Highlights of the Brew Crew...Last week saw the Brew Crew celebrate Dixie's First Communion at the local Catholic Church. It was a special ceremony for her and we are very proud of her. Leading up to the event she was very nervous and she had us practicing with her with saltine crackers here at home. She said the wine was okay. She loved dressing up in the new dress and getting new shoes and having Gina paint her fingernails white to match. My little tomboy is going all girly-girl. Well, six more years and it will by Lucy's turn...After the First Communion we headed to Kauffman Stadium for our first Royals game of the year (thanks to the Nugen clan for the free tickets!). The weather was perfect but the Royals were not as they laid a rotten egg in game two of a Sunday doubleheader. But the kids had fun and little Lucy kept the folks around our seat entertained with a little booty shakin'... The previous day, Saturday, had us in the gym watching Kylie play volleyball. She has really enjoyed playing and she is now organizing a neighborhood league for all the kids. The one thing I noticed at her game Saturday morning was the opposing team's coach wearing knee pads throughout the match. Not sure if she wanted to play or if she was a possible substitute if needed because some of the 5th graders on her team were taller than me...After reading/hearing about several friends/colleagues/acquaintances ending their cable/satellite subscriptions and turning to Netflix/Hulu for their tv viewing I decided to check out Netflix. I was once a subscriber to their dvd-in-the-mail service 14 years ago when Gina and I bought our first DVD player and we received a free intro subscription but eventually it wasn't worth it because you could never get the new release movies in your queue. Well, turning the streaming service on for the first time through the Wii and through the girls' Nooks I found a plethora of old tv shows that I have been wanting to see again such as 'Buck Rodgers of the 25th Century' and the original 'Battlestar Gallactica' along with many other modern shows that I missed during their original runs on tv but I always wanted to see like 'Supernatural'. The kids have enjoyed it during their first week and they have watched several cartoon shows/movies...Over the last week I have been noticing on my Facebook account a few interesting things and had a few interesting thoughts. I have joined a few 'swap & shop' pages local to the KC area and they are mostly 'Manly' pages where 'Manly' things are to be bought/traded. But as I see things posted and discussed it has been entertainment to see people get upset or comical when folks respond to their asking price (price gougers will not be tolerated) or for some of the less 'Manly' things that show up (see purses and ladies shoes). So, fellas, if you are looking for some easy laughs or some 'Manly' items for your man-cave you should look into joining a local 'swap & shop' Facebook group, you won't be disappointed.
2nd Inning.
American History lesson...Among many groups of people on both sides of the political spectrum there have been various uproars about the Federal Government and its power to imprison people in camps for being of a certain ethnicity, political belief, etc. This type of thinking fuels many conspiracy theories that just won't go away. But recently I came across an article about George Takei and the Japanese Internment camp in Rohwer, Arkansas during WWII. I have been familiar with this former internment camp and his connection to it since I married my wife 14 years ago. She is from McGehee, Arkansas which is right down the road from the camp and my in-laws live just a few miles in the other direction of the camp. I have seen this place up close and come to understand the disgraceful circumstances that go with it.
To sum it up--people of Japanese descent were rounded up at gunpoint during WWII and sent to internment camps around the United States where they lived during the war years. This was all done through Presidential Executive Order 9066. Do I hope that this never happens again? Of course and I don't mean to imply that our Federal Government is evil and is always out to get us. The government is elected by and run by humans and if there is one thing we have learned throughout human history it's that humans are nowhere near perfect and another lesson we see in our history is that if we don't learn from it we are always doomed to repeat it.
3rd Inning.
Build your own survival team...Hmmm...Here we go with my team. Who is on yours?
- Leader/Brains-Me
- Brawler-Cousin David(former HS wrestler/bar bouncer; loves the phrase "I thought you'd be bigger")
- Weapons Expert/Supplies-My buddy Big Rob(comes from a military/intelligence family and knows his weapons, knows how to gather intel on sales through his kids' Facebook accounts, and knows to bring his wife to an ammo sale when there is a customer limit per box so she can buy some too!)
