Neon lights draw me like a moth to a flame...

1st Inning.

Highlights of the Brew Crew...Day at the Zoo.  This past weekend, the Brew Crew visited the Kansas City Zoo for the first time in 2014.  It was the first time my 2 year old had the chance to visit where she knew the animals and what they were called so that made it fun as we made our way around the zoo. It was a Sunday during the Royals first home stand and the weather was hovering in the 60s (not much of a crowd to worry about).  Even though it was not a 'Free Day' at the zoo I was still packin'.  Everyone had a good time and many people were impressed with our red wagon with a trailer.  We packed a lunch and enjoyed it in the Australia section while watching kangaroos and wallabies.  The kids wanted to ride the train but we decided not to on this trip but instead we rode the skylift chairs across the Africa section.  We wrapped up the day with a march from Africa back to the entrance that had the kids pouting because we didn't get tram tickets.

A few observations on this trip to the zoo:

• A wagon is an essential when taking young kids to the zoo and a trailer for that wagon comes in even handier
• That trailer is pointless if your 2 year old won't sit in the wagon
• I understand the KC Zoo is in the middle of a multi-year remodel so I hope there is something in the plans to make long walks between sections enjoyable with animal exhibits
• Beware of single-toothed moms/grandmas on that skylift that may be yelling at their kids/grandkids to quit horseplaying in the seat
• Sometimes you will be going through the penguin exhibit and while going through the auto-circular doors your wife will break them and blame it on the 2 year old
• You can try to dare your kids to run out on the kangaroo field and touch one but they will chicken out
• No matter how many times you tell them to hush, your 9 year old will continue to make loud observations about how big the chimp's butt is
• It was nice of one of the employees driving by in a golf cart to stop and chat with me (while wearing my Royals pullover) about the Royals game going on while we were there
• At least once before I die I want to sneak into the polar bear exhibit and catch a ride on the polar bear while it swims and pretend I am Bastian riding Falkor
  

2nd Inning.

American History Lesson...Benjamin Banneker.  Recently, I was reading an American History book, 'Don't Know Much About American History' by Kenneth C. Davis, and I came across a section on Benjamin Banneker.  Born in 1731 to former slaves, Banneker grew up free in Maryland.  A self-taught man who had interests in astronomy and mathematics, he published almanacs from 1792-1797.  Two of his great achievements involved a clock and the nation's capitol.





Per BlackInventor.com, "One day his family was introduced to a man named Josef Levi who owned a watch. Young Benjamin was so fascinated by the object that Mr. Levi gave it to him to keep, explaining how it worked. Over the course of the next few days, Benjamin repeatedly took the watch apart and then put it back together. After borrowing a book on geometry and another on Isaac Newton's Principia (laws of motion) he made plans to build a larger version of the watch, mimicking a picture he had seen of a clock. After two years of designing the clock and carving each piece by hand, including the gears, Banneker had successfully created the first clock ever built in the United States. For the next thirty years, the clock kept perfect time"

After becoming friends with the Ellicott family that lived nearby and who had built mills along a local river, Banneker continued his studies of astronomy by borrowing books from George Ellicott.  Through the Ellicott family connection he was hired by Major Andrew Ellicott to assist with surveying the land that would become the nation's capitol.  Per BrookhavenNationalLaboratory.com, "After a year of work, the Frenchman hired by George Washington to design the capital, L'Enfant, stormed off the job, taking all the plans. Banneker, placed on the planning committee at Thomas Jefferson's request, saved the project by reproducing from memory, in two days, a complete layout of the streets, parks, and major buildings. Thus Washington, D.C. itself can be considered a monument to the genius of this great man."

Other notable accomplishments per BannekerMemorial.org:

• Banneker was the first to disclose in his writings that the Star of Sirius is two stars rather than one. His hypothesis was not confirmed until the event of the Hubble Telescope two centuries later at NASA
• Banneker was the author of the first publicly documented protest letter. The letter was written to then Secretary of State , Thomas Jefferson , denouncing the Bill of Rights as disingenuous. Banneker questioned the rationale of the imperialistic position taken by the Founding Fathers, especially in light of their rebellion against the tyranny imposed on them by England as settlers seeking a better life in America.
• Banneker was the first to track the 17 year locust cycle, a valuable revelation to farmers enabling them to prepare for attacks by locusts on their crops.

3rd Inning.

Music...Lost Country Stars of the 90s Top Ten countdown #4.  The next entry into my Top Ten review of country artists from the mid-1990s that came and went is Wade Hayes.  Per Wikipedia, "Hayes dropped out of college in 1991 in pursuit of a career in country music, after seeing bluegrass musician Ricky Skagg perform on the 1991 Country Music Association awards show." Wade released his debut album, 'Old Enough to Know Better', in 1994.  That album saw hits with the title track along with 'I'm Still Dancing With You' and 'What I Meant To Say'.

His second CD (released in 1996), 'On A Good Night', saw success with the title track 'On A Good Night'. His 3rd CD, 'When the Wrong One Loves You Right' was released in 1998 limited success with a #5 hit, 'The Day She Left Tulsa (In a Chevy).

