The Gunslinging Housewife

The Big Move

2011-06-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

It seemed as if everything with the move has been going too smoothly and I had been anticipating disaster. But, much to our luck, we got anything but that. We got purple mountains majesty. We got deer and antelope playing. We got cheesy roadside stops and an awesome lightning show. Details? Sure, we got those too!

We were supposed to leave Monday morning, but that turned into leaving Monday at 4:30. The truck was packed and loaded and we were good to go. Jesse wanted to wait a day, but I strongly suggested that we had to leave because we had a timeline to stick to. So I took one for the team and after waking up at 5:30 and working with Jesse to move that day, and drove us out.

Highlights of Nevada included seeing a big horn sheep on a mountainside near Battle Mountain, a crazy indian historic ground, also near Battle Mountain, and a man we wanted to call Repo Man, because we were certain he was going UFO hunting due to the excessive amount of radio antennas and tin foil he had on his car.

At 7:30 am, I got us into Salt Lake City, UT. We were now back on schedule. I also had to pee really bad and found that I am not a fan of Utah for multiple reasons: including the fact they assume people don't have to pee before 6:00 am, Mormons don't approve of booze or caffeine, and apparently, I discovered the hard way that cloud reflections on salt lakes give me motion sickness. Not cool. Oh, and the freeway offramps downtown only give you the weird alpha-numeric streets you get off on and don't have any of those handy-dandy "gas", "food", "lodging" blue signs every other state we drove through had. Utah... a world of it's own, to which I say, not going back and glad we never moved there. I would have have gone bat shit crazy if I had to live there, I'm sure.

Next up was Wyoming. All I know of Wyoming is that is where Brokeback Mountain is from. So I could only think of gay cowboys and how I'm still traumatized at the fact Jen from Dawson's Creek and The Princess Diaries showed their boobs. Aaaah! OK, I also know that not once, but on multiple occasions, several different people have asked me if I was either from Wyoming or mentioned something along the likes of that I would fit in well there. Let me tell you what! I loved Wyoming! It was so gorgeous out there. The biggest disappointment was that Jesse didn't stop to let me take a picture with the giant bronze Davy Crockett or go to the Davy Crockett historical site/park area. We saw herds upon herds of antelope (lope lope as I call them.) Wyoming was nothing but beautiful. From the rolling green hills with ginormous wind turbines, to the grazing antelope and cattle. It was probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The lyrics to Home on the Range and My Country Tis of Thee make sense now that I have been to Wyoming. I can truly say I understand...

After Wyoming was Nebraska. The only thing that pops into my head when I think of Nebraska is this creepy detective cartoon from my old job for a Nebraska client, which I happened to see so much of over the course of my time there as I was bogged down with the Nebraska stuff. I just remembered all these odd sounding towns for various programs and I was now driving through them thinking, "Yeah, I remember their logo..." Nebraska is one of those places, though, that I have never been to, and after going I think I want to go back. Who says that? Who says, "I want to visit Nebraska!" Me, I guess. We stayed at a Motel 6 in Big Spring and it felt like staying at a resort. They had HBO, a pool, and a steak house right next door. All I can say is Motel 6 is really steppin' it up. We got dinner at the steak house and it was good stuff, but the decor was what made the place. It was basically my gun theme restaurant idea I always wanted to do. Guns were everywhere. The chandeliers were made of antlers. And they had the best bread and butter I ever had. True story.

Our stay in Nebraska had set us back severely on our time line. Now we had to make up another 8 hours. The next day, we had breakfast and watched the Weather Channel and talked about how it was a good idea we went the way we did since the southwest was on fire and there was some huge flood in Hamburg, Iowa. We got back on the road and drove some more, stopping at Fort Cody, NE and doing cheesy tourist photos and things of the sort. Then, it was back on the road and we made it through to Iowa. Iowa pretty much looked what we were expecting Nebraska to look like. Funny how that happens. Well, wouldn't you know it, just as we were getting close to HWY 59, we saw the sign: HWY 59 CLOSED FROM FLOODING, USE ALTERNATE ROUTE. Fanfreakintastic. So we kept driving along the 2 till we got to the 71. At one point, the alternate route was nothing more than a single freeway lane as the other lane was submerged in water. The drive on the 71 seemed like forever and we were almost certain we were lost, but in the end, we were able to get back on course. We saw some coyotes in corn fields as well as deer, one of which was a buck with fresh antlers, still covered in fur! Neato. Finally, we wound up in Missouri which was OK until we hit Kansas City. That was supposed to be our destination stop for the second night. Instead, we passed it up as the city reminded Jesse and myself too much of the really bad parts of downtown LA and we were on the road far too long and agitated from poorly marked freeway signs and bad drivers. But, we got past Kansas City and spent the night in Springfield, MO.

Our final day of driving was out of Missouri, into Arkansas, which was another place I had never been to and all I think of when I think of Arkansas is Bill Clinton, specifically of him playing a saxaphone. Again, I'd like to add Mammoth Spring, AK to my list of places I'd like to visit. We bought a watermelon from some kids at a gas station and I tore that thing apart last night and it was fabulous. Anyway, after Arkansas, the trip gets dull and tiresome. I was looking forward to going through Tennessee, but it was kinda a drag. Maybe it was the weather, who knows? Mississippi was the next state and the only interesting thing there was the river of the same name, which is massive. Alabama was the last state we had to travel through and it was dull. I fell asleep the last part until we were nearly to Phenix City and close to our destination.

On Friday, at 4:30 am eastern time, we made it to Columbus, GA. We checked into a motel for the night and crashed till just about close to check out. We were lucky to even get a room as there was a graduation at Fort Benning and half the motels in town were completely booked.

Long story short, it was a very long drive. If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't want to simply because moving is a lot of work, especially in the heat, and driving a moving truck towing another truck up steep mountain passes sucks, especially when you're floorin' it and only going 20 mph and the engine sounds like it's gonna die. Heh. Good times. Anyway, while I have no desire to drive cross country again, I do still have the desire to see more of our beautiful country. It is truly amazing and there are so many wonderful places that aren't large metropolitan cities that deserve to be seen and could only be discovered through a great American road trip. One of my dreams was to go on a cross country road trip and I am happy to say I did just that! Only, this time, I won't be coming back. We're here to stay and it's a pretty interesting place.

The End.

Oh, and more pics from the trip are on my facebook.

Networked Blogs

2011-04-23T15:40:00.001-07:00

OK, so today while doing some virtual house cleaning, I figure I'd let you know, I used to have my blog fed through networked blogs on facebook, but after separating the Gunslinging Housewife and personal blog(s), you'll have to relink because I deleted the other one. So if you enjoy Gunslinging Housewife stuff, be sure to subscribe to my blog. You may even enjoy my personal blog, too, with my stupid observation stories.

<3 me

April Showers E-Postal Match

2011-04-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

I will be uploading an e-postal match on Gunslinging Housewife next month. In the meantime, all my little blog readers and facebook friends can take advantage of the sneak peak, not to mention you can print them out and start doing them now if you want. Practice, practice, practice and submit your best score! Highest score(s) of each division gets bragging rights. But I'll put up a picture of your winning target and give you a shout out :)

Here's how it works:

Print the April Showers e-postal match target from www.gunslinginghousewife.com . If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can download it for free at www.adobe.com .

Rules:
This is an honor system.
Shooter has 10 rounds to hit all the targets.
Start with the drop at the bottom and work your way up to the top.
Break up the rain clouds to prevent any future rain drops from falling.
Tally up your points.
Take a photo of your score with your name, date, division and score written on it and email your photo along with your name, date, division and score written in your email (in case I can't read what your photo says.)
Email it to jenny@gunslinginghousewife.com .
This is not timed. Plan those shots carefully.
Highest scores of the division will be posted on GunslingingHousewife.com and the GH Facebook page.

Division 1: Rimfire Pistol - shoot at 15 feet
Division 2: Centerfire Pistol - shoot at 15 feet
Division 3: Open All - Any rimfire or centerfire pistol with optical and/or performance modifications - shoot at 21 feet
Division 4: Rimfire Rifle - shoot at 25 yards
Division 5: Centerfire Rifle - shoot at 25 yards
Division 6: Open All Rifles - any rimfire or centerfire rifle with optical and/or performance modifications - shoot at 50 yards

My silly little rain drop and rain cloud illustrations will not appreciate being shot at, but I'll appreciate seeing people go out and shoot as the weather gets nicer! Good luck and Happy Shooting!

Float-a-lay-hee-hoo!!!

2011-04-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

I always make a point to check the toilet after I flush because I don't trust a lot of toilets. I don't want to be that guy who goes and leaves "presents" behind. Like the other day, I went into the bathroom and for the same reason I check after I flush, I also check before I go. Well, let's just say I looked down and did a Hank Hill sounding, "Aaaahhh!" Someone went poop. Someone didn't flush. Somewhere in my mind I like to pretend I know "whodunnit". So I flush, then pee, then flush again. And of course I do what any American would do, I run and tell my friend, unable to tell the story completely because I'm laughing so hard and all she can say is that I'm beet red and she can barely understand me, which gets us both giggling like a bunch of baffoons. Good times, good times.

The Ghosts of Tonsils Past

2011-04-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

As a child my tonsils were so huge I would stop breathing at night and my mom used to have to wake me up to get me breathing again. Today this is linked to sleep apnea and doctors now take tonsils out for it. Of course, as a kid, the ENT I used to see would tell my parents it "wasn't a big deal" and that I'd "grow into" my tonsils. It wasn't until June 2005 and several episodes of tonsillitis and strep throat each year that I finally found a doctor who agreed that while it was "too dangerous" to remove them because of potential blood loss, they could burn part of them off and "shrink" them. So, for a few lovely gross photos, here was my pre-op adult tonsils, nice and full of pockets where food would get stuck no matter how much I gargled with Listerine and vexed me with perpetual "rotten egg" smelling breath.

And then, seven years later, THIS happens! What the hell is this!? For comparison sake, the right tonsil is pretty swollen, not to mention hard as a rock.

The bad breath is back. I'm pretty sure there's some sort of infection going on in there and for the love of all things sacred, I would like just ONE ENT say I can have them taken out. Take out all that crap. Tonsils. Adenoids. I'm sick of being sick for six months of the year that other doctors peg as "allergies". I'm not feeling any better from Claritin every day, it's just not shaking a common cold! It's not rocket science! The damned things are plaguing me every year and I'm done with them! You'll cut a baby out of me where there is blood loss involved but you can't cut and cauterize my tonsils off with a laser? Come on, docs, don't be stingy bastards, just take my f'ing tonsils out already. My right side of my face is swollen and I have pain radiating from my right tonsil (which feels like it's going to explode from pressure, just an FYI) that goes up along my face to the base of my sinuses below my right eye, to my right ear, down along my jaw and I'm starving and deal with the pain because I love food too damned much to settle for a liquid diet! AAAAAHHH!!!! Seriously, I'm so done with these things to the point I'd just get drunk as hell and take an exacto knife and a hot spoon and try to cut the damned things out and cauterize them myself. Awful, I know, right? It sucks how my eyes water up in pain every time I swallow or yawn and how my ear gets stuffed up from pressure and my hearing is sucking and I yell because I assume no one can hear me just like I can't hear them. AAAAAHHHH!!!! FAIL!!!

The Red Velvet Disaster of 2011

2011-01-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Remember how I was saying I think 2011 is gonna be bad? Well, it is. It wasn't even here yet when things started to get bad. I know the car needed work and that's fine, I was anticipating that. But last night, Jesse spilled an entire Scentsy pot of wax on the bathroom counter when he went to turn it off. I spent a while cleaning that mess and eventually wrapped it up in 15 minutes or so thanks to the help of my blow dryer, which is also broken now and still works, but only for a matter of time. Last night we didn't go out. We were supposed to stay home and drink champagne and listen to Coast To Coast. Instead, after cleaning and reading for a bit, I found my way to the bedroom and watched Monster Fish and fell asleep. Yep. Pretty amazing night. One of the biggest problems last night, though, was not the fact we weren't doing anything or having to clean the bathroom. No, it was the fact I wanted cupcakes really bad. Particularly red velvet cupcakes. My friend Chrissy makes the best cupcakes ever. I dunno if she puts caffeine or niccotine or crack in them, but you literally can't have just one. I'm not a huge frosting fan so I usually like to eat naked cupcakes, but the rest of my family loves the decorated ones, and really, she does make them look rather pretty. Anyway, I was telling Jesse how I wanted cupcakes and his response, "Call Chrissy, she always has cupcakes." I like the fact that my husband knows my friend simply for her abundance of cupcakes at any given moment because of how often she likes to bake them. This is a good thing too, because she wants to start her own cupcake line and eventually have her own place. Her reputation precedes her. Of course, I haven't got any cupcakes in the past 2 days and I decided I would just make my own red velvet cupcakes.

If you know me, you know that I cannot bake a cake or cupcake to save my life. Part of it may be lack of proper equipment, part may be lack of proper skill, but whatever it is, it adds up to complete failure in the end. I found a recipe online and it looked easy enough. As I started to dye the cocoa powder, I realized I didn't have enough red dye, so I had to substitute with other colors. So I thought I'd add some yellow and make an orange, but there wasn't enough. So I added some blue in hopes of achieving a deep purple. Of course there wasn't enough, so I added green and the end result was a swamp monster green velvet. How I went from red to it's complimentary green, let alone a really horrendous shade of green, is beyond me. All I can say is, typical.

I barely had enough cupcake cups and I don't have anything to house the paper cups in, so my cupcakes always turn out really deformed. Today was no exception to the rule. Long before they even got into the oven, my Swamp Monster Green Velvet cupcakes looked a disaster.

Upon removal from the oven, I gave my deformed green beasts an oven mitt thumbs down. (Which, I must say I love my oven mitts I got for Christmas from my parents this year!)

A closer look at the green trainwreck shows how the batter was so disgusted with itself, even it tried to escape the paper cups, but was stopped by a baked death. What's going on here!?

In the end, I wound up with a plate full of hideous green cupcakes. If the Misfit Toys were real, this is probably what they would have for a Christmas desert or something. Because I'm communist and don't like frosting, I decorated them with a little bit of powdered sugar and some green sugar sprinkles. This just added to their moldy appearance and made them look like the ground when snow starts to melt and you can see the grass below dirty snow. Ugly. However, I must say they taste amazing and I credit the Best Cupcake Recipes blog for the red velvet recipe which I turned into The Red Velvet Disaster of 2011 otherwise known as Swamp Monster Green Velvet Cupcakes.

Ding Ding Ding! Bonk! New Year's Predictions and Resolutions for 2011

2010-12-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

Since marrying Jesse, it has become a bit of a New Years tradition for us to listen to Coast To Coast's New Year's Prediction show instead of going out. And just like the years before, we will be settling down on the couch or in bed with a bottle of champagne and a boy in bed (hopefully) listening to the Dings and Bonks of 2010 and hearing what 2011 has in store.

On that note, I have decided to make my own list of predictions for 2011. Personally, 2010 was a pretty epic year for me and a lot of great things happened, I met a lot of amazing new friends, learned some cool new skills, worked some interesting jobs, lost one car and gained another and just truly thought it was all in all, a great year. However, I can't say I am as hopeful for 2011. I think 2011 is going to be a little bit of a challenge, not so much a total suckfest, but there will definitely be some obstacles. That aside, time for my 2011 Predictions.

- There will be a mass meat recall due to some form of tainted beef.
- There will be a big fire in the central valleys of California.
- A new species of dinosaur will be discovered Utah.
- A new species of bird will be discovered in the Amazon.
- There will be a disasterous earthquake in India and it will be felt throughout many neighboring countries causing a massive outbreak of diseases, looting and rioting and the US will throw more soldiers to Afghanistan to try and stabilize things there.
- The economy will start to show signs of recovery (not stabilization yet.)
- TSA is going to become stricter on their regulations on what you can and can't take on planes, however, the full body scanners are going to start to phase out due to costs.
- Facebook will be at the center of a large class action suit over privacy rights (they will win under the pretense people can opt how much information they choose to share on the internet about themselves.)

OK, that's all I got for predictions. Now for resolutions.
- Get rid of the 10 lbs I gained over the holidays.
- Join a gym.
- Have all our cars running in decent shape.
- Buy my CZ-527 Carbine in 7.62x39.
- Put in for deer tags.
- Learn something new (anything?)
- Go out more often with Jesse on husband-wife dates.
- Try to do a family vacation somewhere fun.
- Find new places to go fishing.
- Brush up on my knitting skills.
- Take up archery.
- Hike all (or most of) the trails in the greater Reno/Sparks area.
- Go horseback riding.

And on that note, I say Happy New Year's to everyone. 2010 was great, but hopefully 2011 is even better. Be safe out there. The weather is kinda crappy in some places. Remember the busses are free tonight. Take advantage of them!

Failure Times Two

2010-12-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

An odd thing happened to me on Saturday. Out of the blue, my cell phone touch screen stopped working. Of course, an hour later, it worked again and all was great and fine in the world. Or so I thought. The very next day, the same thing happened and I treated the situation like the previous day and assumed all would be right again in an hour or so. Hours passed and I came to the conclusion my phone was helpless. I tried to file a report for a replacement with my phone insurance company, however, because there weren't any cracks or damage to the LCD screen, it would have to be dealt with, if applicable, through the warranty. Luckily for me, my warranty was still in effect because it turns out I only had the phone for some 9 months. After a little chat with Verizon, they had sent a replacement out next day, which in reality, was for Tuesday because the claim would be processed on Monday and so on. Now, I'm not one of those people who is attached to my phone at the hip. I use mine mostly for taking pictures, updating Facebook statuses and occasionally texting friends. Oh and calling my mom because of the whole free mobile to mobile thing. But I can tell you, when you are on a winter break of sorts and have plans to go out with friends and realize that all your phone is capable of doing is calling the last number dialed or receiving calls, well, its kinda crappy. And it only gets worse when all the phone numbers of people you know are listed in your phone and you can view them by scrolling and touching them on the screen, oh wait, the screen doesn't work! So much for that, right? All in all, everything worked out for the night and things went as planned.