- Craftsman-My Stepdad(mechanic and all-around fix-it guy)
- Medic-Cousin Michelle(nurse)
- Car Guy-Uncle Randy(mechanic, all-around fix-it guy, and weapons expert--can't have too many of those around)
- Mascot/Bad Things Happen But Remains Alive-Brother-in-law Stephen(Southern redneck...hello-that cries out Zombie Survival team mascot plus he is the King of 'hold my beer and watch this')
- Wonders What's Happening-My wife(the reigning 'Miss 20 Questions' champ)
- First to Die-The first people we find that don't have anything we need I'm slapping a red shirt on them(if you know what that means)
- Bites Zombies-Samson(German Shepherd/my little brother/parent's dog)
4th Inning.
What I'm watching...The Office. So, May is upon us and so is the 'May Sweeps' period on tv where the show seasons end for their summer break and some shows end for good. One of the shows signing off for good this May is 'The Office' on NBC which is an Americanized version of a British show of the same name. Per Wikipedia, "The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is filmed in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track. The show debuted on NBC as a mid-season replacement on March 24, 2005, and features Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B. J. Novak and Ed Helms among the main cast. Series star Carell, who portrayed Michael Scott, left the series near the end of the seventh season. Since its debut, the show has aired 196 episodes and is currently airing its ninth season, which has been confirmed to be the series' last. The series is scheduled to conclude with a one-hour finale on May 16, 2013."
I have been watching this show since it debuted and it has been a hilarious show to watch (if you can catch reruns on syndication-DO!). The cast of characters has in that little office in Scranton have kept me and my family entertained for many years. From Dwight Schrute and his many odd quirks and fascinations with beets, bears, and Battlestar Galactica to Jim pranking Dwight at every turn (see video below) to Phyllis and her husband Bob Vance 'of Vance Refrigeration' to Stanley and his crossword puzzles and stubbornness to the accountants-Kevin, Oscar, and Angela and their many debates/quarrels to Meredith and her inability to stay clothed or sober to Creed and his clueless yet always illegal behavior to Pam and her innocence as she tries to always do what's right among all these lunatics to the ever popular and totally inappropriate behavior to his subordinates, this show delivers. But I will be honest, when Steve Carrell left the show it did lose a huge player that made the show even more enjoyable. Well, if you get the chance check it out and until then here's a couple of videos to sample! Enjoy!5th Inning.
Movie I want to see...again...My
top 10 Teen Comedy Movies of the '80s Countdown Part 6--'Can't Buy Me Love'. This is a classic and during my junior high/high school years, seemed to always be on at my buddy's house when his sisters were at home. Here we have another nerd/geek that wants to be popular (I think this was the only plot scheme for '80s teen movies) so in an attempt to save the most popular girl, Cindy Mancini (played by Amanda Peterson who other than having a few minor roles on tv never acted professionally after 1995), in school from a sure death by her mother for ruining her valuable dress, Ronald Miller (played by Patrick Dempsey) works out a deal with her in which he will pay her $1000 (so she can buy a new dress) and she will agree to act as his girlfriend for one month...all to make him popular and accepted in the 'cool' crowd at school. They end up connecting emotionally but then Ronald gets greedy and sees greener pastures beyond Cindy with other popular girls and just living up the life of a popular high school kid. Well, as is expected his world comes tumbling down when he shuns his old friends that were part of the nerd/geek crowd and then later when it is revealed that he paid Cindy to 'like' him. He becomes an outcast and nobody from either clique wants anything to do with him. But there is a message in the movie at the end about ending the cliques of the high school caste system and everybody being treated with dignity and respect. Side note-Ronald's little brother is played by a young Seth Green. Another 'Brewer Must-Have' that I need to officially add to my DVD collection. The trailer is below. Enjoy! 6th Inning.
