when they played music videos) and their Top 20 Countdown. There were some great videos back then and I have one below that kind of started it all with me.
6th Inning.
What I'm watching...The Bible on The History Channel...So I'm captivated by this new mini-series on the History Channel. It has action and drama and mystery. Huh? Who knew the Bible could be explained this well in this format. I remember some of the stories from Sunday School as a kid but I am learning new stories through viewing the show. One theme I have quickly picked up on is that women and kings are not to be trusted as they almost always lead to the downfall of men or kingdoms. See Abraham's first wife Sarah; Delilah and Samson; Lot and his wife, King Saul; Eve; King David, etc. If you have several hours to spare and want to get caught up check it out on The History Channel on-demand or catch new episodes on Sunday at 7pm(Central).
7th Inning.
Firearms corner...As many of you may or may not know, the country is experiencing an ammo shortage. While you read reports of the Federal Government purchasing billions of rounds for various Federal agencies, your local gun shop and even big-box retailer have empty shelves. Through my personal experience as an FFL dealer I can tell you that the wholesalers are bone-dry except for various big-game rifle calibers. To understand the situation much better Nick Leghorn over at The Truth About Guns.com lays it out clearly in a lesson of supply and demand.
8th Inning.
FFL Factoid...If you want a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer to sell a gun for you through consignment they are required to log it into their 'Acquisition & Disposition' log book. If the gun does not sell and you wish to have it back you will need to complete a Form 4473 for a background check.
9th Inning.
Spring training is half over!
2nd Inning.
Movie I want to see...G.I.Joe:Retaliation...Finally after months of delays for what some have reported as 3D upgrades for the film the second installment of the live-action G.I.Joe movie franchise will arrive at theaters on March 29th. This is another movie related to toys and comic books I had as a kid and although the first movie was a bit of a let down the latest shot looks to be a bit bigger & better. How can you go wrong with Bruce Willis, the Rock, and ninjas?!?!? The premise is the COBRA terrorist group has taken over the United States government through the mercenary, Zartan (remember that ole Aussie shapeshifter?), pretending to be the President. The G.I.Joes are gunned down early and declared criminals with the movie showcasing their fight back against COBRA in an effort to clear their name and reclaim the nation. Looks to be an early hit for the year's blockbuster franchises. 
Yes, I collected comic books and collected the toys as a child. I even had a 'Snake-Eyes' birthday cake which was designed from the comic book cover on the left. Lots of fun playing with those toys as a child and my old friend, Willie Ruble. The woods around our apartment complex created perfect terrain for a battle or rescue mission. The comics were an extension of story lines from the afternoon cartoons that most boys my age would rush home to watch. Wish I still had both (Ebay King!). Man, Snake-Eyes was a bad-ass! 3rd Inning.
American History Lesson...James K. Polk, 11th U.S. President. Dick Morris has it correct with the statement that Polk is one of the most underrated Presidents. One of Andrew Jackson's proteges and nicknamed, Lil Hickory, along with also being a Tennessean like Jackson. He can be credited for creating a true continental nation. During his presidency, he negotiated (while taking us to the brink of war with the United Kingdom) a deal that gave us the Northwest part of the current United States. He wanted to claim all of the Pacific coastline leading up to the 54th Parallel (imagine what the nation would look like with all that coastline territory almost all the way to Alaska) but backed down due to needing to attend to matters down in the southwest. Another territory matter that required his attention lead to the Mexican-American War. Notable names in that war were future President Zachary Taylor, future President Ulysses S. Grant, Ambrose Burnside, Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. This was essentially our nation's first war fought on foreign soil and we marched all the way to Mexico City and captured pretty much all land that is present-day Mexico (imagine how the nation would look and the effect on our immigration policies had we kept the territory). In the end we kept Texas (that had recently been annexed by the U.S.) and received pretty much all of our current southwest territory and California. Under his leadership we literally became a nation 'from sea to shining sea'. 4th Inning.
Articles of the week...
- NLBM...A good little piece on the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. If you ever find yourself in KC make some time to go there and learn the history of the men who played in those leagues.
- Justice League Dark...So, DC Comics and Warner Brothers are attempting to put together a 'Justice League' movie finally in response to Marvel Comics' 'The Avengers'. Only thing is the 'Justice League' movie is all in disarray as they try to get a story and actors. Sooooo, on the flipside of the Justice League universe and the DC/Warner efforts to get a movie into theaters they have looked to Guillermo Del Toro to pen the story for a 'Justice League Dark' movie. This would be a collection of DC Comics magic-based heroes. Magic+Angels+Demons+Ghosts+Monsters=FUN!