Oh, but the gods of bad devices are cruel sons on bitches because it's not enough to them that my cell phone crap out on me; no, no, no... You see, yesterday, I had gone out in attempts of catching this big brown trout I lost on the shores of the Truckee River back in the spring. I had visions of grandeur that I would catch him on some cold winter morning, possibly even to find him larger. After a brief period of epic failure, I called it a day and drove home. I was going to make two stops on the way home. Wienershnitzel and the store. Well, stop one never happened because as I was leaving to get to the road, I noticed a big cloud behind me. At first I thought dust, but then I noticed it was white. I had seen this white cloud of death before. I glanced down at my thermostat and saw it jump from normal to hot in seconds. Not good. I managed to make my way to a gas station that was conveniently placed next to a Starbucks. I got out of the car and saw coolant leaking. If you know the story of my last car, the Oldsmobile, you will know that his death started with the cancer of a coolant leak that was masked by a busted heater core and by the time the heater core was fixed and the leak was discovered, it was too late and the engine was damaged. It was like some sort of bad deja vu. I walked into the gas station and asked the lady attendant if there was a payphone near by and she says near Rock or something and I ask if there's one closer, or if I can user her phone to call my husband and have him call my cell because my car died in her parking lot. She gives me the look she probably gives a bunch of druggies daily, but I was pretty frank and, come on, I don't look anything like a junkie. I just got back from fishing and was dressed like crap, but even when I'm outdoors dirty, I still have a pseudo polished look. I did just get my hair cut and it looks very awesome...

They let me call home and I left my message for Jesse. After he called back and nearly made me cry asking how I managed to ruin another car already when he's had his truck for years and I told him I have bad car juju. Because, really, I do have very horrible luck with cars. My first ever car, Li'l Truck had a timing belt break the month I bought him and cost me $500 and a month later I had to replace the engine and have the tranny rebuilt because the engine had knocking rods and the tranny was gonna fall apart. Then I got Jeepie, who was brand new from the dealership, and he was always having parts recalled then would have these weird issues where the car wouldn't start up and I think it had something to do with a faulty starter (apparently my current car had this problem too and had it fixed before I got it, whew!). After I got rid of Jeepie, I got City Truck, who was a Shitty Truck. He died a month after I bought him and I said to hell with that, I'm scrapping it and not even bothering with selling it. I then spent the next 18 months without a car before getting the Oldsmobile, who, despite argument from my mechanic, was the greatest car in the world. He died from overheating and engine damage and now I have Chrissy Car, the Ford Focus. I don't feel too horrible about Chrissy Car because he used to belong to my friend Chrissy, who took pretty good care of him. (What's that, you say? You thought Chrissy Car was a girl because it's named Chrissy? No, he's not. He's a boy. Just think of it like guys named Laurie or something. Yeah, I know Chrissy isn't an androgenous name, ask me if I care? My son named him.)

Back to the story, after an hour of plotting and what not, Jesse finally comes out with Charlie because of AAA issues and he fills the car up with water and cautiously drives home. I drive his truck home with Charlie and smile giddily because I know how to drive a stick shift now and I still haven't got over that feeling of "knowledge is power". (AUGH AUGH AUGH MORE POWER!!! Oh, Jesse told me I have to reference Jeremy Clarkson, "POWEEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!")

I'll fast forward some of the boring parts about the car sitting at home and my mom getting here and using her AAA to have the car towed to the mechanic who asked if I had a '76 Oldsmobile with a coolant leak problem a few months ago and then he did the facepalm action and the, "You sure have bad luck with coolant leaks." Yeah, I do. Blah. $340 later and some new hoses and other stuff, my car is OK for now. It needs $800 in repairs still for a water pump and timing belt (why am I drawn to cars with coolant leaks, bad timing belts, and engine problems!?) Plus it needs to have it's catalytic converter replaced, but I knew about that already. In fact, I kinda knew most of his problems when I got the car in the first place so I'm not super surprised.

Long story short, the present problem with the car has been resolved and the replacement phone is in. So, there is balance in the universe again... for the time being. I'll nervously smile till I can afford to get the other car problem fixed and until then, hope nothing else happens.

The Great Scheels Fiasco of 2010

2010-12-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

Normally I don't like to name drop in blogs but I'll do so today because I was asked to write this blog. My coworker/friend Nadia had to go to Scheels today to get a Christmas present for her son and fiance. So we drive down there on our lunch break. We find the present for her son and then go to their glasses section to get some sunglasses for her fiance. First off, no one is there and when we finally do get someone, the guy is from another department probably because he isn't sure about the product prices and if they even have the one Nadia wants. She ponders whether or not to get them so we go upstairs and play the shooting game to give her time to decide whether she wants it or not. She decides she will get them, so she goes downstairs and goes in line to pay while I look to see if they have my CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39 in yet. They don't. I don't even see the CZ 527 Carbines. Then, on a weird hodgepodge shelf I see the .223 one for sale now at $599. They really want to get rid of that thing. Normally it's $697, then they dropped it to $659 and well, now it's under $600 and that makes me think they won't carry them at all. The guy I asked said they're behind or something and winked at me. I guess that means they're either not paying their bills or not gonna carry it again or he's an old creep. This wasn't exactly the first time I went there and they didn't have what I was looking for in their hunting department without knowing/having a reasonable time frame of when they expected to get new merchandise. Whatever the case, I was sad. But it just got worse. When I found Nadia downstairs, she was in line, agitated because they didn't have the box for the glasses she was getting and they couldn't figure out that they could just give her the one box and make a new sku for it since all the glasses have the same exact box! Basically, we wasted 15 minutes in line dealing with poor Scheels customer service. Eventually we got everything we needed and went back to work, Nadia realized she left her keys at Scheels because of the whole fiasco involved. She called them and they told her she could come get them from their lost and found. Forget putting her name on them and holding them. They just have a big generic box and you pick whatever you want from there. So any shmuck can go and say they lost some keys and if there happen to be keys in there they can say, "Oh! Those are mine!" and score! Hope they find your car. Long story short, we're not very happy with Scheels today. The sad part, we were really looking forward to going.

Better Safe Than Sorry: Why It's A Good Thing To Own A Safe

2010-12-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

Every person who has anything important to them should consider investing in a good fireproof safe. Why? Why not? It only takes a few minutes for a criminal to steal or a fire to destroy valuables you spent your life gathering. Isn't it worth your money to invest in a device to protect these items?

Important Documents
Perhaps it's medical papers, car or house titles, stocks and bonds, birth certificates, social security information, loan papers; whatever it may be, everyone has their share of documents they do not want to lose. Prevent a burglar from the opportunity of cashing in on an identity theft by keeping your paperwork locked up. Avoid spending hours at various agencies and paying fees for copies of documents in the event of a fire.

Saving For A Rainy Day
There are people who have gold or cash stashed in their homes. Whether it be in the form of jewelery, coins, or bars, people still believe in collecting precious metals as an investment item to use when they need it. Some people like to keep their cash on hand instead of having it in a bank account where it is readily available to them when they need it.

Keepsakes
Some things are irreplaceable. A fire doesn't take sentimental value into consideration as it burns away old family photos, cards, and letters.

Firearms
Millions of Americans own guns. However, several criminals do too, most of which are obtained illegally via straw purchases or burglaries. It is a wise idea to have a safe to keep guns locked up in when you go out of town. It is also wise to have a safe to keep guns out of reach of people who shouldn't have access to them like children, whether they are your own or those of friends or family members. All gun owners should take personal responsibility for their firearms and consider those around them. While you may be a knowledgeable gun owner, others around you may know nothing and not have proper training or common sense to just "not touch".

You may not be able to stop a criminal or a fire, but you can protect your assets. Accidents can be prevented by taking precautions. Safeguard your valuables and invest in a good safe. There are many different kinds on the market from large vaults to small boxes, even James Bond-type "secret" safes like Secure Logic's Invisivault wall vault, which looks like a picture frame.

I'm Going Somewhere With This, I Promise...

2010-12-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

There are serious flaws in the infrastructure design in Northern Nevada. Most freeways and roads loop you around or send you down unnecessary roundabouts. You can imagine how hand this is in the winter when it snows or when the roads are icy. Then there is always some sort of road work going on somewhere. I'm not sure if this has something to do with the wear and tear due to weather (cars driving with snow chains, cables, snow tires, plus snow and ice in winter and heat in summer) or if they just get hairs up their butts to redo the roads frequently to keep construction workers employed. Whatever the case, there are always either too many over sized construction signs practically in the middle of lanes or no signs or lights to direct you where to go and unless you're in the know, you'll get lost.

Parking lots are like mazes. If you make a wrong turn, you can't get out unless you drive five miles around one way and wind up somewhere completely different. I think some of the lots most notorious for this set up are by the Walmart and Borders on Kietzke and South Virginia, Shopper Square, Legends at Sparks Marina, and well, pretty much every parking lot for any outdoor strip mall or shopping center. Sometimes I feel like some stoner designed the parking lots and roadways in this town while high thinking how trippy it would be to have a swirling cement island blocking what could otherwise be a very streamline route. I don't know. Maybe it's like the excessive roundabouts and some sort of sneaky means of slowing down fast drivers. Of course drivers out here are a whole other story.

I never liked driving in California because I am a very timid driver. Rarely do I go fast, but out here, it seems like I am the fast driver... and I'm just going the speed limit! People out here have a problem with going too slow when there are high speeds, or too fast when there are low speeds. When I drive to work, I take Mill to McCarran because it's just faster that way. Less traffic and higher speed limits. But no one seems to know that there is a 50 mph speed limit on Mill behind the airport! And the speed before you hit that 50 mph zone is 40 mph, but they seem to go 20 mph because they all need to go to whatever little shops are on the way before there. Then there's the 45 mph zone after the airport up to McCarran. Again, people go 20 mph slower because they don't know where they're going! Come on! You make the same commute every single day! How is it you do the same thing every day and yet you still slow down to an almost stop at every intersection as if to read the street signs to make sure you're making the right turn!? That baffles me. But I'm sure after doing it 5 days in a row they probably have developed the habit of it and thus ruining the benefits of a 45 mph speed limit for those who are attempting to make their commute faster because it would be ridiculous to take the freeway with all of the backtracking involved and the route Google Maps suggests with its millions of stop lights and school zones because it is .2 miles shorter than my high speed limit zig-zagging route that can get me there 10 minutes faster!

I really appreciate getting to work slightly earlier because that means a better parking spot. Granted there's enough parking for everyone, but I've worked at places where if you don't get a parking spot, even a bad one, it meant street parking. And if you got stuck with that, you were screwed. But in addition to getting a nice parking spot, it gives me time to do little things like get coffee or tea and go to the bathroom.

Our office is two stories. Most of the office is downstairs and uses the downstairs break room and bathrooms. Not me. I'm upstairs. I use the upstairs bathroom and break room. Partially because they're right next to me, partially because it's a micro version of my 3 mile radius habit which stemmed from my nothing outside the valley habit I grew up with. I'm like a little critter that likes to stay within it's territory. Anyway, our bathroom is pretty swanky but there are some huge differences between the upstairs bathroom and the downstairs bathroom. In addition to it being a single toilet bathroom, the toilet is also unusually tall. I can't help but feel like a little kid who has learned to use the big people potty whenever I go. You know, giddy, kicking my feet like I'm on a swing kind of. I mean, it is tall. Finally, for some weird reason, our sink doesn't get hot water. So it really sucks on mornings when you drive to work all cold and tread through the snow having to pee because you're so cold only to finish up by washing your hands with cold water.

You never notice something until someone points it out. Then you can't help but always notice it. I've been noticing whenever it's 11:33 for over ten years because one of my friends once told me in high school it was her "evil" time, that being, every time she looked at the clock, for whatever reason it was 11:33. Ironically, it's not 11:33 right now. Another case in point was that a coworker mentioned that the soap in the bathroom seems strangely far from the sink. Naturally, now I notice it is far from the sink! And, to make matters worse, it seems like every time I go in, it gets farther and farther from the sink, despite my efforts to bring it closer. What's that all about!? And as if that's not enough, insult is added to injury when you need to dry your hands after washing with the cold water, traveling away to get the soap, and going back to the cold water, only to have to go all the way back to where the soap was to get the paper towels to dry off! It's madness I tell you!

OK, it's not that horrible, but it does distract me from thinking otherwise stranger thoughts. Like how I'm desperately needing a hair cut, particularly my bangs. They're doing this weird thing, and maybe it's the weather, but they now want to fall to the side opposite of the direction of my natural part. Don't get me wrong, I think I look good with sideways bangs, but the problem is, the bangs plus my haircut make me look like the guy in No Country For Old Men. I love that movie and the character of Anton Chigur, but, I feel a little odd with sharing his hair style. Fortunately, SNL made a parody of There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men in which the character was mocked for having a "ladies haircut". So it's confirmed, my hair is alright and he has a chick do.

Surrender

2010-10-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

It looks like our little Walmart standoff made national news. In the end, the guy, a Walmart employee was to be confronted about his behavior. The guy was on suspension pending termination and escorted from the store by a few people before the shooting ever happened. Wednesday morning, he comes into the store and confronts a manager and two other employees who he proceeds to shoot. One gets shot in the leg, one the shoulder and one the chest. The leg goes home after treatment yesterday at the hospital and the other two are still being treated. After 6 hours of being holed up in the store, the guy surrendered. No one heard any shots even though there were some 48 shots fired because it happened behind two double doors. That all makes sense now. I did hear arguing. That's why I wanted to get off the phone with my mom. So while no one has come out to say, I believe there must have been a confrontation of some sort before the shootings. Why else would there have been arguing? Unless he was arguing after he shot people and that's when the managers told everyone to get out of the store. I suppose theories will never end until he actually goes to court and everything comes out. So we'll just have to wait.

In other news, some other crazy person committed suicide that same day by jumping from a 10 story building. I've kind of had a little bit of an agoraphobic feeling towards Walmart in the end. I'm not sure just how much I want to go back there. I know I'll go back because of their low low prices but seriously, the crazy people that go there and work there are a little too much sometimes.

Rule 17: Don't Be A Hero

2010-10-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

The morning was a little different than usual. I had Friday off for Nevada Day. I took Charlie to school and headed to Walmart to get a few things. I was browsing around what seemed to be a more empty than usual day at Walmart on Kietzke and S. Virginia. It was around 8:27am and I was on the phone with my mom. I told her I had to go because there was some sort of ruckus and I wanted to see what was going on. I was hoping to see a fight or something. The next thing I know, I hear more yelling and a manager yelling and running, "EVERYBODY OUT NOW!!!" I left my cart near the pull-ups which I was contemplating getting for Charlie and ran as fast as I could to the exit. I recall having to slow down a bit because my moccassins were slipping on the tile floors. I kept thinking in my mind, "It's a gun and I'm not going to be a hero." My plan was to get the hell out of there and get back to safety, that being my home. So I ran as fast as I could, never looking back, because everyone knows the number one rule is to not look back because looking back slows you down. I got to the parking lot and there was a man and woman on a phone and the woman asked him what he was doing and he said, "I'm calling 911!!!" as if to question her logic. I asked what happened and they said someone got shot. OK. How is it I was a few aisles away from what happened and from the shooter yet I hadn't heard gunfire or known that there was a shooting? I got in my car and left, not waiting to find out anything else. We turned on the police scanner and listened to the events unfold as no news channels were airing what I think is a pretty big story.

So basically what I can gather at this point: a at Walmart shot someone with what was described as a "mid size silverish handgun". Originally one employee thought they saw a shotgun, but no shotgun was found. The suspect ran into an office and was then trapped in the office. Police units have him trapped still and are checking the store for victims, witnesses, evidence and clearing the place out. They're clearing any additional guests leaving including what I find to be amusing, CCW holders. I guess it's nice to see that I'm not the only person who decided not to be a hero today.

****UPDATE****

News is now covering it and three people were shot. More details on the news. The end.

Quail Hunt 2010

2010-10-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

One of the things I've wanted to do for the longest time was get into hunting and I started this year. I was able to get into the butt end of dove season, but there wasn't a single dove in sight the two times I went out, so I waited eagerly for quail season to begin. Let me tell you, the 9 days it took for quail season to open seemed like FOREVER! But the day came and I joined my friend Jen in Yerington for what was supposed to be a morning quail hunt that turned into a two day adventure.

Yerington is a nice little farm town an hour and a half away from me. I love it out there and have no problems going out there because it's great! I left the house at 6:30 and got to Jen's around 8:15 because of a little bit of morning traffic. She just got back from taking her kids to school and we transferred the shotguns to her car and headed out to hunt. Our hopes were high. When we got out, we saw another truck of guys and they were going in a different direction. We made the mistake of not getting bug spray, of course we didn't know we needed any. After an hour or so of getting attacked by mosquitos and remembering the dozens of West Nile Virus warning signs we saw when we first came in, we left to get bug spray and returned.