Music...Country music. This week saw the death of George Jones and the birthday of Willie Nelson who turned 80 and with that I thought I would comment on the country music genre. I've talked about growing up with rock and roll oldies but I also grew up with country oldies and during the Urban Cowboy craze. I didn't really care for the music until my high school years when I began wearing cowboy boots and wearing button down shirts and bolo ties (dork alert as my wife would say). I do remember visiting my grandparents house in Arkansas and on nights when my dad would visit with a new album we would go into my Papa Brewer's room where the record player was kept and listen to the record. Old tunes by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings could be heard those nights in my Papa's room. 
I really didn't have any interest in the music for myself until those high school years which was around the early '90s when folks like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Clint Black started emerging on the scene. My first country concert was going to see Alan Jackson's 'Don't Rock the Jukebox' tour at Kemper Arena here in Kansas City, Missouri then a George Strait concert at the Missouri State Fair shortly after 'Pure Country' came out. Well, after all these years, I've seen my interest widen and focus more on the older country and rarely on the new stuff. I'll take Johnny Cash any day over Kenny Chesney and I'll take The Possum any day over Tim McGraw. Give me some Bocephus over Jason Aldean and pass me a cold one while you're at it! On my MP3 player you will find Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Mark Chestnut, Clint Black, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr., Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Charley Pride, Alabama, Vince Gill, Johnny Lee, Don Williams, David Alan Coe, Charlie Daniels Band, Ronnie Milsap, Mel McDaniel, Claude King, Faron Young, Jon Anderson, Joe Diffie, Randy Travis, Conway Twitty, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, George Strait, Toby Keith, John Michael Montgomery, Kenny Rogers, Loretta Lynn, and Shenandoah. Country music is definitely playing in my truck, is playing around the campfire at deer camp, and will be playing when I dance with my girls at their weddings. My interest in the music has passed on to them even with their Disney Radio stars competing for their attention. I remember many parties in college where we would sing-a-long to 'Family Tradition' with those extra parts of the song we all like to add. One of my favorite songs of all time is below in a video of Willie Nelson. Enjoy!7th Inning.
Firearms corner...AR15. There has been tremendous attention paid recently to the AR15 due to the tragedy in Newton, Connecticut last December and along with that an enormous amount of misinformation by politicians, news people, and celebrities. So, I'm going to devote this week's Firearms Corner Inning to discussing the AR15.
Eugene Stoner created the rifle while working for the Armalite Corporation during the post-WWII years. Stoner also created the .223 Remington cartridge which is the standard round for the rifle , well, until the 5.56x45mm NATO round was developed (see the differences in those closely related ammunition cartridges here). Colt ended up purchasing the rights to the AR15 design but there are companies in almost every state in the U.S. that make a rifle called an 'AR15'.
A common misconception is that the 'AR' in AR15 means assault rifle or automatic rifle which is false. The AR stands for Armalite. With the widespread manufacture and use of this type of rifle it is now commonly known as an MSR or Modern Sporting Rifle. It is used for hunting, self-defense, and competition. WTNH News out of New Haven, Connecticut put together a very good piece on the facts about the AR15 and it can be viewed below.
What attracts many people to the AR15 is it's ability to be accessorized. Literally this rifle is like the Barbie doll for adult men and women. You can buy different kinds of buttstocks, pistol grips, forward handguards, foregrips, optics, lights, lasers...you name it and there is something new and different you can put on it. You can also buy these rifles in either the traditional black or just about any color or pattern you can imagine.
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| But try not to overdue with the accessories. |
Another great video on the history, versatility, and reason the rifle is so popular.
8th Inning.
FFL Factoid...(Continuing previous weeks' factoid with more info on the different types of licenses.)
- Type 06--Manufacturer of Ammunition for Firearms other than ammunition for destructive devices or armor piercing ammunition. Fee: $30 for three years.
9th Inning.
Calling a baseball game...Gotta love Bob Uecker calling a game. With the way my Royals have played over the last 2 decades, me and my fellow fans have felt the thrill of defeat too often...
Extra Inning.
10th Inning.
Taylor Morris story.
I received an email last weekend like many of us do that has a message or tells a story and it has usually been passed around the Internet over and over. Well, this was one that I had not heard or seen but it was one that I wanted to share and you can view it below.
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