- Death in the Family part 2...Comic book news--Batman suffers through another loss of Robin as the Boy Wonder is killed off. The first time they tried this was back in the late 1980s when they killed off Robin during the 'Death in the Family' 4-part storyline. The kicker was at the end of the 3rd part. In the back of that issue was a toll-free hot line to call in to determine if he would live or die. Apparently Robin made some enemies...
- Mars Newlyweds...We really need to re-ignite that inspiration that our nation once had when it came to the space program. Having a married couple blast off for Mars for 1.4 years sounds like a great idea for the Queen and I. Put a camera in that spaceship and watch us go crazy together!
- Chuck Norris...No man is perfect, and that included George Washington. He himself confessed: "We must take human nature as we find it. Perfection falls not to the share of mortals."
- Big Bang...The fact that Earth is being buzzed by asteroids that we are only noticing days before they arrive should alarm you because it alarms me. Time to get that damn bunker built and call Harry Stamper!
- Food Stamps...An excellent article that highlights the issue with the Federal Government's Food Stamp program. Coming from a fella that works for a Federal Contractor that has a contract with the USDA to investigate fraud for the SNAP program I would say yeah there may be a problem. My fear is that the truly needy are being overlooked by both private charities and government programs as more and more people that could survive without the aid are lining up and depleting charities' resources and draining more tax dollars from the government. Hey, if I can get free food then that means more money for cellphones, tvs, Playstations, cars, smokes, alcohol, etc. You get my point.
- Waco...Not to play up any paranoia but let us remember that there are many examples of the Federal government acting beyond the powers granted to it in the Constitution which almost always leads to a horrible end as is reflected in the Waco tragedy. The current atmosphere of doomsday preppers, doomsday bunkers and 2nd Amendment supporters could very easily lead to another Waco and unfortunately the current administration lacks the integrity to ever hold itself responsible when things go wrong.
- Stossel...Rise Libertarians! Rise!!!!
5th Inning.
Music...80s Hair Metal...As a child growing up in the late '70s and '80s I was exposed to several genres of music but the one that hit me and stuck was the Hair Metal bands of that era(which is odd because I remember seeing KISS on tv before I was five years old and was terrified of them in their makeup). I remember that my first cassette tape I owned was the Twisted Sister's Stay Hungry album which I got from my mom's Columbia House Tape Club. Remember those? So, after Twisted Sister there was Ratt, Quiet Riot, and Stryper before I started catching on to the bigger mainstream groups like Motely Crue, Cinderella, Bon Jovi, Winger, Guns-n-Roses, Alice Cooper, Warrant, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Jackyl, Great White, White Lion, Faster Pussycat, Damn Yankees, Extreme, L.A.Guns, Bullet Boys, Poison, Skid Row, and Tesla (any of these groups sound familiar?). At that age the mixed tape was an essential and having a dual-cassette recorder so you could copy all the hit songs from these groups was a must and you always had to have it handy. As time went on and I started getting older I recall getting a Bon Jovi 'Bad Medicine' t-shirt, a Whitesnake t-shirt, a Gun-n-Roses t-shirt, and of course a Def Leppard t-shirt...all for Christmas one year. You have to remember that this was the age of MTV (back when they played music videos) and their Top 20 Countdown. There were some great videos back then and I have one below that kind of started it all with me.
What I'm watching...The Bible on The History Channel...So I'm captivated by this new mini-series on the History Channel. It has action and drama and mystery. Huh? Who knew the Bible could be explained this well in this format. I remember some of the stories from Sunday School as a kid but I am learning new stories through viewing the show. One theme I have quickly picked up on is that women and kings are not to be trusted as they almost always lead to the downfall of men or kingdoms. See Abraham's first wife Sarah; Delilah and Samson; Lot and his wife, King Saul; Eve; King David, etc. If you have several hours to spare and want to get caught up check it out on The History Channel on-demand or catch new episodes on Sunday at 7pm(Central). 7th Inning.
Firearms corner...As many of you may or may not know, the country is experiencing an ammo shortage. While you read reports of the Federal Government purchasing billions of rounds for various Federal agencies, your local gun shop and even big-box retailer have empty shelves. Through my personal experience as an FFL dealer I can tell you that the wholesalers are bone-dry except for various big-game rifle calibers. To understand the situation much better Nick Leghorn over at The Truth About Guns.com lays it out clearly in a lesson of supply and demand.
8th Inning.
FFL Factoid...If you want a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer to sell a gun for you through consignment they are required to log it into their 'Acquisition & Disposition' log book. If the gun does not sell and you wish to have it back you will need to complete a Form 4473 for a background check.
9th Inning.
Spring training is half over!
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