Ready to hunt with my little partner, Lulu, the hunting pug or Bird Dog Lu.

Upon our return, we tried another spot. First, I saw something big dart out a little ways away and said it's either a coyote or a deer. Not too much longer, we saw it was in fact a deer. A nice sized plump doe who had that "deer caught in headlights" look when it saw us and then boinked away into the distance. We kept thinking what a great thing it would be to have a deer tag there and then. We heard the distinct "ooo-hoo-hoo" sound of quail and followed it until we came across some. It started with one. It flew up out of the sage brush and I took a shot at it. Missed. My one shot resulted in a coven of at least 40 quail to fly up ahead of us. We followed them into some thick brush until we got to an irrigation ditch. In order to get to the quail, we would have to jump the ditch. This was a rather interesting task. We could easily step into the water and cross, or we could literally jump. Being women, we decided it would be best to not get our socks wet and walk around in sopping wet shoes, so we unloaded our shotguns and crossed. I jumped across first with Lulu in hand, then Jen passed me the shotguns and followed. We reloaded and headed back to our pursuit of quail. Apparently they wised up because they weren't coming out for anything. After about an hour or so of no quail, we decided to call it a day and go get some lunch.

The irrigation ditch we had to hop.

Following lunch, we returned to Jen's home and I spent a nice deal of time with her older kids who are home schooled playing Rock Band. This has inspired me to use some money and invest in an XBox for the sole purpose of getting Rock Band. I like the drums and singing. I can't do the guitar to save my life. I had the famous "chipotledillas" for dinner and they are super awesome. Although I don't eat spicy foods enough to remember the detrimental effects they have on me. Basically, my DrPepper plus the chipotledilla was the formula to create the gnarliest gas bubbles causing me such sever stomach pains, I was just doubled over for the evening. * Note: Despite gas, I will totally eat them again because they're that awesome because gas goes away. The memories of chipoltedillas last forever! The evening ended with me deciding to stay another night and Jesse was going to have a "guy night" with Charlie and go get dinner and hang out and have some quality father/son time. Which is completely hilarious to me that I'm out hunting with the girls and Jesse's home having dinner with Charlie. Hopefully when he's older, Charlie will be going on father/son hunting trips to learn man-stuff while I stay home and get dinner with the girls. Our night ended with watching the movie Serenity which is like a post-apocalyptic space western zombie movie. I know, right!? That is a lot to put into one movie, but it works! And I am definitely going to watch Firefly now, which was the TV series that existed before the movie which inspired it, so says Jen and her kids, all with wide eyes and enthusiasm; her oldest son in his Jayne Cobb hat. Love the nerd factor. They snagged me in on it!

So a few things that I did not mention were that Jen's husband was out trying to find chukar while we were out looking for quail. He gave us a hard time about not shooting any quail when we got back, in good humor of course. When he returned, he asked us where we found them, Jen drew a map, and he went out in search of them. I kept going on about how I'd be so mad if he got one because those were OUR quail. I was plotting revenge, luckily, he didn't get any quail either so it all worked out in the end.

Tuesday was the final day of our quail hunt. We went back out and they were further back. It was back across the irrigation ditch and walking around trying to find them. I stumbled upon them and took a few shots but no luck. Jen and I left for lunch, returning in separate cars so I could head home when she had to get her girls from school. We parked the cars and within less than 10 minutes of leaving the cars, one lone quail flew out of the sage brush. I took a shot at him and missed. He was still within my range and I took a second shot and he went down. It was quite possibly one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced. I told Jen she could take Lulu and look for more quail while I get my bird.

Lulu hears some quail.

But I didn't get the bird. Maybe it was stunned and came back to and ran off when it landed. Maybe I wasn't checking far enough out, or maybe I was checking too far out. Maybe it didn't help that every sage brush looked the same. Whatever the case was, I spent over 2 hours looking for a bird that was not there. I spent more time looking for the bird once it was down than I did when it was alive trying to find a bird to shoot. The most baffling part was that I could see my car the whole time and I was wondering what the heck happened to the bird. I kept searching for it long after Jen went to get the girls and finally I just gave up. I figured if its down, someone will be getting dinner tonight, just not me. And if it was stunned and walked away, I'll get him next time.

The bitter look of defeat. Not finding my quail and giving up.

Anyway, I learned a few things from this trip. First and foremost, hunting is a lot harder than shooting clays. It's hard to focus on a bird to shoot when there are more than one in front of you. It's hard to focus on something that blends in with the environment around it. Even if it does go down, it's hard to find something when it blends in with it's environment. However, I did learn that I can shoot a bird if presented with an opportunity to do so. Despite the fact my Remington 870 Wingmaster is a pre-1986 model with no choke and an 18" barrel and people laugh when I tell them I'm using it for hunting, I learned that it is a pretty comfortable gun to have to haul around thick brush because of it's size. I also discovered that despite where I'm going, bug spray will be with me at all times. Lulu is great at flushing quail. I wish I had a hat with a camera on it. I had a lot of fun. While I love fishing, I love eating birds more and I am so all about hunting now and trying to plot out my next hunting trip. I'm thinking probably some weekend after Halloween.

Zombie Vaccine

2010-10-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

There had to be a cache somewhere around here. Shuffling through trees and leaves and nothing. I turned around and found myself alone. The shuffling continued. But it got louder as if someone was coming our way. No one was in sight. I called out for my friend but got no response. Only some muffled groans from off in the distance. It wasn't my friend, it was someone else. A zombie. I pulled out my .45 and shot him in the head. After all, that's how you get rid of them. We knew they were around lately but hadn't seen any of them. We just heard about it. It's like knowing a storm is on it's way and hearing about it but not seeing it. Then when it finally gets to you, you wish it didn't come, but you were glad to know it was real and not made up. Because it seemed a little too crazy to be true. I know my friend would be alright. I didn't have any physical proof other than a gut feeling, but my gut is always right. I headed back to the car but it was gone. My friend had left.

As I walked back towards the city, there was a school bus. I got on it and it drove up the freeway and got off on the Mill exit near GSR. There were no cars on the road other than the ones that were now on fire. Apparently a lot happened while we were gone. I'm not sure how I knew, but Jesse, Charlie and Lulu were with my parents. That was the plan. If anything happened, go to their home. Now it was up to me to meet them. The bus crashed into the side of the offramp and I crawled out of the emergency exit. I had my 870 with me this time.

I walked around the more industrial parts of Mill and came across a structure composed of aluminum sheets held together with some random fabrication materials. Inside was buzzing with action. Bloody people were trying to help others out amidst the tools and machinery. It was like a make-shift hospital. Some of the people were barking orders at others. I asked if I could help. They needed someone to assist with placing face masks. They figured if they could tack on sheet metal masks over the mouths or faces of the infected, they could save that person without destroying them and use them for labor.

Of course! Why destroy those mindless zombies when you could rehabilitate them to do something useful! Why hadn't anyone thought of that before? In other parts of the country, when others were just running from them allowing them to destroy their cities, this small group of vigilantes discovered a way to take charge and be industrious. They were the perfect workers. They didn't require food or sleep. They didn't require social happiness. They were like machines. When they fell apart, you could replace one with a new one. It was as if it were a human machine. Each mindless being did exactly as it was instructed to do. If you told one to staple metal to the face of a man who had been bit minutes ago and was in perfect health and not yet infected, the zombie worker would do so. If you told one to stand under a trash compactor which would result in destroying the zombie forever, it would do so. They would only comprehend the orders they were given and never question them. The zombie workers were every employer's dream employee.

I had spent too much time fascinating over the zombie workers. So much that I didn't realize there was a crowd of zombies headed towards me. They were not masked off and had the desire for flesh. They stopped and stared at me. I didn't know what to do. I gave them a command and they stared completely dumbfounded. I shuffled back slowly and they followed. But each time I was certain I was about to become a zombie, nothing happened. A few of them grabbed at my arms but then dropped them. One of the doctors turned around and looked as did a few of the patients.

"What's going on?" I asked.

No one seemed to have a response. The zombies poked at me some more and then turned away.

"You must be no good," one of the doctors said.

"Is that possible?" I asked.

Seriously, how is it one is not good enough for zombies. I'm a smart person. I have brains. I'm healthy. I think I would be more than good lunch for a zombie. But for whatever reason, they wanted nothing to do with me.

One of the doctors came up to me. "Let's do a blood test."

"Why?"

"You may be contaminated."

"I can't be. I haven't been bit."

"We can't be too sure. Maybe you got bit and didn't realize."

"I think I would know. I don't have any cuts or bruises. No signs of any bleeding that would imply I got bit. I'm pretty certain I'm not contaminated."

"Well maybe we can find out what's wrong with you."

I didn't like this. It seemed very weird now. I know, this should have been weird a long time ago, stepping into a weird factory hospital with zombie workers and doctors who weren't armed with any guns or anything but seemed to be operating fine in this so-called work environment.

I looked around and suddenly had the need to get a nail gun. It was important that I have one. I was going to go outside and see if I could test my "no-good" status on the zombies around me. A nail gun seemed like a good weapon but I wasn't sure if it would do the job or not.

Upon finding a nail gun, I walked outside of the building with a new crowd of zombies in trail. Once outside, a bunch swarmed to me, but again, none were interested. After a few pokes and curious looks, they lost interest and wandered back to rummaging in trash cans and walking the streets. I shrugged and went back inside.

"OK," I said to one of the doctors, "You can take some of my blood. I'm pretty sure whatever it is, the zombies aren't interested. Maybe we can make a vaccine with my DNA. Maybe it can be used to ward zombies from attacking people, or maybe you can test it to see if it cures zombiesm."

The doctor took a syringe and poked me in the arm drawing out a small amount of my blood. He then stuck the same syringe in a man near by him that was not infected and after shooting him up with a small amount, shot a small amount into a zombie.

I'm not sure what happened to the man because he disappeared into the building. I think my blood killed the zombie. Whatever happened, the doctors were fascinated and started to take my blood and separate it into various viles, adding chemicals and placing drops at a time on petri slides under lights and microscopes, some how generating new blood cells from my sample blood.

I turned around again and walked back out the door and headed towards the freeway as the sun was setting. I was going to meet up with my family and call it a day.

6. Virginia Lake Dog Park

2010-08-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

The dog park was surprisingly busy considering the time of day and the heat. Everyone was welcoming and didn't say anything or glare. They were more confused at me trying to train Lulu to become a bird dog than they were at the fact I had a Glock on. If you don't know about Lulu, she's my dog. She's a Pug/Brussels Griffon mix. She wants to be a bird dog but needs some work and I know it's the Brussels in her. Brussels Griffons come from the larger Griffon breed, which coincidentally is a hunting dog. The small Brussels Griffons were the result of breeding to create a small dog to chase rats out of barns. Evidently, you're left with a cute little dog with a hunting dog's mindset. And Lulu has this in her.

5. Wells Fargo ATM Moana & Lakeside

2010-08-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it some MS13 OG's just got paroled recently. I'd believe this after seeing some MS13 tagging down by Wells on the way to the fair office on Monday. Anyway, this is definitely a good reason for anyone to carry. Gangs don't mess around and are hardcore and don't care who they have to kill to get things done. They're ruthless. So I was walking with Mr. Glock down Brinkby (which was hit by the white supremest gangs recently) to the ATM on Lakeside and Moana. Nothing eventful to report. Just beware of gangs people.

Happy Wife Moments

2010-08-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

1. Jesse and I were driving home from Carson a few weeks back and we were listening to the radio. The Eagle's Already Gone came on and Jesse says, "Hey, this song was playing in the car the first time we went shooting together!" Aww. He remembers a detail from so long ago. Long before we dated things were important because he cared.

2. A few mornings ago I was going in the safe to get out the Glock 36. I chambered a round and put it into my belly band to go jogging. I turn around and see Jesse zonked out asleep in bed smiling. I asked him what was so funny and he says he's smiling "just because". I guess the thought of your wife carrying on of your favorite guns to go jogging at 7am is a pleasant thought.

3. I call Jesse at work today to tell him not to tank up at lunch because I'm making beef bourguignon for dinner. I can hear the excitement in his voice as he says, "YOU READ MY MIND! I was going to call you and ask if you could make that!" Today totally felt like a beef bourguignon day and the fact Jesse got so excited about something as simple as dinner made me happy.

All Epic Heroes Need A Song

2010-08-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

So in a lame attempt at putting Charlie to bed, I go on with the usual list of lullabies and eventually run out and don't want to start from the beginning. What the hell more can I sing to him about? Pugs? No, I spent about 5 minute singing about pugs. Trains? Tuna Fish? Lifeguards? Been there, done that. Finally I had one of those moments of, "Why didn't I think of this earlier!?" I drew out my list of Tall Tale epic heroes and came upon my newest hero, Snowshoe Thompson! Alas, I made up a little tall tale campfire type song to put the boy to bed about Mr. Snowshoe Thompson. It didn't work but damned if it isn't a great new ballad!

The Ballad of Snowshoe Thompson
Snowshoe Thompson, Snowshoe Thompson,
Hero of the west,
Mailman of the Sierras.
Snowshoe Thompson, Snowshoe Thompson,
Doing all the things
No one else could dream of!

Trekking through the mountains
on skis, in the snow.
Didn't need a compass,
but he knew where to go.
Guided by the stars
and the rivers and the trees,
He could get it done and
that's what everyone believed.

Snowshoe Thompson, Snowshoe Thompson,
Hero of the west,
Mailman of the Sierras.
Snowshoe Thompson, Snowshoe Thompson,
Doing all the things
No one else could dream of!

A traveler lost his way
and didn't know if he'd survive,
But the hopes of Snowshoe passing
kept his hopes alive.
Lo and behold, Snowshoe did arrive
with doctors and ether to keep the man alive!

4. Fairly Grounded

2010-08-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

I love Fairly Grounded. Their coffee and teas are brewed fresh for you. The people that work there are sweet as can be. They have a huge fish tank with sea horses. They allow you to bring dogs on leashes inside. And they don't care that I open carry. Interestingly enough, this coffee shop was the victim of an armed robbery a few months back. Why they don't freak out when they see me come in with a gun is simple. I come in several times a week with my baby pug, sometimes with my husband and 2 year old son. I buy coffee, tea or pastries from them. They know my face. They know I am a contributor to their business. They know I am not a threat. However, for the first time since open carrying, I had someone make a comment to me about my gun. And it was not what I was expecting to hear. I ordered my drink and paid. The girl who rang me up said she thought my yellow paisley shirt was cute. She thought Lulu was cute. Then she said I had, "All kinds of cute going on today" as she did a circular motion displaying hip level and eyeballing in the direction of Mr. Glock 36. Yes. Someone told me they thought it was cute that I had a gun. I said thanks and chuckled a little.

The Open Carry Project

2010-08-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Ever since RGJ took Washoe County Sheriff's to court to have all the names of CCW holders made public records I have decided to start open carrying. My reasoning: if [the media] is going to let everyone know I have a gun on me, then I might as well make my gun visible. Personally, I like open carry for two reasons. 1. My gun is easily accessible, and 2. I can carry a full sized gun in whatever caliber I want (Right now, though, I am on a Glock 36 kick in .45 ACP or the Springfield XD .45 Tactical.)

I realize that not everyone is pro gun. I realize that not everyone feels comfortable being around someone who is armed let alone being in the same room as a gun. However, I have noticed that the reaction I get from open carrying is similar to that of a severely overweight person with two heads: people either don't make eye contact and continue what they're doing, or they stare as if they have no idea how to comprehend what they see.

I have only been open carrying for a short period and I still conceal carry, it just is a matter of how I feel, what I'm wearing, and where I'm going. I'm still testing the open carry waters and so far I like it.

3. Shell on Moana and Lakeside

2010-08-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was set to meet up with a lady who is going to take her CCW through WSA on the weekend. She just wanted a quickie private lesson to get her up to speed on what is expected on the shooting exam and familiarize her with range commands. I have pretty much decided that if I am ever teaching, whether it be in the WSA classroom or out on the range, I will just flat out open carry. It's easier that way. So I have Mr. Glock 36 with me again. It's funny because I went from being someone who was not a Glock fan and had what I call "Glock-Block", to absolutely loving the Glock and pretty much saying unless someone comes up with a better design, I'll probably just carry a Glock or XD from now on. I love me some trigger safeties! Anyway, Jesse and I pull up at the Shell to get gas. Jesse asks me to get him a Coke. He also says to not let the security guard working in there give me any crap about open carrying because there are no signs posted in there that say firearms are prohibited (as per the laws of where and how you can carry open or concealed; firearms are prohibited in any federal or state building, libraries, post offices, schools, or buildings with signs CLEARLY POSTED on ALL entrances.) I go inside a little nervous. Before my experiences of open carrying have been in places I know firearms are welcomed or outdoors. I grab Jesse's Coke and go to the register. There is a man in front of me and two guys sitting down on the Deli Town side eating. I ring up my Coke and get Jesse's gas and ask for a receipt. My transaction is complete and I walked out. No one gave me any problems. Jesse thinks it's because I'm a woman. I think that is part of it, plus I had my Women's Shooting Academy t-shirt on so it is also known now I am an instructor and gives me credibility to what I do... even if it is a purple shirt. Another positive carry situation.