Wade's hit, 'Old Enough to Know Better' is probably my favorite with its honky tonk vibe.  Reminds me of a few nights in my youth with a six pack and some buddies out trying to get into trouble.  The video is below.  Enjoy!




4th Inning.

Cool Videos...With Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier arriving in theaters this week I felt it appropriate to have a couple of cool videos related to ole Cap.

Kid Captain America...It is a car commercial but pretty cool anyway.




Everything wrong with the first Captain America movie.




5th Inning.

Firearms Corner...Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines.  I came across this video and other ones by David Kenik that do a great job of explaining the components and definitions of firearms that the anti-gunners love to demonize.  Take a moment to watch the video below and others by him over on YouTube and learn that much, if not all, of the words that come out of the mouths of people like Dianne Feinstein or Michael Bloomberg is pure nonsense aimed at driving fear.




6th Inning.

Movie I want to see...Guardians of the Galaxy.  In August, Marvel will release another installment of their Phase projects that expands their character universe to, well, the Universe with 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.  Per USA Today, "The movie teams five disparate personalities: Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), aka Star-Lord, was taken from Earth as a 9-year-old, possesses a mysterious orb artifact and pilots the Milano, a muscle car of a spaceship. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is connected to Thanos, arguably the cosmos' biggest baddie. Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) is a muscular dude you don't want to upset. And then there are the aliens Rocket Raccoon and Groot (computer-generated characters voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, respectively), who are best pals and potentially the biggest things to happen to pop culture since Chewbacca.  Their stories converge in the space prison Kyln. After the characters break out, they venture to Knowhere (the severed head of a celestial being that serves as a hangout for aliens) and visit the weird menagerie of the Collector (Benicio Del Toro). They also have to avoid two villains, Ronan (Lee Pace) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), who are in hot pursuit of Quill's orb, which has the power to destroy the galaxy."

The cast they have assembled for this 'Avengers in Space' ensemble looks really good.  I was not much of a reader of the Guardians comics but since the movie was announced I have been searching the Internet for information on them.  From what I have gathered in the comics, Iron Man eventually joins them on a few adventures which would be a good way to tie them into the rest of the Marvel/Disney Universe.  If you saw the end-credit scene of Thor 2, then you were introduced to the Collector which also ties them into the M/D Universe.  From the looks of the trailer (and the fact that I like Chris Pratt as an actor--hilarious as Andy on Parks & Recreation on NBC), this film should be a great sci-fi/fantasy adventure/comedy with comedic elements similar to what we have seen in the Iron Man and Avenger movies.  The trailer is below.  Enjoy!




7th Inning.

Hunting camp game...My perfect hunting camp guests.

With Spring Turkey season starting later this month and the fact that I yearn for the outdoors and hunting camp, I decided to list my perfect celebrity hunting camp mates.

• Davy Crockett (See Bio here).  The oldest of the bunch and the trademark hunter.
• Jim Bridger (See Bio here).  The next oldest and one of the hardest living men to ever live on the frontier.
• Teddy Roosevelt (See Bio here).  A president, a conservationist, and a hunter.
• Ted Nugent (See Bio here).  A rock star and hunter.
• Bo Jackson (See Bio here).  A sports star and hunter.
• Jim Shockey (See Bio here).  A hunting show star.
• Phil Robertson (See Bio here).  A reality tv star and hunter.
• Sarah Palin (See Bio here).  A political star and hunter. (I added her just to tick off my wife!)
• Hank Williams, Jr. (See Bio here).  A country star and hunter.

There would likely be some great stories around that campfire along with some great music.  Who would make up your dream hunting camp?

8th Inning.

FFL Factoid...Top 8 Questions Asked by FFLs on the ATF website.  #3: How do I maintain an acquisition and disposition (A&D) record compliant with Federal firearms regulations?

• If you are a licensed dealer or pawnbroker, the A&D requirements can be found at 27 CFR 478.125(e).
• If you are a licensed importer, your A&D recordkeeping requirements can be found at 27 CFR 478.122. Also, reference ATF Ruling 2011–1 (http://www.atf.gov/files/regulations-rulings/rulings/atfruling-2011–1.pdf).
• If you are a licensed manufacturer, your A&D recordkeeping requirements can be found at 27 CFR 478.123. Also, reference ATF Ruling 2010–8 (http://www.atf.gov/regulations-rulings/rulings/atfrulings/atf-ruling-2010–8.htm).

For those licensees listed above, you may maintain a computerized A&D record if the record meets the criteria outlined in ATF Ruling 2008–2 (http://www.atf.gov/files/regulations-rulings/rulings/atf-rulings/

atf-ruling-2008–2.pdf).

• If you are a licensed collector, your A&D record requirements can be found at 27 CFR 478.125(f ).

In order to maintain computerized records, you must receive approval from ATF prior to doing so. Please reference the questions and answers (Q&As) related to the Firearms Accountability webinar for helpful information regarding entries in the A&D record: http://www.atf.gov/files/training/firearms/0924-webinar-firearms-accountability-questions-and-answers.pdf.

9th Inning.

Baseball video...Royals top ten highlights over the years...This week's entry--The infamous Pine Tar Incident of 1983.