2. Out For A Jog

2010-08-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

I learned on August 3 that there had been some rapist/stalker guy who was on the prowl stealing women in broad daylight in public around Virginia Lake. I jog around there in the mornings with my LCP. Strangely enough, prior to learning this, I decided to start carrying the Glock 36 on me instead. After I learned about the creep, I decided it was time to open carry. I'd rather have a gun easily accessible while I run than have to dig under a shirt to get to it. On average, when I conceal carry, I do a strong side carry using an inside the waistband holster that clips to my belt. When I run, I wear a belly band. Long story short, open carry is just easier for me. No one cares. They just keep walking their dogs or running. The only weird look I got was from this cholo who was hanging out in his street clothes by the bathroom. I'm gonna profile here for a minute and here's why: Reno is a little behind the times on fashion. If someone out here dresses like they're in a gang, more than likely, they're in a gang. Also, to see a cholo awake at 7:45 in the morning in his street clothes at the park hanging out by the bathrooms, well, let's just put it this way: he's not jogging. He's not dressed for a jog. He certainly isn't walking a dog as he has no dog. This guy is up to no good. He's hiding by the bathrooms just watching people as they go by. He sees Mr. Glock and suddenly disappears. Yeah, this morning, I woke up saying to myself, "I'm not getting raped today. I'm not going to be a victim. I'm not going to let myself become another statistic... unless of course that statistic is 'Number of Americans Choosing To Open Carry'."

Lefties Have Rights Too: Revolvers For Lefties

2010-08-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. It's a right handed person's world. Everything is geared towards the right handed person. When it comes to guns, this still applies for the most part. While there are many semi-auto pistols that now come in ambidextrous models or even left handed models, the left handed revolver shooter can feel left in the dark. It is always hard to watch a left handed person learn to shoot a revolver designed for a right handed person. Fortunately, while most instructors do not have left handed revolvers on hand for classes, that doesn't mean they don't exist. There are options for left handed revolvers, even one specifically for the lefty.

Smith & Wesson recently introduced the Bodyguard, a compact revolver similar to the size of most J-frame revolvers. While it has an ambidextrous cylinder release on the top, it's not truly left handed as the cylinder still releases onto the left side of of the frame like every revolver geared to the right handed person.

Charter Arms, however, has been the front runner in the lefty revolver arms race with a revolver that is designed solely for the left handed shooter. Their Southpaw is your standard carry sized revolver. Not only is the cylinder release on the right side of the frame for a left handed shooter, but the cylinder additionally opens up onto the right side of the frame. For any lefties in the world who are interested in shooting revolvers but dislike having to learn as a righty, this is the best option. While Charter Arm's isn't as big of a name as Smith & Wesson, that doesn't take away it's credibility. It is still a manufacture of quality firearms.

Invasion of Privacy

2010-07-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.nevadajudiciary.us/images/advanceopinions/126nevadvopno23.pdf

In the case of Reno Newspaper vs. Washoe County Sheriff, the court ordered that concealed carry weapons holder names be released as public record. I'm not exactly sure what part of this comes across as a good idea. So, to make a long story short, I'll list a few reasons I believe this is a bad idea:

1. It's an invasion of privacy. There are people in the world that don't want people knowing their business. Not everyone talks about politics, religion, and things of touchy subjects openly. For this reason, a lot of people don't want their preference of owning guns and carrying them to be public record.

2. It's an open invitation to crime. Now criminals in the world know you have a gun. All they need to do is look up your address in a phone book and if they find you, they know you have a gun. Guns are valuable. Chances are if you're not home, you probably have other valuables worth stealing. It's almost as dumb as having a bunch of really cool things and placing them in your window for the world to see and then wondering why you get robbed. Its called advertising. It's just a bad idea.

3. It's not safe. Many CCW holders are people who have either been personally attacked, knew someone who was attacked, lost someone or knew someone who lost someone to a murder, are in witness protection, or are just being proactive regarding their safety. To list all the individuals in the county who are armed is now a wake up call to criminals. Now law enforcement officers will argue that this knowledge is good because it will drive down crime rates, but realistically, criminals don't fear the law and they certainly don't fear you or me. All this tells them now is the criminal who would originally rob you with a knife, will now show up with a gun to level out the playing field.

4. There's no tactical advantage. Look, we can open carry, but the whole point people choose to concealed carry is for that tactical advantage. They don't want to notify criminals that they are armed. A criminal who sees an armed person will handle their crime differently if there is a gun involved. They have nothing to lose. They've gone to jail once, they'll do it again.

5. The first letter of CCW is C for CONCEALED. Again, we can open carry, but not everyone wants to do so. We all know that not everyone is on board with guns. Even though we can open carry, not everyone knows it. So many times, people get pulled over for open carrying and sometimes even detained until the officers in their areas realize that it is in fact legal to do so. But a lot of CCW holders get their permit for the specific purpose of carrying without alarming those around them.

6. Discrimination does exist. To sit and say that once this information becomes public record and that it won't affect people directly is a lie. Who is to say that a school won't run the names of all their teachers and staff to see who has a CCW and then fire them because they fear their employees might be breaking a federal law? Or who is to say that someone wouldn't get denied a job with a company because a potential employer feels like checking if an applicant is a CCW holder? Maybe this sounds a little paranoid and extreme but who is to say something like this wouldn't happen? And how does one prove it? With this economy all a company has to do is say, "We had to do cuts" or "We found someone more qualified"?

All around, this is not a good idea. I hope that everyone pays attention to what is going on with this situation and if a class action suit comes up that everyone who values their rights and privacy gets involved. Until then, the best we can do is boycott RGJ and it's affiliates. If they're gonna mess with us within the law, then let's just do the same.

1. Near WSA Classroom

2010-07-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

The first time I open carried was actually before the whole RGJ drama went down. It was because I was teaching that day and didn't feel like having a concealed pistol and then putting on my big honkin' .45 for out on the range. I'm lazy sometimes. I totally admit to it. Anyway, I was wearing the Springfield XD .45 Tactical on July 17, 2010 up on Parr Blvd near the Sheriff's department. I was around a bail bonds building and a 7-11. No one cared. No one said anything. All was good.

Open Carry

2010-07-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

Moving to Reno from Southern California is like moving from Antarctica to Egypt. They are two totally different worlds in so many ways but one of them is the pro-gun environment out here. Nevada is an Open Carry state, meaning, unless otherwise posted, you can carry a gun. Obviously, restrictions apply to the same places of concealed carry that you cannot take guns (airports, state and federal buildings, any place that has a sign prohibiting firearms, etc.) Each state has its set of laws and restrictions regarding guns, the carrying and use of and before you go out to do anything, I urge you know your laws first.

I've open carried out here before in wilderness, although I have never carried in town. It was pretty interesting. Sure, I just had it on a brief period in town while going to and from the Women's Shooting Academy classroom and then out to the range. Usually I bring the big honkin' XD .45 Tactical to the range but can't conceal it because of the obvious size. But it's a really great gun to shoot and it shoots well and I'll face it, I am starting to become one of those people who believes carrying a .45 is as Martha Stewart would say, "A good thing." Personally, any gun is better than no gun and that's my number one rule, but in terms of the "shoot what you can shoot well" is starting to move in the direction of that XD. Of course I can't carry it concealed because of it's enormous size, but I can open carry it. And it was pretty cool. Something about carrying a gun you really like a lot and not worrying about if you're printing or not because who care's it's out in the open and in compliance with state laws. Here's to Open Carry... for those of you who applied for a CCW and don't want to wait for it to come in to start carrying or for those of you who don't believe in CCW's*!!! For more information about Open Carrying check out http://opencarry.org

*Disclaimer: KNOW THE LAWS REGARDING GUNS IN YOUR TOWN. FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LAWS MAY VARY FROM PLACE TO PLACE. THINK OF THOSE AROUND YOU: KNOW YOUR GUN SAFETY AND DO NOT CARRY A GUN YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE AND PROFICIENT SHOOTING. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT WANT A CCW, IT IS WISE TO TAKE THE CLASS TO LEARN LEGAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES INVOLVED WITH CARRYING A GUN.

Apples & Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

2010-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted some cookies tonight and was going to do a peanut butter cookie but then thought an oatmeal could be healthier. I didn't have anything to mix in with it in terms of raisins or craisins. Then, I saw apples on my counter and the little light bulb above my head started flashing and there was a DING! DING! DING! sound going off. It was a total success and I thought I'd share this healthy alternative to a classic treat.

2 cups oats
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) of butter melted
2 eggs
1 cup diced apples (I used golden delicious because they're super soft and sweet and go well with this)

Preheat oven to 375º
Mix everything together. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until corners are golden brown.

How To Draft A Patter & Sew A Simple Summer Skirt

2010-06-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been asked by a million people (OK not that many but a lot) about my summer skirts I did last year and long story short, I finally got around to doing it. Anyway, long story short, here's the directions. You can also download a PDF here (yes, this will be the project for the August issue of The Gunslinging Housewife in case you picked up on that and wondered.)

Married White Female Seeking The Rifle Of My Dreams...

2010-05-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Some girls go to bed at night and pray that they meet Mr. Right and he comes into her life, sweeps her of her feet and they live happily ever after. What can I say? I've found Mr. Right. We sort of stumbled together, had a child, and happily ever after would imply the end of one's story and ours is just beginning. So I guess when I go to bed at night, I'll pray that I find Mr. Right Rifle. I know, it sounds a little warped, but really, I love my Mauser. I like shooting the .30 Carbine. I'll shoot an AR but I find it a little boring. I'm just looking for a rifle who can make me giddy thinking about how he looks, get butterflies in my stomach whenever I think of shooting him, and swoon when I hold him in my arms. I want sparks of magic to fly when I shoot him and I want to loose my breath when I strip him down to clean him. I want the Rifle of My Dreams and I have no idea where to start. I don't think I have ever been at such a loss with where to find this Mr. Perfect Rifle. Dear Mr. Right Rifle, please answer my ad. I'm looking for you...

Married white female seeking the rifle of my dreams. I want a rifle that is moderately heavy. Preferably a wood stock, but if synthetic, I'd like something green. Blued barrel. I like bolt action, but I'm not object to a semi-auto. Something not too long, but not too short, either. Iron sights are a must. Mr. Right Rifle, I know you're out there. Could that be you?

A Gal's Guide to Gun Shopping

2010-04-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

You know, The Shirelles posted a very valid argument in their song "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" For those of you who live under a rock, it's an age old question: you find the perfect person and life is like you're in Heaven, but will it be that way forever? I love 60's girl groups because they had style, both musically and fashionably, but they also had great songs that range from fun poppy danceable tunes to songs that made you go, "Hmm..." On that note, I would like to touch base on a subject every woman should take into account when gun shopping. The gun you love today may not be the gun you love tomorrow.

If you are new to the world of guns, it is like being new to the world of dating. I'm speaking to the ladies right now, so guys, you can feel free to step away or eaves drop to hear the perverse world of girl talk. There is only one of you. There are a LOT of men in the world. You may see one guy one day, or hear your friends talk about how another guy is such a catch, and then when you date him, you realize he is a total douchebag. Maybe you have a short relationship. Maybe you're like me and date a guy for 5 years because you've been told that you will never find anyone better and you stay with that guy until you wind up hating him so much you wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire. Whatever the case may be, very rarely in life do we find Mr. Right right off the bat. I say rarely because I know there are maybe a few people in the world who do find their true love the first go at it, and that could apply to guns.

Chances are, if you have ever gone gun shopping, you will go up to a gun counter, hopefully knowing whether you want your gun for: protection at home or for concealed carry, but chances are, you will have a salesman hand you a little .38 special revolver, probably a Lady Smith because it says "Lady" on it and is made for women, even though some of the features that make it "Lady" friendly (like smaller grips) actually make it harder to shoot, or maybe they'll tell you a little Ruger LCP would be great because it's small enough to conceal. Or you will have a man tell you that you need to carry a Glock because that's what cops carry and you shouldn't buy any other gun for protection and you'll look at the thing and go, "What the hell?" at how huge it is and hopefully make a variation of the, "Are you out of your mind?" face to the salesman.

Granted, all three guns are great guns, but are they the right gun for YOU?

There's a lot you need to take into consideration. If you have never shot a gun in your life, first off, I highly advise you take a lesson to learn how to shoot. If you are in the greater Northern Nevada area, I highly recommend The Women's Shooting Academy. Their Ladies Intro to Handguns class is taught solely for women BY women. So you won't have anyone laughing at you if you need someone to show you how to load a magazine or wonder if there is a .38 regular since there is a .38 special. Trust me when I say no question is considered dumb when you're learning. In fact, questions are welcomed because that means you're curious and want to know more and that's what they like. Here in Nevada, you can go to a gun store, pass the background check, pay cash for your gun and walk out of the store with it in as little as 15 minutes on a good day. No one ever questions whether or not you know how to use it and while I love my gun rights, I also find it a little scary to think there are a lot of people who own guns and don't have the slightest clue what they are doing with them. After all, ignorance is one of the leading causes of gun related accidents.

So you've learned how to shoot. You know the basics of pistol safety and operation, you got the terminology down and you are ready to go out and buy a gun. Now what? Do you know what you want your gun to do for you? I think if you've taken a class or had a form of education, you probably know what you want. In fact, you probably have a pretty specific idea of what you want. I'll use one of my friends as an example. She likes little .38 revolvers. We've looked at guns before. She's fondled some of them, but she says that they don't feel comfortable. I'll use myself as an example. Something might feel good, but other aspects don't look good. Guess what? If you're not totally in love with a gun, it's probably not the right one for you! You wouldn't buy a dress if it didn't fit right. You wouldn't buy a purse you thought was ugly. Why would you buy a gun if it didn't meet your expectations?

You find a gun that feels good. You like the way it looks. Then you realize it's way out of your budget. Guess what? You know how you can find a dress that is super cute at Macy's for $150 and then go to Target and find one similar for $30? The same thing exists in the gun world! Like the Walther PPK? Don't feel like chucking out $500? Try the Bersa Thunder .380. Pretty much the same gun except with a slide release (bonus feature!) and it comes in a variety of finishes! My point is, if you find one gun you like and the price is a little steep, ask your gun dealer if another manufacturer makes a similar gun at a cheaper price. Another great option is buying a used gun. Just like you can buy a pair of designer jeans super cheap from a consignment shop, you can buy a high dollar gun at a cheaper price used. If you go this route, make sure you know what the ballpark range of that gun is used. I'll discuss this more later on. If you buy a used gun, it may be a wise idea to contact a gunsmith and ask them to take a look at it for you to see if everything is good and functioning before you take it out shooting. For the most part, you can get a great deal on a used gun in working condition and if it does have an issue with it, gun dealers will let you know up front.

OK, so back to gun dating. You finally bought your first gun. Maybe you have it for a few months or years, but more than likely, the more you start to shoot, the more you'll realize what you really want in a gun. I was like most women. I wanted something easy to use, easy to shoot, and that seemed familiar. Semi's seemed a little scary. My first real gun was a S&W 65-5 .357 magnum. It was a full sized revolver that was an ex-cop gun. I thought it was so cool. But the reality of it was, the only time I would shoot it was if I were taking photos of it. He was a very photogenic gun, but I found him to be clumsy and for lack of a better explanation, dull. He just didn't turn me on after a few months like he did when I bought him. My husband bought a 9mm Sig P226 and I thought he was way more interesting.

So, I did what any girl would do and broke up with my Smith, throwing him in a little gun bag in the safe and spent more time with some of the other guns I thought were more interesting. I flirted with what I thought was the Walther P-38 until I found out he was a liar and was actually a Walther P-1. I still liked him, but didn't understand why he had to pretend to be someone else. I liked him for how he shot, not what he was. But still, it was a hard to learn truth, like finding out you're adopted or something. It still doesn't sit quite well with me, but I don't hate him for it.

I always really liked the look of my husband's Makarov, but the first time I tried to shoot it, I could barely get the slide back to get a round in the chamber and when I finally did, the thing felt so snappy I didn't like it much. But I loved the size. A few years later, as I shot more and started developing better skills and abilities, I tried it again and liked it. A lot. After shooting and wanting a Walther PPK, I wound up going with a Bersa and we got married and have had a nice life for the past few years.

The sad thing is, I feel I may be growing bored of the Bersa and the nice thing about guns is while you might date several guns before finding Mr. Right Gun, even if you do marry a gun, I have learned that guns believe in polygamy and polyandry. They're totally OK with it if you want to have several guns. My husband, however, has taught me that if you do not shoot a gun enough, it gets mad at you and will not shoot right. While I think it his absolutely hilarious to hear him talk about a gun that way, I believe him, and not only because he is a gunsmith.

So here is another thing to take into consideration when you are out and about looking for a gun: the gun you love today may not be the gun you love tomorrow; and that is perfectly alright. But what do you do if you have a gun and you no longer like it after a few times shooting it, or a few months, or years? Just like picking out your original gun, you have as many options when it comes to upgrading (and I say upgrading because in reality, whenever you leave one man, you always wind up upgrading when you realize your last one was a total shmuck. Very rarely do you leave one loser for a bigger loser.)

Some gun stores will do trade ins for guns or flat out buy it from you. If you are unsure of your gun's worth you can look up it's value in the Blue Book of Gun Values. Face it, we're not all car geniuses and yet we've been able to take a little bit of info we know about a car to get it's Kelly Blue Book value. The Blue Book of Gun Values is the same way. You can buy the book or call a gun shop and give them a little info on your gun and they can give you a ballpark range of fair to mint values for trade in and private party sales. It's genius and they put one out every year. Be sure to know the price range of what your gun is worth when you plan on selling or trading it.

If you trade it, you'll probably get so much credit for it and have to add a little extra for your new purchase. If you do a private party sale, you can get more money from your gun and the easiest way is to go to a gun show and just walk around with a little sign on you with what you have and what you're asking for. My advice is to treat this like a car sale. Know your asking price and add about $50 to that and the Or Best Offer (OBO) listing. That way, if someone tries to go down on your price, you'll wind up with what your real asking price is or close to it. And make sure to have a set amount you will not go lower than. Know your gun. Take it for an appraisal at a gun store or with a gunsmith so if someone tries to tell you there's all these problems with it to low ball your price, you can turn around and tell them to quit being a cheapskate trying to rip you off and you wouldn't do business with them anyway! Most importantly, know your state's laws on private party sales. Here in Nevada (the northern part, not sure about Clark County), if it is a pistol you are selling, it has to be to someone 21 years old or older (that's a federal law), and they must be a Nevada resident. Be sure to check your laws on private party sales before going out and doing one if you are unsure.

And of course you can always keep your old gun and get another. There's nothing wrong with having extras. The way I see it, the more guns you have, the better. Variety is the spice of life. You don't just have one pair of shoes you wear every day with everything, you have choices. Why shouldn't your gun selection be that way? "What should I wear today? A dress or pants? Heels or flats? Kel-Tec P3-AT or XD 9 Sub Compact?" Of course you may wind up like me and have several pairs of shoes and guns but really only one pair and one pistol you wear regularly and that's OK.

That's the beauty of guns. They are something you will fall in love with once you get into them. You will go through many guns in your lifetime. You may have several at once or one at a time. Know your guns. Practice shooting them. Clean them regularly. Love them. Treat them well and they will treat you well. And if you decide you don't like one, you can always get another. But never by any means ever let anyone tell you what the right gun for you is. That's just as bad as your friends trying to set you up with a guy they know is totally wrong for you just for the sake of you being able to have a boyfriend. In that case, it's probably better to just not date at all until you find someone you like. Guns are the same way. Remember: never settle and you can always upgrade or add for more choices.

Hell Froze Over and I Just Got The Memo

2010-04-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

My Bersa is my go-to gun for when I'm out and about. I know there's a whole argument of people who swear a Bersa isn't a good carry gun and that whole counter argument of it's not about size but placement, and to that I say, if it's good enough for the Argentina Federal Police, it's good enough for me. (Note, they carry the full size 9 as their standard issue, however, it is said they carry the .380 as a backup.) Well, today my darling Bersa is out of commission because he will be used for teaching purposes, so that means I have to go with another gun. Drat. We have an array of pistols, all of which are on my permit, but none of them really wow me to the likes of wanting to carry them. (Read: they're too clunky for on body concealed carry.) Last night I was looking around and though I'd grumble and take the Glock 36. I've shot him a handful of times and don't think much of him in terms of desirability. Yeah, I can shoot him ok, but I really would rather not. The only Glock I kind of liked was the Glock 17 in 9 mm and we sold him to get the Glock 23, in .40. The Glock 23 is again, ok, and I'll say I like to shoot the .40 way more than the compact .45, but I just have this weird mental block against Glocks that I'm not a huge fan of their boxy design. I do, however, like their trigger safety and the fact that they have a little bit of weight to them considering they're a polymer gun. Anyway, the choices came down to a .38 revolver with 5 rounds that sticks out pretty bad unless I carry it small of back and I'm not a huge fan of the carry location or the gun itself, a full sized 9mm (Sig P226, which I absolutely love to shoot but dread carrying because the thing is like the size of a brick and oh-so-obvious), or the Glock 23. I chose the Glock.

Now I am a very firm believer that the first pistol you buy will never be the pistol you love years down the road. Guns are kind of like dating, I guess. You need to go through a few ok and maybe even terrible ones before you find the one you absolutely fall in love with. Where am I at right now? Well, I think me and Mr. Bersa may have a troubling time in our marriage. You see, this morning, I met Mr. Glock 23 and while he came off as cocky and superb and I wasn't a huge fan of his looks, he does have a great personality and is a great kisser. (What? Wait, did I just take a turn for the cheesy? Yeah. I just went there.) My point being, ladies, is that a gun you buy originally, may not be the gun you love down the road. The good thing is, we're not married to our guns, so there really isn't any obligation of having to stay with one for life. Yeah, it helps, but in all honesty, the more you play the field and play with other guns, the more you realize that maybe a 5 shot .38 revolver isn't the right gun for you. My very first pistol (not counting my plinker, which I also sold and regret having done so, but I did use that money to buy my Bersa) was a S&W .357 magnum. It was a full sized gun and I never shoot it. The closest I come to shooting it is when I use it for photos because it's such a photogenic gun. It wasn't until my third pistol in (the Bersa) that I found one I was very pleased with. Although this morning, I think I may be in love with the Glock 23 and this is like me completely going against everything I have ever said in the past. I feel weird and a little uncomfortable but slightly liberated. I can't explain.

Anyway, I may want to get one somewhere down the road in the olive green finish they come in. Just so I can say I'm part of that Glock crowd. Again, this all feels very strange and unfamiliar and I'm still coping with the fact I may like a Glock. I still want one of those new XD's in .40, though. I need a green gun because everyone is going green...

Visions of XD .45 Tacticals Danced In My Head...

2010-04-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a dream where I was shooting my husband's new XD .45 Tactical. It wasn't some crazy dream where I was shooting at something horrible or having squib loads, just a boring dream in which I was shooting and having a good time practicing and just enjoying shooting that gun. I've only shot it once since he got it about a month ago and I do like it quite a bit.

The rest of the night was just a montage of various schematic drawings of guns. I love love LOVE schematic illustrations. I love any directional how-to visuals, instructions, be it text or illustration, and I love to see things taken apart. I do not like to take things apart myself other than the bare minimum required for fear of losing something or not getting it back together again, but come on, aren't these neat? I like the ones Numrich has on their site for part listings. Just for fun, a Mauser 98. I could easily do without the watermark, but hey, they have such a huge selection of schematics, who's going to complain?

Ridiculous Potential

2010-04-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest complaints in life is that I have a photo on one of my ID's that looks like a mugshot you would see on The Smoking Gun or something. Our friend Dave, on the other hand, has this totally other take on ID photos in the sense that if you take a photo for something, you shouldn't get all dressed up because the reality of it is when you ever need to show your ID, you probably aren't all gussied up, so he goes in looking normal day-to-day, even if that means needing to shave or something.

Well, tonight I had a realization that Dave is right. No, I didn't need to whip out my ID for anyone, but I was walking Lulu for her evening potty. I was not all dressed up, in fact, I really wasn't dressed so to speak. I was wearing a nightgown that is a slinky navy blue with sea foam green polka dots, my fluffy cloud white spa robe, and my black rain boots that are covered with hot pink roses with green leaves, white accents and glitter. I looked absolutely ridiculous. My toenails were painted black, my finger nails a raspberry pink that matched my LCP. My hair was straightened and with the exception of my absurd outfit, I looked rather decent. Better than my photographs would allow one to think, anyway.

I had a moment of relief while walking Lulu tonight. We have a light on our street that is an automatic light and comes on and goes off at random. Right as I got to the street it turns off, making the street slightly darker than usual. We were on our way to Lulu's potty corner when a 6'ish man with an athletic build, baseball cap and goatee came down the street. I kept a nice grasp on my raspberry LCP in my pocket just in case. Lulu is a nice deterrent. She addresses a potential problem by getting all antsy and growls, then barks. I acknowledge the situation and hold her back while keeping eye contact on the man, examining as many details of his appearance as possible, as he gets closer. We move into the street and the guy says "good evening." I address him with a greeting of sort, keeping my eyes on him as we pass till he is at least 50 yards away while glancing ahead to see if there is anyone else. Sorry, I don't trust people. I read news stories and know people work in teams so it's good to know what's going on in your 360º radius. By the time we get to the potty corner we're in the clear.

Anyway, when I got back inside, I told Jesse of my walk and how I felt better with my little raspberry with me. I don't like to think of what things would be like if I were ever out walking alone and needed protection and had nothing. I'd rather come home from walks going back over my plans coming into the house thinking, "Man, I'm glad I didn't get attacked by this guy because if I did and I would have had to shoot him, I'd feel silly when the cops show up seeing as I'm dressed in my pajamas and rain boots and they'd take my pink gun for evidence." I would feel ridiculous. But at least I can think I'm glad that didn't happen and laugh at my funny outfit and how I would be embarrassed to be dressed the way I do at night when no one sees me walking Lulu than I would feel if I were unarmed and picked up by cops naked after being raped or something, or worse be dead and feel nothing. Who says carrying a gun has to be scary?

Gun Wish List

2010-03-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

I don't think I ever officially put my wish list in writing, so here it is in no particular order:

M1 Garand - technically as soon as we get our tax return in, this will be a done deal
CZ 83 9mm Browning (.380 Auto) preferably the glossy blue.
CZ 75BD (9mm) glossy blue.
Walther PPK (.380) - Yeah, I still want one of them originals even though half the guns I love or want are modeled after it... blued, please.
Sig P229 (.40 S&W) two-tone.
Sig P238 (.380) Nitron w/ rose grips.
Mauser 98 - why not have a 98 to go with my 98K?
AR-15 with green furniture.
Kel Tec P3AT (.380) olive green.
Charter Arms Pink Lady (.38) - it's one of those "to be cute" things like my pink LCP...
Ithica Model 37 - because anything used in Vietfrickinnam is awesome.
M16 - one fine day we'll all be millionaires with Class III licenses.
Kimber Royal II (.45) blued or a parkarized two tone, probably would require some sort of custom work. Blah. Who wouldn't spend money on their 1911?

List subject to change.

How did I live before?

2010-03-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

You know, it never ceases to amaze me whenever I get a new amazing piece of technology in my paws and sit and fall in love with it wondering how I ever managed to live before said device? My mama bear gal pal, Vicki, owner of Women's Shooting Academy, has been raving about her recent iPhone purchase. Then when I was at my pistol instructor course last weekend, everyone was fidgeting with their iPhones and similar devices. I was due for a phone upgrade and was originally going to do an LG envy so I could have a QWERTY keyboard for texting but figure if I'm going to pay extra for a phone, why not pay another $30 and get something similar to an iPhone. Hence, I now have in my paws a Samsung Rogue and I love it to pieces and wonder how I ever managed to live without one.

Today I spent a good part of my day filling out forms to join various gun clubs in the area. I'd really like to take some of this year and get into more involvement with competitive shooting. I've been itching to do one of Stillwater Firearm Association's bowling pin shoots and the Palomino Valley Gun Club's military silhouettes look like a hoot. I see it as a good investment to join a few of these groups so I can use the platforms to eventually set up a NRA Women On Target event of some sort. Plus, to my knowledge, I believe I can have my scores submitted to the NRA for their competitions via mail and get an NRA shooting ranking level. I'm all about that. I'd really like my large bore rifle and center-fire rankings.

There was one more point I wanted to bring up today that slipped my mind by now. Maybe it involved Girl Scouts and the fact I thank God for placing them in front of Walmart for me today so I could by 4 boxes of cookies that I have been wanting all year.

That's what I was going to say! My asthma came back when I got sick. I never had a chance to write about it, but I've had this nasty cough for 3 weeks now and it's making my asthma act up. I'm back on an inhaler and now I even have to take preventative steriods. Fortunately, my insurance covers a good portion of the steriods. Currently it's Advair and it's helping a bit. But I'm pretty sure I also have seasonal allergies, too. I've spent over $100 on my cold for medications, another $100 to go to doctors and I'll say I'm happy as heck to have health insurance and I'm even happier that the gov't isn't taking care of it. Otherwise, I'd have to fill out 20 thousand forms and wait for a few years to get on a waiting list to see if I qualify for seeing a doctor hahaha.

OK, that's all I got for today.

"We're all in this together..."

2010-03-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

I had a lovely friend in high school, Kirsten Brydum, who was murdered a little over a year ago by a gun shot to the head while out of town in Louisiana. Her catch phrase was, "We're all in this together." She used it loosely and often and it always pertained to everything she did and it always made sense.

I'm an advocate of personal safety. I don't care what your means are. You can be internet savvy and cautious of what you share online. You can take a self-defense class. You can carry pepper spray, a tazer or a pistol. You can avoid dangerous locations. You can put a deadbolt on your door. You can travel in groups. You can do whatever you can in your power to keep safe.

Recently I took a course towards becoming an NRA certified pistol instructor. It was a great class and I look forward to taking more classes for further certifications in rifles and shotguns, as well as range safety officer, reloading and later this month a tactical first aid course. I believe the more you have under your belt, the safer you are, not only in a protection sense, but just in a practical sense. Obviously if I go out shooting with a bunch of people, for me to have a first aid knowledge of what to do if (God forbid) someone get shot is helpful for everyone involved. Lives are at stake.

I've had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people over this quick trip into the professional shooting world. I've met lots of great instructors who I will be thrilled to be part of their peer group. I have also been exposed to some very nasty people who say that the way some people treat shooting is a farce and no one will take you seriously. To that, I think back upon my friend, Kristen, and I just think, "We're all in this together."

Obviously, some people might be pretty condescending towards us, but the reality of it is, they shouldn't be. We all share the same ideals of personal safety and 2nd Amendment rights. Why should we treat our peers, regardless of sex or skill levels, like they are insignificant? If we share the same beliefs, why would you put someone down? Obviously you'll never teach every person in town. That's too much work for one person. We need to work together. There's no point in putting others down. All the instructors. All the gun shops. All the shooters. We're all in this together. Let's start acting like it. Together, we can accomplish great things. We can help raise awareness. We can work towards protecting our rights.

I'm proud to be a member of the shooting world. I'm proud that I now have the ability to teach and share my love of shooting to others. I am happy that I have met some absolutely wonderful people who currently instruct and others who are taking steps to become instructors. I am truly happy to have the acquaintances I have met. I think all of you are absolutely fabulous people and I think what you're doing is wonderful. I hope everyone does well in their endeavors. Again, I think we're capable of great things, so long as we remember, we're all in this together.

Irresponsibility Infuriates Me

2010-02-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Jesse and I went to Walmart tonight to do our grocery shopping together and we made a pit stop by the auto aisle so Jesse could get some cleaning ruckus there. Out of the corner of my eye I see a go-back cart and in there is one of those Daisy BB rifles. I also spy two dumb jackoff Hispanic guys in their early 20's being jack asses walking up and down the aisles goofing around and one guy spies the BB rifle and picks it up and points it at his friend laughing and cackling in Spanish at each other. I nearly lost it. I think if they weren't speaking Spanish I would have gone and yelled at them. It just infuriates me to no end to see this kind of behavior. My husband lost his eye due to a BB gun when he was 15. For people to treat BB guns like they're toys is beyond me. It shoots a projectile. If you need protective gear to play with a paintball gun, why do people treat BB guns as if they're different? Those two idiots were walking around pointing a gun at each other without thinking of the potential reciprocations of their actions. Suppose a CCW holder sees them and thinks they're holding someone hostage and decides to be a hero? They could get shot. Suppose someone in the store thinks they're robbing someone and a security guard or off duty cop pulls their guns on them? Suppose their own stupidity makes them start pulling triggers and they injure one another? Its idiots like these who are prime examples as to why we have our gun rights taken away. Idiots like them who don't get the proper instruction or have the common sense to realize that whether its a BB gun, a real gun, or a paintball gun, that you don't go pointing it at people EVER, let alone in a public place!? What are they thinking!? I was just flabbergasted. I absolutely refused to walk down that aisle till they were gone for fear they would do something stupid. I'd never be a hero in a situation unless my life, my son, or husband's was in danger but those idiots came real close. Fortunately, I also have a real quick eye for details, that being I did see there was a trigger lock device on the BB gun, but I keep playing out in my mind what would happen if someone actually pulled a gun on them because they think they were attempting to pull off a crime. I know this is just fuel the anti-gun lobbyists use to propagate their campaigns, but dammit, people like that make me so angry! It's not the guns that should be outlawed, it's the idiots that need to be dealt with. That gun sat there, harmless, doing nothing, but in the hands of the right idiot, it could have done some damage. I wish I was fluent in Spanish to where I could chew their asses out because I would have. When we left, I asked Jesse if he was as pissed off as I was, unfortunately, he didn't see what was happening as it was on his blind side. AGH! I am still mad! They're like poster children for everything that is wrong in the world and it just makes me so mad thinking about it still!!! I need to eat and try to forget about it...

Tomorrow I'll be better...

2010-01-18T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today was like a rehash of Friday in which there just wasn't enough time in the day. It sucked royally because I totally felt like I was on top of everything until I got back from lunch and realized I wasn't. I'm just frustrated right now because I feel like I've been busting my butt only to find every time I turn around something else comes up. Just as I get organized a little wind comes and kicks up my leaf pile. I keep saying tomorrow I will do better, I'll keep up on it tomorrow. But then I just feel like tomorrow will be worse than today. That's not the right attitude to have right now. Jesse is on his way to Vegas. Charlie is crying. It's snowing. I just saw a nail gun that looks like an AR on the Women's Shooting Academy blog/newsletter. I wish I were a shooting instructor on their team. They're awesome.

Us vs. Them mentality

2009-10-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

You all know I'm a very pro-gun person, but I'm starting to see the world more through a different light. No, I'm not gonna advocate gun laws. Just personal responsibility. You see, I've been hearing a lot of pro-gun stories lately that make me cringe and think how they're not good examples of gun users to the world. One was an obvious hoax, which was a Craigslist urban legend of a person who was robbed at knife-point and pulled his 1911 out on his attacker, then took his attacker's belongings and spent all the money, made phone calls to the FBI threatening the president and sex lines, etc. Then there was a story of an old lady who conceal carried and shot an attempted robber and her son said they were lucky she shot the guy because she's a horrible shot. A lot of pro-gun people look at tales of these sorts and cheer hooray for the gun owners. I look at them and fear Nancy Pelosi thinking about how she can take these tales and create some sort of bill to take away our gun rights because of "irresponsible gun owners" or something like that. I guess the line between pro-gun people has a divide that I never knew about that is like pro-gun vs. responsible pro-gun? I can't think of any way to describe it completely at the time being as it's 5:30 am on a Saturday. Perhaps it's just the more you look at things from the politician's standpoint and know your enemies, it's not enough to just be a Yosemite Sam gun-toting happy go lucky shooter anymore. It's more of a scowling upon those who own guns yet never shoot them because you wonder why bother having a gun for protection if you're not sure how it works or question your ability to hit your target when you do use it. Or feeling angry when you see someone write about how it wasn't enough to save their life in an attack, they also felt compelled to punish their attacker. I guess any responsible gun owner who has certifiably passed their CCW courses would know that stories like the aforementioned are not pro-gun at all but rather hinder our rights when seen through the eyes of liberals looking for any excuse to take that right away. My point being: even within our own world of gun-owners and pro-gun enthusiasts, there is still that us vs. them mentality.

What do raccoons, zombies and dumb kids have in common?

2009-10-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

All of them have potential to get shot.

Last night Jesse and I went to see Zombieland. I saw it opening night with Chrissy and told him he had to see it because it was awesome and has a lot of things he loves in it; mindless violence, slow motion of mindless violence, and decent metal. We decided to walk downtown to see it. On our way over, we saw this adorable raccoon in front of an office building that looked like a house. He was just staring at us like, "hey guys, what's up?" He scratched himself and went back to doing whatever it was he was doing. At first I thought he was a kitty but then realized that those weren't tabby stripes on his tail. It was cool. When we got to the theater, much to my dismay, the theater guide online had linked up the wrong theater to the one downtown so the show times were all off. We walked around downtown to try and see if we could find another theater near by. On our way under 4th street between Sierra and Virginia between the El Dorado and Silver Legacy, some dumb kids in a mini van decided it would be a great idea to drive up behind us and scream really loud. It echoed because of the tunnel effect created by the two joining buildings. We got spooked and they were laughing at us. Jesse and I shook it off and discussed amongst ourselves how they're gonna do that to the wrong person one day and how stupid kids are. Then we realize they were dumber than we thought. They got a red light. Suddenly our harassers were stuck at a stand still while we were on foot, closely approaching their car. It was payback time. I crept up to their minivan, passenger side, and whacked the door, behind the view of the window. Everyone in that car screamed and jumped so far they almost hit their heads on the roof. My hand hurt and I think there may be a dent in the door. They then saw it was us and started to cheer us that we were "cool" and totally "played" back with their game. In actuality, I think they were halfway between freaked out and ready to crap their pants. Them cheering us on was their lame attempt at saving face and not looking so spooked to everyone. Lesson learned to the young kids who have to explain to mom how they got a dent or mark or whatever on the passenger side door of the minivan: don't try to act like a hard ass on 4th street, especially if you have a red light. You never know who is going to negatively react to your shenanigans. We scared them. They're lucky it was us and not some nut jobs with guns... But in the end, I think we all got a good laugh out of it. Jesse and I discussed how funny it was with how spooked they were. Good times.

Halloween Cookies

2009-10-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas I found this recipe in the Bible and made these for Jesse to take to work and I guess the girls in customer service loved them so I will be making them some for Halloween with a twist. Of course I figured any of you moms with kids who want a fun baking project or hafta take something to school and want to go another route other than cupcakes might want to give these a go. * I modified this recipe slightly from the one printed in the book and have my version below.

Halloween Peanut Butter Blossoms

1 stick butter or margarine slightly melted
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar in a bowl (for decorating)
1 bag Hershey's kisses (milk chocolate, with almond, dark, etc. is up to you)
1 bag Brach's Candy Corn Harvest Mix (it has the regular candy corn and the pumpkins)
1 tube black decorating gel
1 box assorted food coloring

Preheat oven to 350º

In a large bowl, mix margarine and peanut butter. Once those are combined pretty good, add 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar and baking soda and mix until combined. Add in egg, milk and vanilla until those are combined. Finally, add the flour a little bit at a time until completely mixed in.

Separate the dough into as many different color cookies you choose to make. You can do as many different colors as you want, or just leave them as is.

Shape dough into 1" balls and roll in 1/4 cup sugar. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 -12 minutes or until edges are firm. They look kinda a golden color when done. Immediately press in Hershey's kiss, pumpkin or candy corn.

When they cool, add legs to the Hershey kiss cookies and eyeballs to make spiders.

You'll have created a plate of lovely pumpkin patch, festive candy corn, and spooky spider cookies.

* These cookies are photoshopped but they'll look close to the same when done.

10/28/09: I've added pictures of the rejects of a batch I made for Jesse's work. These are the same cookies as above. They're the ones I decided were too ugly to go to Jesse's coworkers.

Apple Desert Pizza

2009-10-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who does a home made pizza night with her boyfriend once a week and they take turns and I suggested she get crazy one day and do a desert pizza. I'm winging it here based on my time tested pie knowledge but try this for fun:

Crust:
1 1/4 flour
1/2 stick butter slightly melted
4 - 6 tablespoons water

Mix butter into flour to form little pea sized balls. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until doughy. Grab the whole lump and mush it into a ball. Place it on wax paper lightly coated with flour and place another piece of wax paper on top and roll it out. That's your crust.

Toppings:
2 - 4 apples sliced into thin wedges and peeled
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

Mix all together and place apples on top of crust.

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 stick slightly melted butter

Mix all together to make little pea sized crumbles. Pour over apples

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 375º or until apples are soft and dough is golden.

Icing Drizzle

1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter slightly melted
1 - 4 tablespoons milk

Mix butter and powdered sugar. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to create a drippy icing.

So this is basically like my apple streussel pie but in a pizza form with less ingredients because obviously it's a desert pizza. I think it could be a fun twist on pizza night.

Trouble Shooting: Where's My Gun?

2009-10-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

I suppose this title is more than appropriate for so many reasons today.

First off, let's talk guns. Like for real, guns. My friend Chrissy went out shooting with us recently and I think since she's been hanging out with me in general has showed a little bit more of an interest in getting a gun. I think it was partially the whole us taking her out to shoot with Phil one time. Then seeing Zombieland. And seeing a S&W with pink grips at Jesse's work. Anyway, we went to Scheels (Tangent: Appalachian Grammar Disaster mispronunciations from locals include "Schills" as in one-schilling, "Shields" as in shield from danger, "Shells" as in she sells sea shells by the sea shore, "Shales" as in, well, I don't know, maybe something a yuppie would name their kid?) because Chrissy needed to get some snowboarding gear. We spent a ridiculously long time there and wandered to their hunting department. Chrissy looked at a lot of revolvers because she's interested in getting one. I can say that when I started shooting I was very much into revolvers for the same reasons and my taste in guns has greatly evolved into a completely different area so I am enthusiastic to see where Chrissy's shooting tastes will lead her one day. Anyway, she felt pretty happy with her Scheels shopping experience. After that, we went to Bizarre Guns because she wanted to go there. She was not happy with their service. Personally, I always like Bizarre and the old guy that works there is alright in my mind. I told him I had buyer's remorse with my Bersa and he looked shocked because when I originally went in last November or whatever it was wanting to get a PPK but not having the money and he suggested the Bersa, he told me how no one has ever returned them. When I told him my remorse was that I didn't go with the hi-capacity version, he chuckled and said he'll hafta remember that. And apparently, the new .380 Sig P238 is selling like hotcakes because after the one time I saw it at Sportsmans, every gun shop in town has sold out of them. Wowzas! Anyway, at the end of the day, Chrissy never bought anything and is still leaning towards revolvers. I told her we need to go out shooting some more so she can really get a feel for what is comfortable for her or take an intro to handguns class.

When I got home, I had to do some trouble shooting on some web work and quite honestly, if there was a gun to solve that problem, I'd be in a happy place. I went back to tinkering with some template fixes from what I'd like to call the template bastard from hell. He was a total tool. Seriously template, I get you're totally set on looking one way, but is it too much to cooperate with me when I ask a mild favor of you? You'd think I was asking the thing to perform some horrendous feat. No way, just simple stuff. Look pretty. Do your thing. Eventually, after an evening of slapping it around like a cheap hooker, I got him to do his work. I find web work goes a lot smoother when you take it with a sense of humor. Now if only I could get him to like that damned animation, then I'd be a happy camper. Oh well. I did enough trouble shooting for tonight.

Anyway, that's my grand adventure for this evening. My car's registration is due. I find it amazing I've had that thing almost a year now. I find it ass that I need to get it smogged again. We also need to order oil for our heater and our landlord set up a maintenance of our furnace for us. They have a 2 week delay on heating but I'm not really worried because it's cold but tolerable still. It's gonna cost a few hundred to get all that situated. Grumble grumble. I'm not complaining too much, though, because we have a really awesome landlady. Sucks she got screwed over by the property management company she was partnered with. Oh well.

Apple Stuffed Croissants

2009-10-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

I know Failblog exists, but what about a Success blog? Today I had a hankering for sweets. I wanted something sweet but not like super sweet like chocolate or anything. Just a nice fruity sweet. Wanted a pie but didn't have enough apples and wasn't feeling like going to the store. So I decided to experiment with desert and made apple stuffed croissants. Took my no-fail greatest pastry recipe and instead of rolling out a pie, I rolled out triangles. Anyway, Charlie kept picking the pieces of dough and apples from the bowl and loving it.

My absolute favorite is this face right here...

Charlie was absolutely in shock at the fact I took an apple at ate it. It wasn't a scream or fuss but surprise like, "What? You like those things too!? No way! So do I! Now, where'd they all go?"

So here's the finished product...

And here's how you do it...

Apple Stuffed Croissants

Preheat oven to 350º

Pastry
2 1/4 cups flour
1 stick butter slightly melted
10 - 12 tablespoons water

Mix butter and flour to form little balls. Add 10 - 12 tablespoons water one tablespoon at a time till a nice dough is formed. Roll into a ball, slightly kneeding as you roll. Place on a lightly floured piece of wax paper and flip over so both sides get lightly coated in flour. Place another piece of wax paper over and roll out. Cut a square about 10" or so. * TIP: If you have a pizza slicer, those work amazing wonders in cutting perfect lines. END TIP * Cut the square in half so you have two rectangles. Cut rectangles in half from opposite corners (ie, bottom left to top right) to form two triangles. Repeat the process until you're out of dough. I'm guessing if you don't eat the dough as you go you can probably get like 9 - 10 triangles out of it. We only got barely 8.

Filling
3 small Granny Smith apples, cut and peeled
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix everything together.

Take pastry triangles and place apple fillings on the wide base of the triangle. Fold up and roll tucking the skinny point under the croissant and bend slightly into the half-moon shape. Sprinkle tops with sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool. Eat. Enjoy. Happy!

Tactical shooting practice and a good day

2009-10-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today was probably the best day I've had in a very long time. It started out very carefully planned. I made Charlie breakfast and we both sat at the table eating eggs and toast with a glass of OJ. That was awesome. Then, I changed Charlie's diaper and around 10:30 gathered some ammo and the Bersa and headed out to go shooting. This required very careful planning because I wanted to shoot while Charlie took his nap with his little earmuffs watching me shoot. He was looking a little drowsy so I put him in the car, got some gas, and drove to our secret shooting spot. By the time I got on the freeway, Charlie was zonked out. Anyway, he slept nicely the whole time I was shooting. So about the shooting. it was pretty cool. I only got to shoot 100 rounds but I practiced more tactical stuff like shooting at different distances, different hands, laying down, stuff like that.

I discovered some really interesting things. 1. Shooting laying down is hard. But I did ok. 2. I can't do things with my left hand very well, but I can shoot one handed with my left hand relatively well. 3. I trust my shooting abilities enough to place my camera directly next to my target on auto-timer so I can get video footage of my shooting an object. For the record, the video was shot using American Eagle .380 95 grain bullets at 15 feet with my Bersa Thunder .380. Not that anyone cares, but if you do, that's the deal. My groupings were within a 2" radius. I think one might have been over 2" but for averaging out sake, we'll keep it at 2".

After that, I just kinda unloaded all over the board and destroyed it.

Sadly, 100 rounds of ammo goes really fast. I don't think I was out there for more than 10 or 15 minutes tops. It seems sad to drive out there to leave only 15 minutes later but this is again more proof we need to get the reloading bench set up and I need to start loading .380 because dammit, this was so easy and such a pick-me-up, I could easily see myself going out once a week to pop a few rounds off. I like shooting alone better, too, for what it's worth, because you don't hafta wait on others, but I do enjoy company...

After shooting, I came home and cleaned my gun, then Chrissy took me out to lunch and we went to BJ's and shared a pizza that was awesome. And we had to have a weird brownie desert thing too. It was her thank you to me for taking her to and from her lasik and watching her till her babysitter got to her house to watch her last night. Anyway, today, when Jesse comes home and asks me how my day was, instead of grumping, I can tell him it was AWESOME! Because it was...

What the heck is the NRA thinking!?

2009-09-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralstons-flash/2009/jul/20/lowden-nra-nevadans-dont-you-embracing-evil-gun-ha/

Really? Of all people you want to back, you back one of the major asshats of congress? While great politicians are far and few, you go out and make a move ever-so-bold as to back Harry F'ing Reid!? Are you kidding me? That's like the Anti Deformation League backing Hitler! It's absurd!

Jesse and I were, ironically, driving home from shooting on Sunday. It was a lovely day. We had the radio on and coincidentally, Gun Talk was on. Someone called in asking about what was up with the NRA backing Harry Reid. Jesse and I just had this awkward moment of dumbfounded silence and listened to the comment. The best the host could come up with was a simple game of politics and that good ol' "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" theory. NRA feels the need to endorse someone. Apparently, they don't know who the opposing candidate would be. Instead of doing the right thing and waiting to hear if the opposition is worthy of backing, they back Harry. If Harry wins and they back him, they get in good with him because they fund (read: bribe) him. If Harry loses, well, they didn't think that far because obviously, they weren't thinking at all.

I guess this goes back to my questioning of WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HAVING A BACKBONE? I don't care what your political stance is, I just want you to BELIEVE in your cause. It is just so much more amazing when people have a belief system and are so headstrong and dedicated to their cause than it is to the person who flip flops to try and please everyone but is really just lying to someone, somewhere. Be it their own people or their opposition. Whatever the case, this is just sad.

I don't really know as much about the NRA as Jesse does. But the little bit I do know about them is that they seem to be like most contemporary politicians. It's a special interest group that will side up with anyone so long as they can win in the end. Even if it means stepping on those who support them. I don't care what their motivation is in this current decision, but I know it's angered a lot of their members, new and lifetime. I mean, at the rate their going, they might as well fund Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein in their future endeavors.

Is there a good pro-gun rights group out there? One that won't sell themselves or their members out because they're worried of losing face? Seriously, we're the ones with the guns. We have the power. It doesn't matter how many crappy politicians you have in office, no amount of politicains will ever outnumber the pro-gun legal gun owning voting citizens of this country. Period. There's no need to sell your soul to the Devil, NRA. Just tell Harry NO and instead of supporting him, support your cause and your members. Because they're the ones who keep your organization alive and running. Forget about what will happen if Harry wins again because honestly, there is no way in hell outside of a rigged election that Harry will ever get voted back into office again. A flaming turd could run against him and win. And even if he did win, Harry is just one guy. As much as he'd like to think him and his gun-hating posse have all this power, they don't. So stand strong to evil, NRA. Be there for your members, not another money-hungry corrupt politician.

An idea two years in the making...

2009-09-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

So for the past 2 years I had this idea about concealed carry purses. I know they already exist but to be honest, I really dislike the options available. They're expensive. $300 roughly. They're not exactly the best looking. Galco makes some ok purses but I would never see myself owning one of their purses let alone spending $300 for one. So my idea kinda stems a little more into local events. Brianna Dennison was abducted, raped, murdered and suddenly all these college age girls were buying guns and wanting to carry but avoided it because they didn't want to change their style of dress because you can't put a gun, no matter how tiny, under fitted clothes, without it being noticeable. Their options were limited: wear baggier clothes, which was a thumbs down to most girls, or get a stylish fanny pack, obviously a bigger thumbs down. A lot of girls wound up not buying guns for that reason. Fashion was more important than safety. But was it too much to ask to not compromise one's safety or fashion? Could the two exist harmoniously on one parallel? So for two years I thought and thought and came up with a solution. It involved sewing. It involved a special design that wasn't being used on the other purses. Previous conceal carry purses used hard leather and a velcro adjustable holster system. Two things that limited the options of the design as well as jacked up the price. I managed to figure out a way of having a gun sit vertically in a purse within reach as well as a way to make it ambidextrous. So for the past few days I've been sewing and sewing and I've only managed to make 3 purses but I can say, for the materials, labor, and everything in between, in the end you have a product that is functional, cute, and not to mention cheaper than what is currently available. Anyway, long story short, I'm still working on sewing other products including a handy caddy that can turn any purse into a conceal carry purse, a stylish winter coat, and a holster I promise will be super amazing if I can find the materials I need to make it (so far, no luck but I'm not giving up the fight!) So yeah, I'm super excited to be doing this and if it becomes great, super, if not, it's not the end of the world, it just means I have a slew of new awesome conceal carry purses to myself. The end.

Baby bow headbands

2009-09-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked if I knew how to make baby bow headbands with satin ribbons. Well, here's a craft project for anyone who can barely sew or someone who is a seasoned pro. What you'll need:

Needle/Thread or sewing machine/thread
Ribbon
Elastic (preferably one that is the same width as the bow you plan to use or close to it)
Pins

1. Take your ribbon and wrap one piece over. This will be half the width of your total bow. You can make it larger or smaller to your desired bow size.

2. Fold the rest of the ribbon over to the center to create the other half of the bow.
Repeat step 2 as many times as you want your bow to continue. For this project, we're going to do a double bow with 2 loops on the left and right side of our center. You can do more or less loops.

3. Pin in place in the center and cut off tag end of ribbon.

4. Sew the middle together to hold the place of the ribbon.

5. Attach your center bow piece with same piece of thread.
Wrap center around the front of the bow and sew closed when you come back to your starting point on the back.
Cut off tag end of ribbon and stitch over to secure.

6. Measure around your baby's head. Cut a piece of ribbon 1/4" longer than your baby's head. This is for the headband part. Attach the bow to the headband, tie off thread and cut.

7. Cut elastic 1" smaller than the width of your baby's head. Attach it to your headband portion. Stretch it as you sew so that it reaches the end of your ribbon.
This will create a rippled as you sew and make sure your headband is fitted but with stretching abilities to fit your baby's head.
Sew on the top and bottom edges of your ribbon and tie off when finished.

8. Finally, turn your headband inside-out and sew the edges of the ribbon together to create a loop.

Your headband is finished!

OK, obviously, I fudged the finished project because I have a son and don't feel like making an entire bow headband and simply did this for illustrative purposes for someone who wanted to make her daughter satin ribbon bow headbands.

This same concept can be altered by using fabric too. You'll have to make your own self-material ribbons with fabric obviously, and instead of doing the elastic on the outside, I would sew it inside of the fabric, but the idea is pretty much the same. You can get all creative with it. Add little buttons, flowers, whatever for holiday purposes. Make a Christmas or Halloween bow. You get the point.

Have fun and happy crafting!

Another award winning pie...

2009-08-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

When I won 2nd place for my pie at the Nevada State Fair last year, I was told it was a fluke. Then, when I entered again this year and won 2nd place again, I decided that it is no longer a fluke and I am officially Nevada's 2-time Pie Princess. Anyway, everyone asked for it when I let them know it happened again, so here's this year's winning recipe. Have fun baking my pie and hope anyone who makes it, send me a picture of you with my pie and let me know how you like it!

2009 Nevada State Fair Pie Princess with my ribbon and what's left of my pie with the Fair Queen and Fair Princess. 2009 Fair Royalty.

Upside Down Dutch Apple Pie

Crumble crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine

Filler:
4 - 6 Granny Smith apples peeled and cut
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Pie Crust:
2 cups flour
1 stick margarine
8 to 10 tablespoons cold water
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 375°F

Prepare crumble crust: Combine flour and sugars. Melt butter and cut into flour mixture with a fork until fine crumbs form. Pour mixture into pie dish and press down with fork or spoon covering bottom and sides. Prepare filler: Cut and peel apples into small pieces. Mix in all ingredients. Place in pie dish on top of crumb filling. Prepare pastry crust: Mix flour and salt. Cut in melted margarine with a fork until thick crumbs form. Add water into the mixture and keep mixing until a dough is formed. Kneed, form into a ball, and flatten. Roll out to a circle big enough so that the dough barely sticks out from the pie tin when placed on top. Lay pastry crust on top and tuck the edges under, pressing down slightly into place. Decorate edges with a fork or spoon. Cut 4 small holes in the top. Brush with an egg white and cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes.

White Vinegar: God's Gift To Everything

2009-08-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe the economy is hurting your pockets when it comes to cleaning supplies. Maybe you just want to go green. Maybe you have kids and pets and can't risk them eating cleaners. For that reason, God invented white vinegar. This is the most amazing stuff in the world because you can use it for EVERYTHING. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my favorite vinegar uses with you:

Washing
Put 1 cup white vinegar in the rinse cycle when washing cloth diapers, underwear or bras. It kills candida yeast associated with thrush and vaginal yeast infections. Personally, I think it does a better job than bleach and it's gentle on clothes and doesn't destroy them like bleach will do to diapers. I've lost many a pre-folds thanks to that chemical bastard, bleach.

Floor Cleaner
Mix 1 part vinegar to 1 part water to make a great floor cleaner. Safe for hard wood floors too so long as you dry it asap. I use it on my wood laminate floors (read faux wood floor). You can also use it on linoleum floors. I don't know about ceramic but I don't see why not. It cleans and brightens while killing crap.

Bug Spray
Yeah, apparently you can use it as a bug spray. Works directly on bugs and to prevent them. It works ok on light bug issues but for serious bug problems, I advise something else. We used this when we moved in to ward off ants. Some people say you can do a 1 to 1 mix, I just go for the full on vinegar. But yeah, do either a 1 to 1 water/vinegar or a full vinegar solution in a spray bottle and spray on bugs or in areas where they tend to go. Also, if you clean floors with this mixture, it works good too. But you need to do this daily if it's serious. We turned out to have a serious bug problem when it heated up and had to result to a bug bomb.

Glass Cleaner
Mix 1 part vinegar to 1 part water mix and spray like you would glass cleaner.

Super Cleaner
Mix 1 part vinegar to 1 part cream of tartar powder. You can get that stuff in the herb/spice section. It creates a paste. This stuff is good for cleaning stove tops, grimey pots and pans, and basically anything that is a total a-hole when it comes to cleaning. For best results, apply the paste to your surface and let sit 5 - 10 minutes then scrub off. You'd be surprised what this can accomplish.

Weed Killer
Mix 1 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 4 tbs salt. Put it in a spray bottle and apply ONLY on weeds. If you don't weed first, make sure you soak the leaves. Otherwise, spray on roots of weeded weeds, or trim exposing the stem and spray on the stem. This stuff will kill flowers, grass, and plants so it is important you only spray the weed. Not to mention the vinegar will keep bugs at bay.

Vinegar is like a magic solution from God to kill bad stuff, make stuff you like look pretty and its awesome. If you don't have a gallon tub of it in your house, you should invest in one. You can get a gallon of it for under $5 at almost any grocery store and it's one of those household must-have items.

We're Twins!

2009-08-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Black on top and yellow below. Only the Oldsmobile doesn't have a sunburn. Har har. So onto the story now of how we got this way...

It started with a third or forth day of chemical stripping. I forget how many times I did it. Even then, I am very unhappy with the results but at this point it's too hot for me to really even care anymore. It happens. Anyway, I got everything off to the best of my abilities. I'm sure if I had more patience, I could have done a better job but at this point, I really don't care. I've decided that in a year or two or whenever this paint job craps out on me, I'm just gonna take it to Earl Scheib or something. This is too much work for the quality of job I'm getting. I just wanted to do this so I could say that I did something amazingly ambitious in my lifetime, like, oh, I dunno, painting a car.

Anyway, this is what he looked like when all the crap was off. I had to bondo up some little holes on the back passenger side. I did leave the holes for the Royale emblems open though so I can pop those back in.

After, I taped the thing up and primed it. While I was taping it, some fat little jr. high kid came walking by himself and tried to talk shit about my car and I was like, "What'd you say about my car?" and he gets all scared and was all like, "Nuthin'..." That's right, bitch.

Finally, it's paint time. This was the hardest thing to paint on my car outside of the hood and trunk. Fortunately, I think I will just need one more coat of black and a clear coat and that will be the end of that.

So I know my plan was to go with a cream top but there's that Plymouth Fury by me on Wells that's been for sale forever and has the same color scheme and I just don't want to get confused with it. Plus, I got some awesome leopard fuzzy seat covers and it ties the yellow and black together nicely. And finally, in Chrissy's words, "It matches your hair." It does.

At this point, the only work left is the front and back by the bumpers and then doing a second coat and clear coat, but all the hard work is out of the way. Shit like sanding and stripping adhesive fuzzy crap. I plan to complete this by next Wednesday otherwise known as the day I fly down to LA.

ETA: Here's some pictures of the car last night after I washed it.

I'm holding the little 67 Cutlass die cast car I stole the color scheme idea from at Jesse's work.

Close up of the die cast.

The Oldsmobile in front of our house. It's so pretty!

Defeat is a bitter pill to swallow

2009-08-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

As mentioned before, there was no way in hell I was going to sand all the impurities off the Oldsmobile's roof. So I decided to go the route of a chemical stripper. They always make it look so easy on those tv auto revamping shows. Just paint it on and it scrapes clean like magic. WRONG!

The only cool thing is how the chemical stripper bubbles and boils and eats the material.

I did it according to directions and one half dried onto the car, the other half was such a pain in the rump I had to have Jesse help scrape it off. He scraped for a good half hour and the final result: it needs a second stripping. BASTARD!

Anyway, that's all. I feel completely defeated. I was hoping to get that bitch painted and primed today so I could remove the bumpers and do the weird spots tomorrow. Looks like my plans aren't going as I hoped. Grrr. I only have 10 days to finish it before I fly to LA.

Damn it feels good to be a quitter!

2009-08-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am not one of those wives who allows stubborn pride to consume me. Long ago, Jesse suggested I use a chemical stripper for the top of the car and I said I'd first give sanding a shot. Well, I will admit, Jesse is right. He usually is, especially with things he knows and cars are one of those things he knows well. So after I got the entire vinyl/leather/whatever-the-hell-it-is off the top of my car, I started to sand and I just decided that with how stubborn that adhesive is, no amount of manual sanding will get rid of it. Maybe an electric sander, but at this point, I'm feeling that chemical stripper stuff. So, here's a few pictures...

Again, rain clouds or crappy weather clouds, loom over head. I would hug them if I could, because they made my peeling process rather enjoyable. No heat. No sun. No sunburn. No reflective light bouncing off the top of my car into my eyes.

A close-up of the grossness that is left of adhesive.

A close-up of what the adhesive looks like after sanding and sanding and more sanding.

Alas, victory! I got all the vinyl off and I say I am ok with quitting on sanding the adhesive off!

Now, to call my husband at work and see if he will pick up some of that chemical stripping crap for me!

Half is better than none.

2009-08-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I believe the world must have thought I gave up on my Oldsmobile paint job, but the truth is, I've been hit with a bout of horrendous July heat to the point of not being able to step foot outside unless it's after 9 pm or before 5 am, because, quite frankly, I just can't stand being outside for more than 5 minutes per hour in that weather. Sadly, my car was not finished in time for Hot August Nights, but there's always next year. Fortunately, there has been some rather out-of-season rain and a brief cooling period, so I am going to take that opportunity to attempt finishing stripping the vinyl/leather/whatever-the-hell-it-is cover off of my roof. I have a super huge surprise with the plans of my car too! That will be unveiled in time. For now, as I told Jesse after I came in, "I would rather was 10 loads of dishes by hand and fold 3 weeks of laundry before I ever decide to peel the top off a car again." Fortunately, I believe this will be the one and only time in my life I will ever have to do that. Whew! So here's some pictures...

Here's a nice shot of my ass. Just kidding. This is actually the awkward positioning I have to take in order to be able to reach the top parts of my car. it's really uncomfortable and it's way too cold to have bare feet. It's a good thing I did my nails the day before too, because at least my feet look cute while they're bare. Har har... If you look carefully in the distance, you can see I'm losing daylight and some storm clouds are coming in...

Jokes aside, here is what Jesse calls my "perpetual scowl". Apparently, I always look this angry, even when I'm not. I don't know why I look like this. Maybe I've just had some hardships or something that have toughened me to the world, I don't know. You know how people in photos during the depression look all pissed, maybe that's me. Whatever.

Anyway, at the end of the day, I lost my daylight and bad weather looked like it was on it's way. I'm hoping it rains, though, even though I have an exposed metal roof. I'll get to sanding so any potential rust won't stand a chance. I just want it to rain because I forgot to water my lawn.

Me and my weird dreams...

2009-06-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

I had this dream me and my photographer friend Alissa were going to be in a group show about Thanksgiving, particularly turkeys. It was called the "Turkey Gobble". Alissa still had to shoot her photo and she had this book she made of really odd little drawings in pastel color pencils on beige card stock. I had a portrait of a turkey and then I got mail in and I got a bunch of packages and one of them was a really nice hardback book of photos of everyone's work. We browsed the pages and my pieces weren't in there, but it turns out they were but we passed over them. I thought they didn't get in because they were turned in late. Anyway, we got our stuff to the Turkey Gobble and Alissa had a photo of a turkey that was shot and it's head was blown off. Apparently I helped her with the photo because I was the one who shot the turkey and she needed someone with a gun to help her and I was the perfect candidate. She thought it would be fun to have a fellow artist collaborate with her on it. The picture came out really cool because the blood was very bright red and was a really nice contrast to the deep green hues of the leaves on the floor around it.

Prime Time

2009-06-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

I was so determined to get my car painted on one side today, but alas, I'd say I spent from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm roughly fixing other people's crappy bondo jobs and intermittently sanding the body. Seriously, who does this?

So, from the beginning of the day, this is what I had to start out with:

The driver's side wasn't nearly as bad as the passenger's side was in terms of body damage. I didn't have to hammer anything out. I did, however, have a ridiculous amount of scraping and bondo repairs to do, as previously mentioned.

Did I mention I had to break off another Delta 88 emblem? I wasn't concerned about damaging it because we happened to find not one, not two, but four emblems at the Pick & Pull yesterday. So I went hog wild. I also happened to get the pins they're stuck in with as they fell through a little crevice on the bottom of the body. Apparently, my theory about the assemblers of the car thinking the car would never need another paint job in it's life was correct. Again, who does this? Bolting on an emblem and not having any way to get it off? What if someone hit the car and did body damage and you got it repaired and had to repaint it? Do you just bondo over the holes and say bye-bye to your emblems? Maybe that's why it's hard to find these things sometimes. Who knows?

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, a good part of the day was spent sanding and doing bondo on the car. My original plan was to just do the driver's side, but then I got all crazy and did the trunk too. What the heck, right? Jesse told me he liked my bondo work and said he'd like me to do the bondo on his Galaxie. I asked him if he was serious or if he was just saying it as one of those husband trying to encourage his wife type things. He said he was serious. I was honored.

After the bondo and sanding was done, I did the primer. I had the cans sitting on top of our trash can and I went to grab the bag they were in and it fell. Next thing I know, I hear this whizzzhhhh sound and apparently one of the cans exploded and was spraying all crazy inside the bag. Fortunately it was in that bag. I think Jesse and I would have royally freaked out if that fell on the floor and sprayed primer on the bumpers of our cars.

While I was priming, one of Jesse's customers came to pick up his gun. Apparently he was a little curious as to why I was painting my car and Jesse told him all about it.

Jesse decided to take a video of me priming. I've done so much priming I feel like I'm a spray painting machine.

It took me 3 half empty cans and 2 full cans to prime the entire side and back of my car. Jesse cut me off from painting because I would have stayed out and finished the thing into the darkness, but alas, I didn't. I didn't accomplish painting one side, but instead, tomorrow I plan to prime the hood and try to paint all that has been primed. If I'm lucky, I just might have 75% of the car painted with it's base coat by then!

Overzealous

2009-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I worked on painting the Oldsmobile, but I should fill you in on some of what's been going on.

First, we've had rain for like 2 weeks here. It's not like normal rain where it starts and goes on for a while. No, it's like sunny one minute, then gets a little cloudy and then you hear a rumble of thunder and all of a sudden it starts to shit hammer pour. Then it will stop for 5 minutes and rain like normal for a while and then the clouds will lurk around and you don't know if it is going to rain more or not. Or, my favorite, it's sunny and pretty outside and then you feel a drop... drop... drop drop... RAIN. In the sun. How is it possible to be sunny AND rain? That is beyond me.

Second, Charlie has been teething molars real bad. So he is fussy as heck.

Third, I babysat for a friend recently so that day was out.

Now, the good stuff! I have a lot of catching up to do and I'll add picture later I'm sure, but here goes:

My hubcaps came in last week. This has been a huge motivation to get me to do more painting. They're so pretty and Oldsmobiley!

Then, I got a really great email from someone selling a salvage 1976 Delta 88 same color and model as my car and everything on eBay for $300 and I emailed about the lights, and there's a whole blog about it, but he sold me the tail lights for $40 plus shipping so I paid for those today.

I lied about my car running great. It squeaks because of some issue with the alternator. It's not bad, it's just, I can get a new one for Jesse to put in or he can do some helicoil work and get that to be fixed and it won't squeak anymore. The squeaking is just annoying but to my knowledge isn't affecting the car's performance negatively... yet. The other thing, it needs a turn signal cam. Jesse's going to get one for me at Kragen today when he returns his starter core for the $20 refund. So really, there's only two mechanical issues that are so miniscule that need to be fixed and are simple fixes, just issues of time.

So what's next?

Yesterday we got some new emblems and a hood ornament as well as a new trunk lock cover for the Oldsmobile. What does this mean? Simple: after it gets painted and I put all the pretty cosmetic crap on, the only thing that will need work is making a seat cover for the back seat and front seat. I know it sounds terribly tacky, but I am seriously considering making fuzzy leopard seat covers. I'm torn between a snow leopard or a regular leopard. Depends on what looks best with the interior. I also am toying with painting the vinyl. Oh, and I need to get some silicon to fill the 3 cracks on the dash, which Jesse is rather impressed with because I guess it's rare to have a car as old as mine with so few cracks on a plastic dash.

So that's the good news. Now back to work. I plan to have the entire driver side painted today. Or at least primed.

The end...for now.

Clouds can be tricky bastards

2009-06-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

This morning was cloudy but it said in the forecast there was no rain for today so I believed it. I decided to do the front passenger side. To start, I popped off the emblems, which, much to my dismay, were originally put on by a cynical son of a bitch who thought this car would never require a paint job again in it's life because they are virtually impossible to get at unless you remove the entire wheel well cover thing, unscrew something, and then pop them off. So my solution: break the damned things off and buy some new ones that stick on with adhesive on eBay. God bless eBay. The sad part was the 88 broke. But at least Delta is still in tact. I'll be ghetto and make a necklace for it or something. True story.

Today wasn't much different than yesterday. Oh, well other than the fact I was totally solo today and had to watch my son and take my friend to work. That's a whole thing in itself:

After I popped (read: broke) the emblems off and start the 60 grain sanding of the front passenger's side, I get a call from my friend Chrissy. She needs a ride to work because her car has crapped out on her again for the God knows how manyth time in the last month. Her car is relatively new and shouldn't be acting like that but what can I say, it's no '76 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale. Anyway, at that point, Charlie had been down for a nap for about an hour and I was looking forward to 2 more hours of work time but that became nothing more than a pipe dream. I woke the boy, put him in the car along with all my equipment because I was too lazy to put it up in the house again only to get it out again when I got back. I picked her up and took her to work, got some Jack in the Box Mini Buffalo Ranch burgers and shared them with Charlie for lunch and they are AWESOME; if you haven't had them yet, try them!

Anyway, after lunch Charlie is awake which means I will not accomplish much, if anything at all. I put him outside with me in his little exersaucer and let him play "tools" with Mommy.

From there, I was able to do some sanding and of course, after I started, Charlie started to fuss. So I sanded one handed with child in the other hand resting on my hip. Let it be said, if I wind up with back problems by the time I'm 30, that is why. I let Charlie help with the sanding and he was super excited that of all people, Mommy was the one to let him get his first hands-on experience with working on cars, even if it was just painting. Sorry, Jesse, I know that should be your turf, but you were at work.

Of course that lasted all of about 5 minutes because Charlie turns out, was sleepy. I put him in his stroller with a blanket and let him sleep outside where I could watch him and work on the car. It was a killer idea because he not only slept, but he slept long enough for me to prime the car...

While the primer was drying, I scraped off some of the molding adhesive on the back...

Then I was able to start painting...

And I was even able to finish painting the front passenger's side of the car!

With my luck, it never rained today, even though it looked very much like it would. Charlie didn't wake up till I finished and got all my supplies put up. It was a very successful day and I got what I considered to be a decent amount of work finished. Till next time...

Let there be paint!

2009-06-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

After several text messages to friends about my ghetto paint job and being called ghetto for it, it was time to finally apply paint. The color was Krylon's Indoor/Outdoor Sweet Cream Glossy. It's a buttery yellow and more vibrant yet softer than the muted beige I have on now. I think it's a great natural color transition and looks very similar to one of the original Oldsmobile swatches.

I did a thin coat and when I say thin, I mean thin. The stuff goes on very transparent and I don't know if it's because it's such a light color or if it has something to do with the fact it's glossy, I don't know. But after that, I did another coat, slightly heavier. It took me about two or three runs to get it nice and even, but there's some little drippy spots and a few small bubbly spots. I plan on going over those again with a fine grain sand paper, like 600 or something and doing another coat. My plan of action is to do somewhere between 3 and 5 coats of paint before thinking about clear coat.

On the second day, God created primer...

2009-06-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Later in the afternoon, the bondo dried and we were able to put on primer. (When I say we, I mean me and occasionally Jesse's help. He did the bondo work and some sanding. He spent most of his time on his Galaxie.) I use Krylon Indoor/Outdoor primer to coat both the doors. I planned on doing the entire primer of the car but Jesse said to do primer then paint because we might get rain tonight. I just did what he said to do because it's Jesse and he knows a lot of stuff about a lot of things so I trust him.

Basically I put on enough primer to be nice and even. Horizontally and vertically to create a nice even coat and prevent banding.

In the beginning, God created Krylon

2009-06-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, Jesse said he was going to get some spray paint to cover some spots on his Galaxie so it wouldn't rust. When he did that, I noticed my 1976 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale had a few rust areas and didn't want them to get worse. But at the same time, I didn't want my car to look like a cow so I contemplated the idea of painting it completely with spray paint. If I did do it, though, I didn't want it to look like a cheap crap job. So I did what any good American would do and I googled "how to spray paint a car" and came across this really great easy to understand response:

First repair anything that needs repaired and make sure everything is smooth and clean. Wet sand everything you are going to paint with 360 grit paper. Spray a couple coats of a sandable primer. Let that dry, wet sand that with 600 grit. Make sure everything's clean, spray a coat of primer-sealer. Spray your color, at least twice as many coats as you think you'll need, vary the direction pattern you spray between coats to avoid color banding and minimize color variation, you may need to practice this, this is the part most people have trouble with. Let the color dry for a day, wet sand it smooth with 600, 1500, and 2000 grit paper. It should be glossy now. Let it finish drying for the next week. After the week has passed apply twice as much clear coat as you thing you will need. Allow the clear to dry over night, then sand similar to the color. Then let the clear dry for at least a week, buff with a mild buffing compound and wax. Now admire your work, and make up some lie about how you paid a bodyshop $5000 for it.

Seemed easy enough, just time consuming. If there's one thing I am good at, that would be painting. After all, I majored in it!

Today was the beginning of what will be a very time consuming project that I hope to finish within the next two months. It started with the passenger doors and involved taking a putty scraper to scrape off the ghost of a shitty bondo job past and adhesive from some sort of molding that used to be on my car but is long gone. After that was removed, it was time to sand with 60 grain sand paper. I wanted to do 40 but they didn't have any at Walmart. So it was sand, then brush all the dust away and sand with 100 grain (again, I wanted 80 but Walmart is Communist and didn't have that either!) When that was done, Jesse took some bondo and did a nice job of fixing the dents and old crappy bondo jobs. While to bondo dried, I worked on masking off parts of the car we didn't want painted like handles, mirrors, along windows; stuff like that.

At this point we're just waiting for the bondo to dry so we can prime.

What's the female equvalent of a "douchebag"?

2009-04-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day for a gun show. As always, Jesse and I rounded up the family for the local gun show, this weekends being the Big Reno Show at Grand Sierra. Lots of people were out today. Parking was packed. People from all walks of life were there. There were a lot of people sporting Tax Day Tea Party wear and keeping the message alive and healthy. We got there 20 minutes after it opened and waited in line for about another 20 minutes just to get our tickets. When we got inside, we didn't bother to get ammo cos we're pretty well stocked up, but the line for that was outrageous! For starters, the ammo table is in the second room on the back wall in the middle and the line went from there to the end of the wall in the first room and down part of the other wall. So heads up to anyone thinking of going to buy ammo, you might wanna take a buddy so you can take bathroom breaks.

We ran into Dave the Jew at Meehanovitch Customs and he was bummed cos a friend of his who had some guns at his table sold more guns than he did. So the story goes. And we ran into Daggo, who we haven't seen in ages. He was there with two friends.

Jesse and I went to get a bite to eat and to take a break. We had been there a good hour. I was toting Charlie around in his possum pouch on my back and was in serious pain. We got a bite to eat at the 2nd St. Deli. We were sitting behind what I would call the female equivalent of a douchebag. This lady had the most artificial laugh ever that sounded like a mix of Fran Drescher and a seagull. At first I thought she was making fun of something, then I realized that was her actual laugh. They were talking very loud on cell phones and the one gal was talking to her friend about wanting to have a baby shower for her and she said she was going to set up a Facebook page for her baby shower. Jesse and I looked at each other and laughed and Jesse said, "Uh oh, do you feel a blog coming on?" Damned right I do! I took a paper out and started taking notes! Jesse was like, "You're taking notes?" I assured him that sometimes that's the only way I can remember copious details of absurdities. I then joked as if I were on a cell phone and her, "Grand Sierra. We're at Grand Sierra... Yeah, Grand Sierra..." Jesse chuckled. Not too long after that, she says for real, "Reno! We're in Reno right now. Yeah, Reno..." OH, SNAP! I so called it!

OK, so Jesse left to go to work and I went back in to browse the gun show a little longer. I was on a mission to get Charlie a gun. Actually, we were on this mission since I was 28 weeks pregnant and saw a cute JGA at Cabella's but never got it and of course never saw it again. I did, however, find a pretty nice little Winchester Model 67 little bolt action .22 for $85. I ran into Daggo again and he was looking for a charger for the AR he wanted to build. I asked him to go with me for his professional opinion of his soon-to-be Godson's first gun. He checked it out and there were two there he said would be good but I liked the Winchester and he said it was the better of the two. I talked the dealer into letting me have it for $75 and yeah, Charlie has a gun now for when he's older and he also has a matching vintage Winchester raglan shirt I got him a few gun shows back. I have a feeling he can get them both at the same time, I'm saying, 5 year old birthday? I figure by then he'll be old enough to learn how to shoot, so yeah.

Walking back to the car was pretty interesting. Charlie was in his possum pouch riding on my back. I was holding my big ol' purse on one hand and a .22 rifle in the other. I had my Gadsden shirt on and usual scowl Jesse says I have perpetually. Granted, I was happier than heck to find a gun for my son. As I walked out an old man working at GSR asked how busy the gun show was. I guess he wanted to check it out on his lunch break. I told him it was pretty swamped but the line to get in (by then it was noon) was gone. He seemed relieved. Then when I got outside in the parking lot on my way to my car, two guys said that Charlie and I were a "good looking family." I suppose that was because of the woman, child and rifle. People like seeing the whole family involved. After all, they should. Where else in the world will you see not only men with the right to own guns, but women as well? Just another thing that makes me proud to be an American. Anyway, we'll be going back tomorrow and I'm sure Jesse will want to look at the rifle when he gets home. I called him at work to tell him about it.

The end.

Taxes, Eggs, and Drapes, Oh My!

2009-04-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

1. I'm sick of people complaining about the whole tax issue. What did people do long before the days of taxes? How did our founding fathers have their roads taken care of? Long before police and armies we had militias of citizens who owned guns and armed themselves and were able to protect themselves. Our world has become so codependent and such a nanny-nation, that we forget our roots. We forget that at one time, we were capable of doing such things ourselves and not relying on others to do that and our thinking for us. And we didn't have problems with jobs. The only people who didn't have jobs were people who weren't willing to work. Really all these issues of taxes paying for this service and that service just came from the whole greed scene of Americans wanting more but in order to get more, they had to give. And greed never works out great in terms of anyone running anything. This can be seen in business today with the greedy owner who instead of rewarding their employees and taking care of them, expects them to work long hours with little vacation, crappy benefits, and then goes on month long vacations to Hawaii. Trust me, I wouldn't have issues paying taxes if I knew for sure my money was being spent on the right things, but I don't see any of that. And I am definitely not one of those "rich Republicans" I am being told I am by others. I'm an unemployed mom of one who is married to a man who makes a little over minimum wage. We're good at budgeting our money and happen to find little jobs here and there to make ends meet. We're not driving around in new fancy cars, with fancy clothes and things of the sorts. We're just your average run of the mill Americans who came from families with the work ethics of don't spend beyond your means and if you want something, work for it cos there's no such thing as a free lunch. And I don't want to hear about how bailing out the auto industry and others will help keep jobs in America because last I checked, most "American" cars have most of their mechanical parts outsourced and really the only parts "made" in America is the final assembly and even then, most corporations find that they can hire an illegal for half the cost of an American. Can you feel my outrage on this? And guess what, it's not me, but it's those greedy employers who are trying to cut corners and save money for themselves that outsource and hire illegals, the people you try to lump me in with, the people who you say deserve a bail out because doing so will keep jobs for Americans. I don't support illegals. I don't support big business. I don't support government fiscal irresponsibility. And I especially don't support you telling ME that I am one of THEM. I'm not. I am an American. I am what this country is about. I'm hard working. I don't have much, but I appreciate what I have. I do what I can to make ends meet. I help where help is needed. I don't succumb to greed and selling out. I am all for grass roots organizations and civil disobedience. If you want to call me a right wing extremist or terrorist or unpatriotic because I don't believe in paying more taxes so that corrupt politicians can get richer while we the people lose our rights every day and our country goes to hell in a hand basket, then by God, call me what you will. I know in my heart I am an American and no one can ever take that from me and if I have to affiliate myself with anything, I will affiliate myself with my forefathers who came to this country to escape tyrants, with nothing, establishing their homes from the blood, sweat, and tears; not these new pseudo dictators who tell us what to believe, what we can and can't do and how many vaccines to pump our children up with so we can all one day become zombie slaves to their new world order. OK, I got off topic slightly, but can you feel my anger here?

2. I am having serious issues peeling hard boiled eggs. Perhaps it's just pent up frustrations from previous statements but I can't seem to peel them without them breaking horribly. I just want an egg salad sandwich for lunch and I'm winding up with yolk with a few white flecks and crumbled shells with whites stuck to them. I'm gravely disappointed.

3. I need to go to Ben Franklin today to get some more yarn. Charlie's birthday blanket is almost done. I got this stuff called Pound of Love yarn and it's a pound of yarn. It's a LOT of yarn. But it's not really that much because it can't even make a full blanket. I also need to get some tan so I can make him his pug dog. Yeah, I found a how-to-crochet a pug free pattern. Woo!

4. I found the most spectacular couch cover on eBay and drapes. All cheap. Cheaper than if I were to make it myself. So now I gotta keep an eye on my bids and hope all goes well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

And so it never ends...

2009-03-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today I had to refile my loan application to consolidate my already consolidated student loans in an attempt to avoid having to go through another bullcrap rehab program because Sallie Mae are a bunch of clueless asshats. Fortunately it's been 56 days since my application was originally submitted to Sallie Mae and there's a 45 - 60 day period to get a loan certified so I may be covered in that grace period and not have my stuff show up as being in default. I hope. Of course money is involved so they'll find a way to say "nope, doesn't count" and make me do the rehab program with another agency for another year and nothing will get accomplished. As of right now, because of their stupidity, my credit is being affected... again. If I had super platinum credit, I'd say to hell with them all together and not pay at all but I'm not so lucky. Instead, a non-working person has to find a way to pay $177 - $250 a month for a $40,000 loan that went on an education for a job they can't even get. Where's my student loan bail out? Fortunately my loan is getting bought out by the gov't. And I know they care about covering their asses and if they have to bail out anyone, they'll either bail out themselves or the bankers. Sadly the bankers have more power than the gov't and I've lost my loan with them and I'm sure they'll b e the first to get any form of bail out if there's ever one for student loans. But that'll be a cold day in hell. I mean, forget the fact people lie to you saying you need a college degree to get a job and lenders will give you thousands of dollars under the pretense you will be making money when you get out. (True lie they tell you. I questioned them about this when I was 18 years old making $120 a month at my part time job and wondering how I'd pay back a loan for $10,000 a year!) Of course half the people who went to college and have all these loans are now defaulting on them because they either got laid off and can't pay their loans back and are losing their homes, cars, and other worldly possessions, or they went to college and because of the job market can't get a job despite having a BA, MA, or PhD. It's pretty sad when the employees at Starbucks are making more than someone with a college education, but that's the nature of the beast. And places like CVS, Target, and other retailers won't hire someone with a college education because you're too experienced. No one wants to hire someone desperate for work willing to make half of what they normally make for whatever unknown reason, possibly they just want a slacker who will do just what they're told like a good little puppet. Heaven forbid someone get a job who actually does it or even shows some potential and drive who aspires to have the job of their manager. That's just as petty as a pretty supervisor not hiring a more than qualified pretty girl to work under her for fear she'd no longer be the pretty girl of the office. But that's the way it goes in the real world. Life isn't fair and in the end, you get dicked over in every way, shape, or form. That which doesn't damage your credit just makes you more weary of lenders and realize what true scum bankers are.

Here's some semi-related unrelated videos Alex Jones is constantly going on about banker scum and the IRS, their friends in scamming others out of their money.

Do you ever see something and think to yourself...

2009-01-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

"If that's not suspicious, I dunno what is?"

Today some dudes were in front of where I normally park in the alley. The car is still running but the driver gets out and goes to his trunk. He pulls out a promotional camo SCI bag (Safari Club Int'l. Just in town, $180 to get in, I doubt he went.) He gets out a brown box and gives it to another dude and then takes out an aluminum baseball bat and puts it in his car between the driver's seat and passenger's seat. Then, they realize maybe the location of their transaction isn't a good spot so the driver gets in his car and they drive down the alley mid way. They park and continue business. After, the driver gets back in and hauls ass out towards the end of the alley and leaves. The customer then goes to his apartment building. Normally I'd say drug deal but I think this was an illegal gun purchase because the box was about the size of a gun case. Plus the fact it came out of an SCI bag makes me wonder if the guy worked at the hotel and stole something or something along those lines. You'll hafta forgive me, for all I know they were getting a ride home from somewhere and getting something out of the trunk and I have a vivid imagination. But yeah, stuff like that isn't really normal behavior. People who are up to no good usually do so in the alley and never in front of where they live. That's like the code of illegal behavior down the alley apparently.